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January 1, 2020

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YEAR IN REVIEW pg

Gedolei Yisrael Celebrate First Dirshu World Siyum in Yerushalayim Together with Lomdei Dirshu

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Passover Vacation Section Starts on page 107

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Enrich and enhance your Talmud study with this unique and fascinating new volume!

COMPLETE YOUR SCHOTTENSTEIN TALMUD SET

‫ ג‬

Rav Gidal — ‫ידּל‬ ֵ ִ‫�רב ג‬

On their way back, the monkey escaped and climbed down a hole in the ground.

When they dug around 1 the hole to retrieve the monkey, they found that it was crouching atop a pile of pearls. Taking this as an act of Divine Providence, the sailors brought Rav Gamda all the pearls.

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av Gidal’s primary teacher was Rav. He also studied under Shmuel. When Rav Huna* was appointed as Rosh Yeshivah after the passing of joined many of their students these two giants, Rav Gidal to study under him. It appears that at some point he also Rabban Gamliel The Elder travelled to Eretz Yisrael to study under R’ Yochanan.* Tanna / Eretz Yisrael One of Rav Gidal’s colleague s was R’ Abba.* [See R’ A Tanna who served as entry for an incident involving Abba’s Nasi in the waning days both of them.] of He is mentioned many the Second Temple. times in the Talmud, most often when citing a teaching in the name of Rav, often citing Rav Chiya bar Yosef in the abban Gamliel was the name of Rav. His faithfulne grandson of the famous transmitting Rav’s teachings Tanna ss in Hillel (the Elder),* who founded a line of illustriou is described in the following exchange: s Torah scholars and Nesiim.

He lived during the last century of the Second Temple (Shabbos They asked Rav Gidal: 15a). He assumed the Did Rav really say what position you of Nasi [head of the Sanhedrin (High claim he said? He replied: Court)] following the [I swear] by the Torah, the passing of his father, Rabban Shimon Prophets, and the Writings I* (son of Hillel), and that Rav did say this! he served in that d the institu(Eruvin 17a). capacity for nearly forty years (Sifrei, Vezos reestablishe ylonia. In HaBerachah). In the ia quickly Bab Talmud he is usually The Talmud relates that to Babylon called Rabban rished in t he used to sit at the entrance Gamliel “the Elder” to ish exiles Torah flou the women’s mikveh in distinguish him from e who wen to order to instruct them ple, the Jew his grandson, short time many of thos ah Sages. in the proper Rabban Gamliel II of Yavneh* (see Tosafos method of immersion. , within a the First Tem Hashem, eed of Tor by t s to Ind ion Because of his great Niddah nes grea 6b). ah. ruct e His contemporaries included Tor piety, he was ud not concerned that he R’ Yishmael the Kohen of great kind King Yechoniah, wer fter the dest studying would have any improper Gadol,* as an act ed by the Talm ai. hing and thoughts Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai,* and Shmuel (Berachos 20a). along with retrospect 4, as explain tions for teac HaKatan.* be seen in and Mordech the Temple, Kings 24:1 of iel, (II only Among Rav Gidal’s lessons: d ion ers Dan ), coul ruct keep His son was Rabban Shimon When one states a teaching what they estabre the dest kel (Ezekiel ben Gamliel II,* who succeeded the name of he who said sans and gate in his father ia, where het Yechez en years befo it, he should envision the and as Nasi until he was murdered ‫ ֶה ָח �ר‬, the arti of Babylon as the prop author of that teaching as if he were destroyed into exile elev rred to as ‫שׁ וְ �ה �מּ ְסגֵּ ר‬ by the Romans, and ea district stalwarts standing before him [and refe gue that was g Yechoniah the Nehard were such thus the Family his son-in-law was R’ Shimon ben Nesanel lesson will be taught with They were “the synago ong them settled in (Tosefta greater clarity and faithfulne Avodah Zarah 3:3), one built by Kin known as e of exiles rin 38a). Am was the source], as the verse ss to dents s, when wav of was hed the gue e five primary first San ago in states (Psalms 39:7): Only stu[1] of thes of Rabban Yochanan ben of this Yisrael. Thu talize this syn with an image [of his teacher] Zakkai. His grandson Rabban ning. One lains that from Eretz y members lear revi should a person proceed exp Gamliel II merited to see ) Man ah them and ‫ד“ה‬ Tor ‫דשף‬ (Yerushalmi and study under his grandfath Shekalim 2:5). brought with ready to receive them t houses of gillah 29a er. earth they lished grea Rashi (Me itutions Several practices of Rabban g stones and the Nehardea.” d Torah inst Gamliel and his family, ardea, usin majority of rebuilt in as related r, they foun to the Temple and its urage in Neh Temple, the service, are recorded by years late groups of the Mishnah. and his ento exiles came eleven d the Second es to large Rav Gamda — ael to buil the Unique Customs To ensure that their annual halfgreat Sag nt of Reish the bulk of to Eretz Yisr be taught there by ity. shekel contribution was rned in a stateme up from mun Amora / Babylonia retu to com s d actually used indicated to buy Temple offerings, e continue many Jew the forlorn the members of Rabban A student of Rava,* who od is clearly tz Yisrael, Ezra cam and Torah peri r Ezra and the ia, was one of the leading sages Gamliel’s in afte this household would hold ylon n oil Eve back their contributions d in Bab es during tical turm otten in Ere in the time of Rav Ashi.* until just berfore the withdrawal was ple remaine ylonian Sag ah was forg the military and poli [in the afte made, and then would Jewish peo s of the Bab n the Tor to enter the yet again chamber where the shekalim The greatnes ancient times, whe it.” It is n again [due n it was forgotten were kept, each with his students. ittle is known about Rav tablished ): “In shekel between his fingers. halfwas forgotte Gamda, other than that his sons rees They would throw it onto d it, and whe (Succah 20a ished it. When it tablished he was a of shekalim and ish ishe colleague of Ameimar,* rees ya Lak tabl the rin Chi pile tabl Mar Zutra,* and Rav Ashi.* in front of the Kohen performin Sanhed up and rees hba revolution] R’ and rees generally mentioned when He is and he g the withdrawal, ian came built and the Babylonia Koc would then push it from citing a teaching of Rava. ylon was Bar Bab ple the the pile into the basket We are told that Rav el the ond Tem level. leaders he was filling (Shekalim that Gamda became wealthy, that followed Land], Hill after the Sec ylonia at a very high great Torah 3:3). The members of his and the would Talmud (Nedarim 50b) devastation the that even household of Ezra, the describes how this came also bow in fourteen different math of the h Lakish’s account not assume [2] about: rished in Bab Yisrael in the days places in the Temple Sages did Rav Gamda once gave complex, instead of the Reis ael. larship flou tz some money to some sailors thirteen that the rest of Babylonian clear from Torah scho ished in Ere in Eretz Yisr in the populace who bowed. The extra bow were setting out on a tz Yisrael. tz Yisrael, n academy was reestabl journey, was facing the chamber functioned Sages of Ere itself in Ere Sanhedrin ds of the mai used to store something on their expedition asking them to buy him wood for the Altar’s rin and the , once the to the hea Mesivta that fires, because Rabban n hed . However, the sailors ever the give San ia, How Gamliel’s family did had a tradition from not find anything appropria to the , the title Babylon their ancestors that the te on their voyage. Finally, ia deferred “The the Mesivta Eretz Yisrael and ylon ws: of Holy [3] ds Bab they used the money to follo Ark hidden in was Hea , there in underground ) as buy Rav Gamda a monkey. chambers beneath its 5, p. 166 hei Mesivta ivos in both others. floor[1] (6:1 there). title of Res nim (Volume e other yesh shed above the

‫יאל �הזָּ ֵקן‬ ֵ ִ‫�ר ָבּן �גּ ְמל‬

Yeshivos a ry of the Babyloni � A Histo srael and Yi z et Er in

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srael in Eretz Yi and Babylonia l Mesivta el The centra ing in Eretz Yisra of Learn es us Ho the

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‫�רב גַ ְּמ ָדּא‬

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1. The Holy Ark (Aron HaKodesh) was not present Temple. It had been in the Second hidden toward the end of the First Temple era by King Yoshiyahu (Josiah), who was informed ecy that the Temple would by prophsoon be destroyed by the Babylonians. To

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prevent the Ark (which contained the Tablets of the Ten Commandments) from falling into foreign hands, the that it be hidden in king commanded underground chambers beneath the Temple (Rav).

Question: What motiva

MW: As a therapist and on my rad repeatedly. One very prevalent one working toward goals in life feel ad next. But most people don’t start o these are in the areas of spirituality care of their health. When people with a sense of purpose.

At some point, however, they hit a therapy is spent helping people to This is the concept I wanted to put when something is in motion. It’s t overcome the obstacles. The enem

1

Amora / Eretz Yisrael, Babylonia A second-generation Amora, who was a student of Rav* and Shmuel.*

Interview with Morde author of Momentum

publi d out there wer os HaRisho tz and was hedrin stoo Although thick volribed in Dor vy Rabinowi with the San shed in four t that it Isaac HaLe ion is desc nally publi R’ Yitzchak collaboration ess of this institut ge, excep . It was origi written by es. All without chan and 1918 l in 1967 een 1897 The uniquen in eight volum

in Israe betw h was reprinted reprinted acuwas later e set, whic 1). rn-day vern umes. It was volumes. It are to the six-volum Gaon (VII, in the mode school-age stuthe Talmud. ed into six Rav Sherira 1). While section was divid Edition of 1. Iggeres Gaon (VII, ivah for high ttenstein ences in this of Torah Rav Sherira is applied to any yesh the central house volume refer the notes to the Scho 2. Iggeres in sively for “Mesivta” le. one used used exclu for the entire peop lar the term s was the gs nally it was set of book This dents, origi h issued Torah rulin im: s HaRishon learning whic ences to Doro about refer 3. A note

Does the book provide losing motivation?

MW: This book’s overall message Hashem’s plan, like a force of natu tests that the Avos had to overcom that it’s not supposed to be easy, s to be?” Why do we think Hashem experiencing the normal process o

Most of our obstacles come from insid said, “For every action, there’s an equ inner voice of opposition will shout its

My best analogy for this is driving a ca

the window, you’ll barely feel the w AVAILABLE IN TWO SIZESout hand very hard. So if you don’t have m

through at 25 miles per hour. But whe by a whole host of inner voices asking so forth. If you learn to expect this, yo

e study the Talmud, poring over its pages, cherishing its every word. But do we know very much about its background? In this beautiful volume, we will enrich and enhance the experience of learning Talmud with so much vital information!

Available at your local Hebrew bookseller or at www.artscroll.com • 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724) Includes writings on Over 250 biographies of Tannaim and Amoraim and Talmudic personalities.

A narrative history of the era of the Mishnah and Talmud, including a history of the Yeshivos.

Major Rabbinic works describing the transmission of the Oral Law and the compilation of the Mishnah and Talmud: Rambam’s Introduction to Yad Chazakah and to his Commentary on the Mishnah, with both Hebrew text and English translation, and explanatory notes.

The Iggeres Rav Sherira Gaon in the original Aramaic, with English translation, and explanatory notes.

The 13 Middos and other rules by which the Written Torah is expounded, with clear examples of each one.

What is the Oral Law and what is its relationship to the Written Torah?

A description of the layout of the classic Gemara page.

A history of the printing of the Talmud.

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

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

I

’m still stumbling through Chanukah wrapping paper as I write this, with the menorahs barely being put away until next year. But now we’re onto the next phase in our year, as the winter looms ahead of us.

Pulling the kids out of bed this morning wasn’t easy. It’s never easy to get up early after a long vacation. But I tried to coax them out from under the covers with reminders of other fun things that are going to come their way – birthdays and midwinter vacation and connecting with their friends and teachers after the Chanukah break. It worked – somewhat. They were still groggy as I dropped them off at school and wished them a great day.

As adults, we don’t get to hit the snooze button as often as we’d like.

There are deadlines and responsibilities, obligations that we can’t push off.

But it’s nice when we are given a fresh slate with which to restart.

I look at January 1st as that fresh slate.

I see it as a day when I can recalibrate certain things and ascertain where I’d like to be heading in the new year. It’s

Weekly Weather |

a time when I get to take a deep breath and reevaluate – reassess my goals and my objectives.

The next few months turn into routine when it comes to school and work.

There are homeworks and suppers and tests and deadlines. But that routine, albeit a bit monotonous and boring, helps us work towards our goals. Knowing that our week contains a standard schedule when we look at our calendars allows us to focus on what we have to accomplish.

Of course, we shouldn’t let our days become dull. We need to add color to our calendar during the winter months.

Make sure to pencil in deviations from the standard humdrum that can fill your days – a new project to tackle, a trip to the city, a few hours at the ice skating rink, catching up with old friends… This way, you can accomplish what needs to get done and have fun while you’re doing it.

Yitzy Halpern

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine.

Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­ sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

8

Community Happenings

46

NEWS

95

Global

12

National

34

Odd-but-True Stories

39

TJH 2019 Year in Review

88

ISRAEL Israel News

World Builders

30 84

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

78

A Higher Dimension by Rav Moshe Weinberger

80

Yosef and the Battle for True Beauty by Shmuel Reichman

82

PEOPLE Isadore Jachman, Medal of Honor Hero by Avi Heiligman

126

HEALTH & FITNESS Anger Drove a Wedge by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

112

The #1 New Year’s Resolution by Cindy Weinberger, MS RD CDN

114

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Zucchini Parmesan Chips 116 LIFESTYLES

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Dear Editor, Your article on the Carmel fires brought back memories of Chanukahs not so long ago. It also highlighted that although we see our country as strong and resilient, we still need many things: foremost, we need Hashem’s help – with everything! We can never do anything alone, or even believe that we can do things on our own. Secondly, it’s important for the state to create relationships with other countries and nations. Yes, we have come a long and we are doing amazing when it comes to innovation and technology, but not man (or country) is an island. Alliances with other nations are extremely important.

Thank you for another informative article. I enjoy reading your paper every week.

Sincerely, Joe Carnit Dear Editor, Hershel Lieber’s articles are a great way for me to get to know about different parts of the world while I sit in the comfort of my living room. I love reading about his excursions years ago and about the Jews, our brothers and sisters, with whom he has connected.

His articles are entertaining, enlightening, and a pleasure to read.

Chana Vogel

Dear Editor, Due to what has been going on in our community in New York, I believe that each shul should train their members – males and females – in knowing how to combat a threat. It doesn’t mean that everyone should be carrying a firearm; it means that they should be trained to be able to ascertain a threat and neutralize a threat when it comes.

Additionally, each shul should have numerous phones that are accessible in many areas that can be used in case, chas v’shalom, of an emergency. Reaching out to law enforcement earlier than later can save lives.

R. Leiter Dear Editor, I always appreciate Dr. Lightman’s articles and I’m happy to see that he published an article in this week’s issue. That being said, one piece of advice he gave in this week’s article was about parenting children. He suggested that only parents of children should discipline their children – not bubbies, zaidies, aunts, or uncles.

In theory, that is important advice. A child is no one else’s responsibility except a parent’s. But there are situations when a parent does not want to “parent” or they want to see how a situation plays out – Continued on page 10

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW

102

Your Money

132

Where Did That Come From? by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 134 HUMOR Centerfold 76 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

118

Reading the Tea Leaves by David Ignatius

123

The 10 Best Things Trump Has Done in 2019 by Marc A. Thiessen

124

CLASSIFIEDS

128

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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

The reason Chazal placed Masechta Avos, which is all about middos tovos in Seder Nezikin, which is primarily about matters of personal injury, is because one who does not work on perfecting his middos is the greatest mazik.

A person once came to Rav Yechezkel Levenstein, zt”l, bemoaning that he had not yet been blessed with children. Rav Chatzkel advised him to learn a seder in mussar for ten minutes daily.

He accepted the advice and before long was blessed with a child. Rav Chatzkel explained that this was not a miracle.

SIMPLY, WHEN A PERSON ACCEPTS UPON HIMSELF A POSITIVE UNDERTAKING, HE IS NO LONGER THE SAME PERSON. Thus, if it was decreed that he should not have children, that decree wasn’t issued regarding the ‘new person’ that he has now become.”

—HaGaon HaRav Elimelech Biderman, shlita

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Continued from page 8

Dear Editor, This thought came to me as I was sharing a wonderful Chanukah party with my family.

There are many people in our community who don’t have family nearby – singles, baalei teshuva, widows, divorcees… Many of them would appreciate spending time with families who will open up their homes – even if it’s just for a meal or two on Shabbos – to share warmth and happiness with them.

Take the time the next few months to look around your shul or your neighborhood. Perhaps someone would appreciate an invitation for a Shabbos meal or a fresh challah on erev Shabbos. Maybe they’d appreciate a short phone call to say hi or a text asking them if they need anything from the store.

Why not bring light into someone else’s life, especially when it’s so easy to do?

Thank you, Fayga Lef kowitz

and the others in the room are left to see that child bothering other children or being destructive. What is a person to do? Do they let that child continue with that behavior, hoping that the parent – just a few feet away – will deal with it? In my experience, that leads to a lot of tension and resentment, and ultimately, people will remove themselves from that situation and limit time spent with the child/parent who is causing the problem – even when it’s family. When it’s your child who is being bullied or degraded, it’s very hard for you to wait to let the other person take care of the situation.

Additionally, saying that they should “come to me” when their child is creating problems is not a good solution. No one wants to be the “tattletale” and tell someone that their child is wreaking havoc on a house or on others.

Any other suggestions for dealing with those parents who don’t want to “parent”?

A Reader

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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The Week In News

Chilean Wildfires Burn More Than 200 Homes

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More than 200 families were left homeless after a wildfire tore through the Chilean port city of Valparaiso on Wednesday.

Authorities say that the blaze broke out last Tuesday afternoon in the San Roque hills and spread to Valparaiso on Wednesday. Buffeted by strong winds, the fire spread quickly, catching firefighters off guard and destroying more than 200 homes in a matter of hours.

Overwhelmed, firefighters called in support from the military, which dispatched helicopters and troops to help put out the flames. Over 90,000 Chileans lost power due to the blaze, and two schools were transformed into shelters for the newly-homeless.

By Saturday evening, the fire ravaged more than 120 hectares (445 acres) of territory. Chilean leaders promised Valparaiso residents that they would be compensated by the government for any damage they suffered from the fires.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Valparaiso leader Jorge Martinez Duran said that the fires were intentionally set, adding that police were searching for the arsonist.

“We have evidence from photos, videos, and conversations with locals that those fires in Valparaiso were produced intentionally,” Agriculture Minister Antonio Walker said. According to CNN, a video circulating on social media showed a fleet of cars next to the site where the fire began.

Fatal Crash in Kazakhstan

At least 12 people were killed after a Bek Air jet crashed into a building shortly after taking off in Kazakhstan.

The Fokker-100 jet with 93 passengers and five staff members took off from the city of Almaty on Friday morning before reporting engine trouble. The plane then lost altitude and hit a fence before slamming into a two-story building.

Initial reports said that 66 people were evacuated to the hospital, with 22 in critical condition. Most of the injured were seated in the front of the plane, which sustained most of the damage and broke into two pieces after hitting the building.

A survivor told the news website Tengrinews she had heard a “terrifying sound” before the plane started losing altitude.

“The plane was flying with a tilt. Everything was like in a movie: screaming, shouting, people crying,” she said.

“Today, at 7:22 a.m., Bek Air Flight Z2100 en route from Almaty to Nur-Sultan lost altitude and crashed into a concrete structure,” said Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Civil Aviation in a statement.

“Until the circumstances of the incident are clarified, all flights of planes of this type will be suspended,” the ministry added.

Following the crash, Kazakhstan grounded all of its Fokker-100 jets until the cause of the crash could be determined. Bek Air operates more than 100 Fokker-100 jets, a medium-sized, twin-turbofan jet airliner last produced 23 years ago.

While airline safety has been a concern in Kazakhstan, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) gave the country an award in October for “progress in resolving aviation security and oversight deficiencies.”

The country’s aviation service had done “comprehensive work in aviation security development,” the

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ICAO said.

Friday’s crash is Kazakhstan’s deadliest since 2013, when a Bombardier CRJ200 operated by SCAT Airlines crashed on approach to Almaty airport, killing all 21 people on board.

The country’s previous worst crash since independence came on December 25, 2012, when an Antonov An-72-100 run by the country’s military crashed near the city of Shymkent, killing 27 on board, including top members of the border guard service.

anese executions are carried out in secrecy, and prisoners are only made aware of when they will be executed on the same morning that they are hanged.

Since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to power in 2012, there have been 39 executions in Japan.

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Last Thursday, Japan executed Chinese prisoner Wei Wei, who had been on death row for more than 16 years. Wei, 40, was convicted of the 2003 robbing and murder of a family of four in their home.

According to Japan’s Kyodo News agency, Wei’s two Chinese accomplices were tried in their home country, where one was sentenced to death and the other was given life imprisonment.

Japan has upheld the death penalty despite growing international criticism. Japanese Justice Minister Masako Mori said that she had taken the international anti-execution movement into account and carefully examined the situation before signing the execution order.

“It was an extremely cold-blooded and cruel case, in which [Wei] killed four innocent members of a happy family,” Mori noted.

Japan and the U.S. are the only two countries in the Group of Seven advanced nations that utilize capital punishment. A survey by the Japanese government showed that the vast majority of its citizens support this practice. According to the Justice Ministry, there are currently 112 people on death row in Japan, of which 84 are seeking retrials. Jap-

U.S. forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday against five facilities the Pentagon says are tied to an Iranian-backed militia blamed for a series of attacks on joint U.S.-Iraq military facilities housing American forces.

The strikes are seen as the first significant military response in retaliation for attacks by the Shia militia group, known as Kataib Hezbollah, that have injured numerous American military personnel, according to U.S. officials.

Kataib Hezbollah is a group under the Popular Mobilization Units.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman described the strikes against the group as “precision defensive strikes” that “will degrade” the group’s ability to conduct future attacks against coalition forces.

At least 25 people were killed in the U.S. airstrikes.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. took “decisive action,” adding that threats against American forces had been ongoing for “weeks and weeks.”

“We will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy,” Pompeo said.

American officials have blamed the group for attacks like the one on Friday on a base near Kirkuk, Iraq, that killed a U.S. civilian contractor and injured four other U.S. service members.

The U.S. had been pushed to the brink of retaliation against Iran or its proxies before Sunday’s strikes, specifically after attacks this summer on oil tankers in the Persian

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issued a statement on December 2 criticizing the sentencing of two men to 15 years in jail. He also slammed the Zambian government for stealing “millions of dollars in public funds.”

He added that the U.S. provides Zambia with $500 million annually and that “the current government of Zambia wants foreign diplomats to be compliant, with open pocketbooks and closed mouths.”

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Gulf and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone in June.

U.S. officials, including Pompeo, have repeatedly stressed that any threat to the freedom of navigation in the Gulf and the oil trade would be considered unacceptable. Over the past two months, however, U.S. officials have grown increasingly con-

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In the last several weeks, a series of rocket attacks have targeted military installations in Iraq where U.S. and coalition personnel are stationed.

U.S. officials linked them to Kataib Hezbollah, citing similarities in the attacks. Iran is behind the militant group.

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U.S. Amb. to Zambia Recalled The U.S. State Department is removing the U.S. ambassador to Zambia following disputes about civil rights and corruption.

U.S. Ambassador Daniel Foote

Following these statements, Zambian President Edgar Lungu defended his country’s laws against certain people’s lifestyles and requested that the U.S. withdraw Foote.

“We have complained officially to the American government, and we are waiting for their response,” Lungu said in a speech that aired on December 15.

A State Department spokesperson said the department was “dismayed by the Zambian government’s statement that Ambassador Foote’s position ‘is no longer tenable,’ which we consider to be the equivalent of a declaration that the Ambassador is Persona Non Grata.”

Foote, who was appointed ambassador to Zambia in November 2017, stated that relations had not much improved between the countries.

“In my two years, I have strived to improve the U.S.-Zambia partnership, with minimal success,” he wrote. “Let us stop the façade that our governments enjoy ‘warm and cordial’ relations.”

Jail for Chinese Scientist A Chinese scientist who helped create the world’s first gene-edited babies has been sentenced to three years in prison.

He Jiankui shocked the world in 2018 when he announced that twin girls Lulu and Nana had been born with modified DNA to make them resistant to HIV, which he had engineered using the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 before birth.

He, an associate professor at the Southern University of Science and

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Technology in Shenzhen, said at the time that he was “proud” of the achievement. He later claimed that a second woman was pregnant as a result of his research. But He was condemned by many of his peers, with the experiment labeled “monstrous,” “unethical,” and a “huge blow” to the reputation of Chinese biomedical research. Many people within the scientific community raised ethical concerns, including the level of consent He had obtained from the parents of the babies and the level of transparency around gene editing.

On Monday, the Shenzhen Nanshan District People’s Court sentenced He to three years behind bars and a 3 million yuan ($430,000) fine, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

According to the court’s findings, He became aware of potential economic gains from human embryo gene-editing technology in 2016, Xinhua reported. He worked with two medical researchers, Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou, to use gene-editing technology to produce babies that were resistant to HIV. “The court held that the three defendants failed to obtain a doctor’s qualification and pursued profit, deliberately violated the relevant national regulations on scientific research and medical management, crossed the bottom line of scientific and medical ethics, and rashly applied gene-editing technology to human-assisted reproductive medicine, and disrupted the medical treatment,” Xinhua reported. “The nature of their behavior is serious and has constituted the crime of illegal medical practice.”

Zhang was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 1 million yuan ($143,000); Qin was given a suspended sentence of one year and six months in prison and fined 500,000 yuan ($71,600).

All three defendants have reportedly also been banned from engaging in human-assisted reproductive technology services for life.

Editing the genes of embryos intended for pregnancy is banned in

many countries, including the United States. In the United Kingdom, embryos can only be edited for research purposes with strict regulatory approval.

Typhoon Phanfone Hits Philippines

Typhoon Phanfone, known locally as Typhoon Ursula, has killed at least 16 people since hitting the central Philippines last week.

The storm first made landfall last Tuesday, hitting as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane. The storm continued to sweep across the islands, causing much damage in its wake as residents were busy preparing for holiday celebrations.

According to the Philippine national disaster management agency NDRRMC, around 2,351 people have been affected by the typhoon, and 1,654 people were taking refuge in evacuation centers. Over 58,000 people are reported to have been preemptively evacuated ahead of the typhoon. The agency also stated that 87 cities and municipalities experienced power outages. The full extent of the damage has yet to be determined.

On Thursday afternoon the province of Leyte was placed under a state of calamity due to the trail of destruction left by the typhoon.

“We are a mixture of feelings right now,” said Carlo Petilla Loreto, vice-governor of Leyte. “We’re supposed to be festive because it’s [the holiday] but at the same time we feel for those affected by Typhoon Ursula.”

Cindy Ferrer, head of the regional office of civil defense, described the battered coastal area of Batad in Iloilo province as looking like a “ghost town” on December 25.

The path of Phanfone was similar to that of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, one of the most powerful recorded storms which killed over 6,000 people.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

“It’s like the younger sibling of Haiyan. It’s less destructive, but it followed a similar path,” Ferrer noted.

Earlier in December, Typhoon Kammuri, the twentieth to hit the country this year, killed 13 people and damaged over 8,000 houses. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the Philippines gets hit by more typhoons than any other country.

Prisoner Exchange in Ukraine

Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine began exchanging prisoners on Sunday in a move aimed at ending their 5-year-long war.

The move was part of an agreement brokered earlier this month at a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France.

In total, 142 prisoners were expected to be exchanged at a checkpoint near Horlivka in eastern Ukraine — 55 released by the rebels and 87 by Ukraine.

The last major prisoner swap between separatist rebels and Ukrainian forces took place in December 2017, with 233 rebels exchanged for 73 Ukrainians.

The fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014 has killed more than 14,000 people. The conflict began about two months after Ukraine’s Russia-friendly president fled the country amid massive protests in Kyiv. Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula soon followed.

Hopes for ending the conflict have risen since the spring election of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been more amenable to negotiations with Russia on ending the war. But prospects for peace are still plagued by questions over allowing local elections that would ensure the rebel regions more autonomy and about Ukraine regaining control of its border with Russia in the rebel areas.

Russia, Iran, and China Drill Together

The emerging alliance between Iran, Russia, and China deepened as the three nations held a wide-ranging naval exercise this past week.

The four-day exercise began at the Iranian city of Chahbahar and ended close to the Islamic Republic’s border with Pakistan. “The exercise clarifies our deep commitment to securing vital waterways,” tweeted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

The unprecedented drill is the latest sign of warming ties between the U.S.’s two biggest rivals and Tehran.

“The most important achievement of these drills…is this message that the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be isolated,” declared vice-admiral GholJan. 7 amreza Tahan. “TheseMonday, exercises show At the home of that relations between Iran, Russia, Mrs. Shifra Silber and China have reached a new 1137 East 14thhigh Street level while this trend 7:30 willpm continue - Doorsin open the coming years.” 8:30 pm - Be inspired by: Bracha Wrona China’s foreign andMrs. defense ministries described the exercises as “normal military-to-military co-operation.” “It is not necessarily connected with the regional situation,” the defense ministry added.

The exercise was condemned by the U.S., with the U.S. State Department warning Iran to “think twice” about the drill, which it said was something that “should concern all nations with an interest in safeguarding freedom of navigation in the region.”

The United States views maintaining the freedom of passage in the Straits of Hormuz with extreme importance in order to ensure the world’s oil supply remains uninterrupted. In October, a major multinational naval exercise, called IMX 19, took place in the Mediterranean, with naval forces from about 50 countries and seven international organizations, including the U.S., UK, Egypt, South Korea, Australia and NATO taking part. The purpose of the exercise was joint training, as part of efforts to safeguard world security, combat piracy, and safeguard free-

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In the past two weeks, over 250,000 residents of the Idlib region of Syria have fled their homes, according to the United Nations. Idlib is one of the last strongholds held by rebel forces in Syria. President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has continued with his conquest to reclaim the last few rebel-held territories.

Home to 3 million people, the Idlib province had until recently been largely controlled by the al-Qaeda-linked rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The approaching Syrian forces have pushed tens of thousands of civilians to the border with Turkey, which already hosts approximately 4 million Syrian refugees.

The Syrian Army’s artillery and Russian missiles raining down around Idlib have sent people fleeing in what aid groups say could become the worst humanitarian crisis yet in Syria’s civil war, now in its ninth year.

People are desperate to find food, shelter and medical care – all which they already were struggling to find.

Leading up to this escalation, Syrian forces had been targeting Idlib province for months, displacing around 500,000 civilians, many of whom had already been displaced from homes elsewhere in Syria.

In recent weeks, Syrian forces have retaken several villages and now have their eye on a strategic highway and the nearby town of Maarat al-Numan, the largest in Idlib’s southern countryside. Tens of thousands of Syrians are fleeing for their lives.

“People, I swear by G-d, are sleeping in open air under trees and the temperature at night is near freezing,” Shaker al-Humeido, a doctor

in Maarat al-Numan, said. “I am shocked at the size of the tragedy.”

It’s winter now in Syria, and the cost of fuel around embattled Idlib has doubled since early October. That has, in turn, pushed up the price of food and made it even harder for families scrambling to find safer ground.

Remaining hospitals and makeshift clinics are struggling to afford running vital medical equipment.

Nine years into tumultuous fighting, mass displacement and death are nothing new. A 2018 U.N. report accused Assad of “deliberately starving” and bombing at least 265,000 civilians in the eastern Ghouta region, having “laid the longest running siege in modern history, steadily wearing down both fighters and civilians alike through a prolonged war of attrition.”

Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city and industrial capital, lays in ruin after four years of fighting in which the east side was held by rebel groups.

Assad and his forces used barrel bombs to indiscriminately kill civilians as well as fighters, even targeting hospitals.

“They looked like hollow shells of people,” said Surgeon Mounir Hakimi, founder of the Syria Relief aid group, describing the last Syrians to leave eastern Aleppo. “They were exhausted, they were broken… Everyone knew it would be bad. But not like this. On that day we saw Aleppo’s living dead.”

Attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

Protesters broke into the heavily guarded compound of the United States Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday and lit fires inside to protest American airstrikes that killed 24 members of an Iranian-backed militia over the weekend.

The men did not enter the main embassy buildings and later withdrew from the compound, joining thousands of protesters and militia fighters outside who chanted “Death

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to America,” threw rocks, covered the walls with graffiti, and demanded that the United States withdraw its forces from Iraq.

Sunday’s airstrikes targeted an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, Kataib Hezbollah, which the United States accused of carrying out a missile attack on an Iraqi military base that killed an American contractor and wounded American and Iraqi service members.

At the United States Embassy, protesters used long poles to shatter security cameras, covered the compound walls with anti-American graffiti, and lit a guardhouse on fire.

After breaking open a compound entrance, dozens of men entered and lit more fires while embassy security guards watched them from the embassy roof and fired tear gas.

The men eventually left the embassy compound, but climbed on top of adjacent buildings where they planted militia flags. Iraqi police and military personnel eventually arrived at the scene, but they did not disperse the protesters.

The Iraqi interior minister, Yassin al-Yasiri, said that American attacks on an Iraqi militia had invited trouble. He added that he had requested the protesters to leave the embassy

compound.

The United States has about 5,000 troops in Iraq in addition to an unclear number of civilian contractors.

The troops are tasked with training Iraqi security forces and helping to prevent a jihadist resurgence.

Ex-Nissan CEO Flees to Lebanon

Carlos Ghosn arrived in Lebanon this week after fleeing Japan, where he faced charges of financial wrongdoing. The sudden escape to Lebanon is the latest twist in a legal saga that resulted in Ghosn’s ouster as chairman of Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors and his resignation as chairman and CEO of alliance partner Renault.

Ghosn confirmed in a statement Tuesday that he had arrived in Lebanon, saying that he would “no longer

be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied.”

It’s not clear how Ghosn – who is a citizen of France, Brazil and Lebanon – was able to leave Japan before his trial took place. Ghosn’s lawyer Junichiro Hironaka said on Tuesday that the departure of his client, who faced a lengthy potential prison sentence, was a “complete surprise.”

“We are puzzled and shocked,” Hironaka said. He added that Ghosn’s attorneys hold his passports and that the former auto executive “could not possibly use them.”

The Wall Street Journal quoted an anonymous source as saying that Ghosn was “tired of being an industrial political hostage.” The newspaper also said that Ghosn arrived in Lebanon via Turkey.

Ghosn faces a litany of criminal charges in Japan, including allegations that he understated his income for years and funneled $5 million of Nissan’s money to a car dealership he controlled. He has repeatedly denied the charges and has claimed that his ouster and arrest were part of a plot to remove him from the global car-making alliance he built.

He said in the statement Tuesday

that he has “not fled justice; I have escaped injustice and political persecution.”

Ghosn was initially detained in November 2018 and spent 108 days in a Tokyo jail before being released on bail in March. He was arrested for a second time in April but was again granted bail. Prosecutors tried to reverse that decision, but their appeal was rejected by a court.

As a condition of his bail, Ghosn was required to stay in Japan. His wife Carole Ghosn – who has traveled the world appealing to political leaders on behalf of her husband – has also said they were prohibited from talking to each other.

Ghosn was born in Brazil, but he grew up in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

In recent years he had become a highly respected celebrity in Lebanon, and even began investing in business there. In 2017, the government issued a postal stamp featuring Ghosn.

After Ghosn’s arrest last year, Lebanon’s foreign ministry said that he represented “one of Lebanon’s success stories abroad.”

“The Lebanese foreign ministry will stand by his side in this ordeal to ensure that he receives a fair trial,” the ministry said at the time.

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had been swirling that Sa’ar, a popular former minister and MK, would succeed in unseating him, becoming the Likud’s leader.

Bibi Crushes Sa’ar in Primary

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will remain the leader of his Likud party after crushing rival Gideon Sa’ar in the race for party leader last week.

Netanyahu handily defeated Sa’ar by more than 70% and swept all of the Likud’s strongholds of Sderot, Kiryat Shmona, Ofakim, and Be’er Sheva. While Netanyahu was expected to win the contest, the large margin of his victory signaled that his party remains loyal to him despite his mounting legal troubles.

In his victory speech on Friday morning, Netanyahu told a raucous crowd that his victory was a “huge expression of confidence in my path, our path.”

“Most people support the right and most people support me for prime minister,” added Netanyahu, who went on to promise his supporters that he would annex the Jordan Valley and all of the West Bank Settlements should he win the next election in March.

“First, we will finalize our borders; second, we will push the U.S. to recognize our sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea; third, we will push for U.S. recognition of our extension of sovereignty over all the communities in Judea and Samaria, all of them without exception; fourth, we will push for a historic defense alliance with the U.S. that will preserve Israeli freedom of action; fifth, stop Iran and its allies decisively; and sixth, push for normalization and agreements that will lead to peace accords with Arab countries,” Netanyahu vowed.

The Likud’s leader since 2006, Netanyahu’s complicated legal situation was expected to dent his support within the party. Speculation

Massive Rainstorm Batters Israel

At least one person was killed after a winter storm dumped more than a foot of rain on Israel.

Following days of searching, police announced on Friday that the teen swept off his ATV by a sudden flash flood was found dead. The deceased was named as 16-year-old Yarka resident Omri Abu Ganeb, a Druze citizen of Israel.

Ganeb’s body was discovered by rescue forces under a rock adjoining the Ein Yafem river, a few miles from where his ATV was discovered.

Police had been frantically searching for him ever since he lost communication on Wednesday morning after going jeeping.

Israel has been pounded by a severe winter rainstorm that first began last Wednesday morning. The most significant rainfall occurred in the north, with Thursday being the rainiest day in Israel’s history. By Friday, 150 mm of rain had fallen in the north, with flash flooding in the Upper Galilee and Jezreel Valley.

The Mount of Hermon was blanketed by three inches of snow on Friday, adding to the 172 mm of water the Golan Heights has gotten over the past week. The rainfall also raised the Sea of Galilee’s water level by centimeters, providing desperately-needed relief for the waterway that has been suffering from a low water level caused by drought.

Having Trouble Making Ends Meet A new report by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Israel has found that, despite record low unemploy-

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ment and rising wages, many Israelis still feel left behind by the roaring economy.

The data, which was collected over two years, included interviews with some 7,450 people aged 20 and over, representing about 6.5 million people. The findings show that despite very high-level job satisfaction – with 88% saying that they were satisfied with their work – the proportion of employed people satisfied with their income is only 60%.

According to the findings, 15% of working Israelis over the age of 20 said that they felt poor over the last five years, up from 10% who said the same in 2018. In addition, many Israelis reported a chronic inability to make ends meet. Only 21% reported that they could cover their monthly bills without any difficulty, while

51% reported being able to usually cover their expenses. Another 22% said that they sometimes don’t manage to make ends meet, while 5% said that never succeeded in doing so.

Overall job satisfaction, while high, showed signs that Israelis would like to be working less. Only 14% of respondents expressed happiness with their work-life balance, 47% said that they were merely satisfied, and 28% were not satisfied at all with the work-life balance.

Litzman Approved as Health Minister United Torah Judaism (UTJ) leader MK Ya’akov Litzman was promoted to Health Minister this week, enraging the Australian Jewish community upset at his handling of the Malka Leifer case.

Litzman was tapped on Sunday to replace Prime Minister Netanyahu as full-time Health Minister. Netanyahu, who was forced to give up his ministries due to being indict-

ed, had been Health Minister while Litzman served as his deputy for the last two years.

Litzman had been effectively the full-time Health Minister but insisted on remaining a deputy in order not to be a minister in a Shabbat-desecrating government. Since taking control of the Health portfolio in 2015, Litzman’s handling of the sensitive ministry has been widely praised by both secular and religious Israelis.

However, the appointment of Litzman enraged the Australian Jewish community, who accuse Litzman of preventing the extradition of accused child molester Malka Leifer to Canberra. Soon after the appointment was announced on Sunday, Australia’s chairman of the Zionist Federation Jeremy Leibler fired off a letter to Netanyahu urging him to withdraw from the nomination, which he said was a “slap in the face of a Jewish community.”

“When we met a few months ago, you promised us that the government would do its utmost to promote Queen Leiper’s extradition to Australia so that she could stand trial for the serious offenses she is charged with,” Leibler wrote to Netanyahu. “Ya’akov Litzman’s appointment as Minister of Health is a slap in the face of the Jewish community in Australia, as well as of the Australian people, the Australian immigrant community in Israel – most importantly, survivors and victims of the abuse of Malka Leifer.”

The organization Jewish Community Watch, which represents those victimized by Leifer, also condemned Litzman’s promotion.

“It is important to remember that the police recommended that Litzman be prosecuted for allegedly exploiting his status and position in the Ministry of Health, with the aim of improperly influencing the judgment of psychiatrists to prevent the extradition of Leifer who is wanted on dozens of charges,” the group said.

Police had recommended in Au-

gust that Litzman be put on trial for allegedly forcing Health Ministry psychiatrists to say that Leifer is unfit to be extradited. Leifer, a former school principal, fled Australia to Israel over a decade ago amid a shocking abuse scandal. Ever since, Australia has requested her extradition multiple times, only to be thwarted by psychiatrists who have diagnosed Leifer as mentally ill.

Hamas Accuses PA of Collaboration

The Hamas terror group recently accused a Palestinian Authority (PA) police unit of giving Israel the location of senior Islamic Jihad leader Abu Baha al-Atta, leading to his eventual liquidation last month.

According to a statement from the Palestinian Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, the squad – which is comprised of intelligence officers from the Palestinian Authority – was appointed to track down al-Atta and transfer the information to IDF intelligence.

This unit, whose members have been taken into custody by Hamas, allegedly gave Israel detailed information regarding the terrorist’s whereabouts, helping Israel kill him in November in an early morning airstrike.

“They followed him for several months until the last hour before the [Israeli] occupation assassinated him,” Hamas said in a statement.

The statement singled out PA General Intelligence Service commander Sha’ban Abdullah al-Ghrabawi as the one behind the “traitorous” operation and slammed him for working “directly to the Israeli occupation intelligence services.”

Hamas added that they possessed incriminating materials that proved the PA was involved in the assassination but did not elaborate.

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The PA, which is run by the rival Fatah party, quickly rejected Hamas’ allegations, dismissing them as “baseless lies aimed at covering up the secret understandings between Hamas and Israel.”

“This is a theater performance that has been woven together by Hamas’s delusions,” Fatah said.

Hamas and Fatah have been enemies ever since the former expelled the latter from the Gaza Strip in a bloody bout of fighting. The battle, which saw Hamas gunmen push their Fatah counterparts off of skyscrapers, led to the current tension between the two movements.

Despite various attempts to forge a unity government, the two sides are no closer to ending the standoff.

The most recent attempt fell apart in 2017 after Hamas refused to surrender its weapons to the PA as part of a final agreement.

Al-Atta was killed after IDF warplanes dropped a Hellfire missile into the bedroom in which he and his wife slept. The resulting explosion kicked off 48 hours of tit-fortat fire between Israel and the Gaza-based terror group.

While Israel had been ready to kill the terror leader for over a year,

the operation was carried out after it was determined that Al-Atta was what security officials define as a “ticking time bomb.” His terror group was in the final stages of launching a large volley of missiles into central Israel in order to kill as many Israelis as possible.

Russia Wants Jerusalem Church

It’s not only the Palestinians who are locked in a territorial dispute with Israel.

Ahead of Russian Prinsident Vladimir Putin’s upcoming Israel vis-

it this month, Russia has escalated its battle to force Israel to sell it part of a historic Jerusalem church.

Known as the Russian Compound, the sweeping church and Israel Police detention center lies outside of Jerusalem’s Old City. Officially titled the Russian Compound of the Elizabeth Courtyard, the sprawling campus was constructed in 1860 by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society to assist Russian Christians making the trip to the Holy Land.

It was later confiscated by the Ottoman Empire before becoming British property under the Mandate. Following Israel’s independence in 1948, it was bought by Israel for $3.5 million in oranges in 1964 despite being used as a KGB spy hub.

Ever since, the campus has been used as a holding cell for police and Shin Bet detainees and for the Jerusalem District’s police headquarters. Now, Russia has ramped up its requests that Israel resell it the site, catapulting the derelict church into something with extreme strategic importance.

According to former Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin, Netanyahu has expressed interest in transferring the site to Russia.

Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, Stepashin said that Putin “is very interested in this issue. Even more so, he is a believer, a [Russian] Orthodox, and visits the Holy Land with pleasure.”

Stepashin added in an interview to a Russian news site that he had witnessed a conversation Prime Minister Netanyahu had with President Putin regarding the church in 2013.

“I am not opposed to withdrawing from the prison, but due to the fact that this is Israel’s property…you will compensate us financially, and then we will take the prison out of there and give the building to you,” Netanyahu reportedly said.

joined the U.S. Marine Corps and cycled through a series of low-paying jobs following his discharge. He began broadcasting in 1968 on a dare from a friend but rapidly amassed a cult following.

His off-color and politically incorrect humor quickly catapulted him into one of America’s most prominent radio hosts. Easily recognized by his trademark cowboy hat and acid tongue, he is credited as a pioneer of the controversial “shock jock” personality.

For the next 49 years, Imus would keep listeners spellbound with his over-the-top portrayals of top politicians such as Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush.

At its height, his “Imus in the Morning” on WFAN was nationally syndicated and racked up more than 5 million daily listeners. In 1997, Time magazine named him one of the most influential people in America.

But Imus’ comments frequently landed him in hot water, and he famously had his show canceled in 2007 after making racist remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. He returned eight months later with WABC and remained there until his retirement last year from broadcasting.

Imus was eulogized by a slew of America’s top radio hosts following his passing.

“Shocking news on the passing of my friend, Don Imus,” tweeted WFAN’s Mike Francesa. “He will long be remembered as one of the true giants in the history of radio.”

U.S. Army: No to TikTok Imus Dead at 79 Don Imus, a syndicated radio host who popularized the “shock jock” genre, died on Friday. He was 79.

Born on a ranch in Arizona, Imus

The U.S. Army has banned the use of the hugely popular short video app TikTok by its soldiers, calling it a security threat.

The Army has joined the Navy in barring the use of the app on government-owned phones, following

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bipartisan calls from lawmakers for regulators and the intelligence community to determine whether the Chinese-owned app presents a threat to national security and could be used to collect American citizens’ personal data.

TikTok is not the only Chinese tech giant to raise U.S. suspicions – wireless company Huawei has earned the criticism of the Trump administration, which has campaigned worldwide against the use of Huawei equipment, citing the company’s ties to Beijing. But Huawei isn’t the viral phenomenon that TikTok has become, capturing millions of teens and adults with its ability to create and share short videos set to catchy music.

The two-year-old app has been downloaded over 750 million times in the past year, according to The New York Times. That’s tens of millions more downloads than for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snap-

chat over the same period.

Sens. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, called on the U.S. intelligence community to assess TikTok’s national security risks in October, saying the app could be used to spy on U.S. citizens. The lawmakers argued that because TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is based in China, TikTok could be forced “to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.”

TikTok responded with a statement, saying that it stores all U.S. user data in the United States and backs it up in Singapore – not in China.

Baltimore Breaks Murder Record The city of Baltimore broke its annual homicide record on Saturday after a man was gunned down while sitting on his porch.

The murder came amid a recent killing spree that saw eight people die in the past week alone. It was also Baltimore’s 342nd murder this year, setting a new record for killings per

capita. The city now averages 57 murders per 100,000 residents, the highest since 1993.

nomenon.

“I am disgusted by the brazen and cowardly acts of violence committed this weekend,” said Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. “Detectives are working tirelessly to identify the people responsible. We will continue through the holiday season with our planned, robust deployment throughout the city.”

In 1993, the city of Baltimore racked up 353 murders but the city had over half a million more residents than it does today. To compare, the much-larger New York City has had only 306 homicides in 2019.

Baltimore has been suffering from a spiking murder rate in recent years, rising from 4.7 murders per capita in 2010 to 5.8 murders today. The 342 killings in 2019 are also significantly higher from the 309 committed last year despite a noticeable uptick in law enforcement.

The soaring crime rate is seen as a major factor for the massive population exodus that has gripped Baltimore over the last two decades. As the bodies pile up, the city’s elected officials and police have been under fire for their inability to end the phe-

Out of Paper

One of the longest-running newspapers in California printed its final edition on Sunday, ending 161 years of publishing news about the city of Martinez east of San Francisco.

Rick Jones, the Martinez News-Gazette’s editor, said he wasn’t certain whether the news outlet covering the city of nearly 40,000 will

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The News-Gazette began publishing in September 1858 and combined in 1906 with another local paper in Contra Costa County. At its height in the middle of the 20th century, the paper had about 50 employees but the staff shrank over the years as advertising revenue dwindled.

The state’s oldest weekly newspaper covering two rural counties northeast of Sacramento also appears to be nearing its final days.

The Mountain Messenger’s editor-publisher told The Los Angeles Times he is planning to retire by the middle of January, at which point publication will end. Don Russell said he spent the past year trying to sell the paper but he hasn’t received any offers.

The paper began in 1853 as a twice-per-month publication; its claim to fame is that Mark Twain once wrote there under his real name, Sam Clemens, while hiding out from the law. Known around the area as the “Mountain Mess,” the paper covered school board meetings, federal land use, and other issues in rural Sierra and Plumas counties.

Fatal LA Plane Crash

Five people tragically lost their lives after a small airplane plunged into the ground near Louisiana’s Lafayette Regional Airport on Saturday morning.

According to Lafayette Police Lt. Scott Morgan, the aircraft began its fatal descent at 9:22 a.m. shortly after lifting off from Lafayette Regional Airport. A few seconds after takeoff, the plane slammed into a Walmart parking lot and a U.S. Post Office building.

The plane, coming in low, clipped a post office building and a nearby tree, then hit a car before skidding through an open field, leaving a black, burning scar in the grass.

Two of those killed were passengers on the airplane while the other

three fatalities were U.S. Postal Service employees who perished after being hit by the jet. Another person in the room with the Postal Service workers survived the crash.

The victims were identified as the pilot Ian Biggs, 51; Robert Crisp II, 59; Carley Ann McCord, 30; Gretchen Vincent, 51; and Michael Vincent, 15.

McCord was a sportswriter and was headed to cover a college football game in Atlanta for WDSU television in New Orleans. She was the daughter-in-law of Louisiana State University Offensive Coordinator Steve Ensminger, whose team was competing in the Peach Bowl that McCord was tasked with writing about in Atlanta.

McCord, who previously worked for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans, was remembered as a dedicated employee with a love for local sports. “Carley’s passion for sports journalism and her deep knowledge of Louisiana sports, from high school to the professional ranks, made her an exceptional journalist,” said WDSU President Joel Vilmenay.

“We are all deeply saddened by the tragic events in Lafayette today,” added LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward. “The thoughts and prayers of the entire LSU family are with all the loved ones of those lost.”

The fourth-largest city in Louisiana, Lafayette has a population of about 130,000 according to the 2018 census and is located about 135 miles west of New Orleans.

Horror in Monsey

The machete-wielding attacker who stabbed five Jews at a Monsey Chanukah celebration will face five counts of attempted murder that will hopefully send him away for years.

Grafton Thomas, 37, was released on a $5 million bail following his not guilty plea. He was arrested on Sunday morning in Harlem and was transferred to Rockland Country, which has jurisdiction on the case.

Thomas was nabbed around one hour

after the attack after a license plate reader captured his plate number as he was crossing the George Washington Bridge.

According to police, Thomas barged into Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg’s house in Monsey during a Motzei Shabbos Chanukah party.

Wielding a machete eyewitnesses said looked “as big as a broomstick,” he yelled, “I’m going to kill everyone here” and proceeded to stab five people in the home.

He then attempted to forcibly enter Rabbi Rottenberg’s Netzach Yisroael congregation next door before fleeing after realizing the door was locked. Five people were injured, including two that remain in critical condition.

The attack, coming amidst a spate of anti-Semitic beatings in New York, aroused a wave of fear and condemnation. The tenth attack against Jews in the area in under a week, Jewish leaders called on politicians to step up the fight against Jew hatred that has left the tri-state Jewish community in shock.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the attack “an act of domestic terrorism” and reassured the survivors that he stood “in solidarity with all members of the Jewish community.”

“This is an act of terrorism. I think these are domestic terrorists.

They are trying to inflict fear,” Cuomo said at the scene of the stabbing.

“We are going to enforce the laws and make sure acts like this do not happen — and if they happen, they are punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio added that he would “not allow this to become the new normal” and would “use every tool we have to stop these attacks once and for all.”

United Methodist Church Pastor Wendy Paige, who has known Thomas for about the past 10 years, said that he is “not a terrorist.”

She added, “He’s not a violent person.”

2 Killed in Church Shooting A man shot and killed two people during a church service in White Settlement, Texas, on Sunday morning before two members of the church security team shot and killed him.

The shooter entered the church and sat down before pulling out a

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

shotgun and shooting two parishioners. The shooter had been arrested a few times before the attack, although the FBI noted that he was not on any watch list.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the incident was over within six seconds thanks to the quick response of the security team members. Recent changes in Texas law allow licensed gun owners to carry firearms into houses of worship.

The two people who returned fire against the shooter were members of the church and part of the church’s security team, but were not hired by the church, Regional Director of Texas Department of Public Safety Jeoff Williams said on Sunday night.

“The citizens who were inside that church undoubtedly saved 242 other parishioners,” Williams said.

Texas recently changed its firearms laws in response to the 2017 Sutherland Springs church shooting that left 26 people dead. The state now allows licensed handgun owners to legally carry weapons into places of worship. Another law allows churches to develop, train, and plan for their own teams to provide security.

Fly for Free

Want to head to Japan over the next few months? You may be able to go – for free.

Japan Airlines is giving away 50,000 free round-trip domestic air tickets to international tourists next summer. The lucky winners need to be registered with the carrier’s Mileage Bank frequent flier program. Additionally, the trip will be a surprise – up until a few days before the flight.

The giveaway aims to encourage tourists to see less visited parts of Japan, perhaps take some of the strain off Tokyo between July 1

and September 30 next year as the capital hosts the Olympic Summer Games.

The airline will recommend four local destinations to choose from, flying out of Haneda airport in Tokyo or Osaka’s Itami and Kansai airports. Family and friends traveling together can apply as a group of up to four people, and applicants will receive the result within three days of applying.

Annual foreign visitor arrivals to Japan trebled in the years from 2013 to 2018 to more than 31 million, with about 10 million stopping in Tokyo.

With the Olympics being held from July 24 to August 9, 2020, it’s expected that 10 million more visitors will come to Japan next year.

I guarantee that Dan of Dan’s Deals is going to be one of those lucky winners.

A Rat Doughnut After eight days and nights of nonstop doughnuts, most of us don’t want to look at a fried delicacy for the next few months. This special doughnut produced by Krispy

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Kreme in Japan may repel many from eating doughnuts for the next year.

This week, the doughnut shop announced that a store in Nagoya will offer a doughnut inspired by the Chinese Year – the Year of the Rat. The Krispy Kreme Premium Mouse will only be sold in this store and will feature a cheese-flavored doughnut designed to look like a rat ate a hole through it. Despite the limited time that it will be available, the doughnuts will be selling for $2.75 a piece – far cheaper than many specialty doughnuts sold in the Five Towns.

The doughnut is made with cream-cheese filling along with decorative yellow icing and a whipped “mouse” complete with chocolate ears. The wedge of cheese in the rat’s

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grasp, too, is reportedly a “cheddar cheese” snack added for garnish.

Those who don’t have time – or aren’t willing – to take a trip to Nagoya can still get their hands on Krispy Kreme Japan’s other offerings inspired by the Chinese New Year including the “Good Luck Eto Dozen,” which include a caramel cream-filled “Happy Mouse Caramel” and a “Lucky Strawberry Ring” with dusted golden-colored sugar.

The entire Good Luck Eto Dozen retails for around 2,000 yen, or just over $18, while a single doughnut will cost about 230 yen, or $2.10.

I love doughnuts but I’d prefer not to think of rats when I eat them.

A Piece of the Pie In appreciation for their employees working on December 25, a restaurant allowed their workers to split all the profits from that day’s sales.

Rockstar Pizza in Brownsburg, Indiana, created the tradition five years ago to show appreciation for the hardworking staff who answers phones, kneads dough, and makes

deliveries on their holiday. And this year was no different, with employees volunteering their time and pocketing about $700 each.

big difference to make that amount of money in that short a time.”

Sounds like a nice piece of the pie.

Playing with Food The day’s profits amounted to about $4,500, which was split between seven employees who were selected by management based on skill, seniority, and necessity.

The pizza joint was overwhelmed with orders, leaving the crew no choice but to shut down earlier than expected on December 25.

Colby Mathews said that she and her husband, who are co-owners of the eatery, didn’t pocket a dime that day.

“They just take over the shop, and whatever money is made, it’s divided between them,” she said. “It’s just a way to do more for them than we could otherwise. They worked hard, and they earned it. They earned every dollar of it, and for some of them, it’s a very big deal and can make a

Eric Palmieri is a fifth-generation Italian baker but it wasn’t until a devastating fire destroyed his more than 110-year-old family bakery in 2007 that Palmieri found his

calling.

Now, Palmieri is making pizzas.

These pizzas, though, are not ordinary pies. They are works of art.

Palmieri first explored pizza art in July of 2016, when he made a “very basic” U.S. flag pizza with pepperoni stripes and olive stars. “It was a huge hit with customers, and the following winter I made a fairly simple Patriots logo pizza during their 2017 title run,” Palmieri said.

Palmieri hasn’t slowed down since. His eye-popping, mouth-watering creations made in his family’s bakery in Johnston, Rhode Island, range from cartoon characters to Star Wars legends and fierce predators.

These special pies take more time to create.

“The pizzas can take anywhere from 1 hour for a basic design to 3 hours for a complex design, not including baking time. A normal pepperoni and cheese pizza might take a few minutes to make,” explained Palmieri.

The designs are so magnificent that you may be hesitant to take a slice but they taste good, too.

“The most common ingredients used are black olives…red, yellow,

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green, and orange bell peppers, breaded eggplant, and grated Romano cheese mixed with olive oil and various spices and sauces to make a wide array of colors,” Palmieri noted.

Sounds like customers can have their (slice) and eat it too.

Mansion for a Minimum

Lost Lizards

Missing a lizard – or a few? Head to Massachusetts.

The Stoughton Police Department recently announced on Facebook that they are searching for the owner or owners of several lizards found in cages on the city’s sidewalks.

“Have you ever walked down the street carrying your lizards in a cage and put them down for a second to maybe update your Facebook page or scratch your nose or something?” the post read.

“If so, have you ever just continued your brisk walk and gotten to your destination and yelled, ‘Oh wait...my lizards!! Where did I leave them last?’ Well, if you have you may be in luck, because we have recovered these remarkably creepy yet shockingly majestic creatures.”

The department said it has received an “overwhelming response” but that the owner has not come forward.

“Iguana to tell you more but we’ve been busy and we are just dragon. But keep checking in, it could save you 15% or more on car insurance. #dadjokes,” read one tweet from the department.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall when that owner walks in.

Need a bigger home for your growing family? A 6,000-squarefoot, 10-bedroom Victorian mansion could’ve been yours for only $50,000, but there was one catch: you had to put together a restoration proposal for the historic property in order to be considered.

Built in 1861, the mansion is in Auburn, New York, in the Finger Lakes region about 25 miles west of Syracuse.

In a creative twist, the city of Auburn purchased the foreclosed property and came up with the unique contest.

Prospective buyers had to state their intended use of the property, the restoration project timeline and cost, and a restoration plan in order to be considered as a part of their application.

Applications closed on December 18, and the city will review the offers and vote on a winner after January 8.

“It’s not so much the buyer who offers the best price that is of importance here, it’s the buyer with the best intended use and plan to restore this mansion that really matters,” said real estate agent Michael DeRosa.

The mansion sits on approximately an acre of land, and it has three stories, five bathrooms and four fireplaces. A two-story carriage house is also on the property.

Sounds like a handyman’s dream.

Did you know?

The coldest ball drop in Times Square took place in 1917 – it was -18 degrees that night.

In contrast, the warmest years were 1965 and 1972, when the temperature was a balmy, autumn-like 58 degrees.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

THIS SUNDAY!

SAVE THE DAT E

OPEN HOUSE Queens

Sunday Evening | January 5, 2020 | 7:00 pm Jewish Heritage Center of Queens 6829 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11367 Come meet the Hanhala and hear about the Yeshiva!

Looking forward to greeting you personally,

Rabbi Chaim Pechter / Menahel BOYS PROGRAM

PARENTS PROGRAM

Short sample shiur

Meet the staff behind the vision

Q&A with the rebbeim

Understand the YOT philosophy

Hear about a day in the yeshiva

Q&A with the Menahel

Meet the rebbeim and staff Mingle with current local boys

Hear first hand what your son can accomplish in 4 years

Watch the yeshiva video

Watch the yeshiva video

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Community HALB Lev Chana Learns About Fire Safety

W

hat number do you call if there is an emergency?

Do we ever hide from a firefighter? These two questions were repeatedly asked by Firefighter Melanie Kael during her visit to HALB Lev Chana Early Childhood Center.

Medics Jud Berman, father of Nate, and David Coleman, father of Noam, joined members of the Woodmere Fire Department, Firefighters Melanie, Eliyahu Dweck, Jawad Kiani and

Darren Moritz., who guided the children in discussions on how to be safe.

This is especially relevant during Chanukah where we light candles every night. Our children know not to touch fire, play near lit candles, and that there must be an adult around when candles or stoves are lit. One of the most impactful moments was when Firefighters Eliyahu and Jawad slowly started donning their protective gear. Each time another piece was

added Firefighter Melanie would ask, “What’s his name? Is he still Jawad or Eliyahu?” The children responded, “Yes,” even after the firefighters began looking and sounding scary wearing their helmet and oxygen mask and making loud breathing sounds though the hose. The children internalized the lesson that firefighters are our friends and will protect us no matter how scary they look and sound.

The highlight of the visit for the

children was when they zipped up their coats, went outside, and excitedly peeked into the many compartments on the sides of the firetruck which was full of additional equipment the firefighters and medics needed as part of their job. The children then climbed into the cab of the firetruck with their friends. As the firefighters drove away, they reminded us to keep safe and wished us a happy Chanukah.

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Parent-Son Learning

O

n Sunday, December 22, MTA hosted a meaningful Parent-Son Learning event.

The event featured guest speaker Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz (‘95), director of Semicha at RIETS, followed by parent-son chavrusahs and the opportunity for parents to participate in shiur with their son’s rebbe.

“It’s amazing to see how many parents, both mothers and fathers, came to spend their Sunday morning learning with their sons,” said Associate Principal Rabbi Shimon Schenker. “We are so proud of our incredible parents, talmidim, and rebbeim, whose dedication and commitment to limud Torah are truly inspiring.”

HALB sixth grade girls, along with some of their parents, came to light Chanukah candles with the residents of The Five Towns Premier Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. They played Chanukah bingo and trivia and gave out prizes to all the lucky winners. Everyone enjoyed latkes and sufganiot. There was lots of cheer and smiles to go around!

Celebrating Chanukah at Shaar Lev

S

urrounded by their family, rabbeim, and teachers, and with their beautiful Chanukah artwork proudly displayed, the Shaar Lev students listened proudly as HALB Head of School Adam Englander expressed at Shaar Lev’s second annual Chanukah celebration that the Shaar Lev program at HALB, though only in its second year, is the essence of the story of Jewish education for all. Both Mr. Richard Altabe, principal of the Lower division and founder of the Shaar Lev program, and Murray Fohrman, president of the Lawrence School District Board, echoed the pride that the program brings to both HALB and to our en-

tire community.

The Shaar Lev Program at HALB hosted their second annual Chanukah celebration on Thursday, December 19. The students, along with their families, rebbeim and teachers, participated in Chanukah-themed crafts and a delicious dinner. It was a time to reflect upon and celebrate the dedication of Shaar Lev staff members in giving children who attend local public schools the opportunity to have a Jewish education.

Every day, Monday through Thursday, students from local public schools are bussed to HALB by buses provided by the Lawrence School District. Exiting the buses, they

are greeted by the Shaar Lev teachers and rabbeim with hugs, high fives, and huge smiles for an hour of uniquely tailored Torah education consisting of kriah, parsha, yomim tovim, halacha, and Jewish identity.

The program is in its second year and was founded through a unique collaboration of lay leadership, HALB educators, and School District 15 personnel.

All in attendance felt the monumental and significant nature of this event. Each child in the program is attending either the Number 2 school or the Lawrence Elementary School, yet has siblings in all the other local yeshivot. This Chanukah celebration

was particularly beautiful in that the families were able to celebrate together, thus creating a community within a community.

Watching a Shaar Lev student participate in activities alongside the typical family members in attendance extended beyond specifically meeting the needs of each Shaar Lev student to brilliantly including each student in celebrations in a unique and meaningful way. The Shaar Lev program continues to spearhead inclusive activities for the children in our community who must attend public school, creating a yeshiva environment for all.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

She’s your grandmother. His mentor.

Our priority.

The Premier Care team provides a personalized approach to rehabilitation and nursing services. We take the time to get to know each resident and provide high quality care tailored to his/her needs. Because our residents matter - to you, and to us.

S C H E D U L E Y O U R T O U R T O D AY ! 5 1 6 . 5 8 8 . 3 2 0 0 F I V E T O W N S P R E M I E R . C O M | 1 0 5 0 C E N T R A L AV E , W O O D M E R E , N Y 1 1 5 9 8

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Up, Up, and Away With Chabad

F

light 613, Prepare For Boarding: In September 1995, Rabbi Zalman Wolowik and his wife Chanie arrived to establish a Chabad Center to serve the Five Towns and surrounding communities. Filled with enthusiasm and inspired by the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s, zt”l, blessing, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Wolowik began to assess the needs of the community and to determine how they could make a positive impact on Jewish life in the Five Towns. People wondered and asked what they were doing here and how long they’d stay. “It’s a oneway trip we take,” explained Rabbi Wolowik. “It’s a lifetime investment that we do. There’s no return.” With the addition of Susy Adler and Suzanne Wallin as Gan Chamesh Directors, Rabbi Meir and Rebbetzin Hadassah Geisinsky as youth directors, Batsheva Borenstein as Friendship Circle Director, Miriam Feldheim as office manager, and many other invaluable partners, Chabad continues to soar to new heights of serving the community’s needs.

Fasten Your Seatbelts As We Prepare For Liftoff: On Sunday, January 12, 2020, 6:30 p.m. Chabad of the Five Towns invites you to its gala dinner buffet and awards presentation at the first class, TWA Hotel, Terminal 5 JFK, Constellation Ballroom. Tickets: $600 per couple.

Book at Chabad5Towns.com or contact 516-295-2478.

As with any successful flight, especially one that has lasted 25 years and counting, it could not happen without a top-notch crew.

Guests of Honor Mr. & Mrs. Avi & Karen Shapiro Abraham and Karen Shapiro were among the first ten members of Chabad of the Five Towns. Abraham and Karen recall the shul’s first Simchas Torah and the rabbi dancing together with their two daughters, toddlers at the time, Jessica and Amanda. Twenty-five years later, the Shapiros celebrated bat mitz-

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vahs, weddings, births, and baby namings together with Chabad of the Five Towns. Their children and grandchildren – Jessica, Zev, Amanda, Alex, Margalit, and Rivka Esther – all feel part of the Chabad of Five Towns family.

Abraham attended Yeshiva Etz Chaim and Rabbi Jacob Joseph High School. He davened at Yavna Jewish Theological Seminary, where his father, Rabbi Soloman K. Shapiro, was the rabbi. Karen attended Yeshiva Ateres Yisrael and davened at Young Israel of Canarsie, where her father, Alvin L. Markowitz, was a founding member. Even though neither of them grew up in Chabad, when they moved to Cedarhurst thirty years ago they both became “Chabadniks.”

Abraham received his Bachelor of Science degree Cum Laude from SUNY Albany and his MBA from CUNY Baruch College. He also holds a Nursing Home Administrator License and Life Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance Sales License, both from New York State. Abraham worked for twenty years as an equity options floor trader while a Member of the American Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange Options Floor. In the last fifteen years, Abraham has worked at New York City Health and Hospital for Coler Nursing Care and Rehabilitation Center. Karen works as a teacher at HAFTR Early Childhood department.

Both their daughters attended HAFTR elementary and high school, seminary in Israel, and Queens College. Jessica and Zev Kahane, with their daughter Margalit, live in Teaneck. Jessica, while pursuing a masters in marketing, works for NCSY, and Zev is a Rebbe at The Moriah School of Englewood. Amanda and Alex Israeli, with their daughter, Kiki, live in Queens. Amanda is a nurse at NYU, and Alex is an occupational therapist.

Guests of Honor Mr. & Mrs. Haim & Jackie Svartz Jackie and Haim are both new to the United States. Haim was born in Russia and raised in Israel, and Jackie was born in Argentina and raised in Paraguay. They moved to the United States in 1999 and moved to the

Five Towns six years ago. They are the proud owners of Service Master

by GBS Restoration which helped hundreds of families in recovering their homes and businesses from mold, water, and fire damages.

The Svartz couple brought three wonderful kids to this world, Gal, 16; Benjamin, 15; and Sophia, 12. The entire family is very active in the Jewish community and they are always trying to grow the Chabad family. Gal and Benjamin are members of CTeen, and Sophia is in Hebrew School. They love being a part of the Chabad youth activities.

The Svartzes are dedicated parents who always support their kids in any decisions they make and fight to achieve success and happiness for each of them. Their motto is “honoring parents is one of the hardest commandments in the Torah.” Although they are always challenged in raising their children in the right path, Rabbi Meir and Hadassah Geisinsky have helped them tremendously. They have given them guidance and made them feel like a part of their family. They hope to continue to be inspired and grow with this wonderful community.

Pillar of Chessed Mrs. Paula Friedman Paula Friedman welcomes new and old faces at Chabad of the Five Towns and is a good friend to everyone. She is a loving wife to Avi, mother to Stephanie and Yechiel, and grandmother to new baby Sammy. While she firmly supported her children as they attended YCQ, Central, DRS, Netiv Aryeh in the Old City, and Binghamton, her Jewish education continues every day with shiurim in person and via chat and regular attendance at shul.

We have all heard the refrain, “It takes a village to raise a child.” These days, villages are hard to come by, and many mothers, elderly, and ill are mostly left to handle issues, big and small, on their own. Enter Paula Friedman. She is always there to help anyone she senses needs an extra boost – rides to doctors’ appointments, meals, babysitting, errands.

Her appointment calendar is jampacked, filled with other people’s appointments! On Shabbos at Chabad, she is one of the first to head to the

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

Around the Community

kitchen as one of our beloved Kiddush Ladies.

Paula was born in the Boston area in a Jewish traditional family.

Shabbat was celebrated, though not observed. Paula was in first grade in public school and hated it. When Paula’s Cuban born mother, Marta, a”h, saw an advertisement for free Sunday school for public school children, her father, Irving, a”h, took her to Sunday school and she remembers being so happy there. A few weeks into Sunday School, Rabbi Gurkow told her father he was starting a girls’ elementary school in Shaloh House. The rav asked if Paula would be interested in going.

Paula remembers her six-year-old self feeling ecstatic at leaving public school. Her brother, Jonathan, a”h, went to preschool at Shaloh House as well but then the classes were only girls so he was sent to Lubavitch Yeshiva. Eventually Paula ended up in Yeshiva Tomchai Temimim-Lubavitch Yeshiva-New England Hebrew Academy. Rabbi Meir’s wonderful grandfather, Rabbi Joshua T. Kastel, ran the school at that time.

Paula made the move to New York to attend Touro College. She met her husband Avi, and they lived in Queens for a while before settling in to Cedarhurst. Paula and Avi met Rabbi Wolowik when they moved in because Chabad was what she was always familiar with. They tried other shuls too but were always warmly welcomed at Chabad – especially by her dear friend Leah Muller. Bill Muller asked Paula to help with a mailing while the shul was still in the storefront. She couldn’t say no and attributed this to how she became a part of the shul. At some point, Paula was asked to arrange two weeks of meals for families that had new babies. This also led to shivah meals. She also helps picking up pushkas, dropping off flyers, helping at assorted events, subbing at Gan Chamesh, and servicing of the Shabbat hospital suite in St. Francis with Tova Brill and Elina Gavrilova.

While her husband can be a tough lawyer by day, Paula notes, throughout all of her endeavors, “Avi always encourages me to do what I can. He is the best partner in the world.”

Mr. & Mrs. Barry & Sandy Goldsmith, Moshe & Ahuva Rubel: Dor L’Dor Award, Gan Chamesh Family of the Year Ahuva and Moshe Rubel are native FIve Towners, both born and raised in the community in which they are now raising their beautiful children, Rosie, a Gan Chamesh student, and Aaron.

Ahuva is the very first Gan Chamesh nursery school graduate – a member of the first class – to have a child in Gan Chamesh! Her paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Barry and Sandy Goldsmith, always felt very supported in their Yiddishkeit through Chabad of the Five Towns and were active members of the shul from early on.

Ahuva’s brother, who has special needs, was greatly supported by Chabad as he integrated into yeshiva. One of her brother’s Friendship Circle volunteers remains one of his closest friends. Now a pediatric nurse at South Nassau Communities Hospital, Ahuva warmly recalls, while in high school, volunteering with Friendship Circle and going to the Wolowik home before Pesach to help prepare – peeling potatoes – and soaking in the excitement of yom tov. She is forever grateful for her early education at Chabad, which, she says, instilled within her a love of Torah.

Moshe grew up in Lawrence and attended Darchei Torah and Yeshiva of Far Rockaway High School. He is a therapist and also works as a beloved rebbe at HANC Middle School and HAFTR High School and as a social worker at Ohel Beis Ezra.

Chabad of the Five Towns and North Woodmere is an established presence in the Five Towns, recognized as a center of activity, infusing Jewish life with meaning and joy.

“This takes enormous devotion and untiring commitment, and that’s what we’re here for,” Chanie says. “We will spare no effort to bring positive Jewish expression to the lives of young and old of varied backgrounds and affiliation.”

Help them in this mission by purchasing an ad in the scroll of honor, purchasing raffle tickets, or, best of all, attending the dinner. www.

ChabadFiveTowns.com/Dinner

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Annual Central Family Yom Iyun

T

he entire Central community was invited to school last Wednesday morning for the Annual Family Yom Iyun with Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University. The morning began with tefillah and a light breakfast of fruit and yummy doughnuts.

Then Rabbi Lebowitz began his talk entitled, “Tis the Season for Interesting Questions!” He discussed the halachot relating to non-Jewish holidays through the lens of various questions he has fielded over the years. It was an extremely engaging talk and a wonderful way for students to gain exposure to high level halachic thinking and response.

#LightOverDarkness

I

n response to the recent terror attack in Jersey City and so many other anti-Semitic attacks against our community, rabbi and artist Yitzchok Moully responded by spreading light and created the #LightOverDarkness Menorah mural on a public wall in Jersey City.

Every night of Chanukah a differ-

ent local artist painted a large flame on the menorah.

The wider community is invited to help finish this mural, stop by, and write a message of mitzvot, filling the darkness with light.

The mural is located at 221 Erie St in Jersey City, NJ, on the way into the Holland Tunnel.

Did you know?

The talmidim at Siach Yitzchok enjoyed special Chanukah events last week along with the famous “dreidel drop”

In Spain, Spaniards attempt to eat 12 grapes in 12 seconds at midnight on New Year’s Eve to supposedly guarantee a great new year.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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DRS came to The Five Towns Premier Rehabilitation and Nursing Center for a memorable Chanukah celebration. Rabbi Lieberman of the Five Towns Premier lit the menorah and led everyone in the brachos. The talented DRS band played and sang Chanukah songs for the residents. The residents and students danced together, while DRS handed out sufganiot and gifts for the residents.

The Giveaway Pledge at HALB

T

here are many ways to celebrate a bat mitzvah. Some students in HALB’s sixth grade class have developed a new and unique program to make the bat mitzvah more meaningful for themselves and their parents. In order to refocus attention on core Jewish values, the girls came up with a number of ideas that developed into the Giveaway Pledge. First, the girls decided that to maximize impact, they would give up something in exchange for something that they felt was more meaningful. The participating girls have chosen not to give away party favors at their bat mitzvah party and instead the girls decided to give to others who are less fortunate. As a result, the girls are participating in numerous chessed projects throughout the year. Last, the girls would like to learn more about how to broadly change their communities. To this end, the girls are learning about philanthropy and will even create a formal board that will allocate charitable funds donated by an anonymous donor at the end of the school year.

This past week, the girls and their parents had the privilege of hearing from Mrs. Dena Fuchs, Executive Vice President at The Jewish Funders

Network and formerly at The Avi Chai Foundation. Throughout the interactive session, she discussed various ways that girls could use their Time, Talent, and Treasure to better the community. Mrs. Fuchs provided examples of ways other teens have made a greater impact on society, really highlighting that anyone, of any age, can make a real difference. Mrs. Fuchs is a terrific role model and has real expertise in working in large foundations that materially impact the broader Jewish community. The girls clearly benefited from her experience and her presentation. Immediately following this fantastic learning opportunity, the girls prepared for their first chessed project together.

Later in the week, the girls had a beautiful night at the Premier Rehab – the girls lit Chanukah candles and played games with the residents.

Most importantly, all of the activities were totally led by these sixth graders. What a great opportunity to demonstrate leadership. The girls are looking forward to their next chessed opportunity, which they are actively working on. With small steps like these, the girls are really impacting themselves, their families, and their community.

PHOTO BY GABE SOLOMON

On Motzei Shabbos, December 21, Young Israel of Hewlett, in conjunction with The Beth Shalom of Lawrence Sisterhood, hosted a night of comedy for their membership and greater Five Towns community. The show started with SJ Tannenbaum warming the audience with impressions and jokes and then introducing the highlight of the evening, comedian Talia Reese. Her performance has many references to her life as a baalat teshuvah growing up and living with her family in Great Neck. She creates a context of her world and brings her audience into that world. She even confided in the audience, “I was a single mom for a while, that was tough. In Great Neck, that just means I didn’t have a nanny.” The Beth Shalom ballroom was filled with nonstop laughter during the performances, as the audience enjoyed a night out with friends and family.

As part of its Chanukah celebrations, the Gesher Early Childhood Center held special Mommy & Me Chanukah workshops for all classes in the preschool division. A great time was shared by morahs, children, and mommies as Chanukah songs were sung, costumes were worn, and projects were done.

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Chanukah joy at CAHAL

The Future is Bright

N

o other organization has championed the cause of STEM education in Jewish day schools more than Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE).

Established over ten years ago, they have pushed a STEM curriculum to over 100 Jewish day schools across the country. This year, the organization decided to push its boundaries by expanding its robotics league to middle school.

Last week, CIJE hosted its competition at HAFTR. Over 20 schools participated. There were over 50 Vex robots created by the students for the event. Mr. Jason Cury, president of CIJE, commented on the importance of the event. “This event is more than a competition. This is how we create the next great leaders in STEM,” stated Mr. Cury. “This how we continue to adopt and, as Jews, inspire others with our success. This is the future of education.”

Students began building their ro-

botic frames by following instructions but ultimately re-engineered their design to optimize their contraption for the challenge. The challenge paved the way for creative approaches to problem solving, as well as the opportunity to hone essential soft skills: collaboration, strategic thinking, troubleshooting, agility and the ability to pivot seamlessly. Through this initiative, students gain firsthand exposure to robotics, which is a conglomerate of three separate disciplines: electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. Mrs. Judy Lebovits, vice president/director of CIJE, said, “We carefully construct our robots to hit specific educational criteria and standards, but more so this is about the students testing their self-confidence and their determination to succeed.”

At the High School competition, JEC and Central took the top honors.

Both schools boast a highly competitive STEM program. JEC recently

built a new STEM Lab, has quickly become a leader in STEM education in New Jersey.

Rabbi Ami Neuman, principal of JEC, was elated to watch his students take home first place. “It is so fulfilling to watch this win today,” commented Rabbi Neuman. “Our incredible STEM program and our newly built lab have transformed the way we view education. To watch students design, create at school and then succeed at events like this makes you realize they are building themselves a very bright future in this field.”

HAFTR swept the middle school competition by placing first, second, and third, led by Mrs. Gittel Grant, director of STEM and Science Innovation. Mr. Joshua Gold, principal of HAFTR Middle School, commented on the win, saying, “We are so grateful to CIJE for providing this opportunity for students to engage in a competition that promotes creativity, collaboration, and innovation.” Mr. Gold

continued, “Today was a testament to the high-level work students are doing in their Science classes, and how well positioned they are to be successful in the evolving job markets of the future.”

HAFTR boasts a strong STEM program that starts in nursery and continues through twelfth grade.

Mr. Ari Solomon, Executive Director, commented, “Our biggest problem we have here at HAFTR is that every year we need to revamp our program to be better – but this is a good problem to have.” HAFTR High School recently opened two new state-of-the-art labs for STEM and for biology and chemistry. The high school, which also participated in the robotics event, has added new STEM courses this year that include two AP Computer Science classes, Entrepreneurship, and Design and Fabrication, which utilizes all the high-end tools at the new maker space.

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Central Robotics

C

entral’s Engineering III/Robotics class took 1st place at the CIJE 2019 Robotics Competition! The class competed against 16 other days schools and made it through the competition undefeated; this was Central’s first time participating. All the robots in the competition were designed and built to retrieve and stack blocks scattered around the arena. Central’s robot was based on a simple

Chanukah at MTA

and reliable design, well-suited to grabbing blocks quickly and stacking them in elevated baskets for bonus points. The students worked on their project all semester long. Congratulations to the class members – juniors Breanna Badalov, Leah Frankel, Leah Hersh, Savi Kessler, and Ayelet Kornblau – and their teacher, Mr. David Horstman, on their impressive win and hard work!

M

TA talmidim enjoyed a whirlwind week of Chanukah celebrations and activities. The festivities included Maccabi Games, Shiur vs. Shiur Jeopardy, 11th and 12th Grade Shiur trips, ninth and tenth grade seudos with their rebbeim, a yeshiva-wide Chanukah swag contest, sports, a lively Chanukah chagiga, Chanukah auction with exciting prizes, latkes, churros, and more. Talmidim also had the opportunity to reconnect

with their rebbeim from last year during a special shiur and freshmen got a preview of senior year at shiur with the twelfth grade rebbeim.

Rabbi Mendelson and Rabbi Tani Cohen also hosted special chagigas in their homes for their talmidim.

MTA is grateful to Director of Student Activities Rabbi Danny Konigsberg for all of the hard work and effort he put in to make Chanukah so special for the entire yeshiva.

Nice to ShulaMEET You

T

he first-ever artist-curated exhibition mounted at the Guggenheim celebrates the museum’s extensive collection of modern and contemporary art. Curated by Cai Guo-Qiang, Paul Chan, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Richard Prince, and Carrie Mae Weems – artists who each have had influential solo shows at the museum – Artistic License brings together both wellknown and rarely seen works from the turn of the century to 1980.

On December 19, Shulamith applicants were invited to spend the morning at Shulamith High School at the annual ShulaMEET. Interested eighth graders had a chance to select their classes beforehand, getting a sample of what SHS has to offer. Choices included parsha classes, taught in English or Ivrit b’Ivrit, and three of the following: Math: Statistics, Honors Biology, STEM, Art, AP US History, English, American Sign Language, and Positive Psychology. In addition, students also selected from a choice of clubs including Chopped, Sushi Making,

Chidon, Israel Activism, Mock Trial, DIY Science, and Fashion Illustration. Classes were real lessons and gave students an opportunity to see the unique teaching styles from the incredible faculty at SHS. From singing a song from “Frozen 2,” to a binary coding (where counting is as easy as 1, 10, 11!), to making ice cream, to joining John Adams’s Boston Massacre law team, applicants were in agreement: the ShulaMEET classes were awesome!

The morning concluded with a lunch that had options for all. Director of Student Activities Esty Munk

led a game of human bingo after the girls had their fill of pasta, sushi, salad, and acai bowls.

In addition to getting a taste of SHS education, applicants had an opportunity to see the contagious positive culture and climate at Shulamith High School. Part of this is because of the eclectic opportunity the school offers. Not only creating art, music, dances, or our podcast, but studying art has shown to increase patience and character amongst young adults.

Last week, ninth and tenth graders were privileged with a trip to the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. Stu-

dents were able to see the first-ever artist-curated exhibition and the extensive collection of modern art including those featured on the rotundas known as “Artistic License” which brings together well-known and rare artwork from 1900-1980.

To add to the fun, teams were created with a scavenger hunt created by Assistant Principal Mrs. Goldberg.

“I really looked at the art because of the scavenger hunt, and I realized I actually appreciated some of the paintings,” one freshman remarked.

In addition to the Guggenheim trip, freshmen also were lucky to see their global history curriculum come alive when they went to see “The Lighting Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.” This Broadway show about an epic hero, explores themes surrounding ancient Greece.

“It was awesome!” the students agreed.

Like any week at SHS, this week was full of educational and fun!

Looking forward to a packed Chanukah schedule that is sure to be “out of this world!”

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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Around the Community Chanuka Mesiba at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo/Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid

Beis Medrash bachur Tuvi Eichorn after he delivered a ‘shtikel Torah,’ with Rav Yaakov Bender (left) and Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky (right)

A small group of sixth graders at HANC Elementary School in West Hempstead constructed an LED menorah that was displayed in the school throughout Chanukah

Out of This World Chanukah at SHS

The guest speaker at the Beis Medrash and 12th grade seudah was Rav Daniel Osher Kleinman, rav of K’hal Nachlas Dovid in Brooklyn and the author of the Kovetz Halachos series of sefarim

PHOTOS BY YK IMAGES

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hulamith High School had an “Out of this World” Chanukah week! Monday, the first day of Chanukah, was the perfect day for chagigahs. A silent DJ glow-in-thedark party, decorated with the solar system, was incredible. Faculty and students danced in groups on the stations of their choice. At night, grade advisors as well as Principal Mrs. Sara Munk hosted grade Chanukah parties which included games and food.

Tuesday was a “Day of Giving.” Shifts of students went to help with Shulamith’s Lower Division “Chanlympics” activities. “It was really cute! My cousin was in my group!” one student exclaimed. In the afternoon, there was a program led by “OneFamily.”

OneFamily is the family of Israel’s victims of militant attacks – those who have been bereaved, those who have been maimed, and those suffering from post-trauma as a result of terror attacks since 2000. Finally, vans were

loaded to head off to Woodmere Lanes for the annual Friendship Circle/SHS Chanukah party! Bowling, arts and crafts, sufganiyot, and menorah lighting were all a part of the fun.

Rabbi Yaakov Trump led a father-daughter learning on Wednesday morning, giving students a unique opportunity to learn, chavruta-style, with their fathers/grandfathers/uncles. A buffet breakfast followed including, of course, latkes.

Finally, Thursday began with an NCSY Yom Iyun. Students had a chance to look at what they prioritized this year and where they see themselves five years down the road. This was a chance to look inward and try and set realistic goals for the future.

Chanukah might be over, but students are looking forward to another week at SHS which includes a breakout for January’s middah of the month.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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Around the Community

A Chanukah Light Experience

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n honor of Chanukah, Bnos Bais Yaakov’s preschool held its first-ever “Chanukah Light Experience.” Set up in a darkened Nechama Liba Simcha Hall, the exhibit encouraged the girls to explore the many facets of light.

The experience began with a shadow box where the girls held up different shapes to the light to create shadows. They discovered that the closer to the light source they placed their shape, the bigger the shadow.

To create an interactive light-up menorah for the occasion, Morah Yehudis Oppen teamed up with TMM’s engineering class. They constructed a menorah which the girls lit up, turned off, or made blink by pushing the many buttons at the bottom. Our budding engineers also created a musical dreidel which turned on when exposed to light!

The next display was a light table, where girls explored different colors placed on light tablets. They discovered that placing one color plate on top of another created a different color! They also viewed x-rays of several insects, as well as slices of agate stone with beautiful colors.

The fun continued with cellophane in different colors attached to the windows. The girls noticed that the light filtering through the cellophane turned the floor the same color and that viewing the world through the cellophane made everything look colorful too.

Next in line was a table of prisms where girls were able to see the rainbow that results from shining a light through one. Finally, there were col-

The Whole Picture: The Darchei Torah Recipe

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eshiva Darchei Torah.

More than just a name, it’s an ideal.

Chinuch par excellence, with a focus on shleimus, producing talmidim who possess the tools for a lifetime of Torah growth and success on the road ahead.

That’s Darchei chinuch.

Education with a focus on The Whole Picture.

Led by the esteemed rosh hayeshiva, Rav Yaakov Bender, and a stellar staff of rabbeim and expert educators, Yeshiva Darchei Torah of Far Rockaway is not just infusing its 2,000-plus talmidim with a chinuch of the highest caliber, but actually serving as a template for mosdos hachinuch across the country and beyond to emulate.

Darchei has pioneered an approach to chinuch that focuses on shleimus, with no compromise on

orful, sound-activated strobe lights.

The girls had fun clapping in different beats and talking loudly and softly to see the different light patterns they could create.

On the way out, each girl received a glowing light stick. Thank you to Morah Devorah Werner for arranging all the details for this event. Special thank you to Mr. Jerozolim from the Gruss Foundation for arranging for the TMM engineering class to help us and to engineering instructor Mrs. Elisheva Shapiro and her students for all their hard work!

any area of a student’s education. The products of this outstanding mossad tell the story. A Darchei talmid is wholesome and complete, possessing excellence on limud haTorah, refined middos, and a drive for continuous growth.

Show me a well-rounded ben Torah…and I’ll show you a Darchei talmid.

Show me a chinuch that all parents want for their children…and I’ll show you a Darchei talmid.

Show me Yiddishe nachas….and I’ll show you a Darchei alumnus.

Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s 47 th anniversary dinner, to be held at the Yeshiva’s Melohn Campus on January 12, will celebrate the Darchei vision: The Whole Picture.

For reservations and journal ads, please call 718-868-2300 ext. 301; email dinner@darchei.org; or visit Darchei.org/dinner.

Touro College Seeking Nominations for 46th Leadership Scholarships

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ouro College and University System is now accepting nominations for its 46th annual Orthodox Union/NCSY Leadership Scholarships.

These scholarships, in memory of Touro’s Founding President, Dr. Bernard Lander, zt”l, and his wife, Sarah Rivkah, have been awarded annually since 1974 and have been dedicated to the Landers’ memory since 2011.

“Dr. Lander played an important role in creating NCSY in 1954 and always offered scholarship opportunities to outstanding NCSY leaders through Touro,” Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish noted. “It is only appropriate that these half and full tuition

scholarships bear Dr. Lander’s name and the name of his beloved wife, Sarah Rivkah.”

The scholarships will help recipients attend one of Touro’s Lander Colleges in New York City –Lander College for Men in Queens; Lander College for Women – The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School in Manhattan; and the Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Flatbush.

Candidates for these scholarships must be accepted to the College and nominated by their NCSY Regional Director by no later than March 15, 2020. For further information on the NCSY scholarships contact Judy Rieser jrieser@touro.edu.

Did you know?

There was no ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve in 1942 or 1943.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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Gedolei Yisrael Celebrate First Dirshu World Siyum in Yerushalayim Together with Lomdei Dirshu A Celebration That Highlighted the Primacy of Yedias HaTorah

By Chaim Gold “This Siyum HaShas is a tremendous simcha! The greatest simcha is, of course, for those who finished Shas and were tested on Shas, but the simcha extends far beyond that.

The simcha of tonight’s Siyum HaShas is a simcha for all of Klal Yisrael.

Why? Because the more Torah that is learned, the more Torah that is reviewed, the more Shechinah and siyata d’Shmaya it brings to Klal Yisrael!”

Those were the heartfelt words of HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Slabodka Yeshiva, at the Dirshu Siyum HaShas at the Binyanei Haumah Convention Center in Yerushalayim.

The siyum was the first major Siyum HaShas in the series of Dirshu World Siyumim that will be taking place the world over in the course of

the coming weeks.

“What is so unique about this Siyum HaShas?” asked the Biala Rebbe, shlita, one of the elder admorim of our generation. He then answered, “With regard to Torah sheb’al peh, the halacha is that you are not yotzeh the mitzvah of learning Torah unless you understand what you are learning. Dirshu’s siyum, with their frequent tests that compel a person to learn, review and really understand what he learns, is the real siyum on Torah sheb’al peh. This is the unique ma’alah, the unique quality of the Dirshu siyum.”

HaGaon HaRav Reuven Elbaz, shlita, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohr Hachaim and one of the great pioneers of the teshuva movement in Eretz Yisrael, was visibly emotional as he exclaimed, “My dear brothers, I cannot tell you how much my heart is

singing, here at this maamad of bnei Torah who have finished Shas with tests! At the same time, I must tell you that I have so much pain – pain over all the people who are not here. All those wonderful Jews in the kibbutzim and other places who have never been endowed with any knowledge of Yiddishkeit. We must be like Yosef Hatzaddik who recognized his brothers even though they didn’t recognize him. I deeply believe that Dirshu, the great matzil, savior of Torah in our time, has the power to save them as well!”

HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, shlita, rosh yeshiva of the Lakewood Mesivta and Telshe, who came especially from Lakewood to participate in the siyum in Yerushalayim, said, “The Rambam says, that if not for ‘crazy’ people the world wouldn’t exist. In our generation we have seen

that. After the churban of Europe, a few gedolim who were ‘crazy,’ rebuilt the Torah world against all odds because they refused to be deterred by teva, the natural order of things. They merited miraculous siyata d’Shmaya that was above and beyond nature.

Similarly, in our times, Rav Dovid Hosfstedter, shlita, and Dirshu, who refuse to be deterred, have merited this unique siyata d’Shmaya that is above and beyond teva.”

The above quotes from leading gedolei Yisrael are just a sampling of the tremendous outpouring of ahavas haTorah and recognition for the seminal role that Dirshu has in ensuring that “Torah will not be forgotten among Yisrael” as expressed by the gedolim at the Dirshu World Siyum in Yerushalayim.

As is befitting a simcha of such magnitude, a massive symphony or-

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

chestra led by Reb Mona Rosenblum, with zemiros sung by numerous ba’alei menagen led by Reb Motty Steinmetz, infused the maamad with an elevated feeling of joy coupled with a euphoric sense of simchas haTorah and accomplishment.

A simultaneous event for the wives and children of Dirshu learners and Shas Yidden was also held at Binyanei Haumah with powerful addresses by Rebbetzin Leah Koledetzky, daughter of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, Rebbetzin Shulamit Ezrachi, wife of HaGaon HaRav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi, shlita, and Rebbetzin Galei, wife of HaGaon HaRav Shimon Galei, shlita. The addresses were replete with admiration and chizuk for the integral role that the women continue to play in the Dirshu Torah revolution.

A Night of Miracles!

It was Motzei Shabbos Chanukah, a night that symbolizes miracles. On this particular Motzei Shabbos Chanukah, it was the miraculous accomplishments of tens of thousands of Yidden who have elevated their limud haTorah to unprecedented levels, that was celebrated and hailed by the leading gedolim.

The event was attended by gedolei Yisrael representing the entire cross-section of Torah Jewry and included Hagaonim, HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the Bialer Rebbe, HaRav Dovid Cohen, HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, HaRav Reuven Elbaz, the Boyaner Rebbe, HaRav Yitzchok Ezrachi, the Karliner Rebbe, the Erlauer Rebbe, HaRav Moshe Yehuda Schlesinger, HaRav Tzvi Kushelevsky, HaRav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, HaRav Daniel Alter, HaRav Eliyahu Abba Shaul, and hundreds more prominent roshei yeshiva and rabbanim.

The event opened with the chairman, Rav Yitzchok Schreiber, a R”M

at Yeshiva Orchos Torah, inviting HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Ezrachi, shlita, rosh yeshiva at the Mir Yeshiva of Yerushalayim, to address the assemblage. Rav Ezrachi related how he was ecstatic to acclaim this “amazing chiddush called Dirshu that is making Torah sweet in the mouths of so many multitudes.” He cited a

z’chus to be tested on all of Shas and carry the coveted title of ‘Shas Yidden’?“Virtually every single one has told me that they thought such a feat was well above and beyond their abilities. They almost all agree that the accomplishment is l’maalah m’derech hateva, above and beyond the realm of nature.

They were the chassanim dancing at their own weddings: the chasunah between Hashem, the Torah, and Klal Yisrael!

Yerushalmi that states, “Forty years before the Jews went into exile in Bavel they planted date trees. Why? Because people run after things that are sweet.“Torah,” Rav Ezrachi exclaimed, “must be sweet. This is what Dirshu has done. It has accustomed people to learn, review and thus taste the phenomenal sweetness of Torah.”

After a beautiful musical interlude where Motty Steinmetz sang a moving rendition of Ma’oz Tzur, Rav Schreiber then asked the nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, to address the siyum.

Rav Dovid Hofstedter: “We DO Have the Koach!”

The admiration for Rav Hofstedter, the tireless, indefatigable engine behind Dirshu, was palpable.

Rav Dovid chose to specifically speak about the mesiras nefesh of Dirshu learners and its source.

He said, “One of the questions I frequently ask Dirshu learners is, ‘Did you ever think that you would accomplish so much? Did you ever dream that one day you would possess the

“Nevertheless, the fact remains: tens upon tens of thousands of people are taking tests worldwide in Dirshu’s various programs, on all chalakim of Torah!

“Where does this koach, this ability and power, come from that allows them to transcend nature and achieve yedios haTorah that until recently were deemed nearly impossible?”

Rav Hofstedter went on to connect Yaakov Avinu’s quest for pachim ketanim, small jugs, and his battle with Eisav to the story of Chanukah and the pach shemen, the small jug of pure oil lit by the Chashmona’im. That pach symbolizes mesiras nefesh, the absolute dedication to go above and beyond one’s abilities and to be endowed with otherworldly ability and strength, similar to the otherworldly abilities granted to Yaakov Avinu when he succeeded in defeating the Sar of Eisav, and to the Chashmona’im, when they succeeded in overcoming the vaunted Greek army.

“On Chanukah,” Rav Dovid said emotionally, “we constantly say ba’yamim haheim b’zman hazeh,

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in those times in our times. What is the message? The message,” he exclaimed, his voice rising with passion, “is that even if we think we cannot overcome obstacles when it comes to limud haTorah, we DO have the koach. That is our yerusha from Yaakov Avinu. We do have the koach! We DO have the koach to learn Shas and be tested on Shas! That is what the lomdei Dirshu have taught us.”

Rav Hofstedter then reflected, “We are living in a dream. After the Holocaust, who would have dreamt that we would have a large cadre of Shas Yidden?! At best, there were several Shas Yidden here and there. It is our achrayus, our collective responsibility, to raise the banner of Torah, kavod haTorah and kavod of Hashem Yisborach! If we invest all our koach into this, our efforts will surely open the gates of Heaven!”

The deeply moving rendition of the new song, “B’zechus haTorah v’lomdeha yinatzel ha’olam,” sung by Motty Steinmetz, was a truly appropriate sequel to Rav Dovid Hofstedter’s drasha.

Rav Reuven Elbaz: “The Source of Dirshu’s Success? Yiras Shomayim!”

The siyum at Binyanei Haumah was not only a siyum and celebration of the completion of Shas but also the completion of the first cycle of Dirshu’s Kinyan Chochma daily mussar learning program. Kinyan Chochma just completed the sefer Chovos Halevavos and is embarking on the second machzor, learning Pirkei Avos with the commentary of Rabbeinu Yonah.

HaGaon HaRav Reuven Elbaz, the special speaker in honor of the Kinyan Chochma Siyum, began by highlighting the uniqueness of Dirshu. He said, “The success of Dirshu stems from yiras Shamayim, the

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yiras Shamayim of its nasi. There are many philanthropists in Klal Yisrael but to merit facilitating so much Torah learning and so much mussar learning, you need two things: mesiras nefesh and yiras Shamayim.”Rav Elbaz expressed his fervent hope that the siyum would be a harbinger of the ultimate geulah, when the Navi tells us that all of Klal Yisrael will come close to Hashem. “We, however, must do all in our power to make Torah and Torah observance beloved by all segments of the population.”

The Biala Rebbe: “A True Siyum HaShas!”

There was a hush in the hall as the octogenarian Biala Rebbe slowly made his way to the podium. The Rebbe, a gadol b’Torah, powerfully and passionately asked a simple question. “Baruch Hashem, there is an increase in Torah learning in Klal Yisrael. There are siyumei haShas taking place all over! What then is the uniqueness of the Dirshu siyum?”

The Rebbe cited the commentary of the Magen Avrohom [Chapter 50 of Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim] who says that when it comes to Torah sheb’al peh you are only yotzeh if you understand what you are saying. The Mishnah Berurah quotes this Magen Avrohom and rules like him.

“The chiddush of Dirshu is that they set up a system that ensures that people really understand what they learn. When one must learn and review for a test, the level of understanding is on a totally different

plane.

“Tonight,” thundered the Rebbe, “we are celebrating a true siyum haShas, a siyum that celebrates the fact that people the world over in Dirshu’s programs learn, and understand the Torah that they learn. This is the foundation of Torah sheb’al peh!”

Following the Biala Rebbe’s address came the highly anticipated highlight: the Siyum HaShas! The Erlauer Rebbe, shlita, was honored with making the siyum. In his short remarks, the Rebbe became very emotional, exclaiming, “Look at the achdus here. Where do you have a maamad such as this where Chassidim, Litvishe, Sephardim…all come together in unity to celebrate Torah accomplishments?! Torah is the ultimate unifier of all of Klal Yisrael!”

A Kaddish That Left Not a Dry Eye The siyum was followed by a moment that tugged on the heartstrings of all. Many participants felt this was the emotional highpoint of the siyum.

The minhag is that kaddish is recited at the end of a siyum. The kaddish was introduced by Rav Yitzchok Schreiber: “One of the Dirshu Shas Yidden was HaGaon HaRav Aharon Eisenblatt, zt”l. During the previous machzor of Shas, Rav Eisenblatt was tested on the entire Shas Bavli.

During this machzor, he took tests on almost the entire Shas with Tosafos and was a participant in Dirshu’s cumulative Kinyan Shas program. Just after last Pesach, 26 Nissan, while

preparing for the second to last test in the entire machzor of Shas, from the beginning until the middle of Seder Kodshim, after learning for seven hours straight, he suddenly passed away, leaving behind a large family.

Rav Aharon’s children have come to say the kaddish.”

The sight of his children, one married, some bochurim and some children before their bar mitzvah, saying kaddish on the Siyum HaShas that their father would have made brought tears to the eyes of all throughout the stadium…

The music and dancing following the siyum were remarkable. To see the gedolim on the dais, clapping and dancing with such gusto, accompanied by the massive crowd, was to see genuine simchas haTorah. The simcha was so palpable it even enthusiastically swept up the non-religious workers in Binyanei Haumah in its wake!

“It was like a big chasunah!” exclaimed one participant.

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch: The Mitzvah of Ner – The Mitzvah IS the Reward!

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva, gave a comprehensive address, connecting the siyum with Chanukah. “The fact that the siyum is being held on Chanukah is itself special. There is a clear connection between Torah and Chanukah as seen from the Gemara [Shabbos 23] which teaches that he who is careful about lighting [Chanukah and

Shabbos] candles will merit children who are talmidei chachamim. Ner, light, symbolizes Torah. The Gemara goes on to say that one who is careful with the mitzvah of mezuzah will merit a nice house; someone who is careful regarding the mitzvah of tzitzis will merit nice clothing…”

Rav Hirsch then delineated how the reward for all mitzvos cited, with the exception of lighting candles, is a physical reward. For lighting candles, however, the mitzvah is the reward.

The mitzvah of Torah is the reward!

The ultimate lesson for us, is that ner, the mitzvah of lighting candles, symbolizes the ultimate closeness to Hashem. How do you achieve that closeness? Through Torah learning, through learning with hasmadah, with iyun and total immersion. That is how one gets close to Hashem and that is the lesson of Chanukah. The lights of Chanukah that symbolize total immersion bring to Torah’s orah.

“Anyone who has achieved great things in learning,” concluded Rav Moshe Hillel, “must understand that reaching one madreiga obligates a person to proceed to the next level.

When it comes to Torah there are always new levels to reach.”

It was so appropriate that the haschalas haShas immediately followed Rav Moshe Hillel’s drasha that so eloquently encouraged starting again with even greater goals.

HaGaon HaRav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, shlita, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Mir of Yerushalayim, was honored with starting Shas again and re-

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

citing the first Mishnah in Masechta Brachos.

The well-known musical genius and arranger, Reb Monah Rosenblum, then introduced the next song.

“About a year ago,” he shared, “a person who was very close to HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zt”l, asked me to compose a song about Rav Aharon Leib. How could I write a song about a person of such greatness?! Greatness that I couldn’t even grasp with my puny mind? However, he pushed and pushed to the extent that all I could do was daven that Hashem would send me something.

And then it happened! Early one morning, on the way back from davening, the words ‘Lev tahor’ that so symbolized the Rosh Yeshiva popped into my head together with a niggun.”

As the niggun was sung, the entire Binyanei Haumah was swept up in its fervor and joined along.

HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin: Restoring the Torah’s Crown of Glory The final address was from the special keynote guest speaker, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, shlita,

author of the multi-volume sefarim on Shas and Tanach, entitled Gevuras Yitzchok.

With tremendous feeling, Rav Sorotzkin delivered a shiur klali on the critical role that Dirshu plays in fulfilling the words of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai, who said, “Chas v’shalom that Torah should ever be forgotten among Yisrael!” He said, “Dirshu has gone beyond the realm of nature in ensuring that in our generation Torah will not be forgotten. Dirshu and Rav Dovid Hofstedter are like the Chashmona’im of our times, standing against all odds to ensure that real, wide-ranging hasagos in Torah can be reached in our generation too!”

Rav Sorotzkin then expressed what he feels is unique about Dirshu – that they returned the Torah’s crown of glory to its original place.

“The great rosh yeshiva of Baranovitch, Rav Elchonon Wasserman, was once asked, ‘What should be the derech halimud for yeshivah bachurim: iyun or bekius?’ He answered that the Chofetz Chaim told him that everyone has an absolute obligation to learn Shas and poskim. Therefore, one needs two major, daily sedarim –

one for iyun and another to acquire wide-ranging knowledge of Shas.

This was the way Torah was learned in yeshivos in pre-war Europe.

“Dirshu is ensuring that this happens in our time too. They are also responsible for emphasizing the importance of chazara, reviewing one’s learning. Without constant review, it is impossible to really know and remember Torah. The uniqueness of Dirshu is that they ensure that the Torah one learns becomes the eternal kinyan in the nefesh of the learner.”

The Pivotal Contribution of Dirshu Wives Simultaneous to the men’s program, a remarkable women’s program entitled “Bayis Shel Torah” took place in another hall in Binyanei Haumah.

Rebbetzin Koledetzky told the wives of the mesaymim, “My dear sisters, today is a truly auspicious day for you to daven. It is a day akin to maamad Har Sinai! Please daven for your husbands, your children and all of Klal Yisrael’s children! You have a tremendous koach, the koach haTorah that you helped facilitate.”

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Rebbetzin Shulamit Ezrachi explained to the women how so much of their husband’s success in learning is dependent on them. “A woman full of love of Torah, who uses her strength properly,” she exclaimed, “can make the difference between a house suffused with Torah or otherwise!”

Rebbetzin Galei, wife of Rav Shimon Galei, read a letter that her husband had written for the Dirshu wives in honor of the occasion.

Another very moving part of the women’s programing was the personal stories given by Dirshu wives of how their husband’s being part of Dirshu has had a transformative Torah impact, an impact of kedusha and tahara, on the entire home.

To understand the magnitude of the simcha, one just had to stay after the siyum and observe the spirited singing and dancing that lasted until well after 2:00 a.m. The lomdei Torah who usually account for every minute of their day just couldn’t leave. They felt compelled to dance.

Indeed, they were the chassanim dancing at their own weddings: the chasunah between Hashem, the Torah, and Klal Yisrael!

JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Chanukah spirit permeated the halls and classrooms at Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam last week

Spreading the Light at Chabad’s 5th Annual “Chanukah on the Park” PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PERLMAN

By Michael Perlman

A

Forest Hills tradition is going strong! On the first night of Chanukah on December 22, hundreds of locals and visitors, ranging from children to seniors, attended “Chanukah on the Park,” a tradition since 2015. In front of Yellowstone Park, attendees embraced the miracle of Chanukah for the kindling of the first Chanukah candle on an 18-foot menorah symbolizing “chai” (life). The festival has once

again proven to be among the largest and most diverse citywide, initiating much light and unity.

The annual event is coordinated

by Rabbi Mendy Hecht and Rebbetzin Chaya Hecht of Chabad of Forest Hills North (CFHN). The event began with Adam The Escape Artist’s magic show, a major attraction for the children. DJ Jordan made a comeback with upbeat Jewish music including traditional and modern Chanukah tunes, and attendees danced with dreidel mascots and

Chanukah clowns, even forming a conga line. A variety of 500 doughnuts included chocolate, vanilla, custard, and traditional jelly donuts, which symbolized the tradition of fried foods in light of the miracle of the burning oil lamps in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple. Chanukah menorahs and illuminated dreidel rings were distributed.

When the highly anticipated FDNY Tower Ladder 135 firetruck made its arrival, Rabbi Mendy Hecht was elevated on a cherry picker.

“The candle and the flame teach us about love and holiness when the shamash candle touches another wick. It becomes a shining light,” Rabbi Hecht said. “One light can light an infinite number of other flames and not lose anything. This is how it is with love, since we can give and not run out of love. When we help someone and do a mitzvah, we are lighting another one’s soul and flame.”

Chanukah is a time to view one another as flames rather than wicks.

“Wicks come in different shapes, colors, and sizes, but the flame is important as bright, warm, and always shining.” Rabbi Hecht advised everyone to look at the person to their right and left. “We are all flames and united, so light your friend’s flame now. Wish them a happy Chanukah and a year of happiness and health.”

He added, “We are each a candle, a flame, and all it takes is one bright light to make a dark room shine, and one bright light for a good deed, an

Rabbi Mendy and Rebbetzin Chaya Hecht with Queens BP Candidate Elizabeth Crowley

act of love, a kind word, a helping hand, a smile, and hug. See the flame and light in each person. Let’s all be one bright light and flood the world with light.”

When the cherry picker reached an over 30-foot elevation, a countdown led to Rabbi Hecht’s “Grand Chanukah Gelt Drop” in the thousands, and also making landfall was the new addition of miniature orange parachutes filled with dreidels.

Another addition was a screen which showed the crowd live, besides a video segment of Chanukah lights.

CFHN was founded in 2012 and achieved much growth. “We are in our eighth year, which can be compared to the eight branches of the menorah,” Rabbi Hecht said.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

71

Around the Community

Little Friends’ Gan Hosts Chanukah Magic Show

C

hanukah magic just took another spin at the Little Friends’ Gan Chanukah Magic Show. Comedy Magician Syltig dazzled and entertained LFG’s families as he performed tricks that had parents and kids alike rolling with laughter.

This was the first in a series of events at LFG. On legal holidays, when school is out, the Little Friends’ Gan Hebrew Program sponsors events and special programs for participating families including puppet shows, interactive classes, and workshops.

LFG is one of the sponsoring schools for the upcoming technology presentation by Dr. Eli Shapiro.

LFG students also enjoy professional extracurricular classes in music, ballet, and more.

Little Friends’ Gan is the premier licensed preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds located in the heart of Far Rockaway. Every child at LFG is a VIP! Each day is infused with high

level exploration and discovery in an environment rich with warmth and growth, building roots for strong social/emotional relationships and eagerness to learn. Weekly specialty classes include music & movement, ballet, and art.

The school day at Little Friends’ Gan including the Hebrew program

The Sephardic Congregation of Hewlett, in partnership with Chazaq, hosts a religious education program every Sunday. This past Sunday, children enjoyed Chanukahthemed activities and a magic show.

runs from 8:30-3:45 with extended day options beginning as early as 8 a.m. and as late as 4:30 p.m., which makes it an ideal option for working families.

The fun doesn’t end when the school year is out! The excitement continues at LFG Day Camp under our wonderful Director Dasi Milner.

The upcoming summer is almost sold out – email LFG at littlefriendsdaycamp@gmail.com to register.

Little Friends’ Gan can be contacted at 718-327-3287 or via email at littlefriendsgan@gmail.com.

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Over the past two weeks, Neighborhood Community Officers Sloan and Edwards of the 101st Precinct toured all the schools and yeshivas in Far Rockaway.

This was done following the attack in Jersey City to ensure the safety of all the children attending Jewish schools in Far Rockaway.

A Warm Welcome at BBY

D

ozens of parents joined the Bnos Bais Yaakov family this year, and an overwhelming number of them attended a gala melave malka on Motzei Shabbos Parshas Vayeshev.

Held in the Ateres Nechama Liba Simcha Hall, the evening opened with a sumptuous dairy buffet. A meet-and-greet session followed, giving new parents the opportunity to get to know the hanhalah, principals, and executive staff of Bnos Bais Yaakov. Also in attendance were Board of Trustee members Mr. Lloyd Keilson, Mr. Samuel Bergman, Mr. Yoily Edelstein, and Mr. Zalmy Schiowitz.

Rabbi Ephraim Blumenkrantz, executive director, welcomed the parents to the event and to Bnos Bais

Yaakov, giving divrei bracha for success in the current school year and beyond. Mr. Yaakov Aber addressed the crowd from a new parent’s perspective, stressing BBY’s warm reception and stellar education.

Rabbi Zvi Soroka was the key-

note speaker of the evening. He addressed the positive effect of a successful parent-school partnership, stressing the importance of open communication, both in school and in all areas of life. Afterwards, Eli Levin led a stirring and uplifting

kumzitz.

Attendees left with a BBY memento which will remind them to “savor the warmth of BBY!” Thank you to Mrs. Risa Gross for spearheading the event and seeing to its every detail.

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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Rav Yaakov Feitman gave a shiur on Chanukah to the Philadelphia Community Kollel last week

Chanukah-Themed Learning at BYQ

I

ntegrating Chanukah throughout general studies learning added “an extra spin” all week at Bais Yaakov of Queens! Although every grade celebrated with Chanukah activities, here are some highlights.

The first graders thoroughly enjoyed their special Chanukah-themed activities. The girls spun dreidels and created graphs to show their results.

What a fun way to explore graphs!

They practiced writing adjectives to describe delicious Chanukah foods and beautiful Chanukah pictures of doughnuts, menorahs, and latkes.

Reading practice turned into a Chanukah activity when the girls spun a dreidel that had a consonant blend on each side. They wrote words beginning with those blends on their own paper dreidels. The girls matched flames and candle numerals to their number words and glued them on to a menorah.

Older grades had Chanukah in the air, as well. The fourth graders prac-

ticed their multiplication by multiplying two two-digit “latkes” and finding the products. They “lit the menorah” and multiplied the numbers on the candles. Writing their own Chanukah word problems was fun problem-solving practice, especially when the problems featured Mrs. Bergman buying doughnuts and Mrs. Reisbaum buying dreidels!

The girls also designed a “division menorah” showing a different way to find the quotient on each candle, including repeated subtraction and dividing with place value pieces.

The sixth graders drew menorahs on number lines, practicing their negative and positive numbers while following directions about where to draw each part. They also enjoyed Dreidel Olympics, playing dreidel in groups and then cheering on the winners as they played against winners from other groups until one class winner was declared. The Chanukah spirit was definitely in the air at Bais Yaakov of Queens!

Rav Yaakov Feitman with Rav Yechiel Biberfeld, Rosh Kollel, Philadelphia Community Kollel

YHT Hosts Parent-Child Challah Bake

O

ver 170 very excited and eager Yeshiva Har Torah first and second graders gathered for the first-ever YHT Challah Bake one Thursday night in December. As part of a school-wide “Shabbat Across YHT,” students made the dough with their teachers and then made challah covers while they waited for the dough to rise and guests to arrive. Later, students returned with their guests to roll, braid, and decorate their very own challot for Shabbat.

Rabbi Gary Menchel, Rosh HaYeshiva at YHT, noted a strong sense of achdut at the event. “This was a wonderful addition to our Shabbat Across YHT programming, as we celebrated the beauty of Shabbat. Any time you can have a great,

age-appropriate activity for children that also brings together our families and touches on a shared tradition, it’s a no-brainer.”

The room was filled with excitement (and just a bit of stray flour) to fulfill the mitzvah of hafrashat challah. Ms. Pesha Kletenik, principal of YHT, explained that students across grades participated in Shabbat Across YHT through a number of special activities.

“Grades 3-5 had parent-child learning on Motzei Shabbat sponsored by the PTA, and many of our students had an in-class Shabbat meal project showcasing the different foods they eat from their respective cultures, as part of the school’s yearlong ‘Better Together’ middot theme,” she explained.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

75

Around the Community

Singing into the Night

O

n the second night of Chanukah, hundreds packed into the Shulamith School theater for Yachad’s first-ever concert featuring Simcha Leiner, Duvie Shapiro and surprise guest Aryreh Kunstler.

The event was MC’d by the energetic and eclectic social media superstar, Kosher Guru, who pumped up the crowd in his Chanukah-themed polyester suit.

The evening began with a Cha-

nukah candle lighting, performed

by Jake Rosenthal, a participant in the Yachad adult program, followed

by Duvie Shapiro who got the crowd jumping with his newly released song, “Lech El Zeh,” as well as the popular, “Thank you Hashem” hit song. Simcha Leiner then took the stage for an extended and engaging set of classic songs, Chanukah hits, and, of course, his own compositions from his past albums and newly released album.

The crowd was dancing and singing into the night with Simcha joining the crowd and the dancing in the aisles. Aryeh Kunstler surprised the crowd by joining Simcha on stage for a couple of songs, lending his soulful voice in harmony. Later, Duvie once again joined Simcha on stage for a rendition of some classic hit songs, with Duvie and Simcha singing together in harmony.

The theater was packed to capac-

ity and with the crowd chanting for more, and with Kosher Guru’s assistance, called Simcha back on stage at the end of the concert for a beautiful encore to end the evening. It was a beautiful evening of music and spirit, as the community joined together, b’yachad, for this wonderful Chanukah celebration. Yachad thanks all of the staff, sponsors, and performers for a truly memorable evening.

READY. SET. MATCH.

“M

ATCHUP,” the Israeli networking craze, is coming to Woodmere on Saturday night, January 11. In an event organized by YUConnects, and in conjunction with SawYouAtSinai, Young Israel of Woodmere, and Adopt a Shadchan, this unique concept is changing the matchmaking environment.

The program in Woodmere is designed for participation by Modern Orthodox singles, ages 27 to 38. While it will be run much like any other speed-dating event, those in attendance will not be promoting themselves. Instead, the participants bring information about other single friends or relatives (of any ages) that they would like to match up. In a friendly and competitive way, dates are arranged on the spot, there is a general buzz of goodwill, and most attendees agree that it is a fun way to play “shadchan.” Often, those at the event stay in touch to continue the matchmaking and follow up on the dates they arranged.

In Israel, in just over a year, there have been over a hundred meetings across the country, hundreds of dates have been arranged and 28

couples are already engaged. And while some meetings can be geared for married couples (matching up single relatives/friends), this particular night on Long Island is geared for singles themselves.

“At YUConnects, we are always looking for new concepts and innovative programs,” said Marjorie Glatt, Special Projects Coordinator at YUConnects. “The response to the MATCHUP idea has been tremendous with many people telling us it takes away any awkwardness since participants are putting the interest of their friends first.”

Those who want to attend should apply by January 5 as there is limited space. Go to the events page at www.yuconnects.com to learn more, email yuconnects@yu.edu, or call 516-603-8141. The cost is $20 and includes light dairy dinner.

YUConnects is a self-funded non-profit, is open to the entire Jewish community, and is currently celebrating its 387 th engagement.

It maintains a friendly office and is a leader in social and educational events for singles while providing personal guidance and mentorship for those dating.

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OCTOBER 1, 29, 2015| The | TheJewish JewishHome Home JANUARY 2020

TJH

Centerfold

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The 2015 TheJewish JewishHome Home| OCTOBER | JANUARY29, 1, 2020

2019 Sports Trivia in France, making the USA the only country to win four Women’s World Cup championships?

1. Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament at Augusta on April 14, 2019. When was the last time that he won a Masters before that? a. 4 years ago b. 8 years ago c. 11 years ago d. 14 years ago 2. Who did the USA defeat in the final game of the Women’s World Cup

4. Egan Bernal, of Columbia, won the 106th Tour de France. How old was he when he won?

5. On February 3, 2019 at age 41, Tom Brady became the oldest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. How many Super Bowls did he win in total?

a. Netherlands

a. 19

b. Germany

b. 22

c. Mexico

c. 29

a. 4

d. France

d. 32

b. 5

3. Which NHL team defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, winning their first Stanley Cup in their 52-year history? a. Chicago Blackhawks b. Philadelphia Flyers c. Carolina Hurricanes d. St. Louis Blues

 Answers 5. C 4. B 3. D 2. A 1. C

6. Lionel Messi: $127M; Cristiano Ronaldo: $109M; Roger Federer: $93.4M; LeBron James: $89M; Tiger Woods: $63.9; Clayton Kershaw: $30.7

 Wisdom Key 5-6 correct: Are you taking over for Mike Francesca on 660 WFAN? 3-4 correct: You are right in the middle...if you were a sports star, you’d also be in the middle of the pack and only making around $89 million per year.

0-2 correct: You can’t always win - just ask Tiger Woods... maybe in 11 years you will finally get more than 2 answers correct in the Centerfold trivia.

c. 6 d. 7 6. Match the athlete with the amount of money that athlete made in 2019 (as per Forbes Magazine): Tiger Woods Clayton Kershaw Roger Federer Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo LeBron James

$127 million $109 million $93.4 million $89 million $63.9 million $30.7 million

You gotta be kidding Late one New Year’s Eve, Yankel is out late with his friends, eating all sorts of fried foods and fattening junk. Finally, at two in the morning, Yankel get up to leave. His friend, Moshe, says, “Yankel, where are you going?”

Yankel replies, “To a lecture.”

Moshe is incredulous. “Who on earth, in their right mind, is going to give a lecture at this time on New Year’s Eve?” he asks.

Yankel replies, “My wife.”

31 77

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

3

Torah Thought

Parshas Vayigash

By Rabbi Berel Wein

T

he dramatic moment that Joseph has dreamed of for decades has finally arrived.

His dreams are to be fulfilled and he

has achieved the ultimate triumph over his brothers who doubted him and his integrity. And at that moment, when he is at the zenith of his

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power, he breaks down and weeps.

He is unable to control his emotions and his care for his brothers and his father and for the future generations of the Jewish people overwhelms him.

In a flash of reality, he realizes the consequences of his behavior and he pulls back from the abyss that would have destroyed the family of Jacob and prevented the creation of the people of Israel.

The rabbis of the Mishnah long ago told us that wisdom lies with those who can see the consequences of their actions and behavior in advance. Joseph clearly sees that he has pulled the rope as tightly as he is able to, and that any further action on his part would have dire consequences for the very future that he himself envisions.

If there will be a Jewish people and if he reconciles with his brothers, he knows that he will be remembered eternally as the righteous Joseph. If he exacts full revenge, justified as that may be in his mind, he knows that he dooms himself to being, at most, a footnote in the story of human civilization. His behavior towards his brothers, Judah and Benjamin, carries with it not only righteousness and altruism but a certain degree of self-interest and self-preservation. He realizes that only with greater unity of the tribes

of Israel will he be remembered and truly justified.

When Joseph was tempted by the wife of Potiphar, we are told by midrash that he was able to overcome that desire because he realized that by succumbing, he would become an outcast amongst the tribes of Israel. And, he would not be represented on the holy breastplate of the high priest of Israel. The rabbis warn us often that no matter what temptation or justification we may have for wanting to separate ourselves from the other tribes of Israel – many of whom we feel have failings or shortcomings or perhaps have even behaved incorrectly towards us – always brings sadness and personal disaster.

It is very tempting to go it alone and to not be burdened by the weaknesses and foibles of others. After all, we are aware that everyone but us is out of step! Nevertheless, we are constantly warned not to fall into that trap. Joseph realizes that he cannot go it alone despite his temporal power and personal righteousness. And, in the moment of his greatest triumph, he seeks to unite and reconcile and create the necessary vehicle that will make the Jewish people eternal and eventually triumphant morally and physically.

Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

From the Fire

Parshas Vayigash A Higher Dimension

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

P

arshas Vayigash is one of the most emotional parshios in the whole Torah, with Yosef’s revelation to his brothers, his reconciliation with them, and his reunification with Yaakov Avinu after twenty-two years of separation. The pasuk that describes this reunification (Bereishis 46:29) is filled with action: “And Yosef harnessed his chariot, and he ascended to greet Yisroel his father in Goshen, and he appeared to him and fell on his neck and cried on his neck for a long time.” The pasuk captures Yosef’s excitement with the five verbs used in pasuk: “tied,” “ascended,” “greet,” “appeared,” and “cried.” Yosef’s emotion at that moment contrasts sharply with Yaakov Avinu’s silence and passivity. This always bothered me. Rashi quotes “our sages” that Yaakov “was saying Shema.” I could never understand how Yaakov could be so apparently heartless. Of all the times to say Shema, couldn’t he do it earlier or later? While some commentaries explain that it was zman kriyas Shema, the time for reciting Shema, that does not really address the question.

I would like to share the following understanding which represents an extrapolation of the explanation of the Maharal in Gur Aryeh. In order to understand Yaakov Avinu’s Shema Yisroel at that time, we must first understand another famous recitation of Shema: that of Rebbe Akiva when he was martyred by the Romans, dying with the word “Echad” of Shema on his lips as he was being tortured to death (Brachos 61b). Following Rebbe Akiva’s example,

Jews forced to die sanctifying Hashem’s name throughout the generations have left the world saying Shema.

Most people believe that Rebbe Akiva said Shema at that moment in order to demonstrate that, despite what was happening to him, he still had faith in G-d. But a careful reading of the Gemara reveals that this was not Rebbe Akiva’s intention. The Gemara says that “at the time they took Rebbe Akiva to be killed, it was the time to say Shema.”

We therefore see that Rebbe Akiva did not say Shema because he was taken out to be killed, as a final moment’s scream of faith. Rather, he said Shema because it was the halachically prescribed time to say Shema. Each Jew has a mitzvah to accept upon himself the yoke of Heaven by saying Shema twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. It is natural to forget Hashem’s kingship over us in our daily lives so halacha mandates that we say Shema twice a day in order that we remember. Rebbe Akiva was therefore performing his daily obligation to accept the yoke of Heaven upon himself.

We learn from Rebbe Akiva that there are two dimensions to reality: the subjective dimension and the objection dimension.

In the subjective dimension, a person goes about his daily life fulfilling his personal responsibilities by working, studying, and performing mitzvos at their proper time. He has his own personal schedule. But there is also an objective dimension wherein Hashem has a grand, universal plan and a

person recognizes that he is one piece of that larger reality. On one’s average day, these two dimensions peacefully coexist, side by side. A person lives his daily life and accepts upon himself the yoke of Heaven at the proper time, dutifully acknowledging the supremacy of the Divine.

There are occasions, however, where these two dimensions collide.

When that happens, when the Divine plan causes a simple shepherd-turnedgreat-sage-of-the-generation to be tortured to death by wicked idolaters, from the subjective perspective, no one would judge such a person if he screamed out (Menachos 29b), “This is the Torah and this is its reward?!”

But by saying Shema at the prescribed time despite the fact that the Romans were raking his flesh with iron combs, Rebbe Akiva revealed that he was connected to something much greater than his own subjective reality. He was saying: “I am part of the Creator’s world!

I am part of the world of zman kriyas Shema, the objective reality of the prescribed time for Shema, for accepting the yoke of Heaven irrespective of my own subjective reality.”

What was the source of Rebbe Akiva’s ability to connect to the world of the yoke of Heaven even when his own subjective world was being torn apart?

Yaakov Avinu.

In the heat of the greatest moment of his personal, subjective life, Yaakov’s silence and the fact that he accepted upon himself the yoke of the Divine objective reality at that precise

moment revealed Yaakov’s recognition that there is a reality greater than his own. We see that Yaakov’s silence was not that of an emotionless halachist, coldly saying Shema at the proper time regardless of the circumstances.

Indeed, in the pasuk after their initial meeting, Yaakov Avinu tells Yosef, “I can die now that I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” Yaakov felt so emotionally moved that he felt that his life was complete. But despite that fact that his heart was obviously bursting with emotion, he recognized that a Jew must know that there is something above and beyond his own personal life. That is why he made the decision to say Shema at that time.

After the war, the rabbanim in Eretz Yisroel declared Asara B’Teves a kaddish klali, a universal kaddish for those killed by the Nazis, ym”sh, whose yahrtzeits are not known. We have all heard numerous stories of those who went to the gas chambers saying Shema Yisroel or Ani Maamin. My mother was at Auschwitz and was sent to the gas chambers at the very end of the war, just as everything was falling apart for the Nazis. She told me that while she and all of the other people were lined up on their journey to their deaths (a journey they never, thank G-d, completed), everyone was saying Shema, accepting upon themselves the yoke of Heaven, regardless of whether they had been observant before the war or not.

But we also know stories of Jews who tried as best they could to live as

Jews throughout the war, saying Shema twice a day and performing any other mitzvah they were able to observe under the circumstances. We know of people who tried to scrape together enough grease from train or wagon wheels to make a Chanukah candle or say whatever Yom Kippur davening they could remember on Kol Nidrei night. Such people revealed that regardless of what was happening in their personal lives, there is a greater reality, a Divine plan, a zman kriyas Shema, an objective time to say Shema, to accept upon oneself the yoke of Heaven.

They did not allow the destruction of their subjective dimension to drive them to despair because they recognized the existence of a higher reality beyond themselves. They drew their ability to do this from Yaakov Avinu and Rebbe Akiva, who revealed their recognition of that Divine reality irrespective of their own circumstances, whether joyous or horrific.

We see another example of Jews connecting to the greater reality of

Hashem’s plan through another wellknown story from the camps. Rabbi Lazer Silver, a great rav from Cincinnati, traveled to the camps when the war ended to help the survivors begin

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any other minyan ever again because of what he had seen in the camps. Rabbi Silver asked him what he had seen.

The survivor responded that one man in his barracks had somehow smuggled

Rebbe Akiva revealed that he was connected to something much greater than his own subjective reality.

to rebuild their lives. One day, in one of the DP camps, he was organizing a Mincha minyan and he had nine people. He asked a Jew nearby to join the minyan but the man refused. When questioned why, the man responded that he would not join that minyan or

in a siddur. But instead of letting other prisoners borrow it, he used to charge them a piece of their moldy bread for a few minutes with the siddur and then he would snatch it back. Sixty or seventy people used to regularly wait in line to give this man a bite of bread just to

daven for a few minutes from a siddur.

The survivor told Rabbi Silver that if a Jew could charge starving people to use a siddur, he would never daven again.

Rabbi Silver responded to the man, “Fool! Why do you only look at that one man who was doing something wrong?

Why don’t you look at the dozens and dozens of starving Jews who were willing to give up their last bite of bread just to daven from a siddur for a few minutes?!” Such Jews wished to live their daily lives as Jews notwithstanding the calamity around them.

May we merit to recognize and connect to the higher level of the Divine reality, of the objective dimension, which exists beyond our own subjective reality, even as we live our daily lives, and may Hashem soon reveal the final chapter of His great plan soon in our days with the coming of Moshiach.

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

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Think, Feel, Grow

Yosef and the Battle for True Beauty

By Shmuel Reichman

T

he story of Yosef always falls out around Chanukah, and Chazal explain that this is not coincidental. In explanation of this phenomenon, the commentaries discuss Yosef’s connection to Chanukah and how he symbolizes our victory over the Greeks. An obvious connection between Yosef and the Greeks would be the concept of beauty.

Yosef is the only male in the Torah who is referred to as “beautiful” (Bereishis 39:6). The Greeks originate from Yefes, a name which literally means “beauty.” In Parshas Noach, Noach blesses his two sons with the following: “Yaft Elokim l’Yefes, v’yishkon b’ohalei Shem,” Hashem will grant beauty to Yefes, and he will dwell within the tents of Shem (Bereishis 9:27). Yefes is the precursor to the Greeks, and Shem to the Jews. This seemingly paints the Greeks in a positive light, as a beautiful nation fitting to dwell within the framework and boundaries of Judaism. In a similar vein, the Gemara (Megillah 9b) states that despite the general prohibition of translating the Torah into different languages, it is permissible to translate the Torah into Greek due to the beauty of the language.

Based on the fact that both Yosef and the Greeks are referred to as beautiful, we must uncover the connection between them. How is the beauty of Yosef and Greek beauty connected? In order to answer this question, we must first understand what the spiritual concept of beau-

ty actually means. To do this, let us track the spiritual concept of beauty back to the creation of man, to before Adam Ha’Rishon’s sin.

Adam Ha’Rishon Before Adam sinned, he looked nothing like you or I do today. When we look at each other, all we see is flesh and bone, but if you looked at Adam before he sinned, he appeared angelic, transcendent, luminescent. The midrash says that he wore katnas ohr, skin of light.

In other words, when you looked at Adam, you didn’t see his body, you saw Adam himself – his neshama, his soul. To help us understand this concept, think about when you look at a lightbulb; all you see is light.

Only when you look very closely, can you just make out the surface of the bulb. The same was true regarding Adam; only when you looked very closely could you just make out the surface of his physical body. His body was transparent, with the outside loyally reflecting his inner self.

This is true beauty, where the inner and outer melt into a oneness, where the physical perfectly reflects the inner and spiritual, where the physical vessel serves as a medium to project something much deeper than itself.

Beauty is the harmony and synthesis between different components, which results in something infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.

However, once Adam sinned, his entire body transformed as well.

The physical no longer revealed the spiritual but hid it. Now, when we

look at each other, we don’t see our true selves; all we see is a physical body instead. What was once light is now darkness. People can’t see your inner world, your thoughts, your consciousness, your emotions; all they see is your external body.

In order to reveal yourself to other people you need to use the physical to reveal the spiritual; only through your words, actions, facial expressions, and body language can people gain a glimpse of who you truly are.

The body used to be incandescent and translucent; now it only hides.

Sara Imeinu After the sin of Adam Ha’Rishon, genuine beauty became elusive. Sara Imeinu achieved this lofty feat. We know Sara was physically beautiful and that her beauty was not just of an ethereal and spiritual nature.

When she went down to Mitzrayim, the Mitzrim, and even Pharaoh himself, desired her, and the Egyptians were steeped in immorality, interested only in beauty that ran skin deep. Interestingly, though, at the end of Parshas Noach, Rashi (Bereishis 11:29) tells us that another one of Sara’s names was Yiscah. Yiscah means transparent, and Sara’s true beauty lay in her transparency; her inner beauty loyally permeated, and was reflected through, her physical body. Genuine beauty requires the middah of transparency, where the physical body reflects the inner and spiritual beauty, something infinitely greater than any external beauty.

True beauty is oneness, where the

physical and spiritual melt into a one, where the physical doesn’t hide the inner self, but reveals it.

It is therefore no surprise that the words Yiscah comes from the same shoresh as schach, the roof of the sukkah. According to halacha, the main part of the sukkah is the schach, which is why the shoresh of sukkah comes from the word schach as well.

Sukkos is about seeing past the illusion of self-security and recognizing that Hashem is our only true source of protection. This is why we leave our sturdy homes and enter a diras arai, a temporary dwelling place. It is to show that our faith and trust lie in Hashem, not our “safe” homes. While on the surface, our security and safety seem to come only from our own efforts and hishtadlus, when we look past the surface, we recognize that everything comes from Hashem. This is why the schach is the main part of the sukkah – it trains us to see past the surface. The schach must be transparent, allowing you to see the stars at night. It must allow the sunlight to pour in from outside and must be loose enough to allow rain into the sukkah as well. Only when we have a transparent surface can we truly see what lies within.

One of the most misunderstood concepts in Judaism is the principle of tzinius, modesty, especially when it comes to women. Most people think that tzinius means to hide and not be seen; accordingly, the best form of tzinius would be to

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walk around with a brown bag over your head! But there’s deeper approach to tzinius. Nowadays, beauty has been corrupted; it generally refers to outer beauty, a surface beauty, which hides the inner self.

While the physical is also extremely important, your true self is your neshama, your mind and consciousness. Your inner world consists of your thoughts, ideas, beliefs, middos, and emotions, all of which are the deepest and most genuine parts of the self. Physical beauty is neither good nor bad; it completely depends on how it’s used. True beauty is when the physical becomes a vessel to reveal the true you into the world.

Thus, true beauty will always focus on the inner and deeper beauty as the essence.

Tzinius is not meant to hide you; it’s meant to reveal you – the true you! – so that people don’t focus on your external trappings, but instead get to meet the actual self, the neshama, which lies beneath the surface. Someone can only be genuinely beautiful if their root and core is beautiful, and they then use the physical as a vehicle to project that inner beauty outwards.

The Chanukah Battle The conception of beauty was a fundamental point of contention in the battle between the Jews and the Greeks. The Greeks did not believe in using the physical to reflect anything higher; they viewed physical beauty as an ends unto itself. Their focus was solely on the external; to them, beauty was physical perfection, independent of anything deeper. The Greeks glorified Olympic games, a competition that idolizes the physical body. For the Greeks, true godliness was physical and intellectual perfection, where the physical and intellectual were completely independent, where mind and soul did not permeate the physical, but remained distinct and separate. This is why the Greeks come from Yefes, which is the same word in Hebrew for “beauty,” and why their language is referred to as beautiful. Ideally, the Greeks could have reflected true beauty, whereby the physical beauty and spiritual beauty harmonize into one. They

could have harmonized with the Jews and joined the physical with the spiritual; instead, they chose to corrupt true beauty, disconnecting the spiritual from the physical, projecting the physical as an independent end in itself.

Zion is comprised of those same three letters, along with a tzaddi in front, the same root and shoresh of the word tzaddik. Yosef is referred to as Yosef Ha’Tzaddik, because he places the tzaddi in front of Yavan – turning surface beauty into Zion,

True beauty is oneness, where the physical and spiritual melt into one.

Yosef is connected to Chanukah because he represents the harmony between the physical and the spiritual; he successfully utilized the physical to reflect something higher. He is called beautiful because his physical body projected something infinitely deeper than itself. This is the profound meaning behind the name that Pharaoh gives Yosef, Tzafnas Paneach, which means “to reveal the hidden” (Bereishis 41:43).

A name reflects inner essence, and Yosef’s middah was true beauty, the ability to harmonize the physical with the spiritual, the hidden with the revealed. Yosef represents our victory over Greek ideology, where the physical can reflect something infinitely deeper than itself.

The Greeks attacked Yerushalayim, trying to disconnect us from the Beis Ha’Mikdash, the place where Hashem connects most intimately and deeply with our physical world.

The place of the Beis Ha’Mikdash is referred to as Zion, a unique, beautiful, and distinguished place. The pasuk in Tehilim (50:2) refers to Zion as the ultimate place of beauty: “Mi’Zion michlal yofi,” from Zion comes the embodiment of beauty.

The Gemara explains that ninetenths of the world’s beauty was given to Zion, which, in essence, means that it received all the world’s beauty, and gave a tenth of its portion (ma’aser) to the rest of the world (Kedushin 49b).

Yavan represents external, surface beauty, while Zion represents true beauty. Yavan is comprised of the letters yud, vav, nun, while

true beauty. Yosef represents the ability to shine forth inner and higher beauty through a physical medium. It is no coincidence that the gematria (numerical value) of Zion is 156, the same gematria as Yosef.

This is the hidden light of Chanukah, the light which helps us see the truth, the ability to see past the

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surface. Beauty is much deeper than a description of how a person looks; it’s a way of life. A beautiful life is one of oneness, where we synthesize all the aspects of who we are, where our thoughts, words, and actions all reflect a higher purpose. This is the beauty of Yosef, this is the light of Chanukah.

As we leave Chanukah and enter the dark winter months, may we be inspired to continue shining this light, illuminating the world with these higher ideals.

Shmuel Reichman is an inspirational speaker, writer, and coach who has lectured internationally at shuls, conferences, and Jewish communities on topics of Jewish thought and Jewish medical ethics. He is the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy (ShmuelReichman.com), the transformative online course that is revolutionizing how we engage in self-development.

You can find more inspirational lectures, videos, and articles from Shmuel on his website, ShmuelReichman.com.

Serving our community for over 30 years

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World

Builders

From Chazan to Life Saver

By Raphael Poch

O

n a recent morning, Avraham Samaura was the chazan for the Shacharit prayers in his hometown of Holon. During the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, his United Hatzalah Bluebird device alerted

him to a choking baby in his vicinity.

The dedicated volunteer quickly motioned to someone to take his place as he slipped off his tallit and raced out the door of the synagogue.

The address was just 300 meters

away, and with one burst of speed from his ambucycle, Avraham was at the scene in under 60 seconds. Grabbing his medical kit and dashing into the home, he found a hysterical mother beside her one-week-old baby who was foaming at the mouth and nose. In addition, the infant’s face was a sickly blue and her skin was extremely warm to the touch. The veteran medic swiftly cleared the baby’s mouth and nose area with his glove-covered hand and some gauze as he told the mother to turn on the air conditioner (it was an unusually hot day for the time of

ination. Later that day, the grateful mother, who knows Avraham from the neighborhood, called to thank him and let him know him that after 90 minutes in the hospital, her daughter was released with a clean bill of health.

President and founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer spoke about the incident: “It was a dream of mine for a long time to enable medical first responders to arrive at the scene of a medical emergency within less than three minutes. When we achieved that as our national average response time, I dreamed of having first responders at

With one burst of speed from his ambucycle, Avraham was at the scene in under 60 seconds.

year). Avraham swiftly and proficiently slipped the infant-sized mask onto the baby’s face and administered highflow oxygen. Within two minutes, the one-week-old patient was totally back to herself, breathing normally with a healthy, rosy complexion.

When the ambulance arrived about six minutes later, the crisis was over. Nevertheless, the cautious medic advised that the mother take her baby to the hospital for a thorough exam-

a medical emergency in 90 seconds – and it was particularly for cases such as this, where an infant chokes but can be saved by the fast response of a trained medical responder. Avraham epitomized the successful achievement of that dream when he rescued this infant.

“I am thankful to have volunteers like Avraham make up this organization and I am proud to be among them.”

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came & went

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Year In Review

2019

CAME BORIS JOHNSON

The former mayor of London who played a decisive role in the 2016 Brexit referendum became Britain’s new prime minister on July 24 when Theresa May stepped down from the role after failing to reach a plan for Britain’s exit from the European Union. Taking a gamble, Johnson called for new elections in October in order to gain more seats in Parliament so that his party can cement the Brexit deal that he wants. His gamble paid off, and on December 13, Johnson stunned political pundits by leading his Conservative Party to score one of the country’s most dramatic electoral victories in decades – yet another wild-haired bombastic politician who proved the pundits wrong and upset the establishment’s apple cart.

ARCHIE MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR

Is that the newest sport for the elite? No, it’s the name of the baby boy born on May 6 to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, AKA the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. A great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, Archie is seventh in the line of succession to the British throne. Considering that the first in line (Prince Charles) has been waiting for nearly a half century to fill the throne, Mr. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor likely has quite a wait ahead of him.

went ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI “He died like a dog” on October 26, when U.S. special operations forces raided his compound in northern Syria. Al-Baghdadi, who was hailed by the Washington Post as an “austere religious scholar,” was the founder and leader of the world’s worst terrorist organization. He personally committed unspeakable atrocities, including taking hostage and eventually killing American Kayla Jean Mueller.

GRETA THUNBERG

The latest incarnation of the climate change messiah comes in the form of a 16-year-old girl from Sweden who traveled to the U.S. on her family’s “zero-carbon yacht” valued at $4,434,600 to lecture the world about melting icecaps. Greta scolded heads of state, who are decades older than her.

“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,” Thunberg said in a speech at the UN Global Climate Action Summit in New York. “People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are at the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of endless economic growth.

How dare you!” Whereas many saw her as a young girl who is clearly suffering from anxiety of some sort, others saw her message as raw and real. Time Magazine, which is still relevant for its Person of the Year feature, named her the Person of the Year for 2019.

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CAME & WENT BLACKFACE SCANDALS When Megyn Kelly stated on NBC in October 2018 that she thought that it was okay to wear blackface on Halloween, she was summarily fired. A new rule was established: if you even talk about blackface, you are a goner. But that social justice doctrine quickly came and went when an old photo of Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA) emerged of him in blackface. Although the media proceeded with a token backlash, he was quickly let off the hook and calls for him to resign subsided. He remains a popular leader in the Democrat Party.

A similar script played out in September when old photos surfaced of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wearing blackface. The liberal leader apologized for the photos and blamed his lack of sensitivity on “white privilege.” He stated, “I didn’t see that from the layers of privilege that I have. And for that I am deeply sorry, and I apologize.” The liberal darling was quickly forgiven and went on to win reelection the following month.

CHARGES AGAINST JUSSIE SMOLLETT When actor Jussie Smollett said he was the victim of a racist attack on January 29, celebrities rushed to support him. Smollett claimed that he was walking home early in the morning when two masked men approached him, made racist remarks, beat him, and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing. He said his assailants – at least one of whom he said was white – told him he was in “MAGA country,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” But it turns out that Smollett paid two black friends $3,500 to help him stage the attack.

A grand jury returned a 16-count indictment against Smollett for allegedly filing a false police reports about a hate crime. But in March, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office inexplicably dropped all of the charges against the actor. Foxx explained in an op-ed that “Smollett’s alleged unstable actions have probably caused him more harm than any court-ordered penance could.”

PRICEY DIVORCE After 25 years of marriage, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife Mackenzie divorced in January. As part of the divorce settlement, Mackenzie Bezos was given a 4% holding in Amazon, valued at a cool $38.3 billion. But don’t pity Mr. Bezos; he retained a 12% stake in Amazon – worth $114.8 billion. Although heading to splitsville cost him a pretty penny, Jeff Bezos remains the world’s wealthiest person. Mackenzie promised to donate more than half of her fortune to philanthropy.

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ISRAELI ELECTIONS DRAMA

GLOBAL HOTSPOTS

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Year In Review

2019

In Israel’s September elections, Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White alliance won 33 seats and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party garnered 32 seats in the Knesset. But neither were able to build a coalition consisting of a 61-seat majority. As such, Israel is headed to its third election in one year, to take place in March 2020. Even more unsettling this year, though, was the November indictment of Prime Minister Netanyahu on charges of abuse of power and bribery. Although Bibi remains the caretaker prime minister of the country, due to the indictments, he was forced to relinquish his four ministerial portfolios. The March elections will tell whether Netanyahu’s political prowess will transcend the cloud of indictment that hovers above him.

SAUDI ARABIA VS. IRAN Saudi Arabia and its neighbor have been in a decades-old feud, exacerbated by religious differences. Over the past several years, Iran has increased the amount of proxies it has in the region, thus gaining influence. In Syria, Iranian support for President Bashar al-Assad has enabled his forces to largely oust rebel group groups backed by Saudi Arabia. In Yemen, Iran has been supplying arms and tactical support to the Houthis who have been in a protracted conflict with Saudi Arabia.

The feud between Iran and Saudi Arabia deepened in the early hours of September 14, when Saudi Arabia suffered the worst attack on its oil facilities in recent times. A small army of drones attacked two major oil plants, destroying nearly 50 percent of the country’s global supply of crude oil. The Houthi rebel group based in neighboring Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, but the drones appeared to be Iranian-made and the attack is believed to have been ordered by Tehran. Although tensions have thawed for the moment, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman expressing his preference for a peaceful solution to the tensions between the two countries, a full-out war between these two Middle East superpowers may be just one provocation away.

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NORTH KOREA’S LITTLE ROCKET MAN From Little Rocket Man, to best buds, to Little Rocket Man again? Well, it remains to be seen.

On June 30, President Donald Trump shocked the world when he veered off on his return trip from the G-20 Summit to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. “I never expected to meet you at this place,” Kim told Trump through an interpreter as they greeted each other at the demarcation line.

Trump walked with Kim a few steps into North Korean territory, where the two shook hands and posed for photos, before both crossed over into South Korea and met privately in the building on the South Korean side known as Freedom House for about 50 minutes before Trump escorted Kim back to North Korean territory.

This meeting between Trump and Kim was an effort to restart stalled nuclear negotiations. As of now, though, it appears as if Trump’s overtures have not borne fruit, with Kim threatening to deliver a “[holiday] gift” to the United States. President Trump, for one, does not appear much alarmed. “Maybe it’s a nice present. Maybe it’s a present where he sends me a beautiful vase, as opposed to a missile test, right?” quipped the president, before adding that whatever it is, the U.S. will deal with it “successfully.”

CHINA VS. HONG KONG Hong Kong, a former British colony, was handed back to China in 1997. However, under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, it has some autonomy and its people have more rights. Those rights include freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. Hong Kong has its own judiciary and a separate legal system from mainland China. After a Hong Kong resident committed a murder in China and fled to Hong Kong, he was unable to be sent back to China because they do not have an extradition treaty. The Hong Kong government therefore proposed a bill which would allow case-by-case extraditions to countries that lack formal extradition treaties with Hong Kong. Critics feared that this could undermine judicial independence and endanger dissidents and that the bill was really an attempt

by China’s central government to exert more control over Hong Kong.

Protests ensued, with millions of people involved.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam eventually announced that the bill would be indefinitely suspended. But the protesters’ mantra became “too little, too late,” and the protests continue to this day. The protesters have a list of demands which essentially would move Hong Kong towards democracy and towards more independence from mainland China.

JANUARY 1, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015| The | TheJewish JewishHome Home

BATTLE OVER BREXIT

GLOBAL HOTSPOTS

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Year In Review

2019

For much of 2019, status of Brexit – England’s departure from the European Union – was in flux. Despite 52% of voters in 2016 opting for Brexit, over the ensuing three years, Britain and the E.U. have been unable to agree on the terms of the exit and their relationship going forward. After numerous attempts and much frustration, British Prime Minister Theresa May resigned on May 24. Brexit advocate Boris Johnson then took the reins of the Conservative Party and Brexit. After failing to be able to muster the votes for his Brexit plan, in October he shockingly called for new elections.

That gamble paid off, and on December 13 his Conservative Party trounced the opposition, which was led by anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn. With a now mammoth majority in Parliament, Prime Minister Johnson will have much more wiggle room to negotiate Brexit.

MEXICO’S DRUG CARTEL CHAOS Left-wing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was sworn into office as Mexico’s president one year ago, with a strategy of “abrazos, no balazos” (“hugs, not bullets”). No, AMLO was not referring to petty street criminals; he was talking about the viciously violent Mexican drug cartels. But h i s strategy has been an abject failure over the past year, with Mexico inching more towards becoming a narco-state run by cartel drug lords.

In October, following the arrest of Ovidio Guzman – a son of “El Chapo,” the notorious Sinaloa cartel kingpin who was convicted in U.S. federal court and sentenced to life in prison last February – the Sinaloa cartel declared war and demanded his release. Government forces quickly surrendered and released Guzman. Within days, the arresting police officer was killed in a hail of bullets as he drove in his car. In November, cartel members brutally shot and killed nine women and children who were part of a Mormon family and who were American citizens, as they traveled from their home to a nearby settlement.

The death toll continues to rise from the cartel wars taking place around the country. On December 1, the same day that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador marked his first anniversary in office, 127 people were killed in Mexico. All the while, drugs continue to pour into the U.S. from Mexico, causing a drug epidemic within the U.S and resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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numbers don’t lie

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Year In Review

2019

Strange as they may be, the following records were made in 2019, according to Guinness World Records

7,777

Amount of diamonds set in one ring, worth almost $5 million. The bling-bling ring, which was completed in August, took 18 months for Lakshikaa Jewels in Mumbai, India, to make.

Dare I say, I still think it’s ugly?

1 HOUR, 59 MINUTES, & 40 SECONDS The time it took Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge, age 34, to run an official marathon (26.2 miles) on October 12, in Vienna, making it the first time that anyone has run an official marathon in under two hours.

“This shows no one is limited,” he said afterwards.

602 FEET & 9 INCHES Length of the world’s longest homemade egg noodle, created by Japanese chef Hiroshi Kuroda in September. After making this noodle, which is longer than the height of the Washington Monument, Chef Kuroda sought to motivate others to reach great heights and earth-shattering achievements. “I’m sure we all have our own field of strength, both at work and in private.

Instead of putting too much efforts on the things you are not good at, focus on your strength and make improvements there,” he declared.

Someone please notify him that he didn’t create the polio vaccine.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

1,347

Number of women who posed in wedding dresses at a June gathering organized by a bridal fashion store in Spain, creating the largest known gathering ever of people dressed as brides.

Taking the shidduch crisis to the next level.

30,500,000

420

Amount of “likes” gotten on Instagram for a photo of an egg in January, on an account called @ world_record_ egg, making it the world’s most-liked picture on Instagram ever. Also highlighting just how mind-numbingly dumb social media is.

Amount of cappuccinos prepared in one hour by barista Liza Thomas in Queensland, Australia, in April. The speedy barista prepared 7 cappuccinos per minute. She even gives Alberto of Crawfords a run for his money!

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16.22 SECONDS Time it took Jack Cai, of Australia, to solve a Rubik’s cube while blindfolded on April 6. As to how he prepares for the feat, he told the Guinness World Book of Records, “I spend a lot of time training the mental aspect of things, stuff like meditation and simulating competitions, just to make sure I’m on my A-game at the actual competitions.”

Number of socks removed from people’s feet in one minute at a motivational convention in Athens, Greece, on January 29

by David Rush, an American, while he was blindfolded. That’s fun – I guess.

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JANUARY 1, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015| The | TheJewish JewishHome Home

sold for how much?

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Year In Review

2019

$239,958,219.15 Amount paid by hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin for the 24,000-square-foot penthouse at 220 Central Park South, making it the priciest home ever sold in the U.S. So what do you get for nearly $240 million? Well, Griffin got a “white box,” which means that the apartment was delivered devoid of finishes and configured rooms. However, Griffin certainly still has a few shekels left over to lay down a coat of paint or two.

$35,763.60 $437,000

Amount paid for a lock of George Washington’s hair sold on February 1 by Leland’s Auction House. The strands of hair came attached to a letter signed by former Secretary of State James A. Hamilton, the third son of Alexander Hamilton, which was dated March 20, 1871. The letter, addressed to a woman named Eleanor G. Collins, included the hair as a show of Hamilton’s “respect and regard” for her, according to the letter. My, how times have changed.

$3,000,000 Amount paid at a January 5 auction in Japan for a 612-pound bluefin tuna. After completing the purchase, Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns a chain of sushi restaurants in Japan, said, “The quality of the tuna I bought is the best.” After spending that much on tuna, he may have to cut down his spending…and eat tuna.

Amount paid on July 23 at a Sotheby’s auction for a 1972 Nike “Moon Shoe,” which was one of 12 pairs of a running shoe designed by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman by pouring rubber into the mold of his wife’s waffle machine to create the first prototype of the sole. Miles Nadal, a Canadian businessman who purchased the footwear, said, “I think sneaker culture and collecting is on the verge of a breakout moment.”

TheJewish JewishHome Home| OCTOBER | JANUARY29, 1, 2020 The 2015

$79 Cost of each tissue sold by Vaev Tissue, a Copenhagen company which started selling its tissues in the U.S. in 2019. What’s so special about these highend tissues is that they were already used and contain the germs of another person – and not just any person (if that’s not gross enough) but the germs of a sick person who sneezed into it. Be warned – this is not a joke: the company markets the tissues as a way for consumers to decide when to get sick.

I guess it beats scheduling a date with the 7-Eleven door handle to contract avian flu.

$110,700,000

$19,805,000

Amount fetched after eight minutes of heated competition for Claude Monet’s 1890 painting “Meules.” The sale at New York’s Southey’s on May 14 marked the highest amount ever paid for a Monet and the most ever paid for an Impressionist work.

It happened in Monterey… A 1994 McLaren F1 “LM-specification” fetched nearly twenty million dollars at the annual the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2019 sale. How would a “Thank You Hashem” bumper sticker look on that?

$12,000,000 Amount paid at a London auction on October 4 for secretive street artist Banksy’s painting depicting primates sitting in the British Commons chamber, fetching the most money for any of Banksy’s works. Although the painting was made in 2009, the ongoing Brexit brouhaha likely added to the relevance of the painting and its exorbitant price.

$5,640,000 Amount paid at a June 15 auction at Yankee Stadium for a road jersey made of gray flannel with the word “Ruth” stitched inside the collar. It also has all of its original buttons, along with the original drawstrings at the back.

Ruth items were hot this year – on December 14, the autographed bat used by the Babe to hit his 500th homerun on August 11, 1929 was sold at a California auction for a cool $1,000,800.

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oops 2019

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Year In Review

2019

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s big unveiling of his company’s new “Cybertruck,” its long-awaited electric pickup truck, on November 21 didn’t go quite as planned.

As the truck – which looks more like an outer space war machine – was stationed behind Musk on the stage, he extolled the virtues of its stainless steel exterior and “armored glass” windows. To prove it, Musk asked his chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, to sling a sledgehammer at the truck. The driver’s side door bounced the sledgehammer right off without leaving a mark. Von Holzhausen then took a small steel ball and tossed it at the truck’s glass window – which immediately shattered. “Oh my…G-d!” Musk exclaimed, adding, “maybe that was a little too hard.”

He allowed von Holzhausen to try again but at a different spot – only to see another crack. Next time throw an egg at it – better on the car window than your face.

Armed with the full weight of the federal government, Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, along with his staff of 19 lawyers and 40 FBI agents, spent more than two years investigating whether or not President Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. In the course of the investigation, they issued 2,800 subpoenas for documents from hundreds of entities and interviewed over 500 witnesses in an investigation which cost close to $30 million. On April 18 the report was released and concluded that there was no evidence of collusion with Russia. Mueller was then called by the Democrat-controlled Congress to testify about his findings. On July 24, Mueller testified and came across as a “frail old man, unable to remember things, stumbling, refusing to answer basic questions,” in the words of left-wing agitator Michael Moore, leaving Democrats even more dejected than they had been when the report dropped like a dud.

TheJewish JewishHome Home| OCTOBER | JANUARY29, 1, 2020 The 2015

As the NFC championship game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams came down to its final seconds, the game was tied 20-20. The winner would advance to the Super Bowl. With 1:49 to play, the 73,000 fans in New Orleans had reason to feel confident. Their sure-thing future-Hall of Famer quarterback Drew Brees brought the Saints up field and were at the Rams’ 13-yard line. Facing a third-and-10 from the Rams’ 13-yard line, Drew Brees dropped back and threw a pass to a wide open Tommylee Lewis. But, prior to Lewis catching the ball, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman lunged at him, helmet first, and obliterated Lewis well before the arrival of the ball, causing the pass to be incomplete. Anyone with a set of eyes immediately identified two penalties – pass interference and helmet-to-helmet. But the seven members of the officiating crew did not make the call, and it was not a challengeable call. The Saints had to settle for a 3-point field goal. Had either of the penalties been called, the Saints would have had a first down with 1:45 left to play and could have run at least 80 seconds off the clock since the Rams only had one timeout left. The Rams went on to win the game 26-23, robbing the Saints of going to the Super Bowl.

During the NFL off-season the rule was quickly changed, making such calls or non-calls challengeable and reviewable on replay.

As WeWork prepared to go public earlier this year, the shared-office-space company valued itself at $47 billion. But as investors got a glimpse “under the hood” of the company, they discovered serious red flags about how co-founder and CEO Adam Neumann ran the company. The Wall Street Journal featured an expose that shed a bad light on Neumann, writing about his designs on living forever, achieving trillionaire status, and even becoming “president of the world” one day. Within days, the 40-year-old Israel-born entrepreneur relinquished his role as CEO. WeWork cancelled its IPO and Japanese-based Softbank agreed to bail out the company. In the third quarter of 2019, WeWork’s value plunged more than 80% to below $5 billion.

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Country House, who came in second at the 145th Kentucky Derby on May 4, was declared the winner after Maximum Security, who never lost a race before, was disqualified for interference. Maximum Security led pretty much from the gate and crossed the finish line first, by a length-and-a-half, but the video replay showed that he veered out of his lane into the path of other horses on the final turn before the home stretch. After a half-hour film review by the officials, the 65-to-1 longshot Country House, who came in second, was declared the winner. It is the first time a Derby winner has been disqualified because of a foul on the track.

JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

oops 2019

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Year In Review

2019

On February 20, the number-one NBA prospect and his teammates at Duke University took on their arch-rival North Carolina in perhaps the biggest college basketball game of the year, outside of March Madness. But less than one minute into the game, one of Zion Williamson’s Nike sneakers burst, causing him to fall to the floor and curl up in agony. Former President Barack Obama, who was watching the game from the stands, was seen on the broadcast mouthing, “His shoe broke!” Zion sprained his knee and was out for the rest of the season. Nike lost about $1.1 billion in market cap in the immediate aftermath. But all is now well with Zion and Nike – Williamson, who went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, signed a $75 million fiveyear deal with Nike, making it the richest rookie shoe deal in NBA history.

Elite universities and the rich and famous go hand-in-hand. But not all belong together. In March, the Justice Department arrested dozens of individuals – including celebrities and CEOs – in a nationwide conspiracy that facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and the admission of students to elite universities. The conspiracy involved having sit-ins taking SAT and ACT exams in place of students, correcting the students’ answers after they had taken the exam, and bribing university athletic coaches and administrators – including coaches at Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, the University of Southern California, and the University of Texas – to facilitate the admission of students to elite universities under the guise of being recruited as athletes. Jane Buckingham, the author of a parenting self-help book series called, The Modern Girl’s Guide to Life, received three weeks in prison for paying $50,000 to have someone take the ACT exam for her son last year. One famous actress was sentenced to 14 days in jail after admitting that she paid $15,000 to have her daughter’s SAT answers falsified.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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winners of 2019

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Year In Review

2019

Wisconsin resident MANUEL FRANCO, 34, was the lone winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot on March 27, the third-largest lottery amount in U.S. history. Franco opted for the lump sum payout of $477 million. After taxes, he received a measly $326 million. Franco’s trick? Confidence! Before beating the one-in-bagillion odds, Franco said his biggest concern was getting his bank account up to $1,000. “I walked into the Speedway and I purchased $10 worth of individual Powerball tickets,” Franco said. “I honestly felt so lucky that I did look up at the camera and I wanted to wink at it ‘cause I just had that lucky feeling.”

If making money is winning, BERNARD ARNAULT is quite the winner. According to Forbes Magazine, Arnault, chief executive of French luxury conglomerate LVMH, made a whopping $40 billion in 2019, with his company’s stock price rising approximately 54% in the course of one year. Arnault is now estimated to be worth $107.7 billion, making him the third richest person in the world behind Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, respectively.

The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee Cup ended in what some may consider a sign of the “no-winners-culture” times that we live in when the last EIGHT CONTESTANTS were all declared to be the co-winners. But the decision was not philosophical but practical once the contestants correctly spelled “auslaut,” “erysipelas,” “bougainvillea,” “aiguillette,” “pendeloque,” “palama,” “cernuous,” and “odylic.” In the 20th round, the announcer declared they had entered “uncharted territory” in the competition’s more than nine decades as they would soon run out of challenging words. As such, all eight remaining contestants were declared to be winners.

TheJewish JewishHome Home|| OCTOBER | JANUARY29, 1, 2020 The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 The 2015

ESTEEMED WINNERS AT THE 2019 NATIONAL BEARD AND MOUSTACHE CHAMPIONSHIPS

SNIDLEY WILDSTACHE First Place in the Natural Moustache Category

A male wire fox terrier nicknamed KING won Best in Show at the 143rd Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show which took place on February 11.

ANTHONY CARTY First Place in Partial Beard Freestyle

JASON KILEY and JOSEPH FARRELL First and Second Place in Full Beard Freestyle

Defending his title for the 12th time, JOEY CHESTNUT scarfed down 71 hot dogs at the Nathan’s July 4th Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. How does he do it?

Well, as he says, “If I’m going to get up on stage to eat hot dogs, I’m not going to do it to get third or fourth.”

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister ABIY AHMED for his role in ending the 20year war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | 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,

I am dating a man – whom I’ll call Eli – for the past eight weeks who is really what I always wanted in many ways, but I’m just feeling so off about it.

He is tall, handsome, with-it, has a great personality, is a hustler in business, and seems to want to do well financially. He gets me really nice gifts and is the king of grand gestures. When we go out, I feel proud to be with him, socially, especially because over the years finding a man I am attracted to has been the main problem. I just am not attracted to most guys that have been suggested to me (and I have been dating for years).

Here’s the thing, though: it really bothers me that Eli seems distracted. He is on his phone a lot and always wants to hang out with his work friends, etc. Many times when we talk, he seems distracted, scrolling through sites, texting clients. I have gone out with less attractive guys who I have connected with much better on a personal level but whom I could not imagine myself marrying because I wasn’t as attracted to physically.

Now I am with a guy I can totally see myself with on an outer level but these things bother me. Now that I think about it, with guys like him that I’ve met who I’ve been into I’ve been turned off by their lack of emotional depth and menschlechkeit. I could desperately use advice here.

Temi

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.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. oung lady, please reread your question. Reread what you tell us about what attracts you about Eli: looks, the grandiose persona, an aura of importance, the motivation to be a success, and an impatient go-getter.

You have woken up to the fact that he is not respectful and attentive to you and is the master of the grand gesture. In other words, he is an attractive showman who is all about presentation, not focused on the other person.

No, men are not either/or: menschen or showmen, have values or are superficial, considerate or selfish. Every person is a combination of flaws and strengths.

Look at yourself and ask yourself: why are you so focused on attraction first? Why is how the self-important guy makes you feel as you are seen with him so important? Why are you so needy? Why are you so insecure about yourself? Why are you clueless about what really counts in a marriage and relationship? What are your own flaws and strengths?

You may have dated for years but you need to do some deep introspection and work with a professional to ready yourself for a deep relationship that will lead to marriage.

Y

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A. remember as if it was yesterday.

Fifth grade. Mrs. Kirshenbaum.

Frizzy, balding sheitel. Frumpy plaid suit. Stooped posture. Singsong, Brooklyn accent. She’s standing before a murky, chalk-streaked blackboard, teaching us “Sayings to Live By…” Among these: 1. All that glitters is not gold.

2. You can’t judge a book by its cover.

I

3. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

That was decades ago. Still, I remember listening to Mrs. K. in abject awe and admiration – trying to absorb these life-truths with my ten-year old consciousness. At the same time, I remember thinking, “I love Mrs. Kirshenbaum. She’s so nice.

She’s so smart. She’s the best teacher I ever had...” Sigh.

Every once in a while, I am reminded of my beloved (albeit, unfashionable) fifth grade teacher – especially when I fall into the mortal trap of judging “glitter” to be Fools’ Gold (Rule #1). I’ve met attractive, successful people who, in time, prove to be disappointingly shallow and egotistical. Funny thing, once I discover the deadbeat beneath the dazzling exterior, I can’t help wondering, “Why was I ever impressed in the first place?’ In contrast, I’ve met people who, on first impression, seem lackluster and plain. Over time, the more I got to know these “simple” folks, the more I came to appreciate and admire their true character: whether it’s their exemplary middos, delightful personalities, or true insight (Rule #2).

From the tenor of your letter, you’re becoming disenchanted with Eli, your once idealized image of a husband – handsome, debonair – from his Gucci loafers to his fasttrack career. Two months ago, you were convinced you won the Shidduch Sweepstakes; today you find yourself increasingly repelled by Eli’s self-centered personality and disregard of your needs (no surprise he’s still single!).

So, you wonder: now that the Handsome Prince has been ix-nayed, are you destined to marry a lovable Toad? Hardly. Trust and believe there is someone out there who encompasses the “complete package” you’ve been praying for. Pay attention to Rule #2: never eliminate suitable shidduch prospects based on superficial criteria. The trick to finding the gold is to “mine” patiently and carefully below exterior surfaces (Rule #1). Be attentive, open, and apprecia-

tive of the essence of a person – e.g., his unique nature, his intelligence, his spirituality, his generosity, and his sense of humor. Be especially mindful of how you feel when you’re together…Comfortable? Valued? Respected?

Given a chance and the blessing of time, even a plain Joe (or Yossi) can morph into the handsomest, most extraordinary husband on the face of this planet. At least in your eyes!

And, according to Mrs. K., that’s all that matters! (Rule #3)

Fifteen years down the line, all your married friends will don husbands with receding hairlines and cholent-bellies.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond So, Temi. You’d like the sweet and savory taste of a juicy or-

T

ange without the need to peel it; you crave the delectable consistency of a

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pear, the beauty of a flawless pomegranate, but without the bruises or pestering seeds. In this day and age, can’t you have it all? Is that so much to ask?

Your question comes at the most apropos time of year.

Everywhere you look there are ads that feed into this concept of which you speak. Men with way too much hair, making a way too disturbingly serious face, in a suit that looks way too small (or is that the style now?). In the image he is holding up a gigantic diamond ring which leaves you wondering, is he about to murder it or hand it to the love of his life? Either way, it got your attention. There is something unscrupulous about the image that leaves the onlookers simply wondering, “Is this an ad or a horror film?” But we are programmed like robots to walk into the store and buy it anyway. Can’t you hear it ringing in your ears by now? If not, check your junk-mail folder in your inbox and look at the subject lines. “Going home for the holidays? Bring a slice of happiness! Buy our product!”, “One day of Joy left, order now!”

“Buy her happiness this holiday season, come to *Garish Jewelers.”

The level of happiness you feel at having your Greatest Showman as arm candy, an outwardly perfect boyfriend to show off to your friends, is most likely what may make him a distracted, inattentive husband and you, consequently, a sad and unhappy wife. But I get it.

It’s hard to see past the glam and glitzy hallway of the dating stage and into the ballroom of commitment and married life.

Don’t get me wrong – you must be attracted to the man you will choose to call your husband. But there is more to true attraction than having a guy who is heart-stopping and impressive to your friends. That envy-inducing rush will only last until the day he puts the ring on your finger – ask any married woman. After that, you will undoubtedly want to be the only woman your husband wishes to impress, and you him. Any attention to him or comments from your friends after that moment will be awkward and inappropriate.

I must admit that your version of happiness and attraction seems very short-sighted. If it was truly the external factors that make a happy marriage, Hollywood would be the perfect example, only it isn’t.

In that world, the most handsome marry the most gorgeous, with endless funds and envy from their friends. Where does this lead? Almost every Hollywood marriage ends in divorce. Personally, I think you would be better off marrying a man who is attentive, emotionally intelligent, and who shares your values and depth, who is still attractive to you but may have took some extra time to feel and appreciate it.

No, he may not be the talk of the town with your friends at the vort, but fifteen years down the line, all your married friends will don husbands with receding hairlines and cholent-bellies. When you walk on the boardwalk behind that adorable elderly couple holding hands and ask what pulled them through 60+ years of marriage, you can be sure they won’t respond, “Oh Hunny, it was truly the elegant gifts, his slim build, thick black hair, and perfect posture. It kept us going through all our life stages.” By then, all those things could be a distant memory: the hair, the posture, the money, the build – all of it. What you will hear this wise elderly woman say is how true devotion, commitment, basic menschlechkeit, and ability to laugh together and respect each other carried them through many stages together.

I’m sure my fellow columnists will get to the other elements of your question, but I felt the need to hone in on this particular one. Hatzlacha seeing and appreciating your bashert when Hashem sends him your way.

The Single Rena Friedman emi, on the surface it feels as though you finally found the man of your dreams. Eli is tall and handsome, has a great personality,

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is socially and financially savvy, and knows exactly what to buy you. You are physically attracted to him. On the other hand, Eli is not present the way you need him to be and the relationship lacks a sense of emotional depth. There is something about the relationship that isn’t sitting well with you.

You mention that you struggle with being attracted to the men you go out with. Attraction is a vital part of any relationship. You must be attracted to your husband, but you also must have a real connection with him too. You cannot have one without the other. A balanced relationship with a steady connection on all fronts is key. Extremes in any direction are scary and unhealthy.

When it comes to Eli, I can guarantee you this much: his hair is going to turn a nice shade of gray. He’s going to eat a little too much kugel at the kiddush, finding himself in pants a few sizes bigger. Business is going to be tough one year, and he is not going to be able to afford the necessities of your lifestyle, let alone the extra “nice gifts and grand gestures.” The essence of who a person truly is, their middos and character, is what sticks with them throughout life when they need a larger yarmulke and a second mortgage.

Money cannot buy happiness.

It’s already getting old, and it’s only been eight weeks. I was recently in a relationship where I chose to ignore some very key red flags, and the whole thing exploded, ending in a very painful manner. I really believe that had I been honest with myself about the huge discrepancy between who the guy truly was and who I wished he was, it would have ended after a few dates and saved me a lot of pain. A little pain now is better than an entire lifetime of being married to someone who is not attentive and, most importantly, does not fulfill your needs.

At this point, you and Eli need to try developing the other side of your relationship. It has already been eight weeks, and nothing seems to have improved. Try speaking to Eli about how you’re feeling in the relationship and do not listen to a word he says. Just watch what he does. Actions speak a lot louder

Every person is a combination of flaws and strengths.

than words.

In terms of the guys that you felt a connection with but “[weren’t] as attracted to physically,” did you give them a fair chance? Did you allow yourself to be open even if they weren’t as smooth or cool as you would have wanted them to be?

Those are the guys who will have your back. From my experience, I have found that attraction can grow over time, especially for women, as the relationship blossoms. Listen to your gut feeling, and be honest with yourself.

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler et’s see. He’s tall, handsome, attractive, and has a great personality? Why would someone who sounds just like me act disrespectfully?

I can think of four possible reasons: 1. This is how he acts with his male friends and simply doesn’t realize that this is no way to treat a lady.

2. He is trying to impress you with how busy he is and how popular he is.

3. You mentioned that he is a “hustler in business.” Perhaps these calls are important, work-related matters.

4. It’s possible that this is simply the way his mind works, restlessly flitting from one subject matter to the next, not able to focus on one issue or person for any length of time.

The key to this predicament, as in other situations, is communication. If he acts like this because of reasons Number One or Number

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Two, you can succeed in changing his behavior. Try gently suggesting, “Wow, you are so busy and so popular! How about we both turn off our cellphones and have some quiet, personal time together?” Or, at the start of your next date, visibly take out your own cellphone, turn it off, and say, “I’m so sorry, I forgot to turn off my cellphone!

When I’m with you, I always make sure to turn off my cellphone.”

On the other hand, his frenetic cellphone activity might be work-related (reason Number Three). I have a friend who is the sole owner of a tow truck company and, of necessity, is constantly glued to his phone.

The rest of us may find it annoying,

Pulling It All Together

but we understand that the poor guy is just trying to earn a living for himself and his family. We tolerate it and hope that someday he’ll find someone trustworthy to whom he might be able to delegate responsibilities.

Unfortunately, you may have to face the possibility (reason Number Four) that his restless web surfing and constant phone activity are a more or less permanent part of his personality. I’m sure that you can think

of acquaintances who go to a party or wedding and merrily spend the evening working the crowd, darting from one person or group to another in a seemingly distracted manner, without ever really staying focused in one spot or on one person. If this what Eli is like, you might be able to communicate how you feel and somewhat modify his behavior. But be prepared to either accept this conduct as a mildly annoying but nevertheless lovable quirk, or decide that this behavior is intolerable and move on to the next eligible young man on your list of prospects.

Good luck!

with their needs and then introducing those needs into the relationship and seeing how the other person responds.

On your next date, you may want to say something like, “I’m keeping my phone off during lunch. I don’t want to have any distractions while we’re together.” See how he responds. Depending on how the conversation goes, you may find yourself telling him your need, which would be a great thing!

All the best, Jennifer

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516-224-7779, ext. 2. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

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hanks for writing in! Eli is multi-faceted – just like you and me and everyone reading this response.

We all have different parts of our personalities. Often, one “attractive” quality comes paired with its counterpart. So, someone like Eli may feel comfortable “working the room” but the counterpart or flip side is that he may be in constant motion and finds it difficult to be present and in the moment, without distraction.

When you choose a life partner, you are choosing the entire person.

With Eli, you are attracted to parts of him but not all the parts. Getting engaged with the intention or hope of someone “changing” is rarely a good idea. “She’ll outgrow it.” “He’ll mature.” I am not one to promise these things to anyone. The safest bet is to make sure that you deeply and sincerely accept all the parts of your potential spouse.

It is nice to be with someone who can handle himself socially, who is physically attractive and buys you gifts. In my opinion, however, there has to be something more. There has to be some sort of connection or intimacy or ability to emote if that’s

w h at t he other partner needs. And this is where you come in: what do you need?

Whatever that need is, I suggest you write it down and ask yourself if it is being met. If the answer is no, I don’t think it’s time to break up with Eli as much as it is time to introduce this need into your relationship with Eli and see where it goes from there.

Maybe Eli will hit himself on the head for not having realized how you felt and he will display the ability to remain present when he is with you. You will need to date Eli for a while to see if this is something sustainable for him. Or, perhaps, once your need is introduced you will see that he truly can’t get off his phone and just be with you.

As for whether people get “either/or,” every relationship is different and every person in every relationship has different needs. I don’t think you get “one or the other” – I think you get the person. I don’t know much, but I do know that people need to get more comfortable allowing themselves to get in touch

Hi Readers!

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

Jennifer

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Dr. Deb

Anger Drove a Wedge Between Her and Her Children

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

F

or as long as she could remember, Allie was surrounded by anger. Her parents fought constantly and her brothers did the same. She needed to raise her voice to get the barest notice in her home.

And that was if she wasn’t mad.

But it seemed that her anger was triggered easily.

Things could be going absolutely fine on a given day, and suddenly, her 14-year old would make a remark –

the wrong remark – and Allie was on fire. Zero to 60 in one or two seconds.

For Allie, it was a way of life. And she did a great job teaching it to her children. The 14-year old, Ben, was capable of giving it back, in spades.

The ten-year old, Harrison, ditto.

But during one of their regular arguments, Ben screamed, “I can’t wait ‘til I’m outa here, a million miles away from YOU.” There was silence after that moment. Deadly silence.

The scream that was about to leave Allie’s lips died. All at once, in the quiet, she saw the whole picture. It was as if she flew to a tree and saw a whole, panoramic view of their lives. She knew the anger had wrecked her marriage. And now… it looked like it was completely destroying the relationship she had with her children.

How ironic. She fought like a fiend for these kids when the marriage broke up. And now they can’t wait to ditch her.

Wow. Allie sank down to a cushion on the floor and started to cry. Ben stormed off, his point losing its intensity with his mother’s sobs. That is not how it was supposed to go! Ben was furious but it wasn’t clear if he was more angry at himself for saying such a hateful thing to the mother who had protected him and nurtured him through the family’s upheavals

or at Allie for taking the wind out of his sails with her tears.

Harrison’s gentle touch on her back startled Allie out of her reverie.

“What am I doing to these kids?” she thought. “I’m messing them up!

They don’t need this. They’ve been through enough.”

It is a good thing that Allie woke up. It only took her 14 years too long, but oh, well, at least she woke up.

Studies show that children of divorce already have a bunch of strikes against them: they’re more likely to become criminal, not finish college, earn less, and even commit suicide, than children from intact homes.

Do they really need all this extra drama in their lives?

Allie looked up at Harrison’s sweet face and told him, “It’s okay, baby, Momma’s going to get help for this.”

So what kind of help does Allie need?

She needs to: • Find out what’s really bothering her When people are in a perpetual bad mood, it means that something is constantly nipping at their heels.

What is it? What thought is constantly going through Allie’s mind that is pulling her down?

We all have stuff bothering us but we all don’t react as Allie does – although many people do. Those who don’t have a way of figuring out what the problem is so they can solve it.

• Learn ways to calm her automatic stress responses Anger, especially the uncontrollable kind that Allie exhibits, is the beast that can be tamed. At the moment, she reacts so quickly to the slightest provocation that it seems out of her control. But with the right tools which specifically engage her automatic responses, she can learn to become amazingly calm and non-reactive in a matter of weeks.

• Learn how to talk to her children when they disappoint her Allie doesn’t realize that just yelling at kids who do the wrong thing doesn’t teach them anything. They don’t know why they’re being rejected – and that is exactly what Allie’s doing whether she intends that or not – and certainly don’t have the tools to fix the problem.

Allie has to be able to be her kids’ teacher. She has to teach them life skills. To do this, she has to learn how to say things in a way that they

PESACH 2020

will listen. Yelling is the worst possible way to reach children.

• Allie has to restore her self-respect and self-love in order to come from a place of quiet authority with her children.

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do that, she has to start with a relationship with herself.

After years of yelling, she probably doesn’t have much self-respect.

Add to that heaps of blame now that she sees what she’s done. This is not

All at once, in the quiet, she saw the whole picture.

If Allie wants to set up household rules for the kids and explain the rules in a warm, loving way so that they will be interested in following them, then she needs to re-establish a relationship with them. Right now, as Ben so clearly said, the relationship is just about gone. In order to

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The good news is that all this is doable. Rather quickly, too.

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Health & F tness

The #1 New Year’s Resolution

By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

W

ith the start of a new decade 2020, many of us have our top 10 New Year’s resolutions lined up. According to Statistic Brain Research Institute, the #1 New Year’s resolution for 2020 is to lose weight. Apparently,

many of us have weight loss at the top of our to- do list. The question is: do we actually go ahead and pursue our ambitious resolution? Or do we let the weeks pass by without making any changes in our lifestyle, with one excuse after another, as the diet

gets pushed aside and forgotten?

How about we make a real change this year and try to actually stick with our resolution for 2020 and change our bad habits to knock off those unwanted pounds?!

So what’s the secret? What’s the best way to lose weight and keep it off? The unwanted truth is that crash diets are not ideal. Yes, crash diets induce weight loss initially, but the moment one terminates the diet, all the weight, plus more, comes right back. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to make lifestyle changes. One must change the way they shop, change the way they prepare food, and change dietary and physical activity habits. A combination of all of these factors will help you keep to a long-lasting lifestyle of healthy eating which promotes weight loss.

The trick to weight loss is to take in less calories than you are expending. If somebody usually consumes 2,500 calories daily, and then suddenly only starts consuming 1,500 calories, the pounds will drop off – even if these 1,500 calories are coming only from cookies and cake. The point is that calories “in” must be less than calories “out.”

However, eating only 1,500 calories of cookies and cake is not the way to go. We want to eat nutritionally dense foods that are low in calories so that we can pack as much food as possible into a calorically restricted diet while giving our body the nutri-

ents it needs to function optimally.

Women trying to lose weight should consume an estimated average of 1,400-1,600 calories a day. Men trying to lose weight should consume an estimated average of 1,600-1,800 calories a day.

The number one complaint from clients looking to lose weight is that eating less makes them feel hungry.

But by eating the right foods this will not be the case. Sure, if you starve yourself, skip meals, and only eat salad your body will feel starved.

But eating healthy does not mean eating less. Eating healthy means eating less of the wrong foods and more of the right foods. My motto is: “Eat better and feel better.” Finding the right balance of the right foods and appropriate portions is key to weight loss.

So how do we create the optimal nutritionally dense menu that falls within the caloric range and doesn’t leave us feeling hungry? First and foremost, every diet must come hand-in-hand with an exercise plan.

Physical activity is vital in regulating our body’s metabolism, cardiac function, mood enhancing, and burning calories. This way, whatever calories we overeat, the exercise will compensate for it. At the same time, our body needs physical activity to function at its best. Physical activity should include at least 20-30 minutes of exercise 3-4 times per week for finest results.

Breakfast is famous for being

the most important meal of the day. Starting off your day with a balanced breakfast helps curb your appetite for the day, reduces sugar cravings, and regulates your metabolism. Breakfast should consist of a protein, starch, and fruits and/ or vegetables. Some examples include: eggs with whole grain toast, high fiber cereal with skim milk, a fruit smoothie, oatmeal, and cottage cheese/yogurt with fruit. Any combination of low-fat dairy products, protein, starch, and a fruit/vegetable is a great well- nourished way to start off the day.

Don’t wait until lunchtime to break out your next meal. This timespan can last for hours. Going more than three hours without eating causes a dip in blood sugar, which leaves you very hungry. Hunger is your worst enemy. Hunger causes one to lose control and eat the first thing in sight, which may not be the best choice. For this reason, in between every meal, one should have a

snack. A snack should be a well-balanced protein or starch with fruits or vegetables. Great snack ideas include yogurt with fruit, fruit or vegetables with a protein, granola bars, fruit smoothies, and nuts.

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paring meals, frying, sautéing, and heavy sauces should be kept to a minimum. Ideal cooking methods are roasting, grilling, baking, boiling, and broiling. When flavoring foods, choose spices and herbs, as

Eating healthy does not mean eating less.

Lunch and dinner meals should consist of protein, starch, and vegetables. According to My Plate, half of your plate should consist of protein and whole grains, while the other half should be fruits and vegetables. This nutritional, well-balanced meal should leave you satisfied and well-nourished.

Keep in mind that, when pre-

opposed to dressings and sauces.

Dressings and sauces tend to be high in sugar and calories. These products can easily be substituted for a healthier option.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Water is the healthiest drink; it helps keep us hydrated, maintains healthy skin, and has no calories. Filling up on

water will cause you to be less hungry and reduce cravings.

Play around with your menus to find a suitable meal plan that honors your preferences. Keep these tips at your fingertips, and hopefully we can make this year’s resolution become a reality.

For further help in menu planning and weight loss techniques, call/text 917-623-6237 or email CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com to set up an appointment.

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. Follow us on Instagram @ EatBetterandFeelBetter.

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In The K

tchen

Zucchini Parm Chips Dairy • Yields 6 servings

By Naomi Nachman

Photo credit: Miriam Pascal

When I was growing up in Sydney, Australia, one of my favorite dishes at a local restaurant was breaded mushrooms, which are battered and fried.

Besides using mushrooms, I have also experimented with a variety of vegetables, and this breaded zucchini is the most popular with my family. This is a great appetizer or side dish for a family gathering or melava Malka.

Ingredients 1 cup flour 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs mixed with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese 2 medium zucchinis, cut into ¼-inch rounds Canola oil, for frying Spicy mayo or sweet chili sauce, for serving

Preparation Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare a breading station with 3 bowls: 1 of flour, 1 of eggs, and 1 of breadcrumb mixture.

Dredge zucchini, 1 round at time, in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place rounds in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.

Place into the fridge for 30 minutes; this helps the crumbs stick better to the zucchini during frying.

In a medium pot over medium heat, heat oil 360°F. Use a cooking thermometer to monitor the temperature.

Working in small batches, fry the zucchini until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.

Eat freshly fried.

Cook’s Tip: To keep this recipe pareve, omit the parmesan cheese.

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 | JANUARY 1, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

If you misplaced your lizards on the sidewalk please see this link. This is not a misprint.

- Tweet by the Stoughton, Massachusetts, Police Department after several lizards were found abandoned in cages on a street

Natalia doesn’t work tomorrow!

- A jubilant Spanish TV reporter, Natalia Escudero, announcing to her colleagues on the air that she won part of a $4.4 million lottery and is quitting her job

We have had an overwhelming response to our lizard post.

They are being professionally cared for. No owner has been located. Iguana to tell you more but we’ve been busy and we are just dragon. But keep checking in, it could save you 15% or more on car insurance. #dadjoke - Ibid.

The last few months have been difficult for me for personal reasons, and for the first time the goddess fortune had smiled at me with a pinch.

- Ibid., tweeting several hours later, once she realized that she only won $5,500

Ashkenazi Jews might have a marginal advantage over their gentile peers when it comes to thinking better. Where their advantage more often lies is in thinking different.

–New York Times columnist Bret Stephens in an article published on Sunday entitled, “The Secret of Jewish Genius”

I don’t see myself as a hero. I see myself as doing what needed to be done to take out the evil threat.

– Jack Wilson, 71, a former reserve deputy sheriff who eliminated Keith Thomas Kinnunen, a shotgun-wielding murderer who killed two people in a church in Texas, within six seconds of the attack

Teeth… who needs ‘em anyway, right?

- Adam Riser, a seasoned tournament fisherman, after a fishing incident knocked out his two front teeth

We are foreign prisoners in Shanghai Qingpu prison China. Forced to work against our will. Please help us and notify human rights organization.

- What was written on a new holiday card that was made in China and purchased by someone in England

This is not a criminal trial, but this is something that the Founding Fathers decided to put in a body that was susceptible to the whims of politics.

- Senator Chuck Schumer, in 1999, explaining to Larry King on CNN why the Democrat-led senate acted properly when coordinating the defense with Bill Clinton

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

27

We are in a crisis right now.

What we’re seeing is a growth of anti-Semitism in this country that is profoundly dangerous. It is happening in Europe as well.

An atmosphere of hate has been developing in this country over the last few years. A lot of it is emanating from Washington, and it’s having an effect on all of us.

- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who started a new program giving criminals swag such as Mets tickets to encourage them to show up to court, responding to the horrific Monsey attack, which was carried out by a black man from New York City

We tend to treat these situations as isolated episodes, but really if we just connect the dots, we have a pattern of hate in this nation that is only getting worse. We’ve seen almost weekly attacks on people based on race, color, creed.

It’s hate-motivated. Apparently, there was another shooting in Texas today in a church. We’ve seen attacks against AfricanAmericans, Latinos... And let’s call it what it is and let government act because this can destroy this nation. It is corrosive. It’s an American cancer.

- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who just signed legislation which will place thousands of criminals back on the streets, on MSNBC’s “Live,” commenting on the Monsey attack

This is kind of a sensitive question, but do you think the reaction by the politicians and the media would be any different if these recent anti-Semitic attacks were committed by white supremacists instead of who they were committed by?

- CNN’s Jake Tapper, asking an honest question

It’s really crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it where the entire media is just dedicated to undoing the last election. Now, usually they don’t like the policies, they complain about the policies, and “oh Reagan, he’s going to get the world blown up,” but with Trump — an accurate summary of their position is, “We find him icky; get this monster of out of my sight.” That’s their argument here.

- Ann Coulter, in an interview with Breitbart

I cannot in good conscience support legislation that would authorize such actions by federal judges who are appointed by this federal administration. President Trump does not embody who we are as New Yorkers. The cornerstones that built our great state are diversity, tolerance, and inclusion. Based on these reasons, I must veto this bill.

- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo explaining why he vetoed a bill that would have allowed all federal judges to officiate at weddings in New York

Whether or not some Democrats violated it in some ways almost 20 years ago, there is absolutely no excuse for Mitch McConnell.

- Richard Painter on MSNBC arguing that even though Senate Democrats coordinated with then-President Bill Clinton during his impeachment, Senate Republicans should not be doing that now

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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 1, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015| The | TheJewish JewishHome Home

Two-thirds of all white guys voted for Trump. That means anytime you see three white guys walking at you, down the street towards you, two of them voted for Trump.

You need to move over to the other sidewalk because these are not good people that are walking toward you. You should be afraid of them.

- Leftist Michael Moore, in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine

The biggest mistake we made – the biggest mistake, I think – is the process that was in place essentially left so much responsibility on the lowest level of FBI agents and supervisors.

- Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, on CNN, talking about the recently released Inspector General’s report which documented 17 shocking acts of misconduct by the FBI while investigating the Trump presidential campaign

I’m sure Australians…understand that when you make a promise to your kids you try and keep it. But as prime minister, you have other responsibilities. I accept the criticism.

- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, apologizing to Australians after he took his family on a trip to Hawaii as fatal fires raged across South Australia

White women’s obsession with “being nice” is one of the most dangerous tools of white supremacy.

- Tweet by a “racial equality” group which claims to promote understanding between races, as reported by the Dailywire.com

People all over America and abroad have decided they want to let me know now, while I’m alive, about the impact that I’ve been having on their existence. They have come out and they have told me, and my gosh, it makes me feel so good.

-“Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek, who is battling late-stage pancreatic cancer

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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

123

Political Crossfire

Reading the Tea Leaves of 2020

By David Ignatius

M

y crystal ball got a little cloudy in 2019, so as the new year dawns, join me in what the late, great New York Times columnist Bill Safire liked to call the “office pool,” where, as he put it, “every reader becomes a pundit.” Some of my suggested answers are fanciful, some entirely serious.

But whatever the news brings, a happy 2020 to all.

1) During 2020, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will: (a)take the additional title of prime minister and declare elections for a Saudi parliament; (b) offer China a larger role in the development of his futuristic city of NEOM; (c) expand commercial and academic ties with Israel and announce an interfaith study center in Riyadh; (d) create a royal commission to ensure that the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi could never happen again.

2) For North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, the biggest challenge of 2020 will be: (a) establishing a Central Committee department to research possible “quid-pro-quos” to offer President Trump; (b) worrying about what life might bring if his “great friendship” with Trump doesn’t endure past Inauguration Day 2021; (c) signing an accord on the White House South Lawn for a joint U.S.-North Korean nuclear research and real estate investment program.

3) Iranian politics will be rocked during 2020 by: (a) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s nomination of hard-line chief justice Ebrahim Raisi as his

chosen successor; (b) a campaign

by Quds Force leader Gen. Qasem Soleimani to blame the “authorities” for instability and violence in Iran; (c) a comeback try by former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pitching Trump-style populism; (d) all of the above.

4) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will demonstrate his impulsive independence during 2020 by: (a) secretly helping Russia install a new government in Libya, replicating Moscow’s Syria intervention; (b) threatening to impound

5) Chinese President Xi Jinping’s biggest headache in 2020 will be: (a) stopping Hong Kong protests without killing thousands of Chinese demonstrators; (b) suppressing internet and press freedom in Taiwan following the reelection of President Tsai Ing-wen in January; (c) resisting pressure from the People’s Liberation Army to abolish the rival Ministry of State Security and incorporate its intelligence functions within the PLA; (d) all of the above.

6) The economic surprise of 2020 will be: (a) the Justice Depart-

Building a lavish “Turkey Loves Trump” spa and resort in Bodrum run by Trump family pal Mehmet Ali Yalcindag.

U.S. nuclear weapons at Incirlik unless he can keep U.S. F-35 fighters and a Russian air-defense system to shoot them down; (c) building a lavish “Turkey Loves Trump” spa and resort in Bodrum run by Trump family pal Mehmet Ali Yalcindag; (d) annexing the northern Cyprus territory that has been under Turkish control since 1974, with Putin’s acquiescence, in return for recognizing Russian annexation of Crimea.

ment files an antitrust suit against Amazon; (b) the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 20,000; (c) Facebook merging with NBCUniversal; (d) the European Union announces that, because of the unpredictability caused by overuse of U.S. sanctions, all European finance will be “de-linked” from the dollar; (e) the corporate debt bubble begins to burst as a result of several high-profile downgrades and defaults; (f) none of the above.

7) The political surprise of 2020 will be: (a) Donald Trump replacing Mike Pence with Nikki Haley as his running mate; (b) Joe Biden announcing that, if elected, his vice presidential nominee Stacey Abrams will attend all NSC and CIA Briefings; (c) California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, defeated for reelection to Congress, opening a global private intelligence group called “NeverSteele”; (d) Trump ordering the U.S. military to guard polling places to prevent “massive voter fraud” on Election Day. 8) The “sleeper” military crisis of 2020 will be: (a) Russian deployment of hypersonic nuclear weapons for which the U.S. has no defense or counterpunch; (b) Chinese space weapons that can blind U.S. spy satellites, hack communications satellites and limit projection of military power; (c) new bioweapons being developed by China, Russia and other countries that can target specific populations – and create super-empowered warriors that are tougher, faster and smarter than others on the battlefield; (d) all of the above.

Extra credit: By the end of 2020, which country will have eradicated “extreme poverty” as defined by the World Bank? Which will have the largest economy, as measured by the CIA and IMF? Which will lead AI competitions for voice recognition, facial recognition and financial technology?

Answers: 1) all except d; 2) a; 3) d; 4) a; 5) d; 6) f; 7) b; 8) d; Extra credit: China, China, China. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

The 10 Best Things Trump Has Done in 2019

By Marc A. Thiessen

I

n his third year in office, President Trump continued to deliver an extraordinary list of accom-

plishments. This week, I offer my annual list of the 10 best things Trump did this year (my next col-

umn will list the 10 worst): 10. He continued to deliver for the forgotten Americans. Unemployment is at record lows; this year the number of job openings outnumbered the unemployed workers to fill them by the widest gap ever; wages

only help meet their material needs but also help them achieve the dignity and pride that come with being a contributing member of our community. Work is a blessing, not a punishment.

8. He has got NATO allies to

It was a high-risk mission that required U.S. forces to fly hundreds of miles into terrorist-controlled territory.

are rising, and low-wage workers are experiencing the fastest pay increases. Fifty-seven percent of Americans say they are better off financially since Trump took office.

9. He implemented tighter work requirement for food stamps. With unemployment at historic lows, there is no reason more people should not be earning their success through productive work. The rules apply only to able-bodied, childless adults. When we require people to work for public assistance, we not

cough up more money for our collective security. Allies have increased defense spending by $130 billion since 2016. And the White House reports almost twice as many allies are meeting their commitment to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defense today than before Trump arrived.

7. He stood with the people of Hong Kong. He warned China not to use violence to suppress pro-democracy protests and signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democra-

TheJewish Jewish Home| OCTOBER | JANUARY 1, 2020 The The Jewish Home Home | OCTOBER 29, 29, 2015 2015

cy Act. Hong Kong people marched with American flags and sang our national anthem in gratitude.

6. His withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is delivering China and North Korea a strategic setback. The United States is now testing new, previously banned intermediate-range missiles. These weapons will allow us to compete with China’s massive investment in these capabilities and also provide a fallback in the likely case negotiations with North Korea fail -- obviating the need for temporary deployments of U.S. carrier battle groups and allowing us to put North Korea permanently in our crosshairs.

5. His “maximum pressure” campaign is crippling Iran. Iran’s economy is contracting, inflation is spiraling and the regime has been forced to cut funding for its terrorist proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, the Iranian military, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). And now the Iranian people are engaged in the largest popular uprising since the 1979 revolution.

4. His tariff threats forced Mexico to crack down on illegal immigration. Mexico is, for the first time in recent history, enforcing its own immigration laws -- sending thousands of National Guard forces to its southern border to stop caravans of Central American migrants. Plus, Congress is poised to approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free-trade agreement, which would not have been possible without the threat of tariffs.

3. He delivered the biggest blow to Planned Parenthood in three decades. Thanks to Trump’s Protect Life Rule that prohibits Title X family planning funds from going to any clinic that performs on-site abortions -- Planned Parenthood announced this year that it is leaving the Title X program barring a court victory.

2. He ordered the operation that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It was a high-risk mission that required U.S. forces to fly hundreds of miles into terrorist-controlled territory.

1. He has continued to appoint

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servatives the majority in seven out of 13.

There are many other significant achievements that did not make the top 10. Despite an inexcusable 55-day delay, he gave Ukraine the lethal aid that the Obama-Biden administration refused to deliver.

He secured the release of additional American citizens held abroad.

He launched cyberattacks on Iran,

approved a major arms sale to Taiwan, imposed visa restrictions on Chinese officials over Beijing’s oppression of the Uighurs, and refused to make major concessions to North Korea.

So does the good outweigh the bad? In the next column, we’ll review the 10 worst things Trump did in 2019. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

Isidore Jachman Medal of Honor Hero

By Avi Heiligman

T

here have been around 27 Medals of Honor awarded to Jewish soldiers (the number varies because the religious status of recipients is not always clear).

Interestingly, Congress may take away Jacob Trautman’s Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of

Wounded Knee in 1890 as the battle is seen by some politicians as a stain on American history. The medal has been awarded since the Civil War; the most recent Jewish recipient was Airman First Class John Levitow who fought during the Vietnam War in 1969. Three Jewish soldiers

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were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during World War II. The 75th yahrtzeit of one of these heroes is this week.

Battlefield heroes come from all walks of life. Isadore Siegfried Jachman – sometimes spelled Jackman – was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1922 to Leo and Lotte Jachman. He was the oldest of three, with his two younger siblings being born in the U.S. Early Talmudical Academy of Baltimore records show that he attended the school in the late 1920s to the early 1930s. To his friends both in TA and in the army, he was known as Izzy. Jachman left TA after graduating sixth grade (TA didn’t have a high school until a decade later) and graduated high school at Baltimore City College in 1939.

Jachman wasn’t the only World War II Medal of Honor recipient from Baltimore City College as Milton Ernest Ricketts (who was not Jewish) received the award for his actions on the USS Yorktown during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Many soldiers wanted to get a chance to actually fight against the Nazis but that wasn’t always a given. A large percentage of the army was sent to fight the Japanese (they fought alongside marines who had almost no presence in the war against Germany), and an average of six out of seven servicemen were placed in non-combat roles. The solution for those itching to fight was to join the paratroopers who

made several jumps behind enemy lines. Isadore volunteered (all paratroopers were volunteers for the hazardous duty) and joined the 17 th Airborne Division. Soon he attained the title of staff sergeant in Company B, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 17 th Airborne Division.

The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler’s last, desperate effort to win the war, and it took the might of the Allied armies to push back the Nazi war machine. Right in the middle of the fighting were the three American paratroop divisions. The 82 nd Airborne was locked in heavy battle against three powerful SS Panzer divisions at Elsenborn Ridge. The 101 st Airborne famously was surrounded by five German divisions in Bastogne and held out until reinforcements arrived. To their west, the 17 th Airborne deployed to Flamierge, Belgium.

Isadore’s Company B, 513th PIR was pinned down by enemy fire coming from artillery, machine guns, and small arms. To add to the deadly barrage, two tanks were advancing on his positions. He grabbed a bazooka (anti-tank weapon) and ran across an open field to get a good shot at the Panzer tanks.

One of his shots damaged a tank, and the other retreated. Tragically, Isadore suffered fatal wounds in that attack. Years later, it was discovered that the statue the town had erected of an American soldier was actually that of Isadore Jachman, whom they considered as having

saved their village.

The citation for Isadore’s Medal of Honor reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at Flamierge, Belgium, on 4 January 1945, when his company was pinned down by enemy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, 2 hostile tanks attacked the unit, inflicting heavy, casualties. Staff Sgt. Jachman, seeing the desperate plight of his comrades, left his place of cover and with total disregard for his own safety dashed across open ground through a hail of fire and seizing a bazooka from a fallen comrade advanced on the tanks, which concentrated their fire on him. Firing the weapon alone, he damaged one and forced both to retire. Staff Sgt. Jachman’s heroic action, in which he suffered fatal wounds, disrupted the entire enemy attack, reflecting the

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

127 33

the Medal of Honor. A plaque lies on the ground that indicates that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor.

Five years later, his family received the Medal of Honor, and the plaque was added to his gravesite. A letter from President Truman was sent to his family and a copy of the citation was sent to Baltimore’s Talmudic Academy. Today, the Staff Sgt. Isadore Jachman Armory is located in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Six of Isadore’s relatives had perished in the Holocaust. Several relatives had survived, including an uncle who had joined the French Foreign Legion. His parents prominently displayed his Medal of Honor of a hero that 75 years later deserves to be remembered.

highest credit upon himself and the parachute infantry.

After Isadore was killed in action, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Pur-

ple Heart but the Medal of Honor was not awarded at that time. The headstone by his grave says that he had received the Distinguished Service Cross but there is no mention of

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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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

15

Money

Great Moments in Tax Litigation

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

S

ome of the greatest stories in America reach their dramatic finale in a courtroom. Who doesn’t admire Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch standing up to racism in Jim Crow-era Alabama in To Kill A Mockingbird? Who can forget Tom Cruise baiting Jack Nicholson into bellowing out that yes, he did order the Code Red

at the end of A Few Good Men? And who can’t imagine the smile of relief on O.J. Simpson’s face when the jury announced they had found him not guilty? (Good thing he’s finally out of jail so he can pick up his search for the real killers!)

Funny thing about those stirring courtroom dramas, though…they nev-

er involve tax cases. Don’t novelists see the conflict inherent in a “battle of the appraisers” debating golf course valuations in a conservation easement case? Can’t Hollywood producers tease out the complex dramas underlying a typical multinational transfer pricing dispute? What playwright wouldn’t dream of meditating on the cross-salient tankgrenuities raised by “Section 393 transfers” between counter-impactful entities after a Section 754 election? (Relax, we made that last one up. Those aren’t even real words.)

But tax questions do occasionally sneak into an actual court. So join us now for this week’s story, which begins on the banks of the Ohio River.

Back in 1850, Cincinnati was the sixth-largest city in America, nicknamed “Porkopolis” for the area’s meatpacking industry. (Can you imagine the smell?) Today, Cincinnati, along with river-town rivals like Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Kansas City, is navigating the transition to a 21st-century economy. But only Cincinnati is the home of professional baseball. And while today’s Cincinnati Reds may be a pale shadow of the 1970s “Big Red Machine,” fans still flock to the riverfront Great American Ballpark on game day — especially when the team gives away player bobblehead dolls.

That, in turn, brings us to the Titanic struggle that just reached its ninth inning in Ohio Supreme Court: do the Reds have to pay use tax on the value of those bobbleheads? The state tax commissioner argued the team had bought them to give away to fans, in which case the team owed

the tax. The Reds responded that they had bought them to resell as part of the overall ticket, in which case they would qualify for the “sale-for-resale” exemption under ORC §5739.01(E).

The Board of Tax Appeals called the Reds “out,” and demanded $80,000 in back tax.

Naturally, the team challenged the ruling on the field. That’s when the replay reviewers at the Court stepped in. Last year, they issued their call. By a 5-2 count, the Justices yanked the commissioner from the mound. Instead, as Chief Justice Fisher wrote, “the unique promotional items were an explicit part of the bargain, along with the right to attend the game, that the fans obtained in exchange for paying the ticket fee.” That promise qualified the play as a resale. In the words of longtime radio announcer Marty Brennaman, “This one belongs to the Reds!”

We’ve said before that every financial choice you make has some tax consequence. This week’s story proves that can be true even when you’re not making a choice! And while nobody is getting rich by eliminating bobblehead taxes from their life, the lesson remains that proactive planning is the key to paying less. And you can count on us to help you make the most of all your planning opportunities in 2020 and beyond!

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

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

Whoa! Where’d That Come From?!

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC

S

o, here’s how it happens.

It can be a sneak attack or one you totally went in for.

You see an adorable baby. “She’s so cute!” you say. “Can I hold her?”

Well, that’s the one you asked for.

In the alternative, some mom says to you, “Could you hold him just for a minute? I need to get something or the other.” That’s the sneak attack.

Either way, it’s the price of holding a baby. And time and time again it shocks you. “Ewww! He/she just spit up!”

Seriously, what did you expect?

They have a very limited repertoire: eat, sleep (if you’re lucky), use the facilities (fortunately, attached to their bottom), cry (no pleasure, but certainly not unexpected), and smile and gurgle (as they advance a bit).

There are bottles to deal with their hunger, and pacifiers to deal with the crying. Conveniently, arms are a last resort to comfort or rock them when they won’t sleep.

Too bad, though, that no one has come up with a little pop-out, chin cup extension or other little receptacle for the sudden spit up barrage.

No, that’s always you! Whoever the “you” is, who happens to be holding them, soon after they’ve eaten.

Somehow, the cloth diaper that is supposed to do the job is never available, handed to you, or properly positioned to catch the flow.

And you, the recipient, are always astonished time and time again by the experience: “Oh my gosh, where did that come from?”

After all, how clueless can we all be? They have no variety in their diet

and get no snacks between meals.

Therefore, if they want something original in their mouths, they’ve got to manufacture it themselves! And they can’t limit it ‘cause portion control is obviously not their forte.

Then there’s the different reactions people have after it happens to them that are also so interesting: “Don’t worry – I love babies.” As if the people who don’t like spit up don’t like babies. Why? Are babies considered the same thing as spit up? Well, perhaps, they are, since

babies, (maybe because they were the youngest in their family or something like that). He or she truly has no recollection that this is what babies do. These teens kind of watch in slow motion as it happens to them and then politely say something like, “Um, excuse me, but um, can you take your baby back? I think something might be wrong with it.” Then they fly into the nearest restroom and have a nauseated coughing fit, in private, for the next fifteen minutes.

After which, they spend the rest of

If we are going to hold them, we need to do it at our own risk.

they are so integrally tied together.

Though, more likely, these people just don’t like spit up. Or, alternatively, these people like clean clothing.

The dramatic reaction we’ve discussed already above. You know, that “shock and surprise” thing. Because, somehow, they think babies do nothing else all day but stay there looking adorable and actually just hang out till that intermittently involved bystander randomly starts cooing and aww-ing at them.

Then there’s the embarrassed teen, who hasn’t really been around

the afternoon surreptitiously smelling themselves just to make sure that “that smell” is gone.

And then, finally, there’s the true baby aficionado. Oh, they’ve got this! They never say a word. They clean the mess up with some handy dandy wipe or towelette they adeptly find nearby. Then they naturally clean the baby off, too. And finally, since they are wired so perfectly by nature, they pull out of somewhere their own brand-new outfit, slip into it, and look perfect once again – all without ever putting the baby down.

This, my friends, is the reality:

babies spit up!

Sure, once in a while you get those really good eaters who don’t, though. And they mess things up for all the other babies. They make it seem like one could control it if they would just put their mind to it. After all, this “cutie petutie” here was able to do it.

But, I think, it’s on us. We, the innocent holder, must be less naive. Babies have been doing this for years. If we are going to hold them, we need to do it at our own risk. Moms are busy.

They don’t always remember to give out that cloth diaper or to tell you, till you’re drowning in it, of course, “Oh yeah, he’s a big spitter-upper.”

“Er, thanks. That would have helped an outfit ago!”

But there’s more to infants than this. OK, admittedly, not that much more, initially. But, we all know, they’ve got a long road in front of them. Therefore, it’s good for them to be pampered for as long as possible in preparation for that long, bumpy rollercoaster ride ahead.

And, come on, let’s be truthful, who doesn’t feel like spitting up when they are about to get on to a long, bumpy rollercoaster ride?!

Wait a minute, come to think of it – maybe these little babes are spitting up for a totally different reason. Maybe they have a greater understanding of what’s ahead of them than we think they do?!

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

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 1, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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