Issuu

April 19, 2018

ISRAEL AT 70 Distributed weekly in the Five Towns, Long Island, Queens & Brooklyn

See page 7

Around the

Community

Israel: 1948 and Now

Yeshiva of South Shore and the Five Towns Community Honor Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l

Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper

Historian Dr. Benny Morris Analyzes the Past 70 Years pg

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The Meaning of 70

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Rav Avichai Rontzki 42 Remembering 6 Million

The Rabbi You Wished You Knew pg

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52 DRS Wins NCSY JUMP Competition

PAGE 23

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Dear Readers,

hen most of us head to Israel on vacation or for yeshiva or for yom tov, we look forward to spending time in our land, davening at the Kotel and visiting relatives. Frequenting our favorite restaurants or shops are high on our lists as well. There are trips to Tsfat, jaunts to Geulah, taxi rides to the Old City and tours of ancient burial grounds. Israel is the perfect trip – it combines food, fun, family and fervent prayers. But what if we would have taken a trip to the Holy Land seventy years ago? Forget KFC and Cofix. Dinner was made at home; Turkish coffee was prepared slowly, yielding its distinctive thick consistency and bitter taste. There were air raids and daily visits to the bomb shelters. Many of the ragtag army’s “soldiers” were Holocaust survivors who were struggling with their own horrors and trauma. There were yeshivas, but they were few. Those who chose to learn in Israel did not have it easy. There were barely any phone calls home; their living conditions were not what American boys were used to. Their learning, though, was pure and powerful. There were no distractions, and they were breathing in holy air as they consumed the fiery words on the pages. There’s a story told of Menachem Begin, who eventually became the prime minister of Israel. But before he was prime minister –

and even before there was a State of Israel – Begin was imprisoned and sentenced to eight years in Siberia for being a Zionist and for working for the British. He was freed when he volunteered to serve in the new Soviet-sponsored Polish army. During the fighting, his unit – ironically – was sent via Iran, Iraq and Transjordan to fight alongside the British against the Germans. It was during this time that Begin took his first steps on holy soil. Seeing the deep emotion that Begin had upon finally stepping on the stones of his homeland, one of his fellow Polish soldiers said to him, “Good to be home, eh?” For every Jew, it’s good to be home. No matter how hard or how easy it is to visit our homeland there is a certain feeling of comfort that envelops us when we finally get there. There’s a familiarity, a security, a feeling of contentment – this is ours and forever it will be. The modern State of Israel was built on a dream. It was built with the dedication and conviction of thousands of Jews who wanted to walk on the same streets that their forefathers tread. They wanted to be able to live in a land which was promised to them thousands of years ago. We are so lucky to be able to visit and live there, to be able to enjoy our freedom with millions of other Jews in a country that we can call our own. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern PUBLISHER

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman MANAGING EDITOR

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

Community Happenings

NEWS

117

Global

National

Odd-but-True Stories

Op-Ed by Rabbi Nosson Neuman

ISRAEL Israel News

The Meaning of 70 by Rafi Sackville

Historian Dr. Benny Morris Analyzes the Past 70 Years

PEOPLE Rav Avichai Rontzki: The Rabbi You Wished You Knew

Noted and Quoted on the Battlefield by Avi Heiligman

110

PARSHA Rabbi Wein

Looking Forward Versus Looking Back by Rav Moshe Weinberger

JEWISH THOUGHT Conflicts of Self-Interest by Eytan Kobre

Counting from the Harvest Up by Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

HEALTH & FITNESS Shiny Object Syndrome by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

La La Bamba by Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

Focusing on Meningitis Vaccines by Dr. Hylton I. Lightman

FOOD & LEISURE

Dear Editor, Your article on Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz, zt”l, was heartwarming, moving and inspiring. It is hard to imagine what being frum was like years ago – we are all so used to buying kosher products everywhere and wearing our yarmulkas proudly. Times have changed. It took a man with a true strength of character who was resilient and devoted to the cause – the cause of keeping Yiddishkeit alive and cultivating unabashedly frum Jews. He taught his congregants to do what was right and to be proud of their heritage. He educated them, embraced them, chastised them, and rejoiced with them. We were most fortunate to have a leader like Rabbi Pelcovitz. Chana H. Dear Editor, It is no secret that the Orthodox community is awash with older singles. These include so many women and men who want nothing more than to find a suitable match. For reasons that vary, these individuals have not yet married, or they were married and now find themselves single again. With a fervent prayer for success, I have founded an organization called One Jewish Match. I am in the preliminary stages of gathering qualified professionals and rabbanim to assist in this endeavor. I am therefore inviting men 35 and over and women 28 and over to join

One Jewish Match. We seek individuals who are committed to an Orthodox lifestyle and whose marriage will include keeping the laws of taharat hamishpachah and Shabbat. If you are interested, please email onejewishmatch@gmail.com with a brief letter about yourself. Include your age and your location. I will respond by email. The letter must come from the single; we will not respond to letters from parents, friends, or rabbanim. I stress that the purpose of One Jewish Match is to unite men and women in suitable marriages. Therefore, the response you receive from us will include a detailed list of criteria for membership. These criteria include, but are not limited to: a willingness to accept coaching through the dating process; a willingness to go out at least three times in a short period; and the ability to be open to move out of one’s four cubits, that is, to be flexible. There is no charge to join One Jewish Match. At this juncture, we have commenced gathering names of interested parties. Once we have a reasonable number of men and women, we will proceed to suggest shidduchim based on the information gathered. We hope to begin making these suggestions shortly after Pesach. Avi Goldstein Far Rockaway Continued on page 12

The Aussie Gourmet: Mole-Inspired Spare Ribs 98 LIFESTYLES

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 88 Your Money

Spring Anyone? by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

117 118

HUMOR Centerfold

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

100

Trump’s Syria Strike was Meant to Project Strength. It Did the Opposite by Marc A. Thiessen 108 CLASSIFIEDS

112

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The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Continued from page 8

Dear Editor, When I was younger I wanted to change the world. I could talk and debate endlessly on pretty much any topic political, religious, or social. I would engage in conversation with anyone and everyone, and had elaborate theories, dreams, and plans for making the world a better place. As I got older, the same thing that happens to many people happened to me. I got complacent, lazy, tired and bored. Maybe I am being too hard on myself and I simply got realistic. I could barely change the minds of the toddlers in my own house let alone those of the entire Am Yisrael. My dreams of broadcasting my vision for a better Jewish people were slowly tucked away, and I worked hard to

use my strengths to complete even small day-to-day acts that could help our community, perhaps growing and improving my own middot along the way. Last night I received a video clip on WhatsApp which ran just over 5 minutes, but which uncovered all of those dormant ideals that I used to believe in. I was shocked to learn that although tucked away, my views and dreams are as strong today as they ever were; maybe stronger as they now have a few additional years of experiences and interactions to support them. The video, which I hope many have seen, aired on Israel’s Makor channel 10. I don’t even know if it’s new. The clip takes place in a Chareidi classroom in Israel, where Yom Hazikaron is being acknowledged for the first time. The Rebbe distributes

Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home. Please send all correspondence to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

a photo of a young boy lying on a kever, a grave, to a room of high-school age boys and asks what feelings the photo stirs up and how it makes them feel. He asks the boys to imagine what it would be like to have a father who goes to fight so that others can learn Torah and is killed. He quickly turns the lesson to one of hakarat hatov, expressing gratitude, asking the boys to recognize those who with full emunah put their lives on the line to defend the land of Israel. He gives each of the boys a picture and a bio of a chayal who was killed. The boys discuss the chayalim, say Tehillim, and light candles in their memory. And there it is. My dream. Is it that I want every Chareidi boy to go to the army to defend Israel? Nope. Is it that I want every Chiloni to take on full-time Torah study? Nope. I dream of a world in which we don’t all have to be the same to appreciate one another. Hashem has designed us each differently; as individuals, as communities. We may have different roles, different looks and clothes, different customs, but if we are to be a single Am Yisrael there must be a common expectation; that we can all appreciate and show gratitude for each other and for what

JONATHAN PALEY, DDS, CERT. ORTHO.

others do. Torah scholars need to remember that it is the mesirat nefesh of every IDF soldier that allows them to study in peace. Secular businessmen and women in Israel need to be grateful for the Torah that is learned in Israel; without it we would be just another state. As a child I imagined that when Moshiach arrived he would have an envelope like the ones they use at the Academy Awards. He would open the envelope and finally reveal who was “right.” Were the Chassidim doing it correctly? The Yeshivish? Modern Orthodox? Conservative? As an adult I cannot accept that only one “group” has gotten it right. My goal? Become a stronger version of who we are. Grow closer to Hashem with the education, gifts and tools you have been given. Teach your children to be confident in who they are so that they don’t have a need for everyone to be just like them. Every Jew should have the obligation to appreciate, and the right to be appreciated. Stacey Zrihen Co-founder and co-director, i-shine, ChaiLifeline Financial Advisor, Achiezer Community Resource Center

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The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

The Week In News

Winnie Mandela Mourned in S. Africa

Visual Processing in Young Children:

A Mysterious Death

Maxim Borodin, a Russian investigative reporter who had written about mercenaries in Syria, died after a mysterious fall from his balcony on Sunday. He fell from his fifth floor apartment in Yekaterinburg, where he worked, three days earlier. Borodin had never regained consciousness after the fall, which had been noted by news sources to have taken place under “as of yet unexplained circumstances.” The reporter had recently published information about mercenaries from the Yekaterinburg region being among those killed in Syria during a U.S. airstrike. CIA Director Mike Pompeo had said that the strike left “a couple hundred” dead. Russia has not given a death toll but confirmed that some of its citizens had been killed. They were believed to be working for the Wagner Group company linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-connected businessman accused by American prosecutors of running a troll farm to influence the U.S. election. The information department of the Sverdlovsk region praised Borodin as “experienced and dedicated to his work” after his death, which is the latest in a string of investigative reporters’ deaths. Daphne Galizia, a Maltese blogger who reported on her government’s alleged ties to foreign money with the help of the Panama Papers, was killed in a car bomb explosion in October. Jan Kuciak, a Slovak journalist investigating alleged Italian mafia theft of EU funds and tax fraud by businessmen linked to the ruling political party in the Eastern European country, was shot dead along with his friend in February.

South Africa continued to mourn the loss of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela this week, the woman who many South Africans called the “Mother of the Nation.” More than a week of mourning was concluded with a massive funeral service held at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, with power salutes, tribute songs, tears, and cheers. One of the last of the revered anti-apartheid leaders of the last generation, Mandikizela-Mandela was the wife of Nelson Mandela, who became the face of the South African liberation struggle. She was known to be very good at connecting with the new generation of black South Africans, often demanding change to overcome the leftover effects that apartheid has had on the country. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to her with the salute, “Long live, Winnie Mandela, long live! She has been our big Mama throughout our life. They wanted to see her broken, with bowed head and weakened cries, but still she rose,” Ramaphosa said. “Proud, defiant, articulate she exposed the lie of apartheid. She laid bare the edifice of patriarchy. Loudly and without apology, she spoke truth to power.” Winnie, however, was not without her detractors. She was sentenced to six years in jail for having her bodyguards, known as the Mandela United Football Club, assault a 14-year-old boy, Stompie Moeketsi, also known as Stompie Seipei, for days in Madikizela-Mandela’s home in 1989, before killing the boy with garden shears. In 1999, her head bodyguard, Jerry Richardson, told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that on her orders he killed the boy. The “Mother of our Nation” was also a fan of “necklacing,” which is how apartheid-era activists would punish people suspected of being informers to apartheid security police. They would put tires around the informant’s neck and light them on fire.

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Australia Facing Potential Fuel Drought

There are many repercussions of the escalating conflict with Syria, aside from the obvious ones. The brewing conflict is threatening to cause a major shortage of fuel in Australia. The Land Down Under could run out of fuel by the end of the next week unless a resolution is made. Australia has low oil reserves and is over-dependent on international imports, making its situation right now extremely risky. While the International Energy Agency mandates that every country store fuel in reserve “equivalent to 90 days of net imports,” Australia only has 43 days’ worth of supply, the Austra-

lian reports. If the crisis spreads to more regions in the Middle East the supply can become even less. Defense Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Dr. Malcolm Davis says Australia’s fuel reserves would last “20 days at best” if supplies were cut off. “Instead of investing in refinement facilities here for refining fuel, the government has decided it’s cheaper to do it overseas,” said Davis. “The price they pay for that in a crisis is that China can interrupt flow to Australia [from Singapore] relatively easily and our economy will fall apart.”

U.S. Aiding Mexico in Heroin War There is a growing epidemic revolving around the abuse of heroin. The highly addictive and destructive drug has become more affordable and accessible thanks to Mexico. U.S. officials have traced almost all of the heroin on American soil back

to Mexico. President Trump has declared that “an astonishing 90% of the heroin in America comes from south of the border,” which is part of his inspiration to build a border wall.

The poppy crop is illegal in Mexico, which makes the details and facts surrounding the production in Mexico murky. How much is actually being grown there? How much of it is the Mexican government destroying? And how much is being turned into heroin? In recent months the Trump administration has urged Mexico’s government to do the research and formulate a more detailed picture of heroin production in Mexico.

The U.S. has already begun funding drones and geolocation technology to Mexican authorities. Mexico has also received funds for research regarding how much poppy is being planted and how much heroin is being produced from it. With Trump as president, “we thought that there would have been a chilling of relations,” said Juan Carlos Silva, chief of the anti-drug division of Mexico’s federal police. “On the contrary, we have grown closer.” According to a report last year from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Mexico supplies 93% of all heroin consumed in the United States, up from half of it in 2012. The DEA also reported that production more than tripled in Mexico between 2013 and 2016, to 79,000 acres, in part because of “reduced poppy eradication.” Mexican military officials deny that poppy production has tripled and say they have increased eradication efforts, deploying more than 20,000 soldiers on foot or air missions. Officials said that troops managed to demolish about 71,000 acres last year and expect to surpass that amount this year.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

95% of World Breathes Bad Air

More than 95% of the world’s population breathes unsafe air and the burden is falling hardest on the poorest communities, with the gap between the most polluted and least polluted countries rising rapidly, a comprehensive study of global air pollution has found. The report by the Health Effects Institute used new findings such as satellite data and better monitoring to estimate the numbers of people exposed to air polluted above the levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization. This exposure has made air pollution the fourth highest cause of death globally, after high blood pressure, diet and smoking, and the greatest environmental health risk. Cities are home to an increasing majority of the world’s people, exposing billions to unsafe air, particularly in developing countries, but in rural areas the risk of indoor air pollution is often caused by burning solid fuels. One in three people worldwide faces the double whammy of unsafe air both indoors and out. Experts estimate that exposure to air pollution contributed to more than 6 million deaths worldwide last year, playing a role in increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack, lung cancer and chronic lung disease. China and India accounted for more than half of the death toll. Burning solid fuel such as coal or biomass in their homes for cooking or heating exposed 2.6 billion people to indoor air pollution in 2016, the report found. Indoor air pollution can also affect air quality in the surrounding area, with this effect contributing to one in four pollution deaths in India and nearly one in five in China. Bob O’Keefe, vice president of the institute, said the gap between the most polluted air on the planet and the least polluted was striking. While

developed countries have made moves to clean up, many developing countries have fallen further behind while seeking economic growth. The number of people exposed to indoor air pollution from burning solid fuels has fallen from an estimated 3.6 billion around the world in 1990 to about 2.4 billion today, despite a rising population. O’Keefe said governments are under increasing pressure to deal with the problems through regulation and controls, and hailed internet access as having a significant impact.

Cheapest Countries for Living

Feel like your paycheck gets consumed as soon as the direct deposit hits? You’re not alone. In other countries, though, your paycheck will stretch more. GOBankingRates checked out recent statistics on the cost of living in different countries to find out which countries have the lowest price of living as compared to New York City. The ranking reveals that there are many countries that offer more affordable rent, cheaper food, and free healthcare than the Big Apple. Of course, in many of these countries, the average salary is minimal and the quality of life may be less pleasant but if you’re the adventurous type, keep reading. The 10 cheapest countries for cost of living in the world are: 1. India 2. Saudi Arabia 3. Pakistan 4. Tunisia 5. Zambia 6. Ukraine 7. Mexico 8. Egypt 9. Bangladesh 10. Macedonia

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

U.S., France, and Britain Strike Syria

President Trump struck Syria last Friday. Following last week’s alleged gas attack on civilians in Syria, Trump authorized the Pentagon to attack Syria’s chemical weapons network. Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, said the United States, France and Britain fired more than 100 missiles, delivering a blow to the “heart” of Syria’s chemical weapons network. However, he did acknowledge that Syria retains “residual” capacity, but gave no details about what could be left. “They lost a lot of equipment. They lost a lot of material, and that’s going to have a significant effect,” he assured. The Pentagon said the strikes resulted in few, if any, casualties. Bashar Jaafari, Syria’s UN ambassador, told a different story to the Security Council. He said that 110 missiles came at Syria, but that 100 were shot down. He also claimed that three civilians were hurt during a strike at one site, a fact U.S. officials deny. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the Western nations against executing a strike on Syria. A statement released by the Kremlin said, “Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that if such actions committed in violation of the UN Charter continue, then it will inevitably lead to chaos in international relations.” On Saturday Trump declared a victory on Twitter writing, “Mission accomplished!” Many are wondering whether the mission is actually just the beginning of a long conflict or a lone response to Syria’s atrocities. “I spoke to the president this morning, and he said, ‘If the Syrian regime uses this poisonous gas

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again, the United States is locked and loaded,’” UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said at an emergency Security Council meeting called by Russia, the Syrian government’s most powerful ally. “When our president draws a red line, our president enforces the red line.” The world is watching closely to see what Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s next move will be. Since 2011, it is estimated that he killed more than a half a million of his own

people while trying to defeat rebels and maintain power.

The Future of Japan’s PM Abe? Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is supposed to meet President Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week, is facing backlash after being

involved in a series of controversies. His ratings are plummeting as people are learning of his shady financial deals. In fear of tainting the entire Liberal Democratic Party, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has suggested that Abe, who has been serving since 2012, resign at the end of June to save face. “When the current Diet term ends, that would be a good time for Abe to resign. No third term for him

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

as the party president,” Koizumi, who was prime minister between 2001 and 2006, said in an interview published by a Japanese media outlet.

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The current session in Japan’s Diet, or parliament, wraps up on June 20. In one recent poll Abe’s approval rating was at an all-time low of 26.7%, almost four points lower than March. Earlier last year his approval rating was in the 60s. Over the weekend protesters stormed the Diet, calling Abe a “liar” and calling for his resignations. An estimated 50,000 joined in on these protests. The LDP, which has been in power for all but five of the years since it was formed in 1955, amended its rules last year to allow leaders to seek a third term if they wish. At the time, it seemed that Abe would hold onto his title until 2021, making him Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, but that has changed dramatically. Abe has been accused of providing huge discounts in land sales to two educational institutions linked to associates of him and his wife. He subsequently attempted to cover it up. The Finance Ministry last month admitted to altering documents relating to the sale of land in Osaka to a nationalist school with links to Akie Abe, including deleting her name and the prime minister’s name from the papers. Abe is set to meet with President Trump this week. During the meeting, the topic of steel tariffs are sure to come up. Trump did not grant Japan an exemption to new steel tariffs that was given to other allies. While signing the tariff order, Trump said that Abe will have “a little smile” on his face when they talk. “And the smile is, ‘I can’t believe we’ve been able to take advantage of the United States for so long.’ So those days are over.” Abe was allegedly “blindsided” by the tariff decision.

Ulcer Epidemic in Australia Doctors in Australia are looking for answers as they continue to investigate a “worsening epidemic” that’s been plaguing the state of Victoria in recent years: the Buruli ulcer, an infection caused by flesh-eating bacteria. “It mainly affects the skin but can also affect the bone,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains. “Cases are generally seen in the tropics, primarily in West Africa and Australia.” At first, it looks like a small spider bite or bump – but within weeks, the lesion starts to swell and deepen due to Mycobacterium eating away at one’s skin and soft tissue. “Unless treated with strong antibiotics, it could grow into a gaping ulcerated wound that may take a year to heal and even need surgical reconstruction,” the University of Melbourne explained in a report on Monday. Cases have spiked by 400 percent in the south-eastern Australian state in the past four years. In 2017 alone, the state saw a record 236 cases – a 51 percent increase from the previous year, a new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia reveals. That’s compared to the average 2,000 cases seen worldwide per year. It’s a difficult disease to curb, experts say, because it’s unknown how people get the Buruli ulcer. However, some believe mosquitoes may be to blame, as most ulcers are located on people’s arms or legs. “One possibility is that the disease is passed to humans from some insects that are found in water,” the CDC states, although that’s just one theory. Daniel O’Brien, an infectious disease expert at both Geelong Hospital’s Barwon Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital and author of the study, told the University of Melbourne there’s a “huge scientific gap” that needs to be filled. “This is a terrible disease that is just getting worse, but how do I tell people how to avoid it if I can’t tell them how they are catching it in the first place?” he asked the institution. O’Brien, along with fellow authors Eugene Athan, Kim Blasdell and Paul De Barro, are now calling on the local government to intervene. “The time to act is now, and we advocate for local, regional and na-

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

ships with both poetry and prose. In 1942, she writes of how the Jews were being deported en masse from Przemysl. Hundreds of Jews were executed on the outskirts of town or in the Jewish cemetery. “We fear a pogrom, we fear deportations,” wrote Spiegel in spring 1942. “Oh G-d Almighty! Help us! Take care of us, give us Your blessing,” she implored.

tional governments to urgently commit to funding the research needed to stop the Buruli ulcer,” the authors wrote in the conclusion of the study. “We ... need an urgent response based on robust scientific knowledge acquired by a thorough and exhaustive examination of the environment, local fauna, human behavior and characteristics, and the interactions between them.”

Poland’s Anne Frank Has Story Told A young girl from Przemysl who kept a journal during the Holocaust and was murdered by the Nazis is being called “Poland’s Anne Frank.” Renia Spiegel was killed when she was 18 years old and her diary was

almost lost forever. It has since been published and is seeing a surge in popularity. Soon, it will be translated into English for the first time and a documentary is being made based on her writings and the small amount of history that is known about her. Beginning to write in her diary in 1939, Speigel writes that she is “simply seeking a friend.” She often speaks of her fears and loneliness. She speaks of her personal relation-

On July 15, a ghetto was set up by the Nazis in Przemysl. 24,000 Jews from around the region, she writes, were put into a very small part of the town. Only those who held special jobs or were working for the Nazi-appointed Jewish Council were given temporary exemptions from the “resettlement” in the east. “Remember this day; remember it well, you will tell generations to come about it one day,” wrote Spiegel after the ghetto was fenced off. “Today at 8 o’clock we have been shut away in the ghetto. I live here now; the world is separated from me and I’m separated from the world.” During the second half of July 1942, the author witnessed and documented the mass deportations of Jews to the Nazi death camp Belzec, where up to 600,000 Jews were murdered in gas chambers. She managed to hide in an attic in the Aryan part of town for a few days until July 30th when she was killed along with her boyfriend’s parents. Her boyfriend, Zygmunt Schwarzer, wrote the last entry in her journal on the day Renia and his parents were killed. “Three shots! Three lives lost! It happened last night at 10:30 pm. Fate has decided to take my dearest ones away from me,” wrote Schwarzer. “My life is done,” concluded Schwarzer. “All I can hear are shots, shots...shots! My dearest Renia, the last chapter of your diary is complete.” No one saw the diary for two decades but it was returned to Schwartzer by a friend who had brought it over from Przemysl. Schwarzer gave the stitched-together notebooks to Spiegel’s mother, Roza Maria Leszczynska, who was living in New York City at the time. Renia’s younger sister, Ariana Bellak, who had survived the

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

war by hiding with a Christian family, came into possession of the diary after Lesczynska passed away in 1969. She had the diary published. Filmmaker Tomasz Magierski is making a documentary about Renia’s life and has taken several fact-finding trips to Przemysl, attempting to uncover details about Spiegel’s final days. “The diary touched my heart and took root in my memory,” wrote Magierski, who helped establish the Renia Spiegel Foundation and an annual poetry contest in her memory. “I have decided to help make the undiscovered story of Renia Spiegel and her sister Ariana more widely known, and also, by doing so, to bring back to life the creative output of the murdered teenager.”

an estimated 14.51 million Jews in the world, with 45% living in Israel. Only three cities in 1948 had populations greater than 100,000. Today, over 15 cities are at least that size, up from 12 a decade ago. Israel has the highest fertility rate of any Westernized country by far. The average rate is 3.11 children per woman, which is much larger than the OECD average of 1.7 kids per woman. The second highest rate is in Mexico, where women average about 2.2 children each. Jewish women in Israel average 3.06 children, while Arab women average 3.11, which is down from 4.35 in 1996 and almost 6 in 1980. Since the country was founded, the life expectancy has increased dramatically. In 1949, the life expectancy for women in Israel was 67.6 years and for men was 64.9. By the end of 2016, it was 84.2 for women and 80.6 for men, slightly lower than the previous year. My, how we’ve grown!

Happy 70th!

Iran Attempted to Bomb Israel

As the State of Israel turns 70, the population census stands at 8,842,000. Of those millions of people, 74.5 percent are Jewish, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. Arabs make up 20.9% of the population with 1.849 million people living in Israel, and non-Arab Christians or members of other ethnic groups make up the remaining 4.6%. In the past year, 177,000 babies were born, 41,000 Israelis died and 28,000 immigrants arrived. At the current rate, the population will hopefully be 15.2 million by the time Israel celebrates its 100th birthday in 2048. In 1948, there were only 806,000 people living in Israel, less than a tenth of the current number. The global Jewish population at the time was 11.5 million, only 6% of which were living in the Holy Land. There are now

An Iranian drone that was shot down in February inside of Israeli airspace was carrying explosives, according to the IDF. The drone was launched from a Syrian airbase, though its precise target in Israel is not known. The base that launched the drone was attacked last Monday, allegedly by Israel. The strike reportedly targeted Iran’s entire attack drone weapons system. The unprecedented direct Iranian attack on Israel shows the brazenness of the Persian regime. Many in the media are noting that Israel’s acknowledgment of the drone’s mission brings the confrontation between Iran and Israel into the open for the first time. On Yom HaShoah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a speech to warn Iran to never “test the resolve of the State of Israel.” Iranian officials responded to the bombing last Monday by vowing – again – to destroy Israel.

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The IDF said of the drone that “an analysis of the flight path and operational and intelligence research performed on parts of the Iranian UAV that entered our territory on February 10 shows it carried explosive material and its mission was to carry out a destructive operation.” The statement added that “the drone’s interception by attack helicopters thwarted the attack and the Iranian intention to carry out an operation on our territory.” Thirty seconds after the drone entered Israeli airspace, it was shot down by IAF Apache helicopters. The IDF said that because the drone was tracked from when it left the Syrian base, it did not pose any danger while in Israeli airspace.

IDF Tank Operator Dies in Apparent Accident The IDF soldier that was killed when his tank caught fire after falling into a riverbed on the Egyptian border has been identified as Corporal

Eliyahu Drori, a”h. The 20-year-old was from Beit Shemesh. The other two soldiers who were in the tank with Drori remain in the hospital in serious condition.

The IDF was stopping an attempted smuggling near the Nitzana border when they received intelligence that an attack was being planned in the same area. The tank left to the reported attack but the driver appeared to have misjudged the steepness of the Nitzana River’s slope. The vehicle is believed to have fallen in, and those inside were badly injured. It is not clear why the tank deviated from its assigned route. The three soldiers were taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva.

A spokesman for the hospital said that the condition of the two other injured soldiers is “serious” but their lives are no longer in danger. Drori was born in the United States and had both American and Israeli citizenship. He was a combat soldier from the 188th “Barak” Armored Brigade and was buried in the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. Rabbi Michael Yammer, the head of the Sha’alvim hesder yeshiva where Drori studied, spoke at the funeral. “I remember the first time I met Eliyahu three years ago. You entered the yeshiva and the first sentence you said was, ‘I came to build myself in order to understand what my role in the world.’ “I was amazed by your grace, from the inner beauty that was revealed and by how real it all was,” Rabbi Yammer continued. “What sensitivity you showed to all, what love, it was important for you to understand yourself, your essence. “Now that you have come to the throne of glory, ask and plead to the L-rd of the Universe over the people of Israel, tell of our troubles, that this will be last [death], ask that your family should have the strength to continue in your footsteps and that we should merit to see the final redemption soon in our days,” Rabbi Yammer implored.

Barghouti Denounces Future Peace Plan from Prison

his support to Abbas’s rejection of the “conspiracy of the century,” a reference to Trump’s “deal of the century” peace plan, which has not been released yet. Barghouti is serving five consecutive life sentences for playing a key role in many deadly terror attacks against Israel. He is very popular among Palestinians and many see him as a possible successor to Abbas. In his message, he also said that he supports Abbas in the face of “international, regional and Israeli pressure.” Barghouti urged all Palestinians to stand firm in their actions and beliefs. “We also need to realize that Trump will be gone in a year or five years, but Jerusalem, Palestine and its people will remain and will pursue their resistance and struggle against the Zionist colonialism,” the murderer said. Barghouti also expressed support for the Palestinians’ “right to resist Israeli colonialism in all forms and methods,” an apparent reference to armed attacks. However, he said these should be limited to the “1967 occupied territories,” East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, which Israel captured in the Six Day War. Abbas has repeatedly said that he will not entertain any peace proposal set forth by the Trump administration. He has called Trump’s plan a “conspiracy aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause and national rights.” These comments come as Palestinians are angered following Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Last Wounded YK War Veteran Passes Away

On the 16th anniversary of his arrest, jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti sent a message from his cell to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Barghouti told the PA leader to stand firm in his rejection of President Donald Trump’s yet-to-be-announced peace plan because Trump will soon be gone and Abbas will not have to worry about him. The terrorist pledged

Yitzchak Dreksler, the last living disabled IDF veteran who was wounded in the Yom Kippur War, has passed away at the age of 67. Dreksler had committed his life after

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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The District Court in Haifa is sending 22-year-old Yussuf Bin Muhammad Agbaria to jail for two years for plotting to carry out an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Israel after it relocates to Jerusalem. Agbaria, from the village of Mushrifah in the Galilee, was given a nine-month suspended sentence and a fine of NIS 10,000 ($2,840). The sentence he was given was part of a plea deal after he confessed to planning the attack. According to the indictment, the terrorist had developed in increased interest in ISIS and its worldwide terror activities. He admitted to developing an “ideological identification with the organization’s activities, values, and goals.” The Israeli Arab intended to use an explosive device and Molotov cocktails in his terror attack on the new U.S. Embassy.

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his injury to commemorating Charedi soldiers who have fallen while protecting Israel. Dreksler served as a gunner in the all-Charedi Nachal Charedi Battalion. During his reserve service, he fought in the Armored Corps in a Centurion tank. After he was called up for the Yom Kippur War, his tank was hit by a rocket in the Golan Heights and caught fire. He managed to pull himself out of the tank but he suffered burns over a large portion of his body. He recovered in the hospi-

tal for many months and underwent 70 operations and a grueling rehabilitation. After the war, Dreksler went on to found the Chareidi settlement of Immanuel and spent his later years in Elad where he dedicated himself to commemorating Charedi fallen soldiers. He also helped found the all-Charedi Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Kfir Brigade, established in place of the Nahal Charedi Battalion, and advocated for Charedim to enlist in the army.

“Dreksler was a yeshiva student who left his studies and his pregnant wife and went to serve as a reserve soldier to protect the country and the nation. Even after being wounded, he didn’t give up and encouraged other yeshiva students to join the army,” tweeted Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman. “Those are our nation’s heroes. I salute you,” he added. Dreksler is survived by six children – two of them military officers – and many grandchildren.

The Ministry of Economy in Israel has taken a survey and compiled a list of the greatest inventions that Israel has contributed to the world. Coming in first place was the Iron Dome missile defense system which made headlines around the world for its advanced technology and rocket interception capabilities. The Iron Dome received 28 percent of the 115,000 votes that were cast online in a survey titled “70 Great

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

STERNELD REGIE RS O Y CAMP

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Blue and White Inventions.” The Waze mobile app came in second with 17.77 percent of the vote and then came the drip irrigation system with 17.75 percent. Only 12 votes separated the two. Fourth place went to the USB flash drive with 10.96 percent of the votes, and then came Memic’s micro-surgery robot with 9 percent. Water Gen, a technology to extract fresh water directly from the air, came in next with 8 percent, and Source Sandals, which are famous for their non-slip sole even in wet conditions, came in next. “During its years of existence, Israel has become a world power in everything related to technological and scientific innovation,” said Minister of Industry and Economy Eli Cohen. “I am sure that the Israeli characteristics, including original thinking, boldness, rapid adaptation to changing conditions and the ability to circumvent obstacles will help us to continue to bring to the world Israeli innovation,” he added. “There is no dispute that the inventions that have just been chosen by the public as leading inventions are excellent examples of Israel’s ability to provide solutions to significant challenges, inspire the entire world and are a national pride for Israel.” The Iron Dome was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

and Israel Aircraft Industries in 2007. The system has intercepted over 1,700 missiles and rockets that were fired at Israel since it was put into place. Almost all of those rockets were fired by Hamas from Gaza, although it has also intercepted mortar shells in the Golan Heights and rockets fired from Lebanon. During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the Iron Dome registered a 90 percent success rate.

Barbara Bush Dies at 92 Former first lady Barbara Bush passed away on Tuesday at her home in Houston. The 92-year-old, who was often referred to as “America’s mom,” was surrounded by her family and husband of 73 years. Despite being only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and a son elected president (Abigail Adams was the first), she was most appreciated for her plain-spokenness and quick wit.

Mrs. Bush was born in Flushing, Queens, in June 1925. When she was sixteen years old, she met George Herbert Walker Bush at a school dance in Greenwich, Connecticut. In fact, George, who introduced himself as “Poppy,” couldn’t waltz, so the two sat on the sidelines and talked – and “haven’t stopped talking since.” They become engaged as George prepared to head off to World War II and were married when he was on leave, in 1945. Together they had four sons – George W., Jeb, Marvin and Neil – two daughters, 17 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. But their family life was also touched by tragedy: the Bush family’s second child, Robin, died in 1953 at the age of three after a battle with leukemia. While dealing with this tragedy at the young age of 28, Barbara’s hair turned white. After dying it for many years, she embraced her snowy tresses and had a distinct look which garnered her the nickname, “The Silver Fox.” Barbara often spoke about the importance of family. She once said, “My career was my family.” But perhaps her most famous address on the topic came on June 1, 1990, when she delivered the commencement address at Wellesley College. Many protested the choice of Mrs. Bush to deliver an address which is usually reserved to advance the latest rage in liberalism. But she did not shy away from the moment and did not alter her message. Rather, she delivered a message which will ring true for time immemorial: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent,” she declared. In fact, Barbara was a mother first. George W. Bush recently recalled his mother’s attentiveness to her children and how she was constantly shuttling them to and from little league practices. He recalled how people around town would say of Mrs. Bush, “Watch out for the lady with the blue Sable because she is a

terrible driver.” She also taught humility. After her husband, George H. W. Bush, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, he said to his wife, “So, how does it feel to have a husband who is a knight?” She quickly replied, “Get me a cup of coffee, Sir George!” As her husband began his political ascent, which included a stint in Congress, time as head of the Republican Party, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, ambassador to the United Nations and the U.S. envoy to China, Barbara followed, but stayed mostly behind the scenes, taking care of the family. But she edged more into the spotlight when her husband decided to run for president in 1980, joining him on the road as a trusted companion and his most enthusiastic cheerleader in ways that often conflicted with her image as a docile housewife. Ever sharp to the end, Mrs. Bush was talking with family members the night before she died and even sipped on a bourbon just a day before her death. With her passing, the nation mourns its “grandmother in chief,” with her white hair, trademark pearls, and sharp wit.

McCabe was Leaking Like a Sieve

Andrew McCabe, who at one time was the acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was fired from the FBI after he was found to have leaked a self-serving story and lying about it to his boss and federal investigators. McCabe and his Democrat supporters have maintained that the firing in March was politically motivated. But last Friday, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, a holdover from the Obama administration, released a long-awaited report that proves beyond doubt McCabe was fired for cause. In the introductory section of the report, the inspector general ex-

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

plained why this investigation was initiated. The FBI’s Inspection Division (INSD) initially opened an investigation to determine whether information the Wall Street Journal published in an October 30 article was an unauthorized leak and, if so, who was its source. After the INSD became concerned that McCabe might be the source, it referred the investigation to OIG on August 31, 2017. This report shows McCabe was fired for cause based on two main findings: lack of candor and unauthorized leaking. What he told investigators may also contradict what former FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress, and indicates Obama’s Justice Department pressured the FBI during its investigation of Hillary Clinton. The report listed at least four instances – with times and dates – when he lied, both under oath and

not. Those include an instance on May 9, 2017, when questioned under oath by FBI agents from INSD, McCabe told the agents that he had not authorized the disclosure to the WSJ and did not know who did. On July 28, 2017, when questioned under oath by the OIG in a recorded interview, McCabe stated that he was not aware of FBI special counsel Lisa Page having been authorized to speak to reporters around October 30 and that, because he was not in Washington, D.C., on October 27 and 28, 2016, he was unable to say where Page was or what she was doing at that time. However, text messages between McCabe and Page revealed they maintained close contact the entire time Page was speaking to the WSJ reporter. During a Senate judiciary committee hearing last May, Comey told Sen. Chuck Grassley he had never authorized any other FBI staffer to

anonymously leak information to the press about the FBI’s Trump or Clinton investigations. So McCabe’s and Comey’s testimonies now appear to be inconsistent. Based on these instances and McCabe’s “lack of candor,” the OIG concluded that McCabe’s conduct in all four instances violated FBI Offense Code 2.5 (lack of candor – no oath) and FBI Offense Code 2.6 (lack of candor – under oath). Additionally, on October 23, 2016, Wall Street Journal reporter Devlin Barrett revealed in an article that McCabe’s wife received almost $675,000 from Terry McAuliffe, a close Clinton confidante, for Mrs. McCabe’s state senate run while her husband was overseeing two Hillary Clinton investigations and McAuliffe himself was under an FBI probe. After the article was published, there were public discussions on whether McCabe was the appro-

priate person to oversee the Clinton investigations. Eventually, under the urging of Comey and a few others, McCabe recused himself from the two Clinton investigations. But then, on October 25, 2016, after being informed that Barrett was working on a related article that might further implicate McCabe’s conflicts of interest in overseeing the Clinton investigations while his wife was receiving campaign donations from Clinton confidantes, McCabe authorized Page and another official from the Office of Public Affairs to talk to Barrett regarding the Clinton Foundation investigation and to disclose his August 12, 2016 call with the principal associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice. After Barrett published another article on October 30 based on his conversation with Page, McCabe tried to cover up the leak by faulting

Comey’s Curtain Call Ex-FBI Director’s Efforts to Tie Up Trump By Tzvi Dear

he physically tall – six-footeight, to be exact – pettily-small axed former Director of the FBI James Comey is the plat du jour for the increasingly deranged Trump-hating media. Comey, whose firing by President Trump in May of 2017 led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, released his memoir this week, entitled A Higher Loyalty. In the memoir he excoriates and is unabashed about his hatred for Mr. Trump. Comey is the premier deep-stater who has worked judicially to take down President Trump. Even so, Democrats find themselves in a tight spot – before Trump fired Comey, they were the ones declaring that he was unfit to lead the FBI because they claimed that his reopening of the investigation into the Clinton emails eleven days before the election led to Hillary’s defeat. When asked about the then-FBI director shortly after the 2016 elections, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) screamed, “The FBI director has no credibility!” Now though, with the “Russian collusion” story rapidly losing its air, their best hope is that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller finds that President Trump obstruct-

ed justice, a finding which would center around Mr. Trump’s interactions with Comey. Comey’s first and highly-touted interview since being fired took place last Sunday night with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, who had served as President Bill Clinton’s communications director. 9.7 million people tuned into the hour-long interview. By way of comparison, 11.5 million people tuned into the Country Music Awards which took place at the same time. Looks like more people were interested in “My wife left me with no truck” than “The president left me with no job.” Those that did tune into the interview were treated to a silly series of pot-shots at President Trump. When asked to describe his first meeting with President-elect Trump, Comey revealed that he immediately observed that Mr. Trump’s tie was too long and that the first thing he did was stare at Trump’s hair. “I stared at it pretty closely and my reaction was ‘It must take a heck of a lot of time in the morning, but it’s impressively coifed.’” He proceeded, “His tie was too long, as it always is. He looked slightly orange up close with small white half-moons under his eyes, which I assume are from tanning

googles.” No one knew that the FBI director was so skilled at giving fashion advice. Comey, who several times in the interview stated that Trump made him “uncomfortable,” recalled that two days after Mr. Trump took office, at a White House reception with law enforcement officials, he hoped to avoid being noticed by the president. When Comey realized that his suit was the same color as the blue White House curtains, he – the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations – cozied up to the curtains, in the hopes of concealing himself, he said. Talk about the art of camouflage. Shockingly, Comey revealed that when he briefed President-elect Trump about the Steele Dossier, which contains salacious allegations about Trump, he failed to inform him that the dossier was funded by the Clinton campaign. The dossier served as the basis for an FBI investigation into Mr. Trump. Stephanopoulos asked Comey in Sunday’s interview, “But didn’t [Trump] have a right to know that?” Comey replied, “That it had been financed by his political opponents? I don’t know the answer to that.” Mr. Comey claims in the book and in the recent interview that

President Trump asked him to drop his investigation into then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who was accused of lying to the FBI about his contact with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition period. Comey admits that Trump said to him, “I hope you can let it go,” but Comey posits that “I took the expression of hope as ‘this is what I want you to do.’” The implication is that, in Comey’s thought process, by “ordering” the FBI to stop an investigation the president was obstructing justice. Hmm... Trump’s tie was too long; his tan wasn’t right; he made Comey feel uncomfortable; he said one thing but Comey thought he meant something else. These guys don’t need Robert Mueller – they need a marriage counselor!

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

FBI executives from the DC and New York offices for possible leaking even though he was the leaker all along. Eventually, FBI’s Inspection Division (INSD) opened an investigation to determine whether the information the WSJ published in the October 30 article was an unauthorized leak and, if so, who was its source. According to the FBI’s own code of conduct, FBI officials are only authorized to disclose investigations to the media under certain circumstances within the “public interest.” But the inspector general concluded in his report that “McCabe’s decision to confirm the existence of the (Clinton Foundation) Investigation through an anonymously sourced quote, recounting the content of a phone call with a senior Department official in a manner designed to advance his personal interests at the expense of Department leadership, was clearly not within the public interest exception… Thus, McCabe’s disclosure of the existence of an ongoing investigation in the manner described in this report violated the FBI’s and the Department’s media policy and constituted misconduct.” McCabe and Democrats still maintain McCabe’s firing was part of President Trump’s attack on the integrity and independence of the FBI. This latest IG report shows the real people who stained the FBI’s integrity and independence are its own leadership, including McCabe. It seems that firing McCabe was not only justified but also necessary to keep the FBI’s reputation from further damage.

The Dirty Dozen

Although it doesn’t feel like it in the East Coast, it is spring. Along with the new season comes tons of delicious seasonal fruits and vegetables with strawberries being a favorite in many households. Before you dip them into chocolate or top them with whipped cream consider that strawberries have topped the list of

the 12 “dirtiest” fruits and vegetables, according to the Environmental Working Group. Since 2004 the group has been publishing the list ranking pesticide-contaminated produce for its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Pesticides include a wide array of chemicals that kill unwanted insects, plants, molds and rodents. Spinach is the second dirtiest item on the “Dirty Dozen” list, followed by (in order of contamination) nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and sweet bell peppers. All of these fruits and vegetables tested positive for pesticide residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce. While most doctors argue that the benefits of the fruits are more positive than the negatives, it is important to wash fruits well before eating. Rinsing produce well under tap water is an effective way to eliminate pesticide residues from produce, according to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, a government-run scientific group. Scientists suggests rinsing for a minimum of 30 seconds before using. The report emphasizes that the negative impacts of pesticides are of special concern for children since their bodies have greater susceptibility to pesticides than adult bodies. According to the report, this holds true for unborn children as well who can be exposed while still in utero. Research “suggests that pesticides may induce chronic health complications in children, including neurodevelopmental or behavioral problems, birth defects, asthma, and cancer,” noted the authors of a 2012 American Academy of Pediatricians report quoted by the Environmental Working Group. The group suggests that consumers who take these concerns seriously purchase only organic products or wash their fruits and vegetables thoroughly.

Terror in the Sky On Tuesday, a mother of two lost her life while flying from New York to Dallas with Southwest Airlines. During the flight, the jet blew an engine at 32,000 feet and the woman was hit by shrapnel that smashed through the window she was sitting next to. The pressure from the open

window began to suck the woman out of the plane. Panicked passengers managed to bring her back partway into the plane. Seven other people were injured in the melee. The pilot of the plane, a twin-engine Boeing 737 bound from New York to Dallas with 149 people aboard, took it into a rapid descent and made an emergency landing in Philadelphia as passengers using oxygen masks that dropped from the ceiling said their prayers and braced for impact. In a recording of conversations between the cockpit and air traffic controllers, an unidentified crew member reported: “We have a part of the aircraft missing, so we’re going to need to slow down a bit.” She also said that there was a hole in the plane and that she was told “someone went out.”

“I just remember holding my husband’s hand, and we just prayed and prayed and prayed,” said passenger Amanda Bourman, of New York. “And the thoughts that were going through my head of course were about my daughters, just wanting to see them again and give them a big hug so they wouldn’t grow up without parents.” Another passenger, Alfred Tumlinson, of Corpus Christi, Texas, said a man in a cowboy hat rushed forward a few rows “to grab that lady to pull her back in. She was out of the plane. He couldn’t do it by himself so another gentleman came over and helped to get her back in the plane and they got her.” She was halfway out of the plane before they were able to drag her back in. This was the first passenger fatality in an accident involving a U.S. airline since 2009. Back then, 49 people on a plane and one person on the ground were killed when a plane crashed on a house near Buffalo. The NTSB sent a team of investigators to Philadelphia. Tthe engine will be taken apart and examined to understand what caused the failure.

The Best Cities to Live in America

This may sound awfully familiar, because it is. This Best Cities to Live In list is published each year by U.S. News & World Report. The study analyzes job markets, value, quality of life, desirability, and net migration of over 150 U.S. cities. Included in that are subcategories that include affordable housing, access to well-paying jobs, a low cost of living, good education, and quality healthcare. For the second year in a row, Austin, Texas, won the award for best place to live in the U.S.A. The number two spot was taken by Colorado Springs, Colorado – it moved up all the way from spot no. 11, pushing last year’s number two, Denver, to spot three. Want to know the best places to live in the United States? Consider these top ten cities: 1. Austin, Texas 2. Colorado Springs, Colorado 3. Denver, Colorado 4. Des Moines, Iowa 5. Fayetteville, Arkansas 6. Portland, Oregon 7. Huntsville, Alabama 8. Washington, DC 9. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota 10. Seattle, Washington

Millennials Don’t Know about the Holocaust Six million Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis just a few decades ago and a fifth of millennials in the U.S. don’t know anything about it. A recent survey, commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (also known as the Claims Conference), found that many Americans were unaware of basic facts about the Holocaust. 1,350 people 18 years and over were included in the survey.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Sitting Too Much Can be Harmful

Thirty-one percent of all respondents and 41 percent of millennials, aged 18 to 34, believe that 2 mil-

lion Jews or less were murdered in the Holocaust. Forty-five percent of all respondents could not name a concentration camp or ghetto from World War II, and 41 percent could not identify the notorious Auschwitz death camp. The study found that the vast majority of respondents support Holocaust education. Ninety-three percent of the respondents said that all students should learn about the Holocaust in school and 80 percent said

it was important to educate about the Holocaust to prevent it from happening again. Still, 58 percent of respondents believe that “something like the Holocaust could happen again.” Claims Conference President Julius Berman expressed concern about the lack of knowledge about the Holocaust among millennials. “We are alarmed that today’s generation lacks some of the basic knowledge about these atrocities,” he said in a statement.

Over the years medical research has warned of the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Most Americans are aware that exercising regularly can help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and premature death. A new study has found another negative effect of sitting on your couch all day. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), recently discovered that spending long periods of time sitting can lead to damage in an adult brain that’s essential for memory. Researchers found that inactivity can cause the thinning of the medial temporal lobe, a brain region involved in the formation of new memories. Brain thinning can be a precursor to cognitive decline and dementia in middle-age and older adults. Thirty-five people between the ages of 45 and 75 were analyzed for this study. Researchers asked the participants about their physical activity levels and the average number of hours per day they spent sitting over the previous week. Researchers then scanned participants’ brains using a high-resolution MRI scan which allowed the scientists to get a detailed look at the medial temporal lobe of each participant and to identify relationships among this region’s thickness. The results were then scrutinized along with the participants’ levels of activity in order to draw correlations. The study concluded that “sedentary behavior is a significant predictor of thinning of the [medial temporal lobe] and that physical activity, even at high levels, is insufficient to offset the harmful effects of sitting for extended periods,” the researchers said in the statement. Researchers found that with each additional hour of sitting each

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day, there was an observed decrease in brain thickness. Researchers said in the statement that “reducing sedentary behavior may be a possible target for interventions designed to improve brain health in people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” Before you throw out your couch, consider that these findings are preliminary and much more research needs to be done in this specific area in order to determine all the details and factors that ontributed to participants’ brain thinning. Researchers said they have plans to survey people who sit for longer periods of time each day in order to determine if sitting causes the observed thinning or just lack of physical activity. They would also like to explore the role gender, weight and race play in itting’s effects on brain health . Either way, you’ll be much better off if you lace up your sneakers and head out for a walk.

Scooter Libby Pardoned

Last Friday, President Donald Trump granted a pardon to Scooter Libby, the chief of staff to then-Vice President Dick Cheney who was convicted of perjury in 2007. Although Libby completed serving his sentence a while ago, the pardon clears his name fully. It is unclear about the exact details leading up to the pardoning but in recent months a group of conservatives had been pushing for Libby’s pardon, claiming he was simply collateral after becoming entrapped in a special counsel investigation involving then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey. Trump himself is involved in a special counsel investigation that he’s denounced as a “witch hunt.” Trump was also particularly upset about Comey’s upcoming book that was released a few days later where he reveals his interactions with Trump while was serving as FBI di-

rector. The president has made it clear that he has no personal relationship with Libby but he sees it as another example of a special counsel overstepping his bounds and he is glad he has the authority to stop the injustice. “I don’t know Mr. Libby,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House. “But for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly. Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life.” Libby said in a statement he and his family are “immensely grateful to President Trump for his gracious decision to grant a pardon. For over a dozen years we have suffered under the weight of a terrible injustice,” he wrote. “To his great credit, President Trump recognized this wrong and would not let it persist.” In 2007, Libby had been convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame. He was not accused of the leak itself. Four months after Libby’s conviction, President George W. Bush commuted the 30-month sentence but did not grant a pardon, despite requests from Cheney. Libby dutifully paid a $250,000 fine and completed his community service and probation following the conviction. In a statement, Dick Cheney called Libby “one of the most capable, principled, and honorable men I have ever known. He is innocent, and he and his family have suffered for years because of his wrongful conviction. I am grateful today that President Trump righted this wrong by issuing a full pardon to Scooter, and I am thrilled for Scooter and his family.”

Americans to prepare for retirement, yet many retirees have little or no savings at all. According to the Social Security Administration, the average monthly benefit for a retired worker in January 2018 was $1,406.91. According to the Economic Policy Institute, nearly half of households in the U.S. have no retirement savings at all. Relocating to an affordable city after they say sayonara to their jobs at 65 is top priority for many retiring Americans. Recently, GOBankingRates analyzed numbers from 150 U.S. cities to compare the costs of housing, transportation, groceries, utilities and healthcare. They then formed a list of the cheapest cities for retirement – take your pick! The cheapest places, though, may not be filled with beaches or sunny days. Turns out that Miami just isn’t so cheap when you’re living off Social Security. The 10 cheapest U.S. cities for retirement are: 1. Birmingham, Alabama 2. Detroit, Michigan 3. Jackson, Mississippi 4. Memphis, Tennessee 5. Toledo, Ohio 6. Brownsville, Texas 7. Augusta, Georgia 8. Cleveland, Ohio 9. Akron, Ohio 10. Montgomery, Alabama

Boston Strong

Cheapest Places to Retire

Financial advisors are screaming from the rooftops, warning older

On Monday, through icy winds and rain, Desiree “Desi” Linden became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in more than three decades. Linden, 34, ran the more than 26 miles in the historic race on Monday battling the cold, wet weather and

finishing with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 39 minutes and 53 seconds. She is the first American to win the women’s division since 1985. Before she won the marathon, Linden garnered praise online for appearing to slow down to wait for fellow American Shalane Flanagan as she pulled off the course for a pit stop. “It was pretty nasty out there in all honesty, with pretty tough conditions,” Linden said on Tuesday. “I thought early on that I might be pulling the plug. So I just nudged (Flanagan) and said, ‘Hey if I can block the wind or help at all let me know.’ (There was) a ton of American pride on the line. So (it was about) just keeping our best people in the front and I was just trying to do what I could do.” Linden is a two-time Olympian, finishing in 7th place in the 2016 Games. She did not finish in the 2012 Olympics because of a stress fracture that caused her to drop out. She also won silver medals in the 2010 Chicago Marathon and the 2011 Boston Marathon. She missed the first spot in the 2011 Marathon by just two seconds. Ahead of her Boston Marathon win, Linden touted her “experience,” saying she thought she’s “run the most marathons” compared to other competitors. This year was her 6th time running the Boston Marathon. On Tuesday, Linden said her legs were dead but the rest of her was soaring. “The rest of me is on cloud nine, so I can’t complain too much,” she quipped. After years of trying, Linden said she’s finally gotten her fairytale ending. “It’s amazing. It’s storybook stuff,” Linden said. “It feels full circle.” Linden doesn’t just run on her free time. Along with her husband and fellow runners Ben and Sarah True, Linden started a coffee company called Linden & True. The company offered free coffee to customers before, during and after Monday’s marathon. In 2017, Linden took some time off from running during the summer and spent it reading, fishing and kayaking. She started running again – every day – in October 2017, even doing a cross-country race in Boston at the end of the month.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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and bring them home. “This was truly a unique incident,” Lisa Cruz, assistant vice president for communications, remarked in a statement. “We have been caring for research baboons for more than 50 years. We have nearly 1,100 baboons on the property that date back eight generations. Baboons, as with all our animals, are critical to biomedical research.”

The institute says the three baboons and their meek co-conspirator are all “doing well.” The blue barrels they used to escape, however, have been removed from the enclosure and will be evaluated. Sounds like as much fun as monkeys in a barrel.

Joint Custody – for a Dog

Baboons in a Barrel What do you get when you take four baboons and give them a barrel?

Sounds like a video game, right? This week, four baboons climbed a 55-gallon barrel at a biomedical research lab in San Antonio and escaped from their enclosure. The Texas Biomedical Research Institute described the escape as an “animal perimeter breach incident,” which, in all fairness to the primates, sounds pretty dystopian-fiction-y, so maybe they were onto something.

Three of them actually breached the perimeter. One of them, perhaps a little more practical in nature, returned to its enclosure. Incredibly, one of the primates managed to make it to the street, delighting passersby who took photos of it as they frantically tried to get out of its way. Thankfully a crew from the lab managed to corral the cheeky baboons

A judge in Florida recently came up with an innovative way to settle two neighbors’ dispute over a dog. Tina Marie Walker and David Somerville used to live next door to each other. Both of them want to keep Elario, a 4-year-old, 100 pound Labrador, as their own pet. The fight began two years ago, when Walker adopted the dog from a shelter. Around that same time, Somerville’s son asked Walker to check in on his father, who was recovering from surgery. The two neighbors ended up spending a lot of time with each other. Most of that time they included Elario in their visits. Over time, and after dog-sitting for Walker, Somerville asked Walker if he could adopt the dog. When Walker refused, Somerville sued her in court.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

In court documents, Somerville said he has a right to be Elario’s owner because he has spent a great deal of time with the dog, paid for its veterinarian bills and is more “financially stable” than Walker. “Elario and I have a very strong bond/love for each other,” Somerville wrote in court documents. “He has been with me 24/7 for the last year and a half...I believe that Elario is my dog and should stay with me.” According to Judge Lorraine Kelly, “Both parties have spent a great deal of time with the dog. Witnesses say he shows great affection to both of his humans.” So what to do? It’s not like you can cut the dog in half. The judge has ordered both Walker and Sommerville to set up a schedule in which they can have joint custody over Elario. Walker, though, is not pleased. She plans on fighting the verdict. “I love my dog,” she said. “It’s all I have in my whole life.” You know what they say: every dog – or dog owner – has its day.

Gone With the Wind Two thieves’ loot was lost in a gust of wind, just minutes after they committed a robbery. Officers in Manchester released a video that showed the two criminals fleeing after robbing a travel agent’s office. As they ran, cash fell from their pockets and the wind whisked the loot away. Frantic, they tried to grab as much money as they could before making their escape. May I suggest a fanny pack for their next attempt?

Tarantula Challenge

Eating this burger will definitely creep you out. A North Carolina restaurant is offering select customers the chance to eat a decadent burger topped by a giant oven-roasted spider. Bull City

Burger and Brewery has announced its sixth annual Exotic Meat Month, which brings such animals as alligators, iguanas, pythons, turtles and insects to the menu. This time it’s offering a special tarantula challenge. The restaurant said customers can enter their names in a “tarantula raffle” to be one of the lucky few to take the “tarantula challenge.” Customers whose names are drawn must watch the eatery’s website, Facebook and Twitter accounts so they know when to claim their $30 tarantula burger. The winning customers must contact the restaurant to claim their burgers within 48 hours. Want to know what the creepy-crawly burger is made of? Consider a North Carolina pasture-raised beef patty, gruyere cheese, and spicy chili sauce. That’s innocent enough, until you see what’s on top – an oven-roasted tarantula. Customers who finish the burgers receive “tarantula challenge” T-shirts.

Sweet Roll

This bakery is on a roll – a giant cinnamon roll, that is. Wolferman’s Gourmet Baked Goods in Oregon recently shattered a Guinness World Record by spending 11 hours cooking up a 1,149-pound cinnamon roll. One hundred workers and volunteers were needed to create the giant treat which Guinness confirmed to be bigger than the 609-pound roll that previously held the record. The roll was a whopping nine feet long, but if you were to unravel the dough you’d be able to reach to the top of Seattle’s Space Needle. “A gentleman that runs our Wolferman’s division came up with this idea that today is cinnamon roll day and he wanted to break the record to have the largest cinnamon roll made,” said Steve Lightman, president of Harry & David, which owns the company. Pieces of the roll were served at the town’s Pear Blossom Festival for $2 apiece and proceeds were contributed to charity. Sounds sweet to me.

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Around the

Community Yeshiva of Central Queens Remembers

n Yom HaShoah, April 12, YCQ students and faculty took time to remember the over 6 million Jews who lost their lives during the Shoah and the countless others whose lives were forever changed. As the years go by, many survivors of the Holocaust are no longer with us to tell their own stories. At YCQ, students in grades 3-4 had the rare chance to hear the stories and meet Mrs. Irene ‘Freidl’ Goldglancz (nee Fuhrer), Dr. Bela Kerekes, Mrs. Natalie Gomberg, Dr. Mark A. Sperling, and Mrs. Tania Bernstein, Holocaust survivors and family members of current YCQ students and staff. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren attending YCQ spoke about the struggles, fears, strength and faith of his or her family member and together they lit a candle in memory of

those who did not survive. Later in the afternoon, YCQ grade 8 students performed an original play and created a video depicting life of the Jews in Europe before the Holocaust, during the War and after liberation. The program was attended by families of survivors, faculty, and students in grades 5-7. As part of the production, YCQ students who are descendants of survivors told the survival stories of their ancestors to the staff and students, followed by students acting out these scenarios giving the audience a more clear idea of the fears and struggles faced, as well as the strength, courage and faith they each possessed in order to survive the War and to rebuild after. Abe Nisanov, grade 7, said, “I thought the fact that they used real survivors’ stories got the kids to really

listen to what happened. It was more personal.” The mood in the room was somber and voices were silent throughout the program. A group of students performed a dance telling the story of what it was like at the time of liberation from the camps. Michael Gersten, grade 8, played the piano for the duration of the program and the student choir performed multiple numbers ending their performance with a singing of Hatikvah. At the end there was a candle lighting ceremony at which time family members of the survivors came up to light a candle in memory of their loved ones. “I found it to be very sad that there are not that many survivors left. It was family members who lit the candles for them,” said Abe Nisanov, grade 7.

The production closed with a group of students reminding the audience the importance of standing strong for all of those who survived and for all of those who can no longer stand for themselves, followed by a moment of silence; recitation of kel melei rachamim, the Jewish prayer of remembrance and compassion; and a kepital Tehillim. YCQ student, Avi-chayn Goldberg, said, “I found the Yom HaShoah production to be a very emotional experience. Seeing and learning not only what happened during the war, but also what happened before and after, is so vital. Usually most plays focus on the time during the Holocaust, but it is very important we understand what happened after liberation and the survivors struggle to rebuild their lives.”

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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PHOTOS BY IVAN H NORMAN

Remembering Six Million

he Far Rockaway/Five Towns Commemoration of Yom HaShoah was held at Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence on April 11/27 Nisan. The HALB Choir under the direction of Sandy Shmuely performed. The Fay Gottesfeld Heller Keynote Speaker was Israel Stark, a child survivor, noted author and lecturer. His presentation was riveting as he described how he survived five different concentration camps. His life is revealed in a book he authored, A Boy Named 68818. As part of the

ceremony, six Holocaust survivors and their families were asked to light a candle. The six survivors and their families that took part in the ceremony were: Sarah Knecht and family; Herman Teper and family; Cesha Tav and family; Helena Bomstein and family; Bertha Bochner and family; and the family of Fanya Gottesfeld Heller (Mrs. Heller past away a few weeks ago). Cantor Charles Mulhbauer of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach performed the concluding prayers.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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Yom HaShoah Commemoration at SKA

hen the sirens went off in the hallways and classrooms of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Thursday, April 12, the students paused and stood in silence. Lighted yahrzeit candles were placed on the front desk and posters depicting the World War II years were on display throughout the school. The observance of Yom Hashoah had begun. In her poignant address to the assembled students and teachers, Mrs. Helen Spirn, Head of School, shared her memories as a child of survivors

and the story of her parents’ experiences in the ghettos and concentration camps during the Shoah. Faculty members whose parents had also gone through the war, together with Mr. Izaak Sturm, a survivor, lit yahrzeit candles in memory of their loved ones who were killed. Project Witness’ documentary, Hidden: The Saga of Jewish Children Concealed During the Holocaust, was shown and had special meaning for SKA. As the film depicts, Mrs. Beer, who went back to Poland to meet the children of the couple who had saved

her family, is the grandparent of SKA graduate and former faculty member, Jaclyn Josef Sova. It was especially meaningful to see, by a show of hands, how many SKA students were grandchildren and great-grandchildren of survivors; this was not an abstract history lesson. The assembly closed on a note of hope. “We are still here,” proclaimed an uplifting rendition of Ofra Haza’s “Chai,” in a film clip produced by the Israeli organization Koolulum, and sung by 600 Holocaust survivors and their descendants.

Mrs. Sheila Leibtag and 9th grade editors of SKA Holocaust Journal

Yom HaShoah Commemoration at YILB

he Yom Hashoah Commemoration and Candle Lighting took place last Wednesday, April 11. The program opened with the recitation of Tehillim by Rabbi Yakkov Weisenberg, Rabbi Yehudi Chinskey, and Dr. Hillel Broder. Rabbi Chaim Wakslak presented an introduction as to the unacceptability of silence in relation to the horrific events of the Holocaust. Instead he advocated that it is incumbent on today’s generation to speak out forcefully about those unfathomable years during which the goal was to annihilate the Jewish people, chas v’shalom. Esther Langer then introduced Mordechai Miller, a Holocaust survivor from Poland. He described how he managed to survive during the war years. Chazzan Lemmer then sang an appropriate tribute,

“The Shtetel Brent.” Rabbi Wakslak then presented the history of survival Cantor Duvid Werdyger, z”l, who managed to escape from the Malach HaMaves in response to his rendition of Kel Moleh Rachamin, ultimately coming to the USA and establishing himself as a great cantor and recording artist. Chazzan Lemmer then sang a melody of Chassidic niggunim made popular by Duvid Wedyger, z”l. The candle lighting in memory of the six million kedoshim were lit by Dora Heller, Chana Hoffman, Elisheva Reinheimer, Mordechai Miller, Rabbi Jerry Kleinman on behalf of first generation survivors and Kalman Speis on behalf of the children that perished. The evening was concluded by the recitation of the Kel Maleh Rachamim and the singing of Ani Maamin.

Mrs. Rachel Heilbrun speaks to SKA students on Yom Hashoah

The students were then privileged to hear from Mrs. Rachel Heilbrun, grandparent of the daughter-in-law of Director of Student Programming Rabbi Zakutinsky; Mr. Izaak Sturm, grandfather of graduate Rachel Sturm; and Mrs. Ita Landau, greataunt of Junior Rachel Yudin, who all related their powerful stories, recounting their lives before and during the war. As the program ended, the ninth grade student-generated Holocaust Journal, “Survival of the Spirit,” was distributed. Under the direction of faculty member Mrs. Sheila Leibtag, this publication, with original stories, poems and artwork, is dedicated to the survivors of the Shoah, whose legacy lives on for many in their granddaughters enrolled in the school.

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The Butterfly Project at HAFTR

AFTR’s fourth and fifth grade students commemorated Yom HaShoah by participating in The Butterfly Project, a project to educate young children about the Holocaust. The Butterfly Project has swelled into a global phenomenon, collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies from across the world. It was inspired by the poem “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” written by Pavel Friedmann, a young Jew from Czechoslovakia who wrote while in the Terezin Concentration Camp. The project is a tribute to the lives of the young people lost in the Holocaust.

Each HAFTR student was given the name and biography of a Jewish child who perished during the war and then painted a ceramic butterfly in that child’s memory. Parent of fifth grade student David Mastour and sponsor of the project, Tahra Mastour gave a terrific introduction about how children can do mitzvoth in order to perpetuate the neshamot (souls) of those who perished. To give students a mea-

sureable way of comprehending the number of people who perished in the Holocaust, she showed the book entitled, And Every Single One Was Someone. On each page of this book, the word Jew is written 4,800 times on 1,250 pages, totaling six million. She asked students to think about one page and to think of a neshama of a person represented by just one of the words. Under the direction of Lisa Patick-Rosenberg, fifth grade students in the TOTS gifted program presented, “The Butterfly,” an adaptation of the book by Patricia Polacco. The story tells of a French family who risked everything to hide and protect a Jewish family from the Nazis. During the war, many selfless citizens of France joined the underground resistance, organized by General Charles de Gaulle. These citizens helped Jews escape the war at great peril to their own lives as well as the lives of their families. Thousands of Jews were saved thanks to the great bravery of the French underground resistance. Under the direction of Janet Goldman, students sang, “Last Night I had a Dream I was in Heaven,” by

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” -Carl Jung Page 72

Cecelia Margules. At the assembly, Mr. Herb Lewis, Holocaust survivor and great-grandfather of HAFTR students Aaron and Sophia Pahl, told the students the courageous story of how he saved his friend on a death march during the war. Mr. Lewis lit candles in memo-

ry of the kedoshim and the students and staff sang a moving rendition of Ani Maamin and Hatikvah. Also in attendance was Mrs. Mastour’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hermran, children of Holocaust survivors. The program is sure to linger in the hearts and minds of our students.

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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HANC Honors Holocaust Survivors

s the fourth through sixth grade students and staff of HANCâ€™s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School entered the darkened auditorium on Thursday morning, it was clear that this would not be a typical assembly. After sitting quietly, waiting for the Yom HaShoah program to begin, Rabbi Yaakov Sadigh, principal of HANC, told the children about a heroic Holocaust survivor with whom he worked for many years. Following his remarks, Rabbi Michael Merrill, director of Student Activities, shared the story of the Bielski brothers. These brave brothers came from a small village in Eastern Poland called Stankiewicze. Their family had lived there for three generations, and they ran a mill that ground wheat into flour. Tuvia was the second oldest of the twelve children in his fam-

ily, and when the Nazis took over, he decided that he would not allow himself to be controlled by the Nazis. His plan was to escape to the forest and to protect as many people as he could. While he originally sheltered a few people in a small camp in the forest, their numbers continued to grow. Tuvia was an incredible leader and was able to create partnerships with the stronger Russian partisan groups living in the forest. He also found a way to secure weapons that were needed to protect the people living with him in the forest. By the time the Bielski group was freed, there were nearly 1,200 people living in their group. From the 1,200 people that survived, many have grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their families now number 20,000. These people grew from the kindness of Tuvia and his

brothers in the forest. What began as a mission to survive turned into a huge community that lives on and continues to grow. In order to illustrate the connection between the events of the Holocaust and our lives today, the children watched a video presentation listing the names of Holocaust survivors who are members of the families of HANC students and staff members. After the presentation, six yahrzeit candles were lit, honoring the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and each candle represented a concentration camp in which Jews were murdered. The program concluded with a stirring rendition of â€œKel Malei Rachamim,â€? which was sung by the HANC music teacher, Rabbi Mordechai Shapiro. Before leaving the auditorium, the children were encouraged to listen to the

stories of the Holocaust from survivors in their families and communities and to share them with their children in the future so that their lives and stories would not be forgotten.

This moving program was developed by Rabbi Michael Merrill and additional thanks go to Dafna Berman for her technical assistance with the video presentation.

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Uplifting and Remembering

his past week HALB commemorated Yom HaShoah with the entire community at Congregation Beth Sholom. The fifth grade HALB choir opened the program with the anthems of both the United States and Israel followed by a medley of somber but uplifting songs led by our choirmaster, Sandy Shmuely. The children did such an outstanding job that the guest speaker, Holocaust survivor and author Mr. Israel Starck, said the following: “If we only gathered tonight at Beth Sholom to

hear the beautiful voices of the children of the HALB choir, dayeinu – it would have been enough.” For Mr. Starck and others there who survived the Shoah, the vision of over 100 children singing Jewish songs is proof positive that Hashem has helped rebuild our people after the Holocaust when we can reach the madraiga where we can sing praises and rejoice that we continue to flourish long after our enemies have disappeared from the face of the earth.

We Remember

n Thursday, April 12, students, teachers, and parents of Shulamith Middle Division gathered for their annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration. The event began with a recitation of Tehillim led by G.O. President Adina Adelman and opening remarks by Principal Mrs. Rookie Billet. In keeping with the solemn nature of the day, six yahrtzeit candles were lit in memory of the six million kedoshim. The commemoration continued with a choir performed by seventh graders and a video in which Rabbi Jonathan Sacks offered a cogent explanation of anti-Semitism through the ages.

The culmination of this year’s commemoration was an address by Mrs. Bronia Brandman, a survivor of Auschwitz and author of The Girl Who Survived. The audience was riveted as Mrs. Brandman explained all that she lived through and spoke of her beloved family members who were among the kedoshim. She showed photos of her family and maps of the area in which she lived, and eloquently and forcefully expressed her belief in Hashem and her love for the land of Israel. The ceremony concluded with the reading of the Keil Malei and the singing of Hatikva. Seventh graders Penina Feldman and Elisheva Spirgel with Mrs. Bronia Brandman

Seventh graders performing at the Yom HaShoah ceremony

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A Time to Remember, Reflect and Act

n addition to the important communitywide commemorations of Yom HaShoah, schools have an obligation to imbue in its students important lessons of zachor. Rambam Mesivta’s program this year began with an educational, meaningful and impactful assembly which painted a picture of Jewish life both before and after the Holocaust. Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach began the assembly by reminding students that the victims of the Holocaust essentially lived the same type of life that we do in America. “They went to school just like you do, they had homes just like you do, they had places to eat just like you do and suddenly they were rounded up.” He then described the Nazis conquest of Europe explaining that the German conquest of many countries was a “war” fought between two armies. However, the German attack on the Jewish community was not a war but an attempt at annihilation. “The Jews had no army, no effective way of defending themselves on a large scale,” said Rabbi Eliach. Jewish resistance took place on two levels. When possible, Jews resisted with the limited physical abilities that they had. Additionally, countless Jews also resisted spiritually with their commitment to following the Torah in the worst of conditions. Rosh Mesivta Rabbi Zev Friedman spoke about courageous religious resistance, mentioning some of the heartrending questions people in concentration camps, ordinary Jews, asked of poskim. He referred

to the list of shaylos u’teshuvos of Rav Oshry in his sefer, MiMamakim (From the Depths), and the fact that our people asked halachic questions during the most difficult of times. Rabbi Friedman also emphasized that zachor, remembering, is one component of our obligation. He spoke about the responsibility we have to “act” and outlined the “plan of action” for the upcoming rally, demanding that Germany finally extradite self-admitted, Nazi war criminal, Jakiw Palij. After boarding buses the students arrived at the German Consulate in

Manhattan. They made their voices heard loud and clear chanting, “Take him back,” “He’s your Nazi, do what’s right – extradite.” Neal Sher, former director of the Department of Justice’s Office of Special Investigations, addressed the students at the rally. He began by commending them and mentioning that while it is normal for teenagers to take off time from school, it was impressive to see the boys from Rambam dedicating themselves with passion and focus to an important Jewish community cause. Mr. Sher spoke about the failure of the German government to

bring cases and prosecute Nazi war criminals. He also pointed a finger at the State Department, questioning why they never used leveraged to push Germany to take back Palij and other Nazi war criminals living in the United States. “I remember asking them to take back Nazis living here, and they said, ‘We don’t want your garbage,’ to which I replied, “YOU created the garbage!” said Mr. Sher. Following this, Dr. Alex Sternberg, noted community activist, spoke about his older brother who was gassed in Auschwitz, pointing a finger at Germany and demanding that they take full responsibility for all crimes committed during the Holocaust. Students in Rambam punctuated the speech with chants of, “No SS in the U.S.” and “Take him back.” Associate Principal, Mr. Hillel Goldman, followed, expressing outrage that the Nazi Palij continues to live freely in the United States. Students responded to his call for justice by chanting, “Justice now.” Rabbi Friedman closed the rally and reminded the Germans that the Jewish community will keep the pressure on them because “we will not be silent.” Members of the media, both television and print, were on hand and ensured that the issue of a Nazi’s continued presence in America is one that Germany cannot fail to address.

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Holocaust Remembrance at Margaret Tietz

he Annual Memorial Service for Yom HaShoah was held at Margaret Tietz on Wednesday, April 11. The program was convened by Rabbi Zavel Pearlman, the facilities full-time rabbi. As a facility established for the care of Holocaust survivors this important service has been conducted annually for over 40 years. Rabbi Yossi Blesofsky of the Chabad NE Queens has been a part of this service for many years. His compassion and care for many survivors in his own congregation has brought something special to this annual memorial service. One of his congregants, Mr. Nat Ross, was the guest speaker. Mr. Ross spent 5 years in labor camps, including Auschwitz. Cynthia Zalinsky,

second generation survivor and Executive Director of the Queens Jewish Community Council, was a participant, as well as Senta Baum, who is a weekly volunteer at Margaret Tietz and a Holocaust survivor. It was very much appreciated that our new Assemblyman, Daniel Rosenthal, was a part of this special service.

Commemorating Yom HaShoah in Shulamith

n Thursday, April 12, the third and fourth graders of Shulamith School for Girls took part in a Yom HaShoah commemoration. In addition to lighting candles in memory of the kedoshim, the students participated in meaningful presentations. The third graders put on a play about the Bamberger Family saving a Sefer Torah

on Kristallnacht, as well as a skit about Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, the Ponovezh Rav, zt”l, who saved orphaned Jewish children from Catholic orphanages after the close of World War II. One fourth grade class sang “Ani Maamin,” while the others sang “Kayli, Kayli”, written by Hannah Senesh. Mrs. Paula Friedman,

a survivor of Auschwitz, shared her story with the students. Before Mrs. Friedman’s departure, Morah Penina Deutsch, third grade teacher and coordinator of the Yom HaShoah program, presented her with a bouquet of flowers as a token of appreciation from the Shulamith Lower Division. Mrs. Joyce Yarmak, principal, Mrs. Friedman, and Mrs. Penina Deutsch

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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DRS Takes Top Prize in 2018 NCSY JUMP Competition PHOTOS COURTESY ORTHODOX UNION/NCSY

RS Yeshiva High School for Boys recently competed against four other Jewish high schools for NCSY’s annual JUMP (Jewish Unity Mentoring Program) competition. The program is NCSY’s national leadership program and social entrepreneurship competition, in which participants from schools throughout the United States and Canada learn to make positive changes in their communities while broadening their understanding of local and global issues facing the Jewish people today. The five finalist schools presented their projects to a panel of distinguished judges in a “Shark Tank”style boardroom. The themes for this year’s NCSY JUMP competition were synagogue engagement, tefillah (prayer), and kiruv (outreach). Participating teams spent months developing and implementing innovative programs to address two of the three issues. Of the 18 schools competing, five were chosen to present their projects in the OU boardroom final competition. The five finalists were: DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys (DRS), Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls (SKA), Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC), Hebrew Academy of Montreal, and Midreshet Shalhevet High School for Girls. DRS’s winning programs included the creation of engaging and educational newsletters and videos about prayer, shared within their school as well as over 40 local synagogues. They also devised a kiruv initiative to facilitate opportunities to connect with local public school teens and talk about

The winning DRS NCSY JUMP team with mentor Rabbi Ephraim Polokoff

Mr. Yossi Prager and Mr. Allen Fagin from the judges panel questioning the presenting team

Judaism from a teen perspective. The team also created “Chag in a Box,” a kiruv program in which unaffiliated Jews are given supplies to celebrate Jewish holidays. For Pesach, DRS partnered with Russian American Jewish Experience (RAJE), a charity that helps unaffiliated Russian Jews, to distribute over 100 bags in Brooklyn. DRS raised over $3,000 for these programs. “JUMP is a unique example of how our youth can be engaged to identify their talents, develop their leadership abilities, and achieve remarkable things for our community,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. “We are incredibly proud of the students and their accomplishments and look forward to seeing the fruits of their future creative endeavors.” Projects from the runners-up included the creation of programs and fundraising to recruit new mem-

Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin interviewing Leah Feder of Midreshet Shalhevet

bers to a small synagogue (HANC); an initiative that allowed students to send inquiries to major community rabbis (Hebrew Academy of Montreal); kiruv programs for children using art and snacks (Midreshet Shalhevet); and a well-received app to help people learn about and focus on tefillah (SKA). The judges for this year’s JUMP final included Allen Fagin, Vice President, Chief Professional Officer, OU; Wayne Green, Director, Jewish Teen Funders Network; Heather Kaminestsky, Vice President Global Marketing at YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP; Yossi Prager, Executive Director for North America of The AVI CHAI Foundation; Phil Rosen, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP; and Tami Radinsky, Partner, Grant Thornton. “This year our JUMP program grew to a record 18 participating schools,” said NCSY JUMP Director

Debbie Stone. “We were delighted with the presentations from the five finalist schools in our OU boardroom. The ideas, creativity, dedication and teamwork displayed clearly express all the goals of the JUMP program. These students are truly the next generation of leaders of the Jewish people.” Teams were judged based on eight metrics for the success of the project. These metrics included how self-sustainable the program is, how well publicized and effective their projects were, the impact these projects made on those they were created for, originality of the idea, the longevity of the proposed initiative and the involvement of the school. Judges also looked at whether the activity, event or program was executed in a professional and timely fashion. All proposed initiatives needed to extend beyond any existing school or community program.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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The Art Room in BYAM

his year the art room in Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam has seen a total change in the curriculum. Mrs. Faigie Kobre has introduced a new program called TAB-Choice Based Art. TAB stands for Teaching for Artistic Behavior and the girls have been developing their artistic behavior by using the various art centers introduced to the classroom throughout the year. Up until now they have a drawing center, painting center, collage center, fiber

arts center, clay center and, what has been the most popular so far, the construction center. Using an assortment of what may be garbage to you the girls have been using their creativity to create the most amazing sculptures and structures using paper, cardboard, egg boxes, material pieces, lids, paper towel rolls, etc. Here are just some of the creations that some of the girls have made. Our next and last center to open up this week will be printmaking.

Field Trips at Ohr Leah

he girls at Ohr Leah went on three field trips last week to bring their learning to life. The first stop was on Tuesday, to their morah’s backyard to make Birchas Ha’Ilanos on the crabapple tree in her yard which has begun to blossom! Then, they made applesauce from cooked apples using an antique hand apple grinder from Morah’s bubby!

Wednesday, they were off to the pet store to see the simanim of kosher animals and fish which we learned about in the parsha last week. We also saw many bugs which we learned are not kosher! In order to practice looking for hechsherim on food packages before we buy anything, Thursday’s trip was to Gourmet Glatt to look for hechsherim!

The Road to Shavuos at Gesher

ith the intensity of Pesach preparation now behind them the children of the Gesher Early Childhood Center have jumped into their new set of lessons. The sefiras haomer is a constant reminder that we are on track for kabbalas haTorah. Together with the weekly insights from Pirkei Avos, much of the focus has been on the mitzvos that are bein adam l’chavero. The kindergarten students made friendship bracelets in pairs. They also learned about the letter shin, perfect for Shavuos. The Yellow Pre1A learned about the chessed done in our communities by organizations such as Hatzaloh, Shomrim, and Chaveirim. The children were able to discuss chassadim that they see done in their daily lives. They are making a collage of chessed notes, understanding how the collection of chassadim helps Klal Yiroel and brings us to Matan Totrah. The Pre1A also continued learning addition and subtraction, certainly appropriate to sefiras haomer. In science the children learned about the process of a seed growing. The lessons were reinforced with

reading and writing about spring. It is a perfect complement to the medrash that Har Sinai came alive with flowers at Matan Torah.

YHT Follows Up with their State Representatives

ollowing the incredibly successful lobbying mission to Albany the Students of Yeshiva Har Torah continued the work on behalf of yeshiva day schools seeking funding for STEM programs. The students wrote formal letters of thanks to the NY State representatives who took the time to meet with the school del-

egation. The students reiterated their thanks to Senator Elaine Philips and Assemblyman David Weprin for their support of the day school lobbying mission. The students received responses from each representative announcing the increased funding in the 2018 budget.

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Mock Trial Winners at DRS

ongratulations to the DRS Mock Trial Team on defeating the New York State defending champions W. Tresper Clarke High School and advancing to the Nassau County final four. This was the second time this season the two teams

have gone head-to-head, and DRS has come out victorious on both occasions. DRS was also named the only team in Nassau County to make it to the round of the final four in back to back seasons. The team, led by Dr. Janice Oliver

and Mr. Blumenthal, spent countless hours practicing to prepare for each game. A special thanks to the captains Sruli Fruchter and Benyamin Bortz and co-captains Josh Samet and Jonah Loskove. This week the prosecution played—which consists

of lawyers Sruli Fruchter, Benyamin Bortz, and Shlomo Schwartz and witnesses Jonah Loskove, Josh Samet, and Joseph Greenberg. We wish much success to the team in their remaining trials.

further educate their clients. By the end, the client has been empowered to make a career decision and WayFind provides a roadmap to get there. The JCCRP has partnered with WayFind to offer these sessions free of charge for a limited time to clients who qualify. Since 1972, the JCCRP has aided thousands annually by determining the nature and extent of clients’ basic needs and methods of meeting those needs. The JCCRP offers information and referral services about community activities and resources and works collaboratively with governmental and non-governmental organizations for improvements in crime prevention, the expansion of housing, community services, crisis intervention, health

and social services and similar areas of concern. “We are very excited about this partnership with WayFind. We recognize this as a crucial step to getting people self sufficient. The JCCRP has historically been helping community members who are struggling financially. We see this as a fantastic proactive step toward independence and financial freedom,” said Moshe Brandsdorfer, Executive Director of the JCCRP. In order to find out if you qualify, please call WayFind at 516-253-1147, email info@wayfindcareers.com or call the JCCRP at 718-327-7755.

Wayfair: Choosing The Right Path

lisheva1 returned home from seminary undecided about her next step. She was nervous about making a decision that seriously impacts the rest of her life. Chaim’s wife just had a second baby and he feels that the time is right for him to transition from learning to working. Devorah started college with the idea that she would figure out what she wanted to be but two years in she still is unclear what is the right path for her. Elisheva, Chaim and Devorah, and the hundreds of women and men who are finishing high school, college or full-time learning every year face the same quandary. They know very little about the career choices available to them, what is involved with each profession and which is best for them. The economics of the Jewish community demand that they choose financially stable, growing professions, but the values and lifestyle of the frum world often constrict their choices. On top of all this, their parents do not feel equipped to guide them. The work world is so different today than it was when their generation was making

their own personal life decisions. Recognizing this problem, Natasha Srulowitz and Adele Dubin came together 2 years ago and founded WayFind which offers education and career support geared towards the Orthodox Jewish community. WayFind’s mission is to help members of the frum community choose career paths that best suit their interests, skills, strengths and values. They have helped many young people across the country and Israel hone in on who they are, understand their options and position themselves for success. WayFind offers a three-session package that is exploratory and informative. It promotes self- awareness and educates and informs each client about what is available to him/her, i.e., day-to-day tasks, salaries, market demand, lifestyle requirements and necessary education. The process includes a variety of assessments, a customized profile, guided homework and a career framework that visually examines the relationship between careers and values and enables the client to choose between tradeoffs. WayFind often schedules calls with professionals to

1 Names and some identifying details have been changed.

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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Five Towns Resident to Receive Education Leadership Award Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Joanne Parisi to Vice President and Administrator. Ms. Parisi, a resident of Shirley, has been with Gurwin since 2006, most recently serving as Associate Administrator.

On Pesach, local rabbanim accompanied a gentleman who bought the chometz of many local families to homes where his chometz was stored. His free access and ability to consume the chometz at will during yom tov internalized and solidified the concept that the sale was real in every way.

abbi Dr. Josh Joseph, senior vice president at Yeshiva University, will receive the McInnis/Ryan Award for Mid-Career Higher Education Leadership at the Leadership Seminar of the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA) to be held June 7-8, 2018, at Widener University near Philadelphia. The title of the Seminar is “Things That Keep Higher Education Leaders Awake at Night: Considering Creative Approaches to Common Problems.” “Receiving the McInnis/Ryan Award for Mid-Career Higher Education Leadership is a humbling yet welcome recognition of the important work we have all been doing here to advance Yeshiva University ever forward,” said Joseph. “It is an honor to join past recipients in receiving this award, and I salute this year’s nominees, each of whom has made impressive contributions to their fields. Finally, my very special thanks to the AAUA for selecting me and for validating that I do, indeed, have one of those special jobs that puts me in touch with so many amazing students, faculty and colleagues who are working in a collaborative way to advance the goals of our extraordinary mission.” “Dr. Joseph’s strategic approach to higher education and insightful analyses play a crucial role in Yeshiva University’s success,” said Dr. Berman. “He is a true asset to our institution and wholly deserving of this important

recognition.” Joseph has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), a master’s in Jewish philosophy and a rabbinical ordination from YU, and most recently earned an EdD in educational leadership from UPenn. He has been an administrator at YU for over 12 years, beginning as a program officer, rising to chief of staff to the president, then vice president and senior vice president. In his current position, Joseph is responsible for student life, administrative services, recruitment and retention, communications, and strategic planning. He also teaches communication in the YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and administration and leadership in the doctoral program of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.

#NageelaWalk

till trying to work off that matzah? What about all those post-Pesach carbs like pizza and bagels? It’s time to get in shape for the summer! #NageelaWalk 50 miles in 50 days = 50 funded camp scholarships! From now until Shavuot, walk on your own time and support the camps where Jewish kids live Jewish values, Camp Nageela. Dozens of kids need scholarships so they can have a joyfully Jewish summer. Your $100 donation and registration gets you: -a fitness app to track your miles -a Dri-Fit walk t-shirt -better health

-the chance to win a free month membership at a local gym -knowledge that you improved someone’s life! Sign up at bit.ly/nageelaeast. Get sponsors for additional support!

Did Trump strike back at Syria hard enough? Page 108

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

The fifth grade classes at Siach Yitzchok went on a trip to the Bronx Zoo this week. Many animals from Parshas Shemini were pointed out by their rabbeim. The boys had a wonderful time and a great experience.

Learn & Live

re parrots kosher? The Parrot Rebbe came to Learn & Live this past Sunday to answer that question. The “Rebbe” showed some of the signs of a kosher bird and then showed off his beautiful and exquisite parrots. Congratulations to Gavi Goodman on winning his very

own parakeet. This coming Sunday iy”H at Learn & Live will be “To Long Life.” For more information regarding L&L/Pirchei of Far Rockaway please email us at learnandlivefr@ gmail.com or try our hotline 641715-3800 pin 932191#.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

Around the Community

Yeshiva of South Shore and the Five Towns Community Honor Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l

PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

av Binyamin Kamenetzky’s commitment to Klal Yisroel was unparalleled; his incredible life still bears a profound impact on the Five Towns community and beyond. Testament to this extraordinary influence was the outstanding turnout at the Yeshiva of South Shore’s Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky Memorial Dinner on Sunday, April 15. Over 800 people gathered in advance of Rav Binyamin’s yahrzeit to honor his lifetime of work as the founder and pioneer of the Five Towns Community. This past Shabbos, momentum built as shuls throughout the Five Towns paid tribute to his work on behalf of our community. The Five Towns Shabbos Zikaron was a display of unity, and the Memorial Dinner was the culmination of a Shabbos spent commemorating Rav Binyamin’s lifetime accomplishments. The event featured “The Journey of a Visionary,” a multimedia memorial exhibit which displayed the breadth and impact of Rav Binyamin’s work through vibrant presentations, artifacts, and video interviews. The evening marked the updating of Yeshiva of South Shore’s Hebrew name as “Yeshiva Toras Chaim Bais Binyamin.” In addition, the Abraham and Sara Silber Middle School was dedicated by the Silber family and the Louis and Gertrude Feil Torah Center was dedicated by the Feil

Family. Guests were inspired to hear from Rabbi Avraham Fruchthandler, who delivered an impassioned speech and spoke to Jeffrey Feil’s unique balance of humility and benevolence. The Yeshiva was also extremely honored by the presence of Rav Binyamin’s brother, HaRav Shmuel Kamenetzky, shlit”a, and the guests were privileged to hear his words of inspiration. It was only fitting that the Memorial Dinner celebrated the release of the new tribute book Flowers in the Desert, a hardcover book by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky that memorializes the life and legacy of Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, among other community founders. Guests walked away with a creative keepsake, modeled after the Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky billboard the Rockaway Turnpike, declaring that “Traffic Never Stopped Him.” “Not only did my father have a vast knowledge and expansive wisdom, but he moved mountains as well,” says Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva of South Shore. “The evening was a celebration of the tremendous scope and impact of his efforts and a renewal of our own dedication to honor his past and build our future. We thank the entire community for paying tribute to his lifelong commitment.”

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Thank You

to the many supporters and friends who attended the Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky Memorial Dinner and came out to

BottomLineMG.com

HONOR HIS PAST & BUILD OUR FUTURE.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

The Memorial Dinner marked: • The renaming of the Yeshiva as Yeshiva Toras Chaim - Bais Binyamin • The dedication of the Louis and Gertrude Feil Torah Center • The dedication of the Abraham and Sara Silber Middle School YESHIVA OF SOUTH SHORE 1170 William Street • Hewlett, NY 11557 516.374.7363 x212 Banquet@YOSS.org • RBKlegacy.org

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Shulamith Enjoys a Day in Philadelphia

n Tuesday, April 10, the seventh graders of Shulamith Middle Division set out early for a day of learning and fun in The City of Brotherly Love: Philadelphia! Their first stop, The Franklin Institute, provided ample opportunity to visit interactive exhibits about the human heart, the brain, the principles of gravity, and more. Everyone enjoyed an informative and entertaining Live Liquid Air Show and a delicious lunch of pizza and French fries in the cafeteria. In addition to the Franklin Institute, our tour guide, Mrs. Sheila Schwebel, of Tourrific Travel, arranged a visit to Mikveh Israel, the

oldest continually used synagogue in the United States. We were privileged to be addressed by the rav of the shul, Rabbi Albert Gabbai, who shared both historic details and divrei Torah with us. Both the students and their chaperones, Mrs. Billet, Mrs. Steiner, Morah Chana Schwartz, and Mrs. Sara Wolf, were awed when Rabbi Gabbai opened the aron kodesh to present the shul’s array of magnificent sifrei Torah bedecked in silver. The whirlwind tour ended with a visit to the famed Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Spring Gymnastics: On the Move

e are excited to share the news of our move to our new state-of-the-art gym at Life Clubs in Lawrence, NY. Just

three years ago Spring Gymnastics opened its doors to create a quality and affordable gymnastics program in a tznius environment.

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent” -Barbara Bush, page 28

Our mission was to give every girl the opportunity to take advantage of all the benefits a gymnastics program has to offer. Whether they would join for fitness, fun, or to develop a hobby, they would gain confidence, flexibility, strength, coordination, balance and more. Our goal was that our girls would learn discipline, perseverance and patience, as well as how to overcome fears, set goals and achieve them. Thanks to our talented coaches our girls exceled at a rapid pace. This led to the formation of a new gymnastics league for frum girls. Twice a year there are intense competitions following the USAG standards and routines. The girls are given a chance to display

their talents and hard work. There are now over one hundred and twenty-five girls in the league from Monsey, Highland Park, Brooklyn, Miami, Baltimore, Passaic, Cleveland, and, of course, our very own Spring team. In our beautiful new facility with multiple pieces of each apparatus, a full-size competition floor and many new features, we will continue to provide the same quality and individualized instruction in a positive and warm environment. For more information about girls and boys classes, open gym for adults, Mommy and me, and birthday parties visit springgymnastics. com or email springgyminfo@gmail. com.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

Around the Community

No One Eats Alone at Yeshiva of Central Queens

CQ recently held its second annual No One Eats Alone lunch program sponsored by the JHS, Mix it Up Club. All students in the JHS were given a table number where they sat together with kids from all different grades. At the table they were given strips of paper to write down ways that they could include others. For example, “Invite someone to join your game at recess,” or “Sit with someone new at lunch.” These positive messages will be put together as a big paper chain and hung throughout the JHS building showing unity, while encouraging a comfortable school environment for all students. The students were joined by in-

spirational speaker, Jon Pritikin, who shared his moving story to all of us. Pritikin, based in California, flew in to speak about his life and how he was able to overcome certain difficult issues that he faced as a young adult. He captured everyone’s attention and many of us were moved to tears. Jon took the time to meet each student with a word of encouragement as they exited the program. His message helped the students understand the importance of treating each other with kindness and to remind of us that we are strong and special, each in our own unique way. No One Eats Alone luncheons are part of the YCQ anti-bullying program.

Deeper Thinking, Deeper Living in Five Towns

eginning on Tuesday, April 24 at 8:00 PM, Rabbi Wolowik will be offering What Is? Rethinking Everything We Know about Our Universe, a fascinating, new six-session course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI). The website description of the course reads: Drawing on the wisdom of Chasidic teaching, the most basic building blocks of existence are reexamined from the bottom up, revolutionizing our understanding of life, reality, and our place in the world. “I find that many people, particularly in The Five Towns, are looking to deepen their experience of life,” Rabbi Wolowik of Chabad of the Five

Towns, the local JLI instructor in Cedarhurst, says. “This JLI course invites participants to live more deeply, by deepening their thinking, insight, and awareness of the fundamentals of life and of our universe.” What Is? explores six of the most intruiging questions that have ever challenged mankind: Is the world real? Is time travel possible? Why does evil exist? Who is G-d? What is consciousness? Are we bound by fate? “Our goal is to invite participants to seek out a deeper understanding of their world,” explained Rabbi Zalman Abraham, of JLI’s Brooklyn headquarters. “By doing so, we hope to give people the tools to experience

a richer, deeper, and more meaningful life.” Like all JLI programs, this course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship. Interested students may call 516295-2478, or visit www.ChabadFiveTowns.com/jli for registration and for other course-related information. JLI courses are presented in Cedarhurst in conjunction with Chabad of the Five Towns.

JLI, the adult education branch of Chabad-Lubavitch, offers programs in more than 800 locations in the United States and in numerous foreign countries, including Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Panama, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela. More than 400,000 students have attended JLI classes since the organization was founded in 1998.

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

JCCRP – A Hidden Gem in Our Community

he JCCRP 46th Annual Legislative Breakfast is slated to take place on Sunday, April 29, at 9:30AM at The White Shul. This breakfast is one of the few occasions during the year in which the Jewish community has the opportunity to come together and demonstrate our strength as a community to the elected officials, city and state agencies and other groups with whom we relate. It is also an opportunity for us to thank individuals who have rendered services to the Jewish community and made the JCCRP the remarkable organization so many people rely on behind the scenes. The JCCRP has passionately assisted our community in its quiet fashion for 46 years, truly a hidden gem, truly amazing! This year the JCCRP will be honoring several esteemed members of our community whom without their service this community would not be where it is today. JCCRP’s Chairman of the board, Mr. Richard Altabe, will be honored with the Audrey Pheffer Lifetime

Achievement Award for his lifetime commitment and selfless dedication to the Jewish Community. Mr. Altabe is the current principal of the Lower Division at the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB). He has 30 years of experience as principal in various yeshivot including Yeshivat Shaare Torah, Magen David Yeshivah H.S. and for 18 years was dean of general studies at Yeshiva Darchei Torah. He served both as a mentor for aspiring yeshiva administrators through the Lookstein Center at Bar-Ilan University and as mentor for aspiring yeshiva administrators through Yeshiva University Azrieli School of Education. He has been called upon as a consultant for various yeshivot and day schools throughout the United States and Mexico City. In community roles he was a former elected NYC School Board Member, District 27 Queens, Chair of the Special Education Advisory Council for Agudath Israel of America, and was president of the HS Principal’s Council for the Board of Jewish Education. He is the current Vice President of CAHAL

and a founder of the TOVA Mentoring Program in the Five Towns serving at-risk teens in all yeshivot in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway. Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato will receive the Public Service Award. Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato is proud to represent the New York State Assembly’s 23rd District, encompassing the Queens neighborhoods of Broad Channel, Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Ozone Park and the Rockaway Peninsula. Stacey’s mother, Queens County Clerk Audrey I. Pheffer, previously held this Assembly seat for over twenty five years, and upon Stacey’s election, they became the first mother-daughter team to hold the same seat in the New York State Legislature. Born in Rockaway, Stacey has a longstanding commitment to community advocacy and involvement. Stacey has served as president of the parent associations at her children’s schools, most notably stepping up to the plate when the entire school was displaced as a result of Superstorm Sandy, despite her own family’s displacement. Additionally, she has been an active member of the Rockaway Beach Civic Association for over 15 years and serves on the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program-Rockaway West Committee, which is tasked with overseeing the state’s storm recovery efforts. Prior to holding office, Stacey worked as an education paraprofessional for the NYC Department of Education and as a Procurement Specialist for the FDNY and the NYC Department of Sanitation. Councilman Chaim Deutsch will be honored with City Legislative Award. Councilman Deutsch is a life-long Brooklynite, proudly representing the diverse communities within the 48th City Council District. Councilman Deutsch also serves as the Chair for the Jewish Caucus. Councilman Deutsch has been a successful and tireless advocate in helping those in need of assistance. From seniors who are homebound or infirm, to kids who are at risk of drug addiction, alcoholism, or abuse, Councilman Deutsch has taken a personal interest in countless sensitive cases, with extremely positive results. Councilman Deutsch offers exceptional constituent services in his district office, providing free legal services, free entitlement services,

free landlord/tenant counseling, free tax preparation, and much more. Councilman Deutsch has been at the forefront of several major initiatives throughout the City, including the #GetAlarmedNYC campaign to outfit every home in New York City with a smoke alarm. He also worked with the New York City Police Department to launch the online program to provide New Yorkers with free access to vehicle collision reports. Manuel Silva, who currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Councilman Donovan Richards of the 31st District right here in Far Rockaway, will receive the Public Service Award. Silva himself is a lifelong resident of the Rockaways and has spent his career dedicated to the public sector and community work. Throughout college he spent much of his time leading a volunteer organization and working on numerous political campaigns in a number of capacities. He began his career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the Superstorm Sandy recovery as a Congressional Affairs Specialist. Mr. Silva then worked for Community Voices Heard coordinating their efforts to raise awareness among youth around Participatory Budgeting throughout the city. He then went on to work for The Working World coordinating a cycle of the Worker Owned Rockaway Cooperatives project which eventually led him to found the SuperMarvelous Society, a 501c3 nonprofit focused on social mobility. He is now the Chief of Staff for Council Member Donovan Richards and spends much of his spare time volunteering in the Rockaway community where he currently resides. Your attendance and participation in this breakfast is the best advertisement for the community and is a source of encouragement and gratitude for the many individuals and institutions that work together with the JCCRP to make our community an even better place to live. We hope to see you there! There will be a journal in correlation with this breakfast to honor our esteemed honorees. To place an ad in their honor or for reservations, go to www.jccrp.org/breakfast or contact Barbara Satt at bsatt@jccrp.org or 718-327-7755 ext. 6113.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018 OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Op-Ed

Personal Thoughts 10 Days in Our Community By Rabbi Nosson Neuman

any, if not all of us, have been affected by the double tragedy that took place on chol hamoed. It is beyond human comprehension. Every one of us needs chizuk with a strong dose of emunah and bitachon. I want to share with you something very personal that I was a part of this week. On Monday, I went to be menachem aveil Reb Joel and Leah Kaplan and their beautiful mishpacha. They are grandparents in our school and Morah Kaplan’s in-laws. I have known the Zimberg mishpacha for a very long time, and Reb Joel and I signed the lease for our building to start Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam in July 2012. I consider him a dear friend of mine. Their emunah and gevurah in this most unimaginable time is something we can all learn from. On Tuesday morning, I went to give chizuk to one of my closest friends in the Westchester Federal Court house. B’chasdei Hashem the U.S. prosecutors and their cohorts were not successful in trying to paint him in a very negative light. Boruch Hashem he went home to his loving family and wonderful community. He is one of the most wonderful, ehrliche people that I know. His chessed and kindness knows no bounds. There was a huge sign hanging that read, “Cell phones are NOT permitted in the courtroom.”

We rose when the judge walked in. We remained standing until we were told to sit. There was absolutely no talking while court was in session. On Tuesday night, I went to be menachem aveil Reb Shaya Levin and his beautiful mishpacha. (On a personal note, my son was chavrusas with the chosson Yisroel Levin, a”h, for close to two years. Many a Thursday night I would bring a few pounds of cholent over to yeshiva for the whole chaburah. I danced with the chosson, a”h, on erev Pesach in the flower shop as

that it was the envy of all who knew them. They were true mevakshim. How can we bring that simchas hachaim into our lives? Hashem sends us many gifts on a daily basis but due to the distractions in our lives, many of them pass right over us. We fail to see all the goodness in our lives and unfortunately only take note when things shake us up and do not go the way we had wanted. Simchas ha’chaim can only come if we take the time to appreciate all the goodness

Simchas ha'chaim can only come if we take the time to appreciate all the goodness in the world around us.

he purchased flowers for his special kallah. He was so b’simcha.) Those who heard Reb Shaya’s incredible words at the levaya, I don’t think will ever be the same. The selflessness for the tzibbur in the face of personal tragedy was gevurah beyond comprehension. The chosson and kallah, aleihem ha’shalom, had such simchas ha’chaim. They had such a beautiful desire to grow close to the Ribbono Shel Olam

in the world around us. We need to be “present” in our daily lives so that we can notice all the seemingly small gifts that Hashem presents to us, free of charge, every day. I thought to myself that the correlation between these three visits is pashut. I wish people would shut their cellphones off when they daven and even more so in a shul. If there is such fear and trembling in front of a goyishe

judge who is a basar ve’dom, halevai we would have that in shul in front of the Melech Malchei Ham’lachim. Use the zman tefillah to pause, to appreciate and to show hakaoras hatov to Hashem for all He does for us. By focusing on our words with no outside distractions the praises and gratitude can enter our hearts, which can create a true simchas hachaim. And let’s take it further. I am not big enough to tell anyone to make a big kabbalah and change your way of life. I have a small bakasha, a small request that I believe is possible for all of us to accept upon ourselves. Let us all be mekabel to shut our phones off when we come home and give at least one hour (if not longer) of undivided attention to our spouses and children. You cannot imagine the simchas ha’chaim you will bring to each other. You cannot imagine how special it will be for your precious children. I know your family life will change l’tov. It is not a big thing but it is something big. Let us do it as a zechus for their heiligeh neshamos. It will bring such happiness and simchas ha’chaim to your home in the memory of their sweet ways. May I dare say that the Shechina will be there as well.

Rabbi Nosson Neuman is the menahel of Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

TJH Mi Amar?

Centerfold Match the quotes to the correct person who said each one.

1. “The only thing chicken about Israel is their soup.” 2. “I flew on an EL AL airplane. The signs read: ‘No smoking.’ ‘Fasten seat belts.’ ‘Eat, eat, look how bad you look!’”

7. “We plan to eliminate the State of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. . . . We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem.”

3. “Israel also deprived the world of its chance of shedding tears of genuine sympathy over her destruction. The world resents this; it likes to feel noble and sympathetic.”

8. “A fast walker could go outside the walls of Jerusalem and walk entirely around the city in an hour. I do not know how else to make one understand how small it is.”

4. “Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!”

9. “History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.“

5. “You ought to let the Jews have Jerusalem; it was they who made it famous.” 6. “The Old City of Jerusalem is in our hands.”

10. “We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”

A. Winston Churchill B. David Ben-Gurion C. George Mikes D. Dave Berg E. Abba Eban F. Bob Hope G. Moshe Dayan H. Golda Meir I. Yassir Arafat J. Mark Twain K. Golda Meir

11. “In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.” See answers to the bottom of the opposite page

Israel Per Capita Israel has the highest number of scientists and engineers per capita in the world.

Israel has more orchestras per capita than any other nation in the world.

Israel has the highest number of university degrees per capita in the world.

Aside for in the U.S, Microsoft has more employees in Israel than it does per capita anywhere in the world.

Israel has the highest number of physicians per capita in the world. Israel publishes more books per capita than any other nation in the world.

Israeli academics produce more scientific papers per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Israel has the highest percentage of home computers per capita in the world.

Israel has the highest number of PhDs per capita in the world.

Israel has more museums per capita than any other nation in the world.

Israel has more startups per capita than any other country in the world

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER The Jewish Home | APRIL29, 19,2015 2018

Israel at 70 Trivia 1. Which city is the capital of Israel?

c. 4% d. 1/6 of 1%

a. Tel Aviv b. Haifa c. Jerusalem d. Tiveria 2. Who was the second prime minister of Israel?

5. How long after modern Israel became a modern state was it attacked by Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon? a. 6 years b. 14 months

a. Moshe Sharett

c. 5 months

b. Levi Eshkol

d. 1 day

c. Yigal Allon d. Menachem Begin 3. What is the most popular Jewish name in Israel?

6. Whose portrait appears on the 100 shekel bill? a. Golda Meir b. Yitzchok Rabin

a. Itai

c. Theodor Herzl

b. Noam

d. Leah Goldberg

You gotta be

kidding

Yankel is on a tour in Israel and attends a recital and concert at the famed Avraham Gootstein Auditorium. He is quite impressed with the architecture and the acoustics. He inquires of the tour guide, “Is this magnificent auditorium named after Avraham Gootstein, the famous Talmudic scholar?” “No,” replies the guide. “It is named after Avraham Gootstein, the writer.” “Never heard of him. What did he write?” asks Yankel. The guide replies, “A check.”

c. Yigal

a. Albert Einstein b. Elie Wiesel

 Wisdom Key 6-7 correct: Sir, we would like you to be the president of Israel... you just have to work on your Einstein hairstyle a bit. 3-5 correct: You are a kacha-kacha, like salt-less garinim. 0-2 correct: Spend too much time in the Dead Sea?

8-J 9-E 10-K 11-B

 Answers

Matches: 4-H 5-A 6-G 7-I

2. B- Sharett served for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion’s two terms. 1. C

d. Menachem Begin

1- F 2-D 3-C

b. 9%

3. B- Noam is the most popular Jewish name for both boys and girls. Unfortunately, the most popular overall name is one that will go unmentioned (the same name that is the most popular in London) — it is a lesson in self-cannibalization, Hashem Yishmor.

c. Groucho Marx

4. D

a. 14%

5. D

4. What percentage of the landmass of the Middle East is Israel?

7. Who turned down the offer to become Israel’s president in 1952?

6. D- No, not the Leah Goldberg who just married your

d. Yonatan

7. A- When Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, died in 1952, Foreign Minister Abba Eban was tasked with finding a replacement for him. He asked Albert Einstein to accept the largely ceremonial position. Albert Einstein replied with a letter stating as follows: “I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel [to serve as president], and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it. All my life I have dealt with objective matters, hence I cousin; it’s the Leah Goldberg who was one of Israel’s most noted poets and writers.

lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people and to exercise official functions. For these reasons alone I should be unsuited to fulfill the duties of that high office, even if advancing age was not making increasing inroads on my strength. I am the more distressed over these circumstances because my relationship to the Jewish people has become my strongest human bond, ever since I became fully aware of our precarious situation among the nations of the world.”

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Torah Thought

Parshas Tazria-Metzora By Rabbi Berel Wein

he human body is subject to all sorts of pressures that affect its health and wellbeing. Modern medicine has shown how mental moods, stress and psychic disturbances can adversely affect physical health and appearance. As modern technology has exploded in our time, in spite of all of its advantages, and there are many, our lives have become more stressful and, unfortunately, psychological disorders abound.

This is especially true here in Israel where the stress level is always high and the pressure of being part of the actual rebuilding process of the Jewish people is felt daily and in myriad ways. To this empiric lesson of societal life, the Torah adds another dimension of activity, which can and did have physical effects at the beginning of our history as a nation. The plagues that are described in this week’s Torah reading and their

physical manifestations defy any easy and rational explanation. The rabbis of the Talmud ascribed these ills as being caused by slanderous speech and evil social behavior. Just as driving in traffic – especially Jerusalem traffic these days – will raise one’s blood pressure significantly, so to, speaking ill of other people also has a physical manifestation and not only a spiritual sin attached to it. The Torah spends a great deal of space and detail to outline this physical manifestation and the necessity for purification of the body and the mind in order to arrest and cure the disease. I do not know how this physical and

eased person out of his misery. There is a period of isolation and quarantine that becomes part of the process of healing. This is to allow for the introspection and self-analysis that is a necessary component of all psychological and mental healing. A disease that is caused by spiritual failure as much as by physical malfunction must be cured by repairing the spiritual breach that originally caused it. And that can be accomplished only by a realistic and honest appraisal of one’s self... of one’s spiritual strengths and weaknesses. Because of this truth, it is the spiritual priest, the descendant of Aharon, who

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This is to allow for the introspection and self-analysis that is a necessary component of all psychological and mental healing.

spiritual connection does occur, but I do not know why mental stress and traffic jams should raise one’s blood pressure either. Apparently, our Creator has wired us so that this is the case. And so it is with the disease and plagues described in this week’s Torah reading. The priest who was involved in the diagnosis and healing process for this plague is not seen or described as a medical expert. He is rather what we would call today a mental therapist, a spiritual and psychological guide who becomes G-d’s agent to lift the dis-

becomes the key catalyst in the process of recovery and rehabilitation. The Torah is the true practitioner of holistic medicine. It aims to cure not only the mind or the body but rather the soul and the spirit of the human being as well. And this is an important lesson for all of us even in our time. The plague described in this week’s Torah reading may not actually be identifiable to us, but its moral lesson and spiritual value remains eternal and constructive in our time as well. Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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From the Fire

Parshas TazriaMetzora Looking Forward Versus Looking Back By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

he laws of tzara’as, which some translate as leprosy, are very difficult to understand. The Torah describes what happens to the body when tzara’as appears but it is difficult to understand exactly what these afflictions are. One thing we know clearly is that a major sign of the impurity of tzara’as is the color white. This seems very unusual. Generally, the color white is associated with purity, not impurity. The pasuk in Yeshaya (1:18) says, “If your sins are like scarlet, I will whiten them like snow, and if they are red like crimson, they will be [as white as] wool.” Similarly, on Yom Kippur (Yoma 39a), when the “gold ribbon turned white,” it was a sign that the Jewish people were forgiven. We see, therefore, that the color white is usually associated with innocence and purity, not impurity. Why, then, is the color white a sign of impurity for a metzora, one afflicted with tzara’as? The Sefer Yetzira (2:7) points out that the word for the affliction of tzara’as, nega, has the same letters as the word oneg, pleasure or delight. It says that “There is nothing higher than oneg, delight, and there is nothing lower than nega, the affliction of tzara’as.” How do we see this? Even a person who is tamei, impure because of contact with a dead body,

is allowed to live in the community and he can even ascend to the Temple Mount, although he may not enter the Beis Hamikdash. A metzora, on the other hand, may not even live in the community. He must dwell alone outside the city. We see from this fact that there is nothing lower than nega, the affliction of tzara’as. As the Sefer Yetzira explains, the letters of the words for affliction, a “nega,” and for “oneg,” delight, are the same. The only difference between the two words is the placement of the letter ayin. In the word nega, the ayin is at the end of the word, and in the word oneg, the ayin is at the beginning of the word. This observation is also hinted at in the pasuk (Vayikra 13:55), which discusses the law of a garment afflicted with tzara’as which had been quarantined by the kohein but which retained its appearance even after the seven-day quarantine period. It says, “The affliction did not change its appearance, “aino.” The word for “appearance, aino,” can also refer to the Hebrew letter ayin. The pasuk is then saying that the garment was still afflicted with tzara’as because its owner did not “change” the ayin by moving it from the end of the word nega to the beginning of the word to transform his affliction into the delight of oneg.

At the beginning of this week’s parsha, Rashi quotes part of a Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 14:1) to answer the implicit question, “Why does the Torah teach the laws of purity and impurity relating to animals at the end of last week’s parsha before the laws of human purity and impurity in this week’s parsha?” The Midrash quotes the pasuk in Tehillim (139:5): “Achor v’kedem tzaratani,” homiletically translated as “at the beginning and at the end, You have formed me.” According to the Midrash, “Rav Simlai says, ‘Just as man was formed after domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds, so too, the laws [of man’s purity and impurity] are taught after [the laws of purity and impurity of] domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds.” The Midrash further explains “If man is meritorious, they say to him, ‘You preceded the whole act of Creation!’ and if he is not [meritorious,] they say to him ‘Even the mosquito preceded you!’” The pasuk in Tehillim means that man was formed both first and last. If man merits to put the ayin first, then he is filled with oneg, delight and pleasure. If, however, he is not meritorious, and he puts the ayin last, then he is afflicted with a nega, and is considered the lowest part of Creation. How does one move the ayin of

nega to the beginning of the word to transform it into oneg, delight?

Looking Forward The way of the world is that when one encounters a person who is different, or who possesses a negative character trait, people ask what the person went through as a child or at some point in his or her life that created these problems. There is certainly a place for this approach, and good therapists who use this approach with people will follow up with a plan on how to move from the past into a more positive future. But for the most part, this is an approach of “achor,” looking back into the past. In this perspective, a person feels trapped by things that have happened to him or her in the past. The way of the Torah, however, is the approach of kedem, seeing himself as if he is starting at the beginning and looking forward to the future. In this approach, one asks himself, “How can I make tomorrow better than yesterday?” We see this approach in our Avos, our Forefathers, many of whom had every reason to assume they would never be successful. I would like to offer just two examples. The first is Dovid Hamelech. He was a stranger to his own brothers, who did not understand him, as Dovid said (Tehillim 69:9), “I be-

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came estranged from my brothers.” Even his own father, who was a tzaddik, did not think he would amount to anything. When Shmuel told Yishai that one of his sons would be the next king, it did not even occur to him to bring Dovid to Shmuel to see if he was the chosen son. When Shmuel saw that none of Yishai’s other sons were meant to be king, he pressed Yishai to find out if he has any other sons. Having completely forgotten about Dovid, Yishai finally remembers (Shmuel I 16:11), “there is one remaining young son, behold he is tending the sheep in the field.” Shmuel has to press Yishai to bring Dovid to him. Hashem then tells Shmuel to arise and anoint Dovid as the future king of the Jewish people. Even as the years went by, Dovid experienced much pain and suffering. He was pursued by Shaul, endured a rebellion led by his own son, Avshalom, and witnessed the death of another one of his sons even after he davened intensely for his recovery. Dovid Hamelech had a greater excuse than anyone else to take the backward perspective, to look back at all of his difficulties and conclude that he would never be successful. But instead of looking at the past, he always took the forward-looking approach. Not only did he refuse to use his past as an excuse not to succeed, he took every difficulty he encountered and composed chapters of Tehillim! In this way, he attained an even higher level than Aharon HaKohein. Aharon achieved a great level when, immediately after his sons Nadav and Avihu died, the pasuk (Vayikra 10:3) says, “Aharon was silent.” Dovid Hamelech, however, reached an even higher level. When he was faced with suffering, he said (Tehillim 30:13), “In order that I should sing a song of glory to You [Hashem] and I will not be silent.” Not only did the difficulties in his past not hold him back, he turned each one into a new chapter of Tehillim. Another example from our Avos is Yosef. No matter how bad our relationships are with our family, very few of us can say that our siblings tried to kill us and sold us into slavery! He was sold to Egypt, which was called (Bereishis 42:12), “the nakedness of the land,” the most morally

degraded place on Earth. In addition, Yosef was isolated and alone in Egypt. He did not have even one Jew with whom he could share what was in his heart. Nevertheless, instead of accepting his fate as being cut off from the G-dliness of his forefathers, he lifted himself up to become a Yosef HaTzaddik. This is the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim, homiletically translated as “at the beginning and at the end, You have formed me.” A Jew must make a choice every day of his life. He can look at the world through the

concentrated on most of this Shemoneh Esrei, but there is still one paragraph left, ‘Establish peace,’ which is a beautiful prayer. I will now have the best ‘Establish Peace’ possible!”

Why is White Impure? Returning to our original question, we now understand why white, usually associated with purity, becomes a symbol of impurity for a metzora. Someone who looks at the world from the perspective of one who looks backward and sees only limitations and “nega”tivity, sees

In this approach, one asks himself, "How can I make tomorrow better than yesterday?"

eyes of “backward” looking back on his life as if he were at the end, as if everything has been predetermined because of his past. For such a person, everything is a “nega,” an affliction, the lowest thing in the world. Alternatively, he can put the “ayin,” his eye, at the beginning of the word, and keep his eyes focused on the future. That is the attitude of “forward” where one sees himself as standing at the beginning, where he feels that “today is the first day of the rest of my life.” This is the choice every Jew must make. Let me offer a simple example. Let’s say there are two Jews who take their service of Hashem seriously. Both of them are saying Shemoneh Esrei. Right before the last blessing, “Establish peace,” each one realizes that he did not concentrate on one single word of davening. The one, with the attitude of backward-looking, looks back at his lackluster Shemoneh Esrei and thinks to himself, “It’s over. This Shemoneh Esrei was a complete failure. It’s all over.” Such a Jew will speed through the last paragraph of Shemoneh Esrei as well. The other Jew will look to the future and say, “I may not have

even a symbol of purity, as negative and impure. This choice between the forward-looking versus the backward-looking perspective was the main focus of Victor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” As you are aware, Victor Frankl was an accomplished psychologist before the War and was a survivor of the concentration camps. Following are a few sentences (pgs. 80-81) from the book, which encapsulate this choice between the perspective of oneg, looking to the future, and nega, looking toward the past: A man who let himself decline because he could not see any future goal, found himself occupied with retrospective thoughts... Instead of taking the camp’s difficulties as a test of their inner strength, they did not take their life seriously and despised it as something of no consequence. They preferred to close their eyes and to live in the past. Life for such people became meaningless... We could say that most men in a concentration camp believed that the real opportunities of life had passed.

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Yet, in reality, there was an opportunity and a challenge. One could make a victory of those experiences, turning life into an inner triumph, or one could ignore the challenge and simply vegetate, as did a majority of the prisoners. Any attempt at fighting the camp’s psychopathological influence on the prisoner by psychotherapeutic or psycho-hygienic methods had to aim at giving him inner strength by pointing out to him a future goal to which he could look forward. Instinctively some of the prisoners attempted to find one on their own. It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking into the future... And this is his salvation in the most difficult moments of his existence, although he sometimes has to force his mind to the task. My father, may he live and be well, also told us that in the camps, they could tell when someone was about to die even without a Nazi standing over him. Near the end of the War, shortly before the liberation, the Nazis stopped providing the Jews with even the moldy bread they were previously given. Many Jews stayed active, looking for a way to survive, and others just receded to the corners in a semi-vegetative state. The others tried to strengthen and encourage them, but it was usually no use. The prisoners knew that such a person had only a short time to live because they had stopped looking into the future and had given up on life. Even today, we are faced with the choice between looking into the past, living in the world of nega, affliction, or looking at the opportunities of the future, the world of oneg, delight. With G-d’s help, may we merit to look at the world through the forward-looking lens and may our lives be filled with delight rather than affliction. May the world soon be filled with the delight of the renewal of our times as in days of old with the coming of Moshiach soon in our days.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and has served as Mashpia in Yeshiva University since 2013.

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Between the Lines

Conflicts of Self-Interest

By Eytan Kobre

We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are. -Unknown

n the title to his 1994 New York Times Magazine piece, Roger Rosenblatt posed the question, How Do Tobacco Executives Live With Themselves? The article exposed the remarkable cognitive dissonance employed by tobacco executives to justify (or at least turn a blind eye to) the gulf between their personal and professional lives. The article concluded with the story of lawyer/politician Victor Crawford, who worked for five years as a lobbyist for the Tobacco Institute and helped defeat a series of anti-smoking bills. A smoker himself, Crawford had been diagnosed with throat cancer two years earlier at the age of 59. In a flash of pure self-reflection, Crawford conceded, “I got my just desserts because, in my heart, I knew better. But I rationalized and denied, because the money was so good...[t] hat’s how you make a living, by ratio-

nalizing that black is not black, it’s white, it’s green, it’s yellow.” Humans suffer from an infinite capacity for self-deception when our interests are at stake. The leper – spiritually afflicted for speaking ill of others – is “brought to the kohen” to determine his or her status as pure or impure (Vayikra 13:9). Inasmuch as this is a blanket directive, even kohen who is himself afflicted with leprosy must got to another kohen for adjudication of his status – he may not decide his own status, as “a person can see all plagues, except his own plagues” (Negaim 2:5). That law is rooted in the concern that, given his self-interest in the outcome, the affected kohen may be unable to rule objectively (Rash, Negaim 2:5). For the same reason, one may release all vows except those affecting him, and one may adjudge the blemishes of all firstborn animals (which are to be given to a kohen if unblemished) except one’s own. In each case, the aim is to avoid subjectivity (Tiferes Yisrael, Negaim 2:5; Sheilos U’Teshuvos HaRivash 406). Because “a man never considers himself wicked” (Kesubos 105b), and “a man never considers himself

liable” (Shabbos 119a). The same is true metaphorically. We are so astute when it comes to seeing flaws in others, yet we are blind to our own (Orchos Chaim, No. 55). We see plenty of defects – just not ours.

he Baal Shem Tov likened interpersonal relationships to a mirror: in observing and scrutinizing others, we discover ourselves. Our criticism of others is merely a depiction of our own inadequacies, masked by our self-interest in preserving an unblemished self-image. Indeed, “all who invalidate (others), invalidate with their own flaws” (Kiddushin 70b). So, for example, one who calls another a mamzer is suspected of being a mamzer (Rambam, Isurei Biah, 19:17). As Carl Jung put it, “everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” But only if we are prepared to shed our penchant for subjectivity. And it’s not just ordinary folk who share that penchant. When a litigant in Ameimar’s rabbinical court removed a feather that had fallen on Ameimar’s head, Ameimar recused

himself from the case; when someone spat in front of Mar Ukva, and a litigant before Mar Ukva covered the saliva, Mar Ukva disqualified himself (Kesubos 105b). Not monumental favors, but Ameimar and Mar Ukva understood how their objectivity could be clouded by even the slightest courtesy. The Shach once appeared as a litigant before a rabbinical court, which ultimately ruled against him. Surprised by the ruling, the Shach pointed out to the judges several authorities that supported his position. The judges agreed that those authorities supported the Shach’s position in the case, but they noted that the consensus of halacha was in accordance with other authorities – one of whom was the Shach himself! Apparently, convinced of the merits of his position in the case, the Shach forgot that he was disagreeing with his own halacha position. Shortly after the daughter of R’ Boruch Ber Leibowitz became engaged to one of his leading students, the groom-to-be left the yeshiva to study in another town. But after just a short while away, a package arrived from the young man containing the engagement gifts he had received,

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accompanied by a note that he was breaking off the engagement. R’ Boruch Ber’s daughter, and the rest of the family, was devastated. But their sorrow was outdone by the shock of what followed at the end of the same letter: the young man asked R’ Boruch Ber to write him a letter of recommendation for a rabbinic position in a far-off small town. Despite his emotions – and what we might consider justifiably hard feelings – R’ Boruch Ber extolled the young man’s virtues and endorsed him fervently for the position. And, to ensure that the letter was free of subjectivity, R’ Boruch Ber asked three of his students to review the letter before sending it out. All this, because R’ Boruch Ber was keenly aware of the potential taint of self-interest. At his granddaughter’s sheva berachos, the Netziv explained that one purpose of marriage is to provide each spouse with a permanent, objective critic – a “helpmate oppos-

ing him” (Bereishis 2:18), if you will. Because “man’s every way is right in his own eyes” (Mishlei 21:2) – but not in his wife’s eyes. (My son, Malkiel, reminded me of R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz’s take on an incident involving R’ Ilish (Git-

Ilish asked what it had said. Again, “Ilish, run! Ilish, run!” Because the Jewish people are likened to a dove, R’ Ilish trusted its message and fled to freedom. R’ Ilish apparently understood bird language (Gilyon HaShas, Gittin 45a), but since his desire

As Carl Jung put it, "everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."

tin 45a). R’ Ilish was once captured and found himself next to another prisoner who understood bird language. When a raven flew by, R’ Ilish asked the other prisoner what it had said. “Ilish, run! Ilish, run!” the man translated. But R’ Ilish did not trust the raven. When a dove flew by, R’

to escape could taint his objectivity, R’ Ilish asked the other prisoner to confirm what he had heard (Sichos Mussar, No. 80).) A woman once brought her family’s meager savings to Warsaw in search of profitable business opportunities. While there, however,

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a gang of Jewish thieves stole her money. Seeing the woman’s distress, the local rabbis sought to intervene and facilitate the return of the money. But when the rabbinic delegation sought to appeal to the thieves and suggested they keep 30 percent of the stolen money and return the rest, the thieves flew into a rage. “We worked hard for that money, and we are not going to keep less than 60 percent!” That is the extent to which self-interest can distort our perception of reality. So before we make the next decision or draw the next conclusion or levy the next criticism, we ought to consider our own interest or subjectivity in the matter. Who knows? In the process, we might even learn a thing or two about ourselves. 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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A Fulfilled L fe

Counting from the Harvest Up By Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

he immediate, desperate reaction from many Jews worldwide in the aftermath of Pesach was Cookie Monster-esque. After eight days (not including pre-Pesach) of going leaven-free, the appeal of “chametz!” was most enticing. (Not sure if anyone broke into the “C is for chametz” refrain, but it wouldn’t shock me if they did.) Lest the reader think that I am some cave-dwelling hermit that subsists on potato starch and macaroons all year ‘round, allow me to share that I also love a good slice of pizza, particularly when I have been fed a wide range of matzah-based concoctions for eight consecutive days. So I get the fact that chametz is tastier and a much sought-after post-Pesach treat. But do we really need to ingest a double-k’zayis of leaven within minutes of havdalah? While sitting upright, no less? Think about it. You just spent the past month or more readying for and then experiencing Pesach. Countless hours of preparation were invested to ensure that we spend a week or more in a leaven-free (and, as most of our wives would have it, dust-free and gunk-free) environment. We celebrated a holiday of freedom by underscoring the importance of controlling our impulses and deflating our egos, as symbolized by Hebraic alacrity in the face of Hashem’s swift and complete victory over Pharaoh. And within but a few moments we are ready to throw it all away?

That’s one reason as to why Hashem gave us the mitzvah of sefirah. You see, Pesach does not really end with that final havdalah. In fact, our sages teach us that Pesach is just the beginning of a spiritual odyssey that culminates with Shavuos. It is then, following weeks of counting and (hopefully) growing that we stand before our Maker ready to receive His Torah anew. As Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch points out, we begin count from the day that we offer the korban omer (which marks the first barley harvest) to underscore the fact that

and meadows, at the stage where others cease to strive further and to count, there Israel first begins to count, both days and weeks. And it goes on counting up to the day when it celebrates the bestowal of (the Torah). (Collected Writings Volume I, Feldheim, p. 114) Sefirah presents a paradigm shift, one that strikes at the core of national identification and achievement. For the other nations, a booming harvest is alone a reason to rejoice. Farmers invest much time and effort into its success, and entire nations rely on it

Sefirah presents a paradigm shift, one that strikes at the core of national identification and achievement.

material goals are not ends to themselves but the start of a nobler quest. You can have your cake (or pizza) and eat it too, so long as you make sure to recite the proper blessings with fervor. When Israel has already reached the point which for other peoples represents the ultimate goal of nationalist endeavor, when it already has freedom and independence, land and soil, fruit and grain on its own fields

for their collective sustenance. But the Torah, in instructing us to count from the day of the harvest, reminds us that it is just the beginning, the means through which we can begin to focus on our loftier purpose, receiving the Torah. This is the deeper connection between sefirah and the period that links Pesach to Shavuos. Rav Hirsch writes in Horeb (pp.84-90) that each of the festivals represents a different

aspect within the development of the Jewish nation. On Pesach our nation experienced its physical birth; for the first time we began to develop as an independent nation. Shavuos, on the other hand, represents our nation’s spiritual birth. Only with the acceptance of the Torah could we recognize our true, spiritual essence, fundamentally separating ourselves from all other nations. The true fulfillment of Pesach occurs through its Atzeres, Shavuos. It is then that we infuse deeper meaning to our national identity, well beyond the limitations of physicality and material bounty. But we cannot simply “arrive” at this level of sanctity. It takes continuous work and effort, a step by step approach that elevates us from the spiritual dregs of Egypt to the loftiness of Sinai. That’s where the upward counting of sefirah comes in. May we merit utilizing the sefirah period properly, to focus ourselves on our true purpose, a spiritual climb that will bring us, be”H, to the loftiest levels of sanctity and holiness.

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, is an executive coach and President of Impactful Coaching & Consulting. Please see his webiste, ImpactfulCoaching.com. For a free, no obligation consultation, please call (212) 470-6139 or email nhoff@impactfulcoaching.com. Check out his new leadership book, “Becoming the New Boss,” on Amazon and on the book site, BecomingtheNewBoss.com.

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Israel Today

The Meaning of 70 By Rafi Sackville

om Haâ€™azmaut is celebrated in a variety of ways in Israel. There is no definitive societal norm that dictates what is or isnâ€™t correct. From IAF flyovers to ceremonies, from barbeques to music, there are many ways to celebrate. This year felt different, though. Seventy is an important milestone. Based on tradition, the seventy grandsons of Noah each fathered a separate nation. Thus the calculation of the number of 70 languages enumerated by Chazal. We are a true melting pot, an amalgamation of Jews who, over the course of this short period of history, have come from all four corners of the earth to settle here. We speak many languages and celebrate customs each one different from the

next. The accomplishments that have been borne out of our nascent state are remarkable. Before this yearâ€™s celebrations our shul held a Shabbat-long program that culminated in a communal seudat shlishit in the square outside its front doors. On Friday night, Mordechai Kahana, a former lieutenant colonel in the army, spoke about the miracle of the cloud that followed Bnei Israel out of Egypt. He reminded us of that terrible Seder night in 2002 when terrorists massacred 30 people and injured nearly 140 in Netanya. Mordechai was instructed to immediately make his way to Ramallah, where his troops were to capture the command post of the Palestinian authority. The last part

of their approach was to be made by foot. That night a fierce storm soaked the country in pouring rain. As well, a thick blanket of fog covered most of the country. People can still remember that night because none of them had witnessed Pesach weather like this before. By the time they arrived in Ramallah they found the building abandoned. Mordechai remembers asking his superiors why this had been such a top priority and supposedly dangerous mission if it was accomplished without a hitch. He was told that word of the attack had reached the Palestinians and they had gone out to attack our soldiers. Once the rain and fog covered the area they abandoned their plans and went home. Had the

weather not been inclement the outcome might have been different. On Shabbat morning we gathered to listen to Reb Aharon Melamed, the father of one of our members. Reb Aharon is a retired judge in youth court. He is a venerable gentleman in his late 80s, who still commands an audience with his tenor voice. He spent 45 minutes talking about his youth and the War of Independence. By the age of 13 he was a runner for the Hagana. He has the distinction of being the first child born in Kiryat Moshe in Jerusalem. He waxed reminiscent about some of the fiercest battles in Yemin Moshe in particular. Once the fighting began, Reb Aharon and his fellow soldiers not only had to guard

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GOSR SERVICES: themselves against attacks by the Arabs, but also by the British, who had no compunction about shooting anyone in their line of fire. After an attack on one of the British positions, the two assailants fled to Kiryat Moshe. They were never found. Moreover, their weapons were not discovered. Reb Aharon’s grandmother was ailing at the time and she was bedridden. When the British raided their home they never suspected that the weapons they were looking for were hidden under her skirts. Whereas they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot people, they maintained a high degree of morality when it came to women.

on Shabbat afternoon with divrei Torah and activities, and, on occasions like Yom Ha’atzmaut, decom rates the shul. The balloons in the accompanying photo gives one a taste of Rafi’s energy. The stories we heard emanated from different generations, but what they shared in common was the incredible energy, the initiative, and the undying spirit eternal optimism that is Israel. These weren’t the only stories we heard during the week. On Yom Hazikaron thousands gathered in the central park in Ma’alot to pay their respects to the over 23,000 Israeli citizens who lost their lives

When the British raided their home they never suspected that the weapons they were looking for were hidden under her skirts.

Reb Aharon’s grandmother may have been suspected, but the British weren’t about to search her. He told us how he almost lost his life and of the many friends he lost. At the war’s end he was able to return to school. All students were given high grades, but this didn’t make Reb Aharon or his schoolmates happy, for returning to school was the most difficult day for him. Upon entering the classroom he noticed just how many desks were empty. Ofra Ben Gigi told us of her totally assimilated family in Padua, Italy, and the miracle of her grandfather’s eventual Aliyah. Yosef Gur, a young man in early 30s, is one of the leaders of Acharay, an organization which specializes in helping youngsters pre-army and army, who come from the periphery and/or difficult family situations. And then there is Rafi Biton, one of the most energetic and enterprising men I know. He runs the kiddushim at shul, entertains young kids

either as soldiers or victims of terrorist attacks. Over the course of 30 minutes the faces of these brave Israelis appeared on the large screen. Their deaths dated back to 1940 and ended with the last fallen soldier who fell in 2006. The last 22 photos were of the students from Safed who lost their lives in the terrorist attack here in Ma’alot in 1974. Their faces are not dissimilar to those of my students who populate my classrooms almost 45 years later. The existential threat that has forever hung over our nation has never dampened our spirits. The future of the Israeli miracle looks bright as we enter our eighth decade. The feeling of security can be misleading: we raise and educate our children and when they finish high school we send them off to the army. And we pray for their safety and for safety of our country. Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.

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Rav Avichai Rontzki The Rabbi You Wished You Knew By Doni Cohen

y rabbi, one of the most incredible men of our generation, died earlier this month, yet you probably haven’t ever even heard of him. Let me tell you a bit about him. Rav Avichai Nissan ben Chaya Rontzki was born into an irreligious family living in Haifa in 1951. Like any other Israeli, he enlisted into the army when the time came. He wanted to get to the best unit possible, passed the tests, and later trained to be a member of “Shayetet 13,” one of, if not the most, elite unit in the Israel Defense Forces. He got injured and was forced to leave the unit a year and a half in, settling to be a commander in the paratroopers. He then became an officer and rose through the ranks of the paratroopers, eventually serving as a commander in “Sayeret Shaked” during the Yom Kippur War, leading his soldiers to victory in battle against an elite Egyptian commando unit. During his time leading elite units, he met his wife, a secretary for the unit, and they went through the process of becoming religious Jews together and got married. After the war, he rose in rank once again to become the head of the Samarian Territorial Brigade. Upon retiring from the army, the first thing Rav Rontzki did was take a few months off to hike the Israel Na-

tional Trail with his wife, only stopping his journey along the land of Israel’s length once his father became ill. He then started his next job, working with troubled children on the streets of Jerusalem, coaching them through their both physical and mental hardships one by one. He then spent some time learning in the prestigious “Mercaz HaRav” yeshiva in Jerusalem. Rabbi Rontzki had children of his own and adopted children with severe physical disabilities so that he could care for them. He once adopted a oneyear-old baby boy in the hospital he had seen after visiting a wounded soldier commenting that he didn’t understand how a new baby boy could just lie in a hospital alone for a year without getting a warm hug from a parent. In 1980, he turned to education and settling the land of Israel. He was one of the founders of the first Jewish community in Samaria in many years, Elon Moreh, where he was also a partner in founding the yeshiva. He taught there, as well as at the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva, located in the Old City of Jerusalem. However, he wasn’t done. Just a few years later, he became a partner in founding the neighboring Samaritan community of Itamar, served as the rabbi of the community, was a partner in the creation of the high school for boys there called Chitzim, and was the

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

founder of Yeshivat Itamar. During his time as the head of the yeshiva, he published four volumes of letters between his students serving in the army and himself, dealing with questions that arise in the army regarding Jewish law and how to respond. He was then recruited back into the army in 2006 and was appointed as the chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. While in the position, Rav Rontzki revolutionized nearly everything about the Military Chief Rabbinate, creating a new department to inspire soldiers in the field and increase their morale through learning more about their Jewish identity and the incredible opportunity they have to defend their nation. He also headed a new department that focused on making sure that healthy working relationships were kept between male and female soldiers, reducing sexual harassment, and increasing awareness of the issue in the army. Both of these departments made an indelible mark on the army and still influence it today. He, a Brigadier general, personally interviewed every new enlistee that would serve as a rabbi or religious needs coordinator in the entire army, making sure they understood the incredible weight they would carry on their shoulders. He also forced all military rabbis to go through officers’ school, saying that a rabbi cannot fully understand what a combat soldier goes through if they were not one themselves and could not relate to their commanders. In 2008, tension broke out on the Gaza border, and Rav Rontzki left his office in the military rabbinate headquarters and, under a barrage of heavy criticism, donned his vest and gear and went into Gaza with his soldiers leading them into battle. He gave an order that all rabbis of the units in Gaza must be in battle with their soldiers, to accompany them in war, provide their physical and psychological needs, and, if G-d forbid need be, deal with soldiers who have fallen. He saw the role of a military rabbi as one that is fully in combat, always with his soldiers in their time of need. He even returned to his former unit, leading the 890th Paratroopers Brigade into battle where the unit performed excellently. Throughout the war, he went from unit to unit, encouraging the tired soldiers, giving them words of strength, and even giving

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in their living rooms, and his constant phone calls and texts asking them how they are doing. The amount of people he touched is simply enormous. His work did not end there. Rav Rontzki then started the political party “The Israelis” with Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, which eventually morphed into the modern day “Jewish Home” party. Rav Rontzki ran in the primaries of the party in 2014, receiving the 13th spot on the party’s list. However, the party only got eight seats in the elections, and he did not become a member of Knesset.

Giving – Literally – of Himself Torah classes to those interested who were fighting within the Gaza Strip. He also made it a habit of his to go to military jails and give Torah classes to soldiers who needed some inspiration.

Providing Comfort and Growth in Itamar After his term ended as chief rabbi, he went back to his home in Itamar, and continued on his path of education

father, mother, and three of the children of the Shabo family. Just a few months afterwards, another break-in resulted in two adults being stabbed, as the attacker continued on to the empty beds of the eight children who were away visiting their grandparents, stabbing each bed with his bloody knife. Besides for these attacks, seven more Itamar residents lost their lives from terror attacks through shootings, kid-

Almost none of the young Israeli travelers knew who this man with a long white beard wearing sandals and a simple white undershirt was. and building up the land of Israel. He went through unfathomable hard times with his community, after the community suffered incredibly tragic terrorist attacks, including the Fogel Family massacre on a Sabbath eve in 2011. He attended many funerals for victims of terror, many of whom he knew personally, but continued to be the rock upon which his community relied on, personally recruiting new families to join the community at a time when many were thinking of leaving out of fear. He continued to build his community both physically and spiritually even after a student in the high school that he founded was shot dead on campus by an Arab terrorist. Less than a month later, an Arab terrorist broke into a family home, brutally murdering the

nappings and stabbings. Rav Rontzki’s response each time was to strengthen the community by expanding the educational institutions and bringing more and more families to make Itamar their home. Throughout his life Rav Rontzki made it a habit of his to visit every single injured soldier or victim of terror he could, and connected with thousands of families that had lost loved ones protecting the State of Israel. He was in constant contact with these families, almost never going a Shabbos without either staying by one of them or hosting them at his home in Itamar. Tens of thousands of people in Israel who have lost loved ones in terrorism or military operations know Rav Rontzki personally from his meetings with them sitting

Rav Rontzki then decided with his wife to self-appoint themselves to go on shlichut, setting up what he called a “Jewish House” in India near the border with Nepal, a popular trekking spot for recently released Israeli soldiers looking for some time off and inspiration. He spent almost a half a year there, coming into contact with thousands of Israelis. He spent his days talking with all of the young Israelis that wanted a place to rest, eat or sleep, about any topic, no matter their beliefs, religious observance or interests, trying to offer them a warm feeling of Israeli culture so far from home and to inspire them to be better people. Almost none of the young Israeli travelers knew who this man with a long white beard wearing sandals and a simple white undershirt was, until it came up in conversation. When he came back from India, Rav Rontzki decided to go for one of his lifelong dreams: to donate a kidney. He was told by the organization through which he wished to donate a kidney that the next man on the list was an Arab man from a local village, and after checking into the family’s background, he gladly agreed to take this opportunity to make a massive sanctification of G-d’s name by a rabbi from “the settlements” saving a local Arab man’s life. He approached many doctors, and although almost all of them refused to let him go through with it because of his age, he persisted until he found a doctor that would agree to operate on him. When the doctors asked him why he was so incredibly stubborn in his mission, he responded: “What did G-d give me two kidneys for? I’m healthy, I can run, I have energy. I can

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home APRIL 19, 2018 | The| The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 Jewish Home

Giving shiur to some of the boys in yeshiva

live with one. He gave me the second one to give to someone else.” He was filled with joy at the chance to give a physical part of him to someone and save another person’s life, and during the last check before the surgery, a cancerous tumor was found in his colon, saving his life. He underwent surgery to remove it, and although the cancer returned and he needed to go through chemotherapy, he continued to teach in his community and yeshivot and go on with regular life. On the first day of Chol Hamoed Pesach, Rav Rontzki left this world. He was 67 years old.

My Rabbi, My Role Model I didn’t know who Rav Rontzki was until 2013. It was my first year after my family had moved to Israel on aliyah, and I was searching for something on Google Images. A picture came up on my screen that caught my attention. A photo of a man, in an Israeli army uniform, with a long white beard, a big knitted kippa, piercing eyes, a gun slung over his shoulder, high ranks on his shoulders and the figure of a mighty warrior stared me back in the face. The first thing that came to my mind was the idea of a modern day Yehoshua Bin Nun or King David, incredible Torah scholars who led their nation spiritually, but also led them physically, on the battlefield, fighting for their nation’s survival. I researched more who this impressive figure was, and that was the first time I knew who Rav Rontzki was. I then visited his community on Sukkot, as the community was dedicating a new synagogue in memory of all the terror victims over the years from Itamar. I remembered the terrible Fogel massacre from when I heard

Rav Rontzki with Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked of Bayit Yehudi

about it living in the United States, and looked at these people around me, many of them young couples with children, dancing their hearts out with their Torah scrolls hoisted in the air and their young children on their shoulders, singing with pure joy in their eyes, showing the world that terrorism will never break them and that their spirit lives on. I was swept up in the emotion of the moment and joined in, immediately falling in love with the place, impressed by the warmth, dedi-

thoughts and his view on life, and was completely drawn into his ideology. In the army, I joined his former unit, serving as a religious needs coordinator on various bases, and eventually teaching the professions of the military rabbinate to newly enlisted soldiers, who would try to inspire the next generation of Israel’s bravest. As a commander, I slept three and a half hours a night while giving over courses, dealing with my soldiers’ many issues until the wee hours of the morning and then getting

When the doctors asked him why he was so incredibly stubborn in his mission, he responded: “What did G-d give me two kidneys for? I’m healthy, I can run, I have energy. I can live with one. He gave me the second one to give to someone else.”

cation, and strong-willed values of the people of which I was surrounded. I came back from that evening inspired, and started learning more about their educational systems, and their community, all started and led by their leader, Rav Rontzki. I discovered that it was no coincidence that they were such incredible people when they had such a righteous leader at the helm of their communal lives. I had the pleasure of meeting Rav Rontzki in 2014 as I voted for him in the “Jewish Home” party primaries, exchanging with him just a few words and taking a picture. However, I started listening to interviews with him, his Torah lessons, reading his articles, his

up before sunrise, but I barely let a few days go by where I did not pick up one of Rav Rontzki’s books, a collection of letters between him and his students, in which he gave advice to them in their time of need. I was inspired by these letters, and it help me overcome many challenges that I had myself during my service in the army. After I finished my army service and my studies in yeshiva, I decided to go on shlichut partly because of Rav Rontzki and his ideology, of going far away to help a fellow Jew in need of inspiration or even just in need of a listening ear. Forty days ago, still working here in Melbourne, Australia, on shlichut for

the year, trying to encourage Religious Zionist values within the community, I felt the need to speak to Rav Rontzki about various topics relating to my year here as well as my future. I emailed the secretary of his yeshiva and, after explaining my situation and why I couldn’t meet with him personally or write a letter to send in the mail, she gave me his email address to write him a letter. I wrote a long, detailed letter, explaining my background and where I came from, asking for his advice in multiple areas, and sent it, doubting that a dying man suffering from cancer for almost two years and undergoing many complicated treatments would respond at all. But I was wrong. I got an email from him within 24 hours, and woke up at four in the morning to speak to him on the phone. He didn’t want to write back to me, he wanted to speak to me and hear my voice. I called him, my hands trembling from speaking to someone one-on-one who I regarded so highly, and after he answered and asked how I was, he said, “Tov Daniel, ani mak’shiv. Okay, Doni, I’m listening.” He listened intently without interrupting for a long time, as I asked him for his advice on multiple things that I had on my mind. Only after I finished, did he respond, speaking to me in the soft, calm tone that showed his demeanor, speaking with care. I didn’t feel as if I was speaking to a Brigadier General, I felt as if I was speaking to a longtime friend. He answered my questions, gave me advice on many different things, and ended the conversation by encouraging me to please meet with him when I come back to Israel and asking if I wouldn’t mind coming to him for Shabbat, so that he could

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really get to know me well. I thanked him in an email the following day, sending him the picture which we had taken together, to which he responded that he enjoyed speaking to me, and was hoping to see me when I returned.

“Be Good to All”

my wall and his picture is the opening screen on my phone. I want to walk in his footsteps of living the right way and accomplishing so much in this world. He symbolized for me and will continue to symbolize the perfect fusion of Torah, the land of Israel, and the Nation of Israel. They were not separate things to him. They were one, together. And if you valued one, you must value all. In an interview he gave a short while ago they asked him for a final message to the Nation of Israel; if he was given a few minutes to live, what would he want to say? He didn’t hesitate for a second, and I think his answer is the absolute best conclusion possible to summarize what kind of person he was. “There’s a very strong feeling that I want to cry out and say from every possible place: To be better people. If I was two to three minutes before I close my eyes [for good] and they told me, ‘Say something,’ then in my opinion, that’s the most important thing. Without biblical verses. To smile, how to say hello. I’m not speaking about donating a kidney where there are hundreds of people suffering, rather something much more simple. You walked into the elevator? Smile at the people. To say ‘good morning’ to light up people’s faces, to help. Israeli society would look completely different if that was a part of our lives. And not just between Jews and Jews. I saw a logo, ‘A Jew loves a Jew.’ That’s not a Jewish sentence. Be good to all. The words of wise men are listened to when they are said pleasantly. And when they are pleasant, they are listened to.” Rav Rontzki leaves behind six children, twenty-six grandchildren, and a nation that will long for someone of his stature for a very long time. May his memory be blessed. Yehi zichro baruch.

I may not have been a physical student of Rav Rontzki, and I may have spoken to him just once or twice, but he was my rabbi. I identified with his words, his ideology, his teachings, his work, and his behavior. I learned from his actions and who he was, how he lived, more than probably years of listening to his Torah classes could have taught me. His attitude, demeanor, and his interpersonal behavior were the true meaning of the Hebrew word tzaddik for me. It’s why his picture hangs on

Doni Cohen made aliyah from Bergenfield, NJ, to Efrat in July 2013. He did hesder in Yeshivat HaKotel, serving in Tzahal as a commander in the Military Rabbinate, and is now on shlichut through Torah MiTzion for the year in Melbourne, Australia. He will be studying political science, Middle Eastern studies, Islam and Arabic next year in Hebrew University. He has written for and has been featured in various tristate area papers and can be contacted at arbel67@gmail.com.

A Humble Giant Rabbi Avichai Rontzki was an incredible figure not just because of how much he did and accomplished during his life, but the way in which he did everything. He was incredibly strong in his beliefs, but never let that get in the way of his humbleness and the way he related to any other human being. Whenever he was called up to the Torah in his yeshiva, he refused to be called up with any titles and would get angry at anyone who disobeyed his request. He called his students “my friends” no matter their age or who they were. He wore simple colored, button down shirts, untucked, like any other of his students would. When the yeshiva was renovated, he made sure that every classroom had round tables because, according to him, there really was no head of the class – everyone learned from each other, student and teacher alike. He was always running away from people who started to praise him, refusing awards for his work in all the different fields as much as possible. When he spoke, in front of the yeshiva, many times he prefixed his words with the phrase, “I, the small one, think” before stating his opinion. When he taught in his Chitzim high school, where the students live in dormitories, his students remember him quietly opening their doors in the morning and saying, “Boker tov, good morning,” softly, as not to startle them from their sleep. He never addressed himself as a rabbi or as any other title, not even using his full name, but merely just signing his letters as simply “Avi.” His life’s motto was derech eretz kadma l’Torah, proper behavior precedes the Torah as is written in Tractate Avot. He believed that every single person, no matter their beliefs or ideas, was to be respected, as human beings, as children of G-d and as individuals. He related to every single person individually. The injured soldier, the mother who lost her son to terrorism, the security guard on guard duty outside of a supermarket, the street sweep-

The author with Rav Rontzki

er or the high school student. No one was underneath him, he was above nobody, and everyone deserved his undivided attention. When he spoke, his humbleness showed, many times speaking in a low voice or voicing his opinions in almost a questioning tone, looking to see if his audience disagreed with him. The sweetness with which he spoke to every single person he met, even if it was just a wish of “shalom,” was palpable in every word that left his lips. In his books, he published many

thinking of the family of a fallen soldier and how he may need to be disrespectful by leaving early to go have his life saved. All of his books have been written in a way of conversation that is two-sided. His experiences in India, in his hospital bed, his journey along the Israel National Trail and even during the period where he became religious are all written in now-published personal diaries made up of conversations that he had with other people,

“You walked into the elevator? Smile at the people. To say ‘good morning’ to light up people’s faces, to help. Israeli society would look completely different if that was a part of our lives... Be good to all.” piercing criticisms of himself, from all different facets of his life, many of which were written to even embarrass him, saying that it could be that those who criticized him knew better or were more qualified opinions. He never focused on himself, commenting in an interview a year ago just a few hours before a life-threatening surgery that he was worried about having to possibly leave early from a yearly remembrance ceremony for a fallen soldier that he had been invited to by the family that he was in touch with because of the time of his scheduled surgery that afternoon. He was going into a surgery that could have ended with him dying on the operating table,

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as well as his series of books that are made up of letters between himself and his students serving as soldiers.

APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Israel: 1948 and Now Historian Dr. Benny Morris Analyzes the Past 70 Years By Tammy Mark

A couple of thousand Palestinian men swept up the hill toward the main [palace] entrance [in Amman on July 18, 1948]... screaming abuse and demanding that the lost towns should be reconquered at once... The king [of Jordan] appeared at the top of the main steps of the building; he was a short dignified figure wearing white robes and headdress. He paused for a moment, surveying the seething mob before, then walked down the steps to push his way through the line of guardsmen into the thick of the demonstrators. He went up to a prominent individual, who was shouting at the top of his voice, and dealt him a violent blow to the side of the head with the flat of his hand. The recipient of the blow stopped yelling... and the king could be heard roaring: â€œSo you want to fight the Jews, do you? Very well, there is a recruiting office for the army at the back of my house... go there and enlist! The rest of you, get ... down the hillside!â€? Most of the crowd got ... down the hillside, indeed... -Excerpt from 1948: The First Arab-Israeli War by Benny Morris

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Israeli soldiers of the Negev Battalion in 1948

r. Benny Morris is a historian, a journalist and a professor of history in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University. He is also the prolific author of 10 books, including 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War. Born in Israel in 1948 to Jewish immigrants from the United Kingdom, Morris grew up in Israel and New York City, graduating from Ramaz Yeshiva High School in 1966. Morris completed his undergraduate studies in history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and received his doctorate in modern European history from the University of Cambridge. He recently served as the Goldman Visiting Israeli Professor at Georgetown University during the 2015-2016 academic year. After graduation from Cambridge, Morris returned to Jerusalem and worked as a correspondent for The Jerusalem Post. During his time there, Morris’s inquisitiveness led him on a journey of the study of Israel’s history and to his first book, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947–1949, in 1988, which was later rewritten and re-re-

Some members of the Israeli Givati Brigade

leased in 2004. As a historian, Morris’s books rely largely on the documentation available to him at the time of writing, yet he has faced criticism from those who believe his work to be biased in one way or another. In 1948, Morris examined the several factors that helped establish Israel’s independence and that, at the same time, led to the tenuous situation between the surrounding nations and the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. In a recent conversation with

ber 1947. The Arab states and the Palestinian Arabs rejected that resolution and attacked the Jewish settlements and the Zionist enterprise in Palestine, which was called the Yishuv. The Zionists accepted the UN resolution and the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab, but they had to defend themselves against Arab attacks, so they defended themselves. After four months of Palestinian Arab attacks, the Zionists went on the offensive in April 1948 and be-

Essentially Israel has to, and has always had to, depend on itself. TJH, Dr. Morris reviewed the events surrounding Israel’s War of Independence and the ultimate Israeli victory and explains the various threats facing the State of Israel, both then and now. You lay out the different phases of the 1948 war in your book, 1948: A History of the First A rab-Israeli War. Can you describe them? The United Nations decided to partition Palestine and issued a resolution to that effect in Novem-

gan conquering Arab settlements towns and villages. Essentially, they crushed the Arab militias. In May 1948, the Arab states armies’ invaded Palestine and some of them, including Egypt, Syria and Iraq, attacked the Jewish State, which was just declared on the 14th of May. They attacked on the 15 th of May. From that point on, Israel essentially defended itself against these Arab attacks, eventually beating the Arabs and conquering more territory in Palestine. The second stage of the war, which was from May 1948 to January 1949, in which the Arabs states attacked the state of Israel and Israel defended itself and then counter-attacked – that

was like a conventional war between states. What were some of the biggest revelations you discovered through research for 1948? The book 1948, in some parts, repeats things written in the previous books. Due to the creation of the refugee problem, I suppose the important point there was that on the one hand there was no general policy or ideology of expelling the Arabs, but on the other hand, 700,000 Arabs became what were called refugees, mostly as a result of Israeli actions – that is attacks and threats of attacks. So both of these things undermine narratives, the first one on the Arab side, the second one on the Jewish side. Can you tell me about the feedback you’ve received over the years from left- and rightwing groups on your many works? Generally, I’ve tried to write the books on the basis of documentation that was available when I started in the 1980s, and many of the things I found and put in my books were not appreciated by lots of people. The right-wingers and the Labor party people in Israel didn’t like revelations about Israeli atrocities and misdeeds in 1948, and the left-wingers didn’t like some of my political writing about the current situation, which tends to blame the Arabs, and the Palestinians especially, for the lack of progress towards peace. The Arabs wouldn’t accept the two-state solution when it

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David Ben-Gurion reading the declaration of independence of the State of Israel

Jubilation in the streets after Israel declares its independence

A small, ragtag army is found victorious

The Palestine Post on May 14, 1948

was offered 70 years ago – has much changed? The Arab world in general – that means the hundreds of millions of Arabs that live in the streets of Cairo and Damascus and Bagdad and in Ramallah and Nablus and the West Bank – these hundreds of millions of Arabs did not accept Israel’s existence. They didn’t accept Israel’s existence and establishment in 1948 and continued to resist Israel’s existence; they didn’t like Israel being there. They believe the land is Islamic; they believe the land belongs to the Arabs and there should be no Jewish state. I don’t think that has changed at all over the past 70 years. What did change over the past 70 years is that some of the governments, the regimes, the leadership of some of the Arab states, decided that there was no point in continuing this war and to consider, let’s perhaps somehow coexist. Two countries, Jordan and Egypt, decided let’s make peace with Israel. So there are peace treaties and there is actual peace, non-bellig-

erence between Israel with Egypt since 1979, and Israel with Jordan since 1994. Other Arab states haven’t made peace with Israel and the Arab street – this includes Egypt and Jordan – don’t really like Israel, don’t accept Israel’s existence, but they live with it. The Palestinians are something different in the sense that Israel is occupying them. There are Palestinians who’ve lived since 1948 as equal citizens of the Israeli state; and there are many more Palestinians that live in areas which Israel in some ways controls in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and there 4 or 5 million – in Israel there are 1.5 million – but 5 million living in some way under Israeli control. With them, negotiations haven’t prospered and peace hasn’t been achieved – even with great advancements, peace hasn’t been achieved. Many reviews on your writings have said that you’ve changed your viewpoint over the years, most specifically

after the year 2000. Did your viewpoint on the situation indeed change over the years? My viewpoint on the history hasn’t changed; my books on the history are exactly the same. Before the year 2000 and after the year 2000, they say the same thing. What there is a difference in is in my political writing, in my journalism, which is apart from the historiography. I have tended since 2000 to essentially be critical of the Arab side – that is the Palestinian Arab side – for not willing to make peace. That’s what it’s really all about – to saying “no” continuously. Israel has had governments which were willing to make a go for a two-state solution in the year 2000, before that and after that. In the year 2008, Israel proposed a two-state deal with Abbas, the current president of the Palestinian Authority. In 2000 Barak and Clinton proposed a two-state deal to Arafat, the traditional leader of the Palestinians since 1969, and he said “no,” so that’s been the problem. There are now Israeli leaders

also who don’t want the two-state solution, but over the decades since the 1980s most Israeli leaders have been willing to have a two-state solution and have proposed partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish, one Arab, but when it came to the punch the Arabs have always said “no.” This is the problem. Even though some of them sometimes say and tell the Western press, “Yes, yes we support a two-state solution,” when it comes down to it and they have to sign something they say no, and that’s been the problem. So that’s what my political writing has been saying –and a lot of left-wingers don’t like that. They continue to believe that the Palestinians are sincere when they say they want peace on the basis of a two-state solution. I don’t think they’re sincere; I think they’re playing a game. What would you say they actually want? They want all of Palestine. That’s what they’ve always wanted. This is what they have wanted since the

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birth of the Palestinian national movement in the 1920s. They want all of Palestine with no Jewish State, preferably without any Jews, but they want all of Palestine, and that’s the problem. There are also some Jews who want all of Palestine, but I think most Israeli Jews would agree to a two-state solution. How do you think Israel should be dealing with Hamas and Abbas at this point? You have to manage the conflicts. You can continue to propose and say, “Let’s meet, let’s negotiate peace,” and we should continue to say that and look like were doing that – but the problem is, they don’t really want to negotiate and this is the reality. They don’t want to negotiate a two-state solution, so what you have to do is control the conflict. You have to keep it at a low burner to keep it with minimal violence, that’s the best way. Hamas says it wants to destroy Israel, so you have to hit them when they hit you – if they shoot rockets you have to hit them back – this is the way you can somehow manage the conflict. If you don’t, you’ll be inundated by rockets and terrorists. What about the alliances that Israel has and its relationship and dependence on the United States? Do you think that Israel can trust President Trump or any other allies? The only ally Israel really has is the American alliance. This has been true more or less since 1948. I personally would not rely overly on President Trump – one never knows what he really believes or thinks or wants, and perhaps he doesn’t either. So Israel basically has to depend on its own strength and get support where it can and when it can. At the moment America supports Israel, that is President Trump supports Israel, and that’s nice, but I wouldn’t put all my eggs in that basket and would try and find other friends as well. Israel has some friends in Europe, but essentially Israel has to, and has always had to, depend on itself. Unlike some other American allies, Israel has always only had Israeli troops fighting its

Defenders of Kibbutz Nirim in the south of Israel after the battle on May 15, 1948

battles, never American troops stationed there or fighting its battles. It’s always been Israelis who’ve done the defending of Israel, and that’s how it should remain. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia recently declared Israel’s right to exist. Do you believe this is a true, positive step towards an alliance or is it just words? It’s very positive. Saudi Arabia has traditionally been one of the

son for the constant bias towards Israel and it always being perceived by the world in a negative light? Israel is a small country and relatively weak – politically, economically. However, warfare always means collateral damage. It always means innocent civilians will be shot and killed; this is what happens in wars. Missiles are not always accurate and since Israel is busy fighting – and it’s fighting against enemies who are imbedded in civilian

Their motivation was very clear – they wanted to survive and they wanted their relatives living behind them to survive, so they fought well. strongest opponents of Israel’s existence, and this man, who seems to be wanting to revolutionize Saudi Arabia and its policies, is saying the right things about possible eventual peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia – and that would be a wonderful thing. What do you think is the rea-

populations – this is what’s happening with Hamas and Israel across the Gaza border, Hamas basically hides behind civilians. So when Israel attacks Hamas, some people are going to get hurt who are next to the Hamas terrorists and since, as I say, Israel is sort of weak, people criticize it a lot for things which other countries would do and do much,

much worse and don’t get criticized for. Who ever hears anyone protest against the Russians bombing civilians in Syria in the streets of New York and the streets of Paris? You don’t see protests against Russia and they’re killing far, far more people than Israel ever killed among the Palestinians – so it’s about relative strengths of power and how people react to them. In addition to that, the Arab world, the Muslim world, has a lot of economic clout – they invest in things, they run ads in newspapers and invest in all sorts of NGO’s – and so these people naturally will tend towards what the Muslim narrative or argument is at a certain point and it’s always anti-Israeli. There’s always anti-Semitism, which also exists in the West and in the Muslim populations, which says basically whatever a Jew does is wrong and certainly whatever Israel does is wrong and which condemns Israel whether it’s right or wrong. What would you say is the greatest threat to Israel today? There are a whole variety of threats. One of them is that the Arab world – or the Muslim world, which is larger than the Arab world – hasn’t accepted Israel’s right to exist and sees Israel as illegitimate, and if it can, will go to war against Israel. Leading the pack at the moment is Iran, which calls for Israel’s destruction. Iran, which potentially has nuclear bombs, at some point will be able to enforce that and will be able to carry out Israel’s destruction – so that’s an existential threat down the road. In addition to that, Israel itself is divided into a whole lot of political and ethnic segments. Twenty percent of the population is Arab and they don’t really want to live under Jewish domination even if it’s a democracy; they prefer to be ruled by Arabs. So you’ve got 20 percent of people in the land who are potentially disloyal – I’m not saying they’re disloyal now, but potentially disloyal people. In addition, the Jews in Israel are very sharply divided between right and left, between religious and

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non-religious, and any of these can sort of explode internally – I’m not saying they’re going to bring down the State in the immediate sense, but they are potentially a real problem. So Israel has real external and internal threats to its existence. Do you have any thoughts on BDS being a real threat to Israel’s existence to consider as well? BDS is a movement which is partly based on misconceptions on what is happening, partly on prejudices against Israel which includes anti-Semitism. BDS seems to be aiming to destroy Israel that is, it’s against Israel’s existence – not Israel’s policies. If that’s their aim, and that what it’s based on, then there’s a real problem with BDS. Would you say it’s also somewhat systematic and being promoted a lot from the Arab world? It’s also being promoted – it’s something that people don’t pay attention to really. It’s the Arab education systems in the Syrian schools, in the Egyptian schools, in the Palestinian schools. Universally, systematically, the children are brought up to hate Israel. This also happens in countries which have peace with Israel – in other words, Egypt is formally at peace with Israel but its education system promotes hatred of Israel among its young from the age of three and onwards, and this will clearly bring into existence mature people who are all haters of Israel without thinking about it. This is how they were brought up, like Christians in the West brought up under the Catholic Church for centuries hating the Jews. It wasn’t something to think about; that’s how they were brought up, it’s their mother’s milk. The same applies to Arabs, and I suppose Muslims in most places – certainly in the Arab world – and that’s a real problem. What do you see as the future in the Arab-Israeli conflict? More of the same. I don’t see any solution because the other side doesn’t want a solution and at present in Israel also there are people in

Soldiers traveling on Route 7 to Jerusalem

charge who don’t want a two-state solution. So, I don’t see a two-state solution occurring anytime – probably not in my lifetime, is what I would say. What are your thoughts on the potential embassy move? Will that be a big game-changer in any way? I think it’s natural. I think it’s been an anomaly and unintelligible why the world community has not

quered East Jerusalem and said that their capital is “United Jerusalem,” but there’s no reason for the world community to not to move their embassies to West Jerusalem and recognize that this is Israel’s capital. If a Palestinian state eventually emerges and they want East Jerusalem as their capital, the world can recognize that as their capital. But it doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be acceptance of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which is sensible, and

They want all of Palestine with no Jewish State, preferably without any Jews... and that’s the problem. recognized West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Israel is the only country in the world which has decided “this is our capital” and the world doesn’t recognize it! Everywhere else – Moscow, Berlin – everybody recognizes them. In 1967 Israel con-

that’s what should have been done long ago. One of the good things President Trump has done is recognize and accept that as Israel’s capital. What would you say was

the secret to Israel’s success during the war in 1948? In 1948 there was no secret – there were 630,000 Jews in Palestine in 1948. There were 1.2 million Arabs living in Palestine at the time – in other words twice as many – and there were tens of millions of Arabs living around the area. How did the 630,000 people beat these tens of millions? As explained in my book 1948, they were well-organized, they were well led, they were more or less united. They had a lot of experienced soldiers, since Jews had fought on the Allied side in World War II with many of them returning to Palestine, they had ready-made experienced soldiers in their army. The Palestinians were disorganized and the Arab states were not very efficient – they weren’t led well, the armies didn’t invest great sums of money preparing their armies. The Jews who were very small in number had financial assets and were able to translate that into military power – and that’s why they won. They were also, of course, highly motivated. The Jews had just suffered a Holocaust where six million of their brothers and sisters and cousins had been killed in Europe. This was three years before the 1948 war, so they were highly motivated because they thought if the Arabs win the war they will slaughter and commit a second holocaust and kill all the Jews in Palestine. Their motivation was very clear – they wanted to survive and they wanted their relatives living behind them to survive, so they fought well. Their motivation was much higher than those of the Arab forces, who didn’t face existential threat. They were mostly simple invaders from the outside coming from Iraq or Egypt to fight Jews in Palestine – it wasn’t their war. Any closing thoughts or messages for Israel’s 70th anniversary? The Israeli victory was people doing what they were supposed to do and doing it well. It is the only democracy in the Middle East. The Jews can rejoice because they have a state – and they should celebrate having that state.

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

Our daughter Gila is 26 years old. She has worked for a mid-size company for the past four years. During that time, she would often mention a co-worker of hers, who I’ll call Bob, because she was always struck by how sweet and easy to talk to he was. He is Jewish but grew up totally non-affiliated. The two of them often work on projects together and therefore got to know each other fairly well.

Gila would sometimes comment that, unlike so many of the men she went out with, Bob was so different. No airs, no issues, no pressure. Just a really nice guy, who always made her feel smart and important and seemed to care about what she had to say. My husband and I were never thrilled to hear her bring up Bob, but she assured us that they were just associates and that we had nothing to worry about and that she could hardly ignore him since their work brought them together on that level. Well, our worst fears were just realized. Gila told us that Bob has recently started learning with a rabbi he met and is interested in becoming a ba’al teshuva because he admires Gila so much and wants to learn more about her world in the hope of the two of them having a future together. Obviously, we have nothing against ba’al teshuvas, in fact, we admire them enormously. But if his motivation is to marry Gila – it makes us very suspicious. We feel like we’re in a bind. Gila is not a baby and we can hardly tell her what she can and can’t do. Plus, she’s not about to change jobs in order to distance herself from Bob. But this whole situation is making us very worried. Sadly, Bob makes Gila feel like no other man she’s dated has ever made her feel. And that’s what frightens us so much. Any suggestions regarding what we should or could be doing right now? Should we be worried?

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 Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. our concern is valid. If things are as described, Bob’s motivation is to understand the Orthodox world that Gila is part of and to explore joining it as a pre-requisite for eventual marriage. The process for understanding the Torah world, committing to its beliefs and changing one’s lifestyle is long and deep. It requires study, experience and introspection. It will not happen overnight. During the process, Bob and Gila will be sharing this journey and communicating about it. This could help deepen their relationship as they discuss beliefs, practices and worldviews. Meanwhile, there are some things you can do. Get to know Bob in casual surroundings outside of your home. You may not want to have him experience observance only through your family. Bringing him home may feel like a step that’s too personal, too close for this point in their relationship. Do reach out to the rabbi Bob is studying with and develop a relationship with him. Share your concerns. He can share his impressions of Bob from time to time. He may suggest that Bob experience Shabbosim and holidays in other venues and communities than yours. If you are in touch, he can help Bob explore multiple forms of Orthodoxy and those aspects which are challenging for him in particular. You don’t want Gila and your family to be Bob’s only guide to exploring Yiddishkeit. Talk to your own rabbi as well. He knows Gila and he knows you. He may offer some guidance, contacts and insight. It would be nice if Gila understood and could articulate what about Bob makes her feel special and how these feelings are different than those evoked by others. Does

Gila know what it is about Bob that touches her particularly? What qualities does she see in him? Does she show insight into their relationship or does she simply feel? These are important questions. Gila is an adult and you can’t tell her to explain herself or go into therapy. You can, however, get some guidance on how to communicate with her so that she is self-aware and honest about what is going on inside herself, in her relationship with Bob and during his journey. She most certainly has fears and concerns, too. Encourage her to talk to her mentor/rabbi/therapist as Bob continues to study and learn. All of you understand that there is a process involved here. There are also some negotiables and non-negotiables. With a lot of guidance and time, these can be clarified and worked through. Don’t just wait and see. Act carefully and wisely. And don’t forget to daven for siyata dishmaya.

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A. he situation you are confronting gives parents insomnia. You send your sheltered child out into the workplace and her eyes are opened to tempting possibilities – people more sophisticated than in her orthodox circles; guys more worldly than the ones she dates. And now, presenting Bob! You are right about one thing: Gila is not a baby; she has a mind of her own. But, as her mother, you can talk to her, calmly and lovingly. The conversation may contain the following… “Okay, so Bob makes you feel smart and important, so what else is new? He doesn’t know the bracha for water. He enjoys cheeseburgers. His family is riddled with intermarriage.

“How beautiful that you, with your refined, frum, solid upbringing, have inspired him to learn more about his heritage. Will his recent interest in you be enough to make him a sincere shomer Torah and mitzvos? Someone committed to learning about the intricacies of Shabbos, kashrus and myriad other halachos? “Time will tell. It may take years before Bob has studied enough, practiced enough and has proven himself a true ba’al teshuvah. Are you, Gila, strong enough, religiously, to be his mentor? Do you care enough about Bob to put your life on hold for him for the next few years?” A calm, practical reality check may open Gila’s eyes and provide the change of heart you fervently pray for.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond ou seem to be experiencing one of the nightmares of every frum Jewish mother and my heart goes out to you. On the outset, let’s establish our iron-clad objective: Doing our best that your daughter doesn’t fall into the trap of marrying this non-frum boy. Yes, there are quite a few stories in Chazal about the frum girl who draws her husband to utmost devotion to Yiddishkeit. However, it is safe to assume that most girls (or boys) nowadays are nowhere close to that level of piety, so let’s fully abandon that notion. Let’s jump to the best-case scenario and assume that Bob is indeed truly genuine. He had no previous inclination or motivation to lead a frum lifestyle, but now that he met your daughter, he is intrigued and interested in becoming frum. However, if his motivations and inspiration are fueled by his relationship

"Do you care enough about Bob to put your life on hold for him for the next few years?"

with your daughter, rather than a love of Yiddishkeit and a desire to become close to Hashem, then his status as a ba’al teshuvah is on a shaky, unsteady foundation. At the current moment, his relationships both with your daughter and with Yiddishkeit are fresh, new and intriguing. How long is that expected to last? Suppose the two marry, only for Bob to grow frustrated with Yiddishkeit. The attention to detail, the amount of learning halachos and Hebrew, the financial and mental commitment to kosher and a Jewish education – it’s just not for him. With no true, strong inherent interest or foundation in Yiddishkeit, the whole frumkeit façade can come toppling down in an instant. At that point, your daughter might be faced with only one of two choices: tolerate Bob as a non-frum husband or divorce him. Your daughter’s life can be transformed to a horror story and the magnitude of anguish and headache she will experience will be indescribable. Their marriage would be akin to a beautiful house built on a Styrofoam foundation. Have a conversation with your daughter in a relaxed, public location, such as a café. Iterate how much you love her and how you have her absolute best interests in mind ever since she was born. Suggest that she distance herself from him and make it clear that their relationship cannot continue. Be gen-

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tle; your daughter is currently living her own situation, while you have the advantage of being an objective outsider. I presume that you and your husband have a loving, trusting relationship with your daughter; the stronger your relationship is, the easier accomplishing your goal will be. Nevertheless, don’t expect this to be an easy conversation. May Hashem grant you the ability to reach her heart, and open her eyes and mind to listen. We are cheering you on!

The Single Tova Wein s an older, single woman, I know firsthand, from my own experiences and those of

my close friends, that life is rarely neat and simple. There are many complications that come along and though we all start out wanting and expecting storybook lives, wherein everyone does and gets everything they dreamed of, this is not necessarily how things play out. In a perfect world, we all meet and marry others exactly like ourselves and live wonderful lives exactly like our parents. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Your daughter is by no means old, but she is also no longer 21 and not likely to be getting set up constantly. My guess is that she’s gone out with one too many men who did not have the right social skills and level of maturity to make her feel any connection to them. Along comes Bob – and something special seems to be taking place between the two of them,

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

oncern is valid and understandable. In order for Bob to be with Gila, it seems he would have to become frum. Watching your daughter enter a serious relationship with a man who is making major life changes in order to be with your daughter would concern any rational parent. My hope is that Gila has these concerns as well. We know that changing for another person is rarely a good idea. And what happens if Bob changes his mind a few years down the road? What happens if Bob’s passion for frumkeit fizzles out and Gila is left feeling empty or resentful? I’m sure you have many what if questions.

G i l a is a 26 -yea r- old g r o w n w om an. Fighting with her about this would be pointless, and, if anything, will send her right into Bob’s arms. Threatening her or making sweeping statements about this relationship will send her running for the hills. As hard as it is, your only true choice is acceptance. Show interest in Bob, show interest in her relationship with Bob. Do not put him down. Before each time you know Bob will come up in conversation, practice your calmest “acceptance look” in the mirror. Make

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

slowly, organically, and seemingly respectfully. I’ve met way too many ba’al teshuvas over the years who have made the most wonderful spouses. Therefore, to “pu-pu” this relationship right off the cuff sounds narrow-minded to me. The fact that Bob is interested in learning about Yiddishkeit and has reached out to a rabbi is very encouraging. If you tell your daughter to run from Bob, because you don’t have the imagination to see how this could turn out to be a good thing, I’m guessing she will push back and immediately run right into Bob’s arms. I think the only important tool you can use is communication – encouraging Gila to proceed slowly and with caution, not to make any rash decisions and likewise for Bob. He probably has no idea what he will be getting into when it comes to Yiddishkeit. So for both of their sakes, they ought to slow things down, act maturely and see where it goes. Make sure you don’t create tension between the two of you so

sure your body is relaxed; your teeth aren’t clenched, you’re tak ing nice deep breaths and you aren’t giving off an iota of judgment. When you can approach Gila from a stance of acceptance, you then will have created your best chance of speaking about this relationship with her. You can ask her about her feelings and if she has concerns herself. You can ask whether she has thought of the what ifs and how it will impact her in the future. I don’t get any sense of the quality of your relationship with your daughter from your email or whether or not she is impulsive or thinks things through. My hope is that she thinks things through. Keep communication with Gila open and non-judgmental as she figures out her relationship with Bob. Ultimately, as scary as it is to watch

Before each time you know Bob will come up in conversation, practice your calmest "acceptance look" in the mirror.

that Gila feels comfortable sharing with you her concerns. Again, this is not how you anticipated Gila’s life to look, and I’m sure how she anticipated it to look. And we don’t know anything for sure right now. But it’s important to keep an open and accepting mind. Sometimes one’s greatest brachos are packaged in ways we totally don’t even recognize.

our children make mistakes that we can see a mile coming, sometimes we have to allow them the space to do so. Your new mantra should be “give Bob a chance.” And most importantly, just be there for Gila, so she will trust you when she needs guidance. Sincerely, Jennifer

Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. 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.

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Dr. Deb

Shiny Object Syndrome By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

he marketing world cautions people who are looking to make a living through their own business against what they call “Shiny Object Syndrome.” As I’ve dipped my toes in marketing a little for the last twenty years, I’m realizing that many of us – maybe most of us – suffer from this problem in our personal lives as well. Shiny Object Syndrome, as the marketers describe it, is the quest for riches through buying into one wealth-building scheme after another without completing any of them because they are so complicated, or they don’t work, or because the seeker of riches is terrified of actually working hard on following the program for fear he may discover that he can’t do the job right. By constantly going after one “shiny object” after another without completing any of them and without making the supreme effort needed to accomplish something, the seeker can keep on dreaming of and fantasizing about success. This way, he never loses hope – and he also never gets anywhere. Getting away for a while and being in a more spiritual place (for me) gave me some perspective on how in our marriages and families we suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome.

For some people the Shiny Object is one of the addictions, take your pick – drinking, gambling, using illegal substances, misusing prescription medicine, overworking, inappropriate relationships, or shopping. (There are more, unfortunately.) For other people the Shiny Object is what they think of as a harmless flirtation. Others play it safe and do not flirt, even online. They simply escape through TV, romantic novels, or endless YouTube videos. Why? Why do they do it? It provides the same thing to them in the interpersonal world as the marketers talk about in the financial world: escape + fantasy all rolled into one. The escape part is the fact that when any of these activities is indulged in, the person doing it is not paying attention to or working on improving relationships. The fantasy part is the dreaming and fantasizing that happens at the moment of indulgence. A person flirting, for example, ignores the ordinary irritations of everyday life that come with living with a partner, like putting their dirty laundry in the wash or remembering to phone if they’re going to be late. That’s the escape part, the avoidance of all that is normal and possibly unpleasant about regular

life. At the same time, the person doing all this convinces himself or herself that the individual he is talking to doesn’t have any of the irritating middos that the marriage partner has. This person would never ask him/her to put clothing in the hamper, would not expect a call to say he’s late, would always provide a glorious and delicious dinner for two (miraculously without any children wanting attention), and so on. Not only that, the fantasy person would always understand him/ her and know just what to say. They would always be funny and of course always laugh at one’s jokes. With that person the fantasizer would always feel like a million dollars, something that no longer happens with the real life partner. Not so. As much as these fantasies feel wonderful, they’re ridiculous. The fantasized person never lives up to the promise of the imagination. After all, he or she is a real person with real meshugasim just like we all have. That is one reason why the percent of failure of second marriages is way higher than for first ones. “Statistics show that in the U.S., 50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second, and 74% of third marriages

end in divorce.” (https://www.wevorce.com/blog/why-do-second-marriages-fail/). That is, people seem to be more disappointed the second (and third) time around. The shiny object wasn’t so shiny after all. Even people who would not do this with real people often indulge themselves in fantasies over celebrities or the heroes of cheap novels. At least there, there is no one to blame because the fantasized person never becomes real. But why do this to oneself? Why not just face reality? The reality is that Reality is often too difficult. Or at least it seems that way. The thing is, when other things are problematic, people generally get them resolved. The toilet doesn’t work? I don’t need to learn plumbing to get that problem taken care of. Most of us don’t. We just call a plumber. Avi doesn’t understand math? We get him tutoring. Your friend keeps taking advantage of you? You get a new friend. We’re very good at problem solving – usually. But when your relationship with the person you’ve known quite well for years – or decades – is failing, paralysis sets in and fantasies become the “solution.” But they’re the non-solution be-

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cause: 1. They don’t solve the original problem. 2. They don’t actually possess any value of their own – other than that momentary escape. 3. They cause more problems. There’s one more reason why people are so stuck: A failure of hope. When I was learning with Rabbi Casriel Brusowankin (my “payment” for founding Chabad Family Counseling Services in Aventura), he said that depression is a trick of the yetzer hara. Isn’t it normal to be down about things sometimes? Isn’t it reasonable to be sad about things that you know you can’t change? The answer to both questions is, “yes, of course.” But the fact that you can’t change something doesn’t mean you can’t change your attitude towards it. For instance, take a person who is in an unhappy marriage. They dutifully go to counseling and still nothing

changes. Maybe one of them is arrogant and thinks he/she is perfect; therefore, there is no reason to listen to the counselor or give some thought to what the therapist says. Naturally, the other person has a right to be sad and disappointed in being dealt this hand. Yet, there

mentia, so medical exams can also make a world of difference. Sometimes, the timing just isn’t right: a person may need to let the idea that the marriage is in trouble gel for a bit before being ready to take action and work on it. Sometimes the therapist and the timing are fine but it takes a

Why not just face reality?

are options available: try a different therapist, or therapists. Don’t stop ‘til you find one that is a personality “fit” for both of you. That might work to get the stuck person off of the fence. I once discovered that a person who seemed incorrigible was actually suffering from early stage de-

while for new attitudes to show up in new behavior and all that is needed is patience. When a problem is beyond help, there still is something to be gained: 1. What did I learn from this experience? Has it strengthened me in any way? 2. Can I use my knowledge to

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make necessary changes in my life? Or to help my children? Or others? 3. In terms of the big picture of my life, was there any good aspect to it? The person in the description above (a hypothetical person) agrees that he now has more empathy for others going through difficult situations. He also feels he can guide his children better in their life choices. And he is very grateful for the children that came out of this bad marriage. Most importantly, he knows not to chase after Shiny Objects. He knows the shine comes off almost instantly. And besides, what a bad example it is for his precious children for him to be in a dream world instead of facing reality.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. She can be reached at 646-54-DRDEB or by writing drdeb@ drdeb.com.

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Health & F tness

La La Bamba By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

ood allergies are on the rise. According to a new study, peanut allergies in children have increased by 21% since 2010. The author of the study, Dr. Ruchi Gupta, acknowledged that peanut and other food allergies can be “very challenging for children and families.” There is a silver lining, though. According to Gupta, “the good news is that parents now have a way to potentially prevent peanut allergy by introducing peanut products to infants early after assessing risk with their pediatrician and allergist.” New research is suggesting to introduce peanuts to infants, especially to those who are at high risk for developing peanut allergies. Generally, infants with severe eczema are at risk for a peanut allergy as well. Introducing peanuts at an early age, as early as 4-6 months old, can reduce the risk of developing peanut allergies by up to 86%. Of course, get your pediatrician’s advice before introducing peanuts, and do it in an appropriate manner – with the right texture and size. Whole peanuts are definitely a chok-

ing hazard for infants. A spoonful of peanut butter or a plain peanut butter sandwich is hazardous as well since it is very dry. Instead, try thinning peanut butter with a little breastmilk, formula or warm water, or mix it into infant oatmeal for an appropriate texture and thickness for your infant. Powdered peanut butter can

Never give a new food at daycare or when on the go since it’s hard to focus your attention under those circumstances and some things may go unnoticed. Once your baby has shown he or she can tolerate the peanut butter, you can incorporate it into your baby’s diet at least three times a week. Keep in mind that babies need a va-

"The new guidelines are a breakthrough for preventing a peanut allergy."

also be mixed with liquid or baby cereal and pureed foods. It doesn’t need to be a large serving of peanut butter, and it does not have to be every day. Two teaspoons three times a week is enough to introduce peanuts to a baby. Observe your child for a few hours after consumption to make sure there is no trace of a reaction.

riety in their diet, so I don’t recommend giving it more than three times a week. Once your baby graduates to solid foods, Bamba and Puffworks are great peanut choices. Even though experts are encouraging introducing peanut butter early on, a survey of 1,000 pregnant women and 1,000 new mothers found that

many are still hesitant to give their babies peanut products. “Food allergies are scary, so it’s understandable that parents would hesitate to introduce a food they might see as dangerous. Parents should consult with their pediatrician to help walk them through the process of early peanut introduction for their infant,” said Dr. Edmond Chan. “The new guidelines are a breakthrough for preventing a peanut allergy,” Chan said. “But we’re still working on helping parents and pediatricians understand how important the guidelines are for preventing peanut allergies.” Consult with your pediatrician to see when introducing peanut butter is okay for your little one. 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 dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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Health & F tness

Proactive Planning Focusing on Meningitis Vaccines By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP

nfortunately, the world knows more about Emily Stillman in death than in

life. Emily Nicole Stillman was born September 11, 1993 to Michael and Alicia Stillman of Michigan. Her siblings are Karly and Zachary. Emily graduated from Adat Shalom Nursery School, Pine Lake Elementary School, West Hills Middle School, and Andover High School. She spent her summers at Camp Seagull in Charlevoix, Michigan, and at Stagedoor Manor in New York and was reported to be a vibrant, larger-thanlife personality. Throughout her life, she maintained friendships from each of her experiences. Family time was important to Emily. Being with her parents and Karly and Zachary was always a priority. She was attending Kalamazoo College when on February 2, 2013, at the age of 19, she passed away from meningococcal disease – Serogroup

B. Yes, she had received both recommended doses of the Conjugate vaccine at the appropriate times. Yet the vaccine to prevent Serogroup B was not yet available in the United States. Her death is a loss of epic proportions that her parents, siblings, grandparents and friends still feel. So what is meningococcal? Meningococcal can refer to any

gococcal meningitis, which most people refer to as meningitis, is an inflammation of the meninges when the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord become infected with this bacterium. It is spread through the droplets of respiratory or throat secretions from carriers. 10% to 20% of the population may carry this type of bacteria in the back of their nose

I am unabashedly pro-vaccines. Vaccines save lives. Period.

illness that is caused by the type of bacteria called Neisseria Meningitidis, also known as meningococcus (muh-ning-hog-kok-us). Menin-

and throat at any given time with no signs or symptoms of disease, according to some studies. Who’s vulnerable? All of us. Peo-

ple of all ages. People of any age can get meningitis, yet it is spread more easily among people living in close quarters, such as young adults living in yeshiva and seminary dormitories and others. The symptoms of meningococcal disease include not feeling well, fever, nausea/vomiting, a severe and persistent headache, a stiff neck, sensitivity to bright light, drowsiness, joint pain, confusion or other mental changes, and a red/purple skin rash in which color does not fade when pressure is applied to skin. In addition, young children may refuse food, appear abnormally drowsy or agitated, and react with unusual body movements or sounds when handled. Symptoms can appear quickly or over several days. It’s urgent that you consult with your pediatrician immediately. Because the symptoms can be confused with the flu, the diagnosis may be delayed. No, no, no. Don’t delay. I underscore again the

The The Jewish Home | OCTOBER Jewish Home | APRIL 29, 19, 2015 2018

importance of seeking medical help immediately. Early detection often can dictate the prognosis. Any rash, fever and headache must be evaluated as soon as possible. Meningococcal meningitis can be fatal or cause great harm. Death can occur in as little as a few hours. In Emily’s case, it was 36 hours from the time she reported headaches until she died. In those who survive, there may be permanent disabilities such as severe scarring or amputation of toes, fingers, or limbs. As many as one out of five people who contract the infection have serious complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 15% of those who survive are left with disabilities that include deafness, brain damage, and neurological problems. Prevention plays a major role here. It’s called vaccinating. Readers know I am unabashedly pro-vaccines. Vaccines save lives. Period.

Emily (pictured left) was a sophomore when she passed away just 36 hours after she was admitted to the hospital

Routine immunization goes a long way to preventing meningitis. Among infants, this includes the Hib, measles, mumps, polio, and pneumococcal vaccines. Kids should also get the meningococcal conjugate vaccine

when they’re 11 or 12 years old, with a booster at the age of 16. Kids older than 11 who haven’t been vaccinated should also be immunized particularly if they’re going to camp, yeshiva, seminary or other places where

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they’ll be living in close quarters with others. And now available is the MenB vaccine which is given between the ages of 16-18. In addition to vaccinating, avoid germs. Wash hands. Frequently. With soap. And water. And dry well. Don’t share food eating utensils and please, please – don’t share water bottles or drinking glasses. Not sharing will help to not spread germs. Again, if, G-d forbid, you believe that your child has meningitis, call your doctor pronto. For more information, please consult http://www.foreveremily. org. May Emily’s memory be for a blessing. And, as always, daven. Dr. Hylton I. Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd.com, on Instagram at Dr.Lightman_ or visit him on Facebook.

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

Mole-Inspired Spare Ribs By Naomi Nachman

Ever thought of putting chocolate into your meat dishes? Although it is innovative, it’s not unheard of. Chocolate is found in many Mexican meat recipes. Give this a try – it won’t stop you from eating dessert!

Ingredients Spice Rub 2 TBS flour 1 TBS cocoa powder 1 TBS ancho chili powder 1 TBS granulated garlic 1 TBS smoked paprika 1 tsp kosher salt 1 TBS ground cumin

Spare Ribs 2 TBS canola oil 3-4 pounds beef spare ribs 2 onions, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeño pepper, diced with seeds and ribs removed 2 cups wine 2 TBS tomato paste 1 cup dried cranberries 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate ½ tsp salt

Preparation Mix the rub ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Coat the meat with the rub. Add the canola oil to a large Dutch oven pot and then sear the ribs till they are brown on all sides and then remove from the pan. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the pan and sauté until lightly browned, stirring regularly. Add a little of the wine broth and make sure to release any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, Bring to a simmer and then stir in the tomato paste, cranberries, chocolate and salt. When the chocolate has melted add the rest of the wine and bring to a boil. Place the ribs back in the pan and simmer on low for 3 hours, stirring the meat every 45 minute to an hour. An alternative way to cook the ribs is to keep the meat in the large roasting pan after the searing process and pour the finished sauce over the meat. Cook at 325° for 3 hours covered.

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 | APRIL 19, 2018

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Well, I’m not rooting for this, but I would suggest a precipitous fall in the stock market would probably flush out some Republicans to finally speak up. And then we have the Mueller investigation. I believe the Mueller investigation, when it is finally put on the table before us, will trigger some form of constitutional crisis. I don’t know what he’s going to find about the president, whether it’s collusion, whether it’s financial impropriety, I have no idea. But I think it’s going to find something that will trigger a constitutional crisis. Guess we need a new WiFi password. - Tweet by Boston Red Sox after Yankees manager Bret Boone spoke to reporters on camera in front of a sign containing the log-in information for the Boston Red Sox WiFi. Oh, by the way, the password was “baseball”

It was truly amazing. Some of my family members were sleeping so I didn’t go and scream out. I walked upstairs. I saw my wife ... and said, “We get to go on vacation.” She said, “What are you talking about?” - Richard Wahl, 47, of Vernon, New Jersey, recalling what happened when he realized that he won last month’s $533 million Mega Millions jackpot

I just want to tell Mr. Trump directly: I’m a Syrian refugee who survived chemical weapons attacks, who lived under two years of siege and bombardment by the government. I would love to, like, buy you a beer. - Syrian refugee Kassem Eid, who survived a 2013 chemical attack, on CNN

And I think one reason — this is my guess – Barack Obama and George W. Bush have both been staying out of the political fray, despite all the attacks on them from Trump, is because they understand they are going to have to come together in the face of this constitutional crisis that’s in our future and stand up for the Constitution. It’s going to have to be done in a bipartisan way by two ex-presidents who I think still have a lot of credibility, and my guess is they are saving their power for that. I sure hope so because if Republicans will not call the game, we’re going to need someone with legitimate authority to do so. – Thomas Friedman, The New York Times

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It’s not surprising that after little more than a year in office many people who voted for a president still support him. But it’s also surprising that a president who has been the object of more negative reporting than any in our history still enjoys something like the same middling base of support he had before taking office. Unless it’s the negative reporting that is the problem, which I suspect is very largely the case. You can only ask adults to participate in the fiction that a retweet of a wrestling GIF is a credible threat of violence against some nerd reporters at a cable station or delight in what you hope will be the failure of American trade policy before they decide to tune you out. Very largely this had already happened by Inauguration Day, but now the work of MSNBC and The New York Times and PolitiFact is complete. Millions of Americans do not know the difference between what is true and what is false and have decided that they do not much care either. There was, I like fondly to imagine, a different course that might have been taken here. It is just possible, I suppose, that members of my profession could have exercised their reasoning faculties to decide what in the administration was good, what was bad, what was unremarkable or indistinguishable from what any modern president would do, what was painfully idiotic, what was, perhaps, evil. We chose not to exercise this responsibility. Instead we decided to indulge in our liveaction roleplaying fantasies about being brave selfless journos taking on a mean demagogue because we love the Constitution so much. - Liberal journalist Matthew Walther writing in The Week how his liberal colleagues may have gone too far with their Trump Derangement Syndrome

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

House Speaker Paul Ryan announced today he will not seek re-election to spend more time with his family. So now his family are the ones asking for thoughts and prayers. – Seth Myers

Starbucks is opening its first store in Uruguay. The Starbucks was supposed to open in Uganda, but a barista signed the paperwork. – Conan O’Brien

I am confident that a full investigation would have shown that I erred with my mouth, not my heart. - Florida Democratic National Committee member John Parker after he was forced to resign when activists didn’t accept his explanation that when he recently said “colored people” he really meant to say “people of color”

Experts say the majority of Facebook users had their data harvested from taking online quizzes. So, it’s worse than we thought – now, Russia also knows how stupid we are. – Conan O’Brien

Given Trump’s history, you can guess that there might be racial undertones there. - Former Obama White House aide Jen Psaki in an interview on CNN, positing that President Trump referring to her former boss as “Cheatin’ Obama” in a tweet may have “racial undertones”

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Why do they always go round and round when you want to talk? Sounds like President Trump ... or President Obama. - Queen Elizabeth responding to the noise of a helicopter overhead, while she was giving an interview in Buckingham Palace’s gardens

If the State of Israel had existed 75 years ago, and President Donald Trump had been the president at that time, President of the United States, they would [have] bomb[ed] the gas chambers, and crematorium, and the rail tracks leading to it, and the German Holocaust, and the German extermination camps in Poland, on Polish ground, would never happen.

A motorcycle gang in Canada is attacking businesses they don’t like by giving them mass one-star reviews online. They’re the fearsome…biker gang known as “Yelp’s Angels.” - Conan O’Brien

- Holocaust survivor, Edward Mosberg, 92, addressing the March of the Living ceremony in Poland, last week

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One of the world’s top Donkey Kong players has been stripped of his records for cheating. He was going to be sentenced to life, but turns out he doesn’t have one. – Conan O’Brien

Absolutely. I just know myself. I just know. I was a born home run hitter. I mean, unfortunately, I did [take PEDs]. And I’ve regretted that. I’ve talked about that. I regretted it. I didn’t need to. That’s the thing. Didn’t need to.

The Syrian raid was so perfectly carried out, with such precision, that the only way the Fake News Media could demean was by my use of the term “Mission Accomplished.” I knew they would seize on this but felt it is such a great military term, it should be brought back. Use often!

- Mark McGwire, who famously hit a record 70 homers in the 1998 season, telling The Athletic that he would have reached the historic mark even without the use of performance-enhancing drugs

- President Trump responding to the media’s criticism of his use of the term “mission accomplished” to describe the success of the missile strikes on Syria

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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Political Crossfire

Trump’s Syria Strike was Meant to Project Strength. It Did the Opposite By Marc A. Thiessen

n 2013, after Syrian dictator Bashar Assad crossed President Obama’s red line and used chemical weapons on innocent civilians, a U.S. official told the Los Angeles Times that Obama’s retaliatory strike would likely be “just muscular enough not to get mocked” but not so devastating that it would elicit a response from Iran and Russia. In the end, Obama backed away from even such a small, feckless strike. On Friday, Trump carried one out. Trump deserves credit for acting (now twice) when Obama wouldn’t. He also deserves credit for getting U.S. allies to join us when Obama couldn’t. But let’s be clear: Friday night’s strikes were “just muscular enough not to get mocked.” As a result, they did more damage to the United States’ credibility on the world stage than they did to the Assad regime. The U.S.-led strike did not hit a single airplane, airfield or delivery system, and it left Syria with chemical weapons capabilities. Even at the sites we did hit, the Syrians had plenty of time to move equipment and chemical stockpiles. There were no reported casualties on the ground, suggesting that the regime had evacuated the targets. The Syrians know that they won. The Washington Post reports that “on the streets of Damascus, there was jubilation as government supporters realized that a more expansive assault

would not materialize.” Retired Gen. Jack Keane, former vice chief of staff of the Army, said the Syrians had good reason to celebrate. “The response is very weak in my judgment,” he said. “It should have been decisive, it should have been consequential,” he continued. Keane said Assad made a bet with his chemical attack and won.

sad was not punished. Quite the opposite – his attack played out just as he had hoped and predicted. Mission accomplished. Far from being chastened, the U.S. response will embolden Assad, Russia and Iran. And it will embolden other U.S. adversaries as well. What lesson did North Korea likely take from Trump’s weak actions in

Friday night's strikes were "just muscular enough not to get mocked."

As Keane explained, Assad wanted to take out one of the last remaining rebel strongholds in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, which was holding out despite a brutal, nonstop bombing campaign by the Russians. Assad calculated that he could use chemical weapons to crush the resistance, achieve a military victory and then absorb what he expected to be a limited U.S. strike. So, he launched his chemical strike. Hours later, the rebels capitulated. And just as Assad predicted, the U.S. response was limited – leaving his air power, his command-and-control, and his chemical weapons capability largely intact. As-

Syria? That the Trump administration is easily intimidated and risk-averse. The reason we didn’t take out all of Assad’s chemical weapons capability is that we were intimidated by Russia. Instead of warning the Russians to evacuate, and telling them we would not be responsible for what happened to their personnel if they failed to do so, we specifically designed our strikes to avoid even the remote possibility of provoking Moscow. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un understands this. And the lesson he takes is that if Trump won’t take out Syrian airfields because we’re afraid of Russia’s response, then he’s definitely

not going to strike Kim’s nuclear and ballistic missile program and risk a North Korean artillery barrage on Seoul. This is a major setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to stop North Korea from developing the capability to threaten U.S. cities with nuclear missiles. The only way the United States can persuade North Korea to peacefully give up its pursuit of these weapons is if Kim believes Trump’s threat of military force is credible. After Friday’s U.S. actions in Syria, our credibility has been weakened, not enhanced. News reports indicate that Trump wanted a more robust response but faced resistance from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, the same man who has resisted giving Trump robust military options for North Korea. If accurate, Mattis did the president a great disservice by scaling down his desired Syrian response. The president’s desire is to project strength on the world stage. Under Mattis’ apparent guidance, he did the opposite. As a result, Trump is weakened going into his summit with Kim. If Trump had taken no action, it would have been worse – but not by much. Because when you carry out strikes “just muscular enough not to get mocked,” you are projecting weakness – and weakness is provocative. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group

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Forgotten Her es

Noted and Quoted on the Battlefield By Avi Heiligman

Colonel William Prescott: “Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”

good military commander needs to gain the respect of the men and women he or she leads into battle. Speeches and encouragement all are important aspects that have helped lead to victory on the battlefield. Colin Powell once said, “The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” Some quotes stand out as being historic in nature as they have stood the test of time. Here are some famous military quotes and their stories. The American Revolutionary War started before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. A year earlier, a crucial battle had been fought at Charleston, Massachusetts. The Battle of Bunker Hill

General Douglas MacArthur: “I shall return.”

was fought between the British forces under General William Howe and the American colonists under Colonel William Prescott. The 1,200 men under Prescott had limited ammunition and were poorly trained. Even though the British forced the Americans to retreat, Prescott and his men stopped them twice and the British lost half of their men. To preserve ammunition and to gain better accuracy Prescott told his soldiers, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” While many historians believe that he wasn’t the first to give his troops this instruction, it is still attributed to Prescott for the tremendous effect that it had during the battle. Battles during the Civil War were the bloodiest on American soil for several reasons. One was that the rifles and guns were better than those used in previous battles but the armies were using outdated tactics and formations. Troops lined up side

by side and marched into battle while their opponents shot at the oncoming formations. This is exactly what happened during Pickett’s Charge on the third and last day of the Battle of Gettysburg. 12,500 men marched straight into the Union center and suffered over 50% casualties. Before the battle General Robert E. Lee rallied the troops but at the end he told everyone that it was “all my fault.” Lee then told Pickett to gather his division for defense, to which Pickett replied, “General, I have no division.” Union General Winfield Scott Hancock, who commanded the troops facing Pickett’s men, was severely wounded in the thigh as he encouraged his men to fight back. He was quoted as saying, “I do not care to die, but I pray [that] I may never leave this field.” He also famously said, “Do you see those colors? Take them!” This battle marked the end of the South’s invasion of the North and

Major Lloyd Williams: “Retreat? Hey, we just got here!”

was the turning point of the war. World War I began in 1914 and by the time the United States entered the war in 1917 many of the Allied powers were exhausted. By June 1918 French soldiers were retreating from Belleau Woods. The battle was soon joined by a company of American Marines under Major Lloyd Williams. A French colonel told him to retreat, to which Williams replied, “Retreat? Hey, we just got here!” The battle was won by the Americans but sadly Williams was killed during the battle as he was being evacuated after being wounded. The Marines are a hearty yet salty bunch and when one soldier asked legendary General Chesty Puller permission to marry, he responded, “Son, if the Marines thought you needed a wife, we would have issued you one.” World War II had many noteworthy quotes. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had many sleep-

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

less nights as the Germans bombed London. He praised the troops and airmen of the Allied armed forces. He said of the bombings, “We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us.” He also noted, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Some quotes have found their way into military lore and a few into popular culture. As General Douglas MacArthur was leaving the Philippines in the spring of 1942 he uttered the words, “I shall return.” For the next two and half years this was the only hope that the Philippines and scattered American troops left behind were able to hold onto as the Japanese brutally took control. True to his words, MacArthur did return in late 1944. MacArthur is on the record for saying, “Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” An overlooked hero of D-Day,

June 6, 1944, was the 51-year-old assistant commander of the 29th Division General Norman Cota. He knew the landings were going to be tough so he went in with the second wave of men about an hour after the first

sion called the Screaming Eagles and elements of the 10th Armored Division were surrounded by at least five German divisions during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. A message to surrender from the German

"I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom."

wave. Seeing that a few soldiers were actually getting things done and were not shell-shocked Cota asked, “What outfit is this?” “5th Rangers” came the reply. Cota responded, “Well, gosh darn it, Rangers, lead the way!” This quote became so famous that the Rangers adopted it as their motto. Airborne soldiers of the 101st Divi-

commander came to the American headquarters in Bastogne. American General Anthony McAuliffe sent a one word message back to his counterpart: “Nuts!” This reply was spread not only to the troops in besieged Bastogne but also to many of the Allied troops across the front. Boosted with the defense at Bastogne, the Allies

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soon were able to push back the Nazis’ last ditch effort to win the war on the Western front. Leaders, both on the battlefield and behind the lines, can lift the morale of their troops with their attitude. General George Patton was involved in some of World War II’s toughest battles and saw men at their best and some at their worst. He said, “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom.” We’ll end this article with a quote from actor and legendary Marine Staff Sergeant R. Lee Ermey who passed away this week, “Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair.”

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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PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZING BY MALKA Call or text 3478861542

Management staff will assist you with: * Obtaining Medicaid and Pooled Income Trust * In-home Assessments, Individual and Family Counseling * Securing reliable home care assistance

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

* Case and Care Management services Dr. S. Sasson, DSW, LCSW (718) 544- 0870 or (646) 284-6242 Struggling with Shalom Bayis? The Shalom Bayis Hotline 732-523-1112. Caring rabbanim answering your questions for free.

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

So far very positive results BS’D! 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

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

HOUSES FOR SALE WOODSBURGH: BEST PRICE IN TOWN PRICE REDUCED Sprawling 4BR, 4BA Exp-Ranch, Oversized Rooms, LR W/Fplc, Formal Dining Rm, Large Den, Master Suite, Full Finished Basement, Storage Room & Office, Deck, Fabulous Property… $1.078M Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com WOODMERE: CHOICE PROPERTIES • 316 Longacre Ave. $999,999 Location, Location, Location. Low Taxes • 1075 Cedar Lane $449,999 Best Value in town. 4BR • 302 Longacre A3 $118,000 Jr. 4, First Floor, Walk all locations C. Slansky BROKER 516-655-3636 WOODMERE: NEW LISTING LOCATION!!! 4BR Colonial, Formal DR, Eik, Hardwood Floors, Den, Basement, SD#15…$850K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

Carol Braunstein Call or Text

(516) 592-2206

cbraunstein@pugatch.com

www.pugatch.com

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!

NORTH WOODMERE: NEW LISTING Lovely, Spacious & Immaculate 4BR Splanch Located On Quiet Street In SD#14, Beautiful New Wood/Granite Eat-In-Kitchen W/SS Appliances, Formal DR W/Bay Windows, Great Yard, Finished Basement, Near All…$949K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com WOODMERE: NEW LISTING Updated Ranch Home in SD#15, 4BR, 2 Full Baths, EIK, Formal DR, Enclosed Terrace, Gas Heat, Move Right In…$829K or Rent $3,300/mo. Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

Susan Pugatch (516) 295-3000 spugatch@pugatch.com

LAWRENCE

Brand New Rental Apartments

NO FEE

2 Bedrooms, 1BA, Central A/C, Stainless Steel Appliances, Near All,

From…$2,000/mo.

Lovely & Spacious 4BR Splanch In SD#14, Eik, FDR, Fin Bsmt, Near All..$949K

Updated 4BR Ranch, Eik, Waterfront 6BR, 6.5BA Terrace, SD#15..$829K Colonial, Pool..$1.995M

N.WOODMERE: 39 Valley Ln W (1-2:30)$949K WOODMERE: 211 Steven Pl (12-1:30)$799K

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

Classifieds HOUSES FOR SALE 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

COMMERCIAL RE CEDARHURST 500-3,500 +/- SF Beautiful, newly renovated space for rent. Ideal for Retail or Executive offices. Prime location. Convenient Parking. Sam @516-612-2433 or 718-747-8080

COMMERCIAL RE INWOOD 10,000 sq ft brick building. Offices and warehouse. High ceilings. Asking $16/foot. Owner: 516-206-1100 mark@mbequitygroup.com EAST ROCKAWAY: Retail Stores on Busy Corner, 1000SF& Up Available, Great High Visibility Location, For Lease… Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698 CEDARHURST: COMING SOON Don’t Miss This Opportunity!!! High Tech Executive Suites W/Parking & Storage, Various Sizes Available, All New!!! 24 Hour Access, All Utilities Included Plus Many Amenities, For Lease…Call Ian for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

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

Multiple Use Retail Bldg w/Attached Apt + Bsmt..$795K

www.pugatch.com

Call Ian Leigh For Details (516) 295-3000

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Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003

APT FOR RENT

COMMERCIAL RE

CO-OP/CONDO SALE

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

LONG BEACH: Various Office Spaces Available on 2nd Floor, 525 - 900+/- SF, Separate Bathrooms, Newly Renovated, For Lease…Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

KEW GARDENS HILLS Beautiful, spacious 3BR Co-op Apt . Steps to shopping, public trans, shuls. $279K, Contact Milllie 917-705-5050

FRANKLIN SQUARE: 2,185+/-SF Medical Office Space in Professional Strip W/On-Site Parking in Great Location, For Lease… Call Alan For More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com HEWLETT: INVESTOR’S DELIGHT!!! 5 Store Strip - Fully Leased, Great Tenancy, High Traffic Location, Easy to Manage, For Sale… Call Ian for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com FREEPORT: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY!!! 12,000SF Multi Tenanted Professional Building with 21 Car On-Site Parking, Good Upside Potential, Lot Size 24,570SF, For Sale … Call For More Details Broker 516) 792-6698

VALLEY STREAM: Office Suites Available in Professional Building, Handicap Accessible, Parking, For Lease… Call Randy for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

CO-OP/CONDO SALE 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 HEWLETT NEW LISTING Beautifully Maintained 1BR Apt on the 1st Floor, Hardwood Floors, Eik, Terrace, Close To All...$139K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www. pugatch.com

355 Central Avenue, Lawrence NY 11559

ISLAND PARK NEW LISTING Spacious 3BR, 2.5BA Condo W/Porch & Terrace in Gated & Exclusive Resort Like Community, 24HR Security, Salt Water Pool & Boat Slips, Deeded Dock Spot & Much More...$625K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

APT FOR RENT Top Of The Line Apartment, 2 Bedrooms, Stainless Steel Appliances, Crown Molding, Close To All…From $2,000/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

Life CAPTURE

I M A G E S LTD PHOTOGRAPHY I VIDEO

P: 516.791.6100 | F: 516.374.7059

WOODMERE

NEW TO MARKET/COMPLETELY RENOVATED Perfect starter house in Woodmere. This light and bright 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house has everything from new oors to new recessed lighting. All new windows, large kitchen w/ 2 sinks and 2 dishwashers, microwave oven and more. Beautiful hardwood oors and tiled bathrooms. Laundry on the second oor. New heat, A/C. Unnnished basement & deep property $699K.

FAR ROCKAWAY: NEW LISTING Spacious & Updated 2BR, 2 Bathroom Apt on 1st Floor W/Terrace In Elevator Bldg, Parking, Doorman & Laundry Room On Premise...$350K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

SPACIOUS 1 BDR APT CO-OP FOR SALE BY OWNER New Kitchen, Hardwood Floors, New Bathroom, First Floor, High Hats, Underground Parking, Very bright apartment, Located in the heart of Lawrence, Move In Condition For More information please call 516-405-0248 or 718-873-5422

(Across the street from Seasons)

www.WeissmanRealty.com

NEWLY BUILT HOME IN INWOOD FOR RENT beginning August 1st. Frum neighbors, 1 block from LIRR, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, fully kosher kitchen (2 sinks, 2 dishwashers), living room, dining room, family room, nice backyard. $3500 monthly. Call/text 917-975-1800 for more information

GABRIEL SOLOMON

GABE@LIFECAPTUREIMAGES.COM 516.499.9620 WWW.LIFECAPTUREIMAGES.COM

Contact Sherri Slochowsky @ 516-297-7995 to schedule a showing.

WOODMERE

COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR LEASE

Corner building available. 6500 sq. ft. Set up as oﬃce but could easily be renovated to prime retail. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 for all info.

OFFICES FOR LEASE Far Rockaway

Cornaga location, 3 to 4 oﬃces, plus bthrm. Good for doctor, dentist or business. $1900 Call Sherri 516-297-7995

Cedarhurst

Single rooms or executive suites. All utilities included. Starting at $400. Call Sherri 516-297-7995

Rabbi Dovid Fleischmann Certified Mohel

WWW.BABYSMOHEL.COM

Baby-Friendly Care

 Personalized Attention

Expert Skill and Dedicated Service you Deserve

516-314-3236 babysmohel@gmail.com

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018

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Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003

APT FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

BEAUTIFUL 3 BEDROOM APARTMENT 2909 Bayswater Ave. 1.5 bathroom, jacuzzi, eat in kitchen, dishwasher, washer & dryer, beautiful backyard deck, A/C, installed in the wall with driveway & garage, including gas, heat & water Moshe 917 951 3921

SPECIAL CARE FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN SERVICES • Seeking a motivated and energetic male to work with a fun, charming 12 year old boy with Down syndrome in Far Rockaway, Sundays 4-6:30, Tuesdays 7-8:45. • Seeking warm and caring male to work with a 19 year old male with autism after 5:00 in Far Rockaway. Please call Special Care 718-325-3365 ex:102 or email: renay@specialcarefor.com

SEEKING JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER OF SCIENCE AND SS for a warm, supportive yeshiva in Queens. Please call 917-742-8909 or fax resume to 347-571-2287.

Shevach High School, Flushing, New York, seeks AP Psychology, AP Biology, Spanish and French Teachers for the 2018-2019 School Year. Master's Degree & Experience required. Please send resume to office@shevachhs.org

FOR RENT IN FAR ROCKAWAY 3 Bedroom apartment, 2 full bathrooms, 2 porches, kosher Kitchen with 2 sinks, on 3rd floor in a 3 story, 3 family home, (Dinsmore av Near Nielson), asking $2150 Please call 516-225-4558 LAWRENCE: NO FEE – BRAND NEW Top Of The Line Apartment, 2 Bedrooms, Stainless Steel Appliances, Crown Molding, Close To All…From $2,000/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com CEDARHURST: NEW LISTING 2BR, 2BA In 2 Family House, Eik, LR, DR, Washer/Dryer, Very Close To All, Great Location...$2,500/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

NURSERY ASSISTANT TEACHER AT local Boys Yeshiva for 2018-19 school year Warm, Motivated and Organized Excellent opportunity for growth! Please send resume with references to morahseek@gmail.com FULL TIME POSITION: FIELD NETWORK TECHNICIAN / INSTALLER for a growing phone service provider. Good pay, some experience required Email your information Sales @communicationsteam.net Call 718-471-8604

HAMASPIK IN FAR ROCKAWAY is looking for a full-time Medicaid Service Coordinator to work with children and adults who have developmental disabilities. BA Required. Please send resume to cgoldstein@hamaspikkings.org Hamaspik is seeking community Habilitation staff to work day hours, evenings and weekends in the Five Towns, Queens, Far Rockaway & long Island, with high functioning developmentally disabled adults, children and teens. Shabbos staff also needed for Cedarhurst, Far Rockaway & Lawrence. Drivers’ license a plus. Mileage will be reimbursed. Please call Yehudis: 718-408-5417 for more details F/T & P/T Positions: Counselors needed to work with men with developmental disabilities or psychiatric disabilities living in group residences in Hewlett, Cedarhurst and Lawrence. Ability to speak and write English required. Valid driver's license required for some positions. All shifts available including 8:30am-4:30pm, 3pm-11pm, Overnights and Weekends. Great Salary plus benefits!! Contact OHEL at 855-OHEL JOB, online at www.ohelfamily.org/careers Secretarial position available in a residence in Cedarhurst for individuals with developmental disabilities. Looking for a very organized person who has ability to multi-task. Excellent English communication, follow up and basic computer skills required. Morning hours, part time. Call 855OHEL JOB, Apply online at www. ohelfamily.org/careers P/T Cook Plan and prepare kosher meals for men with developmental disabilities in a residential setting Cedarhurst. Knowledge of kashrus a must. Contact OHEL at 855-OHEL JOB, online at www.ohelfamily.org/careers Pugatch Realty Corp., in Woodmere, is looking to hire and train a select group of motivated Realtors. If you are looking to build a career in real estate, or looking to take your existing career to the next level, there is no better place to start that the #1 Real Estate Brokerage in the Five Towns… Call Today (516) 295-3000 x 128. All calls kept confidential.

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 F/T & P/T 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 experience. OHEL: 855-OHEL JOB, www.ohelfamily.org/careers FIVE TOWNS OFFICE LOOKING FOR immediate hire of several people…part time and full time…starting at $15 per hour. Need detail- oriented person to handle A/P, A/R, customer service, and ability to negotiate bids and contracts. Computer literate a must. Please email fabadi@egwaste.com 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 SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year. Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org SECRETARY 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

MISC WIG GEMACH Everyone in our community deserves to look great! Donate used wigs and make a world of a difference. For appointments to see wigs or to donate, call Deena 845-304-6668

The Jewish Home | APRIL 19, 2018 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

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Money

Such a Bore By Allan Rolnick, CPA

veryone has a mental picture of what a tax professional or accountant looks like. Probably pretty boring, right? Dull. Predictable. Not quite smart enough to do useful work, like engineering. Definitely not slick enough for sales. Probably balding and paunchy, bleary-eyed from too many late nights at the office typing numbers into boxes on government forms. But that’s not always the case. So let’s take a look at a couple of fun stories that shatter that stereotype. First, Dorothy Steel. Dorothy spent decades working as a senior revenue officer for the IRS before retiring on December 7, 1984. But “retirement” must not have suited her as well as she expected, so at age 88, she took up a new pursuit — acting. She started at an Atlanta-area senior center, then worked her way up to TV and short-film roles. In November 2016, her agent called about a part in some “comic book” movie that would have required her to speak in an African accent. She scoffed and told her agent to pass. But then she told her grandson about the part. After he picked his jaw up off the floor, he told her that Black Panther would be

a big, big deal. “My grandson said to me, ‘You’re always talking about stepping out on faith. I either want you to man up or shut up,’” Steel told the Washington Post, laughing at the memory. So Dorothy sent in her audition tape. An hour after producers saw it, they said, “Who is that old lady?

ing. (OK, boring.) He played hockey for Western Michigan University and still plays in a local beer league. He’s also the Chicago Blackhawks’ designated “emergency goalie” — a job that usually means sitting in the press box and eating free food. On March 29, though, goaltender Anton Forsberg hurt himself during

The crowd began chanting, "FOS-TER, FOS-TER, FOS-TER," before roaring in applause at the final horn.

We want her.” The next day, she had the part. Now millions of fans across the globe have seen the former tax collector as a Tribal Elder advising Wakanda’s King T’Challa in Marvel’s newest billion-dollar grossing hit. Next, Scott Foster. Scott’s a 36-year-old accountant for Golub Capital, a private lender focused on middle-market and late-stage lend-

practice, and rookie backup Collin Delia hurt himself six minutes into the third period. That meant time for Foster’s NHL debut. Foster killed it during his time in the crease. Donning #90, he played 14 minutes and one second, and stopped all six shots he faced from the visiting Winnipeg Jets. The crowd began chanting, “FOS-TER, FOS-TER, FOS-TER,” before roar-

ing in applause at the final horn. His teammates awarded him the team belt for player of the game. Foster’s performance may even earn him a new start from the U.S. Hockey League’s Chicago Steel. “If Scott can handle itemized deductions as well as he handles a Dustin Byfuglien slap shot, he’ll be a great asset,” said Steel president Dan Lehv in a press release. “Overall, our starting accountants have been doing a good job for us. But as we all know, anything can happen in the crazy, fast-paced world of accounting. Last year’s Academy Awards are a prime example. We couldn’t see a guy like Scott Foster misplacing the Best Picture envelope. He seems like a ‘no loopholes’ kind of guy.” Dorothy Steel and Scott Foster both offer a valuable lesson: it’s never too late to start. And that applies to paying less tax, too. Make sure to have a plan when you’re ready to save. We promise the savings won’t be boring! 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.

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APRIL 19, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

Spring, Anyone? By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC

vague memory of warmer weather wafts through my mind.... The dream of no more snowstorms. The hope of not sitting on

the tarmac waiting for my plane to be de-iced in April as it was end of March. Lighter jackets?! Ah, yes, I do recall a season such as this. But has G-d perhaps forgotten it?

No, of course not. We know that G-d works in mysterious ways. But I think in this case we are should be talking about mysterious Waze. Perhaps spring has just lost its direction and wound up in the wrong location. That must be it. Because it’s long overdue to get here. Anything we can do to help? Sure! Think positive. Put away those winter coats and boots. Start filling those

the surprise tidal waves. Walk along the ocean, yes, you got it, do avoid the unseasonal tidal waves. In other words, think positively but if the weather doesn’t cooperate with your optimism, don’t drown! There’s always tomorrow! I’m sure spring has to be on its way. Because summer is almost here, and I know it never shows up without putting a bunch of innocent

Trade in your raincoat for a wetsuit, your ski goggles for pool goggles, and get ready to spring into action.

long neglected bike tires with air. Clean up those barbecue grills. Buy your seeds and start planting them. You know the theme from the “Field of Dreams”: If you build it they will come. So, if you expect it, it will come! Trade in your raincoat for a wetsuit, your ski goggles for pool goggles, and get ready to spring into action. Take those long walks on the boardwalk, yes, do avoid the potential tidal waves. Open your sunroofs, yes, do avoid

souls through their tortured allergy season. So, let’s just get in gear. I just feel it must be around the corner. Store those opaques. Tear off the wools. Detach the popular pom-pom. And give spring a hearty welcome! Tennis anyone?

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-7052004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.

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