Fear in the mail fails to silence 160-yearold Dutch outlet
By Canaan Lidor, JNS
AMSTERDAM — In addition to its investigative journalism, the main Jewish publication in the Netherlands stands out for its spectacular covers.
Eye-catching graphics sets the weekly NIW apart from other communal papers.
A recent edition of the Nieuw Israelietisch Weekblad (New Israelite Weekly) — which was established 160 years ago and is the world’s second-oldest still-running Jewish publication — boasted a photo of a mesmerizing Moorish-style ceiling of a train station designed by a Jewish architect. Another was monochromatic, featuring only a graduate cap against the reticulated pattern of a keffiyeh — a jarring reference to intimidation on Dutch campuses.
Recently, however, NIW began concealing its vaunted covers. Shortly after the surge of antisemitism that followed Oct. 7, 2023, the weekly began reaching subscribers sandwiched between blank sheets of paper, for security reasons.
Likely the only Dutch publication receiving this treatment, the NIW’s concealment encapsulates the reality of its intended readership: Members of a proud and prosperous minority that is gradually being stripped of its voice and confidence by the resurgence of antisemitism after the Holocaust.
“I’ve always opposed this move whenever it came up in internal discussions because it’s symbolic: We’re proud Dutch Jews and we don’t want to hide,” Esther Voet, the paper’s longtime editor-in-chief, told JNS in a recent interview in her canal-side home in Amsterdam. But after Oct. 7, “readers were afraid. They told us: ‘I don’t want my neighbors to know that I’m Jewish at this time’.”
Some subscribers to the NIW worried not only about their neighbors, but also the postal carriers, many of whom are Muslim.
“That’s the reality we live in, and the cover concealment is the least of it,” Voet said.
Experiencing Jewish prayer o
Ihave wanted to visit Har Habayit — the Temple Mount — for some time. While Jews were not permitted to do so for many
years, they are increasingly visiting the site where the Holy Temples once stood.
During a recent trip to Israel, I finally got the chance to see it for myself.
The Temple Mount defines the Jewish nation and our claim to the Land of Israel. For this reason, Arabs attempt to prevent Jews from exercising ownership and deny our right to pray there. Unfortunately, the Israeli government continues to adhere to a policy enact-
ed shortly after the Six-Day War in June 1967 that ceded control of the mount to the Arabs.
On the second day of Chol Hamoed Pesach, my son, Yonatan, and I immersed in the mikvah of the Gur Hassidim, then joined about 25 other pilgrims by the Mughrabi Gate at the Kotel, the only permitted entrance to Temple Mount for non-Muslims. We were greeted on the wooden ramp by a unit from Israel’s Temple Mount police, who guided us on our journey.
On the mount, we were instructed by the police to walk quickly and not linger at any one spot. Soon, the majestic Dome of the Rock was in front of us. Seeing the shrine, built over the ruins of the ancient Jewish Temple, saddened me.
I was surprised to see a minyan formed opposite the Dome, since I thought Jews were not allowed to pray there. Still, I answered with a
See Temple Mount on page 2
ALEX STERNBERG
Dutch paper hides its Jewish identity in mail…
Continued from page 1
For years, the NIW news team worked out of an unmarked office, the paper’s name absent from the intercom panel and mailboxes. Security costs added up, eventually tipping the scales in favor of remote work, Voet said.
The switch ended decades of a newsroom environment at NIW: The last time it didn’t have an office was after the Holocaust, which two directors of the NIW survived. They printed the first number after the Shoah 12 days after liberation.
The Netherlands Journalist Association, the NVJ, has not spoken about the concealment or the security costs. NVJ has vigorously defended journalists against alleged police brutality, and spoke out in 2023 in defense of a Palestinian journalist who was criticized for using jihadist language in his work.
Police opt out
In September, NIW broke a news story that made headlines nationally and internationally,
and prompted concern not only about postmen but also police officers. It reported that officers were opting out of protecting Jewish events and venues citing “moral objections,” likely in reference to Israel. No disciplinary action was taken.
Two months later, on Nov. 7, 2024, dozens of Arab men assaulted Israeli soccer fans returning from a Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam, in what NIW and many others have termed the first antisemitic pogrom in the Netherlands since World War II.
The police, which had a thin deployment despite the known potential for violence against hundreds of Israelis, made no arrests during the riots. Fewer than 12 people have been indicted for the violence. Perpetrators coordinated it in advance and real-time on instant messaging platforms that were rife with antisemitic language.
On the night of the pogrom, Voet opened up her centrally located home and turned it into a safehouse for Israelis who were looking for sanctuary. Jewish community volunteers brought
Temple Mount…
Continued from page 1
loud “Amen” as Kaddish was recited. Some in the group even prostrated themselves on the stone floor with outstretched arms in commemoration of the Temple worship that was done during the time of the Beit Hamikdash. The situation has changed since the days when Arab women would stand alongside Jewish visitors to ensure that they wouldn’t pray or even move their lips. Those women would sometimes spit on visitors. Now, the police accompanying us gently encouraged everyone to complete their visit in a timely manner but waited — perhaps impatiently — during the prayer, respecting the process and not interfering.
Ascending the Temple Mount is controversial in Judaism, but I found it spiritually uplifting. The controversy stems more from
Ascending it is controversial in Judaism, but I found it spiritually uplifting.
rabbinical disagreement about the exact location of the Holy of Holies, a sacred area Jews are not allowed to enter. The Holy of Holies was so sacred that during the time of the Temples, the high priest was only allowed to enter it once a year — on Yom Kippur.
Although the temples have been destroyed, the Temple Mount itself maintains a holy status that we must not desecrate.
After Israel unified Jerusalem — including the Western Wall and Temple Mount — Rabbi Shlomo Goren, the chief rabbi of the Israeli Defense Forces, requested that IDF engineers map the Temple Mount site to determine the various locations of the Beit Hamikdash. He published the findings in a book, laying out the areas Jews may visit. Goren, however, warned that immersion in a mikvah must precede visiting even the areas permitted.
He encouraged Jews to join the many great Torah sages who have been praying on Har Habayit for more than 1,000 years. Such rabbis included Moses ben Maimon, the revered Rambam (Maimonides), who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1165. After his visit, he wrote a letter about praying at “the great and Holy House.”
“Even though nowadays the Temple is destroyed because of our sins,
them to Voet or directed them to her via WhatsApp messages. Bart Schut, the newspaper’s deputy editor in chief, also brought Israelis in need to Voet’s home.
Not far from her home, which is in the same neighborhood as the Anne Frank House, gangs of Muslims patrolled the streets, some of them pushing victims into the icy canal waters and conducting passport checks that ended in savage beatings of anyone deemed to be Israeli.
“You know, I was always aware that a time like this could come. Any Dutch Jew with any historical awareness must be,” Voet told JNS, referencing how, during WWII, the Nazis and their collaborators murdered at least 75% of Dutch Jewry. “But to actually see the fear in the eyes of Jews hiding in my home, nothing prepares you for that,” she said.
Pessimism
This and other experiences have made Voet “very pessimistic about the future of Jews in Europe. Because, clearly, the silent majority has
expressed itself: It has chosen to remain silent,” said Voet, a petite 61-year-old woman who often wields her quick wit in defense of Israel and the Jews on prime-time talk shows.
She has devoted much of her life to her work. “This makes it easier for me to stay here and carry on the duty, which I believe NIW is carrying out. But I understand those who leave,” said Voet.
The NIW has independent funding from a board that distributes Holocaust restitution funds. This means it is independent to pursue Jewish community controversies, including on the kashrut business and the conduct of its leaders.
The NIW’s pro-Israel stance, however, limits its attractiveness to many journalists, including Jewish ones, Voet acknowledged.
“With a few exceptions, the Dutch media speaks with one negative voice about Israel. The NIW stands almost alone. It inspires us and our readers with a sense of mission, but many journalists would rather stay away.”
See Hidden cover on page 6
nevertheless, even today everyone is required to show it respect [fear] as was practiced in the days when it stood. No one may enter it except the places that one is permitted to enter,” Maimonides wrote in H. Beit HaBechira 7.7.
Unfortunately, Goren encountered a setback in his plans. Israel’s defense minister at the time, Moshe Dayan, made a bizarre gesture of granting the defeated Jordanians rights over the Temple Mount.
A nonreligious Jew, he either didn’t grasp the significance of the site for Jews or simply didn’t care. Once again, Jews were barred from praying
at the location of our ancient Temple.
Many Jews defied this ill-considered agreement, and more are visiting and praying there annually. Yeshivahs conduct daily scheduled classes there.
According to a report in the Haredi publication Kikar HaShabbat, during Passover 6,315 Jews visited the Temple Mount, nearly 2,000 more than visited during Passover 2022. Each year, more Jewish visitors come, reinforcing our longstanding bond with the two Temples that once stood there. Moslems have built five mosques on the site since 1967, something they had agreed not to do. Meanwhile, Israel has yet to construct a synagogue on
the Temple Mount and prevent Arabs from erecting more mosques there. Dayan not only ceded the Temple Mount to Arab control but also the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron. However, a motivated Israeli government arranged for Jews and Arabs to share that site, and to this day, daily Jewish prayers take place there. Perhaps an increase in worshippers at the Temple Mount would encourage the government to facilitate sharing that space, too. Then we can say, “Next year in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount!” Dr. Alex Sternberg is the author of “Recipes From Auschwitz.” Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
Esther Voet, center of upper row, with Israelis who took refuge in her apartment in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Nov. 7, 2024. Bart Schut
Anti-Israel protesters during a campus riot at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on May 12, 2024. Canaan Lidor
Jews pray outside the al-Aqsa compound on the Temple Mount, during Passover, on April 17. Chaim Goldberg, Flash90
New Minve will eye Hebrew’s history and revival
By Judy Lash Balint, JNS
Professor Aharon Maman is confident that the Minve, the new home of the Academy of the Hebrew Language he heads, will soon take its rightful place alongside Jerusalem’s principal institutions in the Government Quarter near the Knesset and within sight of the new National Library of Israel.
Maman believes Israelis sometimes take Hebrew for granted.
“We speak it every day, but few know the story behind it,” he told JNS. “We want the next generation to appreciate the miracle of its revival.”
In the 72 years since its inception, the institution charged by Israeli law with preserving and adapting the language of the Jewish state has never had a home worthy of its mission.
The Academy, as it is often called, now seeks to bring Hebrew’s story to the public in a more tangible way — a museum dedicated to the 3,000-year journey of the Hebrew language.
“We currently have a small museum, but we want to build something bigger, with sound, sight, and historical objects — something that tells the story not just to Israelis, but to the world,” said Maman, president of the Academy of the Hebrew Language.
The proposed Minve building will help promote the dual goals of elevating and expanding the study of Hebrew while exploring its cultural significance, Maman said. He explained that the name Minve (pronounced Meen-vé) is an example of the work of the Academy. It’s a new Hebrew word derived from navé, meaning home or abode, as well as pleasant and beautiful.
In addition to its public spaces, the Minve will also house the dozens of lexicographers who work in the Academy’s research institutes and on its Historical Dictionary Project.
Maman described the Historical Dictionary as a monumental, ongoing project to trace the history of every Hebrew word from its earliest usage to today.
“Just to give you a general idea of what we accomplished in the first fifty years of work, we have about twenty million words. So if you take that as one single dictionary, it means that you have 20 million examples. Twenty million, of course, is not a dictionary. It’s a gathering of many concordances of many texts,” he said.
In addition to the Historical Dictionary, the Academy publishes an average of one new dictionary per year, listing current Hebrew terms related to a particular field. Wine, diplomacy and computers are recent topics addressed by the Academy.
Maman noted that these were relatively small dictionaries. The fields of psychology and philosophy are still waiting to be completed, he said. More than a hundred different dictionaries are now accessible on the Academy’s website. A recent example: words associated with COVID-19.
Despite its biblical roots, Hebrew has never existed in a vacuum. Foreign influence has shaped its lexicon for millennia. Words like sus (horse) hail from Egyptian heikhal (temple), from Assyrian and Sumerian, and Sanhedrin — the supreme religious body during Temple times — comes from Greek.
Modern Hebrew, too, has absorbed influences, especially from English. English words that have filtered into common Israeli usage include oto, (car), kurs, (course) and internet, despite the Academy’s attempt to get people to adopt mirshetet ( derived from “reshet,” meaning “net.”)
Over the years, the Academy proposed Hebrew alternatives — for “babysitter” and “supermarket,” for example — that just never stuck with the Israeli public.
None of that bothers Maman, who says it’s a natural process of an evolving language.
“Even the word academy is Greek,” he explained. “We considered replac-
ing it, but kept it for international recognition.”
The word toda (thank you), he said, “appears over a thousand times in the sources, but its meaning shifts from ‘offering’ in the Bible to ‘thanks’ in modern Hebrew. Tracing that journey is the essence of our work.”
What Hebrew lacks in word volume — it has roughly one-third the vocabulary of English — it makes up for in precision and resonance, Maman said. “We never feel limited,” he said. “We have a word for everything we need.”
Born in Morocco, Maman spoke the local Arabic dialect as a child and first encountered Hebrew at the age
of four in a local Talmud Torah. After making aliyah at age 16 with a desire to study math, Maman switched to the study of Hebrew language when he realized, “Hebrew is a central part of the definition of the Jewish identity. Any Jew anywhere in the world should be aware that Hebrew is part of not only his culture, but of his identity.”
He won the Israel Prize for the year 2009 for his contribution to the study of Hebrew language and literature. “Hebrew is the glue that connects us all together,” Maman concluded, reflecting on the miracle of a language that returned dramatically from near extinction. “There’s nothing like it anywhere else.”
An architectural rendering of the “Minve,” by Mayslits Kassif Roytman Architects.
Academic
World-Renowned
Jewish
Central
Israeli firefighters may fall short amid threats
By Raphael Poch, JNS
Top officials in Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services said that they are suffering from a severe lack of sufficient personnel and are using outdated resources to combat increasing wildfire threats.
They spoke with JNS following the devastating forest fires on April 23-24 and April 30-May 1 that burned about 4,700 acres of land.
“In most of the world, the average staff allotment is one firefighter for every 1,000 residents. In Israel, our ratio is one firefighter for every 4,000 residents. This is a wide gap that we need to account for,” said Lieutenant Colonel Shay Levy, the head of the Research and Wildfire Branch of Israel’s Fire Department and Rescue Services.
The fires, which mainly struck the Jerusalem Hills and surrounding areas on April 23 and 24 — but ignited in more than 50 different locations on April 30 and May 1 — are still being investigated to determine their cause of origin.
However, they exposed critical staffing limitations and wide gaps between the rising demands of firefighting in Israel and what the Fire and Rescue Services and allied organizations, such as KKL-JNF firefighting teams, are capable of handling.
“There was a request for 150 fire teams to come and fight the fires in Jerusalem on April 30, but there simply weren’t that many firefighters to go around,” Levy said. “We need to leave some teams in the local areas to deal with local emergencies, including people getting stuck in elevators, car accidents, and other spot fires.”
At Canada Park alone, thousands of dunams burned, with more than 10,000 dunams (2,500 acres) of KKL-JNF-managed forests destroyed between the two outbreaks.
Anat Gold, director of the Central Region of KKL-JNF, told JNS that the fire consumed 70% of the park’s vegetation across 8,000 dunams.
Jerusalem District Commander Chief Fire Officer Shmulik Friedman confirmed resource constraints in Jerusalem during the crisis.
“Thanks to the preparedness and rapid response of the firefighters, damage to strategic sites, including gas stations, was prevented,” Friedman said, noting that forces successfully protected infrastructure at Mesilat Zion.
In aerial surveillance photos captured by drones showing the aftermath of the blaze on April 30th and May 1st that were shared with JNS by the Jerusalem District Command, it is clear that the fires had engulfed the moshav of Mesilat Zion and on one side of the town came up to the last line of trees right in front of the houses before the blaze was contained.
The staffing shortage predates the current threats. A 2013 Technion report called for doubling firefighter numbers under status quo conditions, without accounting for climate change and increased arson incidents.
“Those two issues need to be accounted for,” Levy said, noting that he had conducted his own research in which he found a direct correlation in the rise of nationalistic arson incidents during political tensions.
Jewish National Fund-USA has long been a primary funding source for equipment upgrades because it is the only organization in the United States to which donations can be made for the Fire and Rescue Services.
Talia Tzur, Jewish National Fund-USA’s chief
Israel officer, told JNS that the organization had raised over $5.5 million since Oct. 7, 2023, not including the emergency campaign launched on Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, as a result of the fires.
“For over 20 years, JNF-USA has supported the purchase of hundreds of fire trucks, fire vehicles, fire ranges, equipment, hoses, helmets, and any equipment that is needed in the field,” Tzur stated.
Tzur added that the organization plans to establish 15 new comprehensive fire response stations, with eight in the Gaza periphery and seven in northern Israel over the next few years, with each center costing approximately $1.5 million.
“These locations were chosen due to the expected population growth in the area and the importance of providing fire resilience to that population,” she explained.
Current equipment, which also needs upgrading, is hampering operations. “We are using equipment that is significantly outdated,” Levy said, adding that while firefighting teams exercise creativity due to budget constraints, they
cannot overcome manpower shortages. Rehabilitation costs for burned forests are expected to reach millions of shekels over the coming decades. Gold estimates 20-year recovery periods for damaged areas, assuming no additional fires occur in the same locations.
Fire and Rescue Services have expanded recruitment efforts, particularly among Arab-Israeli communities and through the national service (Sherut Leumi) program, both to the general populace and the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community.
“There has been a dramatic rise in the number of Arab-Israeli firefighters in recent years, with the total number of Arab-Israeli paid firefighters rising from 86 a few years ago to over 300 now,” Levy reported. “They make up approximately 15% of the total number of paid firefighters in the country at present.”
Public preparation remains insufficient. Levy warned residents must maintain vegetation control in the backyard and on private property. “We can fight fires on public land, but it is often difficult for us to fight spotfires in people’s private domains, such as backyards or balconies. This is especially true near forested areas,” he said.
Chief Fire Officer Friedman added a few tips regarding how the populace can help prevent forest fires: “There is definitely much the public can do, and civilian involvement is a critical component in the fight against fires. Most importantly, report any fires you see immediately to 102. Call if you see smoke or suspicious behavior. Do not light fires, throw cigarettes, coals or trash in forests. Clear private land near forests and maintain buffer zones free of tall weeds and flammable vegetation. Adhere to fire prohibitions and evacuation instructions.”
He added, “In times of fire, keep roads clear and avoid blocking emergency vehicle access to the area. Make sure that any information you share is only from official channels during emergencies to avoid panic and confusion. Check your fire safety precautions and review escape routes and property insurance in advance. On the level of communities, it is important to establish local buffer zones and forest protection initiatives.”
Why Bedouin Negev settlements are ghost towns
Explainer by Yehuda Kapach, Israel Hayom
For years, the narrative has been the same: Bedouin communities in the Negev face a housing crisis, the government offers no solutions, and legalizing the unrecognized villages would magically fix everything.
Just two months ago, former Knesset member Taleb el-Sana, chairman of the Negev Arabs Steering Committee, reiterated this at a conference on the issue: “The Bedouin were uprooted from their lands in 1948, only 10% remained. All the Bedouin occupy just 3% of the Negev’s land. … All Arabs in Israel must stand together, not just those in the Negev.”
Yet, across the vast, empty expanses of the Negev, the reality paints a starkly different picture.
Recent data from the Regavim Movement reveal what anyone familiar with the Negev already knows: The current system simply doesn’t work. Dozens of towns established for the Bedouin population sprawl across vast areas, yet only a tiny fraction — mere single-digit percentages — are actually used.
For instance, in the Mar’it region near Arad, 15,548 dunams (1,554.8 hectares, or 3,840 acres) were allocated to the Bedouin settlements of Drijat, Kukhla and Makhul, but only 2,458 dunams (15.8%) are used, housing just 2,819 residents.
Another example is the town of Kseife, spanning 13,666 dunams (3,375 acres), yet only 22.4% (3,060 dunams) are residential, housing about 20,000 people.
Compare this to the city of Kfar Saba, near Tel Aviv, which, on 14,500 dunams (3,580 acres), sustains more than 110,000 people.
The same pattern repeats in settlements like Abu Tlul and Segev Shalom, and others follow suit, with aerial images revealing vast, unused
land, even when factoring in rural lifestyles or agricultural needs.
To understand why this happens and how we reached this point, we must grasp a key concept in the Negev: “ownership claimants.”
In the 1970s, Israel allowed Bedouin to claim land ownership in the Negev with minimal documentation — no surveys, deeds or proof required. Over a few years, 3,200 such claims were submitted to the Beersheva land registrar, covering an astronomical 800,000 dunams (197,700 acres).
Over time, about 200 of these claims were adjudicated in court, and every single one — without exception — was rejected, with the land registered to the state. That’s what happens when you claim land based on tenuous grounds like the fact that your grandfather passed through it with his camel every day for 20 years.
Today, roughly 15% of Bedouin claim ownership over massive areas, barring anyone else from accessing and using them.
So, what happened to the remaining claims, and how do they connect to the desolate settlements that have become ghost towns? Under Bedouin customary law, no one settles on land claimed by another, regardless of state or court rulings. If the state allocates land that conflicts with these claims, Bedouin law prevails.
And what has Israel done over the years? It ignored the issue, drew blue lines on maps, established settlements with the stroke of a pen, and began developing plots worth billions of shekels in a genuine effort to relocate Bedouin residents living without basic infrastructure.
The outcome? Only about 30% of these recognized settlement areas are inhabited and built,
leaving thousands of Bedouin in the same insufficient living conditions.
Here lies the great absurdity: The state, out of chronic weakness and its reluctance to confront the issue, has repeatedly tried to solve the problem with grants, cash and land compensation for these ownership claimants, hoping naively for a breakthrough or a compromise.
Yet every new offer creates a perverse economic incentive: Why settle today when, in five or 20 years, the land might be worth more? Why accept 1 million if someone else got 2? This has birthed a unique system that rewards stagnation over progress and encourages non-regularization.
We keep hearing talks about a “Vision for the Negev” — development, infrastructure and a prosperous future — but to achieve all of this, we must first change the rules of the game. A true vision requires courage. It cannot rely on cosmetic fixes but on a genuine willingness to change this current broken system.
The current situation not only stalls the development of the Negev but also condemns the Bedouin to a reality of uncertainty and a lack of basic quality of life without access to basic amenities such as running water, electricity or paved roads.
The solution isn’t in increasing the generous grants the state is willing to shower on those who release claimed land, nor in allocating another square meter of our precious land resources. It starts with admitting the system’s failure. As long as unproven ownership claims effectively dictate policy, progress is impossible.
We need to flip the hourglass and incentivize regularization, not perpetuate this non-viable status quo. If we don’t, the Negev’s potential will remain a mere mirage.
Yehuda Kapach is Southern District coordinator of the Regavim Movement.
An unrecognized Bedouin village in the Negev Desert, Nov. 21, 2024. Yaniv Nadav, Flash90
A view of the burned forests caused by wildfires in the Jerusalem. Assaf Abrams, Fire and Rescue
Mount Sinai South Nassau is Improving Health Care on the South Shore
The new Fennessy Family Emergency Department at Mount Sinai South Nassau doubles the size of our previous emergency department, o ering 54 private exam rooms with clear lines of sight for physicians, nurses, and support sta . Our new emergency department also o ers a separate triage area, dedicated areas for children and behavioral health patients, and has been designed to reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes.
The Fennessy Family Emergency Department is located within the new Feil Family Pavilion, opening later this year, which will have 40 new critical care suites and nine new operating rooms, designed to support the most complex surgeries on the South Shore.
To learn more visit www.mountsinai.org/feilpavilion
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Touro University salutes its 4 valedictorians SCHOOLS
Four stellar students were selected as valedictorians and will be the student speakers at the 51st annual commencement of Touro University’s Lander Colleges on May 25 at Lincoln Center. They represent Touro’s Lander College for Women, Touro’s Lander College for Men, and Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences.
Rachel Hanan
Future doctor Rachel Hanan, the 2025 valedictorian of Touro University’s Lander College for Women (LCW) in Manhattan, has always been drawn to science and medicine. Growing up in Great Neck, she was fascinated by anatomy diagrams in medical textbooks, and how the human body works in synchrony. Her early passion evolved into a clear sense of purpose during her years at LCW, where she majored in biology as part of Touro’s Medical Honors Pathway program, and emerged as a leader inside and out of the classroom.
Rachel chose LCW because of its distinctive blend of rigorous academics, personal support, and valuesbased education. “I wanted a school where I could pursue my passion for science while staying connected to my Jewish values and traditions,” she said.
Having taken part in Touro’s Medical Honors Pathway, which provides a direct pathway to medical education for highly qualified students out of high school, Rachel will begin her next chapter in July as a medical student at Touro’s New York Medical College.
She credits both her academic studies and her hands-on experiences at Touro with preparing her for this step. As an intern in a Mount Sinai research lab, Rachel explored how modified mRNA — the same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines — could be applied to treat other conditions, such as heart disease. She also had the opportunity to work at a Columbia University research lab where she looked at ways a virus called HPIV3 evolves, transmits and infects cells — research that was published in a microbiology journal that named her as one of the authors.
But one of the most transformative experiences of her college career came through volunteer work at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where Rachel discovered how powerful human connection can be in a clinical setting. Her time at LCW included a memorable bioethics trip to Thailand with fellow students and faculty. Led by a professor of biology, the group visited hospitals, laboratories, and the Ministry of Health, where they explored how cultural values influence healthcare policy.
“Rachel is highly intelligent, articulate and she blends commitment to Torah values with high academic aspirations. She is a role model for all of us. I look forward to her future successes and to learning about the many contributions she will make to her future patients and the Jewish community,” said Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean, Lander College for Women
Rachelle Halpert
Like Rachel Hanan, Rachelle Halpert’s path to becoming the valedictorian of the women’s division of the Lander College of Arts & Sciences (LAS) in Flatbush has been marked by an early love of science, an impressive academic career, perseverance and a commitment to helping others.
A biology honors major, Rachelle grew up in Monsey, New York, attended Bais Yaakov D’Rav Hirsch in Spring Valley and studied at Bais Yaakov Machon Raaya in Israel. But she traces her interest in the sciences back to elementary school.
“In fifth grade, my teacher assigned each student a different organ system to present,” she said. “I was so excited to put it together. I still remember gluing kidney beans onto my poster board to represent the kidneys.”
That excitement for science grew even stronger over time, fueled by summer jobs as a lifeguard, CPR instructor, and volunteer counselor at Camp Simcha, an experience she called “very meaningful” in shaping her decision to pursue a career in the medical field.
Choosing Touro was a natural step, and not just because her grandmother, a judge, taught business and consumer law many years ago in Touro. “As a frum Bais Yaakov girl, attending Touro wasn’t even a decision for me; it was a given,” Rachelle said. “I was drawn to the community of like-minded people, commitment to Torah values, and ambitious graduates.”
Her experience at Touro Flatbush exceeded her expectations, giving her both strong friendships and a solid foundation for her future career. “Rachelle is graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She is truly a star, both academically and in the midos that she displays.“ said Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, executive Dean of Touro Flatbush.
While at Touro, Rachelle seized every opportunity to deepen her knowledge. She collaborated on a research project with her chemistry professor, sharpening her laboratory techniques, and gaining hands-on experience. Outside the classroom, Rachelle has been working as a medical assistant in a pediatric office for nearly two years.
Rachelle’s free time is filled with a variety of interests — spending time with family and friends, playing piano and chess, baking, sewing, swimming, and
volunteering. And she is especially passionate about supporting children facing health challenges and has volunteered extensively for Chai Lifeline’s pediatric oncology unit. This summer, she will be volunteering for Birthright in Israel.
Looking ahead, Rachelle plans to work in Urgent Care next year. While she loves pediatrics, she is excited by the opportunity to learn about and experience a variety of specialties so she can explore her options before deciding on her career path within the medical field.
But wherever she goes or whatever she does, Rachelle believes she has the foundation for success. “I feel that Touro has prepared me well for graduate school and beyond.”
Michael Weingarten
Michael Weingarten, a Biology Honors major with a 4.0 GPA, has been named the 2025 valedictorian of the men’s division of Touro University’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences (LAS) in Flatbush. Weingarten is driven by a lifelong desire to care for others — an ambition inspired by the chesed-centered home he grew up in, and by the example of his father, a physician assistant.
“I vividly remember the countless Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim when people in need would knock on our door, seeking his help,” Michael said. “Watching the impact he had, providing care and comfort, left a lasting impression on me and inspired me to follow in his footsteps.”
That sense of purpose led him to Touro in Flatbush where he was drawn by the school’s dual emphasis on academic rigor and religious commitment. “I chose Touro because of its unique commitment to academic excellence and its supportive structure, which allowed me to continue my Torah learning in yeshiva while simultaneously pursuing my bachelor’s degree in science,” he said.
At LAS, Michael maximized his opportunities. He earned a Lander Honors Scholarship, became a tutor for chemistry and physics, and published an article in the Touro College Science Journal, later serving as an associate editor. He also conducted research at HASC Diagnostic and Treatment Center for individuals with special needs, exploring how diabetes medications affect individuals with mental illness.
Michael’s not the first in his family to graduate from Touro; His father is also a Touro graduate, and both of his older brothers attended Touro Flatbush for their pre-med studies before matriculating into Einstein Medical School and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Raised in Brooklyn, Michael attended Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz in Flatbush for high school and continued his Torah studies at Yeshiva Gedola of Elkins Park and Yeshiva Torah Vodaath. He credits his yeshiva background with helping him develop the discipline and perspective necessary to balance rigorous academics with meaningful personal growth.
Michael plans to apply to medical school this summer and matriculate in 2026, and in five years he hopes to be well into his medical training, continuing the journey he began at home and nurtured at Touro: a life of service, scholarship, and compassion.
“Michael is an outstanding student and a shining Ben Torah who, as a caring and compassionate physician, will create a kiddush Hashem in all his interaction,” said Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, Vice President and Executive Dean of Touro’s Lander College in Flatbush.
Yedidya Diena
Yedidya Diena, a Toronto native and finance major, has been named the 2025 valedictorian of Touro University’s Lander College for Men (LCM). His academic journey reflects a blend of intellectual curiosity, personal discipline, and a strong commitment to values and growth.
From an early age, Yedidya considered himself a “business-minded individual.”
“I ran a few small businesses growing up, which helped me realize early on that I wanted to pursue a career in the business world,” he said.
But it was during his time at LCM that he discovered his professional direction. “I wasn’t immediately sure which path to take, accounting or finance. After speaking with professors and exploring my options, I narrowed it down to finance,” he said. “Finance stood out as both stimulating and dynamic, and I was excited by the challenges and opportunities it presented.”
After graduating from Yeshiva Dar-
chei Torah of Toronto for high school, Yedidya studied for two years at Yeshivat Sha’alvim before enrolling at LCM. He chose the college for its unique dual focus: rigorous academics alongside an environment that supported personal and ethical development. “I appreciated that I wasn’t just a number. The professors and mentors at LCM were accessible, supportive, and truly invested in helping students succeed,” he said.
He credits Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Rosh Yeshiva of LCM, as playing a particularly meaningful role in his growth. “One of the most impactful parts of my experience was the opportunity to learn under Rabbi Sacks,” Yedidya said. “I also received personal guidance from several mentors who helped me navigate important decisions, both academically and beyond the classroom.”
Yedidya also appreciated the industry experience his professors brought into the classroom. “Many of my professors came directly from the finance and business world. Their realworld insights and practical mentorship helped make the material come alive and gave me a clearer picture of where I wanted to go professionally.”
Yedidya was recently offered an associate role in a wealth management training program at a leading Canadian bank. The Toronto-based program focuses on developing early-career professionals for future roles in advisory and client service.
Currently, he is learning at the Cross River Kollel, located at the Cross River Bank campus, before entering the workforce full time. He describes the Kollel as “a unique opportunity to build analytical and critical thinking skills through intensive study and discussion,” and sees the experience as another important step in his personal and professional development.
“I want to succeed in my career while staying grounded and purposedriven,” he said. “My goal is to make a positive impact, both in the workplace and in the broader community.”
Outside of academics, Yedidya enjoys playing ice hockey, learning guitar and cooking. Above all, he’s focused on building a meaningful life — one rooted in growth, purpose, and helping others succeed.
By Touro University
Rachel Hanan, Touro’s Lander College for Women.
Rachelle Halpert, Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences.
Michael Weingarten, Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences.
Yedidya Diena, Touro’s Lander College for Men.
Hofman and Smilk…
Continued from page 11
highball glass, add ice and top with soda. A gin martini consists of gin, vermouth and a garnish. The smallest addition makes a huge difference. A few teaspoons of olive brine make a Dirty Martini; a pickled onion makes a Gibson.
The Perfect Gin Martini: Stir 2-1/2 ounces of gin or Malka Distillate, 1/4 ounce each of dry and sweet vermouth, and a dash of Angostura orange bitters. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Easy Bruschetta (Pareve)
4 to 5 servings
Cook’s Tips: •Slice the baguette and leave it at room temperature, two or three hours before toasting. •Use Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute. •May toast a baguette in the air fryer.
Ingredients:
• 1 medium baguette, cut 1/4-inch thick on the bias
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 large firm tomatoes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp. finely shredded fresh basil
• 21 Seasoning to sprinkle
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush bread on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle on one side with garlic powder. Arrange on a large baking sheet, garlic powder side up. Toast in preheated oven, five to 10 minutes. Watch carefully. Arrange on a platter. Spoon tomatoes over top, dividing evenly. Top with shredded basil and sprinkle with 21 Seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Greek Cheese Dip (Dairy)
Serves 4 to 5
Cook’s Tips: •Substitute blue cheese or finely grated sharp cheddar for Parmesan.
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. finely snipped chives (divided)
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the cheeses, yogurt, olive oil and lemon juice until well-combined. Stir in 1 tablespoon chives. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with remaining chives. Serve with whole-wheat crackers or pita chips. The dip may be made ahead of time and stored, covered, in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.
Bruschetta.
Amiraxgelcola, Pixabay Via JNS
MIND &
Behind stats for Mental Health Awareness Month
AZI JANKOVIC
‘Mental Health Reclaimed’
Every May, the same statistic for Mental Health Awareness Month resurfaces: One in five people are diagnosed each year. At first glance, this campaign appears to be a step in the right direction to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
The bigger truth, according to recent research by Harvard University, is that nearly 50% of people will receive a mental-illness diagnosis in their lifetime.
Another uncomfortable but urgent reality is that suicide is now the second-leading cause of death or people under the age of 44 in the United States.
The No. 1 leading cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, is “unintentional injury,” with 227,000 deaths annually. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that more than 102,000 of those deaths, roughly 45% of the total, are from “unintentional poisoning,” a euphemism for drug overdose.
In other words, the two most prevalent causes of death among younger people are drug overdose and suicide, both deeply tied to mental health.
This is not a crisis impacting a small subset of the population. It’s a universal human issue that touches everyone, whether directly or through someone we know.
Imade aliyah from the United States and live in Israel now, and the need for honest conversations around mental health feels more urgent
than ever. Since Oct. 7, 2023, our entire nation has been living in a state of trauma.
•Children are waking up with nightmares.
•Parents are shouldering unbearable stress.
•Soldiers are returning forever changed — or not returning at all.
•Even those outside the direct line of fire carry the weight of national grief, uncertainty and psychological fatigue.
In Israel, mental health is not theoretical. It is immediate, it’s real, and it’s demanding our attention. Each year, only 5.2% of Israel’s national health budget is allocated to mental health, just 30% to 50% of what many high-GDP Western countries invest in their systems.
The dominant narrative in mental health is centered on diagnostic labels, lifelong disorders and drug-based interventions have limited efficacy and may cause long-term harm. The treatment narrative must be fundamentally reimagined and not merely repackaged to address the widespread war-related mental-health situation we’re currently facing.
Iwas 17 when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Within 15 minutes of my first psychiatric appointment, I was told I had a lifelong brain disease, and that I’d need to begin medication immediately and stay on it indefinitely. No one asked about the trauma I had experienced. No one investigated the pain that had kept me from sleeping for days. There were no labs. No scans. Just a label. And a lifetime sentence.
For years, I followed the protocols. Therapy, pills, hospitalizations (seven of them to be exact). It took me decades to realize that the more I complied, the worse I felt. It wasn’t until I began to understand the system and step out of it that I started to feel sustainably well.
I’m not anti-medication. I’m anti-misinfor-
Mental health doesn’t affect one in five. It affects five in five.
mation. I’m not anti-science. I’m simply calling for better science.
The so-called “chemical imbalance” theory, once promoted as a settled fact, has since been debunked. Yet millions are still prescribed psychiatric medications based on this outdated model. Many of them are children. And very few are given real informed consent, about side effects, long-term risks or the deeper roots of their distress.
When I was first medicated, the cocktail I was given hadn’t even been tested on teens. The long-term effects were unknown, but prescriptions were handed out anyway.
For some, a diagnosis can be a relief — a name for their suffering, and a hope for relief in pill form. But those pills, in many cases, have never been studied over the long term for safety or efficacy. And once a person internalizes a diagnosis,
it can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Rather than treating emotions as understandable responses to life circumstances, we begin to view sadness, fear or anger as evidence of disorder. We turn normal reactions into pathology. We turn people into patients.
In the Jewish tradition, we are taught that every human being is created b’tzelem Elokim — in the image of the Divine. Our sages, like Rambam (Maimonides), taught that healing is not just medical. It is emotional, spiritual and physical. Today, we must reclaim that wisdom.
The current mental-health system is failing us. It is managing symptoms while ignoring root causes. It is over-pathologizing pain, while under-delivering on healing.
As a mother, educator and mental-health advocate living in a country in distress, I believe we cannot afford to keep parroting half-truths. We need a complete rethinking of how we understand and approach mental health.
That begins with dismantling harmful narratives like “one in five,” promoting whole-person healing, grounded in biology, community and meaning, refusing to label normal reactions to abnormal circumstances as “disorders,” and encouraging people to ask better questions, seek second opinions and partner with practitioners who see them as whole.
Let’s go beyond hashtags and campaigns. Let’s talk about light exposure, nature, sleep, connection and purpose. Let’s start supporting each other, not with diagnoses but with dignity. Because mental health doesn’t affect one in five. It affects five in five.
And if we’re going to heal — as individuals, a people and a nation — we must start by telling the truth.
Azi Jankovic is the author of “Mental Health Reclaimed.” Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
Support group: No child should face cancer alone HEALTH,
By Sharon Altshul, JNS
In 2008, just weeks after losing her husband, Jeremy Coleman, to Stage 4 stomach cancer, Pamela Becker helped transform grief into a force for good.
Together with his sisters and close friends, she launched Jeremy’s Circle, a grassroots initiative born from a simple but powerful idea: no child should face cancer in their family alone.
Seventeen years later, that circle has expanded into a lifeline for over 1,100 families across Israel. What began as weekend outings for Jeremy’s young children and their peers has evolved into a robust nonprofit offering respite, connection and healing through joy.
With Pamela continuing as CEO from her Tel Aviv home base, the organization now runs high-impact programs year-round for children and teens coping with the trauma of cancer in their immediate family.
“Jeremy was focused on helping our kids feel normal. He wanted them to have fun, to connect with other kids who understood what they were going through,” she says. “That vision still drives everything we do.”
Jeremy’s Circle is intentionally inclusive, serving Israeli families from all backgrounds — Jewish, Muslim, Druze, Christian and others. Its multilingual approach (including Hebrew, English, Arabic and Russian) and programming across the country, from the Galilee to Eilat, ensure that geography and language are not barriers for the children to finding care and friendship.
The organization supports children and teens with a parent or sibling battling cancer or grieving their loss. While these families were
already navigating hardship, the events of October 7, 2023, and the ongoing war have compounded stress and isolation.
“Our families are facing dual fronts — cancer and conflict,” explains Pamela. “It’s made our mission more urgent than ever.”
Despite the challenges, the 2024 Impact Report reveals notable growth: a 10% increase in participating families and 17 well-attended events, including family fun days, teen gatherings, and virtual meetups. The organization’s signature blend of peer support and play has proven to be a healing formula.
Jeremy’s Circle recently appointed Dr. Stephanie Becker, based in the United States, as incoming chairperson to expand its reach beyond Israel. While the nonprofit remains firmly rooted in Israel, Stephanie’s role signals a strategic pivot toward US philanthropy.
After learning about Lev Echad’s community resilience programs at a Bloomberg Philanthro-
pies event, Stephanie championed a powerful collaboration between the organizations. She recognized that today’s Israeli youth, having endured COVID isolation, personal challenges and the trauma of Oct. 7, 2023, need tools to manage overwhelming stress and understand the power of community support.
The partnership leverages Jeremy’s Circle’s expertise in creating meaningful teen events to develop community-building activities for teens affected by the Oct. 7 attacks and those displaced from northern Israel.
Lev Echad is a grassroots group that is a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism. The two organizations created joint initiatives for teens affected by war, loss, and displacement, and have collaborated on traumainformed youth programs
“She’s helping us connect with North American funders and partner organizations that share our values,” Pamela notes. “This expan-
sion allows us to scale, while staying true to our original vision.”
One recent US-Israeli collaboration culminated in the Dead Sea Marathon, bringing together 95 teens from diverse backgrounds. From Connecticut’s Bicultural Hebrew Academy, 36 teens joined 59 Israeli teens from Jeremy’s Circle and communities near the northern border who were displaced or living under fire.
The teens trained and ran side by side. It wasn’t just about running. It was about building resilience and forming friendships that cross borders and backgrounds.
The coming months are to be packed with meaningful experiences.
On June 1, families will gather at the Children’s Museum in Holon for a Shavuot celebration, exploring sensory-rich exhibits like “Dialogue in the Dark” and “Invitation to Silence.” As always, transportation, meals, and activities are covered financially and fully arranged, removing barriers for families in crisis.
In July, 80 to 100 children entering grades 4-11 are expected to attend Jeremy’s Circle’s overnight summer camp near Zichron Ya’akov. The five-day retreat promises sports, arts, bonfires and a chance to laugh without fear or worry.
Then, in August, an extraordinary expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro is to unite nine Jeremy’s Circle teens with seven youth from northern Israel who have been displaced by war.
Partnering with Accessibility Accelerator, the trek isn’t just a physical challenge, it’s a symbolic shift from being helped to helping others. The 50-person group plans for a nineday journey that includes seven days of climbing Africa’s highest peak and a two-day safari.
Students at the Bicultural Hebrew Academy in the United States take part in the Dead Sea Marathon in a joint initiative between Jeremy’s Circle and Lev Echad. Ilana Weissman
Jewish Star Torah columnists: •Rabbi Avi Billet of Anshei Chesed, Boynton Beach, FL, mohel and Five Towns native •Rabbi Binny Freedman, rosh yeshiva of Orayta, Jerusalem •Dr. Alan A. Mazurek, former ZOA chair, is a retired neurologist, living in Great Neck, Jerusalem and Florida.
Contributing writers: •Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks zt”l, former chief rabbi of United Hebrew Congregations of British Commonwealth •Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU executive VP emeritus •Rabbi Yossy Goldman, president of the South African Rabbinical Association.
Five Towns Candlelighting: From the White Shul, Far Rockaway, NY
Scarsdale Candlelighting: From the Young Israel of Scarsdale, Scarsdale, NY
Scarsdale candles: 8:06 • Havdalah: 9:16 rabbi Sir
Understanding tumah: Emotional, not rational
Our parsha begins with a restriction on the people for whom a kohen may become tamei, a word usually translated as defiled, impure, ceremonially unclean
A priest may not touch or be under the same roof as a dead body. He must remain aloof from close contact with the dead (with the exception of a close relative, defined in our Parsha as his wife, a parent, a child, a brother, or an unmarried sister).
The law for the Kohen Gadol is stricter still. He may not allow himself to become ceremonially unclean even for a close relative, although both he and an ordinary priest may do so for a meit mitzvah, that is, one who has no one else to attend to their funeral. In such a case, the basic requirement of human dignity overrides the priestly imperative of purity.
These laws, together with many others in Vayikra and Bamidbar — especially the rite of the Red Heifer, used to cleanse those who had come into contact with the dead — are hard for us to understand nowadays. They already were in the days of the Sages. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai is famous for saying to his students, “It is not that death defiles nor that the waters [of the Red Heifer] purify. Rather, G-d says, I have ordained a statute and issued a decree, and you have no permission to transgress it.” The implication seems to be that the rules have no logic. They are simply Divine commands.
These laws are indeed perplexing. Death defiles. But so does childbirth (Lev. 12).
The strange cluster of phenomena known as tzara’at, usually translated as leprosy, coincides with no known illness since it is a condition that can affect not only a person but also garments and the walls of a house (Lev.13-14). We know of no medical condition to which this corresponds.
Then, in our parsha, there is the exclusion from service in the Sanctuary of a kohen who had a physical blemish (someone who was blind or lame, had a deformed nose or misshapen limb, a hunched back or dwarfism (Lev. 21:16-21). Why so? Such an exclusion seems to fly in the face of the following principle:
The L-rd does not look at the things people
Why should outward appearance affect whether you may serve as a priest in the house of G-d?
look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the L-rd looks at the heart. 1 Sam. 16:7
Why should outward appearance affect whether you may or may not serve as a priest in the house of G-d?
Yet these decrees do have an underlying logic. To understand them we have first to understand the concept of the holy. G-d is beyond space and time, yet G-d created space and time as well as the physical entities that occupy space and time. G-d is therefore “concealed.”
The Hebrew word for universe, olam, comes from the same Hebrew root as ne’elam, “hidden.” As the mystics put it: creation involved tzimtzum, Divine self-effacement, for without it neither the universe nor we could exist. At every point, the infinite would obliterate the finite.
Yet if G-d was completely and permanently hidden from the physical world, it would be as if He were absent. From a human perspective there would be no difference between an unknowable G-d and a non-existent G-d. Therefore G-d established the holy as the point at which the Eternal enters time and the Infinite enters space. Holy time is Shabbat. Holy space was the Tabernacle, and later, the Temple.
G-d’s eternity stands in the sharpest possible contrast to our mortality. All that lives will one day die. All that is physical will one day erode and cease to be. Even the sun, and the universe itself, will eventually become extinct. Hence the extreme delicacy and danger of the Tabernacle or Temple, the point at which That-which-is-beyond-time-and-space enters
time and space. Like matter and antimatter, the combination of the purely spiritual and the unmistakably physical is explosive and must be guarded against.
Just as a highly sensitive experiment should be conducted without the slightest contamination, so the holy space had to be kept free of conditions that bespoke mortality.
Tumah should therefore not be thought of as “defilement,” as if there were something wrong or sinful about it. Tumah is about mortality. Death bespeaks mortality, but so too does birth. A skin disease like tzara’at makes us vividly aware of the body. So does an unusual physical attribute like a misshapen limb. Even mould on a garment or the wall of a house is a symptom of physical decay.
There is nothing ethically wrong about any of these things, but they focus our attention on the physical and are therefore incompatible with the holy space of the Tabernacle, dedicated to the presence of the non-physical, the Eternal Infinite that never dies or decays.
There is a graphic example of this at the beginning of the book of Job. In a series of devastating blows, Job loses everything: his flocks, his herds, his children. Yet his faith remains intact. Satan then proposes subjecting Job to an even greater trial, covering his body with sores. The logic of this seems absurd.
How can a skin disease be a greater trial of faith than losing your children? It isn’t. But what the book is saying is that when your body is afflicted, it can be hard, even impossible, to focus on spirituality.
This has nothing to do with ultimate truth and everything to do with the human mind. As Maimonides said, you cannot give your mind to meditating on truth when you are hungry or thirsty, homeless or sick.
The biblical scholar James Kugel recently published a book, “In the Valley of the Shadow,” about his experience of cancer. Told by the doctors that, in all probability, he had no more than two years of life left (thankfully, he was in fact cured), he describes the experience of suddenly learning of the imminence of death. He says, “the background music stopped.” By “background music” he meant the sense of being part of the flow of life. We all know we will one day die, but for the most part we feel part of life and of time that will go on forever (Plato famously described time as a moving image of eternity). It is consciousness of death that detaches us from this sense, separating us from the rest of life as if by a screen.
Kugel also writes, “Most people, when they see someone ravaged by chemotherapy, just tend to keep their distance.” He quotes Psalm 38:12:
“My friends and companions stand back at the sight of my affliction; even those closest to me keep their distance.” Psalm 38:12
Although the physical reactions to chemotherapy are quite different from a skin disease or a bodily abnormality, they tend to generate the same feeling in others, part of which has to do with the thought “This could happen to me.” They remind us of the “thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.”
This is the logic — if logic is the right word — of tumah. It has nothing to do with rationality and everything to do with emotion. (Recall Pascal’s remark that “the heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.”)
Tumah does not mean defilement. It means that which distracts from eternity and infinity by making us forcibly aware of mortality, of the fact that we are physical beings in a physical world
What the Tabernacle represented in space and Shabbat in time was quite radical. It was not rare in the ancient world, nor in some religions today, to believe that here on earth everything is mortal. Only in Heaven or the afterlife will we encounter immortality. This is why so many religions in both East and West have been other-worldly.
In Judaism, holiness exists within this world, despite the fact that it is bounded by space and time. But holiness, like antimatter, must be carefully insulated. Hence the stringency of the laws of Shabbat on the one hand, the Temple and its priesthood on the other.
The holy is the point at which heaven and earth meet, where, by intense focus and a complete absence of earthly concerns, we open up space and time to the sensed presence of G-d who is beyond space and time. It is an intimation of eternity in the midst of life, allowing us at our holiest moments to feel part of something that does not die.
The holy is the space within which we redeem our existence from mere contingency and know that we are held within the “everlasting arms” of G-d.
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Send Barstool haters to Israel, not Auschwitz
An incident involving college students at a bar owned by a celebrity best known for sports betting and reviewing pizza isn’t the sort of thing expected to go down as a pivotal moment in the history of antisemitism and the Jewish world’s responses to the hatred directed at it. But the viral story about a sign featured an expletive directed at Jews, at a Barstool Sports eating and drinking establishment in Philadelphia — and the angry reactions to it by owner Dave Portnoy — may tell us a great deal about both the way Jew-hatred has become normalized in 2025 and how clueless most responses to it have been.
Observers may take some consolation in the fact that the occurrence didn’t go unnoticed or unpunished. But was a proper response to overt antisemitism to send the offender(s) to Auschwitz?
The problem isn’t that Americans, especially college students, don’t know that German Nazis and their collaborators slaughtered Jews more than 80 years ago. It’s that an apparently growing number of allegedly highly educated Americans have been misled into thinking that Jews who are currently alive are perpetrating “genocide.” Therefore, the thinking goes, they deserve the imprecations of those out for a pricey night of public drinking as well as for mobs demonstrating on college campuses.
The facts of the story aren’t complicated.
Alcohol, students, antisemitism
A group of Temple University students had what was probably a typical night out at a Barstool Sports Center City Philadelphia location. While there, members availed themselves of a not-inexpensive service that, along with liquor, gives customers the option of displaying a own small neon sign that can say anything they like. In this case, the choice was to have it proclaim a vulgar and profane statement about Jews.
That students out for a night on the town should choose to have such a sign proclaiming those words is not as surprising as the fact that the bar complied with their request.
Those involved proudly posted a video of the sign on social media and that went viral, generating millions of views. That, in turn, generated a wave of attacks against Portnoy, who is Jewish, for letting something like that take place at one of his establishments. He responded with an equally viral post in which he angrily and profanely vowed to get to the bottom of it and to ruin those responsible.
The story then took a number of quick twists and turns that also generated more social-media clicks and media attention.
Some of the bar’s employees were fired, with Portnoy piling in by tearing into the waitresses for their stupidity. One of the Temple students was given a provisional suspension while the school investigated whether or not he had violated their code of conduct.
Perhaps the most interesting and dispiriting element of the tale is how — after calming down and consulting with Robert Kraft, the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots and a well-known Jewish philanthropist who launched the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism several years ago, Portnoy decided that the best response was to create “a teaching moment” for those involved.
That meant that rather than continuing to roast the offenders, he said that he would send them to Auschwitz to learn about the Holocaust.
When one of those who were involved refused to take responsibility for their actions, Portnoy said the trip to Poland was off.
Whether the students face punishment of some sort or obtain public absolution in the form of Holocaust tourism shouldn’t interest anyone that much. What does matter is how acts of almost casual Jewhatred like this are becoming commonplace. That has more to do with what is considered acceptable public discourse in respectable publications like the New York Times and other major media, and particularly on American college campuses where woke ideology reigns, than the otherwise toxic combination of alcohol and young people with enough money in their pockets to go to such a watering hole in the first place.
‘Manosphere’ influencer
The attention that this minor scandal generated is a function of Portnoy’s fame.
The 48-year-old is an entrepreneur who parlayed a newsletter about gambling on sports into something of a business empire involving bars, a
An incident at a bar owned by celebrity influencer Dave Portnoy says everything you need to know about contemporary antisemitism and the clueless responses to it.
podcast and a host of other enterprises. He is a major presence on social media with some 5.5 million followers on Instagram and another 3.7 million on X. And he is a frequent target for scathing criticism for what is often described as his “toxic masculinity” because of his abusive behavior and language directed toward women, as well as his bombastic and profane comments about, well, just about anything.
Whether you approve of him or not, he’s also come to be seen as culturally significant. A New York Times Magazine profile published in February referred to him as the person who exemplifies, “How the ‘Manosphere’ Became Mainstream Entertainment.” That piece, among others, sees him as the answer to the question of how to explain the changes in the culture and the alienation of so many adult males who feel misunderstood and out of place in what passes for polite society these days.
And if that wasn’t enough significance, the Times, which disapproves of Portnoy’s politics (he’s a supporter of President Donald Trump) as well as his behavior, also anointed him as the nation’s leading authority on pizza — a topic about which there is considerable more interest these days than the fine arts, literature or foreign policy.
So, while hateful statements directed at Jews, even those posted on Instagram, are not in short supply at a time of rising antisemitism, the involvement of a cultural lightning rod like Portnoy is what made it fodder for both tabloid and more serious outlets.
While Portnoy’s anger about it was clearly
genuine, that didn’t prevent some in the chattering classes from claiming that the real culprit here wasn’t a student who thinks Jews deserve to be targeted or restaurant employees who thought there was nothing wrong with that. Instead, some of those commenting on the incident were quick to blame Portnoy for it because he’s a Trump supporter. A local news reporter also tried to get him to admit that the situation was enabled by what she said was Barstool Sports’ “culture of harassment.” Think what you like about Portnoy’s persona or the milieu of sports bars. The willingness, however, to blame the unprecedented uptick in incidents of Jew-hatred, such as the one that happened in this particular venue, on him or the current president of the United States illustrates just how deep the denial about what is happening in this country runs.
Why such vile hatred?
Antisemitism of this sort is never merely routine vulgarity, discourtesy or meanness. Singling out Jews in this matter is the result of a broad cultural movement that, far from involving influencers like Portnoy, is rooted in ideologies that treat Israel and its supporters as uniquely evil. That is especially true since the Hamas-led Palestinian terror assaults on southern Israel that took place on Oct. 7, 2023. In recent years, students who attend schools like Temple, coupled with more elite institutions like Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania in the same city as Temple, are routinely being fed propaganda about Jews being “white”
See Tobin on page 23
David Portnoy of Barstool Sports during a Celtics-Bucks match at TD Garden in Boston on March 20. Adam Glanzman, Getty Images via JNS
JOnATHAn S. TObin
JnS Editor-in-Chief
When did current wave of antisemitism begin?
In nearly 30 years of writing and speaking about global antisemitism, I’ve been asked more than once if it’s possible to pinpoint when this present wave of hatred first reared its head. It’s a question that takes on added significance in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas pogrom in Israel — the event that continues to drive the topic of antisemitism to the top of the headlines around the world.
Of course, antisemitism never faded away entirely, as most Jews know all too well. The decades that followed the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, whose 80th anniversary we marked last week, ushered in an unprecedented age of empowerment for the Jewish people. In most of the Diaspora (the Soviet Union and the Arab states being glaring exceptions), the civil and political rights of Jewish communities were enshrined, bolstered by the widely shared taboo on antisemitic rhetoric and activity that coalesced alongside revelations of the horror of the Nazi concentration camps.
More importantly, for the first time in two millennia, the Jews finally achieved their own state, with armed forces that proved eminently capable of defeating the threats to Israel’s existence from around the region.
We had been, in the parlance of the early theorists of Zionism, “normalized” — or at least we thought as much.
The age of empowerment was not a golden age. Jews still languishing in the Soviet Union were persecuted and forbidden to make aliyah. The flourishing of multiple armed Palestinian organizations after the 1967 war subjected Israelis and Diaspora Jews to terrorist outrages, among them airplane hijackings and gun attacks on synagogues.
The United Nations, whose General Assembly passed a 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism, became the main incubator of the loathing directed at Israel. The brief postwar honeymoon between the Jews and the political left ended around the same time, replaced with the defamatory barbs about “apartheid” and “Zionist racism” that still plague us today.
Even so, at the turn of this century, there was a notable deterioration. For much of the 1990s, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians had seemed close to resolution, symbolized by the brief handshake on the White House lawn between the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat. But in 2000, five years after Rabin was assassinated in Tel Aviv, Arafat launched a second intifada against Israel, and the old hardline positions were reinstated.
The fate of Daniel Pearl signaled the beginning of the revived trend that Jews are still confronting.
Much of the world followed Arafat’s cue, as demonstrated at the UN’s 2001 conference against racism in Durban, South Africa, held a few days before the Al-Qaeda atrocities in the United States on Sept. 11. There, NGOs and governments alike berated Israel, and Jewish delegates were subjected to the kind of abuse (“Hitler was right”) that has become all too common in the present day.
In tandem with the collapse in relations between Israel and the Palestinians, antisemitism returned with a vengeance, particularly in Europe, spurred by an unholy alliance of Islamist organizations rooted in the continent’s various Muslim communities, and a far left baying for Israeli and American blood after 9/11. It was in
Pakistan, however, that the murder that came to symbolize this new reality occurred.
At the end of January 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, an American Jew, was abducted from a hotel in Karachi by Islamist terrorists. A few days later, video surfaced online (at that time, the technology was still novel) of Pearl’s savage execution. After uttering his final words — “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish” — Pearl was beheaded on camera by his captors.
To my mind, his sickening fate signaled the beginning of the revived trend that Jews are still confronting. I say that because this wasn’t a case of ugly rhetoric or graffiti, a smashed window or even an unsuspecting Jewish passerby getting punched in the face. This was a cold-blooded, ideologically driven murder that exposed the lethal violence that lurks inside every committed Jew-hater.
Last week, one of the terrorists involved in Pearl’s kidnapping and murder was reportedly
eliminated during the Indian airstrikes on Pakistan undertaken in response to the killing of 26 civilians by Pakistani-backed terrorists in Kashmir on April 26.
Abdul Rauf Azhar was a leader of the Jaish e-Mohammad terror organization who collaborated in Pearl’s abduction with fellow terrorists Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the planners of the 9/11 attacks; and Omar Saeed Sheikh, a Pakistani national who grew up in England and briefly studied at my alma mater, the London School of Economics, before dropping out. Along with the murder of Pearl, Azhar was responsible for the 1999 hijacking of an Indian passenger plane, as well as attacks on the Indian parliament and an Indian army base in 2001 and 2016, respectively.
The significance of Azhar’s elimination now, when antisemitism is raging with far greater intensity than at the time of Pearl’s killing, should not be lost on anyone. During the 23 years that separate the deaths of Pearl and Azhar, Jews
Italian pizzeria markets slice of anti-Israel bile
The danger is no longer lurking; it’s here, clear and undeniable. What happened recently in Italy is just another alarming signal.
A pizzeria owner, proud of her anti-Israel stance, publicly waved around a discredited book by Ilan Pappe, one of Israel’s most notorious defamers. Rather than educating herself on the true consequences of mass hatred against Jews throughout history, she chose to make her establishment a hub of hostility. Instead of being sanctioned, her pizza place has become a magnet for anti-Israel activism, even receiving the tacit approval of institutions and public figures who have since visited her in solidarity.
This leads us to a haunting question: How does a new hunt for Jews, which culminated in the Shoah, begin? Historically, we reflect on Germany’s descent into barbarism. But today, we tell ourselves it can’t happen again — not in Italy, not in America, not in the modern world. Yet, we deceive ourselves. The mobs have already been unleashed.
Lethal hatred is no longer confined to ideological elites. When crowds chant “Death to Is-
The public doesn’t stop to question words like ‘genocide’ or ‘apartheid.’
rael,” label Israel “genocidal” and “racist,” and when public authorities seem to agree or stay silent, the threat becomes tangible. In his landmark book “Hitler’s Willing Executioners,” Daniel Goldhagen exposed the breadth of participation in Nazi atrocities.
It wasn’t just the SS; It was the police, civil servants, educators, businessmen, doctors — millions of ordinary citizens. Were such a wave to rise again today, it would likely include segments of the media, humanitarian organizations and so-called “activists.”
We now stand on the brink of a global attack on Jews, disguised as a righteous fight for “human rights.” Goldhagen rightly observed the staggering number of people complicit in the actions of Nazi Germany or aware of the Holocaust.
Today, millions have been duped into believing Jews are colonial occupiers in their own ancestral land, ignoring the vast record of international agreements, including the 1948 UN resolution establishing Israel’s legitimacy. Few understand that the so-called “occupied territories” resulted from defensive wars against Arab aggression or that Israel fully withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Even fewer recognize that radical groups seek Israel’s destruction on religious grounds, not political ones.
The public doesn’t stop to question words like “genocide” or “apartheid,” which are now recklessly thrown into political discourse. Millions are ready to vilify Jews under the guise of opposing Zionism, often exploiting the polarizing figure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about whom they know almost nothing.
The episode involving the pizzeria had three stages: First, the owner expelled an Israeli couple simply for their identity; second, a brief institutional outcry acknowledged the act as anti-Jew-
ish; and third, public figures like Italian politician Laura Boldrini and others reversed course and offered their support, sensing fertile political ground.
This is nothing new. Historically, Jews have been accused of being Communists by fascists, fascists by Communists, beggars by capitalists, and capitalists by Marxists. Today, they are smeared as Zionist nationalists simply for wanting a homeland and the right to defend themselves from terror. People even dare to question
whether the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, actually happened.
Meanwhile, Israel’s enemies continue their crimes: Murdering LGBTQ+ individuals, mutilating women, and turning Gaza into a fortress of hatred. Yet this pizzeria becomes a celebrated hotspot, much like Italian TV Rai 3’s “Presa Diretta” program, which recently aired a biased and defamatory report against Israel. Only three brave voices dared to challenge it, but
Nirenstein on page 23
Anti-Israel protesters hold a red banner with the word “Stop” and effigies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other leaders during a demonstration in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 24, 2024. Stefano Guidi, Getty Images via JNS
Pakistani singers Peshawar perform during a 2014 tribute to American Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped in Karachi in January 2002 and murdered by Islamic militants in May of the same year.
A Majeed, AFP via Getty Images via JNS
See Cohen on page 23
See
Dear President Trump: Don’t be Iran’s sucker
The price of electricity in Iran is among the cheapest in the world. The average cost of electricity in the United States per kilowatt hour is $0.181 in Iran it’s $0.004.
A country where electricity is vastly cheaper than in America isn’t looking to lower power costs.
Countries like Iran, with vast energy reserves and production, don’t need nuclear energy as do Germany or France, which depend on imports.
Saudi Arabia, with $0.053 electricity, did not begin pursuing a nuclear program because it needed to lower its energy costs. Neither did the United Arab Emirates. The Saudis and Emiratis became interested in developing a “civilian” nuclear program only as Iran’s nuclear program took off.
If Iran were developing a nuclear program to lower energy costs, it would have long ago dropped the program after sanctions cost its economy an estimated $1 trillion. Losing $1 trillion to shave a few more fractions of a cent off the average cost of a kilowatt makes no sense. Iran is not interested in peaceful applications of nuclear energy, but in nuclear weapons. That’s why it’s been willing to lose $1 trillion and go to war to protect its nuclear program.
One of the world’s largest energy producers would not be going to war to add 1,000 megawatts.
Despite these obvious, common-sense facts, the Obama administration and some in the current administration insist on pretending that a deal can be made to keep Iran’s nuclear program peaceful. The idea is just as false in 2025 as it was in 2015 when Obama pushed his Iran deal.
Consider Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. Under construction since the ’90s, its 1,000 megawatts is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions spent constructing it. (Iran has variously claimed to have spent either $1.7 billion or $4 billion on the plant.)
One of the world’s largest energy producers would not be going to war to add 1,000 megawatts.
Despite Bushehr and the rest of Iran’s extensive and growing nuclear infrastructure, Iran gets only 1% of its electricity from nuclear power. Iran gets most of its actual electricity (86%) from natural gas. And Iran’s natural gas cost is $0.001 per kWh for residential customers (vs $0.081 on average in the world).
With 1.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (Iran is the world’s third largest natural gas producer after America and Russia) Iran has all the energy it needs under its feet.
Is Iran planning to spend another $20 billion building nuclear plants (in an economy with a GDP of only $404 billion) because it wants to make sure that its civilian population and businesses have everything that they need?
Iran is not pursuing a nuclear program because it needs the electric power, because it makes any economic sense or because it cares about its civilian population.
No one in the Middle East is building nuclear power plants because they want a civilian nuclear industry. And certainly not countries that can get all the energy they want just by drilling.
Iran is not building its Natanz uranium enrichment complex so far in the earth that it’s supposed to be unreachable by US strikes because it wants a civilian nuclear program. And that much is obvious to everyone. But there are those who still insist on
an imaginary separation between Bushehr and Natanz, between Iran’s supposedly civilian and military nuclear program, and using that as the basis for a deal limiting Iran’s capacity to civilian uses.
But all of that is premised on the idea that Iran wants a civilian program and would therefore accept and honor an arrangement that would limit it to a civilian program with no possibility of weapons development. That premise, which Obama accepted and sold to Congressional Democrats, quickly fell apart, only for Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and other administration players to try and revive it.
Iran isn’t looking to trade a weapons program for a civilian program. It’s doing what it has done from the very beginning, which is disguising its military program as a civilian program. Obama, like a number of figures in political office and in the intelligence community, knew that and chose
to pretend otherwise. They are the reason why Iran has become a bigger threat over the years. Defenders of rebooting Obama’s Iran deal have taken to calling critics “globalists” and claim that bringing back Obama’s old policy is somehow “America First.” They insist that being realistic about Iran’s nuclear program is a plot by the military-industrial complex and the CIA. But it was the CIA and the “intelligence community” that bailed out Iran during the Bush administration by falsely declaring in the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that “we judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program.”
The Trump administration can do what it chooses about Iran’s nuclear program. It can maintain sanctions, it can take out the program or it can do absolutely nothing. But it
See Greenfield on page 23
Topic Israel: 2 guests, 2 separate conversations
You may have heard about the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in which journalist Douglas Murray and comedian Dave Smith exchange barbs about whether there was a deficit of goods in the Gaza Strip following the 2005 disengagement, whether Gaza was in effect a blockaded open-air prison.
It’s gone viral for a reason. But before I move forward, I have two admissions to make to remain 100% transparent.
Until this podcast, I had never heard of Dave Smith. Maybe he’s a funny comedian, maybe he isn’t. Maybe he should stick to comedy and not regularly weigh in on something he self-admittedly has no firsthand knowledge of.
Also, I stopped listening to Rogan’s podcast shortly after Oct. 7, 2023, when in his “quest to find the truth,” he gave his platform to hateful, bigoted, ignorant people who used
A comedian argues the morality of war to defame Israel; his opponents argue that the law is on Israel’s side against
that opportunity to spew vicious lies about a “genocide” going on in Gaza. Rogan even acknowledged to Murray on air that he has yet to have a pro-Israel guest whose sole purpose for being on the show is to explain Israel’s perspective.
As for Murray, I watched his incredulity at Smith’s admission of having never been to the Middle East, let alone Gaza. Was it possible that the individuals in this debate were, in essence, speaking two different languages and having two different conversations?
A follow-up discussion on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” where Smith appeared with John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at West Point, continued the debate and shed more light on the problem. Spencer is arguably one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare and someone who has regularly defended Israel’s tactics in Gaza as being legal under the laws of war. He was on the show to support Murray’s arguments and debate Smith about the legality of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
It was during their exchange, as I became more and more frustrated at Spencer’s inability to dismantle Smith’s arguments, that I realized what had been bothering me from the interview on the Rogan’s show. During both interviews, Smith was arguing about the morality of war and was using Israel as a case study with which to bash war
Meanwhile, Murray and Spencer were arguing about the legality of war. Two completely different topics, and this hit me as I watched Smith getting increasingly exasperated with Spencer, who kept going back to the laws of war and to a lesser degree, the history of war.
Smith wants to exist in the world of vague, idealistic theories about whether war is moral or not. This, let’s be honest, is nearly impossible to argue against. Most people would agree that war probably is not the most moral thing in the most literal meaning of the term.
But whether we believe war is moral or not, it exists. War always has been, and unless human beings fundamentally change their DNA, war always will be.
So, instead of arguing whether it is moral to make war, civilizations need to create bound-
aries within which wars can be fought, hence the internationally agreed upon laws of war. Smith did not want to debate whether Israel’s actions in Gaza are legal or illegal; he just wanted to argue that they are immoral. This is a conclusion one can draw only if they remove facts and law from their equation. If war is immoral because civilians die in war, then yes, Israel’s actions would be considered immoral. However, if Smith were to step down from his moral high horse — from where he observes the world and casts his net of moral
Israel’s 76th Independence Day celebrations in central Jerusalem in 2024. Chaim Goldberg, Flash90
Workers on the construction site of a second reactor in Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, in 2019. Atta Kenare, AFP via Getty Images via JNS See Mashbaum on page 23
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also abducted and later released with Yelena.
Sasha describes the helplessness of trying to hide under a bed with his girlfriend as terrorists surrounded their house, with no means to defend himself. He was stabbed in the shoulder, and when he made an attempt to escape, was shot in both legs, bullets fracturing a bone, and clubbed on the head till blood flowed. But the horrors of their story is not what they or I want to dwell on.
Sasha, an engineer, brilliant in mathematics and facile with languages, already speaking Russian, Hebrew and fluent English, taught himself Arabic while in captivity so he could communicate with his captors. And most striking, Sasha, who was not a religious person, eloquently described how he started to think about his captivity and torture in global Jewish terms. He did not bemoan his own fate, though he had every reason to, but he analyzed, there must be a reason this happened, there must be a reason I’m still alive.
He recalled a conversation he had with a soldier on October 6 as he arrived (reluctantly as it turns out, because he had a sense of foreboding) to visit his parents in Kibbutz Nir Oz where they lived. Both agreed, as has been noted by many in the last year and a half, that the divisions in Israeli society, right and left, religious and non-religious, were tearing the country apart. Sasha noted sadly that only a war could bring us together. Months later as he sat in captivity, he thought perhaps this is the war, this is what G-d decreed to bring us all together.
Sasha found G-d.
Released in February 2025, Sasha and his mother, under the guidance of Chabad and the Avichai Foundation, has been learning to be shomer mitzvot, keep Shabbat and lay tefillin. I apologize that my words do not do justice to the profundity of Sasha’s experience, his transformation.
Sitting and listening to him and his mother that Shabbat afternoon was an inspiring and in the greatest sense of the word, an awesome experience. Which leads me to return to the name of the shul — Nitzanim — and why it is prophetic.
The source of the name is the pasuk in Shir Hashirim, Song of Songs, 2:12: Hanitzanim nir’u baaretz, eit ha-zamir hegia; v’kol hator nishma b’artzenu (the blossoms are seen in the land, the time of the song of the nightingale has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land).
Shir Hashirim is debated by Chazal, because on its face it appears to be a love poem between man and woman, which would seem to exclude it from inclusion in the Holy Canon in Tanach.
Yet Rabbi Akiva settled the argument, calling it the “most sacred book of the Tanach — Kodesh Kadashim.” Why? Because the language used is often not literal, and the aforementioned verse is no exception.
The blossoms of spring herald the song of the nightingale and the voice of the turtledove, not only with mellifluous music but more importantly with the message of the coming of the geula, redemption. The song is the song of the love between HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and Am Yisrael, G-d and Israel.
Rabbi Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, tz”l (1903–1993) in Kol Dodi Dofek, an essay based on his speech given to Mizrachi in 1956, uses the very same language of Shir Hashirim to describe the religious significance of the creation of the State of Israel. Almost two centuries prior, Rav Hillel Rivlin of Shklov, tz”l, a student of the Vilna Gaon, wrote the sefer Kol HaTor, the Voice of the Turtle Dove, dealing with the signs relating to the advent of Moshiach. Almost a century later Rav Zvi Hirsch Kalisher, tz“l (1795–1874), applied many of the same thoughts and ideas to encourage aliyah and agricultural development in Eretz Yisrael, contributing to the foundations of modern Zionism.
In captivity, Sasha Troufanov heard the song of the nightingale and the voice of the turtle-
dove. He heard the song not only of freedom, but he heard the song of religious redemption. We in Beit Knesset Nitzanim heard from him the same message as predicted by the pasuk quoted above: Hanitzanim nir’u baaretz.
When the nitzanim (blossoms) appear in the land, the time of the song of the nightingale and voice of the turtledove will be heard in our land.
Shabbat shalom.
Dr. Alan A. Mazurek is a retired neurologist, living in Great Neck, Jerusalem and Florida. He is a former chairman of the ZOA.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
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burial is the last chesed shel emet (kindness of truth) that one can perform for another.
It is this important Jewish value which has led Jewish communities throughout the ages to do all that they could to recover the bodies of those of our brethren who perished in prisons, on battlefields, or in tragic natural disasters.
I must note a poignant incident in our history, an incident which culminated in the recovery of two metei mitzvah. Part of the narrative of these two heroes is recounted in the book “The Deed” by Gerold Frank. It is the story of two boys who gave their lives to assassinate a high British official, based in Egypt, whose policies threatened to block Jewish immigration into what was then Palestine. Their names were Eliahu Bet Zouri and Eliahu Hakim.
They acted under the orders of the high command of the Stern Group. They succeeded in assassinating the official, but were tried and hanged for their efforts. They were buried near Cairo in 1945. But they were never forgotten. In 1975, the State of Israel exchanged 20 Arab prisoners for the bodies of these two young men and reburied them in hero’s graves upon Mount Herzl.
In recovering their bodies and eventually affording them an appropriate Jewish burial, the Israeli government was adhering to the teaching of this week’s Torah portion. They saw to it that these metei mitzvah were buried properly.
Even at this moment, the remains of several Israel soldiers are unrecovered and are held by our enemies. We hope and pray that even in these uncertain times, and perhaps especially in these times, our efforts to reclaim the bodies of these heroes will be successful. These soldiers are metei mitzvah in every sense of that phrase. They performed great mitzvot in their military service, and bringing them home for a proper burial is the least we can do to honor their memories.
And so, this week again, as so often in our study of the parsha, we discovered a value of paramount importance, a priority mitzvah, buried between the lines, nay between the words, of a simple phrase. This week, that phrase is in the very first verse of Parshat Emor.
Editor’s note: In the New York area, the organization that fulfills chesed shel emet is the Hebrew Free Burial Association. To learn more, visit HebrewFreeBurial.org
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
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became the source of such controversy, one wonders why the Torah chose to use such ambiguous terminology.
Obviously there must be some connection between this mitzvah of the Omer and the theme of Shabbat. So what does Shabbat have to do with the Omer, and for that matter with Pesach?
Further, a closer look at the portion begins to uncover other allusions to Shabbat: In discussing the mitzvah of blowing the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the Torah tells us: “In the seventh
month, on the first of the month, you shall have a rest day, a remembrance of Shofar, a holy calling.”
The Talmud in tractate Rosh Hashanah (fourth chapter) explains that this “remembrance” of the shofar refers to the fact that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the shofar is not blown, and only remembered. Why, in the midst of teaching us both the mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah as well as the central mitzvah of the day (blowing the shofar), does the Torah feel a need to allude to the mitzvah of Shabbat?
When the Jewish people left Egypt, the greatest gift Hashem gave them was the gift of time. In fact, the very first mitzvah given to the Jewish people, while they were still in Egypt, was the counting of the months, and the fact that “this month (Nissan, when the Jews left Egypt) will be for you the first of the months” (Exodus 12:2).
A slave, you see, has no time, because his time is not his own, it is his master’s. A slave gives no thought to building a future, because the slave has no future.
And then one day, the Jewish people were suddenly free, with no one else deciding for them what they had to do every hour and every minute of the day. On the one hand, this must have been an intoxicating experience. At the same time, it must have been somewhat frightening. A slave has no budget to balance, no bills to pay, no worries about whether the crop will come in; it’s all in the hands of the master.
This was the challenge facing the Jewish people as they journeyed towards the land of Israel, knowing the miracles of the desert would soon be behind them, and a land needed to be conquered, its fields plowed and planted.
The Jews became a nation only when they left Egypt, because now they had a mission and a purpose: to be a “Mamlechet Kohanim Ve’Goy Kadosh” (a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6).
Perhaps that is why this week’s parsha begins with the kohanim, the priests: Because the concept of the priesthood is a model for the Jewish people. The kohanim are our educators, who lead by example, and their lives are wrapped up in the service of a higher purpose, the challenge of bringing G-d into the world and into our lives. Shabbat teaches us to step off the ride and take stock of where we are headed and why we are doing all that we spend so much time doing. And Shabbat also teaches us to learn to live in every moment, and appreciate each moment’s beauty and power.
This is why Pesach here is called “Shabbat,” and the counting of the Omer is begun on the day after “Shabbat,” because the Omer is all about appreciating each day of each week as we move from the Exodus towards Shavuot and the giving of the Torah.
On the one hand, we count each day, to appreciate its gifts amidst all the little and sometimes very large challenges that may come our way, while never losing sight of the goal, represented by Shavuot, when we receive the Torah and with it our mission and purpose as a people.
And this is at the heart of all of the festivals, which are also all about appreciating each moment of each season, and each stage in our journey as a people, while never losing sight of the fact that each season and step in the journey is also part of a larger reality.
And this is also at the root of the beginning of the portion: the defilement by contact with death.
Death is the ultimate reminder that we are all here today and gone tomorrow. Thus the kohen, whose mission is to remind the Jewish people that there always has to be a higher purpose, avoids contact with death wherever possible.
Over 70 years ago, we as a people made a decision to build a future and not get stuck in the moment.
If there was ever a people with the right to escape the challenges of the future, or get stuck in the moment, it was the Jewish people of 1945. Yet, driven by the passion of a 3,000 year journey, we accepted a partnership with G-d in building a homeland, against seemingly insurmountable and often undeniably cruel and unfair odds.
We still have a long way to go, as a nation and as a people. It is hard for us to imagine how David Hatuel managed to get beyond his present and
move forward into an uncertain future. But he did eventually remarry, and build a new family. And somehow, perhaps the knowledge that we as a people continue to embrace the future amidst all the struggles of the present, will give strength and hope to us all.
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.
Rabbi Binny Freedman is Rosh Yeshiva of Orayta in Jerusalem. A version of this column was previously published.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
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vah responsibilities properly.
Let us take a look at one of the first mitzvot we train our children to fulfill. While there are no official statistics, in my own work with children, I have found approximately 85 percent are being trained incorrectly. The flaw may lie in teachers, schools, parents or children. Or, perhaps, a combination of all four.
Some people may follow the Shulchan Arukh Orach Chaim 62:1, which says that even though it is a mitzvah to be exact in the reading of the Shema, if one is not perfectly exact, one fulfills one’s obligation. But the Mishnah Brurah there says this is referring to all the subtleties that are raised in the entire Siman 61 about how to read the Shema punctiliously, precisely, and perfectly. However, if words or letters are outright misread, the Shema is being read improperly and the mitzvah is not fulfilled.
In the first paragraph alone, most people make at least one mistake, and most children make at least two others. After the opening two sentences, the first word is “v’ahavTA,” with the accent on the last syllable. Reading it this way means, “You shall love Hashem your G-d.” When the accent is placed on the second to last syllable (“v’aHAVta”) the words means “and you loved Hashem your G-d” in the past tense. This is one of many accent errors people make in reading Shema.
The other two very common mistakes are on words that are learned through listening and repeating, sounding out what (kids think) they hear, and not reading the words they are saying.
The second to last word of the phrase “B’shiv’tkha B’veitekha uv’lekh’t’kha baderekh u’v’shokh’b’kha uv’kumekha” is so commonly read as “B’shov’t’kha” one can likely attribute it to confusion with the first word of the phrase as quoted as they now sound so similar. But there is a big difference between saying that you must review the words of the Shema “when you are laying down” (b’shokh’b’kha = the correct way) than “when you are returning” (b’shov’t’kha = the incorrect way).
The last very common mistake is made when the first word of the last sentence of the first paragraph (and again when it appears in the second paragraph) is read as if it’s the same as the first word of the previous sentence. We are told to tie the tefillin (u’k’shartam) and to write the mezuzah (u’kh’tavtam). Despite what many kids say when they read the Shema, we are not commanded to tie the mezuzah to the doorpost (u’k’shartam al mezuzot beitekha).
Perhaps all the emphasis on the root “emor” (to say) at the opening of the parsha stands as a reminder that proper chinukh takes place when we take the time to say what needs to be said and to be heard. And, perhaps, in the case where the mitzvah is fulfilled through saying something, and following a script exactly, making sure it is said correctly.
Test your children. Be shocked or pleasantly surprised. Complain to the school or do not. Fix the problem if you can. Do proper chinukh, making sure they read the words from the siddur so that when they reach the age of mitzvot, they can fulfill the mitzvah of reading the Shema properly.
Avi Billet, who grew up in the Five Towns, is a South Florida-based mohel and rabbi of Anshei Chesed Congregation in Boynton Beach. This column was previously published.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
Tobin…
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oppressors of “people of color” due to the pervasive influence of toxic left-wing ideas like critical race theory, intersectionality, settler-colonialism, and the woke catechism of diversity, equity and inclusion that pointedly excludes Jews from its protections.
This problem has been exacerbated by coverage of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip that has falsely depicted Israel as the moral equivalent of the Nazis, even though it is the Palestinians who have embraced an eliminationist ideology aimed at the destruction of the Jewish state and the genocide of its people.
To his credit, Portnoy responded to accusations that he’s responsible for hate by pointing out that the main engine of contemporary antisemitism is the campaign of vilification of Israel and Jews that has been mainstreamed on college campuses and in the mainstream media.
He’s right about that, but by listening to Kraft, whose foundation’s Super Bowl ad was a primer on how not to educate the public about antisemitism, Portnoy blundered.
Contrary to Kraft’s foolish ad, antisemitism isn’t ordinary intolerance or unkindness. It’s always a form of hatred based on ideas about power with a political purpose.
And if there’s anything to be learned from the enormous effort that has been expended on Holocaust education in the last generation in the United States, it’s that the focus on Auschwitz and the Nazi murder of 6 million Jews isn’t doing much to stop the backlash of hatred against them.
That’s not just because it emphasizes Jewish powerlessness — something that tends to excite antisemites rather than deter them. It is because the ideas driving antisemitism right now cannot be debunked by talking about the crimes of the past, but must instead educate people about why today’s haters are wrong.
They think it’s OK
If students, waitresses and bar managers think that it’s OK to jovially bash Jews on a typical night out, it’s because they have been indoctrinated in lies about contemporary Israel that aren’t answered by training about tolerance or DEI-style concern about minorities other than Jews.
What is needed in response to all of the incidents of antisemitism that don’t go viral, in addition to those that do, is not a discussion about why people voted for Trump or why they like Portnoy but an understanding of the war being waged by Palestinian Arabs on Israel that is cheered on by a red/green alliance of “progressives” and Islamists. It is no different from the one waged against Jews by the Nazis.
Honoring the memory of the Holocaust is vital, but young Americans who hate Jews don’t need trips to a concentration camp. What they could use is a visit to Israel’s Gaza Envelope to see the Oct. 7 killing fields at the Nova music festival site and in the attacked Jewish communities near the border, where unspeakable atrocities occurred.
The “bro culture” at Barstool Sports bars may strike many of us as repellent. But the issue here
isn’t Portnoy’s influence or his own bad behavior. It is a media and an education system that hasn’t so much increased its tolerance of Jew-hatred as they have mainstreamed it.
Those who want to reverse this trend should stop pointing their fingers at the pizza guy and start blaming the people who continually put out misinformation about Israel and Jews that fuels antisemitism.
And those who want to stop this dispiriting trend should understand that, as important as it may be, Holocaust education isn’t the catch-all answer to Jew-hatred. Individuals with powerful platforms like Portnoy should be focusing more on the battle against intersectionality and DEI — and telling the truth about the foundation of the 77-year-old democratic State of Israel — and stop listening to Jewish establishment figures like Kraft, whose safe-sounding solutions to the problem have already proven to be failures.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
Cohen…
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have endured insults and vandalism, assault and even murder. Much of this has tracked the troughs and peaks of conflict in the Middle East, especially the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and earlier wars in Gaza in 2008-09, 2014 and 2021.
Not all of the antisemitic outpouring is so closely connected. Some of the worst instances of hatred and violence, like the 2017 torture and murder of Sarah Halimi, an elderly Jewish woman living on her own in public housing in Paris, did not occur at a time of unusually high conflict in the Middle East. Rather, they were a consequence of the demonizing tropes and false claims about Jews that have become embedded in our culture over the course of this century.
We should feel a strong degree of satisfaction at the news that Azhar is dead and therefore unable to ruin the lives of other innocents like Daniel Pearl. However, that’s not the same as full justice, which would involve a comprehensive reckoning by politicians, influencers and thought leaders with the antisemitism that has stained our culture and our civilization.
We know, more or less, where all this started. What we don’t know is where it will end.
Ben Cohen is a senior analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
Nirenstein…
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Jews today are under siege across the world. The Pulitzer Prize was awarded to Mosab Abu Toha, a Palestinian poet who belittles the victims of Oct. 7 and glorifies terror. People worldwide
clamor for humanitarian aid that often ends up in the hands of those holding hostages captive underground. Calls for “peace” have become calls for Israel’s surrender.
In Milan, there’s debate over lighting the Palazzo Marino in the colors of the Gaza Strip, citing dubious Hamas casualty figures of 52,000 dead, including 13,000 children. In Ragusa and Catania, in southern Sicily, a new soft drink called “Gaza Cola” is being marketed — yet another symbol of how commercialized and normalized this wave of anti-Jewish hatred has become.
We are witnessing the rise of the willing executioners of our time, emboldened by misinformation, driven by ideological blindness, and legitimized by public institutions. The script is tragically familiar, but the ending depends on whether the world will wake up in time to stop it.
Fiamma Nirenstein is an Italian-Israeli.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
Greenfield…
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should be clear-eyed about what Iran’s nuclear program is and what it’s for.
Deals with terrorists and terror states are worthless. Any agreement with Iran can only end one way, and that’s with a terror state whose motto is “Death to America” gaining the ability to carry out that threat against us.
Iran’s civilian nuclear program is as much of a front as a mob chain of pizza parlors. Negotiating with Islamic terrorists is a waste of America’s power and credibility. And it seduces those who negotiate into believing that a deal is possible, no matter how high the red flags fly.
The United States can choose to ignore Iran, but it should stop humiliating itself by negotiating with a terror state that has tortured and murdered Americans, and now treats us like suckers.
Daniel Greenfield is an Israeli-born journalist. Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
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utopianism onto a world that is not a utopia — he might realize a few things.
He might realize that war is horrible and that when wars are fought, innocent civilians die. He might realize that in the prosecution of war, some actors do all they can to reduce the loss of innocent life, while there are other actors whose very strategy in war is to maximize the loss of innocent life. They, of course, do this so they can use that carnage as a weapon against their adversary as well, which is what is happening in Gaza today.
Smith might also realize that if the loss of innocent life were so important to avoid, then the actors, in this case Hamas, should not start a war and then fight it from behind or beneath innocent civilians. Israel, I might add, does the opposite; it puts the lives of its soldiers on the line to protect the lives of people in Gaza, and this has cost Israel dearly.
It’s time for Smith to take his head out of the clouds, plant his feet back on terra firma and understand that wars are never fought in sterile environments, devoid of civilians, where all combatants observe the same rules or follow the same laws. If they were, we would not be having this conversation.
One final thing: Israel did not want this war and did not start this war. But morally speaking, we must acknowledge that Israel has a moral obligation to its citizens to prosecute this war to its conclusion. To do anything less would be immoral and a violation of the government’s duty to protect its people. If Hamas laid down its arms tomorrow and returned the hostages, the war would end. If Israel laid down its arms … well, then maybe Smith would be sitting with Rogan talking about how sickened he is by all the dead Jews, but, then again, maybe he wouldn’t. Michael Mashbaum is a senior educator with Club Z, a Zionist youth organization.
