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May 4, 2017

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

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Pages 9, 10, 11, 13 & 61

Around the

Community

Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky, zt”l

Local Schools Celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut

Community Comes out in Support at Gesher Breakfast

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! When did Our Children Become so Anxious? By Hylton I Lightman, MD, DCH, FAAP pg Page 37

56 Remembering Israel’s Fallen Soldiers – See page 3

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Dear Readers,

would bench with his children in the same tune that his father benched with him back in Europe. That connection to his past and to his father’s mesorah enabled him to succeed despite all hurdles. If you enter the Twersky dining room today you will see portraits of all the Chernobyl Rebbes from years past. To Rabbi Twersky, mesorah was everything. His son mentioned that he wore a bekeshe even in Telz. He was the only talmid in Telz to wear a bekeshe in those days. He taught his children about their past and ensured that they maintained a kesher to their heritage. Reb Moshe Orlansky was proud of his illustrious mesorah and worked hard to impart that connection to his children and grandchildren. Indeed, his beautiful family is a testament and triumph to his dedication to his past. Most of us are not descended from rebbes or roshei yeshiva. But we all have a past. And in our past we have many things to be proud of. We have ancestors who were forced to leave their jobs because they wouldn’t work on Shabbos. We have great-grandparents who scraped together pennies to pay melamdim in the frigid winters in Europe. We have grandparents who defied the Nazis and helped out their fellow inmates despite the living hell they were enduring. We have so much to be proud of. Nowadays, when it seems that no one stands for anything meaningful anymore, we must impart that pride to our children. We need to tell them about our grandparents, great-grandparents, and others. We need to talk to them about our mesorah and yichus and tell them about the universe of mesiras nefesh and yiras Shamayim that came before them. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

t’s more than just nice to be nice. The attribute, although tossed around often, is not easy to acquire, and it requires effort, thoughtfulness, and consideration. It should, though, be a way of life. This week three individuals who I felt a connection to passed away, Rabbi Binyamin Kamenetzky, z”l, Rabbi Shlomo Twersky, z”l, and Reb Moshe Orlansky z”l. Each of them was an integral part of the community in his own way. Hearing about their lives and their accomplishments made me think about my own life and how I can improve in certain areas. Truly, when one passes on, the people who are affected should look at their deeds and learn from them. Thinking about the niftarim I was struck by how they possessed a common middah. Each of them were known to be nice people. Seeing them on the street, or in shul, or on their porch, they would greet you with a smile regardless of their busy schedule. They would stop to shmooze, ask about your family, and inquire about your day, sincerely connecting with you. This genuine concern and love for others is no small thing in the twenty-first century, when people are tethered to their phones and their Facebook friends. Hearing about the niftarim reminded me to slow down and think more of others. It reminded me to greet more people with a smile and spend more time with them. Mesorah, the passing from one generation to the next, was extremely important to these three individuals as well. Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky kept his father’s words in mind as he forged ahead in the midbar that was once the Five Towns. He ensured that pride in his family’s history was passed down to future generations. Indeed, he

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G H E R S TA

How do you like them apples?

For those with higher standards ℠

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

Community Happenings

NEWS

Global

National

Odd-but-True Stories

ISRAEL Israel News

My Israel Home

PEOPLE Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky zt”l The USS England by Avi Heiligman

80 108

PARSHA Rabbi Wein

The Daily Grind by Rav Moshe Weinberger

JEWISH THOUGHT More than Skin Deep by Eytan Kobre

Begin to Fargin by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

JEWISH HISTORY Memoirs of a Forgotten Rabbi: The Troubled Life of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber by Rav Pini Dunner 76

Dear Editor, I had a very productive Sunday morning. I just left the Hatzalah garage on Beach Ninth Street where I attended a CPR course sponsored by Achiezer. As a mom and teacher I must have taken the CPR/First Aid course at least 8 times in my life. (And I always leave a bit confused, praying I will remember all that I learned.) Today was different. The American Red Cross CPR course was so informative and clear. It took out only an hour and some change of my day, but was well worth it. Kudos to two community organizations: Achiezer and Hatzalah for always looking out for their community members. The sixty-plus women who benefited from this morning’s program are now equipped to help our friends and family. Chaia Frishman Dear Editor, 100 days in four years seems to be an insignificant amount of time. Think about it: there are 365 days in a year – that’s 1,460 days in four years. So really, 100 days is a pretty

small part of four years, when you think about it. Even so, the media keeps on harping on the centennial – in days – of Trump’s presidency. Give me a break. It’s hard to make an educated decision on what is going on in the Trump administration when the only information we are getting is from talking hacks who are only interested in talking about Ivanka and how she’s in “cahoots” with her father. Oh, and $400K for a speech given by someone who was once a community organizer? No, that’s normal. Don’t you think? I think that the only way we can judge a president is after he leaves office – and then again 20 years later. Policies that are implemented and shaped generally don’t make a mark right away. It takes time. Think about it: President Lincoln and slavery. Did slavery go away overnight? Were blacks given equal rights overnight? No, but Lincoln is credited for being the president who freed the slaves. On the other hand, Obama and his healthcare system, commonly known as Continued on page 12

HEALTH & FITNESS Thought You Were Rational? by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

Exotic Fruits that Can Change Your Life by Aliza Beer, MS RD

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! by Dr. Hylton I Lightman 92 Misdiagnosed by Rachel Rosenholtz, LCSW 94

116

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Beef Ramen Zoodle Soup 96 LIFESTYLES

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW

Your Money

116

How’s Your Glass? by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

118

HUMOR Centerfold Ignorant Inquiries by Jon Kranz

66 110

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes Populism on Pause by Charles Krauthammer CLASSIFIEDS

98 106 111

Happy 69th birthday Israel! When was the last time you were in the Holy Land?

35 % 21 % 14 % 30 %

Within the year

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Within 10 years

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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Continued from 8

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Obamacare. Did we know how horrible it was right away? No, it’s only coming out now, as dozens of insurers are leaving the network, leaving people scrambling, that we can see how he bamboozled the nation. So give Mr. Trump a chance, stop listening to the drivel the media is hurling at you, and go for a walk on the beach. Your blood pressure will thank you. Greg Hart

Dear Editor, Elana Dure’s article on Yom HaShoah was very moving. I appreciated the in-Israel account. Sincerely, Chanan D. Dear Editor, This is in response to your dating question this week: Sometimes engagements are tumultuous and sometimes they are much more calm. But dating and engaged couples should know that whatever they see in the other person they are dating will generally only be magnified after marriage. We are all on our

best behavior when we first meet someone. And it’s so easy to be on our best behavior when we only see them minimally and don’t have to deal with life stresses. If you are seeing a temper or rudeness or lying or selfishness – or other bad traits – know that these traits will not go away. What will go away is the flowers that he is showering upon you and the aura of love that you have when you are dating. Take these traits very seriously and get help – before the chupah. A Reader

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

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

The Week In News

Turkey Continues to Crack Down

Wikipedia can be a great source of information, which may be why the Turkish government has banned access. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), Turkey’s telecommunications watchdog, received a Turkish court’s approval to block access to the free online encyclopedia site over the weekend. The Ankara court ordered Saturday that a “protection measure” related to suspected internet crimes be applied to Wikipedia. Such measures are used to block access to pages or entire websites to protect “national security and public order.” In response, Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia founder, tweeted, “Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people I will always stand with you to fight for this right.” Turkey’s official news agency, quoting the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, said Saturday the site was blocked for “becoming an information source acting with groups conducting a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena.” Officials had asked Wikipedia to remove content comparing Turkey to terror groups but the site refused. Turkey then demanded that Wikipedia open an office in the country, follow international law, abide by court decisions and not be part of a “blackout operation against Turkey,” but again the site refused. Later on Saturday, the Turkish government announced two more new decrees: one that expelled more

than 4,000 civil servants and another that banned television dating programs. Nearly 500 academics and more than 1,000 Turkish military personnel were dismissed from their posts. The decree reinstated 236 people to their jobs. The second decree, among other things, banned radio and television programs for “finding friends and spouses” by adding a clause to the article on protecting children in Turkey’s media law. The shows will not be allowed to air without television content rating symbols. Turkey’s state of emergency that followed last summer’s coup attempt has allowed the Turkish government to rule by decrees. Since then, more than 47,000 people have been arrested and 100,000 have been purged for alleged connections to terror organizations. Turkey claims U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen orchestrated the coup attempt. He has dismissed the allegations.

Ukraine Arrests 94-Year-Old for Killing Nazi Collaborator

A 94-year-old Jewish World War II veteran is being accused of murder for killing a Nazi collaborator in 1952. Col. Boris Steckler, a decorated veteran and hero, was warned this week that he will be brought to trial for killing Neil Hasiewicz during a battle in Rivne Oblast in western Ukraine. Steckler was senior officer in the Soviet Army and after the war he was appointed as the KGB officer in charge of capturing Nazis and their collaborators in western Ukraine. During a battle, Steckler was involved in a confrontation with Hasiewicz, a wartime propagandist and district judge. Hasiewicz was shot and killed in the confrontation. Local nationalists have now filed a complaint against Steckler, and the Ukrainian government is listening. This marks the first time that the

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

training exercises. The soldiers are trained to operate in a forbidding climate, where temperatures can drop to negative 40. They are trained to use reindeer sleds to navigate the frozen terrains.

Event Committee Nicki & Rabbi Sol Appleman Lauri & Lewis Barbanel Cheryl & Jay Bienenfeld Sharon & Avram Blumenthal Mandy & Rubin Brecher Ashley & Judah Charnoff Naomi & Ari Davis Esty & Dovid Feit Ricki & Joey Genachowski Margie & Rabbi Aaron Glatt Rivkie & Lance Hirt Doba & Kalman Isaacs Naomi & David Kaszovitz Batya & Jonathan Kaye Sandy & Eli Klein Laurie & Robert Koppel Elizabeth & Rob Kurtz Rena & Marc Kwestel Marilyn & Eliot Lauer Shani & Jay Lerman Esty & Robert Levinson Barbara & Tuvia Levkovich Carol & Jeff Lewisohn Basya & Jonah Lobell Lynn & Joel Mael Gladys & Matthew Maryles Bilhah & David Moradi Shevy & Asher Ogorek Mindy & Henry Orlinsky Anne & Herb Pasternak Laya & Dov Perlysky Karen & David Portal Rachelle Rosenthal & Ronny Korn Devorah & Emmanuel Rosner Helena & Jay Rubin Judy & Allen Rubin Michelle & Eli Salig Eileen & Josh Schein Bonnie & Heshie Schertz Julie & Shabsi Schreier Bonnie & Avram Sigman Barbara & Mendy Silber Efrat & Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky Malky & Jay Spector Esti & Usher Stahler Evelyn & Averim Stavsky Deborah & Yacov Stollman Meryl & Jeremy Strauss Helen & Jacob Weichholz Sharona & Jeff Weinberg Esther & Baruch Weinstein Rochelle & Joey Weisstuch Dasi & Moti Weitz Karen & Reuben Zimilover

Ukrainian authorities have arrested a person who worked against Nazi collaborators during and after WWII. Steckler, who is recognized as a local war hero and regularly attends parades celebrating the Allies’ victory in 1945, does not deny the charges. Alex Tantzer, a local whose family was murdered by the Nazis in the Rivne region, spoke to local reporters concerning the assassination charges.

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“I do not know whether this is anti-Semitism or not,” said Tantzer. “In Ukraine, there are occasional complaints from nationalist organizations, and it’s a shame that the authorities take it seriously.... It’s a shame that the government in Ukraine does not stop these horrific things. Now when we celebrate victory over Nazi Germany, we are persecuting this Jew who fought against Nazis.”

The media was granted rare access to the Alakurtti base, located near the border with Finland in the Murmansk region. The Soviet-era base was refurbished and formally opened in 2015. This is the biggest military build-up in the Arctic since the fall of the USSR. The United States, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have all claimed parts of the area and its plentiful natural resources. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic may contain 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30% of its natural gas. Since the prize is so great, the fight to control the region is raging. Russia’s dream is to claim 460,000 square miles of the Arctic Ocean as its national territory, including the North Pole. Russian divers even went as far as planting a national flag on the North Pole seabed in a symbolic claim to the region’s energy riches. These moves have caused grave concern in Washington. U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said it is “not to our advantage to leave any part of the world” to others. American Marines have even been deployed to train for Arctic warfare in Norway. Russia, though, maintains that it is occupying the Arctic peacefully and has no intention of confrontation. “The aim behind the creation of the brigade was to defend the interests and security of the Russian State in the Arctic,” Colonel Ilia Pavlovsky, Commander of 80th Motor Rifle Arctic Brigade, asserted.

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Two years ago Vladimir Putin established the 80th Motor Rifle Arctic Brigade in attempt to gain dominance in the Arctic. Soldiers in full-on snow gear in skis dodge flying bullets during

Sandy Phan-Gillis, 57, spent the last two years in a Chinese prison after being accused of espionage. On Friday, the State Department confirmed that Phan-Gillis was released

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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and deported from China. Phan-Gillis, an international business consultant from Houston, was detained by authorities on March 19, 2015 when she visited southern China. Phan-Gillis is of Chinese origin but was born in Vietnam. Her legal team and family insist she was merely on a trade mission with Mayor Ed Gonzalez of Houston to promote business relations between the city and China.

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During her trial last week, Phan-Gillis was convicted of spying for the U.S. government from 1996 to 1998 and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Phan-Gillis’ husband, Jeff Gillis, says his wife was not given access to her lawyers for more than a year. He also claims that China State Security tortured her into making a false confession. Phan-Gillis was held in a secret location for six months and then put into solitary confinement. Gillis called the allegations “beyond ridiculous” and claims his wife’s passport is proof as it shows she did not travel to China in 1996. Upon her release Gillis said, “Many of Sandy’s friends and family members have been crying tears of joy throughout the day. Sandy is overjoyed to be reunited with friends and family, and sends out her thanks to the many people who worked tirelessly for her release.” The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention previously denounced China’s handling of the case, saying it had not observed “international norms relating to the right to a fair trial, and to liberty and security.” Sandy’s release is seen as an attempt to keep the relationship between Washington and Beijing on good terms.

May Day Protests May Day is also International Workers’ Day in some countries around the world. Labour Day, as

it is also referred to, is a celebration of workers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labor movement, socialists, communists or anarchists. So what went on around the world on May 1? Well, there were a lot of protests and violence in celebration of the common laborer and the strides that have been made for the working class. Take a look. In Istanbul, Turkey, police fired off rubber bullets and detained protesters as demonstrations became violent. At least 165 people were detained. There was a heavy police presence in the major squares across the city. After authorities canceled celebrations in Taksim Square, a traditional rallying point, thousands of protesters gathered in the city’s Bakirkoy district. In addition to supporting workers’ rights, marchers gathered to support democratic rights, human rights, freedom of expression and rule of law – rights which are seen to be shrinking in Turkey.

In Paris, as tensions roiled from the recent elections, a May Day march took place alongside an anti-Le Pen protest. Police soon fired tear gas as protesters began to get out of control. In Moscow, hundreds of thousands showed up in the Russian capital to celebrate International Workers’ Day. In Red Square, people waved Soviet and Russian flags, as well as banners supporting President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party. “Decent work, wages, and life” was a common theme at the gatherings. People also took to the streets in Yakutsk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Kazan, Novosibirsk and Salekhard, as well as in Siberia and the Urals and Volga regions, state-run media reported. In Berlin, police made multiple arrests after far-left demonstrators threw bottles at officers during their “Revolutionary May 1 Demonstration.” About 8,000 protesters dressed in black came to the twohour night march. The city was prepared, as they had 5,400 police officers at the event should violence

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

Iran & the EU

Iran is being urged by the European Union to show its commitment to the nuclear deal it signed in 2015. The EU is responding to President Donald Trump’s tough criticism of Iran and to the upcoming presidential election in Tehran. The EU’s energy commissioner, Miguel Arias-Canete, met this week with over 50 European firms in a business forum in Tehran. The main objective of the forum was to make new trade arrangements and to fortify Iran’s economic standing. Since the agreement was signed 16 months ago, in which Iran promised to curb

Police are Paid for Executions in Philippines A retired police intelligence officer and an active duty police commander in the Philippines have come out blasting President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs.” The two senior officers say that members of the Philippine police department have accepted cash payments for execut-

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its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions, many of the pledges that were made by the writers of the deal have not been fulfilled. It is apparent that although the sanctions have been lifted, many are hesitant to make investments in a country that has such a volatile past and is under intense scrutiny by the president of the United States. Many fear that the sanctions will be reinstated and that their investments will be lost. The EU, though, maintains that it is “fully committed” to the 2015 deal and expects all other parties to honor their part of the arrangement as well. Since the deal was signed, a few Western companies have returned to Iran. Plane manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have returned, as well as car companies Peugeot-Citroen and Renault. Still, many more have decided to wait for more security and stability before restarting their businesses in the country. President Hassan Rouhani, who is seeking reelection, is looking to deliver on the promises he made when he signed the nuclear deal. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the ultimate authority in Iran, has been critical of the deal and has said that the economic promises made will never be realized. Diplomats from the European Union say they agree with the United States’ worries regarding Iran’s human rights record, its ballistic missiles tests, its funding of blacklisted militant groups, and its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, they argue that backing out of the nuclear deal will empower those in Iran with a more radical and confrontational point of view. Iran has seen an impressive 6 percent hike in economic growth over the past twelve months, according to the International Monetary Fund.

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arise. Elsewhere in the city, more than 200,000 people took part in a traditional May Day festival, and some 14,000 participated in a labor rally. Thousands of others took part in events in other cities in the country. In Apolda, Germany, around 100 people were taken into custody as police clashed with far-right demonstrators. In Pristina, Kosovo, the Union of Independent Trade Unions gathered, demanding the government provide better conditions for private-sector workers, which they said can be regarded as slaves at some workplaces, according to Radio Free Europe. In the United States, in Portland, Oregon, protesters began to throw projectiles and incendiary devices, forcing police to cancel the permit for a demonstration that was supposed to be held. In New York, a small group of protesters marched from Grand Central Station to Bryan Park, carrying signs with slogans. They then marched to Macy’s at Herald Square and chanted slogans in the store. A few others were arrested outside the Park Avenue office of JPMorgan Chase & Co. for civil disobedience. The protest, dubbed “Corporate Backers of Hate,” targets companies that have cultivated ties to President Donald Trump’s administration and stand to profit off his policies, said Daniel Altschuler of Make the Road New York, which helped organize the protest.

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only targeting low-level drug dealers and are not going after the suppliers. “Only the poor are dying,” he explained.

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Chito Gascon, the chairman of The Commission on Human Rights, has reviewed the report and says he is considering opening up a formal investigation into the matter. “We should do all we can to follow any lead that could ultimately shed light on these killings with the view to ultimately holding the perpetrators to account,” said Gascon. According to the reports, officers are paid different amounts depending on the importance of the victim. The “reward scales” range from 20,000 pesos ($400) for a “street level pusher and user,” to 50,000 pesos for a member of a neighborhood council, one million pesos for “distributors, retailers and wholesalers,” and five million for “drug lords.”

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ing suspects in drug cases and have planted evidence at many crime scenes. Their insider account has pulled the cover off of investigations into the drug-related killings that have been blamed on “vigilantes” by the police department. Since Duterte took office, almost 9,000 people have been killed in drug-related police incidents. About a third of the victims were shot in

self-defense by arresting officers. According to an anonymous retired intelligence officer, the remaining two-thirds were contract killings carried out by paid assassins in the police department or with police backing. “It is the Philippine National Police doing it,” said the retired intelligence officer. “This killing machine must be buried six feet under the ground.”

The officer wrote a report, which has not been made public, which lays out the full extent of the corruption in the department. The report says that police have also been paid to kill rapists, pickpockets, swindlers, gang members, alcoholics and other “troublemakers” for 10,000 pesos ($200) a head. The police commander told a reporter that he was speaking out because the police are

Turkish and U.S. armored vehicles gathered at the Turkish-Syrian border last weekend, signifying growing tensions between the two powers. Turkey’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called on the United States to stop supporting the Syrian Kurdish militants. Just days before, U.S. troops were seen patrolling the border on the Syrian side in Kurdish areas, perhaps prompting Turkey to move

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

in, although Kurdish officials simply described the U.S. troop movement as “buffer” between them and Turkey. The U.S. patrols were in response to a Turkish airstrike against bases of Syrian Kurdish militia, Washington’s main ally in combating ISIS militants in Syria. U.S. officials have maintained that the troop movement is simply part of its operations with the Kurdish forces in northern Syria. However, in Turkey’s opinion, Syria’s Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) is known as a terrorist organization and an extension of the Kurdish militants who have been involved in a 30 year rebellion against Turkey. “The YPG – and you know who’s supporting them – is attacking us with mortars. But we will make those places their grave, there is no stopping,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned. Things got messier when Turkey conducted airstrikes against bases for the YPG group in Syria and Iraq last week. According to the Turkish military, 90 militants were killed and dozens more were wounded during the mission. The Kurdish group in Syria said 20 of its fighters

and media activists were killed in the strike. President Donald Trump will give Erdogan a piece of his mind, no doubt, when he visits the White House on May 16.

Analyzing ISIS and its Weapons

It was recently discovered that ISIS had built an intricate network of tunnels beneath Mosul, a major city in northern Iraq, in order to smuggle in weapons. The tunnels were discovered by the Iraqi Army’s 9th Division. A technical advisor from Conflict Armament Research, a Canadian 30-year-old woman, Devin Morrow, was brought onto

the case to analyze the machinery. Every morning Morrow suits up in a bulletproof vest and steps out into the battlefield to inspect the booty of war. “We don’t rely on secondary information. We spend a lot of time out in the field,” Morrow said in an interview. “It does get scary. Anything can happen at any time and it’s important to remember that.” Once a weapon is seized, Morrow and her team begin their investigation by taking detailed photographs of the ammunition and then analyzing the individual part and serial numbers. One of the main objectives is to determine where these weapons are originating from and who is supplying them to ISIS. “It’s quite unprecedented, the level at which ISIS is able to create its own ammunition and weaponry,” Morrow told Fox News. “We don’t see this quality of production in other conflict zones,” said Morrow, whose U.K.-based company traces and documents illegally diverted weapons in conflict zones like Iraq, Syria, Somalia, South Sudan, Libya and Yemen. Morrow said a typical day at the office would be studying a Russian

AKM assault rifle from 1975. Hundreds of seized weapons are variants of the AK-47, which Morrow described as highly versatile and easily trafficked. “They last a long time. They’re very durable,” she explained. “Variants of the AK-47 are very widely used in the Middle East. The main producers are former Soviet countries and Russia. They have been around for decades and they’re everywhere.” In the past several years “suicide vehicles” have also been discovered in addition to the small arms weaponry. Morrow explained how ISIS fighters seize civilian cars and SUVs and load them up with explosives. They then cover the vehicle in heavy protective metal plates so that the driver can drive the vehicle as close as possible to the front lines before detonating. ISIS’s tunnel network was carefully calculated. A web of tunnels discovered beneath houses was intended to confuse coalition forces. “They built that machine themselves,” she said of the tunnel machine found in Hamdaniyah late last year.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

UNESCO Denies Israel’s Claim to Jerusalem

It was expected to pass and it is indicative of the anti-Israel culture that proliferates at the UN. On Tuesday, the United Nations’ cultural body passed the latest in a series of resolutions that denies Israeli claims to Jerusalem, in a move both forcefully condemned by Israel yet

touted as a diplomatic feat due to the growing number of countries that opposed it. Submitted to UNESCO’s Executive Board by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, the resolution on “Occupied Palestine,” which indicates that Israel has no legal or historical rights anywhere in Jerusalem, was expected to pass, given the automatic anti-Israel majority in the 58-member body. The vote, which coincided with Israel’s Independence Day, passed with 22 countries in favor, 23 abstentions, 10 opposed, and the representatives of three countries absent. The 10 countries that voted against the resolution were the U.S., UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Greece, Paraguay, Ukraine, Togo, and Germany. Its wording was slightly less harsh on Jerusalem than previous resolutions, in that it does affirm the importance of the city to the “three monotheistic religions.” In the moments after the vote passed, Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen, draped in a large Israeli flag, addressed the meeting. “Even now, after this miserable vote, this blue and white flag is flying high above

the Temple Mount and throughout Israel’s eternal capital city, Jerusalem, waving in the wind, saying to all ‘here we are, and we are here to stay,’” Shama-Hacohen said. “This biased and blatantly deceitful decision, and the attempts to dispute the connection between Israel and Jerusalem, will not change the simple fact that this city is the historic and eternal capital of the Jewish people,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in a statement. “Israel will not stand silently by in the face of this shameful resolution.” Earlier on Tuesday Netanyahu harshly criticized the UNESCO resolution for ignoring the Jewish people’s millennia-long bond to Israel’s capital city. Speaking at the Bible Quiz held annually on Independence Day, Netanyahu said that despite the text of the resolution, Judaism has deeper roots in Jerusalem that any other religion. “There is no other people in the world for whom Jerusalem is as holy and important as for the Jewish people, even though a meeting will take place at UNESCO today that will try to deny this historical truth,” he said. “We denounce UNESCO and uphold our truth, which is

the truth” that “throughout Jewish history Jerusalem was the heart of the nation.” According to Israeli officials, Germany was a driving force behind a deal that would see all EU states abstain in exchange for the removal of the most incendiary anti-Israel passages. But on Monday, Italy announced that it would vote against the resolution, apparently ending the effort to forge a European consensus. Jerusalem prefers to see Western countries vote against a harsher resolution, even if it passes, than a consensus in support of a milder text. Tuesday’s resolution, unlike previous resolutions, does not refer to the Temple Mount only as Haram al-Sharif, or to the Western Wall Plaza only as al-Burak plaza, the respective sites’ Muslim names. In fact, these sites are not mentioned at all. Furthermore, the resolution affirms “the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions.” It also notes that the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem, both of which are in the West Bank, “are of religious significance for Judaism, Christian-

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ity and Islam” — though it calls them “Palestinian sites.” However, the current draft of the resolution still contains many red flags for Israel. For instance, Israel is referred to throughout the document as the “occupying power,” indicating that it has no legal or historical ties to any part of Jerusalem. Earlier this week, Israel officials acknowledged that the resolution that passed Tuesday is somewhat easier to stomach than previous versions, but emphatically urged Western countries to vote against it.

Israel at 69

Yom huledet sameach! On its 69th birthday, Israel can boast of a population of 8.68 million people. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, current numbers are ten times higher than when the state was founded in 1948. The population of the State of Israel is dominated by Jews, with 6,484 million residents (74.7%) identifying as Jewish. A full 20.8% are Arab, which comes to 1.808 million people. The remaining 4.5% represents non-Arab Christians, people of all other faiths, and those who do not identify as religious. When the State of Israel was founded, there were 11.5 million Jews in the world, only 6% of which lived in Israel. In 2015, there were 14.411 million Jews in the world, and 43% lived in Israel. Soon the majority of the world’s Jews will live in Israel. Since last year, the country’s population grew by 1.9%, or 159,000 people. 174,000 children were born, 44,000 deaths were recorded, and 30,000 immigrants made Aliyah. In 1950, there was only one city that had a population of more than 100,000 – Tel Aviv. Today, there are 14 cities that boast over 100,000 residents and eight cities – Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod, Petah Tikva, Netanya and Beersheba – have over 200,000.

“Power” Play in Gaza

The Palestinian Authority is now refusing to pay for the electricity that Israel supplies to the Gaza Strip. The move is the latest power play by the PA in its ongoing battle with Hamas for control over the Strip. Hamas currently controls the enclave and has recently been going through an electrical power crisis. Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesperson, called the PA’s move a “dangerous escalation, and a fit of insanity.” The move is one of many taken by the PA lately to force Hamas to either take full control and responsibility for the territory or to give control back to the Palestinian Authority. Gaza has only one power plant, and Hamas has refused to buy the fuel needed to run the plant from the PA. The energy shortage, without refusing to pay Israel for electricity, has left some residents with as little as four hours of power a day. Without energy that is provided by Israel, it is unclear how Gaza will be able to have even those small amounts of power. Israel gives Gaza enough energy to power 30 percent of the region for 24 hours a day. The power costs NIS 40 million each month. Until now, the PA has picked up this tab. The only other source of power is Egypt, which provides just 6.25% of the electricity needed to power Gaza for a day. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have been fighting for control of the Strip since Hamas made a power grab in 2007. The PA has been paying for most of the Gaza Strip’s infrastructure since then. Private donors can choose to pay for the energy bill. In the past, Qatar has stepped in to purchase fuel for the power plant but so far has not said that it will help Gaza out of its current power crisis.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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Hamas-PA War of Words Continues

The ongoing feud between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority continued this week with a senior official in the Hamas terror group accusing Mahmoud Abbas of “crimes against humanity.” Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, addressed Abbas’ decision to no longer fund power to Gaza saying that the PA “cut off power to the innocent people of the Strip, so G-d will cut off power to your hearts.” In addition to no longer funding the electricity of Gaza, the PA announced in April that they will be cutting their employees’ salaries by 30 percent and will provide less monies to Gazan families that “mar-

tyred” themselves in the group’s “holy” anti-Jewish cause. The PA has also warned that they will take more steps if Hamas does not give into them and hand over the Strip. The PA’s push for control came to a head about one week before PA president Mahmoud Abbas was set to meet President Donald Trump. The organization’s entire budget for 2016 was $4.14 billion. Of those monies, $1.65 billion went to the Gaza Strip and its infrastructure. Hamas has imposed high taxes on the residents of the Strip and has taken much of that revenue and built weapons to fight Israel. It is estimated that Hamas has earned over $1 billion annually from the taxes it raises.

Seeking Cyber Ninjas Think you can jump past firewalls and hack your way through cyber-secure networks? The Shin Bet is looking for you. On Thursday, just days before celebrating Israel’s 69th anniversary, the Shin Bet launched a new interactive website with a highly

complex riddle designed to recruit potential new employees.

Almost 90,000 people had tried to solve the complicated and multilayered puzzle in the first 48 hours since it was published. Only six had managed to solve it entirely, and they will be called for a job interview soon in the organization’s special technology units. A website with an almost impossible task to solve is not new in Israel’s agencies. Last year, the Mossad also released a riddle on its website, and more than 25,000 participants attempted to solve it, though only a few dozen actually succeeded. Among Shin Bet’s duties are safeguarding state security, exposing terrorist rings, interrogating terror suspects, providing intelligence for counterterrorism operations in the West Bank and the Gaza

Strip, counterespionage, personal protection of senior public officials, securing important infrastructure and government buildings, and safeguarding Israeli airlines and overseas embassies. In the past year, the organization has extensively beefed up its cyber and technology units, and the cyber specialists are about 25 percent of its overall manpower.

Over 23,000 Jews Have Lost Their Lives Defending Israel

Sunday marked Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. The Defense Ministry has published the official numbers of Israel’s fallen soldiers

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who lost their lives in defense of the State of Israel. Since 1860, when the Jewish community of Jerusalem expanded over the walls of the Old City and started to provide its own security, 23,544 Jewish people have been killed defending the Holy Land. The publishing of the numbers was done in order to coincide with Yom Hazikaron. Since last year’s Memorial Day, sixty more casualties have been added to the list. Another 37 IDF veterans have passed away in the past year as a result of the injuries they sustained in the line of duty. On Sunday, April 30, a minute of silence was observed, marking the start of Yom Hazikaron. Monday was filled with memorial ceremonies sponsored by all levels of government.

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The Syrian military has announced that Israel led an airstrike against a military instillation just south of Damascus International Airport last week. The airstrike led to a series of explosions that has raised the tension level of the already strained relationship the two countries share. The attack was apparently meant to interrupt a weapons transfer to Hezbollah, the Lebanese terror organization. The Iranian-supported Hezbollah, which staunchly supports Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has sworn Israel to be its enemy. Israel has reportedly struck many such weapons transfers in Syria in the past couple of weeks. Later that night, the IDF announced that they had intercepted an incoming projectile over the Golan Heights with its Patriot Missile Defense system. An off-the-record account of the incident by an Israeli defense official said that the Patriot Missile hit a drone and that the government is checking to see if the drone was a Russian machine that had come into Israeli airspace by mistake or if it was a Syrian drone. According to Maha Yahya, the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, it is unlikely that Syria and Iran will carry out any retaliation against Israel. “Iran and Hezbollah are overstretched, and it’s not clear they can afford to gamble with a di-

rect showdown with Israel now,” Yahya explained. “Iran knows no matter how powerful they’ve become, they can’t be fighting on two fronts at the same time.” Although he had no official comment, Israeli Minister of Intelligence Yisrael Katz said that an airstrike would be in line with Israel’s policy of interrupting any such weapons transfers. “It absolutely matches our declared policy, a policy that we also implement,” Katz told Israel’s Army Radio. Israel and Hezbollah last fought a month-long war in 2006. The tensions between the two forces have risen lately, with each side making increasingly violent threats.

The Taylor Force Act

Taylor Force was a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was pursuing his MBA at Vanderbilt when he was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist on a Tel Aviv boardwalk on March 8, 2016. Taylor’s killer was identified as a Palestinian terrorist, 22-yearold Bashar Masalha, who severely wounded ten others before he was fatally shot by Israeli police. “All dads and all moms are proud of their kids. Taylor basically did everything right, but he was humble about it,” says his father, Stuart. As one set of parents grieves for their innocent child, the other basks in pride and monetary gifts. Each year the Palestinian Authority spends hundreds of millions of dollars paying the families of terrorists involved in “heroic” (read: horrific) acts of terror. The PA’s budget is partially subsidized by the U.S. – meaning your tax dollars. In a sense, your hard-earned money may be reaching the parents of a 20-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber, a disturbing and alarming possibility. This week, on Wednesday, Pal-

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

estinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was scheduled to meet with President Trump at the White House. Many are hoping that Trump will address this sickening issue. The Taylor Force Act, a congressional bill named for Taylor, would cut off U.S. financial aid until the Palestinian Authority stops the payments to terrorists. Children and young adults are encouraged to murder in Palestinian territories. South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, the main sponsor of the Senate legislation, explained, “If you die as a terrorist, as a ‘martyr,’ your family will get an annual stipend greater than the average Palestinian earns. In this case, the terrorist who killed Taylor Force...was hailed as a hero, was basically given a state funeral, and his family was given money by the state.” “The practice is inconsistent with American values, inconsistent with peace, and inconsistent with decency,” Graham added. Three hundred million dollars go to the Palestinian Authority each year. According to the P.A.’s online budget, the terrorist payouts cost them around the same amount each year – about 7% of their annual budget. “I think nobody, no Israeli or no American, would be happy to know that his taxpayer money is being used to be paid for families of terrorism,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told Fox News. When Palestinian Authority Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour was grilled about the practice he answered, “Our position is clear. We are against killing innocent civilians from any side.” When asked specifically by a Fox News reporter about the Taylor’s case, Mansour avoided the question and passed it off. “You cannot cherry pick one case here or one case there. There are a large number of Palestinians who are receiving compensation, they are victims of Israeli terrorism or killed by Israeli soldiers.” Taylor’s father tragically tells of the fateful day when he learned about his son’s death. “I was actually out on the golf course, getting some practice putts and my cell phone rang. I recognized the area code, from Nashville, where Vanderbilt is and I figured it was my son calling from Israel, and he is borrowing somebody’s phone. I said, ‘Hello?’ and they said, ‘Mr. Force?’ I

said, ‘Yes, Ma’am.’ “’This is the chaplain at Vanderbilt University. I am on a speakerphone in a room with the Dean of Students and the Provost.’ And I said to myself that this is not going to be a very good phone call. She proceeded to tell me that Taylor had been in a group of six students that had been walking to dinner, and that they had been attacked by someone

who they believed was a terrorist, and he was stabbed, and he was transported to the hospital by ambulance but he didn’t make it. I sat down on the putting green and tried to collect my thoughts. She went on to say that your cell phone was his emergency contact number, and I said thank you, and I said, ‘Have you called home to talk to my wife yet?’ She said, ‘No we haven’t.’ I said,

‘Please don’t, give me 15 minutes and let me go home.’ I essentially threw the clubs on the ground and drove home. I said they had the wrong person, it’s not Taylor.” Since that day, the Forces with broken hearts have made it their mission to put an end to the incentives doled out to terrorists in the hope to encourage less young Palestinians to murder.

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

What’s in Your Water?

After the recent polluted water scandals in Flint, Michigan, and the less publicized incident at Summit Township Elementary School in Butler, Pennsylvania, there has been a huge push for regulatory water testing. In both these cases, the public was not immediately informed or aware of the contaminated water exposing many children, adults, and the elderly to the harmful chemical. Now there is a major movement,

initiated mostly by parents, to test school water systems often. Parents and educators are demanding more transparency and quicker notification when problems arise. Last summer in Portland, Oregon, elevated lead levels were detected in the water and the district failed to immediately inform parents. Parents were livid and the scandal eventually forced the then-superintendent to resign. Now, almost a year later, Portland is still providing bottled water at its 90 schools, which stretches their budget another $850,000. Officials are trying to approve a record $790 million bond this May to modernize the city’s schools and water facilities. Some states have put laws into place to protect children in schools. In New York a law was passed requiring schools statewide to routinely test drinking water for lead. There isn’t any easy foolproof way to test for lead. Many samples need to be drawn and it needs to be done professionally. It is possible to get a clean sample from a contaminated pipe, so multiple samples are important. In California, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D) is pushing legislation to require schools to test their water supplies as well.

“It’s shocking to me we’ve gone this long and still don’t know how much lead is there,” Fletcher, whose district in the San Diego area has wrestled with the problem, said. “The most basic function of government is public safety and public health.” Medical research has backed health officials’ claim that any amount of lead exposure is unsafe, whether through water, air, dirt or old paint. Even small amounts risk irreversible cognitive and developmental damage, particularly in young children.

Severe Storms Plow through the South It was a stormy and devastating weekend in the Southern and Midwest states. At least 18 people were killed, dozens injured, and hundreds were stranded by winds and rising waters. Arkansas, Missouri, and parts of Texas were hit by severe storms and aggressive tornadoes. The National Weather service said that four tornadoes hit east Texas

on Saturday. Parts of southwestern Missouri and northern Arkansas received up to 11 inches of rain.

The town of Canton was hit hard. Mayor Lou Ann Everett confirmed that four people were killed and 49 others were injured but that the situation was “very fluid” and could change. There were also thousands left without power. “The damage was extensive. It is heartbreaking,” she said. On the east side of town, homes and businesses were demolished, and a car dealership sustained a direct hit. Vehicles were tossed into the air and deposited on the ground hundreds of feet from the parking lot where they were up for sale. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, “You saw homes and other buildings that were incompletely flattened, as well as others that were nothing more than

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rubble,” Abbot called on the public to reach out and donate food, clothes, and money to help all those suffering from the effects of the storm. He also attempted to calm the public by promising that a task force had been sent to help the regions strongly affected. There were storm related deaths reported from eastern Oklahoma to western Kentucky and parts of Illinois. Some involving live wires, trees falling and being swept away by floodwaters. Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed the death of Madelaine Krueger, 72. In Arkansas, a person was killed after a tree fell onto a mobile home in Dewitt, Arkansas County, Emergency Management spokeswoman Whitney Green said. In Springdale, Arkansas, a young girl was swept away by rushing waters. The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Cove Creek Pearson Fire Chief Doug Deckard died during a “tragic accident” while serving in the middle of a torrential thunderstorm. Also in Arkansas, authorities were looking for two children — a 4-yearold boy and an 18-month-old girl — who were missing after being separated from their mother as her car got stuck in high water on Saturday night. By Sunday authorities informed the public that the search for the missing toddlers had become a recovery operation. The body of Damien Wiggins, the four-year-old boy, was found by Monday. Oklahoma declared a state of emergency on Saturday. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s office said there was widespread flooding in Cherokee County, where there were 14 water rescues Saturday, and flooding in Adair County. More than 12,000 customers in central Oklahoma were without electricity.

Drug Driving

According to a new report, driving while on drugs was associated with more deaths in 2015 than driving while drunk. According to a report titled “Drug-impaired Driving”

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Come visit us for Shabbos! released by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, positive drug tests were more common than the presence of alcohol among fatally injured drivers who were tested in 2015. Of those tested, 43% of motorists who died had drugs in their system, the report said. This number surpassed the 37% of motorists who died who tested positive for alcohol in the same year. “Data in the report showed that

for the first time, there are more dead drivers for which we have test results that are positive for drugs than there are who were positive for alcohol,” said James Hedlund, an independent safety expert with Highway Safety North in Ithaca, New York. The new report adds to earlier research conducted by Hedlund that addressed behavioral highway safety issues, including drug-impaired driving. “As states across the country continue to struggle with drug-impaired driving, it’s critical that we help them

understand the current landscape and provide examples of best practices so they can craft the most effective countermeasures” to combat the issue of drug-impaired driving, Governors Association Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said. Driving while impaired is illegal in all 50 states. However, laws and interpretations vary about the definition of drug impairment. Testing practices can also vary amongst states, and there are no uniform laws to determine how often testing

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

is used and what drugs are screened for. Of the more than 400 drugs that the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tracks, marijuana accounted for 35% of positive tests reported, the new research said. Although usage laws vary – marijuana for medical purposes is legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia, and laws permit recreational use in eight states and DC – driving while impaired at any level is illegal anywhere in the United States. Currently, there are no drug field tests comparable to a preliminary alcohol screening using a breathalyzer. Law enforcement officials are trained to recognize signs of drug impairment and can make the decision to take a driver into custody for further testing. “Drug impairment is a complicated topic,” Hedlund said. “Drugs can affect people in different ways. Some things make you super excited, and some things slow you down.” Officials hope that this report will bring more attention to the need for more training and resources to combat this problem. For drivers, Hedlund said, “it’s illegal to drive while impaired by drugs in the same way that it’s illegal to drive while im-

paired by alcohol. And you just plain shouldn’t do it.” Despite the findings, Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, is skeptical of the report’s conclusions and said alcohol remains the bigger concern. “There’s no question that alcohol remains our biggest highway safety problem,” Rader insisted. Although the impact of alcohol has been studied for decades, drug impairment and driving has only recently been studied, he pointed out, and the current evidence is weak. Accordingly, the report cautions that this data do not paint the whole picture. The authors note that only 57% of drivers who were killed in car accidents were tested for drugs. That figure, critics say, is reason enough to be wary of taking this conclusion too seriously. Although critical of the report’s findings, Rader said there is no denying that drug-impaired driving is an issue, but “we need research.” “If somebody’s impaired,” he said, “they are impaired.” The findings will become even more crucial as more and more states legalize marijuana. Will we be facing that much more fatalities?

Trump’s First 100 Days: A Comparative Look

A lot has been said in the media about Donald Trump’s first 100 days as president of the United States of America. The first 100 days of any presidency are important as that is when the incoming president has the most political clout and some say that these three months are the most productive time for legislative action. The truth is, though, that the only president to have truly accomplished in the first 100 days of his administration is FDR. Even so, how did Donald Trump match up in the first three months of his presi-

dency? Here are a few examples of how Trump’s first 100 days in office compared to those of the past three presidents, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Starting simply, let’s look at the number of laws signed by each in the first 100 days. Trump signed 29 new items into law, compared to Obama with 14, Bush with 7, and Clinton with 22. Laws are often not written by the president’s administration during that time so a more clear picture of how the president may choose to wield his power might be the number of executive orders signed. Trump signed 30 such orders, compared to 19 for Obama, 11 for Bush, and 13 for Clinton. Over the course of his presidency, George Washington only signed 8 while FDR signed over 3,700 such orders. As far as approval ratings are concerned, Trump is way behind his three predecessors. Trump has a 42 percent rating after 100 days, compared to Obama’s 66%, Bush’s 62% and Clinton’s 57%. Unemployment rates, which mostly are based on the previous administration’s economic policies, are good for Trump. Only 4.5% of Americans are without jobs right now. When Obama was in office

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for 100 days, rates were at 8.7%. With Bush they were 4.3% and Clinton showed numbers of 7%. Trump has not visited any foreign countries in his first few months in office. When Obama was a new president he visited 9 countries – attempting to see the world right as he reached the Oval Office. Bush visited two and Clinton visited only Canada. Trump has definitely played the most golf of any newly elected president. While Clinton played seven times, Bush did not golf at all. Obama played once in his first hundred days. Donald Trump has played golf a whopping nineteen times since he has taken office. Seems like he’s getting into the “swing” of things.

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residents, urging them to turn in family members who are committing homicides. “They all know who’s doing the killings, because some of them are their kids, their grandkids, their nieces, their nephews,” Young said. “This ‘stop snitching’ culture in the city of Baltimore has to stop. ... You know if your son is driving an $85,000 car and he don’t have a job and you didn’t

pay for it, that’s a problem. I hold everyone accountable.” On Tuesday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began to use a gun-tracing van in Baltimore to try to quickly solve gun crimes. Daniel L. Board Jr., the ATF Baltimore Field Division special agent in charge, called the gun-tracing technology and the national data-

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base it connects to a “critical piece to solving and preventing gun violence in Baltimore.” Bond said the van will be “a tremendous asset to Baltimore by supporting a timely and comprehensive collection of firearm-related evidence at crime scenes, which in turn will help us reduce and prevent violent crime.”

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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So That’s Why Clinton Lost

Though many Democrats blame Hillary Clinton’s loss of the 2016

presidential election on voter turnout, a Democratic political firm has a new theory on how Trump was able to take the White House. Global Strategy Group, an Ohiobased firm, has determined that two-thirds of the reason that Hillary Clinton lost the election is that many who voted for Barack Obama in 2012 came out to vote for Trump four years later. Matt Cantor, senior vice president at Global Strategy, outlined his findings and explained that it is important for the Democrats to not just “draw the lesson that makes

us feel good at night, make us sleep well at night.” In light of the new data, the Democrats are going to have to focus on winning back the Obama-Trump voters. The group mainly consists of working-class white voters. Until now the Democrats were mostly focused on their base and getting them to turn out to the polling places. “This idea that Democrats can somehow ignore this constituency and just turn out more of our voters, the math doesn’t work,” Canter related. “We have to do both.” The

Democrats are at a historic low right now and winning back power in D.C. will definitely take some strategy changes. The surprising data was composed of a multi-faceted analysis of voters, including demographic information and voting history. The defections are a hard pill to swallow for the Democrats. “There’s an active conversation within the party about whether persuasion was the problem or turnout,” said Lanae Erickson Hatalsky, vice president for social policy and politics at Third Way, a center-left Democratic think tank. “There’s still a real concern that persuasion is harder and costs more than mobilization, so let’s just triple down on getting out the people who already agree with us,” she said. “And I think there’s a lot of worry that we don’t actually know how to persuade anymore, and so maybe we should just go talk to the people we agree with.”

Congress Avoids Shutdown

There was growing concern that the nation would have to deal with another government shutdown due to funding issues. The last time there was a government shutdown was in October 2013, and it lasted 15 days. Late Sunday Congressional negotiators finally reached an agreement on a broad spending package that will fund the government through the end of September. Congress is expected to vote on the approximately $1 trillion package this week. The bipartisan agreement has victories for both parties. The Democrats, whose votes will be necessary to pass the measure in the Senate, included $295 million to help Puerto Rico continue making payments to Medicaid and $100 million to combat opioid addiction. The Republicans included $12.5 billion in new

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

military spending and $1.5 billion more for border security. “This agreement is a good agreement for the American people and takes the threat of a government shutdown off the table,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). “The bill ensures taxpayer dollars aren’t used to fund an ineffective border wall, excludes poison pill riders and increases investments in programs that the middle class relies on, like medical research, education and infrastructure.” The agreement was stalled over President Trump’s insistence on building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Eventually Trump had to forgo adding in any funding for the wall in the package.

Napercise Tired and stressed? It’s time to head to the gym. This workout is bound to reenergize even the most

tired moms. Recently, David Lloyd Clubs gyms in Britain started offering “napercise” classes. Aside from letting sleep-deficient parents catch up on some zzz’s the 45-minute classes are held in a cold studio in temperatures that some say can help rev your metabolism. A spokesman for the gyms asserts that the classes help promote parents’ holistic wellbeing.

proves to be a success, we’re definitely excited at the possibility of rolling out the program to more of our clubs down the line,” the spokesman told the BBC. Participants are able to “do” their napercises in a bed with white sheets while wearing an eye mask. Naps are given mid-day. Taking a nap while you’re at the gym? Where can I sign up?

Another Blockbuster

Lack of sleep weakens our immune system, leaving us vulnerable to infection and more prone to overeating. It is recommended that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. But more than a quarter of Americans have skimpy sleep patterns and ten percent of adults suffer from chronic insomnia. “Filling an exercise studio with beds might look unusual, but if it

Remember when Blockbuster Video stores blanketed the avenue? Well, Blockbuster has now gone the way of the dinosaur. While there were once 9,000 Blockbuster stores in the U.S., there are now only ten – and most of those ten are located in Alaska. There are those, though, who love Blockbuster. Take Hector Zuniga, a 20-year-old autistic boy who lives in Mission, Texas. Hector loves going to Blockbuster. He has been going since he is 13 and generally takes out the same videos. “He would go rent Veggie Tales, Barney, Elmo, Rugrats and Baby Einstein [videos]. He always rents the same ones when we go back; sometimes he’ll even get two of the same ones,” Javier, Hector’s brother, told CNN. When Hector was saddened that the Blockbuster store near him

was closing, Hector’s father swung into action. He made Hector his own “mini” Blockbuster store in his home, complete with his favorite Barney and Elmo videos and a Blockbuster sign on top. Hector is nonverbal but photos of his joy splashed across the internet at an amazing rate. Many families with children with autism reached out to Javier to express their admiration for Hector and for their dad. Because sometimes a video store is more than just a video store.

Wedding Llamas

Since 2011, llamas and alpacas have been gracing wedding ceremonies. For the low price of $200, you can have a cud-chewing animal at your nuptials too. Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas is a non-profit animal therapy organization in Oregon. Their Wedding Llamas, Rojo the llama and Napoleon the alpaca, attend local weddings. “Our animals are ‘pros’ when it comes to parties and special events, always decorated to compliment, our llamas can easily handle all ages and any size of crowd!” the organization’s website states. “More than

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just ‘entertainment,’ we provide a unique interactive experience for your guests that most have never experienced before and smiles that will last forever!” All proceeds from the wedding packages go towards funding the organization’s Therapy and Education Program. The group now has five llamas and five alpacas, but Shannon Joy said most weddings feature Rojo in a groom outfit and Napoleon as the bride. “Every wedding varies in time,” Shannon, the owner’s daughter, explains. “Most only prefer an hour as they are looking for an alternative to photo booths. Others have our animals greet guests, walk as ring bearer, take formal photos with the bridal party, and entertain during cocktail hour.” Sounds like a lot of wedding drama about a llama.

they don’t have to pay for those.” Aside from the joy that comes with eating chocolate, the couple explains that making chocolate is just as fun. “Most people like chocolate. Most people get excited about chocolate,” Tavernier said. “So really, as we’re toiling away making hundreds of bars and trying to come up with new recipes and new ideas, it’s really exciting. “We’re doing it to share with people and get people’s reactions,” she said. Think the Village of Cedarhurst will be running their own Golden Ticket promotion soon? Umm, no.

Chicken Engagement

The Golden Ticket

Free parking for a year? Sounds sweet to me. In an effort to persuade shoppers to do more retail therapy in downtown shops the town of Brattleboro in Vermont is running its own version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Local residents Dar Tavernier and John Singer made 1,000 special bars of chocolate with three golden tickets hidden in the batch. The lucky winners will be able to parking downtown for 12 months – a prize valued at $400. “Parking is a little difficult in downtown Battleboro,” Tavernier said. “We’re really lucky that we have a really vibrant downtown. It’s very busy and it is paid parking.” The bars are dark chocolate, mixed with maple nuggets from a local producer called Bunker Farm. The chocolate makers delivered the sweet confections to local merchants over the weekend. Each bar is $3.25. They were sold at wholesale prices, “and whatever they make on them will be theirs to keep,” Tavernier said. “We will collect any unsold bars from them at the end so

When Elyse Chelsea Clark of New Orleans shared an album on Facebook titled “Finally engaged!!” some of her friends were taken aback. But then they saw the photos. Clark was featured posing with Popeyes fried chicken and biscuits. “I never thought in a million years someone would love me this much,” she wrote. Clark told the New Orleans Times-Picayune she and her photographer friend, Whitney Tucker, came up with the idea after another food-themed photo of Clark garnered some attention. “I took a photo of me eating a hamburger and got a bunch of likes, and my friend, Whitney, messaged me with the idea and we went from there,” Clark said. Clark eats Popeyes “all the time,” and the photos quickly went viral. “I said YES!” she exulted in the post. For now Clark is hoping that Popeyes will reach out to her. “I would be happy with anything really,” she said. “Though free food, the chance to meet the Popeyes lady spokesperson, or even a follow up shoot would be very awesome.” Let’s hope the groom doesn’t chicken out of this engagement.

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TO REFER YOUR CHILD TO THE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM CALL 311. This Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a public program for children under the age of three who are either suspected of having or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. EIP is funded by NYS and NYC. All EIP services are provided at no cost to parents. Health insurance may be used for approved services. A child’s eligibility for the program can be determined only by state-approved evaluators under contract, and all services must be authorized by the NYC Early Intervention Program.

For more information about CHALLENGE: T. 718.851.3300 W. challenge-ei.com

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Community Rabbi Shafier at YOSS for a Shmuz

abbi Ben Tzion Shafier, noted inspirational speaker and director of TheShmuz.com, came to Yeshiva of South Shore to deliver words of chizuk to the talmidim in the 6th - 8th grades. His speech, “Davening: A Conversation with Hashem!” was in celebration of the first year of the HIKON Davening Initiative, a dynamic program developed by Rabbi Zev Davidowitz, Menahel HaMechina at YOSS. At the end of the shmuz, every talmid received a complimentary copy of Rabbi Shafier’s sefer, “Stop Surviving, Start Living.”

Happenings at the Cheder

he new summer zman is in full swing at Siach Yitzchok, and it got started with lots of excitement. Upon entering the doors of the cheder, the boys are greeted by a beautiful bulletin board which Rabbi Justman and his fourth grade class spent many hours putting together. The theme is based on the concept of sefiras haome and tikkun hamiddos. While we count the 49 days of the omer, we also must work on our middos as well. Rosh Chodesh Iyar was a very special day in Siach Yitzchok. Due

to space constraints until the new building is complete, each class had individual Rosh Chodesh seudos in their classroom. The boys enjoyed delicious foods and sang beautiful zemiros. Almost all classes were zocheh to have the undivided attention of the Menahel R’ Dovid Sitnick, shlita. R’ Dovid gave each class individual divrei Torah and divrei chizuk on their level. The Siach Yitzchok Rosh Chodesh seudos are among the many unique and beautiful events that take place at the cheder.

R’ Justman’s fourth grade putting up the bulletin board

R’ Steinharter’s fifth grade listening to R’ Dovid Sitnik

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Community Comes Out in Support of Gesher

and to the point, allowing the assembled to get a focused understanding of Gesher’s mission and accomplishments. Mr. Parnes opened by thanking Gesher for the tremendous work that he has seen firsthand. He noted that Gesher is quite unique, as it appeals to all facets of the community. Indeed, Gesher’s parent body represents a very diverse range of shul affiliations and Gesher transitions students to every single yeshiva day school in our neighborhood. Rabbi Azriel Bodner, who works together with his wife, Mrs. Chava Bodner, the Director of Gesher, presented a brief overview of Gesher’s growth and model. He noted that the breakfast, which took place on the same day as the levaya of Rabbi Binyamin Kaminetzky zt”l, was truly a kavod to his memo-

his past Sunday the Gesher Early Childhood Center received a tremendous boost of encouragement from the Five Towns Community. Well over 150 guests participated in Gesher’s Expansion Campaign Breakfast. The event was designed to mark Gesher’s continued growth and to generate support for additional resources and services. Mr. and Mrs. Aroni and Chani Parnes, Gesher grandparents, opened their own home in a most inviting fashion. The delicious and plentiful breakfast presentation combined with the warm open atmosphere of the Parnes home made for an enjoyable morning for all. Adding to the experience was the opportunity to view Mrs. Parnes’ beautiful artwork that adorns the walls of the Parnes home. The program was short

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ry. Not only was the Yeshiva of South Shore the host school for Gesher in its first two years, Rabbi Kaminetzky was a founder of chinuch throughout our neighborhood. Rabbi Bodner pointed out that the hosts, the event chair, the parent committee,

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and the community committee are all recognized for their involvement in chinuch and that their association with Gesher is a very strong and public vote of confidence and admiration. The program was rounded out by the remarks of Dr.

Shlomo Stern, a psychologist who works in the Yeshiva of Flatbush and a current Gesher parent. He reinforced the point that was made by others, that the Gesher staff and administration is extremely talented, and more importantly, exceptionally dedicated. He recounted the many individualized modifications and the vigilance of the staff to tailor the program to enrich his child’s learning experience. Gesher again thanks the many committee members for their involvement and support and the many grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends who attended the event and participated in the Expansion Campaign.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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Thousands Exploring Options Outside of NYC PHOTO CREDIT: MEIR KRUTER

n Sunday April 30, close to 2,000 people attended the OU’s bi-annual Communities Fair at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan. The fair featured 50 Orthodox Jewish communities from around the country, as well as Nefesh B’Nefesh representing Aliyah opportunities. The fair is a fascinating demographic study of the Orthodox community today – particularly, of the trend of young families moving out to more affordable Torah communities. “This year, we received a higher-than-ever response to our Communities Fair, and this demand is testament to the needs of a rapidly-growing Orthodox community,” said Allen Fagin, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union. “The Orthodox Union is proud to be creatively, and proactively, responding to those needs.” “We’re trying to find a good community for us to raise our family,” said Tzippy Ulman of Brooklyn, NY. ”We have three little kids, and we’re looking for a slower pace in life, for more space, and for a smaller community with more diversity, a more family-oriented place. We’ve definitely found a few that were great – a few in Pennsylvania, we looked at Norfolk, VA, and we just looked into Cherry Hill, NJ.” Amy and Jonathan Weiss, of Riverdale NY, came to the fair looking for a new community. “This is one of the only events we’ve heard of, where they bring all the communities across the country together, and all the resources together to find out information, rather than sitting at home and googling everything, it’s all in one spot here,” Amy said. Sara Malka and Dovid Flam of

Monsey, NY, laughed when asked why they’re looking to move out of the New York area. “Where to begin?” said Dovid. “We want affordable living, a community where we can make a difference, and a community where everyone is a member.” The couple is looking into northeast Philadelphia, Norfolk VA, Highland Park NJ, and Boca, FL. “We are looking for a more sincere and quieter lifestyle than in the big communities in the Northeast,” Sara Malka added. Refael Caplan of Manhattan’s Upper East Side attended for his first time. ”We’re interested in retiring

outside of the New York area, particularly the southern communities because of the weather,” he said. Retirees have been particularly interested in prospects outside of New York, OU officials noted. “The significant interest in communities throughout the country is particularly heartening by the nature of the questions posed, said Moishe Bane, President of the Orthodox Union. “In addition to asking questions regarding housing and job opportunities, attendees focused on the quality of Jewish education, the vibrancy of local synagogues, the eruv,

and the availability of kosher consumer products and restaurants. We are proud that the Orthodox Union continues to provide community services that are most appropriately organized on a national basis. Events such as the Community Fair reflect our commitment to provide observant American Jewry opportunities to improve the quality of their religious lives.” For more information on the fair, check out https://www.ou.org/ communities/ or email Judi Steinig steinigj@ou.org.

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Holocaust Education at Yeshiva University High School for Girls

n the evening of Thursday, April 27, Central seniors and their families were proud to participate in the culminating event of this year’s “Names, Not Numbers”© program. Created by Tova Rosenberg, the program transforms the teachings of the Holocaust by taking it beyond traditional classroom walls and turning it into an interactive, creative, and empowering educational lesson with students. “Names, Not Numbers” offers an integrated, multidisciplinary curriculum, combining research through a custom-made website, interviewing techniques, documentary film tools, and editing. Throughout the project, the students work with professionals – journalists or newspaper editors, a filmmaker, and history teachers – who prepare them for making their oral history film documentary. The crux of the project is the one-hour film interview that each group of students conducts with either a Holocaust survivor or a World War II veteran. These interviews are then edited down by the students into 15-minute segments and combined into the documentary film Names,

Holocaust survivor Mrs. Iti Landau is pictured with seniors Maya Zar, Tovah Blank, Aviva Landau (her granddaughter), and Zavi Lava. Also depicted are program coordinator Rabbi Josh Strulowitz, Assistant Principal Bracha Rutner, and program creator Mrs. Tova Rosenberg

Not Numbers, which will ultimately become a permanent resource in the archives of Holocaust museums and academic institutions. This year marks the eleventh “Names, Not Numbers” program at Central and MTA, and the first time Central students have had the opportunity to work with the filmmaker to learn how to use the professional editing programs used by documentary filmmakers. At last week’s culminating program, Head of School CB Neugroschl welcomed over 300 people to dinner and to a viewing of the Class of 2017’s

documentary. In the audience were participating students, Holocaust survivor interviewees, and their families. As the student representative, Leora Ciment (‘17) shared her experience as part of the program and the lessons she know she will take with her throughout her life. Documentary filmmaker and director Mikaela Floom recorded our students, teachers, and interviewees throughout the production of “Names, Not Numbers.” These clips, together with the student-edited interviews, comprised the content of “Names, Not Numbers”:

A Movie in the Making. The main event of the evening featured a screening of this documentary. Holocaust scholar, Emmy-winning documentarian, and former director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Dr. Michael Berenbaum expressed his praise for the “Names, Not Numbers” program: “’Names, Not Numbers’ is a unique, imaginative, and creative project...The best learning is active learning, and it’s a fabulous educational opportunity for students to have this intergenerational dia-

logue with survivors. It’s truly a mitzvat aseh she’hazman grama since they won’t have this opportunity again, even ten years from now. The project really works and what they produce is terrific.” Program creator Mrs. Tova Rosenberg notes the incredible impact of the program on the students who participate: “The project is life-changing for them. They tell me that the survivor they interviewed is their role model and every word said is embedded into their minds. They understand that this is for posterity and they will have responsibility of telling these stories in the future. They really rise to the occasion and are proud of what they do.” To date, 5,000 students have successfully interviewed and filmed 1,500 survivors and WWII veterans throughout the U.S., Canada, and Israel. All of the 150 documentary films have been accepted into the archives of the Jewish National and University Library of Israel at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In addition, they are being archived at Yad Vashem and the Gottesman Library at Yeshiva University.

AMIT Generations in Israel Lucheon to Honor Woodmere Native Lilly Friedman and Children

illy Friedman and her family will be recognized for their multigenerational involvement with AMIT at the Generations-in-Israel luncheon at The Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst on May 17 at noon in celebration of Yom Yerushalayim. A boutique will open at 11 a.m. The event keynote speaker will be Malke Bina, founder of Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies. Dor l’dor best describes the Friedman family. The family’s involvement with AMIT started with Lilly’s mother-in-law, Marion Friedman, z” l. Marion devoted her time and energy to the children of AMIT and honorably served as president of one of the Kew Gardens chapters for many years. That chapter subsequently

was renamed the Marion Friedman Chapter in her memory and honor. Lilly has always held a special place in her heart for the children of AMIT and has devoted her time and support to help AMIT fulfill its mission. Phyllis Goldberg, co-chair of the program, exclaimed, “My friend Lilly Friedman is a passionate supporter of AMIT and promotes its schools and programs to friends and family alike. Lilly and Al are proud that their children and grandchildren live in Israel and her grandchildren attend AMIT schools. It’s a tremendous source of pride to them.” Lilly was born in Belgium; her family survived the war by escaping to France where she became a “hidden child.” She arrived in the United

States in 1962 and shortly thereafter married Alfred Friedman. Lilly understands the importance of providing Israel’s children with the best opportunities so that they can succeed and contribute back to Israeli society as adults. Bringing high quality and innovative education to ensure that children meet their full potential has been AMIT’s mission from its inception in 1925. Lilly instilled a love of Israel in her children. Naomi and Avi live in Tel Mond, Israel, with their four children and have attended or are currently enrolled at the AMIT Gwen Straus and Renanim schools in Ra’anana. Franny and Stuart and Sharon and Marc visit Israel often. Each have children who spent their gap year studying at various Yeshivot

and Midrashot in Israel. To make a reservation or for more information, please contact Genene Kaye at genenek@amitchildren.org or 212-477-5465 or visit us at www. amitchildren.org. Founded in 1925, AMIT is the premier education network in Israel, serving 34,000 students each year in its 110 schools in 29 cities throughout Israel. AMIT enables students to realize their fullest potential and strengthens Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds within a framework of academic excellence, religious values, and Zionist ideals. For more information, please visit www.amitchildren.org.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Santino & D’Esposito Decry New York Democrats’ Embrace of Anti-Semitism

empstead Town Supervisor Anthony J. Santino and Councilman Anthony D’Esposito expressed outrage over the recent selection of pro-BDS, anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour as well as anti-Semitic, anti-Israel Congressman Keith Ellison as featured speakers at two different high profile events in our region. Ellison, who was invited by New York State Senate Democrats to headline their June fundraiser, has a long history of anti-Israel statements and associations with anti-Semitic groups. His anti-Israel fervor was part of his downfall in his failed campaign for Democratic National Committee Chairman. Several years ago, multiple national media outlets reported that Ellison was heard at a campaign fundraiser railing against what he described as “Israel’s disproportionate influence in American foreign policy.” More recently, Ellison was one of just eight House members to vote against emergency funds for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. Most notably, Mr. Ellison outrageously characterized Israel as an “apartheid state” during a 2016 trip to Hebron. The Congressman from Michigan also has close ties to the notoriously anti-Semitic Nation of Islam, as well as a long-time friendship with its leader, Louis Farrakhan, long known for his hatred and vicious rhetoric against Jews. “New York Democrats are shamefully showing their true colors this week – hues stained with dark shades of anti-Semitism, hatred and utter contempt for the State of Israel and Jewish neighbors,” said Supervisor Anthony J. Santino. “Considering Congressman Ellison’s history of animosity towards Jews, it’s shameful that any Democrat would tolerate being associated with him as a Party leader,” said Supervisor Santino. It was unknown if Democrat State Senator Todd Kaminsky would be attending this fundraiser for his State Senate Democrat Conference. Compounding the shock over the Senate Democrats’ Ellison invita-

tion, the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy this week chose avowed anti-Zionist, BDS supporter, and Sharia law advocate Linda Sarsour to provide this year’s commencement address. CUNY officials stated they were “delighted” that Sarsour accepted the invitation, even as her far-left activism called to replace the Constitution with the repressive, anti-women Sharia law of Islam. Democrat New York city Mayor Bill de Blasio has yet to speak out against CUNY’s misguided choice of Sarsour. “It’s unfortunate that a public institution that students from our community attend allows virulent anti-Zionism to be full display at a commencement,” said Councilman Anthony D’Esposito. Supervisor Santino and Councilman D’Esposito have consistently stood with Israel and against anti-Semitism. In May 2016, the Hempstead Town Board unanimously adopted legislation prohibiting town government from conducting business with companies or individuals that openly boycott against Israel, America and other allies in June in a local effort to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The Boycott, Diversify, and Sanction (BDS) movement is committed to isolate and delegitimize Israel economically, politically, academically, and culturally. Santino and D’Esposito also welcomed last fall a delegation of political and business leaders from Israel’s Shomron region to America’s largest township and declared the two governments “sister municipalities,” establishing a symbolic partnership to promote the free exchange of ideas in the areas of culture, technology, education, commerce, industry and tourism. Supervisor Santino has also strongly advocated that State of New York designate the public display of the swastika as a hate crime, likening it to the display of a noose or burning cross, both which already fall under that category.

The 5 Towns Girls Soccer League is off to an amazing inaugural season! The girls in each of our 3 divisions are learning the fundamentals of the game, learning to work together as a team, and having so much fun while getting a great workout! Our energetic high school and college coaches and refs are doing a great job teaching the girls the skills and the rules of the game while still enabling the girls to have a fun experience every week. Looking forward to finishing the season strong and hope to start again in the fall. Stay tuned for an All Girls Basketball league coming in the fall .For more information, please go to www.5townsgirlssports.com.

Mrs. Rena Ariel Inspires

By Sara Stein, 8th Grade

n June 30, 2016 something terrible occurred. A kind girl, full of happiness, joy and life, was murdered in her home by a wanton seventeen-year-old Palestinian. The mother of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, this special girl, Hy”d, came to speak to the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grades of Shulamith last week. The eighth grade has dedicated their yearbook to Hallel Yaffa, who was the same age as them and definitely a role model for all. Mrs. Abelow-Kronenberg, a neighbor from Kiryat Arbah, introduced Mrs. Ariel. One thing that she said was, “You will walk out of this room a changed person.” That was most as-

suredly true. After we listened to Mrs. Ariel, we all felt that we had grown so much through her telling of her experience, the nissim (miracles), and most importantly, some of the chessed done by Hallel who certainly had lived every day to its fullest. Mrs. Ariel was unbelievable in her ability to be smiley, optimistic, and positive, though it has been only ten months since the tragedy. One student remarked, “I was affected by her speech more than any other speech I have ever heard.” We concluded with a beautiful slideshow created by eighth grader Priva Halpert, which included Mrs. Ariel’s moving letter to her daughter on her birthday. May Hallel Yaffa’s neshama have an aliyah.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Learn & Live

aughter makes the medicine go down, that’s just how R’ Fishel Schachter shared his message with the boys this week at the Learn & Live program. R’ Schachter came to start off the new series at L&L titled STA”M where the boys will experience and get a good feel of many articles of kedusha and what goes into making them. R’ Schachter told over many stories, with lots of humor, with the point being that everything in life is exactly how Hashem wants it to be and that it’s all for our best. This series of STA”M will also feature the boys iy”’H making their very own pair of tzitzis. For more information regarding the L&L program, email us at learnandlivefr@gmail.com.

CIJE Innovation Conference

he CIJE Innovation Conference, the single largest Jewish-sponsored STEM and robotics event, will be held on Sunday, May 7, 2-5 p.m., at the New York Hilton, in Manhattan. For the first time, this free event, open to the public, will combine three unique STEM events: CIJE’s 5th annual CIJE-Tech High School Young Engineers Conference, where approximately 1,000 high school students will share how they used their engineering studies to solve real-world problems A high school robotics competition, in which students will show off their inventiveness, creativity, and resourcefulness. The I.D.E.A. Schools Network’s second annual MakerXpo, where schools and organizations create interactive booths celebrating STEM and creativity “We believe the CIJE Innovation Conference will be the largest STEM and robotics event of its type ever to be held in Manhattan,” says Jason Cury, president of CIJE. “This event will bring together top students to present their unique and innovative Capstone projects as part of their preparation for 21st century careers.” Those projects include a smart washing machine that texts you when the laundry is done; glasses that speak to you when you blink Morse code into them; a water bottle that reminds you to drink based on how

much you’re exercising; and a chemical container that you need a fingerprint to open. “Parents will be amazed by these student team projects which incorporate the fundamentals of STEM engineering and the design process, coupled with experiential learning, innovative thinking, and problem solving,” says Judy Lebovits, CIJE Vice President. At the MakerXpo, participants will be able to explore STEM and creativity in a hands-on way. Interactive booths open to all ages include a stop animation studio, an origami Hebrew language lab, a PVC pipe challenge – where you collaboratively build a structure, an Artbot studio where you use knowledge of genetics and the nature and nurture argument, a Rube Goldberg machine based on the city of Jerusalem, and more. Attendees will also get to explore fun STEM tools such as spheros, Ozobots, and Arduino boards, and learn how to make lightning detectors and self-cleaning counter robots. “Over 400 people attended last year’s MakerXpo, which was at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, NJ. One of my favorite comments was from a father who said he hadn’t seen his kids this involved in anything other than TV or video games in a long time. What I like about the CIJE-Tech Engineering program and events like the MakerXpo is that they

show kids how to be producers, not just consumers, of technology,” says Tikvah Wiener, co-Founder and Director of the I.D.E.A. Schools Network. 53 schools nationwide offer the CIJE-Tech High School Engineering program. In addition to providing equipment and materials, CIJE mentors with in-depth and applied STEM experience from industry, guide the curriculum and mentor the teachers. CIJE provides extensive teacher training and reorients them to a student-centered classroom, focused on inquiry- and project-based learning. The I.D.E.A. Schools Network helps schools implement project-based learning (PBL) by offering conferences and workshops. The Network, started in 2014 and initially funded by the Joshua Venture Group, has trained close to 1,000 teachers in PBL and educational innovation. Participating schools include Bais Yaakov Machon Ora, Bais Yaakov of Waterbury, Bruriah, Darchei Torah, DRS, Flatbush, Frisch, Golda Och Academy, HAFTR, HANC, The Heschel School, Hillel Yeshiva, llan High School, JEC, Kohelet, Kushner, Ma’ayanot, Magen David, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, Mesivta Shaarei Chaim, Moriah, Prospect Park, Ramaz, SAR, Sinai Acedemy, Shulamith (Bklyn), Shulamith (LI), SKA, Solomon Schechter Bergen County, Solomon Schechter LI, Sol-

omon Schechter Westchester, TABC, TAG, TMM (BBY), Yavneh, Yeshivat Darche Eres, Yeshivat Noam, YUHSB (MTA), YUHSG (Central). For more information contact info@thecije.org, 212-757-1500. About CIJE: The Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) strengthens and enriches education in more than 180 Jewish schools in the U.S., educating a generation for innovation, and instilling critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. CIJE currently provides funding for programs at schools nationwide, including advanced technology, engaging curricula, teacher training, and vital support in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects, as well as language arts and heritage programs. The organization offers many innovative programs, including CIJE-Tech High School Engineering Program, CIJE-Tech Middle School Science, Engineering, Teamwork, Technology & Training Enrichment programs, and Excellence 2000 (E2K). Since 2001, CIJE has built 100 computer laboratories, 28 stateof-the-art science laboratories, and has donated more than 800 SMART Boards. CIJE was established as an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 2008.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

The Yeshiva of Far Rockaway PTA Invites you to join us at our

ANNUAL SOIRÉE For an evening of

SPARKLE & Inspiration Honoring Shira Eisenberg Faye Metz

Chani Gellis Etty Slansky

Monday Evening May 8, 2017 • 12 Iyar 5777 • 7:30 p.m. Yeshiva of Far Rockaway 802 Hicksville Road • Far Rockaway A delectable dairy buffet will be served Raffles & presentations will enhance the evening Rivky Grumet & Miriam Lichtman, Chairwomen For sponsorship opportunities, please see enclosed card RSVP 718.327.7600 info@yofr.org

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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At Yeshiva Darchei Torah, a Siyum like No Other

By Benzion Kaplan

siyum in Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Mesivta Chaim Shlomo or Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid is not an uncommon event. It may be celebrated with a range of formats, from a late-night snacks-andsoda spread when a bochur finishes a masechta on his own to the annual gala Siyum Hagadol when scores of talmidim complete the previous years’ masechtos together. Yet last week’s siyum at Yeshiva Darchei Torah was clearly in its own league, as Nochum Gershonowitz, an 18-year-old bochur now in his fourth year in the Mesivta, finished Perek HaKoneis in Bava Kamma. On Rosh Chodesh Iyar, the first full day of the spring zman, Nochum’s fellow bochurim, the rabbeim, and the hanhala of the Yeshiva rejoiced together in grand fashion to celebrate his accomplishment. Immediately after Mussaf, Rav Yaakov Bender, the Rosh HaYeshiva, introduced Nochum by describing

L-R: R’ Moshe Bender, Nochum Gershonowitz, R’ Yaakov Bender and R’ Aharon Gershonowitz (at microphone)

him as a “fixture” in the beis hamedrash together with his chavrusa, Reb Zalman Zell. Nochum’s feat, emphasized Rav Bender, is a mechayev for every bochur, a declaration that “there’s no excuse not to learn Torah.” He called the siyum a fitting event with which to open the zman.

Before moving to Woodmere, Rav Yaakov told his son, “Even if you plant in the wasteland, it will also grow.” Page 80

Nochum then approached the microphone, weaving the conclusion of Perek HaKones into a brief and heartfelt expression of gratitude to his parents (who were both in attendance), his family, and the Yeshiva. Nochum’s father, Rav Aharon Gershonowitz, recited Kaddish. The entire crowd in the beis hamedrash then broke out in singing “Siman tov u’mazel tov” and lined up at the eastern wall to individually greet and congratulate Nochum. At the festive seudas mitzvah in the Yeshiva dining hall, Rav Gershonowitz spoke about the supreme value of ameilus baTorah, toiling in learning, especially when it is difficult. He thanked the Yeshiva hanhala and praised the bochurim for their sterling qualities in learning and bein adam lachaveiro. “Without middos,” he averred, “there is no Torah – and this yeshiva accomplishes both.” He also thanked the bochurim for their fervent tefillos on Nochum’s behalf when he recently underwent a

10-hour surgery, declaring: “He survived it because of this yeshiva.” After Bircas Hamazon, the siyum continued in the Diamond Beis Medrash with lively music and exuberant dancing that was reminiscent of a wedding. Bochurim and rabbeim danced both with Nochum as well as opposite him, to and fro, when he was seated. At one point Rav Moshe Bender, the Yeshiva’s associate dean, hoisted Nochum onto his shoulders. It was a siyum that engendered kavod not only for one bochur and his remarkable, fruitful efforts; it was an event of kavod for the Torah itself, the birthright of every Yid. When he introduced Nochum’s father at the seudah, Rav Yaakov Bender declared: “I am certain that Rav Gershonowitz is going to thank the Yeshiva and the bochurim for helping his son, Nochum. But the truth is, it is we who owe a debt of gratitude to Nochum – for bringing out the very best qualities in his friends, our talmidim.”

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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Jewish Faith Strengthened as Students Travel on Poland Mission and Reflect During Yom Hashoah By Nicole Jacobs, grade 12

uring the last week of March, 19 HAFTR seniors had the opportunity to participate in a life-changing mission to Poland, and I was fortunate enough to be one of those students. On this trip, we learned about Jewish life before WWII, walked through concentration camps and villages that were destroyed by the Nazis, and visited kevarim of Kedoshim. Each of us learned what it means to be Jewish and internalized those experiences in our own ways. This opportunity allowed me to finally be able to see what four of my great-grandparents and their families went through. Walking through the camps with the Israeli flag waving on my back was an indescribable feeling. I was

able to prove that no matter how hard others may try to destroy the Jewish people, we never perish, and will always remain strong. Yom Hashoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, was commemorated on Monday, April 24. After traveling to Poland, it has now become the mission of the participants to pass on the things we saw to other students and faculty members. HAFTR High School’s Yom HaShoah program started with an opening speech from Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen, principal of Judaic Studies, who led the mission, followed by students’ testimonies and candle lightings, to symbolize the mourning of the six million people who were brutally murdered in the Holocaust. Michal Engel, one of the students who participated in the Poland

trip, captured the mission perfectly through her video. This video functioned not only to re-inspire the mission participants, but also sparked something within everyone who watched it. In addition to the students’ presentation, we had the privilege and honor of hearing Mrs. Irene Hizme speak and

On Monday, May 1, Harav Yaakov Hager, shlit”a, the Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe from Haifa, was hosted at the home of Dudi & Esti Gross, in Cedarhurst, where he was greeted by local rabbanim and offered divrei bracha to those in attendance. The Rebbe was invited to visit the Five Towns by Dudi’s father, Menachem Gross, a talmid of the Secret-Vizhnitz cheder.

share her story. Mrs. Hizme, a HAFTR grandparent and Hebrew Institute of Long Island alumna, is a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Mrs. Hizme is a twin, and both she and her brother were experimented on by Dr. Josef Mengele. Mrs. Hizme and her brother, Rene, were used as human guinea pigs as

Dr. Mengele performed organ transplants and blood transfusions on his “patients.” She went into detail about what her life and experiences were like before, during, and after the war, sharing a handful of personal stories from her time as a child. Mrs. Hizme was only six when she and her brother were torn from their mother’s arms, which was the last time she ever saw her parents. She explained that 3,000 twins were experimented upon and only 160 survived. Her message to us was to never to forget the atrocities of the Holocaust, to never be silent in the face of evil, and to carry on proudly as Jews. We owe it to Mrs. Hizme, our ancestors, and the six million who perished to take time out of our lives to remember them and to never forget.

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

Khal Bais Shmuel Abba, also known as Congregation Shomrei Shabbos, aka “Katz’s shul,” held its annual dinner on Sunday. The honorees were Lazer Fuchs and Willie Hilsenrath for their years of service and devotion to the shteibel since its inception fifty years ago.

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!‫שר וגדול נפל בישראל‬

We mourn the loss of the great founder of the entire Five Towns Torah Community.

‫מורנו הרב בנימין בן מורנו‬ ‫ זצ’’ל‬,‫הרב יעקב קמנצקי‬ His daily presence in the Yeshiva was a source of inspiration to all, as a representation of the Torah world of the previous generations, and a role model in his complete dedication to his ideals. ‫והמקום ישלח נחמתו לכל המשפחה החשובה שיחיו‬ ‫ אשת ראש הכולל‬,’‫ נאבעל תחי‬.‫ובפרט להרבנית ש‬ ‫הרב יצחק נאבעל שליט’’א‬ ‫ ולר’ צבי שליט’’א‬, ‫וכן לר’ מרדכי שליט’’א‬, ‫ ולהרבנית שושנה‬,’‫ולהרבנית אסתר ווילהלם תחי‬ ‫’לפקוביץ תחי‬ Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns

HANC Middle School Hosts Mrs. Rena Ariel

n Friday, April 21, HANC Middle School was privileged to hear from Mrs. Rena Ariel. Mrs. Ariel’s daughter, Hallel, was murdered by terrorists in her home in Kiryat Arba on June 30, 2016. Rabbi Hecht, Middle School principal, opened the program with short remarks. He mentioned that some days seem to just go by and you cannot remember anything about them and then there are other days that you will remember forever. Rabbi Hecht explained that June 30 was a day of special importance to him as it is his anniversary and that is one of the reasons that Hallel’s story has special significance to him. Another reason why the story is so significant especially for middle school students is that when Hallel was murdered she was 13 and a half and she had just finished eighth grade. The students were both mesmerized and inspired by Mrs. Ariel’s words. Mrs. Ariel was introduced by Elana Abelow Kronenberg. Mrs. Abelow Kronenberg explained that before she went to pay a shiva call, she did not know Mrs. Ariel. Elana was just so inspired by the story and Mrs. Ariel’s emunah that she decided she must do something. She had accompanied Mrs. Ariel and her family to the states a few months back after the terrorist attack and has been helping the family raise funds for special projects in memory of Hallel. They plan to build an educational center called Kerem Hallel to learn and teach about the importance of the land of Israel, as well as a playground in Kiryat Arba’s girls’ school, in Hallel’s memory. Mrs. Ariel shared with us many inspiring stories which carried very important messages. Mrs. Ariel explained that her mother-in-law Batsheva was 14 at the time the Holocaust happened. She was on one of the trains and her father told her that he would break loose one of the boards and she would jump out. This is exactly what happened and she lived with a non-Jewish family for four years. For those four years, she did not keep her identity and she did not even remember her Hebrew name. Four years later, she returned to her hometown and the one other

relative who survived found her. She built a life which led to her having a son, Hallel’s father. Mrs. Ariel explained that just like her mother-inlaw continued on, she and her family continue even though it is so painful to be left without Hallel. Next, Mrs. Ariel told us some stories about Hallel and what kind of girl she was. There was a girl in Hallel’s class who was not great at making friends and Hallel could tell. In fact, kids would make fun of this girl. Hallel came home and told her mother that she was going to befriend this girl. Mrs. Ariel was proud but she cautioned Hallel that if she did this maybe her own friends would turn on her. Hallel said that didn’t matter and that she was going to do what is right. When Hallel was murdered and the girl came to pay a shiva call the girl told Mrs. Ariel how much Hallel meant to her and how amazing Hallel always was to her. Mrs. Ariel told us that one time Hallel and her friends decided they would stop eating chocolate and junk food. It was a contest to see who could last the longest. Each one of the girls eventually stopped and ate chocolate except for Hallel. She lasted the longest. She told her mom that when she wants to do something and she puts her mind to do it she can accomplish anything. The Ariel family is extraordinary. For Hallel’s fourteenth birthday, the family wanted to do something. They decided that they would have a cake and they would have people commit to doing acts of chessed in memory of Hallel and as a zechut for her neshama. So many joined the cause and it was a perfect way to celebrate the kind of young lady that Hallel was. The night that Hallel was murdered she had performed at a dance recital. When it was over it was late and dark and her friends asked her if she were scared to go home so late alone. After all, her house was in an isolated place in Kiryat Arba. She told her friends (who later told this to the family), “I am not scared. This is my home.” HANC Middle School is eternally grateful to Mrs. Ariel for sharing her story and her emunah.

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576

For the Love of Bekah

Special lecture

By Dena Frucht

In memory of Rebekah Anne Frucht

Wednesday Evening, May 10, 2017 at 8:30 pm

Extend Your Hand & Touch a Heart: Communal Unity RABBI PAYSACH KROHN Rabbi Paysach Krohn is a Rav, mohel, author, and lecturer on topics related to ethics and spiritual growth. He is the author of the bestselling “Maggid” series of books for ArtScroll, inspired by the stories of Rabbi Sholom Schwadron, who was known as the “Maggid of Jerusalem”. He also authored a seminal DESIGN BY FRANKLIN PRINTING - 718.258.8588

t is rapidly approaching Shavuot which will mark the 5th yahrtzeit of my beloved daughter Rebekah, better known as Bekah. These past five years have been extremely difficult for our family but I can only write about my experience due to my loss and where this journey has taken me. My Bekah was a sweet, compassionate and funny young woman. She lived her life to be there for others. Anyone who had the zechut of knowing her would always say how they were impressed that even though she lived with an illness daily, she could and would always try to help others. Only after Bekah’s passing was I to learn how even more special of a person she was and that she gave of herself selflessly never wanting or expecting anything in return. Several people wrote me to tell me how she never gave up on them and that they are still alive because of her. That’s what she did, she saved lives. I don’t know why Hashem picked me to be her mom. I no longer believe in coincidence. I believe Hashem has a great plan and that even though we don’t understand it or agree with it we have to have bitachon that it’s for our best. Nowadays I go the extra mile to help people. I’m lucky to work for a doctor so I’m easily in a position to bring a smile to someone who isn’t well or to someone who has a loved one who isn’t well. I now stop many times and think what would Bekah have done in this certain situation and I always feel like I’m doing more because that’s what she stood for. I try to reach out to other moms who are in my position to try to see if there’s just a little something I could do to help them because I know how they are feeling. Don’t get me wrong; I’d much rather have my daughter here living a healthy normal life but because that wasn’t the plan I’m thankful that I was able to get myself to the point where I am. I thank Hashem for having given me such a beautiful neshama to raise as my daughter.

work on bris milah also published by ArtScroll.

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I thank Bekah for all that she has taught me. I’m so proud to say that I’m her mom. I was blessed to have her in my life for 24 short years but

4/19/17 1:24 PM

she left a mark on my heart forever. May the neshama of Refaella Chana Rivka (Rebekah Anne) have an aliyah. May I always be able to

continue to do good things for others in her merit. I wait for the day when Moshiach comes that can all be together again.

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Kaminsky, Rozic, Lavine Host Israeli Ambassador Dani Dayan

n honor of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, State Senator Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Island), Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D,WF-Fresh Meadows) and Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) hosted Israeli Consul General Dani Dayan in Albany. On the same day, Kaminsky’s resolution in the Senate and Rozic’s

Senator Todd Kaminsky presents his resolution honoring Yom Ha’Atzmaut to Israeli Consul General Dani Dayan

resolution in the Assembly honoring 69 years of Israeli Independence were adopted and presented to Ambassador Dayan. “Israel is a stronghold of democracy in the face of constant terror and shares an unbreakable friendship with New York State and its citizens,” said Senator Todd Kaminsky. “I was honored to present Ambassador Dayan with this resolution reaffirming New York’s integral alliance with Israel, while congratulating Israel on 69 years of independence. I look forward to continuing to work with Ambassador Dayan to strengthen the integral strategic, economic and cultural ties between our great State and the Jewish homeland.” “As the first Israeli member elected to the State Legislature, it is an honor to welcome Ambassador Dayan to Albany and celebrate Israel’s 69 years of statehood. This occasion not only commemorates Israel’s Independence Day, but also serves as a reminder of the strength that lies in the shared values between the

Assemblymember Rozic, Speaker Heastie, and Maj. Leader Morelle with Amb. Dayan

people of Israel and New York,” said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic. “We welcome Ambassador Dayan of Israel to Albany to commemorate Israel’s Independence Day and the extraordinary relationship between Israel and New York State. Israel is our strategic ally in one of the most difficult areas of the world and it is of the most importance that this relationship continues,” said Assemblyman Charles Lavine, President of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators. “I am deeply honored by the heartfelt welcome my distinguished friends in Albany have extended to me and by the passing of this resolution, honoring Israel’s 69th Independence Day and reaffirming New York’s special covenant with the Jewish state. Today I have met with leaders representing New Yorkers from every corner and every community, and it gives both myself and the citizens of Israel encouragement and inspiration to see that our two nation’s unbreakable bond has an extraordinary strong point in the

great state of New York. In particular I would like to thank Senator Kaminsky and Assemblywoman Rozic for their leadership in introducing this resolution, as well as Speaker of the Assembly Carl Heastie and Senate President John Flanagan for their support,” said Ambassador Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York. Ambassador Dayan met with Senator Kaminsky, Assemblymembers Rozic, Lavine, and Crespo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to discuss ways to further bolster New York’s alliance with Israel. The Consul General was introduced in both chambers as the resolutions were passed. Senator Kaminsky, Assemblywoman Rozic, as well as fellow lawmakers, praised the accomplishments of the Jewish state in the face of terror and evil, and pledged to continue to stand with Israel and its citizens.

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Ambassador Friedman Makes Unannounced Visit to HAFTR

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman (center) at HAFTR High School with (L-R) Mrs. Joan Parmet, director of College Guidance; Mr. Reuben Maron, executive director of HAFTR; Katie Friedman, daughter of the Ambassador; Mrs. Tammy Friedman; Ms. Naomi Lippman, principal of general studies; and Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen, principal of Judaic studies

mbassador David M. Friedman, the newly appointed United States Ambassador to the State of Israel, made an unannounced visit to HAFTR High School on Friday, April 28. Friedman spoke with students and faculty about his appointment and what he hopes to accomplish in this extraordinarily meaningful role. He pointed out that he was the first ambassador to be appointed by President Trump; his appointment was announced on January 20, the day of President Trump’s inauguration. He asserted that the timing of his appointment, on the first day of the new administration, is reflective of the high priority that the Trump administration places on the U.S. relationship with America’s ally, Israel. He further noted that the members of Trump foreign policy team recognize Israel’s unique role as a vibrant democracy in the Middle East and are strong supporters of the Trump administration’s deeply held commitment to Israel and to the advancement of peace in the region. Speaking about his own goals, Friedman said that as a proud American he is honored to have the opportunity to represent the United States to the government and people of Israel and to focus his efforts on strengthening the bond between the two countries. In response to a student’s question, Friedman affirmed that support for Israel is a bi-partisan issue in the U.S., and he said that

during and since his confirmation process, he has continued to reach out to senators and representatives on both sides of the aisle to assure support among Democratic and Republican elected officials. On a more personal note, Friedman noted his long relationship with HAFTR: he is a graduate of the Hebrew Institute of Long Island (HILI), which merged with Hillel to form the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway. A father of four distinguished HAFTR graduates and a daughter in ninth grade, Friedman recalled that he was an active school leader, including his tenure as chairman of HAFTR’s Board of Education. A highly successful lawyer, Friedman has left his legal practice of 36 years, 23 of which were as a partner in the law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres and Friedman, to assume the ambassadorship. Ms. Naomi Lippman, principal of general studies, spoke for the entire HAFTR High School faculty and student body when she told Friedman how proud the members of the school community are of his appointment to this auspicious position. “We wish you much hatzlacha and Hashem’s blessings in this critical role,” she said. “You have our complete confidence and our tefillot as you embark on this momentous journey as the United States’ premier emissary to the State of Israel.”

On Thursday, April 27, Senator Todd Kaminsky attended the Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration at Hofstra University to honor Holocaust survivor Leo S. Ullman and recognize youths working to create a more civil society. The event was organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island, in conjunction with Gutterman’s Funeral Directors, the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra, Hofstra Hillel and the UJA Federation. Pictured, from L-R: JCRC-LI Executive Director Mindy Perlmutter; Senator Todd Kaminsky; Holocaust survivor Leo S. Ullman; Assemblywoman Melissa Miller; and Gutterman’s Funeral Director Adam L. Novack

Birkat Ha’Ilanot

s winter turns into spring, one can’t help but notice the magnificent trees that are flowering so beautifully. In order to acknowledge Hashem’s creations all around us, the first graders in HANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead went on a special trip. Morah Terry’s Kitah Aleph visited Eitan Guy’s house to make a bracha on his budding cherry tree. The children walked nicely through the streets of West Hempstead with Morah Terry and Morah Chavy and performed a real kiddush Hashem. They read the bracha and were treated to yummy fruit and a snack, generously provided by Eitan’s mother. They had such a fun time performing this beautiful mitzvah! Thank you to the Guy family for their hospitality. The fifth and sixth grade girls at HANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass

Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead had an awesome Rosh Chodesh program on Thursday. The girls walked to the home of Morah Vered Sharoni for a special Rosh Chodesh celebration in her backyard. The students davened Hallel together and learned meaningful ideas about Rosh Chodesh Iyar. In addition, the students learned the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. In anticipation of the upcoming celebration of Lag b’Omer, the girls took part in a small bonfire complete with singing, stories, and roasted marshmallows. Despite the fact that it was raining, the students and their morot had a wonderful time. What a great way to begin a new month! HANC wishes to thank Morah Elana Jacobs and Morah Vered Sharoni for giving the girls this special opportunity to celebrate Rosh Chodesh Iyar in such a unique way.

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Shulamith Celebrates 69!

Y Yom Ha’Atzmaut at HANC Early Childhood Center in West Hempstead

HANC Commemorates Yom HaZikaron

om HaZikaron was commemorated at HANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead on Monday, May 1. The students in grades 4-6 joined together for a very moving assembly conducted by Morah Dafna Berman. The program began with remarks from the principal, Rabbi Yaakov Sadigh, who explained the special connection between the Jewish people and Eretz Yisrael. “Our existence depends on what happens in Israel. When your parents wake up in the morning, they check their cell phones to see what has happened in Israel. When something bad happens in Israel, we hurt as well. Israel is the heart of our people.” The students then watched a video showing the beginning of the Yom HaZikaron ceremony at the Kotel in Yerushalayim. Just as in Israel, the students and staff stood and observed the moment of silence while the siren sounded. Morah Dafna shared a story with the children about her friend, Avi Fisher, an American- born

young man who made aliyah at the age of three and served in the Israeli Defense Force. He was killed in the line of duty at the age of twenty-two. Morah Dafna asked the children to think of Avi and his family on this day. When they thought of Yom HaZikaron and the more than 23, 544 people who lost their lives in the defense of Israel, they should let his face be the face behind the number and for one day join in their pain. After this moving story, a special memorial ceremony was held in which the students who had family members who served in the Israeli Army were invited to light one of six candles. Rabbi Sadigh recited the Kel Malei prayer and the prayer for Israeli soldiers and the assembly concluded with the singing of Hatikvah. May the memory of the brave soldiers who gave their lives for Israel and our people remain in our hearts. HANC would like to thank Morah Dafna Berman, Rabbi Michael Merrill and Rabbi Yaakov Sadigh for creating this meaningful commemoration of Yom HaZikaron.

om Haatzmaut was a day of simcha and celebration in Shulamith School for Girls! In the Lower Division, the girls enjoyed a virtual tour of Israel that included “candle making in Tzfat” and “fishing in the Kineret.” They also played a fun-filled educational game about Chevron and Me’arat Hamachpela. The Middle Division and High School girls began the day in the auditorium where they davened Shacharit and Hallel together and then waved their flags as they watched a spirited video depicting people dancing and singing on Rechov Ben-Yehuda in Yerushalayim. Throughout the day, the fifth to eighth graders had the op-

portunity to visit a variety of booths, where they made Israeli salad, wrote letters to chayalei Tzahal, and had their faces painted with stars, flags, and more! In the late afternoon, the entire school gathered outside in the yard to watch an incredibly entertaining Daglanut created by eighth graders Rebecca Aaron, Tali Hertz, Ricki Gottlieb, and Yona Probkevitz. The performance elicited “oohs” and “aahs” from the audience and was the prelude to high spirited dancing led by DJ Naz Aziz. It was inspiring to see the entire school community of students and teachers from grades one through ten gathered together in celebration of our precious land!

HAFTR Tekes

om HaZikaron was observed with the utmost respect and kavod at HAFTR High School this past Monday. Students and faculty participated in a meaningful Tekes to commemorate Israel’s Memorial Day. The theme of the Tekes was remembering the 73 soldiers who were killed in a helicopter accident 20 years ago. This was the largest loss of life in one day in Israeli army history. The soldiers were on a mission heading into Lebanon when the tragic crash occurred. Rabbis, faculty, and students participated in the program to memorialize these soldiers and the viewing of family members who lost

their sons, brothers, and husbands testifying to the tragic event and describing the terrible pain they and all of Israel’s citizens went through. Understanding that the soldiers play a tremendous part in the protection of Israel and its borders is vital. It was an extremely moving ceremony, as there were few dry eyes in the audience. All the soldiers killed in the tragic accident and all other soldiers killed as they were protecting Israel should be remembered, and their families and Am Yisrael should find comfort. Special thanks to Ms. Nitzan Einat and the students who led the program for such an inspiring Tekes.

The concept of taking a leap of faith is part of the human experience. Page 84

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HALB Commemorates and Celebrates

uses pulled into the parking lot, students came into the building, a siren sounded, and all were silent. Soldiers who lost their lives and civilians who were killed from acts of terror were remembered and honored on Yom Hazikaron at HALB. The Middle School students wrote reports on specific individuals whose lives were lost. Yitzkor candles were lit while the choir sang appropriate songs reflecting the meaning of the day. Simultaneously, the Lower

School students learned the tefilla for chayalim and watched a powerful video on the importance and integrity of joining Tzahal. Information-based posters were hung around the building and many tefillot were said by both teachers and students alike in memory of our brothers and sisters who are no longer with us. The next morning as the buses pulled in to school and there were balloons, streamers and lively music playing over the loudspeaker – Yom Haat-

zamut! Sandy Shmuely came to school and brought the building to life. Music, dancing, celebrating and recognizing the birthday of our State! The Bnei Akiva girls ran a fantastic carnival with stations that represented different parts of Eretz Yisroel. Building towers in Tel Aviv, filling salt art bottles at the Yam HaMelach, and playing in “snow” on Har Chermon were just some of the amazing hands on activities the children participated in.

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AFTR High School celebrated the chag in fashion. Students started the day with a Tefillat Chagigit as the entire school davened together with a festive Hallel. Students watched a moving video celebrating the day and many were inspired. This was viewed

before Hallel to help better understand and appreciate the miracle of the State of Israel. The celebrations for the 69th anniversary of the State of Israel continued with a carnival and lunch from Holy Schnitzel. Special thanks to the PTA for their sponsorship.

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Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut at Yeshiva Har Torah

n Monday, Yeshiva Har Torah students commemorated Yom HaZikaron with a special program with Lieutenant Colonel Shai Bar, husband of YHT Ivrit teacher Morah Bar. He shared with students how the IDF, as a Jewish army, not only defends the State of Israel and Jews all over the world but also has an exemplary moral code, helps integrate all the diverse groups that make up Israeli society, works with socially and developmentally challenged youth, supports the disadvantaged, and responds with humanitarian aid to international crises around the globe. Following the presentation, a memorial candle was lit in memory of all those chayalim who fell defending Medinat Yisrael since its founding, and a Keil Malei was recited in their memory. On Tuesday YHT students arrived decked out in blue and white showcasing their pride in the State of Israel and ready to celebrate Medinat Yisrael’s 69th birthday. A special mifkad was held in the yard of the

school where all students from nursery through 8th grade stood together and sang with excitement Hatkivah. From there the students broke out into circles with their classes and danced and sang finishing with L’shanah Haba B’Yerushalaim. It was inspiring to see nearly a thousand students and teachers celebrating Hashem’s gift of a Jewish state in our time. The remainder of the day was dedicated to special programs for students to learn, enjoy and take pride in Medinat Yisrael.

From Darkness to Light: Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut at SKA

“Y

om HaZikaron and Yom HaAzmaut are precious days which highlight our school’s religious Zionist philosophy and deep commitment to Medinat Yisrael. May we be zocheh to reflect, to appreciate Hashem’s gift to our people, to understand the sacrifice of our soldiers and terror victims, to celebrate the countless miracles underlying the establishment and continued existence of Medinat Yisrael and to thank Hashem through tefilla and of course, the recitation of Hallel.” With these words, Mrs. Helen Spirn, Head of School of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, addressed the school’s reflective program commemorating Yom HaZikaron on Monday, May 1, and the celebration on

Yom HaAzmaut on Tuesday, May 2. Ms. Raizi Chechik, principal, spoke of the many thousands of soldiers and civilians killed since the State of Israel was declared and introduced a powerful video memorializing the 97 Israeli terror victims who were murdered this year alone. We were privileged to hear from IDF Special Forces soldier and now reservist Izzy Ezagyi, who shared his personal story of bravery serving in Operation Cast Lead. In a special program this year, SKA Israel Action Committee members organized a letter writing campaign of words of comfort to families of terror victims. Among other missives, a heartfelt response to the girls’ letter from the family of Yael Ye-

kutiel, one of the four killed in the truck ramming at Arnon Hanitziv, was read aloud to the assembled students and faculty; the Yekutiel family wrote of how much nechama they received and how thankful they were knowing that their daughter was not forgotten. Throughout the day, photos of terror victims were displayed in the school’s hallways, and students were encouraged to research and write condolence letters to these families. In a transition from “meafelah l’orah,” SKA welcomed Israel Independence Day with pride, joy and thanks to Hashem during Tefilla Chagigit as the whole school joined in an emotional morning davening together in the auditorium. In addition to enjoying the fes-

SKA juniors Kayla Flaum and Tova Rosen

tive Israeli lunch provided, the students heard a stirring message from limudei kodesh teacher Mrs. Leah Feinberg, who is making aliyah this summer iy”H, had the opportunity to view exciting films about Israel’s heroes, and attend an in-

spiring workshop exploring religious Zionism. The day ended with joyous dancing at the annual spirited Yom HaAtzmaut chagiga. Happy Birthday to our beloved State of Israel!

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Shulamith High School Commemorates and Celebrates

he juxtaposition of Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut on the calendar forces us as a nation to recognize the sacrifices made for the modern State of Israel. At Shulamith High School, we commemorated individual sacrifices and also celebrated the miracle of the Jewish state. On Yom HaZikaron, our students experienced the solemnity of the moment of silence. Later, Ms. Rina Zerykier spoke about the threat that Israel faces and importance of appreciating the people who sacrifice so that we can visit and live in our own country. Several students also read stories of soldiers’ bravery and resilience in Hebrew and English. Ms. Temima Miller, both high school faculty and a former IDF soldier, shared the story of her close family friend Keren Shatsky who died in a terror attack in 2002. Students wrote letters to the Shatsky family, memorializing Keren

fifteen years after her death. To end the day, Middle School principal Ms. Rookie Billet spoke about moving from extreme sadness to remarkable joy. The program ended with an emotional rendition of Ani Maamin and Hatikvah. We moved from commemoration to celebration on Tuesday, davening to express our hakarat hatov with the whole school. Ms. Rina Zerykier shared the foundation of the song Hatikvah from dry bones nevuah from Sefer Yechezkel. The day continued with topics ranging from Rabbi Yaakov Trump’s presentation on Rav Soloveitchik’s Kol Dodi Dofek and a traditional Yom HaAtzmaut barbecue to analyzing the diversity of Israeli society and the innovations of Israeli technology. Our celebrations ended with rikudim when our students sang Hatikvah while surrounding the Israeli flag.

PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN

The Community Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut Event was held on Monday night at Young Israel of Woodmere. Two excellent films were shown to the crowd of at least 700 people. Pictured here is Rabbi Heshy Billet, Mara D’asra, who was the Master of Ceremony and Cantor Joel Kaplan sang Kal Rachamin and HaTikva.

Students and Seniors Celebrate Israel

n Thursday, April 27, a group of eighth graders from Shulamith Middle School went to the JCC of the Greater Five Towns in Cedarhurst for a sensational preYom Haatzmaut celebration of Israel. Talia Belsky, Chaya Malka Bokow, Ahuva Faivish, Anni Laufer, Frieda Vegh, and Arielle Yarmish took to the dance floor with bright smiles and unbridled enthusiasm. The girls, who were chaperoned by Mrs. Tolsie

Vegh and Rachel Steiner, Director of Student Activities, bantered with the seniors and joined in a spirited rendition of “Happy Birthday” for one special senior who was celebrating her 100th birthday! With their blue and white accessories and vibrant good nature, the six added a youthful exuberance to the event. Having seniors and students spend this special time together giving thanks for the State of Israel was simply unforgettable!

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

Around the Community

Israeli Brigadier General Speaks at Rambam

sraeli Brigadier General Bentzi Gruber came to Rambam on erev Shabbos, Parshat Tazria-Metzora, to set an early tone for the significance of Yom HaZikaron. Brigadier General Gruber, who currently commands 20,000 soldiers in the Israeli Armored Corps division, shared that he feels “there is a direct line between Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Haatzmaut,” and how those who lived during the Holocaust continued the generations that have formed and protected Medinat Yisroel. Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach, a close personal friend of Brigadier General Gruber’s, introduced the program by sharing an IDF video that featured excerpts from letters to loves ones written by soldiers before they fell in battle. One soldier wrote, “My time is up,” while another wrote, “I ask only that you remember me.” This poignant video established the proper atmosphere for the assembly as Brigadier General Gruber then spoke about his time fighting in the first Lebanon War. He shared harrowing and heroic stories of him being shot and taking grenade shrapnel to the hand. He spoke about the long recovery and how lucky he is to, “baruch Hashem, have my hand.” This after having eight surgeries. He also spoke about the tragedy of friendly fire and about how he has “a minhag to call on every erev Shabbos all the widows of the soldiers” he lost in battle. Despite being injured, Brigadier General Gruber decided to continue in the army because he knows what they are fighting for. He then proceeded to discuss the unfortunate reality of the difficulty American soldiers have readjusting to American life after returning from Afghanistan. Brigadier General Gruber, who recently spoke at West Point Academy, told over a story about an American unit of 120 soldiers that fought over 12 years ago in Afghanistan. With the exception of three soldiers, all are either dead, homeless, on drugs, or have otherwise not readjusted to normal life. He contrasted this with the retired Israeli

soldiers who go on to great things following the army. He believes the reason for this is because “in the Israeli Army everyone knows what we are fighting for: our families and for Israel. When the American soldiers are there, they see Afghanistan; we see our homes.” Following a question and answer period that revolved around military philosophy and strategy, Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, Rosh Mesivta of Rambam, discussed the importance of maintaining a halachic framework in all arenas of life and discussed how everyone can help the IDF, even those who do not serve, by being an upstanding, committed, and proud Jew. Rabbi Eliach concluded the assembly by relating his own experiences about Yom HaZikaron and the proper mindset for this important day. He shared a poignant story about a visit to Har Herzl when, in the middle of his being moved to tears, a widow and her daughter went over to him, pointed to her husband’s kever and said, “Stop crying. My husband wouldn’t want you to cry.” The day, he explained, is about remembering those who fell and appreciating their sacrifices and the significance of their lives. It was a truly memorable assembly and Brigadier General Gruber left Rambam after receiving a standing ovation.

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Kollel Chatzos Reveals the Essence of Lag B’Omer

tremor of awe and anticipation ripples through the atmosphere, coursing through the hearts of the thousands ascending ancient Meron’s storied hills. They’re going to Reb Shimon. And they’ll sing and dance, light fires and cut little boys’ hair. Most of all, they’ll daven and rejoice and seek inspiration and elevation of the kever of the tana Elokai. Amidst the excitement, tucked away on a quiet street in house #56, entrance #9, another type of Lag B’Omer celebration is commemorated. It’s the same like every night – and yet, it encapsulates the essence of Lag B’Omer. In this unassuming room, a stellar group of distinguished talmidei chachamim will gather at chatzos of Lag B’Omer and learn… and learn… until daybreak. Just like they do every night. Just like Rabi Shimon did years ago, on the day of his petira, when he dedicated the day to teaching Torah to Klal Yisroel. Just like Rabi Shimon instructed Klal Yisroel to do more than 130 times throughout the Zohar, the holy sefer authored on this very day, the day of his petira. And while thousands of Yidden will remain at the kever of Rabbi Shimon throughout the night of Lag B’Omer, these talmidei chachamim learn there nightly. When the rest of the world calls it a night and heads to bed, these talmidei chachamim im-

merse themselves in vibrant Torah learning, bringing zechusim and yeshuos to Klal Yisroel. Klal Yisroel has always depended on Rabbi Shimon as a dedicated emissary of mercy before Hashem. Throughout the generation, tens of miraculous stories have been recorded of the yeshuos and brachos attained in the zechus of the Tana Elokai. Still, those who truly understand the tzidkus of Rabbi Shimon and the brilliant Torah light which he brought to the world recognize that the most potent way to connect to Rabbi Shimon is through Torah learning. Rabbi Shimon Halperin, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Chatzos Meron, remarks, “The Kollel Chatzos talmidei

chachomim, who are sitting quietly and learning throughout the entire night, are truly connected with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, fulfilling his ratzon in the most elevated way.” As more and more Yidden across the globe reach out to support the nighttime Torah learning of Kollel Chatzos, more and more Yidden recognize the enormous bracha inherit in supporting this monumental undertaking… Kollel Chatzos sponsors continuously share amazing personal anecdotes of yeshuos, refuos and besuros tovos attained soon after they partnered with Kollel Chatzos. “Every story is testimony to the koach of limmud haTorah at chatzos halayla,” says Rabbi Nechemiah Hoffman, Director of Kollel Chatzos.

“And we hear hundreds of such stories.” You can reach the ultimate level of bracha this Lag B’Omer and throughout the year. Support the nighttime learning of Kollel Chatzos in Meron, as well as the Torah learning at Kollel Chatzos branches in Williamsburg, Boro Park, Monsey and Monroe. At Kollel Chatzos, donors are not viewed as mere sponsors, but rather as true partners who are directly responsible for the Kollel Chatzos empire’s accomplishments. And while the primary schar for sponsors will definitely be in the Next World, the kollel expresses their appreciation through offering special deals at momentous occasions. This year, Kollel Chatzos presents a special deal. All Chatzos Partners will earn a double zechus: the zechus of Torah learning both in Meron and at a New York kollel. Together, this equals twelve hours of consecutive Torah learning and double-supplications on the donor’s behalf. “Toraso magein lanu; hi me’iras eineinu.” The awesome power of twelve consecutive hours of Torah learned throughout the night will certainly bring an abundance of yeshuos and refuos for Klal Yisroel. Contact Kollel Chatzos today for special Lag B’Omer partnership options: 718-887-9114; info@chatzos. org; Chatzos.org.

The Jean Fischman Chabad Center of the Five Towns Will Commemorate 50 Years since Israel’s Six Day War

ne fateful week in June 1967 redrew the map of the Middle East. Fifty years later, Israel continues to face numerous existential threats. Beginning Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 8:15-9:30 PM, Rabbi Zalman Wolowik of The Jean Fischman Chabad Center of the Five Towns will offer a fascinating new six-session course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) called Survival of a Nation: Exploring Israel Through the Lens of the Six-Day War. Commemorating 50 years since the Six Day War, the course invites participants to experience a captivating account of what was at the time

considered by many to be the most improbable and astonishing victory in all of military history. “Traditionally, Jews maintain a fervent allegiance to Israel and also lobby against human rights violations around the globe,” said Rabbi Wolowik of the Jean Fischman Chabad Center of the Five Towns, the local JLI Instructor in Cedarhurst. “This course explores the compatibility of these two values, examining Jewish perspectives on controversial human rights accusations leveled against Israel.” If Judaism is a religion of ideas, why do Jews care so much about land? Why does Israel perpetually

raise the ire of the entire world? And what are the ethics of preemptive strikes and collateral damage? The course also inquires how Israel might protect itself against an enemy that uses human shields, and explores Jewish positions about Israel’s moral obligation concerning territories captured in the Six Day War. “In Survival of a Nation modern history meets contemporary controversy,” explained Rabbi Zalman Abraham of JLI’s Brooklyn headquarters, “The thrilling historic narrative raises questions about morality and the prospect of peace in the Middle East that began – or were highlighted during – the Six Day war and remain

unresolved.” Like all JLI programs, this course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship. Interested students may call 516-295-2478 or visit www.myJLI. com for registration and for other course-related information. (JLI courses are presented in Cedarhurst in conjunction with the Chabad of the Five Towns.)

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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Around the Community

What’s Your Response? By Chana Kastlebaum

he response has been diverse and eye-opening: “They’re amazing!” “We’re really lucky to have Hatzalah in our community.” “I want to drive a Hatzalah car!” (six-year-old) “Why do they advertise so much?” These are some of the reactions to Hatzalah’s new campaign for its annual dinner event – Think Hatzalah. What’s your first response? Not surprisingly, the usual outpouring of donations from local res-

idents has begun with the event just a week away. But what was eye-opening was the powerful “first response” that many people have expressed. In fact, there seems to be a common thread in the reactions. On the one hand, people who have r”l needed Hatzalah’s services at one point or another have expressed their admiration, their gratitude, and even sometimes their awe. On the other hand, those lucky ones who have not needed Hatzalah are more muted in their response. And isn’t that how life always is? We tend to take the most important

community institutions for granted. And sometimes, even when we call upon those institutions for one need or another, we treat them as a utility, expecting their service without appreciating their value. The good news is that every year the number of residents that attend the Hatzalah event grows, and this year should be no different. But the question is, if you have not attended before, will that new participant be you? The community is growing rapidly and Hatzalah is growing along with it. But, of course, that means more

ambulances, more volunteers, more equipment… more costs. And, therefore they need more donations. And of course, we should all show our solidarity with the valiant Hatzalah volunteers – yes, remember that every one of them is a volunteer with a family and a job and responsibilities just like you. Somehow, they manage to pull themselves out of bed at 3AM to help save a heart attack victim. They deserve our support. So what’s your first response? Join us at the Sands Atlantic Beach on May 7th at 6:30 PM. RSVP online at HatzalahRL.org/event.

more likely you will be able to experience the aromas and flavors properly, and be sure to serve these offerings chilled. These wines may be relatively short lived, but the nuances of the flavors offered by these wines will be everlasting…until next year. There are many styles of rosé out there. The classic ones come from Provence in France and those that come from other regions are made in that style as well, which is usually boasting a light salmon color, for instance, the beautiful offerings from Château Roubine, as well as the Spanish Ramon Cardova Rosado. These rosé wines are elegant and enticing with high acidity which makes them the perfect accompaniment to fish and cheese dishes alike. The other types of rosé can vary in color from a light pink to a dark pink and boasts more fruity flavors expressing themselves in notes of cranberries, strawberries, and watermelon. The Capçanes Peraj Petita Rosat as well as the Covenant Rosé are just like that. The rosé offerings this season from Israel do not disappoint either. A frontrunner is the Vitkin Journey Rosé. Darker in color than a typical

French Provence style rosé, this pink wine offers a beautiful nose of strawberries and mouthwatering cherries with the perfect amount of acidity to balance it out. It would pair perfectly with some brie cheese and green apple sandwiches. Another wonderful selection comes from the Jezreel winery, which has become very popular for their unusual blends this year, and would pair perfectly with a bowl of kiwis and mangos. Be on the lookout as it should reach our shelves in a few weeks. Castel, known for their consistency in each vintage, offers their Provence style rosé from Israel boasting its distinguished salmon colored hue, and offers minerality like no other Israeli-made rosé. This wine would pair perfectly with a ceviche style appetizer of fresh cod marinated with jalapeno, pomegranate juice and cilantro. Be careful, though. Rosé wines are so refreshing, easy-drinking and delicious that you won’t even notice and the bottle will already be empty! L’chaim!

Rosé All Day, Every Day By Gabriel Geller

pring is in the air. We may have just moved out of the Pesach season, but Shavuos and summer will be here before you can bat an eye. Well, what does this mean for us wine drinkers? Do wines discriminate between seasons and are there specific wines which are better suited for the warmer seasons? For a few years already, rosé (pink) wines have been the hot trend on the American wine market. What is the big deal? Rose is not only the perfect thirst quencher for the upcoming days of sunshine, it is extremely food friendly and the perfect quaffer for a BBQ or a personal favorite, a picnic on the beach. This pink wine is not a joke as some may see it. There is no requirement for a good wine to be red, bold, high in alcohol content or full of oaky flavors. On the contrary; seasoned wine drinkers will often profess to enjoy

white and rosé’s wines more than they enjoy heavy red wines. The most important piece to the wine puzzle is to be open-minded and try new things. Ask your friends or follow recommendations you read about, but more importantly, get rid of all your preconceived notions about what wine should be and get out there and try new things! Try to understand and decipher the different flavors and aromas wafting in that glass. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you have been missing in those bottles all along. Interestingly, rosé is made from juice from red grapes and which has been exposed to its skins only for a short period of time, ranging from a few minutes to several hours. The color on some of the new releases of rosés is almost as beautifully intoxicating as finishing a couple bottles with some friends. It is important to note that rosé should be drunk as young and as fresh as possible. For example, we are almost mid-way through 2017 therefore; while some 2015 rosés might still be fresh and appealing, the 2016 vintage of rosés has been released and is the vintage you should be looking for on the shelves. The fresher the rosé the

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

TJH !

Centerfold

You gotta be kidding

A Mexican bandit made a specialty of crossing the Rio Grande from time to time and robbing banks in Texas. The banks offered a reward for his capture, dead or alive, but offered a much larger award for the recovery of the stolen funds. An enterprising Texas Ranger decided to track him down. After a long and difficult search, he traced the bandit to his hometown. On a hunch, he checked the town’s cantina, and sure enough, there was the robber. The only other people in the bar were the bartender

But the bandit didn’t speak English, and the ranger didn’t speak Spanish. As it turned out, the scrawny man at the back of the bar happened to be a lawyer. He knew the robber, and was bilingual, and quickly offered to translate for the two of them. The ranger said: “Tell him that if he doesn’t tell me where the loot is, I’ll shoot him here and now.” Upon hearing what the Ranger had said, and seeing the

and a scrawny, older man at a back table. The time was right to make a move. The ranger drew his revolver, charged into the cantina, and announced: “You are under arrest. I get a reward for you, dead or alive. Tell me where the money is, and I’ll let you live. If you don’t, I’ll shoot you right here, and save myself the trouble of having to take you back to Texas alive.”

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cold look in his eye, the bandit knew that the Ranger meant it – if he did not give up his loot, he was a dead man. Terrified, the bandit blurted out in Spanish that the loot was buried in an old barn at the outskirts of town. “What did he say?” asked the ranger. The lawyer answered: “He said, ‘You don’t have the nerve to shoot me, you good for nothin’ Yankee!‘”

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The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Mexico Trivia

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of what? a. Mexico’s independence b. Mexico’s victory over the U.S. in the Spanish-American War c. Mexico’s victory over France in 1862 d. Mexico’s discovery of Toquilla underground in 1905 What is the official name of Mexico? a. Gran República de México (Great republic of Mexico) b. Estados Únidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States) c. Gran Frontera de México (Great Frontier of Mexico) d. Región Unida de México (United Region of Mexico) What is the capital of Mexico? a. Monterrey b. Montezuma c. Mexico City d. Merida

Riddle me

this?

What is Mexico’s currency? a. Centamo b. Euro c. Peso d. Zloty In 1848, Mexico gave up much of its land in the Mexico-American War. This land became parts of which U.S. states? a. Utah and Nevada b. Oregon and California c. California and Utah d. Texas and New Mexico What is the drink tequila named after? a. A Mexican cactus b. A Mexican town c. A Mexican dance d. A Mexican fruit Approximately how many people live in Mexico? a. 11 million b. 27 million

c. d.

58 million 127 million

Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

C C C A B B D

Wisdom Key

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A farmer is on his way back from the market. With him he has a fox, a chicken and some grain. When he reaches a river crossing he must use a small boat only big enough for him and one other item. Unfortunately, if the fox is left alone with the chicken it will eat it, as will the chicken eat the grain. How does the farmer get everything across the river?

67 35

Answer to riddle: First the farmer takes the chicken to the far side and leaves him there. Then he returns in an empty boat and collects the fox or the grain. He drops off the fox (or grain) and picks up the chicken to return to the near side. At the near side he deposits the chicken and collects the grain (or fox). At the far side he leaves the fox and grain together. He returns with an empty boat and collects the chicken.

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Torah Thought

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim By Rabbi Berel Wein

ll of us are aware of the difficulty of translating lofty values and ideas into practical daily human behavior. We all wish to be kind and gentle, considerate of others and their needs, a holy and good people. But life and its challenges and complexities always interfere and make the achievement of these goals difficult and elusive. The goal of being a consecrated, good and holy nation, the goal set for

the Jewish people at the onset of our history, is one that is agreed upon and revered by Jews in all centuries and locations. How to reach and realize that goal has been a matter of controversy and contention for millennia. Moshe himself complains to G-d, “You have commanded me to elevate this people spiritually but You did not tell me how to do it! Explain Your essence to me.” And the L-rd responds

by stating that this is an impossibility for human beings to comprehend. So to speak, we are left to our own devices when it comes to achieving individual spiritual greatness. Only those who feel themselves spiritually impoverished can attempt to grow spiritually. Much is left for human beings to accomplish with their own initiative and creativity. As the rabbis so succinctly put it: “Everything is dependent on Heaven but for awe and reverence for Heaven itself!” Achieving that awe and reverence is the path to spiritual growth and enhanced holiness in life. And this is the constant

of any other goal in life except for their mandatory fulfillment. Yet all of Jewish thought and tradition saw them as being the building blocks of spiritual Jewish life, holy attitudes and behavior. Without these commandments, which translate themselves into daily repetitive human behavior, the road to holiness and spiritual fulfillment for Jews is pretty much blocked. Jewish history has shown us time and again the futility of trying to guarantee Jewish survival, let alone spiritual greatness, with the absence of the observance of the commandments.

The essence of Jewish life is not some mysterious guru-driven pursuit of holiness.

and complex struggle within to find and develop our better qualities and overcome and discard our negative ones. But we should not think that Heaven has abandoned us completely in this search for holiness and spiritual greatness, without providing us with the tools that we may employ in accomplishing this lifelong mission. Hence, the plethora of commandments that make up much of this week’s Torah reading. There seems to be a commandment that is relevant to every moment and situation in life. These commandments stand independent

The essence of Jewish life is not some mysterious guru-driven pursuit of holiness. Rather it is loyalty to Jewish tradition, as reflected in the necessity for observance of and reverence for the specific commandments described for us in the Torah. Fulfillment of these commandments does not necessarily guarantee the creation of a holy Jew but absent those commandments and the pursuit of the goal of personal and national holiness wanes and soon disappears. Such is the clear lesson of Jewish history. Shabbat shalom.

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

From the Fire

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim The Daily Grind By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

hat is true, real, genuine holiness? Is it closing one’s eyes and swaying at a kumzitz? Is it meditation in a beautiful, secluded forest? Let us learn the surprising Torah view on what holiness really is. The central focus of this week’s parshiyos is holiness. The parshiyos return to that theme again and again. It is, however, difficult to understand. The seforim hakedoshim explain how exalted the concept of holiness is. The Maharal (Tiferes Yisroel, Chapter 37), for example, teaches that “holiness is something which is completely separate [from this world].” Indeed, the parsha begins with an exalted expression of holiness, (Vayikra 19:2) “you shall be holy because I, Hashem, your G-d, am holy.” Yet, the picture of holiness that emerges soon after is quite different. The parsha contains, among other things, very mundane prohibitions against stealing, lying and tricking others, honoring one’s parents, and the forbidden intimate relationships.

These are matters which any decent, moral human being would observe even if he were not commanded to do so. Can the Torah mean to teach that observing such prohibitions is the entire extent of holiness? Where is the exaltedness of holiness in our parshiyos? I read a powerful insight in the writings of Rav Adin Even-Yisrael (Steinsaltz). He explains that in our daily war against the evil inclination and our struggle to attain holiness, there are two general enemies. The first is the explosive intrusion of evil into our lives, the sudden temptations to commit the most devastating sins. Generally speaking, these are not an issue for most observant Jews. The second category, Rav Steinsaltz explains, is the “the slow, steady grind of life.” In this second manifestation of the evil inclination, there is no dramatic fight, no sudden temptation, and nothing unusual happens. This second strategy wears us down and chips away at our defenses. In order to counteract the effects of the daily grind, we must strengthen ourselves against it.

The majority of the prohibitions in this week’s parshiyos relate to to sins which a person is likely to do primarily in the context of the daily grind of life, when one’s defenses are down and he is in a rut. One is not likely to steal or cheat in business in some dramatic, sudden event like a complete loss of livelihood. Sometimes it is easier to stay honest in such situations. But after days, months, and years of working and business life, after living with the monetary pressures of raising a family, one starts to let his guard down and rationalize “minor” acts of “bending” the rules to earn a little extra or save a few dollars here and a few dollars there. For example, one may fail to report some of his income to save on taxes, or he bills his clients for just a little bit more work than he actually performed. Usually, one only transgresses the prohibitions against stealing, lying, or having dishonest weights and measures due to the long term effect of the pressures of the daily grind. There is a fascinating Tosefta (Beitzah 3:6) which praises Rav Elazar

ben Rav Tzadok and Abba Shaul for their extreme honesty with respect to proper weights and measures in the stores they kept in Yerushalayim. This is diffiult to understand. Are we to assume that all of the other shopkeepers in Yerushalayim were thieves? Certainly not. In addition, are we to understand that it was difficult for these Tana’im, authors of the Mishnayos, to maintain basic honesty in business? Certainly not. It could be that there were indeed many shopkeepers who let the daily grind of life get to them. The point of the Tosefta is to teach that it is no simple feat to maintain the highest standards of honesty even when one could rationalize that “everyone is doing it.”

CHALLENGES OF THE DAILY GRIND Even the illicit relationships at the end of both of this week’s parshiyos do not usually occur suddenly but come from the daily grind. For example, at the office a person may begin to become lax in the sense of modesty he used to maintain. He be-

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gins chatting a little more than necessary with his female co-workers or he uses inappropriate words or tells jokes that he would not have even considered telling in years past. After letting himself get overly friendly with someone at work over a long period of time, eventually he allows things to get out of hand and does something he will regret. I regularly hear about these things happening from those who are brave enough to actually admit it and are seeking to turn their lives back around. Each person has told me that he did not get into that situation all at once. It happened slowly, as the person found himself in a rut and let his guard down. Such a person would have been able to withstand a great, sudden test. But he failed the little tests which ultimately brought him to the lowest place. The real test is standing up to the little challenges, the tiny temptations, day-in and day-out. That is why it is a great accomplishment to avoid looking at inappropriate things on the computer at work, even when they pop up in ostensibly innocuous places. These temptations never end so it is vital to keep one’s guard over time. Similarly, with respect to how one relates to people of the opposite gender at work, he must maintain a constant polite but distant affect at all times. In another vein, I have been hearing more frequently about the grueling effect of the daily grind on young mothers of raising young children. I have men come to me to complain that while they go to shul, learn in the evenings, and attend shiurim, the daily grind has worn away their wives’ desire for davening, Torah, and shiurim. These women are barely able to say amen on kiddush Friday night before falling asleep. Their husbands want to know where the enthusiastic seminary girls they married have gone. Meanwhile, these mothers go to work or tend to

children all day and all night and between the children crying at night and their tzaddik-like husbands snoring away, they get very little

daily grind chip away at a person’s determination to live his life in strict adherence with Hashem’s will. May we merit to attain holiness

The real test is standing up to the little challenges, the tiny temptations, day-in and day-out.

sleep at night. The daily grind wears them down and takes away their interest in spiritual growth to the point where they can no longer relate to the noble aspirations of their younger years. Even in shuls where talking during davening is not acceptable, over the years it is easy to gradually experience a loosening of standards. People who previously would not have uttered a word during davening, after several years, start to take a certain amount of license and begin saying a word here and a word there. When enough people do this, it begins to tear down the atmosphere of holiness and sanctity in davening that used to exist. That is the pernicious effect of the daily grind of the sanctity of a shul. The secret of holiness is the ability to maintain a simple and basic standard of honesty and morality, with consistency over time despite the grinding effect of day-to-day life. The battleground wherein one becomes a holy person is his commitment to maintain his standards day-in and day-out. The pasuk says (Vayikra 19:2), “You shall be holy because I, Hashem, your G-d, am holy.” What is the secret of Hashem’s holiness? It says in Malachi (3:6), “I am Hashem, I do not change.” The secret of holiness is not letting the

by achieving and maintaining our commitment to simple expressions of holiness in day-to-day life despite

the grinding effect it attempts to have on us. In the merit of the consistency of the fire of our Divine service, may we merit the rebuilt Beis Hamikdash where we will once again offer the korbanos morning and afternoon with consistency (Vayikra 6:6), “the continual fire shall burn on the altar, it will not be extinguished,” with the coming of Moshiach soon in our days.

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

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Between the Lines

More Than Skin Deep By Eytan Kobre

A tattoo is graffiti on the temple of the body. -Gordon B. Hinckley

he tattooed numbers on his arm were striking. My client is a pleasant middle-aged Jewish man – but he isn’t a day older than 65. So at the end of my visit to his Brooklyn home to strategize about his legal battle over real estate in Manhattan, I asked about the tattoo. He confirmed that the numbers on his arm had not been branded by the Nazis (ym”sh) but by a tattoo “artist” he had commissioned to imprint some eternal memorial to his uncle who was murdered by the Nazis. It was all very reminiscent of a September 2012 article in The New York Times – “Proudly Bearing Elders’ Scars, Their Skin Says ‘Never Forget’” – which chronicled how young, non-observant Jews increasingly are getting tattoos with Jewish symbols, words, letters, or themes, particularly as a means of memorializing the Holocaust and their loved ones who suffered through it.

Torah-observant folk, of course, are well-aware of the taboos of tattoos. “You shall not etch a tattoo upon yourselves – I am G-d” (Vayikra 19:28). The sort of tattoo forbidden by Torah law is comprised of a two-step process that involves perforating the skin and embedding ink underneath it (Makkos 21a; Rambam, Avodas Kochavim 12:11; Shul-

tattoo giver and the tattoo recipient – that is, both the act of inscribing the tattoo and the act of allowing it to be drawn on oneself – are forbidden (Tosefta, Makkos 3:9; Shach, Yoreh Dei’ah 180:4; Minchas Chinuch 253:4). And since the prohibition focuses on the act of tattooing – not the having of a tattoo on one’s body – there appears to be no obligation to

“You see that Jew laying tefillin over that number tattooed on his arm? You can give your kvitlach to anyone with that tattoo.” chan Aruch, Yoreh Dei’ah 180:1). Whether the Torah prohibits only a permanent tattoo (Rashi, Vayikra 19:28; Rashi, Gittin 20b; Ritva, Makkos 21a) or even one that just lasts a “long time” (Nimukei Yosef, Makkos 4b [Rif]), all agree that even a non-permanent tattoo violates at least a rabbinic prohibition. Both the

remove an existing tattoo (Minchas Yitzchak 3:11; Pas’shegen Hak’sav, No. 13). When asked whether Holocaust survivors should remove the tattoos branded by the Nazis, Rabbi Ephraim Oshry – who famously answered many heart-wrenching halachic questions during and relating to

the Holocaust – advised survivors not to utilize plastic surgery to have them removed but to wear them as badges of honor (Mima’amakim 4:22). Before the Satmar Rebbe immigrated to New York, a follower asked him to whom kvitlach (note with a petitionary prayer) should be given in his absence. The Rebbe pointed to an elderly Holocaust survivor. “You see that Jew laying tefillin over that number tattooed on his arm? You can give your kvitlach to anyone with that tattoo.” Sometimes a tattoo can even become a badge of honor when it marks a journey of return. It was Yom Kippur eve, and the mikvah was flooded with men immersing themselves in preparation for the holiest day of the year. Jamie, a young man who had recently become Torah-observant, was already self-conscious because he thought he just looked different (he did), and he drew even more attention to himself as he folded his arms firmly in front of him and made his way from a changing stall to the ritual pool. Just a few feet from the water,

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however, Jamie lost his footing and slipped. Reflexively, he stretched out his arms to break his fall, revealing the lewd and gaudy tattoos that lined his biceps. Jamie was exposed. Utterly humiliated, Jamie contemplated whether it would have been better to fall flat on his face if doing so meant that he could keep his arms tucked away – anything to avoid this shame. The room fell silent for what seemed like an eternity. But then an elderly Jew hobbled forward. Placing a hand firmly on Jamie’s shoulder, the man declared in heavily-accented English, “Look here, I also have a tattoo.” Stretching out his frail arm, the old man pointed to the row of numbers on his arm. “It seems we’ve both come a long way” (It’s A Small Word After All, Rabbi Hanoch Teller). But while there may be no obligation to remove an existing tattoo, tattooing cannot be justified by (misguided) noble intentions (Tosfos, Gittin 20b; Aruch L’Ner, Makkos 21a; Bais Yosef, Yoreh Dei’ah 180). The human body is a corporeal expression of G-d’s infinite wisdom – “In my flesh, I see G-d” (Iyov 19:26) – and it is unbefitting to mutilate Gd’s handiwork (Shach, Vayikra 19:28; Rashi, Devarim 14:1; Tzitz Eliezer 11:41). Tattoos defile man, and man was made in the image of G-d (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Bereishis 1:26). Tattoos also detract from and cheapen the covenant of circumcision, which is the bodily manifestation of our relationship with G-d (Seforno, Vayikra 19:28). The only pain we should be inflicting upon our bodies is for the circumcision commanded of us – not for tattoos (Ralbag, Vayikra 19:28). The prohibition against tattoos also is aimed at keeping us from emulating idol-worshippers, who, in primordial times, tattooed themselves as a sign of commitment to their deities (Rambam, Avoda Zara 12:11). Those, like my client, who justify their tattoos by claiming they are not doing so to further any idolatrous goal have missed the point entirely. They are worshipping idols – they just don’t realize it. You see, idolatry seeks to replace authentic spirituality with a cheap substitute for permanence. And that’s precisely the allure of a tattoo – it is a desperate cry for something eternal. That explains why tattoos are

more popular than ever. According to a recent Harris poll, roughly half of millennials have a tattoo, as do 36% of Gen-Xers, and the number of Americans with at least one tattoo has jumped 50% in the past four years. Hardly surprising. In our ever-changing society of disposables – saturated with fads, and where last week’s news is ancient history –peo-

ple are looking for something tangible and eternal to clutch on to. People feel as though life is running away from them, and all they really want is to do something of lasting value. As psychologist Dr. Kirby Farrell put it, tattoos have become “kind of like a safety blanket to give life meaning.” But the mark of a tattoo is a poor substitute for making a real mark in

life – and it is only through our good deeds that we transcend a fleeting existence and leave an indelible mark on the world. Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, mediator, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.

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The Observant Jew

Begin to Fargin By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

his concept began in a Pirkei Avos shiur one Shabbos afternoon during Sefira. In discussing the concept of ayin tova, a good eye, the rabbi used the word fargin. It’s a Yiddish word that is not easy to translate. The Hebrew equivalent, l’fargen, means to encourage or to grant. The Yiddish fargin is a little more nuanced though. He asked how you would describe fargin in English. One member of the audience suggested what was actually the closest definition we could find: “It’s the opposite of begrudge.” The rabbi commented that it made sense that there is no English word for it because this is a Jewish concept, not one to which the standard run-of-the-mill person would relate. Historically, people have always looked out for themselves, protected what was theirs, and not necessarily cared about what happened to others. In a sense, it’s correct, as the Torah tells us in Devarim 15:4: “Efes ki lo yihiyeh b’cha evyon, But if there shall be no paupers among you,” which the Gemara in Taanis (21a) explains to teach that one must expend efforts to ensure he is not poor, i.e. he should work and support himself. However, it is wrong to be completely selfish and self-absorbed. The concept of fargining, however, (rhymes with beginning) is that just as we are happy when good things happen for us, we are happy for others when good things happen

for them. When someone else has a new car, we don’t wonder why we don’t have a new one. When we do business with others, we want them to make some money also and don’t try to squeeze them down to the last

start to rejoice at their successes. Once we do that, something magical happens. We can fargin – not just giving in or accepting that someone else has something – but being able to truly rejoice in another’s success,

It’s recognizing that we’re all on a level playing field but moving in our own spheres of reality.

penny. So how does one begin to fargin? How do we get to that place where we can have peace of mind and no jealousy at the good fortune of others? It starts with appreciating that each person is his or her own world. Just as we realize how much is going on in our own lives and how we have ideas, hopes, dreams, and goals, we must realize that others have them too. It’s recognizing that we’re all on a level playing field but moving in our own spheres of reality. We all have similar needs and wants but the flow of benefit from Hashem comes directly to us, not to anyone else, nor to a common area where we need to fight to get it before someone else does. When we realize we’re not in competition with anyone we can

even when it seems to be at our own expense. This is the ideal, albeit most difficult of attributes. A person always wants to be right. However, when one realizes that he gains more by being content than by being right, he displays humility in action and has begun to fargin. Now, if one is unable to get to that place, R’ Avrohom Pam zt”l suggested two other Yiddish phrases: farkook and fargess. Farkook means to overlook, to ignore, or simply not notice. Instead of focusing on what others have, you simply look away so you don’t feel jealous. To fargess means to forget, so that when someone has something that ignites jealousy within you, you put it out of your mind. But don’t give up on fargining! The talmidim of R’ Akiva died be-

cause they weren’t able to fargin. They didn’t treat each other with proper respect, likely because they felt it would diminish their own honor, but nothing could be farther from the truth. On the contrary, when someone is happy for others’ successes, he is beloved and appreciated by everyone. They are the popular people and they live lives with much more pleasure. Now we understand why this is a “Jewish” concept because we believe that everything comes from Hashem, that He ensures we each get exactly what He wants us to have, and that nobody can stop it. When we truly feel that way, we can relax, enjoy our lives, and rejoice in the good news of others. In fact, you could say that fargining is the beginning of fargeniggen! (Or vergnügen – look it up.)

Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/ RabbiGewirtz, and follow him on Instagram @RabbiGewirtz or Twitter @ RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject.

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Jewish History

Memoirs of a Forgotten Rabbi The Troubled Life of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber By Rabbi Pini Dunner

abbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber (1883-1966) was a Lithuanian-born Torah scholar who spent most of his adult life as the spiritual leader of a small community in the West End of London. He remained there for over 50 years, struggling to maintain his dignity and his principles in a setting that was completely indifferent to the things he found important. His relationship with the lay-leadership of his community, as well as with his fellow employees, was fraught with difficulty and tension, as they were all people devoid of any sensitivity to Jewish ritual law and they tended to run the synagogue as a moneymaking operation, without taking Jewish law or the rabbi into consideration. In 1938, Rabbi Ferber began writing his memoirs, recording his life story, including the history of his hometown, Slabodka, and details of his family origins and how he had ended up as an immigrant rabbi in England. The memoirs disappeared after his death and resurfaced at auction a few years ago, eventually ending up in the hands of Rabbi Pini Dunner, who at that time lived in London. After introducing us to the fascinating story of the memoirs and how they ended up in his possession, Rabbi Dunner now reveals Rabbi Ferber’s own narrative and presents the memoirs, translated and published here for the very first time since they were written. This is excerpt resumes the story of Slabodka. The translation presented here

is not a word-for-word rendition of the original Hebrew, although Rabbi Dunner has stuck to it as closely as possible, with the exception of when the Rabbinic Hebrew makes an exact translation difficult or where ambiguities need to be corrected. The material has also been abridged

of Slabodka, and they studied together on a regular basis, as only a bridge over the Villia River separated Kovno from Slabodka. (I vividly remember Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan taking walks on that bridge, accompanied by one or two people, his eyes closed and his mouth uttering words

Such was his desire to study Torah that he had put on these illfitting shoes just so that he could walk with them to the synagogue, and remarkably he didn’t feel any pain or discomfort while he was wearing them.

where necessary, excluding extraneous details that disrupt the narrative.

Rabbi Mordechai Eliasberg Markil Kadishzon’s son-in-law was the celebrated rabbinic scholar, Rabbi Mordechai Eliasberg, chief rabbi of Zezmir and later Bauska. Kadishzon personally took care of his son-in-law’s needs for many years, and while under his fatherin-law’s patronage, Rabbi Eliasberg took advantage of his proximity to Rabbi Eliyahu Rogoler, then rabbi

of Torah – it was truly a wonder to behold.) Rabbi Eliasberg began his career as the rabbi of Zezmir and later replaced Rabbi Yaakov Benditman as chief rabbi of Bauska. I heard from elderly people who knew him in their youth that Rabbi Eliasberg had incredible powers of concentration and immersed himself in the study of Torah day and night. He was one of the first to be active in the Chovevei Zion organization, working to create communities in the Holy Land and to support those who went to live in them. He died in 1889, and I still viv-

idly remember the shock caused by his passing. Every community held public eulogies, and in Kovno he was eulogized by Rabbi Noach Rabinowitz, a fantastic orator and moving eulogizer, and Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan remained in attendance for the entire eulogy, which was highly unusual, as he was extremely weak. One of my father’s brothers, the eldest of his siblings, was called Pesach Ferber. I remember him well, although when I knew him he was already an old man. He had one son – Dovid Meir – who was a lawyer, I believe, and he moved to the United States. When my Uncle Pesach died, he was buried in Slabodka cemetery, and I remember attending his funeral. My father also had another brother called Abraham Ferber, who moved to America, and a sister called Miriam Dina, and another sister whose name I have forgotten – I think her name was Rona – and they all moved to America.

My Mother and Her Family I remember seeing my parents’ betrothal contract from the year 1852, recording my father’s engagement to my mother, Chana Devora, daughter of Rabbi Dovid Dushkes. I never knew my grandparents – neither my father’s parents, nor my mother’s – although I did know two of my mother’s brothers when I was very young. Her brother Yaakov was a very distinguished and G-d fearing man, a fruit wholesaler by trade. He lived near the synagogue and always made time for Torah study, and I remem-

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She remembered that Rabbi Yosef Dov studied in his youth at Slabodka yeshiva.

My Brother Eliezer Lipman

Rabbi Mordechai Eliasberg

ber hearing from my mother that in his youth he had studied at the yeshiva of the celebrated scholar Rabbi Mordechai Meltzer of Vilna. I recall that when he died he was eulogized in the courtyard outside the synagogue in Slabodka. My mother’s other brother, Isaac, was also a fruit wholesaler. Like Yaakov, he also lived close to the synagogue. Isaac had one son – Yehuda – who moved to America. Besides for these two brothers, my mother also had a sister, although I do not remember her name. My mother was constantly reading Torah books, and she was always able to share wise statements from the sages of the Talmud and later great rabbis. She constantly worked to inspire us to be fine, upstanding, Torah-true Jews, and she hired scholars and yeshiva rabbis to teach us, and sacrificed so much to ensure that we had only the best teachers. She also sacrificed everything she and my father had to look after poor people and Torah scholars, and she always showed them great respect. I particularly remember the respect she showed the beadle of the old synagogue, the righteous R’ Chaim Yaakov. She told me that he once walked for miles to repay a debt of just a single penny so that he wouldn’t be guilty of the sin of stealing. She also showed great respect to Rabbi Mordechai, who taught at the yeshiva in Rubno – who used

to eat at our house when he studied at Slabodka yeshiva, besides for the many others who I heard ate at our house during their time at the yeshiva, whose names I can no longer remember. I once heard from the illustrious scholar, Rabbi Ahron Yosef Bakst, chief rabbi of Suwalk, then Lomza, and finally Shavel, that he was a regular guest at our home as a young man during his time in Slabodka. My father hosted a prayer group at our home, and the rabbi who gave sermons and ethical discourses to those who attended ate with us every Shabbat. My mother regularly visited Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan to seek his counsel and blessings, and he showed her great respect. In fact she was in the habit of seeking the blessings of any great rabbi she came across. She told us that she knew the great rabbi, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, chief rabbi of Brisk and author of “Beit Halevi,” when he was a single, young man. She said that even as a young boy he was already a very spiritual and holy person and an exceptional Torah scholar. She believed that this was inherited from his mother, a special and righteous woman who was the granddaughter of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. Rabbi Yosef Dov’s father, Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, was the local government appointed rabbi, and he came from the family of the wealthy tycoon, Aba Soloveitchik of Kovno.

My oldest brother, Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Ferber, was an exceptional scholar and a gifted speaker – really a wonderful man in every respect. He died at the age of just 39-yearsold, while my parents were still alive, in the town of Koznitza in the province of Grodno, in the year 1891. My mother raised him in very difficult circumstances, but already when she was pregnant she was determined that he would be a great Torah scholar. She told me that while she was pregnant with him, during long winter Friday nights, she would sit in the women’s section at the “Reb Abba Chatzkel’s” study house, just listening to the sound of the men studying Torah, so that the fetus would get used to the sound of Torah even while still inside the womb. In addition, she herself studied Torah books with great diligence and concentration during her pregnancy. She told me that all my brother wanted to do from the youngest age was to study Torah. On one occasion he couldn’t find his shoes because they had been given in for repair, so he put on his younger brother’s shoes — which were far too small — so that he could walk to the synagogue to study. When he got back home he couldn’t get the shoes off because the fit was so tight, and they needed to be cut of his feet in strips. No one could work out how he had even got them on! But such was his desire to study Torah that he had put on these ill-fitting shoes just so that he could walk with them to the synagogue, and remarkably he didn’t feel any pain or discomfort while he was wearing them. My brother sat for seven years studying in the “Kirzner” study house, which was a wooden structure, near the meat market and the Butcher’s synagogue, which still exist today, although the “Kirzner” study house burnt down in the great fire of 1892 and was never rebuilt. My brother slept every night in the synagogue, so that he could learn from the early morning until the late night, and he only returned home once a week for Shabbat. One

Shabbat he fell asleep too close to the fireplace that was lit up to warm the house for Shabbat, and he was so tired from barely sleeping all week that he didn’t wake up when the fire began to burn his bare feet. The burns made him very sick, and my mother worked for weeks to get him better. I was also told that the norm at that time was for community officials to grab young boys from the local Jewish youth and hand them over against their will for conscription into the Imperial Russian Army, as it was the community’s responsibility to hand over a mandated number of conscripts each year. The rich members of the community were able to avoid the draft for their children by bribing community officials not to take their boys. Poor people, on the other hand, had it very difficult, and one night, in the middle of the night, a community official came to grab my brother from the synagogue to hand him over to the military draft. But when the guy came into the synagogue – I believe his name was Shmerl – he was so struck by my brother’s enthusiastic studies that he stood there frozen, unable to lay a hand on him. My brother became the literal embodiment of the verse in Tehillim (97:10) “He guards the lives of his faithful ones, and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” My brother’s fame grew and grew, and he became renowned as a brilliant scholar, knowledgeable in the entire Talmud and halachic literature, and also for his devoutness and piety. He became so well-known that he came to the attention of Rabbi Eliyahu Yaakov, the local rabbi, who summoned him in for a meeting. After interviewing and testing my brother, he was so impressed that a young man like him could be so knowledgeable in Talmud and halachic literature – he was literally stunned by my brother’s incredible genius – that he granted him rabbinic ordination on the spot. Similarly, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan of Kovno granted him rabbinic ordination and showered him with praise. To be continued... Rabbi Pini Dunner is the Rav of Young Israel North Beverly Hills in California.

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

My Israel Home

Streets of Jerusalem All Roads Lead To... By Gedaliah Borvick

A view of Derech Chevron

ne of the most famous – and longest – streets of Jerusalem is Rechov Yaffo, or Jaffa Street. It runs from the entrance of the city all the way to the Old City walls. Why is this main thoroughfare in Jerusalem named after a city located adjacent to Tel Aviv? From Biblical days (see Jonah 1:3) until the late 1800s, Jaffa served as the port city of Jerusalem. Visitors would disembark in Jaffa’s port and then continue their pilgrimage on land to Jerusalem. Interestingly, the present highway from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv follows a very similar route to the path taken by pilgrims over the past few thousand years. Jaffa Road was originally paved in 1861 as part of the original highway to Jaffa. Because it was one of the first paved roads in Jerusalem, the street became a focal point for neighborhood expansion. It’s interesting to note that 150 years later, the light rail along Jaffa Street revitalized the very same thoroughfare and is similarly paving the way for additional Jerusalem expansion.

From Gaza to Berlin

Rechov Yaffo’s name got us thinking about other Jerusalem streets whose names were chosen because they lead to other cities across Israel.

fa Gate (and by this point in the article, we have an idea why it’s called Jaffa Gate) all the way to Bethlehem’s northern entrance.

Such an intriguing name. Do they serve Arab delicacies or German cuisine?

Derech Beit Lechem, Bethlehem Street, is a main north-south road which runs through Jerusalem’s Baka and German Colony neighborhoods. It is a vibrant, and elegant, shopping and dining street whose long history is reflected in the assortment of architectural styles found in the landmarked buildings found along this road. The street used to serve as the main road connecting Jerusalem with Bethlehem. Archaeological digs uncovered the ancient road and traced its path from the Old City’s Jaf-

Derech Chevron, or Hebron Street, is a main thoroughfare in southern Jerusalem that presently runs parallel to Derech Beit Lechem and extends from Jerusalem all the way to Hebron. Jerusalem and Chevron are two of the four holiest cities in Israel, the other two being Tiberias and Tzfat, both of whom also have streets in Jerusalem named after them. Finally, Rechov Azza, or Gaza Street, was one of the major roads leading in and out of the city, providing merchants access to the southern

coastal ports of Gaza and Ashkelon. Incidentally, I had heard that a kosher restaurant in the middle of Jerusalem was named “From Gaza To Berlin.” Such an intriguing name. Do they serve Arab delicacies or German cuisine? Alternatively, what nefarious activities are taking place in the smoke-filled backrooms of this establishment? Soon thereafter, after showing my client a property on Rav Berlin Street, I walked down the block to the intersection of Azza Street. Located at the corner was that restaurant! I couldn’t stop laughing – and marveling – at the restaurant owner’s creativity when he chose the name. By the way, they serve hummus dishes – and the food is delicious!

Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick@ gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

The Trustees, Executive Board, Administration and Staff of

Bnos Bais Yaakov and Tichon Meir Moshe High School express our heartfelt condolences to

To Yeshivas Toras Chaim at South Shore on the loss of their founding Rosh Yeshiva

HaRav Binyomin Kamentzky k"mz and to his children

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Rabbi Zvi Kamentzky, Rebbitzen Surrie Knobel, Rebbitzen Shani Lefkowitz and Rebbitzen Esther Wilhelm on the petirah of their father

Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky was a visionary and an activist. Many years ago, he saw the emptiness of Far Rockaway and the Five Towns and filled it with schools, shuls and every facet of Jewish life. The vitality of our community stems from Rabbi Kamenetzkyâ€™s vision and the vru, sunhk of our community derives from his vru, ,cvt. BBY mourns the loss of this great community leader.

ohkaurhu iuhm hkct rta lu,c of,t ojbh ouenv

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t’s not like there were tumbleweeds blowing down the dirt roads of Central Avenue when Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky, zt”l, moved to the Five Towns, but spiritually it could have been so. In 1955, Rabbi Kamenetzky was a rebbe at Yeshiva Toras Chaim in East New York. Two of his students commuted from Cedarhurst. “I was so confused. Where was Cedarhurst?” he recalled in an interview with TJH a few years ago. The boys told him that there was no yeshiva where they lived. “Is there a shul?” he asked them. They said they had to walk across the tracks to get to shul. “I had no idea what they were talking about. What tracks? What is this Cedarhurst place? Their father invited me to visit.” Unbeknownst to that family – and even to Rabbi Kamenetzky himself – that visit, which took place on chol hamoed Sukkos, was the planting of the first seeds in the garden that would grow into the blossoming Five Towns community. Rabbi Kamenetzky, as he was wont to do, saw a need for growth and instantly endeavored to fill that need. Right after Sukkos, on Shabbos Bereishis, he helped the eight frum families on one side of the “tracks” make their first own minyan in someone’s home on Oxford Road. Slowly the eight families in Cedarhurst grew to twenty. The minyan rotated from home to home. A few months later, the families asked Rabbi Kamenetzky to move to Woodmere. Rabbi Kamenetzky came to

the area with his wife, three daughters, a bracha for hatzlacha from his venerated father, R’ Yaakov, zt”l, and a vision. Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky saw things that others were not able to see. In the Five Towns he saw an area that was desperate for spirituality. Where do you start when you’re trying to bring Torah to a community? One of his first orders of business was to open a boys’ yeshiva and even-

nect with every person he met. He loved speaking with others. He loved helping others. He loved reaching out to others. One person related that although he was not especially close with Rabbi Kamenetzky he one time mentioned to him that he was in need of a medical test but was unable to get the procedure because he didn’t have the funds. One hour passed and the individual’s phone rang. Rabbi Kamenetzky was on the

Before moving to Woodmere, Rav Yaakov told his son, “Even if you plant in the wasteland, it will also grow.”

tually a girls’ school. The baalei baatim in town wanted him to be their shul rabbi as well. “But I was busy trying to make the yeshiva and start a girls’ school,” he recalled. “I suggested they join an established organization, like Young Israel.” Their letter to Young Israel, though, was denied because there was no known Orthodox Jewish presence in Woodmere. “At the next meeting of baalei batim, Irving Bunim was there. He said, ‘Kamenetzky is here? So Jews will be here.’ And then we started the Young Israel.” Because of his love for every Jew, Rabbi Kamenetzky was able to con-

line. He had arranged for the procedure to take place the next day and there was no worry about reimbursement. Another person mentioned that he gave Rabbi Kamenetzky a ride home a few years ago. In the car, Rabbi Kamenetzky asked about his profession. Hearing that he was a lawyer, he called him a few times after the ride, attempting to set him up professionally with other attorneys who he knew. Meir Krengel, the co-president of Yeshiva of South Shore, who is an alumnus of the yeshiva, mentioned that even when Rabbi Kamenetzky

was in the hospital and was ill, he was always thinking of others. He would ask about their welfare and inquire about how they were faring. “It was never about him,” Meir explains. “It was all about other people and about growing Torah and Yiddishkeit.” Indeed, even while in the hospital Rabbi Kamenetzky was trying to help a nurse whom he met there to find a job. (Meir’s great-grandfather was part of the chevra that brought Rabbi Kamenetzky to the Five Towns.) Rabbi Kamenetzky knew how to connect with others – regardless of religion and regardless of their level of religious observance. He was probably the first “askan” in the community, regularly reaching out to political leaders and government officials. They all connected with his warmth, his genuineness, and his dedication to his cause – the growth of Torah and Yiddishkeit. Indeed, inevitably when talking with government officials who became close to Rabbi Kamenetzky about the rav the word “mensch” is mentioned. The growth of Judaism was foremost on Rabbi Kamenetzky’s mind. He related one time, “The only way a community can grow...the more shuls, the more people can come in.” Mr. Krengel mentioned a story that Rabbi Kamenetzky told him recently about a different community. At the time, another shul wanted to open and a rav in the community began to complain. But Rabbi Kamenetzky calmed him down and said, “Don’t worry; the more shuls there

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

At the wedding of Rabbi Binyomin and Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky

are, the more baalei batim there will be for you.” There are so many shuls and institutions that have Rabbi Kamenetzky to thank for their existence. In addition to Yeshiva of South Shore and TAG, he was influential in helping to start Young Israel of Woodmere, Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, and MAY, which was Yeshiva of South Shore’s high school at one time. His brother-in-law, Rabbi Spiegel, is the rav of the Shteibel. His son-in-law, Rabbi Knobel, is rosh kollel of the Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns. “G-d helped me do it,” Rabbi Kamenetzky simply explained one time. But Rabbi Kamenetzky had

Rabbi Kamenetzky with his son, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, and Yoeli Steinberg of Gourmet Glatt with Yeshiva of South Shore students delivering package to police officers in hakaras hatov

the drive and dedication to expand Yiddishkeit. “Nobody is supposed to give up and that’s the only way the community grew,” he once said. He took responsibility and he led when others may have faltered. Indeed, when Rabbi Kamenetzky came to town, it was with fierce determination and a strict adherence to Torah values that he built his schools. Rabbi Zvi Kamenetzky once related that when people wanted to have mixed dancing at the yeshiva dinner when the school just started, it was Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky who had to tell them that that’s “not what we do here.” She got letters in return forewarning of the yeshiva’s demise because that “attitude” wouldn’t

Rabbi Kamenetzky reading from his beloved Torah

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work here. At the rebbetzin’s levaya, Rabbi Zvi Kamenetzky further noted that he was once invited to a birthday party which consisted of going out for pizza and a movie. Rebbetzin Tzirel refused to let him go to the movie and even called the birthday boy’s mother – with whom she was close friends – to make sure that Zvi would be dropped off at home before they went on to the movie. To her son Zvi she said, “You’ll thank me later… You’ll thank me later.” The rebbetzin was always at her husband’s side, collecting thousands of dollars for kollelim over the years. She worked tirelessly to ensure that the Kamenetzky home would be a bastion of Torah, despite the outside

influences that could have penetrated at the time.

t’s hard to imagine – looking at the pizza shops that line the Avenue and the shelves that line our grocery stores – that the person who was one of the most impressive forces to build up our community today grew up with hardly any food on the table. Rabbi Kamenetzky was born in 1923 in Tzitivyan, Lithuania, the eldest child in the family. His father, Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zt”l, was the rav to just sixty families. Reb Binyomin attended cheder in Wilkomir, a nearby town. When speaking about his father, Rabbi Kamenetzky shared, “Before

The community came out in mourning at Rabbi Kamenetzky's levaya this Sunday

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What Central Avenue looked like when Rabbi Kamenetzky came to town, circa 1953

each of us went to cheder, he taught us how to daven and read because the cheder rebbe was a Litvak and pronounced shins as sins. Shin was not in their dictionary. It was important to my father that we knew how to read correctly.” He added, “My father also taught all of us children how to bench aloud, and we all had to bench together with him. Even today, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren bench with the same nusach and in the same niggun as my father did,” Rabbi Kamenetzky recalled. Rabbi Kamenetzky spent fifteen years of his life in Europe. He learned in Telshe Yeshiva. Life in Europe was hard. “My mother tried to make sure there was always bread, salt, and potatoes for us. We didn’t have much at all during those years. Potatoes were our mainstay.” Even so, Reb Binyomin remembered his mother and her concern for her husband during those times. “My father was always learning and writing, learning and writing. He never stopped, so she worried about him. She would ask, ‘How is he doing, what is he eating, how is he feeling?’” One time, food was so scarce that someone stole their yom tov meal straight off the stove. They never found the culprit, although they did find the empty pots and cutlery in the street. Eventually, things became so dire that Rav Yaakov went to America to procure employment and a possible place to live for his family. One friend

Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky and Rabbi Pinchus Eliyahu Spiegel dancing at their children's wedding

offered to print some of Rav Yaakov’s k’savim. Rav Yaakov asked his wife to mail his Mekoros Ha’Rambam b’Tanach. Sadly, the package was lost in Germany and never found. Rav Yaakov eventually became a rav and teacher in Toronto, starting a yeshiva for men who were in univer-

him. Now that we were in Toronto, sending me to learn at his yeshiva in New York wasn’t even a question.” After learning in New York and in Baltimore under Rav Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, zt”l, for some years, Rabbi Binyomin married Tzirel Spiegel, daughter of the Ostrover Kalush-

“It was never about him. It was all about other people and about growing Torah and Yiddishkeit.”

sity who would go to the yeshiva after their day in university was done. “My father helped them with their university homework! He knew everything from the stars to the trees and back,” Reb Binyomin recalled. Reb Binyomin, his mother, and his four siblings boarded one of the last boats out of Poland and joined Rav Yaakov in Toronto in September 1938. Reb Binyomin then traveled by train to learn in Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Brooklyn under Rav Dovid Lebowitz, zt”l. “My father knew Rav Dovid Lebowitz from Europe, from Slobodka, and they were good friends. My father believed Rav Lebowitz was one of the greatest Torah scholars of that time. He told me that if he had been a rich man in Europe, he would have sent me to America to learn under

iner Rebbe, zt”l. Rebbetzin Tzirel was “raised in a home in which you could feel the kedusha in the air,” said her brother-in-law Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky, shlita. The new couple settled in East New York, where Rabbi Kamenetzky became a rebbe in Yeshiva Toras Chaim.

he rest, as they say, is history. But Rabbi Kamenetzky didn’t just go through history; he made it. Before moving to Woodmere, Rav Yaakov told his son, “Even if you plant in the wasteland, it will also grow.” Rabbi Kamenetzky kept planting and watering and pruning. “And that was the theme of my success in this community,” Rabbi Kamenetzky once said, referring to his father’s words.

When Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky, zt”l, passed away last week at the age of 93, he left behind a whole new world – a world that he helped to build. This world is filled with Torah institutions bursting with talmidim and talmidos, it’s filled with thousands of children and adults who are shomrei Torah u’mitzvos and have a love and bren for Yiddishkeit, it’s filled with tens of shuls that are overflowing with mispallelim and tefillos reaching for the Heavens. If not for Rabbi Kamenetzky’s love of every Jew, his dedication to chinuch, his pioneering spirit, and his unabashed love for Torah, Central Avenue would still have spiritual tumbleweeds blowing in the breeze. May all the Torah that he has helped to proliferate and all the Torah Jews that he has helped to mold continue his legacy of true dedication and love for Torah. Yehi zichro baruch.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

I am a 27-year-old woman who has been dating for quite some time. Thank G-d, I seem to be a good dater. Or maybe, if I might be so bold, I have a lot to offer. I’ve had my share of guys interested in me and ready to propose. So, getting dates and having successful relationships has never been my problem.

My problem is that once a relationship starts getting serious and the guy I’m dating starts talking about getting engaged, I get so anxious that it actually affects me physically. I’ve had a few really scary panic attacks, but in general, my stress level goes off the charts and I’m unable to function normally until I ultimately break off the relationship. Obviously, I’m afraid to commit to marriage. And I don’t really have any crazy, deep-seated reason to have such a crazy reaction to making the leap into marriage. My parents probably have an average marriage. Nothing earthshattering but nothing horrible either. I have friends with great marriages, and a few who aren’t particularly happy, and some who have gotten divorced. I know the deal. There are no guarantees. But somehow, my body physically takes over when I get close to making a commitment. I look back over one or two of the men that I “let go” and believe it was a big mistake. I probably could have been very happily married by now. I sometimes wonder whether most women feel this way and don’t talk about it – and they just take a leap of faith – or whether I’m unique in my reaction. So I’m wondering what your thoughts are on my problem.

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 | MAY 4, 2017

Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island joins the community in mourning the passing of

Moreinu HaRav Binyomin Kamenetzky k"mz Founding Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Toras Chaim at South Shore and pioneer of the Torah Community of the Five Towns, who touched the lives of so many diverse people, bringing them all closer to an appreciation and love of Hashem and His Torah. His energetic and encouraging words will be missed by all. May his children, Family, Talmidim, and the entire Community continue to expand upon his great legacy.

of,t ojbh ouenv ohkaurhu iuhm hkct rta lu,c Hanhalas HaYeshiva Rebbeim & Faculty

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

et thee to a mental health professional with CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) training to help you deal with your anxiety issues. CBT is an evidence-based therapy modality which helps people with anxiety and other issues through sequenced exposures and more. It works. B’hatzlacha.

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A.

ecisions. Decisions. Some inconsequential: Vanilla or chocolate? Ballet Slippers or Lady in Red? Pizza or salad? Some monu-

mental: Live at home or move to the City? Go for a law degree or nursing school? Vacation in Israel or safari in Africa? Whether you realize it or not, you make thousands of trivial as well as critical choices on a regular basis. Most functional individuals make decisions based on past experience (“I need a chocolate fix”), logic (“pizza gives me heartburn”) or doing research (“my cousin Temi convinced me that nursing would be more fulfilling than law”). There’s no question that choosing a life partner is one of the most life-altering, pivotal, significant decisions you will ever make. Scarily enough, your choice is not always ameliorated by experience, logic or thorough research. Emotion, infatuation, peer pressure and timing are just some of the variables that get two people to navigate from first date

to chuppah. In addition, there’s the abstract, the intangible; frum Jews know it as bitachon, others say “leap of faith,” or “gut feeling” that rounds out the edges of one’s uncertainty. You are 27-years-old and, by your own admission, have passed up several suitable life mates due to commitment phobia. I urge you to seek the counsel of a qualified therapist now so you can work on your commitment/decision aversion before you meet your bashert and, chas v’shalom, let him get away!

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

he saying is true – time stops for no one. Baruch Hashem,

Whether you realize it or not, you make thousands of trivial as well as critical choices on a regular basis. with every new morning Hashem grants us, we wake up to being one day older. This realization dawns (pun alert. Sorry!) upon many singles in their 30s with whom I work. However, at that point, the vast majority of new suggestions are singles with non-ideal situations (such as divorced with kids) or issues which are out of the “comfort zone” for these singles. Drowning in re-

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

gret and wallowing in the past that could have been, they wish they had committed to wonderful relationships from their 20s. I encourage you to do the following: 1) Visit a frum therapist or dating coach who has experience helping singles with this particular issue. There is no one-size-fits-all answer on how to cure commitment anxiety and seeing a therapist/counselor to guide you through will help with your own unique situation and dilemmas. 2) Read the book The Menucha Principle in Dating by Shaya Ostrov, who also happens to be a reputable and experienced therapist dealing with scenarios such as yours and available for consultation. You are very fortunate to have come to this realization in your mid-20s, but you have got to work through this or nothing will change. Here’s another striking realization to consider: At your wedding, there will be many items to choose from. The f lowers, the

ring, the chuppah, the menu, the dress; these can all be custom-made and tailored to your heart’s desire. However, you spouse is the only “variable” at the wedding that can’t be completely custom-made to your dreams and imagination. People often have a mental image of what they think they want and that leads to some anxiety when an amazing prospect is right in front of them. Why the anxiety? As fitting of a match the young man/lady may be, if anything deviates from that mental image, even if it is your bashert, you will feel some conf licting feelings. It is important to remember, though, that Hashem custom-made your chosson for you. He may not be in perfect alignment with everything you had imagined, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he can be your soulmate. We look forward to hearing a positive outcome in the future – much hatzlacha!

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

y thoughts on your situation are as follows. I think now is the time to be working with a therapist, regardless of whether you are in a relationship or not. Build rapport now, do the work now, get to the root of the issue now, and then when you feel you have a comfortable handle on the situation and find yourself in a relationship with serious potential, immediately resume sessions with the therapist. He/she will help you through the anxiety and panic and help you avoid the urge to run (if you like the guy, of course). I have worked with a handful of men and women who have had trouble with commitment. I have found a common thematic question amongst

them. They wonder: Is this just a matter of anxiety, or is the guy/girl wrong for me and this anxiety is a helpful signal telling me to get out of the relationship? In therapy, you will explore and then process what is scaring you, personally, about commitment. I am so sorry that you have experienced panic attacks and unmanageable levels of stress as you approach commitment. Panic attacks are awful and can feel as though you are dying. Your decision to exit the relationship at that point is understandable. After all, who wants to feel that way? When you break up,

The Single Tova Wein

ou sound like the typical “runaway bride” that books have been written about and movies made. Though these stories are told in a comedic way, it is a very serious issue. And the way you describe your physical reactions to getting close to someone, it must be heartbreaking for you to feel as though you have no control over your reactions. I’m going to guess that you probably have anxiety over other important areas of your life as well. I’m guessing it’s been hard for you to decide on meaningful things like picking a career, to unimportant things, like picking a dress for a special occasion. Though I am not a doctor or a therapist, it sounds to me like you suffer severely from anxiety and you should be speaking to a professional, who can help you learn how to manage your anxiety and move forward with your life – not only when

that is when you get to exhale. The relief can feel wonderful. But that is a very short-lived feeling, as you realize your anxiety or fear of commitment is preventing you from leading the life that you want. It is keeping you stuck. My hope for you is that through the therapeutic process your symptoms will decrease altogether, and/or should they arise in your next wonderful relationship headed toward commitment, you will work through them with tools and coping skills instead of leaving as you have done in the past. I believe there is hope for you. You wonder if most women feel as though they are taking a leap of faith when they commit to marriage. The concept of taking a leap of faith is part of the human experience. When we open the door in the morning, we are taking a leap of faith. When we cross the street, we are taking a leap of faith. When we ride the subway,

The concept of taking a leap of faith is part of the human experience.

it comes to committing to a future husband, but in general. It must be so hard for you to suffer in this way and I’m certain that there is help for you out there. Lucky you – you seem to have a lot going for you. So hopefully, you will continue to have opportunities come your way. And when the next wonderful man does come along, you’ll be working with a therapist who can figuratively hold your hand and help you get past your anxiety so that you can move on with your life in a meaningful way.

we are taking a leap of faith. Leaps of faith must be viewed as unavoidable in order to lead a meaningful life. When we feel we cannot take the leap of faith, our world becomes very small and we can’t lead the life we want to live. Find a therapist today who will help you get back to living… and leaping. Sincerely, Jennifer

Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@ gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

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Dr. Deb

Thought You Were Rational? By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

e, homo sapiens, take justifiable pride in our highly developed brains and the fact that we have the capacity to rationally think and even reflect on our thinking. Nevertheless, the field of neuroscience has shown that we shouldn’t be quite so arrogant. Daniel Siegel, a researcher that I have mentioned before, explains in his book, The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are, that, for example, the activation of the subcomponents of the brain are coordinated by the limbic system – the system that deals with our emotions (p.17). (Note that Siegel cites around 660 sources in the neuropsychology literature for this thick book.) Siegel goes on to say, “This finding also demonstrates how emotions, generated and regulated by the activity of the limbic system, are integral parts of our neocortically derived ‘rational thoughts’ as well as the overall functioning of our minds” (p. 17). To bring this down to a practical example, suppose a married couple is having difficulties right now. Two years ago, they went on a lovely vacation and both agreed at the time that they enjoyed it. Unexpectedly, Florence declares that the vacation was not really so great after all: this issue and that issue spoiled it completely for her. What happened? Was she lying in the first place? No, says Siegel, she wasn’t. Rather, when old memories are retrieved, “present experience” creates “associated recollections and retrieval cues” which then “can be woven into the process of remembering and can become part of the ‘reconstructed’ memory” [italics mine] (p. 42). In other words, there is no way of going back in time to find the “truth.” Our memories are affected by our more

recent experience. Why would that happen? The answer is that our brains associate information that occurs in different parts of it. So, for example, suppose she and Eric just had an unpleasant conversation. She has a clear picture in her mind of his facial expression. The topic of this trip from two years ago comes up and her brain rushes to retrieve that memory. It is stored in many places in her brain: recollection of smells, sights, sounds, temperature, and emotions. But the present – yucky – image of Eric in her mind inserts itself into the memory when she thinks of him. This is the brain’s way of being “helpful.” See, our ability to associate different things is what makes us creative and clever; it is the source of all advances in science, learning, and the arts. Only in this particular case, it kind of spoils what was a good memory. Had Florence kept a diary of her trip with comments on her feelings about her husband that would have helped set the stage for a more accurate memory. Oh, well. Later on, Eric, arguing with Florence about that particular trip, tries to persuade her that it really was a wonderful trip and he distinctly remembers that she enjoyed it. How is it possible that the positive impact of that experience got overshadowed for her but not for him? The answer is to be found in the role of emotion in memory. It turns out that the greater the emotional intensity of an experience, the more likely it will be remembered (p.47). Perhaps, at the time of the trip, Eric experienced a greater intensity of positive emotion than his wife did. (And we are also hardwired toward what is called “negativity bias” which I will get to in another article in the future.) The thesis of Siegel’s book is that emotion plays a profound role in everything the brain does and influences

what we think of as logical and rational thought as well. Why would this be? What advantage could HaKadosh Baruch Hu possibly have had in mind to create us to be so easily influenced by emotion? Siegel’s answer is that it is only through the mediation of emotion that we can truly connect with other human beings. He gives an example of a person coming into a therapy appointment. Obviously, the therapist is “supposed” to be clear-headed and receptive to what the client has to say. But to be a good therapist, she also has to understand the way the client feels – and the client has to somehow sense that her therapist is able to do that. The client needs that in order to not only feel understood but to have trust in her therapist. Anyway, in Siegel’s scenario, the therapist is not as cool as a cucumber at all. He asks the client how was her weekend and she starts to talk about it. “The therapist’s heart begins to accelerate...his head feels as if it is about to burst.” Finally, the client says it was a horrible weekend and the therapist lets out a deep breath, releasing the buildup of stress. “For full emotional communication,” Siegel says, “one person needs to allow his state of mind to be influenced by that of the other” (p. 69). Please read that last sentence again. If you can get to this spot in your marital relationship, you’re good! You will truly and deeply understand one another. Siegel explains, “Sensitivity to signals allows for the therapist’s internal response in his own state, which permits an awareness of his perceptions of the patient’s experience” (p. 69). In other words, tuning into the client’s emotional state is facilitated when the therapist actually senses in his own body the same emotional state. This helps the therapist to deeply under-

stand the client and of course helps the client to feel deeply understood. This is called “affect attunement” and not only is it important in communication in therapy and with spouses, but “is the essence of secure attachments” between parents and their children. “During childhood, such human connections allow for the creation of brain connections that are vital for the development of a child’s capacity for self-regulation... One essential message is that the developing mind uses the states of an attachment figure in order to help organize the functioning of its own states” (p. 70). Siegel describes research on rats with maternal deprivation who are then given serotonin medications for their “social behavioral problems.” The serotonin works but stops working when no longer administered. This “supports the view that these brain changes are engrained within the neural pathways regulating basic functions such as behavior, emotional regulation and social relations” (p. 84). Citing research with many sets of identical twins with genetic disorders, he states, “Environmental factors play a crucial role in the establishment of synaptic connections after birth” (p. 85). Sure, the role of nature can’t be ignored, but let’s not ignore the powerful role of nurture either. I’ve taken you through about a fourth of Siegel’s book and I am glad I decided to give you direct quotes. It’s your brain, after all, so it’s good to know how it works. More on this in the future.

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

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

Exotic Fruits That Can Change Your Life By Aliza Beer MS, RD

any people love the taste of tropical fruits, but aside from their sweet taste, they contain numerous health benefits that can help save or prolong your life! I’ve compiled a list of fruits and

plants that have some of the highest medicinal qualities. Some can be found in your local supermarket, while others need to be sourced as supplements online.

•

Elderberry: This is a favorite flu season plant. The herb contains anti-viral compounds, which research has shown can help the body fight off illness. Take elderberry extracts during flu season as a preventative measure or right when you feel the flu coming on to relieve symptoms.

•

Loganberry, The Chinese Miracle Fruit: Native to China, this

health benefits. Most vegetable oils, like soy, corn and canola, are genetically modified. Also, cooking your food in omega-6 vegetable oils produces a variety of very toxic chemicals, as well as forming trans-fats. Frying will also destroy the antioxidants in oil. Coconut oil is the only oil stable enough to withstand the heat of cooking. Additionally, coconut water is a better sports

In Vietnam, where it’s known as “dragon’s eye,” it’s been used as an antidote for snakebites for centuries.

yellowish-brown berry with a leathery protective shell is closely related to the lychee fruit and is touted for its ability to neutralize poisons. In Vietnam, where it’s known as “dragon’s eye,” it’s been used as an antidote for snakebites for centuries. •

Coconut, The Tree of Life: Coconut is referred to as the Tree of Life in the Philippines because they use literally every part of the plant. Virgin unrefined coconut oil has none of the problems associated with hydrogenated oils and is linked to a number of

hydration drink than any of the commercially available sugary sports drinks and is both sterile and an isotonic beverage, meaning it has the same electrolyte consistency of human blood. Medics in World War II were able to use this as an emergency substitute for blood plasma. Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, an immune-boosting fat that has also been shown to be helpful in improving metabolic rates to facilitate weight loss. •

Camu Camu: Hailing from the Andes, Peru, the camu camu ber-

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

ry is one of the highest sources of vitamin C in the plant kingdom. It’s been used as a cure-all remedy, and is said to be anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral, but no long-term studies have confirmed these claims. Research does show it has great antioxidant powers. You can buy it as a powder to mix into smoothies. •

•

Papaya: This orange fruit from Central America not only tastes good, but is a powerful aid in digestion and healing. Papain, the main enzyme found in papaya, boosts the level of digestive enzymes in the gut to help break down foods more quickly and easily. In addition, papaya can be used to heal cuts, burns, or sores by simply rubbing it on the affected area. Mangosteen: Not related to our popular mango, mangosteen, also known as “queen of the fruits,” is from Southeast Asia. It has been used for centuries by the people of Southeast Asia to treat a variety of health concerns. Benefits include being high in fiber but low in calories. More importantly, it contains the highest amount of xanthones, powerful phytonutrients, from all tropical fruit. Numerous studies have shown that the xanthones from mangosteen have the ability to prevent or slow the progress of certain

cancers, including colon, prostate, breast, and skin. The extracts of mangosteen have been shown to have both anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been proven to be a potent and successful inhibitor of the release of histamine and prostaglandin, which are both associated with inflammation as well as allergies. It also helps control and maintain normal blood sugar levels by inhibiting enzymes that help break down starches into glucose. It can be an effective remedy for acne as well. One study determined that mangosteen possessed the most significant antioxidant activity from other plants in the study and reduced the production of reactive oxygen species, two factors that effect the growth of acne. It’s basically a superfruit and deserving of its title as queen!

As with any type of vitamin or medication, please consult with your physician before incorporating any kind of supplement into your diet. Many plants have medicinal qualities to them and that could be contraindicated with your current medications or health issues. Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to maintain good health and promote longevity, although sometimes a supplement can be an added benefit to an al-

ready healthy and balanced lifestyle. Whenever possible, vitamins and minerals are best eaten directly from its source, since mother nature typically provides them in a food composed of other nutrients that helps enable the successful absorption into our systems.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com.

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

When did our Children Become so Anxious? By Hylton I Lightman, MD, DCH, FAAP

orothy and her compatriots in the “The Wizard of Oz” were onto something all those decades ago when they chanted, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” on their odyssey to hobnob with the wizard. Today, children are a lot more anxious than they were when I first opened the door to private practice nearly 30 years ago. What’s going on? Some fears are built into the cycle of life. Normal development includes the stranger anxiety phase which usually sets in at about 7 months of life when your baby recognizes familiar faces like Mom and Dad, and then avoids the unfamiliar. As healthy attachment to parents grows, separation anxiety, as manifested through crying and sadness, emerges and then improves over the next several years. Generally, most children are past this stage by the end of kindergarten. This is a period of rapid growth as the children’s world expands, bringing with it new and unfamiliar situations and real and imagined dangers from dogs and spiders to monsters and “boogey men.” Between ages 3-6, children are trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not; until this is resolved, they may have difficulties with costumed characters (remember Purim), shadows, the dark, the basement, closets and under the bed. As a child learns how to manage these fears, they can put them aside so they are able to sleep alone. As long as these fears are real fears and not overly exaggerated, they form a natural, even healthful,

all solution for anxiety, there are research-based techniques that can help manage it. And they’re simple to learn.

Stop reassuring your child part of a child’s emotional growth. School-aged children experience different challenges. First, our children are heavy into the dual curriculum; forget what the Common Core is doing to kids. Further, there are real-life situations including fire drills and lockdowns, serious illnesses and sometimes, G-d forbid, death. The tsunami of information emerging moment by moment can be overpowering and even immobilizing. With experience, children learn these risks are more remote than imminent but we don’t know what seeps into their consciousness and sub-consciousness, forming their views of the world. Children of all ages, but especially at this stage, look to their parents to interpret the world for them. Spend time with your children, enjoying them, speaking with them, and helping them to process information. As children move from elementary school to middle school, social status, social comparisons and social acceptance takes front-and-center stage in their lives. Concerns about academic and athletic performance and social group identification are normal. Teens are concerned with finding a group that reflects their chosen identity. Together with their peers they discuss the larger world,

moral issues and future plans. And the information blitz in their lives happens ceaselessly. In fact, according to National Institute of Mental Health, 25.1% of 13-18 year-olds suffered from an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. Parenting expert John Rosemond says parents are often successful simply by telling children that the doctor recommends getting more sleep. Enough said here. Speaking of home, we parents lead stressful and stress-filled lives. In fact, 40 million American adults, as well as 1 in 8 children, suffer from anxiety. It’s exacerbated when many parents suffer from frustration and a feeling of helplessness when they witness their child in this state day in, day out. Yet it’s important to keep the stress low. And remember, each person is born hardwired. It’s our job as parents to help our children learn to navigate life. The best way to help kids overcome anxiety isn’t to try to remove stressors that trigger it. Help them learn to tolerate their anxiety and function as well as they can, even when they’re anxious. And, as a byproduct of that, the anxiety will decrease or fall away over time. While there is no one-size-fits-

Your child worries and you respond, “There’s nothing to worry about.” Yet your reassurance falls on deaf ears and the worrying escalates. Your child is not seeking to defy you. He just cannot help himself. Why? During periods of anxiety, the chemicals coursing through the brain and body for survival reasons are unbridled. The prefrontal cortex – the “logical” part of the brain – gets put on hold while the automated emotional brain takes over. Simply put, it’s hard for your child to think clearly, use logic or even remember how to complete basic tasks.

Teaching your children that worry has a purpose Worry rings an alarm in our system and helps us survive danger. Teach your children that worry is normal and can help protect us; everyone experiences it at some point.

Don’t avoid things just because they make a child anxious Helping children avoid the things they are afraid of is a short-term fix at best; it reinforces the anxiety in the long run because the child uses that as a coping mechanism. Most likely, the cycle will repeat itself. “Mental health issues can become a way of life,” says local therapist Rachel Rosenholtz, LCSW. “Once anxi-

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

ety has been triggered in a person, he will struggle with it until it has been addressed and straightened out.”

Express positive but realistic expectations You can’t promise a child that her fears are unrealistic – that she won’t fail a test, that she’ll have fun ice skating, or that another child won’t laugh at her. What you can do is express confidence that she’s going to be okay, she will be able to manage it, and that, as she faces her fears, the anxiety level will drop over time. This gives her confidence that your expectations are realistic, and that you’re not going to ask her to do something she can’t handle.

Encourage your child to tolerate anxiety

Model healthy ways of handling anxiety

Tell your child that you appreciate the work it takes to tolerate anxiety in order to do what he wants or

There are multiple ways you can help kids handle anxiety by letting them see how you cope with anxiety

The message you want to send: “I know you’re scared, and that’s okay; I’m here, and I’m going to help you get through this.”

Respect feelings but don’t empower them Validation and agreement are not necessarily the same. If a child is terrified about going to the doctor because he’s due for a shot, you neither want to belittle his fears nor amplify them. Listen and be empathetic, help him understand what he’s anxious about, and encourage him to feel that he can face his fears. The message you want to send: “I know you’re scared, and that’s okay; I’m here, and I’m going to help you get through this.”

Don’t ask leading questions Yes, encourage your child to talk about her feelings, but don’t ask leading questions – “Are you anxious about the Chumash test?” “Are you worried about the English essay?” It’s better to ask open-ended questions such as “How are you feeling about next week’s social studies fair?”

Never reinforce the child’s fears Try not to say in words, tone of voice or body language: “You know, this might be something that you should be afraid of.” A child might have had a negative experience with a peer. Next time the child is with the peer, you might be anxious about her and, unintentionally, you might be telling her, “Be worried.”

needs to do. Boost him to engage in life and to let the anxiety take its natural curve. Called the “habituation curve,” it will drop over time as he continues to have contact with the stressor. Don’t expect it to drop to zero or as quickly as you’d like. This is how we get over our fears.

yourself. Kids are perceptive, and they’re watching and absorbing how you handle anxiety. Let kids hear

and see you managing stress or anxiety calmly, tolerating it, feeling good about getting through it. What do airplane pilots do in an emergency? They don’t wing it (no pun intended). They have a checklist to review and set things on a straight(er) course. Instead of rationalizing away worry, help your child master the “FEEL” method: • Freeze: Pause and take some deep breaths with your child. This can help reverse the nervous system response. • Empathize: Anxiety is scary. Your child wants to know that you get it. • Evaluate: Only after your child is calm, figure out possible solutions. • Let Go: Let go of your guilt. Giving your child the tools to manage their worry is one of the best things a parent can do for a child. As always, one’s home should be the safe cocoon where children can come, talk, emote, and grow. As Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.”

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Try to shorten the anticipatory period When we’re afraid of something, the hardest time is before we do it. Therefore, parents should try to eliminate or reduce the anticipatory period. If a child is nervous about going to a doctor’s appointment, you don’t want to launch into a discussion about it two hours before you go or watch your child go into orbit. Shorten that period to a minimum.

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Think things through with the child Try talking through with your child, “What would happen if your fear came true? How would you handle it?” For example, “If I’m late picking you up at after karate, what would you (the child) do?” The child might answer, “I’ll tell the teacher my mom is not here.” The parent: “How would you ask the instructor for help?” The child: “He’ll offer to call her or he’ll wait with me.”

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

Misdiagnosed Overlooked Medical Issues And Their Effects On Children’s Behaviors By Rachel Rosenholtz, LCSW

e’s out of control. David* is constantly fighting with children in his preschool class and taking things from them, often unprovoked. He has been this way since he entered preschool a year ago. He is defiant at school and aggressive at home. Leah has a difficult time focusing and following instructions. She often appears distracted and has to constantly be redirected. She is socially awkward and misses social cues that other children seem to have picked up long ago. Sara avoids reading out loud. She insists that she knows the work being taught in class but consistently underperforms and often avoids doing work all together. Sara spaces out in class, is defiant and engages in attention-seeking behavior which teachers find to be extremely disruptive. In all three situations there is no underlying trauma or major issues in the home. When behavioral issues are identified, our immediate action is to take steps to rectify the problem usually in the form of behavior charts, disciplining, and various behavior modification modalities designed to reign in undesired behaviors. With socially awkward children we teach social skills and expect children to model the taught behaviors. In all three cases, various behavioral systems – including social skill training, reward and punishment – were implemented yet yielded no meaningful results. Parents were frustrated. They could not understand where the behavioral issues

were coming from. Teachers were frustrated. They wanted to help these children but no matter what they tried nothing seemed to really help. All three children were referred for counseling and their parents were strongly encouraged by laypeople to medicate. In all three situations, medication would have been a mistake.

hood maladies that could trigger ADHD, ODD, and Conduct Disorder type behaviors. The amount of medical issues that can affect a child’s behavior are numerous. I will focus on three common medical problems that are often overlooked when assessing a child for emotional issues. These three are quite common and can serve as

There is a tendency to treat the symptoms instead of the underlying problem.

Some of the classic diagnoses given to such children include ADHD, ODD and Conduct Disorder – which speaks to a common issue that is all too prevalent. Affirmation Bias. Diagnosis and treatment is based on behaviors that are seen and what is believed that those behaviors represent. There is a tendency to treat the symptoms instead of the underlying problem. Unfortunately this all too often is the playbook for the treatment of children exhibiting behavioral symptoms. All three of these children had one thing in common. Behavioral symptoms driven by physical problems – not emotional ones. Emotional problems evolved over time as well due to the wrong interventions being used. Let take a look at common child-

examples of conditions that strongly affect the way a child experiences and interacts with his or her surroundings. Leah suffers from chronic congestion. In working with children who appear to have focusing issues or are missing social cues I have found that breathing problems play a big role in a child’s ability to function and adapt to his or her surroundings. Congestion can often cause difficulty with breathing through the nose. People tend to take children’s breathing “styles” for granted without realizing how much breathing style impacts performance. I have frequently found during assessment of young children with focusing and social issues that he or she suffers from chronic congestion and that the child is breath-

ing through his mouth. When I point out this issue to parents I often hear, “Oh, that’s just the way he breathes,” as if there are different styles of breathing and this one happens to be his. Not surprisingly, children tend to be the most congested during the winter months – the bulk of the school year when they most have to focus and concentrate. Try spending a whole day breathing only through your mouth. Maybe you experienced this when you had a cold. What does that feel like? Imagine what a child who is chronically congested has to deal with. His breathing is heavier than a child who can breathe comfortably through his or her nose. This creates additional noise which is distracting and drowns out other sounds around him. He may have a trouble hearing what people are telling him or have a more difficult time focusing in social interactions. This also impacts the ability to focus in school and process information. When a person has a difficulty breathing he or she may feel lightheaded. A child who is not getting enough air will have a difficult time focusing and tuning into social cues. His ears may be clogged which can throw off his equilibrium making him appear to be in his own world or all over the place. His mouth may be uncomfortably dry as well. Another common problem I have found is that such children often end up playing around in their mouths with their tongues. This can serve as a distraction and take away attention from what is going on in their environment.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

Chronic breathing issues can also cause difficulty sleeping, leaving the child tired and unable to focus. Parents become so used to their child’s breathing “style” that it is not recognized as an issue that must be treated. In fact, this is the first and very possibly the most important step in treatment for improving focus and sociability. Another major issue is an undiagnosed vision problem. I am not referring to a child with less than 20/20 vision who needs glasses. A child may have 20/20 vision but there are other issues that impact a child’s ability to visually focus such as tracking problems and lazy eye. Let’s take a look at Sara. One thing I noticed while working with her was that whenever she would shift from looking down to looking up, her eye drifted slightly. I referred her to a vision specialist who diagnosed her with multiple visual perception issues. The optometrist stated that she had no idea how Sara had made it so far academically given her visual perception impairments. Children become accustomed to the way they perceive things – since it was her normal, it was not possible for her to let adults know that she was having a difficult time reading. Sara is an extremely intelligent and sensitive girl. She avoided school work at all costs because she knew she could never keep up with her peers academically. So she chose to act out and not try rather than experience the embarrassment of not being able to succeed. For this reason, she was also resistant to any other remedial

interventions or tutoring. Neither of these interventions addressed the real problem. They only served to exacerbate her feelings of ineptitude. Her resistance to all the support the school was trying to give her left the school staff frustrated with her. They wanted to help but Sara became so distrusting and rebellious that she pushed everyone away. She constantly felt misunderstood and her lack of trust and anger at the school created serious behavioral problems. After months of vision therapy and counseling to help her work through the emotional issues she developed, she agreed to tutoring to help her make up the material she fell behind in. With her improved ability to focus and having worked through some of the hurt, resentment and mistrust she developed towards adults her grades improved dramatically! David suffers from chronic ear infections and has fluid in his ears. How does being in pain affect a child’s behavior? Every child has a unique temperament and will react to stress and frustration differently. Children often lack the capacity to understand and articulate their pain, especially when it is chronic. In scenarios such as this, one child may take out his anger on classmates and family members while another may become sad and withdrawn. David had a very difficult time coping with the pain from his ear problems and as a result he acted out aggressively. Such a child is then punished for his behaviors. This just makes the situation

even more painful and difficult, and a vicious cycle is created. Fluid in the ears can also cause difficulty hearing. It can be like being underwater. Imagine swimming in a pool and while your head is submerged you try to listen in on a conversation going on above the surface. Pretty difficult to understand. A child who is constantly hearing this way can appear to be socially inept or incapable of following instructions in class and at home. When we don’t feel good physically and something upsets us we tend to overreact. How many times have you found yourself to be more snappy because you were in pain or didn’t feel quite right? This is true for adults. How much more so for children. A child whose behavior is driven by a physical issue is in reality an outlet for the stress, pain and frustration that the physical issue is causing. Disciplining the behavior while neglecting to address the underlying physical issue will only cause more problems. A child who is already not feeling good and is yelled at or punished is more likely to overreact and exhibit behavioral issues. Behavioral interventions don’t achieve the desired results because the child is too irritated or uncomfortable to care or the physical problem prevents them from being able to follow through for the promised rewards. Instead of seeing an improvement, we see just the opposite. As soon as any behavioral issues are observed a full health assessment is an absolute must, regardless

of the child’s age. Once detected, any underlying medical issues can be treated. If there are significant medical issues that go undiagnosed for too long, bonafide emotional and behavioral problems can manifest. A child who is suffering with physiological issues may have lost out on integral developmental stages. Her social skills may have been compromised and she may have fallen behind academically. She may have developed learned behaviors that are maladaptive and now have to be rectified, in which case professional therapeutic intervention will be needed to help deal with these problems. To fix any problem, the first and most important step is to make sure we get on the right path. When we are looking to help our children with issues they may have, it is crucial to explore all possible causes, starting with our child’s physical health. If physical problems are a factor then we can address them properly and set our children on the right path to thrive in school and at home! *Names and circumstances have been altered to protect client privacy

Rachel Rosenholtz, LCSW is certified in TF-CBT and has a private practice located in the Five Towns. She specializes in treating anxiety, trauma and behavioral related issues. Rachel can be reached at (347) 673-1953 and Rachel@InvestInTherapy.com. To find out more, visit her website - InvestInTherapy.com

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

Leftover Beef Ramen Zoodle Soup

Ingredients 2 TBS olive oil 1 large leek, sliced 3 medium carrots, grated 2 stalks celery, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced

By Naomi Nachman

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, divided

Ramen noodle bowls have been the rage over the last few years. Whose kids don’t love those noodle soups in the foam cups? They are not the healthiest food, so I tried to come up with a way to feed my family with a healthier version of these soups. I developed this noodle soup which is lower in calories and is packed with nutritious ingredients. For the kids, I use rice or egg noodles; for me and my hubby, I prefer spiralized zucchini. It’s a great way to repurpose leftover meat or chicken from Shabbat.

8 cups chicken stock 1 tsp sesame oil 1 TBS soy sauce 1-2 tsp sriracha (optional) 10 pieces shitake mushroom, stems removed and sliced 2-3 medium zucchini spiralized (zoodles) 3 scallions, chopped 2 baby bok choy heads, sliced Leftover Shabbat meat (or chicken), sliced very thin Soft boiled eggs, halved Salt & pepper, to taste

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Heat the olive oil in large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the leek, carrots, and celery and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables get soft. Add the garlic and cilantro (or parsley) and cook for another minute. Add the stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sriracha. Bring the soup to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the shitake mushrooms. In individual serving bowl that holds a large amount of soup, divide the zucchini, scallions, bok choy, meat and egg – one egg per bowl. Pour boiling hot soup into the bowls and serve immediately. 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 | MAY 4, 2017

The Trustees, Executive Board, Administration and Staff of

Bnos Bais Yaakov and Tichon Meir Moshe High School express our heartfelt condolences to

our beloved Menaheles

Morah Penina Neuberg and to

Rabbi Schneur Groner, Rabbi Mordechai Groner, Mrs. Sara Esther Brickman, Mrs. Dini Jurkanski and Mrs. Yocheved Landa on the petirah of their mother

Rebbitzen Nechama Dobi Groner vâ€?g Rebbitzen Groner established a home of vkusdu ,rtp,/

She was the indomitable ,kvbn of ktrah ,ubc in Brooklyn and responsible for the lubhj of thousands of Bnos Yisroel. The supportive Rebbitzen of Rabbi Shimon Groner k"mz hbjur jhdan of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin; the loving mother of respected ohfbjn and ,ufbjn; and a role model for us all.

ohkaurhu iuhm hkct rta lu,c of,t ojbh ouenv

MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Mitt Romney Thinks $360,000 Is “Not Very Much” Money. - Headline of a 2012 article by alt-left website, Slate, ripping Romney for getting paid a lot of money for a Wall Street speech in 2012

Stop Freaking Out Over Obama’s $400,000 Speaking Fee. - Headline of an article by Slate last week arguing that Obama getting paid a lot of money for a Wall Street speech is no big deal

It kind of looks like, when he’s on our team, we’re OK with it. – HBO’s Bill Maher talking about Obama getting paid $400,000 by Wall Street for giving a speech

The U.S. Government is currently seeking the criminal forfeiture of more than $14 billion in drug proceeds and illicit profits from El Chapo, the former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel … Fourteen billion dollars will go a long way toward building a wall that will keep Americans safe and hinder the illegal flow of drugs, weapons, and individuals across our southern border.

President Trump did an interview the other day where he said he never realized that being president was such a big responsibility. And somewhere far, far away, Hillary Clinton crushed the wine glass she was holding. - Jimmy Fallon

– Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), talking about his proposed legislation that would use El Chapo’s money to build the border wall

According to reports, a group of buyers led by Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter has won the auction to purchase the Miami Marlins. Jeter is excited to get back to baseball, while Jeb is excited to get back to losing. - Seth Myers

Saudi Arabia has been named to the United Nations’ Commission on Women’s Rights. In a related story, Ireland has been named to the UN Commission on Sobriety and Tanning. - Conan O’Brien

PRESIDENT TRUMP: It’s very funny when the fake media goes out, you know, which we call the mainstream media which sometimes, I must say, is you. JOHN DICKERSON: You mean me personally or? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, your show. I love your show. I call it Deface the Nation. -President Trump on “Face the Nation”

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The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Top Republicans are now saying that Trump’s border wall doesn’t mean an actual wall, but a metaphor. Which makes sense, because during the campaign all those Trump supporters were shouting, “Build the metaphor! Build the metaphor!” - Conan O’Brien

Refugee camps, many are concentration camps because they are so crowded with people. - Pope Francis in a recent speech

The conditions in which migrants are currently living in some European countries may well be difficult, and deserve still greater international attention, but concentration camps they certainly are not. The Nazis and their allies erected and used concentration camps for slave labor and the extermination of millions of people during World War II. There is no comparison to the magnitude of that tragedy. - American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris responding to the pope’s comparison of refugee and concentration camps

United Airlines fell by 66 percent in an annual survey of passengers’ favorite airlines, down to just 3.3 percent. Although, that means that 3.3 percent of travelers saw a man get dragged off a plane and thought, “This is my favorite airline.” – Jimmy Fallon

We cannot ignore the rhetoric that has been employed by the president about who we are and what we do. Freedom of the press is a building block of our democracy. Undermining that by seeking to delegitimize journalists is dangerous to a healthy republic. It is our job to report on facts and to hold leaders accountable. That is who we are. We are not fake news. We are not failing news organizations. And we are not the enemy of the American people. - Reuters’ Jeff Mason, the president of the White House Correspondents Association, speaking at the White House Correspondents Dinner

I loved my previous life. I had so many things going. This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier. - Pres. Trump in an interview with Reuters

Federal agents just seized 300 pounds of yak meat that was illegally smuggled into JFK Airport. And yet somehow JFK still smells less like yak meat than LaGuardia. – Jimmy Fallon

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President Hillary Clinton would have been proud of this bill. - Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), talking about the budget bill that was just passed, which does not contain any funding for a border wall and continues to fund numerous Democrat causes that Trump promised to abandon

The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there! We either elect more Republican senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good “shutdown” in September to fix mess! - Tweet storm by President Trump after the Democrats got their way on the budget

I guess maybe some of the victories we had in this … omnibus is maybe getting under the president’s skin a little bit. - Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), responding to Trump’s tweets

I was on the way to winning before Jim Comey’s letter and “Russian” WikiLeaks... scared off late voters. - Hillary Clinton on CNN

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The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

! u o y thank TO THE ENTIRE SCHERTZ FAMILY

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TO SHARONA HOFFMAN, FROM MAKE IT! for all of the time, effort, talent and materials you contribute to our i-Shine children throughout the year.

THANK YOU to all of the vendors and individuals who so generously donated merchandise, tickets and gift certificates to help make our raffle a success. The following people were a tremendous help and gave so much of their time during the bake sale: Carole Blisko Madeleine Dorkin Helen Fuchs Sara Goldberg Rachel Hersko

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In Philadelphia, police are looking for a man who robbed a Dunkin’ Donuts and was caught on a surveillance camera doing some stretches in the parking lot just beforehand. Police are on the lookout for the only health-conscious person to ever enter a Dunkin’ Donuts. - Conan O’Brien

With the 79th pick in the 2017 NFL draft, the New York Jets— J-E-T-E-S— select ArDarius Stewart, receiver, Alabama. - Former NY Jets player Tony Richardson, who obviously forgot how to spell the name of the team that he used to play for despite their renowned chant, announcing the Jets third-round pick at the NFL draft last week

Chris Christie says that he’d give Trump a “B” on his first 100 days. Then said he’d give him an “A” on immigration, and a “C” on healthcare, and long story short, he ended up just spelling “bacon.”

Spirit Airlines has scored the lowest customer satisfaction rating in its industry for the third year in a row. Really? Lower than United? What does Spirit Airlines do when their flights are overbooked? Just crash the plane into a mountain?

- Jimmy Fallon

– Seth Myers

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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MAY 4, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

Populism on Pause By Charles Krauthammer

esterday’s conventional wisdom: A wave of insurgent populism is sweeping the West, threatening its foundational institutions – the European Union, the Western alliance, even liberal democracy itself. Today’s conventional wisdom (post-first-round French presidential election): The populist wave has crested, soon to abate. Chances are that both verdicts are wrong. The anti-establishment sentiment that gave us Brexit, then Donald Trump, then seemed poised to give us Marine Le Pen, has indeed plateaued. But although she will likely be defeated in the second round, victory by the leading centrist, Emmanuel Macron, would hardly constitute an establishment triumph. Macron barely edged out a Cro-Magnon communist (Jean-Luc Melenchon), a blood-and-soil nationalist (Le Pen) and a center-right candidate brought low by charges of nepotism and corruption (Francois Fillon). And the ruling Socialist candidate came in fifth, garnering a pathetic 6 percent of the vote. On the other hand, the populists can hardly be encouraged by what has followed Brexit and Trump: Dutch elections, where the nationalist Geert Wilders faded toward the end and came nowhere near power; Austrian elections, where another nationalist challenge was turned back; and upcoming German elections, where polls indicate that the far-right nationalists are at barely 10 percent and slipping. And, of course, France.

In retrospect, the populist panic may have been overblown. Regarding Brexit, for example, the shock exaggerated its meaning. Because it was so unexpected, it became a sensation. But in the longer view, Britain has always been deeply ambivalent about Europe, going back at least to Henry VIII and his break with Rome. In the intervening 500 years, Britain has generally seen itself as less a part of Europe than an offshore island. The true historical anomaly was Britain’s EU membership with all the attendant transfer of sovereignty from Westminster to Brussels. Brexit

His Supreme Court pick is a straightlaced, constitutional conservative out of central casting. And his more notable executive orders read as a wish list of traditional business-oriented conservatism from regulatory reform to the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. I happen to support all of these moves, but they don’t qualify as insurrectionist populism. The one exception may be trade policy. As of now, however, it remains ad hoc and idiosyncratic. Trump has made gestures and threats to those cunning Mexicans, Chinese and now Canadi-

The normalization of Trump is one indicator that there may be less to the populist insurrection than imagined.

was a rather brutal return to the extra-European norm, but the norm it is. The other notable populist victory, the triumph of Trump, has also turned out to be less than meets the eye. He certainly ran as a populist and won as a populist but, a mere 100 days in, he is governing as a traditionalist. The Obamacare replacement proposals are traditional small-government fixes. His tax reform is a follow-on to Reagan’s from 1986.

ans. But it’s not yet clear if he is serious about, say, withdrawing from NAFTA or just engaging in a series of opening negotiating gambits. The softwood timber dispute with Canada is hardly new. It dates back 35 years. Every intervening administration has contested the terms of trade in various forums. A full-scale trade war with our leading trading partner would indeed break new ground. Anything short of that, however, is the art of the deal. The normalization of Trump is

one indicator that there may be less to the populist insurrection than imagined. The key, however, is Europe, where the stakes are infinitely higher. There the issue is the future of the nation state itself, as centuries of sovereignty dissolve within an expanding superstate. It influences every aspect of daily life – from the ethnic makeup of neighborhoods to the currency that changes hands at the grocery. The news from France, where Macron is openly, indeed ostentatiously, pro-European (his campaign headquarters flies the EU flag), is that France is not quite prepared to give up on the great experiment. But the Europeanist elites had better not imagine this to be an enduring verdict. The populist revolt was a reaction to their reckless and anti-democratic push for even greater integration. The task today is to address the sources of Europe’s economic stagnation and social alienation rather than blindly pursue the very drive that led to this precarious moment. If the populist threat turns out to have frightened the existing powers out of their arrogant complacency, it should be deemed a success. But make no mistake: The French election wasn’t a victory for the status quo. It was a reprieve. For now, the populist wave is not in retreat. It’s on pause.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

The Trustees, Executive Board, Administration and Staff of

Bnos Bais Yaakov and Tichon Meir Moshe High School express our heartfelt condolences on the petirah of

R’ Moshe Orlansky k”z

Husband of our beloved 1st Grade teacher

Morah Shoshie Orlansky

and father of BBY parents Mrs. Michali Ehrenfeld and Rabbi Yehudah Orlansky and Rabbi Avishai Orlansky, Mr. Elchonon Orlansky, Mrs. Dina Sosnow, Mr. Avrohom Orlansky, Mrs. Rochel Tashman, Rabbi Yoni Orlansky, Mr. Gavriel Orlansky and Mr. Shuie Orlansky R’ Moshe Orlansky was an integral part of Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv and was the htcd for many years, as well as the inspirational izj on the ohtrub ohnh. His attachment to Rabbi Freifeld k’’mz and Rabbi Jaeger ohhjk ksch and to Sh’or Yoshuv was so deep that even through all of his pain and illness, he struggled mightily to get to his beloved Yeshiva. He and his devoted khj ,at have raised a beautiful family of vru, hbc. Moshe Orlansky was vcvtc ohruxh kcen for many years and touched so many in our community with his ohhjv ,jna. He will be missed by all.

ohkaurhu iuhm hkct rta lu,c of,t ojbh ouenv

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Forgotten Her es The USS England By Avi Heiligman

the whole of the American production capabilities to counter these threats. In the Pacific the Japanese had built their navy around aircraft carriers and battleships (the Germans had only a few battleships and no carriers) with their submarines to protect the fleet. Japanese subs were

any types of ships were built during WWII with the focus on producing enough ships to defeat the Axis naval powers. Both the Nazis and the Japanese had formidable submarine forces, with the U-boats almost bringing Great Britain to her knees. It took

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not tasked to sink Allied shipping like their German counterparts but were still hunted by American ships. Destroyers were built and equipped to hunt and kill submarines with destroyer escorts being built to also escort large convoys. One of these smaller destroyer escorts racked up such an impressive record that it won high praise from the naval brass. Mass-producing destroyer escorts allowed for the American Navy to send them on missions that at beginning of the war were tasked to larger destroyers. The USS England (DE-635) was built in 1943 when the full production might of the U.S. was being brought to bear upon the Axis powers. In a period of twelve days the USS England sank a record six Japanese submarines and became the poster ship for small but powerful escort ships. The USS England was commissioned in December 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Walton Pendleton. She had a crew of about 200 enlisted sailors and 15 officers. Named after Ensign John Charles England who was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, the ship was dedicated by his mother. Armed with several machine guns and an antiaircraft gun her main weapons were three 3-inch guns and a lot of depth charges and hedgehogs. The depth charges were specifically built to destroy submarines. Looking like metal kegs on the outside, a depth charge was filled with high explosives and set to deto-

nate at a particular depth. The explosion was enough to cause a hydraulic shock that would cause major damage to a nearby submarine. Up until mid-1943 the Japanese had been setting their charges to explode at too shallow of a depth to cause damage to American submarines. Then an American congressman, Kentuckian Andrew May, let the press know that secret and soon the Japanese were setting their charges at a depth deep enough to do damage. The commander of the Pacific submarines, Admiral Charles Lockwood, estimated that ten American subs and their crews totaling 800 sailors were lost because of this incident. The Office of War Information soon came up with the moniker “Loose lips sink ships” because of this incident. Hedgehogs were mortar-like weapons that shot a projectile that exploded upon impact with a hard surface underneath the water. apanese submarine movements were tracked by code breakers who sent messages to anti-submarine ships in the vicinity. In mid-May 1944, intelligence tracked a message that the Japanese sub I-16 was on its way to Bougainville with a cargo of rice. Three ships were alerted to the area where the sub was supposed to be, and on May 18 the England detected the I-16. After five hedgehog attacks a large explosion was heard and later debris and oil slicks came to the surface to confirm the kill. Two days later a message was sent to the England alerting her that the

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

Japanese 7 th Submarine Squadron was preparing to attack American aircraft carriers in the area of the Admiralty Islands. Several anti-submarine ships raced to the scene. After another ship failed to sink the RO-106 the England swooped in for the kill. She sank the sub with hedgehogs. Then came a whirlwind of activity for the England and her sister ships. The RO-104 was sunk on May 23. Another destroyer escort located the RO-116 on May 24 and alerted the England to come in for a hedgehog attack. On May 26 an American hunter killer group was formed around an escort aircraft carrier. In the Atlantic escort carriers would prove to be the nail on the coffin for U-boats but in the Pacific it was the conventional surface ships that usually did the hunting. In this rare case the USS Hoggatt Bay and four destroyers searched for the RO-108. It was the smaller destroyer escorts that located the enemy sub and the England that scored on this hunt. A small force of destroyer escorts kept the search on for other Japanese

submarines that were still hunting for the aircraft carriers. Along with the George (De-697), Raby ((DE698) and the Spangler (DE-696) the England chased after the subs. In

ed her incredible run of destroying six submarines in twelve days. The USS England was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Lieutenant Commander Pendleton was

Throughout the long war in the vast open waters of the world’s largest ocean it was the smaller ships that made some of the biggest impacts on the war effort.

some of the instances the other escorts shot at the submarines first but it was always the England scoring the killing shot. As in many cases during war the hunters became the hunted. On May 28, the escorts located the RO-105 but after three ships failed to score a hit the England was called to deliver the fatal blow. Six hits were achieved, and the England conclud-

awarded the Navy Cross and was promoted to commander. Much of the England’s subsequent WWII service was spent guarding convoys. On May 9, 1945 she was attacked by Japanese Kamikaze dive bombers. Even though they had shot at and hit one of the bombers, the pilot still managed to crash into the England near her bridge. Her crew was able to put

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out the fires but 37 men were killed and 25 were wounded. This was the end of the war for the small ship that had an extraordinary record. She made it back to the States but due to extensive damage she was not repaired and eventually sold for scrap. Throughout the long war in the vast open waters of the world’s largest ocean it was the smaller ships that made some of the biggest impacts on the war effort. Ships like the USS England were celebrated as hero ships and their crews were given somewhat of celebrity status back at home. In 1960 another ship was named the England after the heroics of DE-635. This fulfilled the pledge of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King when he said, “There will always be an England in the Unites States Navy.”

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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Good Hum r

Ignorant Inquiries By Jon Kranz

ost educators believe that, in the classroom context, there is no such thing as a stupid question and the only stupid question is the one that goes unasked. In the real world, however, there are plenty of stupid questions. Some inquiries are stupid simply because the answer is so self-evident. For example, a stupid question is: do Jewish humor columnists have friends, a social life or self-respect? (The obvious answer is no, they do not.) Stupid questions know no boundaries and can occur even in the Holy Land. Granted, for those living in Israel, there are many questions that are not stupid. For example, archeologists diligently digging dirt are attempting to find answers to important questions. Israel’s brilliant high-tech sector continues to unlock answers to cutting-edge questions. Those who order overstuffed pita on Ben Yehuda and then ask if they are entitled to free refills also are looking for answers to critical conundrums. Such inquiries are perfectly fine but the (non-stupid) question is: are there some questions that, if asked in Israel, likely would be considered stupid? We’re talking about the kind of stupidity that should result in some sort of punishment like (i) paying a fine, (ii) doing some time, or (iii) trying to convince an Israeli that something is impossible. (Ironically, the only thing in Israel that is impossible is convincing an Israeli that something is impossible.) Anyway,

here are a few examples of questions that, if asked in Israel, would arguably be considered stupid: Does the West Bank have ATM machines? Why doesn’t Israel host the Winter Olympics? Does the Iron Dome have a retractable roof? Do the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal

Is it permissible to pay full price at the shuk? Do Israelis rename classic childhood tales so that they are more relatable in Israel, e.g., Pita Pan? If you mistakenly schedule two separate meetings – one with an Arab and the other with an Israeli – on the exact same day and at the exact same time, is that what is known

Should I name my newborn twins Hummus and Techina?

the sea’s murderer? When students attend Hebrew University, do they have to walk across campus from right to left? How long did the Six Day War last? Can I have my falafel on rye? Is it just me or is there a little tension between some Arabs and Israelis? Benjamin Netanya . . . who? All of these are relatively stupid questions unless you have never been to Israel, you have never learned about Israel, and you have the I.Q. of a pomegranate. Along the same lines, here are some other examples of stupid questions to ask in Israel: How do you say “Shabbat Shalom” in Hebrew? Why doesn’t anyone offer a Dead Sea fishing trip?

as the Arab/Israeli Conflict? Would it be completely inappropriate and insensitive to open a miniature golf course in the Old City called the “Hole-y of Hole-ies”? Should I name my newborn twins Hummus and Techina? Does the King David Hotel have any rooms with queen-sized beds? Is He-“Brew” a good name for my new Jewish beer company or should I go with something more location-specific like “Beer”sheba? Since Israelis refer to French fries as “chips,” do they refer to California Highway Patrolmen as French fries? Do Israelis wear shwarma-scented perfume? Is it a good idea to attempt to board an already crowded Egged bus on a Friday afternoon while carrying a fragile and expensive bouquet of

flowers? Many would agree that the above questions certainly are stupid and, in some cases, painfully stupid. The same can be said of the following idiotic inquires: Why do Israelis live “in” a city but live “on” a kibbutz? (Is that like living “in” Manhattan but living “on” Staten Island?) Is the Golan Heights the name of a particularly tall basketball team? Is Tel Aviv a city or an order to relay information to someone named Aviv? Does the kosher McDonald’s in Israel feature a Gefilt-O-Fish sandwich? Is chocolate spread the Israeli version of cream cheese? (Actually, that’s a semi-valid question.) Is the glue on Israeli stamps kosher? (Actually, that is not a stupid question. The answer is: yes. A fully stupid question would be: “Do Israelis have the patience for snail mail?”) Do Israelis take to heart anything they learned in Driver’s Ed class? In Israel, is the rap artist “50 Cent” referred to as Half Shekel? Bottom Line: In Hebrew, the word “lo” means “no,” so do Israelis who are learning to speak English have a particularly difficult time with the expression “lo and behold”? Jon Kranz is an attorney living in Englewood, New Jersey. Send any comments, questions or insults to jkranz285@ gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

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Carol Braunstein

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295-3000

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(516)

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Classifieds classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com / text 443-929-4003 HELP WANTED

APT FOR RENT HOUSE FOR RENT: WOODMERE/TREE STREETS Very central location, 6 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, huge backyard. Available now. 917-750-6700 HEWLETT: APT IN BLDG RENOVATED 1BR Apt In The Heart Of Hewlett, SS Appliances, New Cabinetry, Recessed Lighting, Hard Wood Floors, Washer/Dryer In Bldg, Close To All...$1,995/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com COMPLETELY RENOVATED 3 Bedrooms for rent, 2 Full Baths with use of a backyard OR the whole house for Rent- 6 Bedrooms, 4 full Baths. IN THE HEART OF CEDARHURST!! For more info call Alexandra 516-784-0856 at Douglas Elliman!!

HELP WANTED GENERAL STUDIES TEACHERS Sept. ’17: JH - Math, ELA. Elementary Lead and Assistant teachers. M-Th afternoons. 5 Towns Area Boys’ School. Email resume: theteacherhunt@gmail.com

YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL SEEKING ENGLISH PRINCIPAL. To run all aspects of secular studies curriculum. Competitive Salary based on experience Please email resume to jobhunt613@gmail.com TORAH ACADEMY FOR GIRLS seeks permanent sub jr high limudei kodesh 2017-2018 school term. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. email resume ‘crhodes@tagschools.org 718-471-8444 ext.289 Five Towns office looking for immediate hire of several people…part time and full time…starting at $15 per hour. Need detail- oriented person to handle A/P, A/R, customer service, and ability to negotiate bids and contracts. Computer literate a must. Please email fabadi@egwaste.com Due to an increase in enrollment, the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach Early Childhood Center is looking for head teachers for the 2017-2018 school year. Candidates should be warm and loving, have experience working with young children and hold a Master’s degree in Education or a related field. Please send resume to rgreen@halb.org

• MUST KNOW HOW TO USE A M AC • KNOWLEDGEABL E IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, INDESIGN, AND PHOTOSHOP • FULL DAY MONDAYS & TUES DAYS

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Classifieds

HELP WANTED ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Radiology Office in Queens serving Healthcare industry is seeking an experienced Administrative Assistant. Must have prior office & computer experience as well as be able to multi task, work independently, have an excellent phone manner & organizational skills. Prior Healthcare experience a plus. We offer an excellent salary & benefits pkg as well as a great working environment. Pls email resume in confidence to spxjob1@gmail.com SECRETARY/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Yeshiva High School offices seek experienced secretary to manage special projects and assist all aspects of the School/Business Office. Must be responsible, extremely organized, self-motivated, and be proficient with numbers and finance. Min 2 year prior experience, Yeshiva exp a plus. Email Resume: officepositionhire@gmail.com

HELP WANTED WANTED: EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER Must know how to use a Mac Knowledgeable in Adobe Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop Full days, Mondays and Tuesdays For info please call: 718 377-8016 Or email your resume to: graphicdesigner613@gmail.com Special Ed preschool in Far Rockaway looking for a SPECIAL ED TEACHER for a small class. Masters degree in Special Ed and teacher certification required Experience preferred Warm and Supportive environment E mail resume to Scohen@onourwaylc.org Yeshiva Ketana of Queens Looking for Energetic & Inspiring Female GENERAL STUDIES TEACHERS 2017-2018. Grades 2-5 Email Resume Rlswia@aol.com 718-969-1000 EXT 105 WARM, LOVING, HEIMISHE PLAYGROUP IN FAR ROCKAWAY – AGES 2 ½ TO 4 – IS LOOKING FOR ASSISTANTS AND SUBSTITUTES. PLEASE CALL 516-371-6848

TJH Classifieds Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Miscellaneous Ads here.

Weekly Classifed Ads Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words 1 week ................ $20 $10 2 weeks .............. $35 $17.50 4 weeks .............. $60 $30 Email ads to: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info

Deadline Monday 5:00pm

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

Classifieds HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

JOIN OUR TEAM! Established Rewards and Travel Concierge in the 5 Towns is looking to hire Mileage Travel Agents. Experience in mileage bookings required. Salary and Commission commensurate with experience. For more info, please contact admin@getpeyd.com

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

Pugatch Realty Corp., in Woodmere, is looking to hire and train a select group of motivated Realtors. If you are looking to build a career in real estate, or looking to take your existing career to the next level, there is no better place to start that the #1 Real Estate Brokerage in the Five Towns… Call Today (516) 295-3000 x 128. All calls kept confidential. DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL to work with men with autism and other disabilities in a residential setting in Cedarhurst and Hewlett. Positions include: 3pm-11pm, weekends, and overnight. High pay rate, plus benefit package. OHEL Bais Ezra call 855-OHELJOB or www.ohelfamily.org/careers The Yeshiva of Central Queens is seeking dynamic, experienced Elementary School General Studies and JHS Math teachers for September 2017. Candidates will have a Master’s degree and NYS Teacher Certification. If you are interested in joining our exceptional and dedicated faculty, please forward your resume and cover letter to mlandsman@ycq.us SECRETARY Part time flexible secretarial positions available in both Cedarhurst and Hewlett. Candidates should possess strong organizational skills, the ability to multi task and basic computer skills (word and excel). Call 855-OHEL JOB or apply online at www.ohelfamily.org/careers Well known Preschool in Far Rockaway, seeking CERTIFIED SPECIAL ED TEACHER to substitute from March 15-April 10th Competitive salary, pleasant working conditions Email resume to scohen@oonourwaylc.org REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT COMPANY is looking for an experienced Investor Relation associate to raise capital for sponsor/investor relationships. Compensation will be offered thru partnership/commission. Contact info@zreny.com 718-285-0941

Immediate openings for Middle School Language Arts Teacher and Limudei Kodesh Maternity substitute in Hebrew Academy of Long Beach - afternoons only. Resumes to ulubetski@halb.org OVERNIGHT \WEEKEND COUNSELOR Responsible and exp’d staff to live in a beautiful group home & work 3 nights\ week 7pm - 9am. Staff are not req’d to remain awake after 11pm. Staff are req’d to work two weekends per month. Free rent & food. Stipend given as well. Great for college girl. For additional info contact Frayde Yudkowsky at 732.948.4636 or fyudkowsky@ evolvetreatment.com Local F.T. Accounting Office Seeks P/T JR. ACCOUNTANT proficient in Q.B. knowledge of payroll tax, sales tax, business tax and individual taxes Qualified applicants should please e-mail resume to: 5towntaxoffice@gmail.com

MISC SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURES Tickets + Safari Valid any operating day $40 Parking passes $20 Call or text Shua @917-923-0011 FIVE STAR SHAVUOS FAMILY RETREAT! Lowest rates. Best program Speakers include renowned educator Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg, Rabbi Benzion Shafier, Mrs. Chanie Juravel and more. Gorgeous accommodations, inspiring program, superior childcare and a gourmet menu that will delight body, spirit and soul! Contact sk@oravsimcha.org or 845.216.3970 for details

SHIDDUCH DATING? NEED PLACES TO GO? Check out Pegishaplace.com WIG GEMACH Everyone in our community deserves to look great! Donate used wigs and make a world of a difference. For appointments to see wigs or to donate, call Deena 845-304-6668

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Your

Money

Why Did the Loophole Cross the Road? By Allan Rolnick

We’ve just made it through our annual exercise in self-flagellation known as “tax filing season.” And whose fault is that? Don’t blame the IRS; blame the Congress that wrote the four million-odd words that make up the tax code. So it’s always refreshing to see someone inside that particular lion’s den take a critical look at what Congress has wrought. Jeff Flake is a freshman senator from Arizona who’s not interested in taking responsibility for the current system, which was written mainly by men who came of age when Packards and Studebakers filled the streets. This month, he issued a report called “Tax Rackets” that takes aim at so-called “outlandish loopholes” that taxpayers like alpaca farmers, magazine publishers, and golf course operators use to legally lower their bills. Flake shovels a steaming load of scorn on Section 45 credits for programs to create energy from “open loop biomass” — otherwise known as chicken “litter.” Chicken farmers in the DelMarVa peninsula, which includes Delaware, Maryland’s eastern shore, and the Virginia peninsula, produce 550,000 tons of droppings every year. They’ve been using it for fertilizer. But now the runoff is polluting Chesapeake Bay. So the area’s

representatives hatched legislation offering tax credits for selling the “litter” to power plants. The problem, says Flake, is that the initiative isn’t “everything it was cracked up to be.” There are already plenty of government subsidies for poop-to-power programs. (Flake’s words, not ours.) But nobody seems to want them. “Plans to build the power plants have ruffled the feath-

Flake also fires shots at the developers of American Dreamland, who are requesting tax-subsidized municipal bonds to finish a $5 billion mall in (where else) New Jersey. We’re not talking your usual soulless suburban shopping center here. Dreamland will include three million square feet of space, 30,000 parking spots, 450 shops and restaurants, an indoor waterpark, a roller coaster, a Ferris

Flake concludes that “subsidizing energy companies for producing poultry poop power is a bird brained idea that smells like a rotten egg.”

ers of the very taxpayers being forced to subsidize the energy they would produce. The squawking by citizens caused [one litter-to-energy producer] to scratch plans to build plants in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia.” Flake concludes that “subsidizing energy companies for producing poultry poop power is a bird brained idea that smells like a rotten egg.”

wheel, and an 800-foot indoor ski slope. Developers claim it will create 11,000 jobs and generate $1.5 billion in annual sales. What’s not to like? Except . . . two developers already dropped $2 billion on the boondoggle before slinking off in defeat. The third one wants a billion more in subsidized bonds to cross the finish line. It’s going up in the only county left in

America that still outlaws shopping on Sunday. And millions of shoppers are giving up entirely on mall traffic, mall crowds, and mall hype to order online. The latest developer boasts that “it’s going to be the No. 1 tourist destination, bar none, in the world.” (But he can’t actually believe that, can he?) Flake says the subsidies he’s exposed will cost taxpayers $50 billion over the next decade. The challenge from his perspective is getting Congress to do something about it. It’s been years since Congress could even walk and chew gum at the same time, and legislation today moves slower than geology. Good thing there’s a silver lining lurking deep inside this story. Sure, the current code is a mess. But at least we understand it. So you don’t have to pour your hard-earned dollars into poop-to-power programs to pay less. You just need a plan. Make sure you have one and see how much more you can take to the newest mall! Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

The Jewish Home | MAY 4, 2017

TH F I F R U O R O F B AC K

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Life C ach

How’s Your Glass? By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

t’s that time of the year. Wobbling on the horizon, just hovering off in the distance: graduations, weddings, finals, camp trunks. Come on, I don’t have to tell you – you know what June looks like! Analogous to the present weather, which is still so uncertain, these events present us with that same emotional roller coaster. The bitter and the sweet. I know some of you are thinking, what’s sweet about having finals? Well, getting them over with, of course! But can camp packing be sweet? Well, that kind of depends on how you feel about getting rid of your kid for a while. Weddings: now I don’t think anyone’s happy to get rid of their kid for that long. But, of course, there is the authentic sweet of the occasion, though, tainted by the stress of the planning – the gowns, band, flowers, caterer, hall, gowns, invitations, photographer, wedding shower, gowns, gowns.... Stop me when you’re feeling dizzy. It could be overwhelming. Still, the greatest sweet of it is hopefully giving your child a best friend for life. Now what about graduations? There is a tough one. So many mixed

emotions. Here’s one nice moment: arriving there early is sweet. You get to kvel over your child, you know the one who you just saw fifteen minutes ago at home but now they’re wearing a cap and gown! And you get the opportunity to take pictures of them with all their school buddies and

torian or salutatorian. Sure, you are still proud, but the speeches seem to be a little long and the “siblings are getting restless.” And then suddenly the graduates are getting up again, receiving their diplomas, and tossing their caps in the air. Sweet! They are excited to be moving on and you have

So how do you weather the erratic weather, the cold and hot of it, the mixed bag of it, the bitter and sweet of it? cousins. That is if you can pull them away from their selfies! Then you can beam as they march slowly down the aisle. Though, this is where your perceptive qualities go a little haywire. Because, of course, everyone else’s child seems to be walking down the aisle way too slowly while your child is clearly racing! Then the whole event takes a turn somewhat south. You spend an entire hour squirming in your seat. Unless, of course, your child is valedic-

survived another milestone! So how do you weather the erratic weather, the cold and hot of it, the mixed bag of it, the bitter and sweet of it? And how do you weather the bitter sweetness of the coming entourage of events? As with much of life, the same one tool gets you through it the best way. What it takes is being able to adjust your perception to look at that other marching kid and accepting his or her necessity to be there because he

or she has value too. Then also being able to actually elongate that march of your child and to not experience that sweetness as fleeting. In other words, to understand that negatives sometimes are inevitable, or somehow necessary, and positives need to be held onto and appreciated. With this tool the bitter can be tolerated, if not understood, and the sweet stays sweeter! Presented with the fact of rain and shine, take note: the rain has its job and the sun, when out, feels soooo good. Sadness and elation, take note: there’s never been a way to totally avoid the first so accept that it has a role whether we understand it or not. And then have faith and bathe in the sweet moments of elation. And more so, try and save them permanently in your pocket! Keep thinking: sweets to the sweet, how sweet it is, sweet dreams! Now how’s your glass looking?

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

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