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The Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
The Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
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The Week In News
CONTENTS
COMMUNITY
Community Happenings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Los Angeles Unites For Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
JEWISH THOUGHT Climbing for Greatness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Moshiach Matters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Royals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
FEATURE Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
LIFESTYLES Jewish History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Book Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
NEWS
Global. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
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MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Dear Readers, Jewish Unity: It seems so elusive, yet its rewards are beyond measure. What is it that makes it so difficult to accomplish? Is it the challenge of leaving our comfort zones? Do we subconsciously feel that if we welcome someone different than us we’re not being true to who we are? It definitely feels easier to raise children surrounded by like-minded people. But A) isn’t there something we can learn from every living creature, particularly a fellow Jew? And on a deeper level, B) don’t we experience truth specifically when looking deeper than what is in front of our eyes? In the world of logic, for example, we come to a deeper truth when we are challenged by an opposite point but then find a deeper idea from which they both emanate. When Yidden with different backgrounds and minhagim bond together, we experience yiddishkeit on a deeper level. It changes from a feeling of convenience in being the same as those around us to one of belonging to a unique nation with a spiritual mission. The differences are correctly seen as how we each express Judaism; what we are expressing is the same belief in Hashem and the eternity of the Torah and mitzvos. If we can learn to respect each other and perhaps even learn from each other’s sincerity, we would be living a more complete yiddishkeit. Our children would also benefit tremendously from having a sense of the eternity of the Jewish people, which comes from connecting with members of other communities instead of falling back on our first reaction to point out why our way is better... Perhaps part of the Divine plan is that the many communities and different paths converge at the end of golus as a preparation for the kahal gadol yashuvu heina, the great congregation which will return to Eretz Yisrael with the coming of Moshiach. Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos and a festive Lag B’omer,
Shalom
T H E P R E M I E R J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R H I G H L I G H T I N G L A’ S O R T H O D OX C O M M U N I T Y The Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly. FOR HOME DELIVERY, OR TO HAVE THE LATEST ISSUE EMAILED TO YOU FREE OF CHARGE, SEND A MESSAGE TO EDITOR@JEWISHHOMELA.COM
TheHappenings Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Rav Yisroel Reisman, shlita, Visits Los Angeles In Preparation Of The Upcoming Yeshiva Torah Vodaath 98Th Annual Dinner T. Dicker
HaRav Yisroel Reisman, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath, visited the Los Angeles Torah community last week. There he met with friends and supporters of the Yeshiva, who warmly welcomed Rabbi Reisman to the West Coast. “Bridging East to West” was the theme of the trip. Torah Vodaath will pay tribute to two pillars of the Los Angeles community at the Yeshiva’s upcoming dinner for their “Yovel of Service” to klal Yisrael. This year marks a yovel – five decades since Rabbi Berish Goldenberg and R’ Shlomo Goldner graduated from Mesivta Torah Vodaath and embarked on their lives’ journeys; 50 years since Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath influenced the members of Class of 1967 and helped pave their paths to greatness. Torah Vodaath has always had a special kesher with Los Angeles; many of the marbitzei and machzikei Torah, rabbanim and askanim, are Torah Vodaath alumni. In addition to visiting many dear friends of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Reisman gave a shiur at the Kollel Boker in Rabbi Krause’s shul at the request of the Tomech Torah, Mr. Michael Kest.
At the home of renowned Philanthropist and Askan Reb Shlomo Yehuda and Tamar Rechnitz
Guests of Honor R' Berish Goldenberg and R' Shlomo Goldner together with Rabbi Yaakov Krause and members of the Weiss family, welcoming Horav Yisroel Reisman Shlita at the LA VIP Benefit Event for Torah Vodaath
Rabbi Reisman also davened and shared thought-provoking insights with the talmidim of Yeshiva Rav Isacsohn – Toras Emes; Los Angeles Cheder; and with yungerleit of the new Kollel Netzach Yisroel (founded by our dear friends R’ Shlomo Yehuda and Tamar Rechnitz in memory of Moreinu HaRav Yisroel Belsky, zt”l, Rosh Hayeshiva of Torah Vodaath). The visit culminated with a beautiful and elegant VIP Benefit Event at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Steven Weiss, co-chaired by Rav Yaakov Krause. The Weiss family are talmidim of the Yeshiva for four generations and the Yeshiva is proud of their decades’ long association. The family’s relationship with the Yeshiva is further enhanced by their strong connection over the years with Rav Reisman, shlita. Their son R’ Aryeh Weiss, noted askan and Torah supporter in New York is a proud talmid and parent in the Yeshiva Ketanah. R’ Aryeh accompanied Rav Reisman along with Rabbi Yitzchok Gottdiener to Los Angeles, and this year serves as Dinner Chairman. Rabbi Reisman returned from his trip with great chizzuk from seeing the warmth and connection that continues to transcend the entire continent. Yeshiva Torah Vodaath truly “bridges East to West”.
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TheHappenings Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
The Lag B’Omer Great Parade in Los Angeles is Expected to Be Bigger and Better Yehudis Litvak Excitement is in the air as the Los Angeles Jewish community is gearing up for the Great Lag B’Omer Parade, scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 14th. According to the flyer, the parade will be “bigger and better than ever!” The Lag B’Omer Parade, a celebration of Jewish unity, takes place in many major cities throughout the world whenever Lag B’Omer falls on Sunday. Last time the pa-
rade was held was four years ago, and the next parade is expected to take place seven years from now. Chabad of California has been organizing Lag B’Omer parades since 1970, when the first parade took place on then-popular Fairfax Avenue. “Lag B’Omer is a day of light and happiness,” says Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, head shaliach of Chabad of California. “With the spirit you can gather at the pa-
rade you’ll be uplifted the rest of the year.” The Los Angeles parade director is Rabbi Mendel Duchman, who heads the Kol Yaakov Yehuda Congregation, a junior congregation under the auspices of Congregation Levi Yitzchak in Hancock Park. Rabbi Duchman explains that the Great Parade was initiated by the late Lubavitcher Reb-
The Great Parade 2014
be as a result of the Holocaust. “They tried to extinguish Jewish identity,” says Rabbi Duchman. “[In response], we make it public.” An estimated 5000 people are expected to attend the Lag B’Omer Parade in Los Angeles. 15 local Jewish schools and three public schools will participate in the parade. Pico Boulevard will be closed to traffic between Robertson and Doheny, as 15 floats and five marching bands will parade down Pico between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., accompanied by police escort. The floats are made by local schools. Rabbi Meyer Green, director of youth activities at Chabad of the Valley, will be describing the floats from the grandstand. After the parade, Pico Boulevard will be transformed into a full-blown amusement park, titled The Great Fair, which will last from 12 to 4 p.m. The fair will offer something for all ages: rides, carnival games, live music, food, and more. The police, fire department, and the U.S. Army will participate in the carnival, providing educational programs for the attendees. Jewish music stars, Uncle Moishy and Eli Marcus, will hold a concert. Uncle Moishy, known to generations of Jewish children, was invited to several other locations for this Lag B’Omer, but he chose to come to Los Angeles, explains Rabbi Tzemach Cunin, one of the parade organizers. Eli Marcus grew up in Southern California. An accomplished musician, he lives in New York and travels the world performing. The Los Angeles parade organizers are excited to welcome Eli Marcus back home for Lag B’Omer. As this year’s Lag B’Omer coincides with Mother’s Day, a special part of the program will be dedicated to Jewish mothers. “We will be saluting the Jewish mother,” says Rabbi Duchman. “Every Jewish mother wants her child to be a proud Jew.”
TheHappenings Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
NCSY Connects 2nd Annual Soccer Tournament Devora Sambrowsky On Sunday, April 30th, over 120 men from the Los Angeles and Valley communities gathered for the West Coast NCSY Connect’s 2nd Annual Soccer Tournament. NCSY is a leading organization devoted to empowering and inspiring teenagers. With their signature combination of purpose and fun, the NCSY Connect Tournament offered the Jewish community the opportunity to enjoy a superb game while knowing that their donations were going to a wonderful cause. All funds from the game went towards scholarships for high school teenagers to go to Israel for extraordinary programs. Played on UCLA’s newly renovated Intramural Fields, the tournament was sponsored by the American Jewish University and organized by DirectKix Soccer Productions. Friends and family gathered on the fields to cheer on the players, and a happy, competitive spirit pervaded throughout the game. “Bringing together the Jewish community for an amazing day of soccer in the fresh air was not only fun, but the camaraderie was felt by everyone,” said Denise Badreau, Director of Community Connections, West Coast NCSY Connect. “The community’s excitement to raise scholarship funds to connect teens to Israel was truly inspirational.” The excitement was palpable as the teams, sponsored by various community members and companies, played remarkably well. The competition was fierce. Taking first place was the team organized by Birthright Israel Free Spirit NCSY Connect Alumni and sponsored by Canon. A team of Valley community members
“An Evening of Inspiration” in honor of YEDIDIM of Eretz Yisrael took place before a well attended crowd at Young Israel of Hancock Park this past Motzei Shabbos (parshas Achrei-Kedoshim). Photographed above are the MC and host for the evening Rabbi Chanan Gordon together with guest speaker, Rabbi Gav Friedman of Aish Jerusalem, together with three of the sponsors of the event (from left to right), Daniel Hayman, Simcha Mann and Moti Kest.
sponsored by KosherLuxe came in second. The Los Angeles community enjoyed watching their friends and neighbors play, taking pride in the diverse group of team players who participated in the tournament. With beautiful weather and a great turnout, the NCSY Connects 2nd Annual Soccer Tournament was declared a huge success.
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TheHappenings Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Beth Jacob Raises Funds to Purchase New Truck for Israeli Firefighters Devora Sambrowsky Beth Jacob, a Modern Orthodox congregation located in Southern California, has embarked on a campaign to purchase a sophisticated, state of the art fire truck for Israel. Members of Beth Jacob consistently allocate their time and resources to assist our brethren in Israel, initiating programs that show their solidarity and concern. Among past programs were the “Buy Israel Initiative,” which promoted buying Israeli goods as an expression of economic
support, and various funds collecting for wounded soldiers, bomb shelters, and an ambulance. As a series of ruinous fires recently destroyed thousands of acres of forestland and hundreds of homes in Israel, Beth Jacob’s next initiative is to collect enough money to sponsor a fully equipped fire truck. Israeli firefighters expended over five million dollars in putting out the fires, and are in desperate need of more trucks
and equipment to better combat future disasters. They currently possess a paltry 420 trucks, though necessity calls for at least 975, and require further aid in purchasing more trucks and gear. In recognition of this need, Beth Jacob has launched the “Beth Jacob Firetruck Drive” to raise $125,000 dollars for a new fire truck, which will be augmented by the Israeli government. As usual, the Beth Jacob congregation has been enthusiastic
in their benefaction for Israel and has collected a total of $107,000 dollars so far. Rabbi Tropp, Senior Rabbi of the Beth Jacob Congregation, thanks those who have already contributed and urges those who have not to consider contributing and help Beth Jacob attain the remaining $18,000. Beth Jacob is a role model to the Jewish community at large for demonstrating that although we live in California, Israel is in our hearts and on our minds. As their donation to Israel helps extinguish fires, it also kindles a sense of unity and brotherly warmth.
Bring Meron Home this Lag Ba’omer Yoel Krausz
The Daily Minyan at the Tehillim Kollel location in Meron
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Bonfires. Bows and arrows. Music. Upsherins. Dancing through the night. This is Lag B’omer. Add the holiness of a special site, and thousands upon thousands of people celebrating with you – this is Lag B’omer at Meron. Being at Meron on Lag B’omer is an experience that stays with you for life. Kedushah, simchah, and energy permeate the air, leaving deep grooves of inspiration. Not all of us can be zocheh to be at Meron each year, or have the opportunity to tap into its spiritual blessings. But this year, you can! Bring Meron into your home and life this Lag B’omer, with the Tehillim Kollel of Meron. Throughout the year, devout men pray at this holy site, completing the entire Sefer Tehillim each day. But you can take advantage of the most special time of the year at the Kever of R’ Shimon bar Yochai and enlist these special messengers to engage in fervent prayers on behalf of your family. Whether you need parnassah, shalom bayis, children, shidduchim or any other yeshuah, you can entrust your tefillos to the ehrliche Meron Kollel. They will utilize all their powers of concentration and sincere devotion to storm the heavens with your requests. Tehillim Kollel is offering exclusive savings for Lag B’omer day and also running special membership offers during this time. For more detailed information, contact the Tehillim Kollel’s central office at (718) 7057174 or email at info@tehillimkollel.org.
The Week In News
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TheHappenings Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Survivor Profile: Livia Shacter Dena Ackerman I recently had the opportunity to paint Livia Shacter. Livia was born on April 2, 1917, in Czechoslovakia. Being the only daughter, with five brothers, she says her parents spoiled her terribly. She and her siblings were Zionists, and at age 16 she learned Hebrew, in addition to speaking Yiddish, Hungarian, Czechoslovakian, Russian, Ukrainian, and German. Before the war she became engaged to a young man in the Hungarian military, who she met at her uncle’s Shabbat table on a visit to Hungary. They exchanged letters until he was killed in combat in Russia, fighting the Germans. In 1944 the Jews in her community were put into a ghetto in the poorest neighborhood, taking just a mattress and some clothing. She and her family were put in a school building, where they spent four weeks until they were packed into the trains, a hundred people crammed into one car, and taken on a threeday journey to Auschwitz. They were given one pail of water to drink, and one pail to use as a toilet. Upon her arrival at the death camp, she witnessed a Nazi grab a crying baby from its mother’s arms, and throw it onto the concrete, where its head split open. She saw the big chimney in the distance that kept spitting out fire and smoke of human bodies. She was
directed by Dr. Mengele to the left, while her parents, two brothers, and hundreds of aunts, uncles, and cousins went to the gas chambers. Livia was at Auschwitz for four months, and then was taken by train to a German factory where they were fed better to enable them to work more efficiently for the German war effort. Nevertheless, when the war ended, people were so weak that they were crawling on their hands and knees, having had no food for many days. Livia approached an American soldier and in her limited English said, “I hungry.” The soldier reached into his pocket to give her an apple or piece of bread, whatever he could find. She and the other survivors were taken to a hospital to regain their strength. When she was released, she went to register herself with the Joint (UNRRA). When the found out that she spoke six languages, they jumped at the chance to hire her, because she could communicate with so many survivors from other countries. She was not paid, but was given food and housing. In the evenings, the “boys” would come to the girls’ room to socialize, and it was there that Livia met her husband. She was 26 years old, a bit older than most of the girls she lived with, and he was also older than the other boys, most of whom were in their early 20s. After knowing
Mrs. Livia Shacter
Dena Ackerman next to her work at the art exhibit
each other for four days, he proposed. A day or two later, they were married. Livia borrowed a white blouse and veil, and sewed herself a white skirt. There was no rabbi available, so they were married by a yeshiva bochur. Every day, Livia recalls, there was a chuppah. Livia had some relatives in Los Angeles, so eventually she and her husband moved here with their young daughter. Later, they welcomed another daughter to the family. She lived in L.A. for 50 years, working for Prudential as a keypunch operator in the early days of computers. Livia then moved to Baltimore for 10 years before making aliyah to Israel, where she currently lives with her daughter and son-in-law in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Today she has 11 grandchildren and 54 great-grandchildren, with a few more
The 1st Trustees
on the way. At 100 years old, she needs a hearing aid, uses a walker, and complains that she can’t remember things the way she used to, but she was happy to talk to me about her life story when she sat for my painting and seemed to remember everything in great detail. When she lived in Los Angeles, she lectured for visitors at the Holocaust Museum, so she is very open about her experiences during WWII. She speaks about most of her experiences in a matter-of-fact way, although some topics, like her parents, make her emotional. She has lived a full and eventful life, overcoming tragedies that we can never comprehend. Today she has a loving family and an active social life. I am honored to share a glimpse of her life and her great warmth with others.
Reception
West Coast Friends of Laniado Hospital
Tuesday, May 16th 2017 | 6 PM Reception | 7 PM Program
at the home of Ilan
& Linda Gorodezki
in Hancock Park
Zvi Yechezkeli
First time in USA as Guest Speaker from Israel
Former Israeli Security & Special Forces Officer who DISGUISED as a Muslim and infiltrated the ISIS strongholds in Europe. Learn firsthand his incredible story. Sol Teichman, Joe Kornwasser and Sol Goldner Co-Chairmen of the Board of Governors of West Coast Friends of Laniado Hospital
LANIADO WEST COAST FRIENDS
SANZ MEDICAL CENTER
AFFILIATED TO RAPPAPORT FACULTY OF MEDICINE TECHNION HAIFA ISRAEL
RSVP or information: 424-394-0853, 818-540-6026 or go online: TRUSTEESreception.eventbrite.com
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The Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Join Almost 300 Jewish Institutions across North America as we Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jerusalem’s Reunification Together
A Yom Yerushalayim Torah Exploration Presented by The Orthodox Union
Why is Yerushalayim Important to us as Religious Jews? Choose as many as 5 exclusive 30-minute video presentations with accompanying sources from respected Torah teachers across the Jewish world that answer this question. Make Sure Your Organization is Registered at ou.org/yy See how all 5 teachers provide a unique perspective with their insights and viewpoints on the religious importance of Judaism’s holiest city.
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Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz
Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
Rabbi Michael Rosensweig
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Rabbanit Shani Taragin
Your organization will receive the flash drive or DVD & sources for the Yom Yerushalayim presentation after they register for the program For questions, email yy@ou.org
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Torah Musings The Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Climbing for Greatness Sarah Pachter
One Sunday morning, our family decided to go rock wall climbing – a first time for me. What I expected to be just another Sunday activity turned out to be a fantastic metaphor for how humans grow and strive for greatness. When we first walked in, I viewed the whole thing as somewhat of an indoor playground for adults. Over 100 people appeared to be in the room, climbing and standing atop grey structures with colorful climbing stones of all different shapes and sizes jutting out. I was expecting to harness up with an instructor, so I was quite surprised to see people rock climbing with no harnesses at all. The entire floor of the arena was constructed of what looked like “moonbounce”
material. As soon as my three-year old saw the floor under the man-made cliffs, she raced towards it and started jumping with delight. After paying, we were handed special shoes and sent off to enjoy ourselves. On my first attempt, I hardly climbed 12 inches. Climbing was a lot harder than it looked! I guess the colorfulness of the equipment all made it seem user-friendly. And everyone else seemed to be reaching the top so speedily! Truth be told, rock climbing is a real sport, and the participants take it very seriously. The following are four comparisons to life that I drew from my rock-climbing experience. Have a Plan
I scoffed when my husband said he saw people mentally mapping out their next move before physically climbing. However, if we want to succeed, we need to plan. Later on, I noticed that the rocks went in a curvature toward the top, and I realized, Hey, I can move that way, too! It worked, and I was soon standing at the top on my next attempt upward. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Be Okay With Lateral Climbing Initially, I assumed that the objective was simply to go up. But not every step in our climb needs to be vertical for us to reach the top. Reaching our goals sometimes requires moving sideways, often for longer than we would like. It is similar to the stock market. Consider a graph of a single stock over 52 weeks. The graph goes up and down constantly, but after each low drop comes a higher point, spanning across time. This is called growth. Growth is not a consistent, upward slant. There are good days and bad days; there are two steps forward and then one back. It is not actually possible to climb the wall without pausing, taking a step backwards, or even slipping down. Growth is seeing the whole picture, not worrying too much about each detail. Do Not Look Up There is a four-letter word that stops us all from getting to where we want to be in life: fear. If you look up too much while climbing, you may become so overwhelmed that you will want to give up altogether. Growth is about tackling what is right in front of you. If we look one stone ahead, it is manageable. It is doable. Focus on the day, not the year. Before you know it, you will be at the top. Consider this: “Living in the past makes us depressed, living too far into the future leaves us anxious.” There’s another way in which looking up can hurt your rise to the top. In Judaism, there is a concept called nekudah habechirah, which means one’s “point of choice.” We all have our own level of what we are capable of choosing. For example, for most of us, every time we pass by a jewelry store, we are not tempted to steal, no matter how much we admire the luxurious products in the window. We would never even consider such a thing, and therefore it is way below our
choice point. Similarly, there are mitzvot that are way beyond our personal choices. In other words, there are aspects of Judaism that are so challenging that they are out of reach, while others are so obvious, we no longer actively choose them. For example, sometimes my students feel overwhelmed by the concept of keeping Shabbat fully, and feel it is way too difficult for them at that moment in their busy lives. When a difficulty arises, we must look inside to determine our point of choice. What is the point of struggle for us? It is safe to say that Hashem only rewards and punishes us based on what is in our realm of choice. So, every time we pass a jewelry store and do not steal, we are not rewarded. However, if we are beginners just learning about Judaism for the first time, then we are not being punished for something that is out of reach to us, such as keeping Shabbat in every detail. The rock wall is a perfect illustration of this “choice box.” I do not need to worry about the very top; it is not what I am dealing with right now. Once I have passed the rocks below me, I will find myself at a new baseline. The only thing that matters is the step that is right in front of me. If I focus just on the next step, I can reach the top before I know it. Reach Just a Tiny Bit Higher As I was climbing the midsection of the wall, I had reached a standstill. I found that I could not easily go any higher, but going down was equally as hard based on my slanted position. I was stuck. I wanted to let go and just let the moonbounce floor catch me. But before I did, I said to myself, Let me see if I can reach that one… I reached up – nothing. Then I stretched myself just a little more – and my hand felt the next stone! Success! In life, we have to reach just a fraction of a hair higher than we think we can. This is how we get what we are aspiring for. We are all scared to fall, or to fail, but the worst thing that’s going to happen is that we will have to try again. Every now and then we will get a new scratch or scrape, but what is the fun of growth if it is always easy? Just like in life, no matter how hard and far away something seems, know that nothing is impossible; you are living in a God-made world, after all. Just commit, have trust in yourself, and go for it.
Moshiach Matters The Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
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Get Those Sheep Ready – You May be Needing Them Soon Rabbi Sholom Kesselman
It happened over 200 years ago in the great and holy city of Jerusalem. There, the renowned scholar and author, Rabbi Dovid Pardo, headed the famous Yeshiva Chesed L’Avraham U’Binyan Sholomo. The students returned to the yeshiva after spending Pesach at home. As they prepared to begin the new semester, a lively discussion took hold among them. While they had all thoroughly enjoyed their Pesach and felt themselves spiritually uplifted from it, they couldn’t help but bemoan the fact that there were was no Beis Hamikdash and could not as such offer up the korban Pesach. This led them to wonder what would happen if Moshiach came right then. Would they be able to or even be obligated to offer up the korban Pesach on Pesach Sheini? Seeing an opportunity here, their wonder grew into excitement. Very soon the whole yeshiva was buzzing with the talk of Moshiach and the possibility of offering the korban Pesach. As the discussion grew and unfolded, the students began to wonder about many of the fine details associated with Pesach Sheini. Very soon they had a long and growing list of pressing questions that they needed answers to. They brought their list of questions to their rosh yeshiva, who in turn sent them to his son, Rabbi Avraham Pardo, to be researched and resolved. His response was both brilliant and thorough. His father-inlaw, the Chida (Rabbi Chaim Yosef Dovid Azulay), was so impressed by it that later he included it in his famous work, Yosef Ometz (Chapter 6). Presented here are a summary of some of the questions that were posed and the answers that were given by R’ Avraham Pardo: Question 1: If Moshiach came between Pesach and Pesach Sheini, would we obligated/able to offer up the korban Pesach on Pesach Sheini?
Question 2: Are women too obligated/ able to do Pesach Sheini? Answer 2: Yes. Ideally they should
Question 3: Would only those Jews who were living in Eretz Yisrael during Pesach be obligated in Pesach Sheini, or even those that came after with the ingathering of the exiles (kibbutz goluyos)? Answer 3: All Jews would be obligated. So long as they are living and settled in Israel when Pesach Sheini comes around, they too do Pesach Sheni. Question 4: If techiyas hameisim (resurrection of the dead) were to occur before Pesach Sheini, would those that just came back to life also do Pesach Sheini? Answer 4: It depends. If we are talking about the resurrection of certain individuals then yes – they would do Pesach Sheini. If however we are talking about the resurrection of all the dead, then no. This is because at this point the mitzvot will no longer be in effect, as the Talmud states that the mitzvot will become nullified in the future. Question 5: If someone was lax and did not offer the korban Pesach on Pesach Sheini, would they be punishable with kareis? Answer 5: This is subject to a dis-
agreement between Rambam and Ravad. Rambam maintains that he would be punishable and Ravad claims he wouldn’t. R’ Avraham humbly acknowledges that he is not the one to decide who among these two giants is correct and leaves the matter unresolved. Question 6: Would gentiles that convert to Judaism after Moshiach comes be obligated? Answer 6: Yes. If they are full-fledged Jews by the time Pesach Sheini comes around, they are obligated just like all the other Jews. Question 7: If Moshiach were to come
and the Beis Hamikdash built but there wasn’t enough time for us to become ritually pure before Pesach Sheini, would we be able to offer the korban in our state of impurity or not? Answer 7: This is subject to a dispute between Rambam and the Tosafos. Rambam maintains that we would not be able to, while Tosafos claims we would. R’ Avraham this time does take sides and he accepts the view of Rambam as the law. Let us hope that we indeed merit the coming of Moshiach now and then we may still get to do the korban Pesach this year on Pesach Sheini. I hope you all have your sheep ready and standing by!
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Answer 1: Yes. There are multiple sources that seem to indicate Pesach Sheini is only for individuals who missed out and not for the entire nation. R’ Avraham though proves that is only true when the issue was ritual impurity. In our case, where it’s the lack of a Beis Hamikdash which prevented us from offering the Pesach, the entire nation would indeed be obligated to do Pesach Sheini.
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By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz Publisher of the Yated Ne’eman Today, it is very much in vogue to blame others for failure. Those who don’t make it blame the system, the school, the teacher, the government, the president, or some other convenient scapegoat. People don’t assume personal responsibly for their failures. In the “blame culture,” nothing is ever the fault of the poor victim. It’s always someone else who messed up and caused them to fail. People don’t realize that everyone is endowed with the capacity to achieve greatness. Nobody is doomed from birth to a life of mediocrity and disappointment. Wake up early and go to bed late, study hard, and use your time constructively, and the sky is the limit. Sleep late, party, goof off, and blame your rebbi, morah, chavrusah, shadchan or parents for your lack of drive and motivation to succeed and you are guaranteed to fail. The blamer has no accountability. He sees the consequences of his actions as no fault of his own. Because he has no accountability and feels no responsibility, he invests little effort into what he does. When things don’t go our way, we comfort ourselves and reassure others that we did no wrong. We create straw men and blame them, as preposterous as it may sound. Anything is easier than accepting responsibility for our mistakes. We are charged to rise above that and to be honest with ourselves and others. To excel in life and Yiddishkeit, we must act properly, concentrate on our learning and davening, be diligent about kiyum hamitzvos, and be careful about how we treat each other. When we err, we admit our error and agonize over repenting. A Kelmer talmid is said to have commented, “In yeshivos, they say, ‘Men darf kennen Torah,’ it is important to study and know Torah. Chassidim say, ‘Men darf kennen dem Borei,’ it is important to know the Creator. But among us in Kelm, we say, ‘Men darf kennen zich,’ the path to growth starts with being able to know yourself.” If you look at others, it is easy to find their faults, but you accomplish nothing by doing that, for it doesn’t help you find and repair your own faults. If you look around
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
The Royals you, you might find convenient scapegoats. Find the strength to look inward and you will find the truth. The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 17) discusses the story of Elazar ben Durdaya the sinner. He was shamed by a fellow sinner and apprised of his situation, with little chance for teshuvah. Overcome with shame, he fled, finding a quiet place to engage in some desperate self-examination. He beseeched the mountains and hills to plead his case with Hashem, but they refused, for they needed to plead on their own behalf. He asked heaven and earth to intercede, but they also turned him down. He looked to the sun and moon for help, but was similarly rejected.
Don’t punish me. That also didn’t work. The sun and the moon represent one’s financial situation. He was blaming his indiscretions on being too rich or too poor; there were too many challenges. He was rebuffed. Finally, he blamed his guilt on the mazalos, alleging that since stars influence man’s behavior, it wasn’t his fault, but the fault of the star he was born under. This defense was rejected. He got it. The realization that there were no more options other than “ela bi” overwhelmed, weakened and took the life out of him. He accepted the blame and did teshuvah as he lay dying. The Nesivos Sholom of Slonim says
The path to growth starts with being able to know yourself.
The stars were not much help either. Finally, he collapsed, his head in his hands, crying from the depths of his being. He stood up and proclaimed, “Ein hadovor talui ela bi. It all depends on me. It’s all my responsibility.” At that moment, he died, and a bas kol announced that Rav Elazar ben Durdaya’s teshuvah was accepted and he was destined for Olam Haba. Meforshim explain his unsuccessful attempts to find messengers to plead for him. He reached out to the horim to make his case. While the definition of horim is mountains, it can also mean parents. He was trying to blame his parents. Perhaps they had spoiled him or deprived him or hadn’t given him enough love, in contemporary parlance. He tried that, but was turned down. Heaven and earth represent the environment, the schools, teachers and friends who may have influenced him. Everyone else was also doing it. They picked on me. The teachers were lousy. It’s their fault.
that Elazar was a sinner, not a rabbi, yet Chazal referred to him as rebbi, because he taught the world the secret of teshuvah, which is to stop blaming others. In truth, every person has the capacity to achieve tremendous greatness. Every person also has the ability to waste his potential and sink to the lowest levels. The Shela Hakadosh says that this is the reason the Torah uses the word “odom” when referring to man. The appellation “odom” is intertwined with the word “adameh,” which means, “I shall emulate,” a reference to man’s mandate of adameh le’Elyon, emulating the Divine. Odom is also related to the word “adomoh,” the dirt of the ground, the lowliest substance. In that one word and name, Hashem invested us with our mission. Every day presents opportunities to soar to lofty heights and tumble to extreme lows. By ascribing blame, a person essentially denies his own power, his own reach. He’s hiding behind
other factors, essentially claiming that he isn’t strong enough to rise above injustices visited upon him. Check out the biography of great people and you will inevitably find that they had setbacks - just like you, if not worse - and they overcame them. Being an “odom” means that we can rise above anything. We must use the awareness of what one person can do to fuel our growth. The Yalkut Shimoni (Shmuel I, 1:78) relates that prior to the birth of Shmuel Hanovi, a bas kol rang out, proclaiming that a tzaddik named Shmuel would soon be born. Every Jewish mother who gave birth to a boy immediately following the bas kol named her son Shmuel in the hope that he would be the tzaddik foretold by the Heavenly voice. Parents raised their Shmuel to be the Shmuel the bas kol spoke of, because each boy had the ability to achieve that level of greatness. When people witnessed the acts and conduct of the Shmuel who would go on to become the novi, they knew that he was the tzaddik referred to by the bas kol. Every person possesses greatness. Every child has the potential to be a savior like Moshe Rabbeinu and Shmuel Hanovi. We never give up on another Jew. No one is insignificant, for we are all blessed with a neshomah and the ability to rise above all. If we don’t achieve our potential, we have no one to blame but ourselves. This understanding gives meaning to the celebration of the yahrtzeit of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai on Lag Ba’omer. Rabi Shimon bar Yochai revealed that every Jew is royalty, with the potential and capacity for greatness. It is not for us to judge other shomrei Torah umitzvos and disrespect them. Treat others with love and respect and help them realize their potential. Everyone has a spark of greatness within their soul. Help people light their spark and give it the ruach it needs to flare into a great flame. Care about other people and reach to them with friendship, even if they appear to be on a lower level than you. Rabi Shimon (Shabbos 67, et al) said, “Kol Yisroel bnei melochim heim,” and ruled as halacha lemaaseh that every Jewish person can wear royal clothing on Shabbos without transgressing the prohibition of hotza’ah, because every Jew is a ben melech. Beholding the glory and splendor of every neshomah, he appreciated limitless potential of odom, every human being. He learned this from his rebbi, Rabi Akiva, who, for the first four decades of his life, was a simple shepherd who no one thought would ever amount to much. But he, too, was a ben melech, and through him the Jewish people were blessed to be bequeathed the entire Torah Shebaal Peh. On Lag Ba’omer, Jews light bonfires and sing songs praising Rabi Shimon and his rebbi, Rabi Akiva. They dance, chanting the words of Rabi Shimon’s rebbi, “Omar Rabi Akiva ashreichem Yisroel. Praised be the Bnei Yisroel.”
Living with In theNews Times The Week
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Thousands stream to the kever of Rabi Shimon in Meron, where the words of the posuk he famously quoted are painted atop the entrance - “Ki lo sishochach mipi zaro” - reflecting the greatness of Hashem, His Torah and His people. We are familiar with the Gemara that states that Rabi Akiva merited teaching 24,000 disciples. But, because they didn’t display proper respect towards each other, they died during the period of Sefirah. Describing the episode that transpired after the brothers sold Yosef Hatzaddik into slavery, the posuk (Bereishis 38:1) says, “Vayeired Yehudah. And Yehudah departed.” Rashi quotes Chazal, who say that the brothers removed him from his high ranking. Meforshim explain that they no longer treated him as a king. My rebbi, Rav Elya Svei explained that the brothers saw in Yehuda the leadership traits and potential for royalty. They therefore accorded him the respect of a king. When the shevotim saw the pain that their act caused Yaakov, they no longer viewed Yehuda as worthy of being a melech. The talmidim of Rabi Akiva perished for the sin of not treating each other appropriately. It is hard to imagine that the students of Rabi Akiva wouldn’t treat each other well. Perhaps, said Rav Elya, they treated each other with the respect that they deserved according to their status at that time, but they didn’t treat them with the respect they were worthy of, considering their potential for greatness. The failure to respect them for what they could be in the future was considered sinful and caused the plague that killed them. This Shabbos, we will read Parshas Emor and hear the song of the mo’adim, the various Yomim Tovim. For a moment, we will feel the freedom of Pesach, the glory of Shavuos, the awe of Rosh Hashanah, and the purity of Yom Kippur, followed by the joy of Sukkos. It’s a reminder of how each of us can lift ourselves above the mundane and enter the realm of melochim once again. The Jewish year is framed by such opportunities - the moadim, the meeting places between man and his Creator - which catapult us into a different dimension. And since we all have the potential to enter the realm of melochim, we have to treat each other as royalty, as bnei melochim. Perhaps the reason that the talmidim of Rabi Akiva passed away during the period following Pesach is because on Pesach we celebrate the day that the glory of the Jew was revealed. On Pesach, we saw that Hashem loved us even though we did not have or observe the mitzvos of the Torah. Even before we possessed the refinement that the Torah engenders in us, He lifted us. He saw our potential, He knew whereof we are made and He treated us as such even though at that time we were ovdei avodah zara. Talmidei Rabi Akiva didn’t learn the lesson of Pesach of how to respect each individual Jew despite their level at the
moment. They didn’t appreciate that every one of them was a ben Melech, selected and marked for greatness. At this time of the year, we walk along the shore between two lighthouses, two towering reminders of the greatness of Klal Yisroel, Pesach and Shavuos, marking the period when we became a nation and when we received the ultimate gift. During this period, as we count Sefirah and engage in our personal climb to perfection and greatness, how can we not view every Jew admiringly, each individual a chosen one
by the Creator and granted the abilities to rise to soaring heights? On Lag Ba’omer, as we dance with the flickering orange of the fire reflected in joyous eyes and strains of Meron’s clarinets crossing oceans to enliven us as well, we can appreciate the words of the piyut in which we pay tribute to Rabi Shimon bar Yochai: “Na’aseh odom ne’emar baavurecha.” Hashem’s decision of “Naaseh odom - Let us make man” was realized in Rabi Shimon bar Yochai, the absolute example
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The Week In News
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Feature The Week In News
MAY 11, 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
D
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-
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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.
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.”
Encourage your child to tolerate anxiety Tell your child that you appreciate the work it takes to tolerate anx-
Model healthy ways of handling anxiety 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.”
iety in order to do what he wants or 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 anx-
iety 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.”
B”H
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.
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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Jewish The WeekHistory In News By Rabbi Pini Dunner Rav of Young Israel North Beverly Hills
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
Jewish History
Memoirs Of A Forgotten Rabbi The Troubled Life Of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber
Part VI Rabbi 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. Rabbi Dunner has already introduced us to Rabbi Ferber’s memoirs in his previous articles, allowing us to glimpse the life of this revered rabbi for the very first time since he began recording it in vivid detail in the year 1938. This is the third excerpt from the memoirs, and continues the story of Rabbi Ferber’s brother, Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Ferber, whose great scholarship and piety seemed to forestall a great future. The translation is not a word-for-word rendition of the original Hebrew, although Rabbi Dunner has stuck as closely as possible to the original, except when the Rabbinic Hebrew makes an exact translation difficult, or where ambiguities need to be corrected. The material has also been abridged where necessary, excluding details that disrupt the narrative, or expanded where more details are required. PART 3: THE LIFE AND UNTIMELY DEATH OF MY BROTHER, RABBI ELIEZER LIPMAN FERBER When the time arrived for my brother to get married, he came to the attention of a wealthy, G-d-fearing man by the name of Chanan Barkovsky, who lived in Shaki. Barkovsky was so intent getting my brother for his daughter that he promised him 1,500 rubles – which was an absolute fortune in those days - to become his son-inlaw. Barkovsky had four daughters in all, but no sons, and he was determined for all his daughters to marry only the finest Torah scholars. His first son-in-law was my brother. The second was also a great scholar, Rabbi Isaac Sapir, who later authored a number of learned books, and was the chief rabbi of Ratzk in Lithuania, although
he eventually moved to Jerusalem, where he passed away. Barkovsky’s third son-in-law was Rabbi Eliyahu Shalom Regensberg, son of Rabbi David Regensberg, chief rabbi of Shad. He later moved to London, where he became the rabbi at Great Garden Street Synagogue, in London’s East End district. Barkovsky’s fourth son-in-law was Rabbi David Kabinet, son of Rabbi Yehuda, who became chief rabbi of Lubova, near Kalvary. After my brother’s marriage to Barkovsky’s daughter he began to travel around the country for business, while his partner looked after their finances. But in truth, my brother was far more suited to Torah scholarship than he was to business, and within a very short time he lost most of the money he had only just received from his father-in-law, and was left with about one hundred rubles, which he then used to marry off our sister, Feige Beila. When my mother heard that my brother had lost all his money, she had a complete meltdown, but he consoled her, and told her how happy he was to be free of all that money, which had occupied all his time. Now that he had lost it, he told her, there was plenty of time for him to devote to his beloved Torah studies. As soon as it became known that my brother was no longer able to support himself, he was headhunted by a number of communities and offered a range of distinguished rabbinic posts. In the end he accepted the position as chief rabbi of Koznitza, a small town near Grodno. The rabbi who preceded him there was a man called Rabbi Mordechai, a great rabbi who regularly corresponded with Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, the acclaimed Netziv of Volozhin, and one of their exchanges was published in the Netziv’s halachic book, Meishiv Davar. But although he was a brilliant Torah scholar, Rabbi Mordechai suffered endless indignities in his role as the rabbi of Koznitza. There was another rabbi who served in Koznitza called Rabbi Avraham Aaron Yudelevitch, author of the halakhic work “Beit Av”, who afterwards served as the rabbi of Kapolia, near Minsk, and later as a rabbi in Manchester, England, and then in New York, where he passed away and was buried. He was a celebrated scholar and a highly impressive orator, but he nonetheless endured terrible treatment at the hands of the Koznitza community. There was, for example, one incident when a Kotzker Hasid slapped Rabbi
Yudelevitch around the face. It happened during his public eulogy for the recently departed Rabbi Raphael Yomtov Lipman Halpern, chief rabbi of Bialystok, and author of the halachic responsa Oneg Yomtov, who had been known for his vehement opposition to the Hasidic rabbi of Radzyn and his controversial book on the Talmudic tractate of “Toharot”. The violent reaction by the Kotzker Hasid was prompted by Rabbi Yudelevitch’s public recitation during the eulogy of the “Dayan Ha’emet” (True Judge) blessing, including G-d’s name, which indicated his exceptional respect for the recently deceased rabbi. I once heard from Rabbi Arye Bernstein, the rabbi at Bethnal Green Synagogue in London’s East End, who was previously a preacher in Grodno, which was close to Koznitza, that when my brother became the rabbi of Koznitza in around the year 1880, many people in the community dismissed and disparaged him, figuring that he was a feeble inexperienced novice from Lithuania with a prejudice against Hasidim, not worthy of their respect. He complained bitterly that he would never prevail against such hardcore opposition, but it did not take long for him to gain their respect, and it soon became apparent that those who antagonized him would never get the better of him. He was a powerful speaker and always made a strong impression, and soon enough everyone in the community began to take him seriously. MY BROTHER’S WISDOM IN HIS DEALINGS WITH PEOPLE On one occasion a wealthy wedding party arrived from Warsaw to celebrate the marriage of their children in Koznitza. While at a local hotel, all of the bride and groom’s clothes were stolen, along with many other valuable items that they had brought with them on their trip. Evidently, they were completely devastated, and they came to see my brother deeply distressed by what had happened. He advised them to postpone the wedding until after the weekend, and invited them to his join him for all the Shabbat meals at his home – which was hardly surprising, as he was well known for his incredible generosity and hospitality, and for taking care of guests just like a father looks after the needs of his children, as well as concerning himself for widows and orphans, looking after all of their needs and giving them a Torah education. That Shabbat in the synagogue my brother addressed the community, and
expressed his deep disappointment at the tragedy that had been endured by this family from Warsaw, and while he made it clear that he was not suggesting anyone in the community was guilty of the theft, surely there was someone who knew something about this awful crime, and unless they did something to rectify the situation, they too would be guilty. His words generated a lot of unease among those who knew something about the theft, as they knew it did
The celebrated rabbinic scholar Rabbi Zelig Tarshish taught at a private synagogue in Slabodka. When Rabbi Ferber’s brother died young, in November 1892, his father engaged Rabbi Tarshish to teach Torah in his son’s memory throughout the week of the shiva mourning. Rabbi Tarshish subsequently moved to Kelm, and after that to Jerusalem, where he passed away in 1940, in his late 80s
not bode well for them if they did nothing. My brother informed the community that there would be a door open from his house into the adjacent alleyway on Saturday night after Shabbat was over, so that the stolen items could be returned in secret. That night all the stolen items were returned, and the parents of the bride and groom were overjoyed by this turn of events. The wedding went ahead with great festivity and elation, and my brother also attended and joined in the celebration. MY BROTHER’S SCHOLARSHIP AND PIETY As a young man, my brother’s diligence and concentration while studying Torah was exceptional -- he studied literally day and night with complete absorption, and nothing whatsoever could distract him if he was in middle of his studies. Even when he became a full-time community rabbi, nothing changed. He was constantly engaged in his Torah studies, and there was no difference between night and day as far as he was concerned. He studied on his own, and he also taught others. Moreover, he was incredibly pious in his Judaism – I clearly remember his annual visits to my parents, and how he prayed the weekday evening services with such devotion -- he was devout with every fiber of his being. His public addresses cut deep into people’s hearts. Although all his speeches were
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themed around aspects of Jewish law, he would always insert ethical ideas into them that would resonate with the audience, an expression of his integrity and authenticity as a person. His words would reach deep into people’s hearts, even the toughest and most cynical of those who heard him, making an indelible impression. I recall his wondrous eulogy in Slabodka in 1883, at the old synagogue, for the leading rabbi of our time, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter – and despite the fact that he was a mere 29-yearold at the time, Rabbi Salanter’s primary
Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Ferber’s predecessor as the rabbi of Koznitza was Rabbi Avraham Aaron Yudelevitch, whose hostility towards hasidim aroused great anger in that community. On one occasion a hasid of Kotzk slapped him around the face, offended by his respectful eulogy for a notorious rabbinic critic of the Rebbe of Radzyn. Rabbi Yudelevitch later lived in Manchester and in the U.S., and elsewhere in his memoirs Rabbi Ferber records his controversial career
student, Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer, made sure to attend so that he could to hear my brother deliver his superlative tribute. THE MILKMAN IN NOTTINGHAM In 1913, while I was traveling through England, I visited Nottingham and stayed with a community member who was a milkman. I saw that he was a G-d fearing man, and that he observed the Sabbath properly. He was extremely respectful and polite, in a way that was quite unusual, and certainly unlike anyone else in that community. Out of the blue this milkman told me that when he was a young man he and some of his Jewish friends had been drafted into the Russian Imperial Army, and when it was almost Yom Kippur they had asked the commanding officer if they could be stationed in a city with a Jewish community for the holy day, and he had sent them to Koznitza. On Kol Nidre night they had heard a sermon from the rabbi there, a young man, and his powerful words made a great impression. The entire community trembled as he spoke, and their tears flowed like a river. He would never forget that speech for as long as he lived, the milkman told me. When I then told him that the young
rabbi he remembered was none other than my late brother, he was shocked, and then he told me that as soon as he saw me he thought that I reminded him of someone or something, but he just couldn’t figure it out. Now that I had told him that the same rabbi he heard in Kosnitza all those years ago was my brother, suddenly it all made sense. And from that moment on, the milkman in Nottingham treated me with the utmost reverence and respect, and did everything that he could for me. THE UNEXPECTED TRAIN STOP IN KASHODAR I once heard a the following story about my brother – when he went to Shavel in around the year 1889 for our brother Mordechai’s wedding, he was unavoidably delayed at the train stop in Kashodar, Lithuania. While he was there, with nothing else to do, he decided to visit the rabbi of the town, Rabbi Binyamin Meizel, who was later rabbi of Paneman, near Kovno. During their conversation Rabbi Meizel told my brother how upset he was about a vicious controversy that was then raging in the community, a dispute that looked likely to end up at the secular civil court, which would inevitably cause an incredible desecration of G-d’s name among the local gentiles. My brother suggested to the rabbi that he should call the community together at the local synagogue, and once they were all gathered there, he began to address them in a soft tone, and spoke to their hearts, inspiring them to reconcile with each other, and restore peace, and to bring blessings back to their homes and their community. Before long there was not a dry eye in the room. Immediately after he had finished addressing them the warring parties resolved their differences, and everyone in the community, including the rabbi, was delighted by what he had achieved – at which point my brother went back on his journey to the wedding. SOME OTHER RECOLLECTIONS OF MY BROTHER Another recollection I have of my brother is of my father telling him that the cloth belt he was wearing was torn, to which he responded that the belt had very important sentimental value, as it had belonged to “Reb Yudel Sennier” (in other words, to Rabbi Yehuda Bacharach, the acclaimed rabbi of Seini, and author of the popular glosses published at the back of the Vilna Talmud), and he had purchased the belt from the aforementioned rabbi’s heirs. I particularly remember how happy everyone was to meet him at the marriage of our brother Mordechai, to the daughter of the saintly scholar and acclaimed man of G-d, Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv, celebrated author of “Leshem Shevo ve’Achlama”. Every time he found himself at the center of Torah discussions with family mem-
bers, he dazzled them with his scholarship, resolving complex issues with just a couple of words – no one was a match for his intellect and scholarship. My brother’s knowledge of Jewish monetary laws was phenomenal, as is clearly demonstrated in all the writings he left behind. He effortlessly judged the most complicated financial cases and resolved the densest money related legal questions, bringing about peaceful solutions for all the protagonists. He was regularly called upon by different communities to rule on the most complex and challenging financial cases, and everyone was astounded by his ability to grasp all the details and cut to the chase. I remember one particular case – a dispute between the well-known tycoon, Yosef Sharshevski of Grodno, and another party. No one had been able to draw a line under the matter until my late brother stepped in and sorted it out. What was even more remarkable was that he never took any payment for his lawsuit related work – he was not interested in being compensated, or in any kind of financial gain. He was a man of truth and integrity, righteous and pious in everything that he did, driven by Torah ideals and a passion for justice. MY BROTHER BECOMES SICK The year 5753 (1892) was a terrible year – as it was the year that my brother passed away. As soon as the year began he had a weird premonition that his time had come, and he asked his loved ones to pray for him. Over the High Holidays he inspired the community with his wonderful sermons, as he always did, and on Yom Kippur he led the Neilah prayer at the end of the day. On the eve of the new month of Cheshvan, just a couple of weeks later, he fasted as he did every year, and prayed the mini-Yom-Kippur prayer recited by pious people before a new month begins. But the following day, my brother suddenly felt unwell – and he was diagnosed with Typhoid Fever. Weirdly enough, my mother had fallen asleep that morning – she was in Slabodka, of course, while my brother was many miles away in Koznitza -- and while she was sleeping she dreamt that my brother was sick, and that a doctor was standing over him. She woke up frightened, and wept bitterly, because she felt that it wasnt just a dream. Just then a telegram arrived from my brother informing her of his diagnosis, and asking her to pray for him, as her prayers would surely be effective. I still recall how she prayed over the next few days with such devotion, particularly the penitential prayers of Mondays and Thursdays. I could hear her crying through the wall that separated our rooms, although when I went into her room she went silent so as not to upset me. As soon as the telegram had arrived my mother ran to the synagogue and prayed in front of the ark containing the Torahs.
My father also prayed fervently, as did all the members of our household – we cried what seemed to be rivers of tears, praying and pleading for my brother’s full recovery. My mother also made efforts to ensure that the world renowned rabbinic luminary, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor of Kovno, would prayed for him to recover. In my brother’s town, Koznitza, and the surrounding area, everyone gathered together to pray for him as well. But it seems his fate had already been sealed, and the candelabra that had shone for 39 years, with the flame of mitzvot and the light of Torah, had already been extinguished. When my mother arrived in Koznitza to be with him a few days later, my brother told her that he knew his time was up – it had been revealed to him from the Heavens, and he had already encountered some of his friends who had passed away. MY BROTHER’S PASSING On the 11th of Mar-Cheshvan (November 1), 1892, my brother passed away. When he was first diagnosed, they had summoned Dr. Zamkov from Grodno, and he had predicted that if my brother was able to make it past two weeks, he would be recover. Dr. Zamkov was a very famous and eminent doctor, but unfortunately he had returned to Grodno immediately afterwards, and my brother had been tended to over the next few days by a local doctor, who my mother later said was very young and inexperienced, which upset her enormously. My mother was also extremely upset that my sister-in-law, Chaya Gitel, had allowed her husband to fast on the eve of the new month of Cheshvan. And the truth is, my mother was right. Penitential fast days are not meant for a great scholar who spends his life immersed in Torah study, as the founder of Hasidism, the Baal Shem Tov, had explicitly told his disciple, R. Yaakov Yosef Katz of Polonoyye, author of the book “Toldot Yaakov Yosef”. The tragedy of my brother’s untimely death totally devastated my parents, and they never recovered from the terrible blow of his demise for the rest of their lives. During the year of mourning that followed his passing, my father organized a daily prayer service at our home, and a righteous scholar delivered a daily Torah discourse to those who attended, and also ate meals at our table. During the initial mourning week the celebrated rabbinic scholar, Rabbi Zelig Tarshish of Kelm, taught Torah in my brother’s memory at our home – at that time he lived in Slabodka; he now lives in Jerusalem. NEXT TIME: WHAT HAPPENED TO RABBI FERBER’S BROTHER’S FAMILY AFTER HE DIED?
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Tears of Sadness and Tears of Joy: Los Angeles Unites For Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut Tova Abady The Los Angeles community commemorated the holidays of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut in locations throughout the city, including the Saban Theatre, Beth Jacob, and Rancho Park.
Photo: Justin Kenderes
FIDF National Board Member and Western Region President Tony Rubin led Sunday’s event as master of ceremonies
Rabbi Baron screened part of a documentary, Angels in the Sky, which tells the story of Mitchell Flint, a Jewish fighter pilot for the United States Air Force during WWII. When Flint found out that Jews in the Holy Land who had escaped being murdered by the Nazis were now under threat from their Arab neighbors, he volunteered to fly combat missions during Israel’s War of Independence. Miraculously, he – along with a group of (primarily Jewish) volunteer pilots from around the globe – were the shomrim who stopped six advancing Egyptian armies with only decrepit planes. Eitan Cohen, also a Jewish hero and the son of four Holocaust survivors, enlisted at the age of 18 and still serves in the IDF. He stated, “We must understand the importance of our eternal Jewish homeland, and we will do our part to ensure that our people will never again suffer the tragedy we once endured.” Attendee Rita Armani, a native of Israel, voiced her appreciation of the evening. She said that her heart brought her to be
Executive Director Mazkirim of Bnei Akiva, Rabbi Menachem Hecht, said that Bnei Akiva continues to proudly and joyfully deliver their message: Am Yisrael, b’Eretz Yisrael, al pi Torat Yisrael, Israel is the home of the Jewish people, as promised in the Torah. Many graduates of Bnei Akiva make aliyah and several are currently serving in Tzahal. 60 high school
students are taking roles as madrichim to convey this message throughout the year, and these young Jewish leaders emceed the evening. In memory of Israel’s fallen, the Israeli flag was lowered to half mast, a siren sounded for a moment of silence, and the prayer “El Maleh Rachamim” was recited as everyone joined together to honor the kedoshim who have lost their lives al kiddush Hashem. Bnei Akiva youth told stories of Jews murdered by Arab terrorists but who accomplished so much during their lifetimes that they remain alive in the hearts of all Jews. Then, the flag was then returned to full mast and shofarot were blown to signify the beginning on Yom Ha’atzmaut. The audience clapped along to rousing performances by the Gindi Mainonides Academy Choir, the Harkham Hillel Academy Choir, and The Bnei Akiva Los Angeles Choir. On Sunday, May 7th, the Israel American Council (IAC) held their community-wide Yom Haatzmaut celebration at Rancho Park. The theme this year was “Jerusalem: Fifty Years of Reunification.” 15 festivals were held nationwide, with Los Angeles being the largest. IAC’s goal for the festival was to engage not only Israelis, but the entire Jewish community as well as their non-Jewish friends. Inside the park, there were many activities to choose from, including riding camels, pony rides, learning at the Biblical Zoo, and creating crafts. Vendors sold a wide variety of kosher food items, including falafel and schwarma by Lieder’s and fresh fruits and vegetables in the area replicating Mahane Yehuda (“the shuk”). At “Abraham and Sarah’s tent,” visitors could catch a song by popular L.A.based band, Moshav and catch a glimpse of the Pico Shul’s rav, Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, dressed as Avraham Avinu. Yehuda Deutsch gave a virtual tour of the Western Wall every 15 minutes. His presentation included a history lesson of Jerusalem and an overview of the Western Wall tunnels. In the afternoon, there was a Mega Challah Bake with a dozen or more tables set with a pan of dough, kneaded and ready to be braided. Luna Kadouri Shalom led the IAC challah baking program and had a large challah on a table prepared to enable everyone to make a brachah in unison for all of Israel’s soldiers. Mrs. Shalom teaches classes on Judaism at the IAC Miri Shepher Community Center in Woodland Hills, and together with Mazal Hadad she will be leading the new Birthright for Moms initiative sponsored by the IAC and the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. Eligible women with children under the age of 18 may contact them about
an upcoming trip July 18-25, 2017. Only the airfare has to be paid by participants, as the rest of the supercharged week-long trip is sponsored. Aside from the many booths, there was entertainment all afternoon on the main stage, including headliner Dudu Aharon. The love the Jewish community of Los Angeles bears for the Jewish people and Jewish homeland was palpable throughout all these events.
Photos: Linda Kasian
Friends of the IDF, the Temple of the Arts, and The Consul General of Israel – in partnership with dozens of schools, synagogues, and organizations – hosted their third annual, community-wide Yom Hazikaron commemoration at the Saban Theatre. Consul General Sam Grundwerg addressed the audience and stated that every day is Yom Hazikaron for the families of 23,544 brave men and women in the IDF and associated security forces and the families of the 3117 Jews murdered by Arab terrorists. Everyone in the theater stood as a siren sounded to honor our fallen soldiers and terror victims. Many of heroic men and women who fought for Israel were present both on stage and in the audience. The leader of the Temple of the Arts, Rabbi David Baron, introduced two of them, 93-year-old Mitchell Flint and IDF Captain Eitai Cohen.
together with other Jews and that all her thoughts were with the families of soldiers who gave their lives. Gila Geva, also Israeli, said she came to the U.S. to attend UCLA. Her eyes welled up with tears as she recalled calling her mother that morning in Tel Aviv, and hearing the siren that halts everything to honor those Jews who lost their lives to protect and defend the Jewish nation. Mordechai Glieberman, who served in the infantry Givati Brigade 1953 to 1956, said he watched the news on the Israeli channel and had tears in his eyes when he saw all the young officers who died in the wars. He said although he rarely cries, today it was impossible not to. Carley Sirlin, a lovely young woman who greeted people at the door of the Saban, grew up in the suburb of West Bloomfield, Michigan, went to Young Judea, Hillel Day school became an Israeli scout and became a lone soldier in Israel. At the Beth Jacob event, the synagogue was packed, standing room only, with hundreds of children and parents from each of the community’s shuls and schools, as well as community leaders, for Bnei Akiva’s inspiring Yom Hazikaron & Yom Ha’atzmaut program. The social hall was beautifully decorated in blue and white with balloons and flags in preparation for singing, dancing and a barbeque for a grand celebration for Israel’s 69th birthday.
Israeli Tour Guide Yehuda Deutsch giving a Western Wall Virtual Tour
Yehuda Solomon and Duvid Swirsky of Moshav Band and Rabbi Yona Bookstein of the Pico Shul at the Shabbat Tent
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Macron to Lead France The French people have spoken. Residents of France voted in Emmanuel Ma-
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
cron as successor to President Francois Hollande on Sunday. At 39-years-old, the former investment banker will be the youngest president in the history of the country. He took the record away from Napoleon’s nephew, Louis Napoleon, who won the presidency at age 40 in 1848. The former economy minister defeated anti-immigration nationalist Marine Le Pen. Le Pen, a strong conservative, had threatened to take France out of the European Union during her campaign. Macron received 66% of the popular vote and Le Pen got garnered 34%, a much wider gap wider than predicted by pre-election surveys.
In his acceptance speech Macron humbly accepted his duty to please all of France and not just his supporters. “I know the divisions in our nation, which have led
some to vote for the extremes. I respect them. I know the anger, the anxiety, the doubts that very many of you have also expressed. It’s my responsibility to hear them,” he said. “I will work to recreate the link between Europe and its peoples, between Europe and citizens.” Many chose Macron as the best of the worse, voting simply to ensure that Le Pen wasn’t voted in. Furthermore, many voters chose not to vote at all, signaling their distaste for both candidates. France had the worst voter turnout since 1969 with just 74% of registered voters turning up to vote on Election Day.
N Korea Detains another American
On Sunday, state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korea has detained a U.S. citizen on suspicion of “hostile acts” against the regime. According to North Korea, Kim Hak-song is “a man who was doing business in relation to the operation of Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.” KCNA said the American was detained Saturday, but did not release more details on his alleged crime. There are now four U.S. citizens being held by North Korea. Hak-song is the second American professor working at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology to be detained in recent months. In a statement, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology said Kim was doing agricultural development work with the university’s agricultural farm. The English version of the state-run Korean Central News Agency identified the detained citizen as Jin Xue Song, a Chinese version of the name Kim Haksong. Kim, an ethnic Korean, was born in Jilin, China, and was educated at a university in California. He came to the U.S. in the mid-1990s and became a citizen in the 2000s. After about ten years of living in the U.S. Hak-Song returned to China. Two years ago he went to Pyongyang. “Professor Kim was a man who would call North Korea as his own country. He went to Pyongyang to devote himself to the development of North Korea’s agricultural technology so that the North can be self-sufficient with food,” David Kim, a classmate, said. Kim had been very concerned about the food shortage in North Korea.
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Three other U.S. citizens are detained by North Korea: Kim Dong Chul, the president of a company involved in international trade and hotel services; he was arrested in 2015. Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in 2016 for removing a political sign. Kim Sang Duk, also known as Tony Kim, a university professor, was detained in Pyongyang in 2017 and accused of attempting to overthrow the government.
ace on Wednesday. The last public photo of Prince Philip was also last Wednesday as he attended an event.
since five short years ago Prince Philip said he would “wind down” his workload. Even so, working takes a toll on a man his age. In 2016, he attended 200 events. In an interview with the BBC to mark his 90th birthday in 2011, Prince Philip said it was time to take a step back from his responsibilities. “I reckon I’ve done my bit, I want to enjoy myself now ... have less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say,” he said at the time.
Prince Philip Steps Down from Royal Duty
According to those familiar with the plans of the royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will move back to London from Norfolk in eastern England this year in order to carry out more duties. They will take up residence in Kensington Palace, the former home of Princess Diana. The Duke, Prince William, recently announced that he will leave his job as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglia Air Ambulance service in order to fulfill royal duties. Before the announcement was made publicly senior royal staff members were summoned to London by the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior member of Queen Elizabeth II’s household staff, to be told of the announcement prior to the public proclamation. This announcement isn’t a huge shock
Prosecuting at Nuremberg
Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince Philip will be stepping down from all official duties and public life as of September at the age of 95. Philip has been married to the Queen for her entire reign – 65 years – and has regularly attended official engagements. The Queen has also been scaling back her public appearances at the age of 91. For now, she will continue to carry out her duties while being surrounded by other members of the royal family. The most recent engagement of the Queen was attending a meeting with the prime minister at the pal-
Ben Ferencz, a 97-year-old WWII veteran who prosecuted Nazis in Nuremberg, recently spoke with “60 Minutes.” 70 years since the trials, Ferencz recalls with chilling detail how blank the faces of the murderers he prosecuted were when they were confronted with their crimes. “I’m still churning,” Ferencz recalls. “Defendants’ faces were blank all the time…absolutely blank…like…they’re waiting for a bus.” Ferencz had graduated Harvard Law School and then served in the U.S. armed forces. He fought bravely in many of the major battles of World War II. After being
put in a unit tasked with investigating war crimes, he went searching through concentration camps seeking out evidence. He discovered a large, hidden cache of Nazi reports that documented the systemic killing of over 1 million people outside of concentration camps – in towns and cities throughout Europe. “They were 3,000 SS officers trained for the purpose and directed to kill, without pity or remorse, every single Jewish man, woman and child they could lay their hands on,” he related. When Ferencz had presented his newfound evidence to his superiors, the Nuremberg trials were already underway and his boss did not think there was enough staff to prepare the evidence for trial. Even so, he allowed Ferencz to prosecute based on the evidence he discovered, so long as he undertook all of the casework himself. The then-27-year-old put the trial together on his own time and led the ninth trial at Nuremberg on his own. When the Nazis at his trial were presented with the evidence, 22 commanders of the SS units called Einsatzgruppen pleaded not guilty. They did so despite Ferencz presenting their own handwritten reports of the murders they and their men had carried out. Ferencz recalls that one of the commanders was particularly flagrant in his denial. He recalled, “He gets up and he says, then uttering the words in German
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The Week In News Register NOW!!!
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
before translating, ‘What? The Jews were shot? I hear it here for the first time.’ Boy, I felt if I’d had a bayonet, I would have jumped over the thing and put a bayonet right through one ear and let it come out the other.”
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the early release of hundreds of convicted human rights abusers. The court ruling in question reduced the sentence of Luis Muina, who was given a 13-year prison sentence in 2013 for kidnapping and torture during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. Three of the five Supreme Court judges ruled that time served before conviction should be counted as double towards his final sentence. Their ruling is based on their interpretation of a controversial law that has since been repealed.
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Ferencz spent the remainder of his career focused on the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the prosecution of war crimes.
Early Release for Criminals in Argentina? Argentina has seen many protests this past week since two Supreme Court judges who were appointed by President Mauricio Macri made a decision that may lead to
Many activists have taken to the streets warning of the precedent this ruling sets. “The ruling will result in a cascade of appeals. It will have a domino effect that will lead to the release of most offenders,” said Rodolfo Yanzon, a lawyer representing victims of the dictatorship. “It’s a virtual amnesty.” Many argue that the ruling was made in order to downplay the abuse that the previous military regime rained upon the people of Argentina.
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The Week In News Over 350 former military officers that have been condemned for their actions will benefit from the ruling. It came only a few days after the very influential Catholic Church pleaded for reconciliation between the military and their victims. Argentina’s bishops publicly called for a “the fraternal coming together of all Argentinians.”
North Korea & Iran More evidence is coming out link-
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
ing the Islamic Republic of Iran and North Korea. This week, Iran attempted to launch a Jask-2 cruise missile from a “midget” submarine that intelligence officials say is based on a North Korean design. The same type of submarine sank a South Korean warship in 2010. The attempted launch failed, though it would have marked the first time such a missile was launched underwater. Experts on the matter have long thought that North Korea and Iran have been sharing missile-related information and technology. “The very first missiles we saw in Iran were simply copies
of North Korean missiles,” says Jeffrey Lewis, a missile proliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. “Over the years, we’ve seen photographs of North Korean and Iranian officials in each other’s countries, and we’ve seen all kinds of common hardware.” The Pentagon identified a ballistic missile that Iran tested in January as being based on a North Korean design. Conversely, North Korea’s Taepodong missile looks almost identical to Iran’s Shahab missile. ”In the past, we would see things in North Korea and they would show up
in Iran. In some recent years, we’ve seen some small things appear in Iran first and then show up in North Korea and so that raises the question of whether trade – which started off as North Korea to Iran – has started to reverse,” Lewis added. Both Iran and North Korea have been losing friends in the international community. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spent some time last week trying to bolster support from Southeast Asian countries for more United Nations sanctions against North Korea. The Trump administration had put Iran “on notice” days after their ballistic missile test.
De-Escalation Zones Established in Syria Turkey, Russia, and Iran have all agreed to make designated areas in Syria “de-escalation zones” in which President Bashar Assad’s air force will enter in an effort to reduce violence in the war-torn Arab country. The agreement was signed in Kazakhstan this week in the capital city of Astana. The agreement was sealed among public protests to Iran’s involvement. Iran has been accused of throwing fuel on the destructive fire that is the Syrian civil war that has claimed over 400,000 lives. “Iran is a country that is killing the Syrian people and the killer cannot be the rescuer,” Abu Osama Golani, a rebel commander who was at Astana for the agreement signing, protested. This agreement is not the first signed in Astana meant to slow the conflict. On December 30, a cease-fire agreement was signed that lasted for a few weeks but eventually collapsed. All other attempts to peacefully end the conflict have failed as well. The sponsors of the deal hope that the safe zones will encourage displaced refugees to return to their homeland and bring relief for hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians that have known only war for the past six years. Many, though, are skeptical of the deal. Heather Nauert, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said that America has “reason to be cautious” about the chances for success of the deal, though it does appreciate Russia and Turkey’s efforts in helping to lower the violence in Syria. She was very skeptical of Iran’s involvement, adding that “Iran’s activities in Syria have only contributed to the violence – not stopped it – and Iran’s unquestioning support for the Assad regime has perpetuated the misery of ordinary Syrians.”
The Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
NOWHERE BUT HERE Yeshiva University’s commitment to ensuring that all students can enjoy an uplifting Torah education and a fulfilling college experience includes distributing $42 million in scholarships and financial assistance, benefiting 80% of students. Unlike most universities, YU’s financial aid office considers parents’ obligations to pay yeshiva tuition for siblings. Achieving their academic and spiritual goals is why YU students meet with outstanding success. Applying to graduate programs and entering their chosen careers, 94% (44 students) were admitted to medical school, 96% (27 students) to dental school and 100% (60 students) to law school in the past year.
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Book Review The Week In News
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
The 28th Of Iyar: The Dramatic Day-By-Day Journal Of An American Family In Israel During The Six Day War by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman (50th Anniversary Edition, Feldheim Publishers 2017) Reviewed by Rebecca Klempner
In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Six Day War, Feldheim has re-released Rabbi Emanuel Feldman’s memoir, The 28th of Iyar. Decades after its initial publication, the book remains transfixing, and even gains new relevance. The 28th of Iyah covers May 18 through June 29, 1967. As it begins, Rabbi Feldman (Tales Out of Shul, The Shul without a Clock), his wife Estelle, and their children are on sabbatical from his position at Congregation Beth Jacob in Atlanta. While Rabbi Feldman serves as a guest lecturer at Bar Ilan University, the family enjoys nearly a year of quotidian Israeli life in Bnei Brak. At the beginning of May, Egyptian
President Nassar sends his troops to the Sinai, demanding that the UN pull out its peace-keepers. Something tells Rabbi Feldman that drama lies ahead. He writes in his journal, “Wouldn’t it be nice (nice is the wrong word, it just occurred to me) simply to record – and to record simply – just what is happening each day: thoughts, fears, apprehensions, worries, rumors, reflections, speculation, conversations, theories (p. 14).” He proceeds to chronicle the building crisis. While most books about the period emphasize Nassar’s nationalism, his strategic embargo on the Straits of Tiran, the behind-the-scenes debates between Israeli leaders who disagree about how and when
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to act, and scenes of battle, these are relegated to the background as Rabbi Feldman focuses on the feelings and experiences of laypeople. We witness men called out of Shabbos services in order to report to their army units; women vacillating between fear and pride as their husbands and sons head to war; foreign residents, like the Feldmans, who must decide whether to remain in Israel or head home; and children – some terrified, some excited – listening to artillery fire outdoors from inside their safe rooms. At first, Rabbi Feldman’s tone is one of cool curiosity – and, perhaps, denial. A few days later, as he heads to campus, he spots his own students boarding busses destined for army bases. Dina, one of the few students remaining in his class, demands to know, “What will be?” He tells her, “I do not know what will be. Anyone who says the situation is not serious is just fooling himself. But one fact you must remember. Israel’s history is not a natural one, but a supernatural one.” He urges his students to trust that no matter how dire the news sounds, Hashem has the power to rescue them. Rabbi Feldman and Estelle decide to remain in Israel till their already-scheduled departure of June 13th. In the interim, they seek out ways to help friends and neighbors – as well as alleviate their guilt for not fighting this worthy war themselves. Rabbi Feldman settles unpaid bills, encourages his students, and volunteers to deliver the mail, as most postal vehicles have been commandeered for the war effort. When the situation worsens, Rabbi Feldman seeks solace in writing. “By now it has become an obsession with me,” he writes, “…Is this for myself, so that in later years I can read it, and remember? Is it for posterity, so that if we are all blown up, someone may find this and know how it really was…Or am I writing this because it helps me keep my sanity (p. 107)?” By the end of Rabbi Feldman’s journal, his quavering heart is stilled by awesome miracles and unbridled joy. Certain details evoked particularly strong feelings in me: A father making kiddush for both his family and the officer who has arrived to bring him to the army base; Rabbi Feldman’s brother, Aharon (currently Rosh Yeshiva Ner Israel), trying to con-
vince his brother to return to the U.S. even though he will remain behind; Shoah sur-
vivors suffering PTSD who refuse to enter shelters; and Estelle’s scramble to stock up on essentials before the war hits. We join the men gathered daily outside Itchkovitch – the “minyan factory” where 1000 people pray daily in back-to-back services – who offer their opinions of every rumor and scrap of news. This spotlight on individuals and their struggles brings suspense to Feldman’s writing, even though we know how the story will end. Many of Rabbi Feldman’s observations are made more poignant by current events. Fifty years have passed, and yet enemies still defame and threaten Israel. Our current lack of unity starkly contrasts with the achdus displayed during the war, as does the waning enthusiasm for the State seen in average Israelis. The book also provides context for the development of the baal teshuvah movement. Those who became observant during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s frequently cite the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War as influences on their decisions to attach to yiddishkeit. Seeing the events of the spring of 1967 through Rabbi Feldman’s eyes makes the reader understand why.
MAY 11, 2017 | The Jewish Home
The Week In News
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ON THE HORIZON OF
A NEW CENTURY
Tribute to THE CLASS OF
Tribute to THE CLASS OF
1967
1992
,gsu vru, t,ch,nu ,chah
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SERVICE TO KLAL YISROEL
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF SERVICE TO KLAL YISROEL
NINETY-EIGHTH ANNUAL DINNER
Guest Of Honor
Mr. SHLOMO GOLDNER
los Angeles, Class of ‘67
M o r e i n u H o r av Av r o h o m Pa m M e m o r i a l A wa r d
Kesser Torah Award A T i m e ly M e s s a g e Of Leadership And Vision
Moreinu HORAV MOSHE WOLFSON t”yhka PASSING THE TORAH AND MISSION OF RAV SHRAGA FEIVEL MENDELOWITZ
Rabbi Berish GoldenberG
los Angeles, Class of ‘67
AVODAS HAKODESH AWARD
MR. & MRS. MOSHE METZGER
Mr. & Mrs. Yisroel Blumenfrucht
Class of ‘67
Class of ‘67
REPRESENTING THE CLASS OF ‘92
Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Leshkowitz
PARENTS OF THE YEAR DINNER CO-CHAIRMEN
UshY Fried • Aryeh Weiss
Mr. & Mrs. Tzvi Gray
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