January 12th, 2023

Dear Readers,

My daughter’s school has a MotherDaughter learning program, where last week we learned the importance of gratitude, to have Hakaras HaTov, even if you may never express it to the person, so that cultivating the middah changes us and becomes a part of who we are. I believe this is also true with the middah of chesed.

Not too long, in the first issue of this newspaper, I introduced our team, stating that Sara, Avi, and I have known each other for over 20 years and have served together in community activities.

It began in the summer of 2001 at Summer@ ETTA. We were 14-year-old junior counselors, barely even knowing ourselves, while getting to know children and adults with special needs. My adorable camper that summer was Danielle Magady along with two of her friends. I spent the next 4 years not only as a counselor at Summer@ETTA, but spending all of high school actively involved in everything ETTA. I helped to plan Shabbatons and spent countless Shabbosim at the group home, where I not only enjoyed time with the adults living with special needs, but watched them live nearly independently (with assistance), cooking for Shabbos, doing laundry, setting the table, taking their medications, and helping each other.

Today, there are many beautiful organizations around the world that provide for the needs of clients and families with special needs. But it wasn’t always that way. Creating a classroom for children with special needs started for the LA Jewish community in the 1960s, when Rabbi Menachem Gottesman hired Mrs. Etta Israel to teach a class in Harkham Hillel Academy. This classroom not only served as a role model for future Special Education, but also shared activities and experiences with the rest of the school. When Mrs. Israel retired, she left whatever assets she had to create the Etta Israel Center, known today fondly as ETTA.

I work as a registered nurse in an adult medical unit in one of LA’s largest hospitals. One day, I saw a familiar name on our unit - an adult who used to live in one of the ETTA group homes where I volunteered years ago. While she wasn’t assigned as my patient, I kept an eye on her. She was admitted with a new medical diagnosis that needed to be monitored, but most importantly, she needed to learn how to care for herself with this new medical condition. She became agitated and insisted on going home. She had her bags packed and began to walk down the hall, tears streaming down her face, and nurses chasing her.

Picture the scene as I swooped in, put my arm around her shoulder, and said “Hi Shalva! (name changed), it’s me Ariela, remember me from Summer@ ETTA? And when I used to come for Shabbos to the group home? What’s going on?” And so began a long few hours, where I sat with Shalva and helped her to understand

why she was hospitalized, why she could not leave at the moment, and what we had to do to get her home safely. It was not easy. I cannot count the number of times Shalva tried to walk out and how often I had to redirect her. We would be halfway down the hall toward the elevator, and I would whip out my phone and show her old photos of Avi Heyman’s costumes at our Summers@ETTA (BH there were many saved on Google Drive!) I’m not very good at the art of distraction, and boy was this exhausting!

But I could not give up! Because I cared for Shalva and I knew she could do it. Because I could see how afraid she was and overwhelmed. Because she was my friend and she trusted me. Because she was the same as every other one of my patients after finding out a new diagnosis. And that’s what I sawher humanity and her being the same as anyone else.

This week’s feature is a profile of an amazing man in our community, who speaks for himself. Shlomo Meyers works at one of our local Jewish day schools, attends many of our local shuls, and regularly communicates via text with dozens (if not more) of the LA locals. He serves as an active member of our community, a role model to many. This would never have been possible without organizations such as ETTA, Yachad, Keshet, and so many others, whose mission is to support, include, and integrate those with special needs into the larger community, to make their lives meaningful, and thereby also ours.

I wouldn’t be who I am today, serving as a local nurse or writing for this paper, if it wasn’t for my volunteering experience with ETTA, which shaped my values, my desire to give back, and create community connections and spread awareness, which I feel is one of my missions in serving for this paper.

Volunteering shapes priorities, provides direction, and creates a community of shared values of like-minded individuals who create lifelong friendships. I have so much gratitude for Dr. Michael Held, for Menachem Litenatsky, Mrs. Leah Schachter, and all the ETTA families, clients, and volunteers who provided me these opportunities to develop myself as a person, one who hopes to use what I have to give back. I also have tremendous gratitude for the current volunteers of LA, mostly in high school, who continue to support all of the amazing organizations that we have.

To learn more about what’s happening locally in real time, sign up for the Schmooze LA whats app group. If you want this newspaper delivered to your door, sign up on our website for a delivery subscription! We will see you in 3 weeks, with our next issue on February 2nd. Enjoy Yeshiva Break!

Yoel Halpern

PUBLISHER publisher@thelajewishhome.com

Sara Halpern

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF sara@thelajewishhome.com

Ariela Kauffman

MANAGING EDITOR editor@thelajewishhome.com

Avi Heyman

HEAD OF SALES avi@thelajewishhome.com

Dorit Teichman

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

8950 W Olympic Blvd #147 Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Tel: 213-538-7770 www.TheLAJewishHome.com

The LA Jewish Home is an independent biweekly magazine. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. All submissions become the property of The LA Jewish Home and may be edited for publication. Pictures may be modified at our discretion to conform to standards of modesty in dress. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any advertised product or business advertised within.

Shabbos Zemanim

Friday, January 13

Parshas Shemos: 4:46pm

Shabbos Begins: 4:46pm

Shabbos Ends: 5:51pm

Rabbeinu Tam: 6:18pm

Friday, January 20

Parshas Va’era: 4:53pm

Birkas Hachodesh

Shabbos Begins: 4:53pm Shabbos Ends: 5:57pm Rabbeinu Tam: 6:24pm

Friday, January 27

Parshas Bo: 5:00pm

ShabbosBegins: 5:00pm ShabbosEnds: 6:04pm Rabbeinu Tam:6:31pm

YOU MAY BE CARRYING MORE THAN YOU KNOW.

1 in ~ 12 Ashkenazi Jews is a carrier for Gaucher Disease.

Gaucher Disease is an inherited, progressive condition that affects approximately 1 in 850 members of the Ashkenazi community. While carriers have no symptoms, they can unknowingly pass the condition on to their children. Speak to your doctor today. Learn more at gauchercare.com

Over the weekend, former Pope Benedict XVI died. He was 95. Benedict had led the Catholic Church For less than eight years before stepping down in 2013, citing health issues. He became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. Benedict spent his final years at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery within the walls of the Vatican where he passed away on Saturday. On Thursday, his successor, Pope Francis, will lead his funeral. Until then, the body of Benedict will be lying St. Peter’s Basilica for hordes of faithful to visit the Pope Emeritus. In his first public comments since news of Pope Benedict’s death broke, Pope Francis called him a gift to the church, describing him as a noble and kind man.

Former Pope Benedict Dies Israel is Strong

Joe Biden – only the second Catholic to serve as U.S.president – said Pope Benedict “will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith.” Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Pope Benedict as a “defender of traditional Christian values” ‘in his New Year address to the nation. Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, Benedict was 78 when, in 2005, he became one of the oldest popes ever elected. When he was 14 years old, Ratzinger Joined the Hitler youth movement after membership became mandatory. Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center noted that Ratzinger’s family was anti-Nazi and said that, at the time, most youths were forced to join the Hitler youth movement. Ratzinger was captured by U.S. soldiers during his time in the army during World War II. After the war, he entered the priesthood. For much of his papacy, the Catholic Church faced allegations, legal claims, and official reports into decades of child abuse by priests. Earlier this year, the former pope acknowledged that errors had been made in the handling of abuse cases while he was archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982.

UN Condemns Israel More Than Others

The year 2022 saw the United Nations General Assembly pass more resolutions critical of Israel than against all other nations combined, furthering observations that there is an ongoing lopsided focus on the Jewish state at the world body. The General Assembly approved 15 anti-Israel resolutions last year, versus 13 resolutions criticizing other countries, according to a tally by the pro-Israel monitoring group UN Watch. Russia was the focus of six resolutions condemning its invasion of Ukraine. North Korea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Iran,and the U.S.were hit with one resolution each. Saudi Arabia, China, Lebanon, Turkey, Venezuela,and Qatar, which have poor human rights records or were involved in regional conflicts, were not hit by any resolutions criticizing them. Since 2015, the General Assembly has adopted 140 resolutions criticizing Israel, mainly over its treatment of the Palestinians, its relationships with neighboring countries,

and other alleged wrongdoings. Over the same period, it has passed 68 resolutions against all other countries, UN Watch said. In the 193-nation assembly’s most recent anti-Israel resolution on Friday, it approved a call for the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The resolution promoted by the Palestinians passed by a vote of 87 in favor, 26 against, with 53 abstentions. The resolution, titled “Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories,” calls on the Hague-based ICJ to “render urgently an advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.” Other anti-Israel measures in the past year focused on the “occupied Syrian Golan,” Palestinian refugees, nuclear proliferation, pollution in Lebanon, settlements, and the stalled peace process.

Barbara Walters Dies

Israel is one of the 10 most powerful, politically influential, and militarily strong countries in the world, according to a roundup for 2022 published by U.S. News & World Report. The paper also found that the Jewish state has among the strongest international alliances. Overall, Israel ranked 37th “best” country in the world out of 85 on the yearly list, now in its seventh year. Among countries considered most powerful because they “consistently dominate news headlines, preoccupy policymakers and shape global economic patterns,” U.S.News & World Report put Israel in tenth place. Top of the list was the United States, followed by China and then Russia. These are countries whose “foreign policies and military budgets are tracked religiously. When they make a pledge, at least some in the international community trust they will keep it. These countries project their influence on the world stage,” the outlet said. Israel was tenth

in the ranking for countries that have the “Strongest International Alliances,” as viewed by global survey respondents. Israel’s highest ranking was for its military, which was placed fourth, behind Russia, the U.S., and China. As for political influence, Israel was put in sixth place, just behind Germany and ahead of France. U.S.News & World Report described Israel as “the only Jewish nation in the world” and “a small country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.”

“For its relatively small size, the country has played a large role in global affairs,” it said. “The country has a strong economy, landmarks of significance to several religions, and strained relationships with many of its Arab neighbors.” The top three countries overall were Switzerland, Germany, and Canada. The U.S.was in fourth place, followed by Sweden, Japan, Australia, the UK, France, and Denmark to make up the top ten.

Journalist Barbara Walters, known for her interviewing prowess, died last weekend at the age of 93. Walters began her national broadcast career in 1961 as a reporter, writer and panel member for NBC’s “Today”show before being promoted to co-host in 1974. In 1976, Walters joined ABC News as the first female anchor on an evening news program. At that network, Walters launched “The Barbara Walters Specials’’ and “10 Most Fascinating People” before becoming a co-host and correspondent for ABC News “20/20” in 1984. Along the way, she interviewed every U.S. president and first

lady since Richard and Pat Nixon. For more than five decades, Walters was in Americans’ Home, speaking through the TV screen with world leaders and celebrities. Most recently, she launched “The View,” a daytime talk show with a panel of women. She left “The View’’ in 2014.

“I knew it was time,” Walters told CNN’s Chris Cuomo at the time. “I like all the celebrations, that’s great, but in my heart, I thought, ‘I want to walk away while I’m still doing good work.’ So I will.” Looking upon the numerous women who had looked up to her throughout her career, Walters said they were her legacy. ”How do you say goodbye to something like 50 years in television?” she said in conclusion. “How proud when I see all the young women who are making and reporting the news. If I did anything to help make that happen, that is my legacy. From the bottom of my heart, to all of you with whom I have worked and who have watched and been by my side, I can say: ‘Thank you.’” Some of Walters’ most famous interviews included a historic 1977 joint sit-down with Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin.

Human Composting Legal in NY

Human composting, thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul, is now legal in New York. The Big Apple became the sixth state in the nation to legalize a form of technology that turns human bodies into soil after death. Author and mortician Caitlin Doughty explained the concept for the New York Times, “With human composting technology, our dead have the chance to become nutrient-rich soil that can be used to plant trees and regrow forests.” Also known as “natural organic reduction,” the practice sees a body decompose over several weeks after being shut in a container. The process happens in special above-ground facilities. A body is put in a closed vessel along with selected materials such as wood chips, alfalfa, and straw grass, and gradually breaks down under the action of microbes. After a period of around a month – and a heating process to kill off any contagion – the deceased’s relatives are given the resulting soil. The soil can ostensibly be used in planting flowers, vegetables, or trees. Catholic bishops in New York State vociferously opposed the legislation in New York, arguing that human bodies should not be treated like “household waste.” In 2019, Washington was the first U.S. state to legalize it. Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and California followed suit.

wine dine vip

THE BIGGEST night in kosher food & wine is back! Live and in person from the entertainment capital of the world, Hollywood, CA. KFWE is back and is returning bigger and better than ever.

Hundreds of wines from around the world. From Bordeaux to Barcelona to Tel Aviv, the best kosher wines from across the globe all in one place for one night only!

And for those who prefer their parties with some bottle popping, this year we’ve opened the champagne lounge to everyone who attends. You read that right. . . BUBBLES FOR EVERYONE!

The wine is just the start. KFWE boasts a starstudded lineup of the Southern California’s finest kosher eateries. Signature dishes, desserts, and exclusive culinary creations are all at KFWE.

A Familiar Ring

Shaina Day lost her engagement ring more than two decades ago. She had left her rings on the counter and, when cleaning up, ended up throwing the ring down the toilet. Frantic, Shaina, who was newly engaged, said she climbed down into the septic tank at the home of her in-laws with a hose to suck everything up. Once she did that, she pumped it through a hose over a window screen and into a 55-gallon drum in hopes of catching the lost ring. But

the ring was not to be found – until now. A few weeks ago, her in-laws decided to have their toilet replaced. When the plumber removed the toilet, the ring dazzled in the excess water that had been dumped out. Her in-laws decided that Shaina would appreciate being gifted her long-lost ring.

Last week, when Shaina was unwrapping gifts, she and her husband Nick found a small, ceramic toilet figurine in a small box. Inside the mini commode sat Shaina’s sparkling

ring. The couple was surprised and so happy to be reunited with the sentimental piece of jewelry. “That just is absolutely amazing that it’s just been sitting there, because we had just thought it was gone. It was never coming back. It’s hard to believe,” Shaina said. The ring itself was broken, although the diamond was intact. They have since repaired the ring. The couple said that it is “now more meaningful than ever.” That has a nice ring to it.

Maimo Students Are On Team Hashem!

The Nursery classes invited their parents to join them for two special events. The boys and their dads joined together for a tzitzit and kippah event. This gave all the boys an opportunity to decorate their own tzitzit and kippot making it even more personalized and special for them. In addition, the students got to decorate and eat cookies in the shapes of tzizit. Rabbi Mahler spoke to everyone about the importance of wearing tzitzit and kippot, and then welcomed all the boys to “Team Hashem!”

In honor of the Parsha, Parshat Chaya Sara, the Nursery girls and their mothers were invited to a special challah bake. The girls measured and mixed all the ingredients for challah dough. And

then we invited all the moms to shape and decorate the challah dough with various toppings. In addition, we created personalized challah covers with each family’s name using paints and decorative appliques to enjoy at their homes for Shabbat. Morah Claire read “Way Too Much Challah Dough” by Goldie Shulman to the students and spoke about the mitzvot that are given to women that we see in this parsha: Hafrashat Challah and Hadlakat Neirot. These were two great events that instilled such a sense of pride in the Nursery boys and girls for being a part of Hashem’s team and getting the opportunity to share these mitzvot with their parents!

On Asarah B’Teves, YAYOE’s Junior High Girls Focus on Emunah in the Face of Destruction

Maor Students with the Maccabeats

While the fast of Asarah B’Teves mourns the beginning of the siege of Yerushalayim during the time of the first Beis Hamikdash, it is an appropriate time to focus on the hardships our nation has endured throughout Jewish history.

This Asarah B’Teves, YAYOE’s Junior High girls learned firsthand about our recent history from Mrs. Eva Brettler, who spoke to them about her experiences

growing up in WWII Europe. A survivor of the Holocaust, Mrs. Brettler shared her story of triumph over tragedy, emphasizing the importance of emunah and perseverance.

Mrs. Brettler gave the girls a heartfelt bracha that Hashem should watch over them as they carry on the legacy of the Jewish people.

YULA Impact Day with Love N Groceries

Maor has an incredible tradition of making Maccabeats videos starring their students every year to celebrate Chanukah. For our 3rd Annual Chanukah video, the students recorded “I have a little dreidel” by The Maccabeats. On the first day of Chanukah, our entire program gathered together to watch the videos and had a special guest performance by The Maccabeats themselves! We had a fantastic time celebrating Chanukah. The students enjoyed an immersive sensory

experience with Orly, dancing, singing, and lighting the menorah. In music with Jaime, we practiced different Chanukah songs they can sing with their families at home. For enrichment, we all pretended to be dreidels, spinning and jumping in the Moonbounce. Ora ECC kicked off our Chanukah celebrations with a preschool-wide pajama party! All the students and even the staff arrived at school dressed in their coziest Chanukah pajamas! The students had a blast tasting jelly donuts, painting wooden dreidels, and having a Chanukah dance party.

As part of YULA’s annual Impact Day, YULA High School: Boys Division took the morning off from school to volunteer alongside local organizations assisting the Los Angeles community. In partnership with Love N Groceries, YULA’s entire senior class made a Target run, buying Chanukah presents for children who have lost a parent. Working togeth-

ETTA

er with the founders of Love N Groceries, the senior class was divided into ten groups, each being given a personalized shopping list for the family. After browsing Target to find exciting toys, fun games, and delicious treats for each family, the groups hand-delivered the gifts to their front doors. A senior at YULA, Andrew Rubel said, “On a personal note, I found it very meaningful to volunteer with my classmates to perform acts of chesed. We were able to bond as a grade, and we took special care to think of what each child at their different ages would enjoy. We felt truly privileged to be able to bring some Chanukah light to those who need it most.”

Celebrates Chanukah

in Many Ways

Last month, ETTA celebrated Chanukah in various ways throughout LA. The ETTA Day Program came to ETTA’s main office and enjoyed freshly made latkes and friendship with their peers. ETTA’s senior staff attended ETTA Group Homes Chanukah celebrations at the residents’ homes for a terrific celebration.

ETTA Youth Board members and volunteers helped the participants create Chanukah tile art, make latkes, and light candles before enjoying a pizza dinner. And on ETTA TV (www.ettatv.org), ETTA’s virtual forum, ETTA clients discussed what they loved and appreciated about Chanukah, especially during the nightly Gratitude Circle. These were such wonderful experiences for all of our community!

‘Names, Not Numbers’ Project at Yeshivat Yavneh

The 8th-grade students at Yeshivat Yavneh took part in a special experience this past week, as they entered the interview process of their Names, Not Numbers project. Names, Not Numbers is a project that teaches students about the Holocaust, and urges them to delve into the stories of individuals. The main element of the project involves students researching and interviewing a Holocaust survivor, and filming the interview as well. Once the interviews are completed, the students edit the film, all the while being filmed by a documentarian who records their experience over the course of this life-changing project. The bonds that are created over the multiple hours of these emotional interviews was evident as our students walked their survivors out of the school. We can’t wait to see the finished project and film, which will hopefully be open to our Jewish community.

vice and oversees an array of restaurants and food establishments. He is also the Rav of Congregation Ohr HaChaim in the La Brea neighborhood.

The topics he so masterfully addressed were dealing with Kashrus outside the home. Some of the topics discussed were: eating cut-up fruit and vegetables from food carts, eating in a vegan restaurant, drinking coffee from hotels, airlines/airports, and Starbucks (without supervision), and buying fresh fish from unsupervised stores. He also touched upon the delicate question of why “scandals” occur in the kashrus world and what the dif-

ferences in standards are between different kashrus agencies.

The shiur was preceded by a half-hour of learning source sheets from the Shulchan Aruch and its commentaries on this subject for the men, with chavrusas from the LINK Avreichim. After the program (which included 15 minutes of questions from the audience) officially concluded, Rabbi Klein stayed another 80 minutes as he was peppered with non-stop questions from the attendees on all matters of practical kashrus. His rapt listeners only let him

A standing-room-only crowd of men and women attended LINK’s Legal Holiday shiur with Rabbi Shlomie Klein on Monday, Jan. 2. Rabbi Klein is the Director of Kashrus for Los Angeles of the OK supervision ser-

Party at Young Israel of LA

out for the longest spinning time.

Thank you to Benzion and Dovi Levin who spent two hours peeling and grating 35 pounds of potatoes and frying up more than 200 fresh crispy latkes. Plain ones, basil-garlic, jalapeno, and even some vegan latkes with no eggs. Keeping them hot wasn’t an issue; they were gone within seconds of coming out of the frying

The Clubhouse Begins Two New Programs in January

Last year, The Clubhouse girls partnered with the students from Bnos Esther to participate in a Purim-themed shpiel called Amalia Badalia Makes Shabbos. In January, our girls will again join with Bnos Esther to help create a production for our community. The Bnos Esther students will guide and partner with the Clubhouse girls. The girls will participate in all show aspects, from costume design to singing and creating the sets. This program is available to The Clubhouse girls through the dedication of the Bnos Esther volunteers.

The Boy’s Clubhouse program looks forward to hosting a bar mitzvah for one of the participants this month. There is a plan for a Friday night oneg and a unique bar mitzvah program on Sunday at The Clubhouse. Rebbe Hill will fly out of

New York to entertain and share stories. The Barbeque King will cater the event. As always, our Yeshiva student volunteers will be present to help add to the Simcha.

The Clubhouse’s mission is to offer maximum respite opportunities for parents and families with children of special needs, free of charge. The Clubhouse provides enriching and supportive programming for these children, allowing the participants to benefit from programs in a Torah environment, giving them a sense of belonging. In addition, the volunteer program associated with The Clubhouse enhances the inclusion goals of the Clubhouse within our community. For more information on The Clubhouse, please contact info@theclubhouse.care.

Chanukah at the Westside Shul SimXa Chanukah Hakhel Shabbaton

Angeles.

SimXa Company conducted its 21st annual successful Shabbaton over Shabbos Chanukah in Marina Del Rey, California, bringing Torah and inspiration to its attendees. As a first-time attendee, Mordechai Yosef Feldman, put it, the Shabbaton was “a meaningful and fun experience for the whole family, the best way to relax, get inspired, and connect with other awesome Jews of many various backgrounds.”

This year’s speakers included Rabbi Aryeh Katzin, Director of R.A.J.E. and founder of Sinai Academy from New York, Mrs. Miriam Yerushalmi, counselor and author from Los Angeles, Rabbi Reuven Wolf of Maayon Yisroel Chassidic Center in Los Angeles, Katya Kapelnikova, a songwriter and performer from Chicago, and Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, founder of Magen Am USA from Los

This year’s Shabbaton opened with a wedding celebration. The groom, Abokhai Chulpaev, had attended SimXa Shabbatons in the past. He says that he and his bride, Lina, wanted to “sanctify our Jewish marriage together with … this holy organization.” Working with the Shabbaton organizers, Esther and Moshe Davidoff, the couple arranged a beautiful wedding, which was enjoyed by their family and friends, as well as the Shabbaton attendees.

Esther Davidoff says, “Every year’s Shabbaton is special and meaningful, but this year was unique, since it is the Year of Hakhel, and the event happened on Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Chanukah, not to mention the beautiful and elegant wedding we had the honor of hosting at the start of our retreat. We felt ourselves elevated to ever greater spiritual heights.”

An attendee, Jessica Yuz, summarizes the event as, “yet another excellent Shabbaton! Everyone enjoyed the delicious food, inspiring speakers, and an engaging kids’ program. The beautiful views of the Marina from the guest rooms and conference area were just icing on the cake. Our kids are already excited to go back and see the friends they made, IY”H.”

Generations Day at Emek

The Westside Shul hosted its annual Chanukah party this past Sunday, December 25th. We had face painters, hair stylists, character drawing, arts and crafts, human foosball, dip n dots, rock climbing, ax throwing, kids car racing, moonbounces and so much more! The kids had a blast and enjoyed their last day of Chanukah with their friends and community.

MAGEN AM COMMUNITY UPDATE

“Grandparents are voices of the past and the door to the future. They provide us with wisdom from a lifetime of experience that should never be undervalued.” Given that sentiment, Generations Day at Emek was a huge success! Emek grandparents and great-grandparents alike came from near and far to shep nachas from their beautiful grandchildren. Our guests were reunited with old friends and family as sufganiyot and fresh fruit were available throughout the morning. Our Pre-1st through 5th-grade students were able to bring their family members to their classrooms for special Chanukah performances and to work on spectacular Chanukah art projects. Students had loads of fun with their Bubbies and Zaidies,

creating projects involving dreidels, picture frames, candles, and pedestals. Generations Day at Emek is a highly cherished event and we appreciate all the grandparents sharing in this unique program.

The number for the MAGEN AM 24/7 EMERGENCY HOTLINE for La Brea/Hancock Park is 1-844-MAGEN-AM (844-624-3626).

Please call if you see anything suspicious or dangerous.

As 2023 begins, Magen Am is proud of our accomplishments last year. As crime and anti-Semitism have continued to skyrocket, the work of Magen Am is more important than ever.

Recently released numbers show a continued increase in hate crimes in Los Angeles, reaching the highest levels in 19 years. Additionally, a staggering 74% of all religiously motivated hate crimes targeted Jews.

Magen Am has made a very real impact on the security and protection of the Jewish community. Here are just some of our accomplishments from last year:

Community Patrol

● Over 35,000 miles patrolled

● 750 calls to our Patrol Hotline

● Tens of thousands of community members protected 24/7/365

● Over $550,000 in subsidized security

Security Guard Program

● 20,000+ hours of security provided for schools and shuls by our security teams

● 12 IDF and US veterans employed as guards

● 38 high-profile Jewish events protected

Community Team Member Program

● 47 licensed and trained volunteers, embedded in 13 community Schools and Shuls as armed security teams.

● 12 additional incoming Community Team Members currently receiving over 100 hours of training

● Over 6,000 security hours volunteered

● $225,000 in subsidized security

Community-Wide Classes

● Over 350 people received training from Magen Am in 2022

● 68 firearms classes for the community

● 150 personal protection and community empowerment Class Attendees

● 26 free self-defense classes for the community

Active Shooter Training for teachers

Patrol at a street fair

ITZIK DADIA

Incredible Friendship Circle Winter Camp

What an incredible 9 days of Friendship Circle Winter Camp! Our camp was booming with 60 campers of diverse abilities in 3 different divisions and 2 locations!!! The theme of this camp was Hakel, meaning to gather. What better way to bring our theme to life than with one of the biggest collaborations with some of the greatest schools in LA? Hundreds of teenagers played various roles and showed up for inclusion throughout camp.

We were so lucky to have an extra level of excitement as we celebrated Chanukah during the first week of camp. It was such a treat to have Rabbi JJ & Hillel Hebrew Academy students cheering our campers on as they drove through a huge inflatable menorah on the first day. Ohr Hachaim of the valley joined the boys’ division at Boomers and Maimonides students paired up at ice skating and the trampoline park! Beis Rebbe packed and sponsored super fun sensory bags the campers enjoyed on the bus rides and Ohel Chana showed support through their incredible volunteers being available whenever needed!

Rain or shine the fun rolled on, every day with a new grand adventure. Campers and their volunteers enjoyed

rides, arcades, climbing, jumping and so much more. The friendships blossomed as they picked vegetables together out at the farm. Of course, no winter camp is complete without chilling on the ice!

The entire boys’ division, dressed in their finest, joined in the Bar Mitzvah of their dear friend Yossi. They danced, cheered, and brought so much joy to his special day. The bottle dancers were fun to watch and Rabbi JJ and the boys from Hillel added to the great energy with their menorah hats and exciting games. It was friendship at its best!

We finished each week with challah baking, puppy parties, a carnival, and a grand Shabbos party. Hillel Hebrew Academy showed up for friendship once again by packing and donating volunteer gifts, shabbos party bags & a sensory prize box for every camper.

Chanukah Family Fun at LINK

On the Motzei Shabbos of Chanukah (December 24th), LINK held its annual Chanukah party for children and adults. Many old and new faces joined for a fun-filled evening. For the children, there was a very talented ventriloquist that kept them captivated with his many humorous “sidekicks.” There were also several arts and crafts projects for children of all ages. For the adults, there was Rabbi Brander’s famous dreidel spinning contest that attracted a diverse group of contestants. For everyone, there was a delicious buffet of dairy dishes and, of course, pizza, as well a wide variety of sufganiyot and just plain donuts. A good time was had by all.

Rabbi Chaim Druckman was considered one of the leading voices in the Religious Zionist movement in Israel, serving as the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Or Etzion, and head of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot. Winner of the Israel Prize in 2012, Rabbi Druckman was the founder of the Gush Emunim movement, served as a member of the Israeli Knesset, and was the director of the State Conversion Authority in Israel.

by leading Orthodox Zionistic community leaders.

Hillel Hebrew Academy invites the broader Los Angeles Community to mark the shloshim of

Torah Thought

Parshas Shemos: Of Speech and Strength

Rabbi Asher Brander

It is a mental footnote for those familiar with the Bible, most of us not knowing exactly what to make of it. I refer to the strange fact of Moshe’s kvad peh (speech impediment) – a seemingly trivial detail in the epic of Jewish redemption, yet one that Moshe often refers to (Shemos, 4:10, 6:12, 6:30) in his dialogue with Hashem.

Believing Jews dig details for they reflect great Divine care, but in light of the bigger picture, one may justifiably wonder just where the wisdom lies in this curious impediment. In considering Moshe’s speech defect, let us raise three questions for your consideration: 1. Why did God give Moshe this reality? 2. What was the precise nature of the flaw? 3. Why did God not heal it?

1. Famously, Rabbeinu Nissim (1320-1380) in his drashos (#3) posits the anti-demagogue theory: a leader’s magnetism and oratorical prowess may blind one’s followers from properly evaluating the message. Hashem created the great Moshe with a speech impediment to rebuff the claim that one man’s charisma charmed the Torah upon vulnerable masses. By de-emphasizing the messenger, the Torah’s Divinity is affirmed. Our Yiddishkeit is not about people worship.

2. Shelah (1565-1630) references the famous midrash (Shemos Rabbah 1:26) that baby Moshe was suspected by Pharoah of being the Jews’ potential savior. After being put to the famous coals/crown test, Moshe initially opts for Pharoah’s crown – an ominous sign that he would overthrow Pharoah. He is then steered by the angel Gavriel to the coals–creating his impediment, while also saving his life (by assuaging Pharoah’s fears).

Consider the implications of the midrash: Eighty years later, Moshe appears before that very Pharoah; a delicious irony emerges when Pharoah, who has heard that voice before, realizes that he was the redeemer’s adopted grandfather! It is Divine sarcasm at its exquisite best. Man plans and God laughs; it is the Master of the Universe reminding us that we are k’chomer b’yad haYotzer, silly putty in the Divine kiln, and deeper than we can imagine is Hashem’s synchronicity.

3. To Maharal, (Prague, 15251609) Moshe was a lot neshama (soul) and a little guf (body). Even reflective speech is ultimately a body, not a soul thing. Hence the Talmudic statement (Niddah 31) that a baby’s entrance into this World is ushered in with a slap on the mouth - highlighting his newfound humanity. Moshe’s neshama, so refined and deep, was simply unable to articulate the depth of his machshava (thought). For Moshe, words profaned the thought. In other words, he couldn’t speak correctly because he was above speech. In

an era of verbal barrage, it behooves us to consider a life more thoughtful with perhaps a little less verbiage.

4. For me, Rabbi Itzele Volozhiner’s (Peh Kadosh, 3:11) insight carries the day. Moshe was unable to pronounce certain letters. Which letter? Some versions have the letter dalet while others have the letter pei - both letters were critical to articulate the code phrase pakod pakadeti (Bereishis, 50:25 Shemos, 3:16) I shall remember Bnei Yisrael that authenticated Moshe’s credentials as savior. It turns out, Rav Itzele says, that Moshe’s speech impediment and his miraculous transcendence to pronounce the code clearly was his verification! Remarkably, Moshe’s speech impediment was critical to make him the undisputed leader of the Jewish People.

Strength, our Rabbis teach, is not about buffness (a word I learned from my students)–it is an internal thing. They employ the paradigm of kovesh es yitz-

ro, one who overcomes his natural proclivities. Precious little of that battle is visible to the naked eye. Yet, the internal war that man wages within is one that requires enormous power

to resist and parry rather than thrust and submit.

Moshe, the transmitter of Torah, struggles with speech, the area most critical to be Rabbeinu. Amazingly, he is still considered our greatest teacher. Perhaps that stature is precisely the product of Moshe’s constant internal battle. One thing is clear: Moshepersonifies a critical meta-lesson of Torah:

Greatness is neither a birthright nor a default destiny. It is only to be found among those who dare to acknowledge their vulnerabilities and are willing to engage in the real work to overcome them.

With strength and confidence to face our real challenges, Hashem allows us to tap into the greatness that lies within. May we be successful. Good Shabbos.

Rabbi Brander grew up in Queens New York, and learned in Chofetz Chaim, Shaalvim, Yeshiva University (where he received his Bachelors, Masters and Semicha), Gruss Kollel, and Yula Kollel. With his eishes chayil, Batyah, he came to Los Angeles in 1990 and has been a Rebbe at YULA for 20 years and Rav of the Westwood Kehilla for 17 years, and is currently a Rebbe at the amazing Bais Yaakov Machon High School. In 2002, Rabbi Brander and Batyah had the privilege of starting LINK and being involved in its wonderful development, where he is currently the Rov and teaches numerous shiurim in the Zvika and Betty Ryzman Beit Midrash. He has authored two sefarim on Parsha – Teachings 1 and Teachings 2. Rabbi Brander and Batyah are blessed with three children and many grandchildren b’chasdei Hashem.

Parshas Va’era

It is one of the most intriguing components of the Exodus story. The first leader of the Jewish people, who would set the Jewish people free and mold them into a nation, grew up not among his own people, but in the palace of the very man who wished to destroy them.

Why did Providence have it that Moses is raised not in a Jewish home, but among non-Jews in the Egyptian palace?

The English translations of the Torah rarely capture the multi-dimensional underpinnings behind many words. One example is in this week’s portion Vaera: “Therefore,” G-d speaks to Moses, “‘Say to the Children of Israel: I am G-d, and I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their slavery; I shall redeem you.’”

The Hebrew word for “burdens,” sivlot, can also be translated as “tolerance” (as in “lesbol,” to bear, or “savlanut,” which means patience). Tolerance is a form of burden-carrying, of accepting a challenge. If this is correct, then G-d is communicating a powerful message: “Say to the Children of Israel:

I am G-d, and I shall take you out from tolerating Egypt.” I will liberate you from your patience, from tolerating the Egyptian horrors.

This is a most critical moment for the Jewish people because it is the genesis of redemption—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Oftentimes, after being subjected to dysfunctional conditions, many of us learn to acclimate ourselves to the bleak reality. We may try to adapt to what we consider our fate, and just learn to live with it. This can be worse than the condition itself since it keeps us stuck in our own prison.

The beginning of the Exodus could only really occur when the Hebrew slaves refused to tolerate the horrors they were enduring. If I am not fed up with being weak and bullied, with being a victim of addiction or fear, my journey of redemption cannot really begin.

It is not easy. Learned and acquired helplessness runs deep. Denying or repressing the depth of the dysfunction is a way of numbing oneself to the suffering. But, in truth, I must be able to feel the pain of my alienation from self to be able to begin the voyage toward liberation.

Free people, G-d is telling Moses, are people who know how to stop tolerating lies, dysfunction, cover-ups, and abuse!

A free nation is one that has the courage to face its inner skeletons and cast a light upon them.

This is why the redeemer of the

Jewish people, Moses, needed to grow up in the Egyptian palace and not among his own people. To quote Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra (12th-century Spanish philosopher, poet, and biblical commentator):

“Perhaps G-d caused Moses to grow up in the home of royalty so that his soul would be accustomed to a higher sense of learning and behavior, and he would not feel lowly and accustomed to a house of slavery. You see that he killed an Egyptian who did a criminal act [beating an innocent Hebrew to death], and he saved the Midianite girls from the criminal shepherds who were irrigating their own flock from the water the girls had drawn.

Had Moses grown up among the Hebrew slaves, he too may have suffered from a slave-like mentality, lacking the courage to fight injustice and lacking the grand vision of freedom. He may not have found within himself the strength to dream of liberty and confront the greatest tyrant of the time. Because he grew up in a royal ambiance, Moses had a clear sense of the horrific injustice and felt the

strength to fight it.”

This idea is particularly pertinent to our day-to-day lives. Oftentimes we may catch ourselves labeling or defining other people in extreme ways because they do not fit into the paradigms that we invented and created to define what is good and moral.

At times, a person may get stuck in a very narrow mindset and find it difficult to embrace another perspective outside of their own. We may fall into a complacent mode of thinking and struggle to see anything beyond our self-created bubble.

This parsha teaches us this vital lesson. Awareness of an exile-state mentality is crucial for us to be able to grow in a healthy way. When we allow ourselves to live with more focus, intent, and self-awareness, we broaden our minds and horizons, and are able to envision a life of true freedom and redemption.

Rabbi Ari Herzog serves as the spiritual leader of Chabad of Encino

as well as Director of Development at Chabad of the Valley. He currently resides in Encino CA, with his wife Chana and their four children.

Rabbi Ari Herzog

“Awareness of an exile-state mentality is crucial for us to be able to grow in a healthy way.”

Lou’s Views

Understanding Musk… Understanding America

There’s a joke that’s been going around social media: what’s the difference between God and Elon Musk? God doesn’t think he’s Elon Musk.

Musk is an intriguing character, to say the least. No doubt he’s a genius and his innovative achievements, such as Tesla and SpaceX, have merited him to be noted in the same category as Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.

After Musk bought Twitter he tweeted to explain why: “The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence. There is cur-

ety today. Around ten years ago, America went from a society that could debate issues without allowing the conversation to become personal to one that couldn’t help but make it personal. In the past, debates held an imaginary line drawn that allowed for healthy discourse but prevented it from coming at the expense of friendships.

A 2022 Pew Research Poll entitled, “As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System” revealed astounding data. In 2016, 47% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats said those in the other party were a lot or somewhat more immoral than other Americans. Today, 72% of Republicans regard Democrats as more immoral, and 63% of Democrats say the same about Republicans.

Large majorities in both parties also describe those in the other party as more

rently great danger that social media will splinter into far right-wing and far left-wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society. I did not buy it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. It should be a platform that both follows the laws of the land and is warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences.”

It appears that Musk wants to ensure that everyone is able to freely express their opinions in a healthy and constructive manner. In furtherance of this objective, on November 20, 2022, Musk reinstated former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account.

Yet the purchase of Twitter has brought him both praise and criticism, depending on the party line. Tesla shares have taken a hit this year. As a result, Musk has now seen his wealth drop from $200 billion to $137 billion. Hopefully, he lands on his feet.

It’s worthwhile to analyze why such a remarkable and respected inventor is receiving such harsh criticism from a significant segment of the population for merely wanting to allow for the free exchange of ideas, even from the far right.

I suspect the answer reflects the larger problem that exists in American soci-

closed-minded than other Americans (83% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans say this), and this sentiment also has increased in recent years. The gap is only getting worse.

September 11, 2001 marks the last day of unity in this nation. On September 11, 2022, a family member of a 9/11 victim made a plea to politicians attending an NYC remembrance ceremony: “It took a tragedy to unite our country...and I want to remind all of you there, it should not take another tragedy to unite our nation.”

As we begin 2023, this divisiveness must end. Leaders of both parties must lead by example by not insulting one another simply because they possess different viewpoints. We all need to be more open to listening to the ideas and suggestions of those that sit across from us at the dinner table. Like anyone else, Elon Musk deserves a fair shake. He just bought Twitter and should be allowed the opportunity to prove that he can turn it into a more optimal platform.

If Thomas Edison was canceled, we wouldn’t have electricity. If Alexander Bell was canceled, we wouldn’t have had the telephone. If Elon Musk is canceled at 51, then all we will be left with is division.

Lou Shapiro is a criminal defense attorney-certified specialist and legal analyst, but most importantly, makes the end-of-shul announcements at Adas Torah. He can be reached at LouisJShapiro@gmail.com.

Compassionate Hospice Care

“I did not buy it to make more money.

I did it to try to help humanity whom I love.”

Lou Shapiro

A Word on Happiness

Twenty years ago, I heard a speech on happiness at a Yeshiva retreat that has stuck with me ever since. Happiness is not an end goal; it’s a byproduct of internal self-work! When you work on yourself to live a balanced existence, you can look at that and say, “Ah, I am happy!” No single thing in and of itself will bring me happiness.

Yes. It’s hard work in a lot of disciplines - Hashem, Family, Work, Cholent Recipe, and Relationships… when you balance all that, you get Happiness!

Happiness is the act of working on being happy. It’s not easy street! You have to work on being positive and loving to yourself.

“Happiness is the act of working on being happy. It’s not easy street! You have to work on being positive and loving to yourself.”

There was a study where an audience watched a movie with pencils protruding from their mouths. Half of the participants were instructed to hold a pencil with pursed lips. The other half held the pencil with their teeth. After the movie, they were polled. It turns out that the participants that held the pencil with their teeth enjoyed the movie and thought it was pretty good. The other participants did not like the movie that much. Why? Because when you hold a pencil with your teeth, you are using the same muscles as when you smile. Try it… Holding a pencil with your teeth is much harder than your lips, especially for the duration of a movie. Yet, they had a much more enjoyable experience.

Kiss from GOD

A few years ago, I was trying really hard to break a certain habit. Instead of working on myself, I would try to control my entire environment around me. One day while driving on Crenshaw Blvd. I saw a billboard advertising the U.S. Marines that said the following: “Battles are won within.” Crazy, right?

It’s like the billboard was speaking to me. You know what else was on that billboard? My name in graffiti. YOEL.

every time I pass that location. It was a moment that I didn’t even quite grasp at the time but has become more special over time. We get these messages all the time if we open our eyes to them. Hashgacha Pratis is real. Put that on a T-Shirt!!!

Yoel Halpern is a businessman, publisher of The LA Jewish Home, and a true Chassid at heart. Originally from Far Rockaway, NY, Yoel has always yearned to bring some of his fondest childhood memories back to life in the Los Angeles community. With that in mind, Yoel, along with many friends and local Rabbis, started the LA Mishmar, a movement of growth and vulnerability sweeping through LA. Yoel lives with his wife and three children in LA.

Happenings in the H d

With all the love going to Pico/ Robertson and the Valley we decided to give “the other side of town” a whirl. So we ventured over to where all of the action is these days… Melrose Avenue.

We had heard some good things about Melrose Burger N’ Fries and wanted to see it for ourselves. It was a special day for us. We were honored to have three IDF lone soldiers visiting Los Angeles. This was their first month off since joining the IDF so we figured, who better to try out the entire menu at a burger joint than three strapping healthy soldiers and their two friends from Yeshiva.

We did not know much about Melrose Burger and so walking up

Pepcid or Prilosec. We feel that it is important for our readership to know the sacrifices we make to provide true and honest reporting.

Our table abutted the neighboring sneaker shop. After a short while, we started to suspect that perhaps they really were not selling sneakers. We also saw numerous fun characters who were having some serious conversations with themselves and occasionally yelling at us. But, hey, it was 75 degrees in December and this is the price we pay for great weather. The Melrose Burger customers overwhelmingly consisted of uber eats, door dash, and other food delivery app employees on delivery runs.

Our food came pretty quickly along with multiple choices of sauces and

Morris Arnovich

Zalman Brim

If you were to look for Orthodox Jewish Major League Baseball memorabilia, your options would be quite limited. At the moment, what may be one of your only available trading cards is Morrie Arnovich. Morrie played professional baseball in the late 1930s and ‘40s for the Phillies and Reds. Due to his tremendous talent in baseball, he was picked for the 1939 all-star

baseball team. At this time, Doc Prothro, manager of the Phillies, said he “would

mates. He was raised in Superior, Michigan by Tzali and Raizel Arnovich who were observant Jews. They had hopes that their young son, who excelled in his Jewish studies, would become a rabbi. Nevertheless, they schepped nachas from his success on the American sports scene.

Quite remarkably, Morrie kept true to his heritage by refusing to play on Shabbos and Yom Tov, and he even missed two of the 1940 World Series games, as they fell out on Rosh Hashana. He also kept kosher throughout his career.

Unfortunately, as of now, we cannot

not trade Arnovich for Joe Medwick,” one of the most feared sluggers in the game.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Morrie put his career on hold to serve as a naval sergeant for General Macarthur in the Pacific. After WWII, he returned to play baseball for just a single game, ending his career with an impressive .287 batting average. Morrie had quite a different upbringing from his brawny Italian and Irish team-

shuffle our frum baseball card collection. We will have to wait until Arizona Diamondback pitcher Jacob Steinmetz, our current Orthodox Jewish MLB representative from the Five Towns, gets his fame memorialized with a card of his own.

Zalman Brim Judaica is a collector of antique Judaica. If you would like to feature an heirloom or piece in your own collection or if you are looking for a specific piece of Judaica, please

ing the single sidewalk table beneath an umbrella.

The eatery has room for one single customer inside to place an order. With some hesitation, we told the nice Chabad Chasid behind the counter to give us the entire menu. We headed outside to avoid any oil splashing on us from the griddle which sits a mere 6 inches from the cash register.

dips. Everything looked tasty and abundant. Our favorites were the chicken quesadilla and the Double Southwest Bacon Cheeseburger.

This is the perfect place to order takeout or delivery when you are watching a game or looking to gain an easy 5 pounds. Alternatively, consider eating in if you are nostalgic about your time at Fairfax High School or if you just want to see all that Karen Bass needs to fix in L.A.

This restaurant is under the Kosher supervision of the RCC.

“Happenings in the Hood with TMtZvi and the Doc” is a new review column of local Jewish and kosher establishments. Tzvi Ratner-Stauber is a mortgage broker in LA and Steven Kupferman is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in Century City.

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to the storefront brought with it some anxiety. The place looks more like a food truck jammed into a graffiti wall than a brick-and-mortar restaurant. When we arrived, our chayalim did an amazing job secur-

Bursting with Emunah and Energy: Shlomo Meyers

by Ariela Kauffman

It’s hard to believe that Shlomo Meyersmoved to LA only nine years ago. He is the familiar, friendly face everyone knows and loves to run into!

Born in NY, Shlomo moved to Chicago when he was eight years old. He is one of seven children, with siblings now living all around the world. He attended Solomon Schechter for elementary school and Ida Crown for high school. After graduating high school, Shlomo worked for eight years at Skokie Arie Crown Hebrew Academy.

Shlomo’s mother, Shalva Meyers, recalls Shlomo serving as his own advocate from a very young age. At that time, over thirty years ago, inclusion was rarely an option for children with special needs in their community but it was starting to take off, as Shlomo attended Jewish day school. This was the beginning stage of integrating children and adults with special needs into the community. In high school, Shlomo was hired by Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream shop to work at the counter. When interviewed on a national radio program about his job, Shlomo spoke from his heart saying how great it was to work there, but that Ben & Jerry’s needed him too. That interview went “viral.”

Happy Wife, Happy Life

In the summer of 2012 when Shlomo was 26 years old, he met his future wife while attending a sleep-away camp for the first time. While Shlomo was at Camp Morasha, Danielle Magady was attending Camp Lavi, and with the help of Yachad counselors, they were able to go on a few dates in Pennsylvania that summer.

After dating for almost two years, flying back and forth between Chicago and LA, Shlomo proposed to Danielle with a long poem (he’s always been a writer!), and they married in the summer of 2014. Since then, Shlomo and Danielle have lived here in LA, both working and participating as active members of the community.

When Shlomo met his future father-in-law, Terry Magady, he immediately brought up the moral themes of the Disney movie he had watched on the plane.

For Terry, Shlomo’s constant desire to learn and draw lessons from everywhere is one of his most endearing traits.

At every Shabbos

and he has a sweet personality,” shares Danielle. This is emphasized by his in-laws, who say that Shlomo can give great marriage advice because of his credibility.

Mother-in-law Holly Magady says that Shlomo has always “wanted to be a good husband and made sure to learn how. No one knows how before they get married.

Shlomo is willing to take pointers and has many heart-to-heart conversations with Terry, his father-in-law.

speaking.

“Sometimes things are more difficult for those with Down syndrome, but don’t assume that someone with Down syndrome needs help,” Shlomo advises. “Give them a chance, everyone needs it. If I need help, I will ask!”

Shalva Meyers marvels at her son and daughter-in-law, “while they may not know it all, they definitely know each other.”

A Mover and a Shaker

and

were time

that

meal, Shlomo is always prepared, actively sharing deep and insightful Torah thoughts about the Parsha and life.

Danielle’s favorite thing about Shlomo is his consistent learning schedule.

Shlomo has multiple chavrusas each week, some he meets locally, and those out-of-state, remotely.

Recently, Shlomo celebrated a Siyum!

“Shlomo is a role model, he gives great Dvar Torah and advice, he’s romantic and so caring, gives great marriage advice,

Shlomo is always willing and eager to put into place all that he learns because he wants nothing more than to make Danielle happy because he adores her.”

Shlomo loves to quote a plaque that is hanging in his kitchen: Happy life, happy wife!

With her intuitiveness, highly positive way of thinking, and her quiet demeanor, Danielle grounds and strengthens Shlomo. Shlomo, on the other hand, is more outgoing, always busy doing, and has the drive to be productive and to contribute. They perfectly complement each other. The most beautiful thing about their relationship, according to Shlomo’s mother, is that Danielle is Shlomo’s advocate. She speaks up for him when people cut him off or assume what he meant before he finishes

When Shlomo moved to LA after getting married, he began working at Gindi Maimonides Academy where he still works today. Shlomo enjoys being busy and trying different jobs, including art assistant, supervising the younger early childhood, working security, refilling supplies for staff and teachers in the office, monitoring P.E. and recess, and assisting in the music department. Shlomo feels he is good at helping to control the class.

It wasn’t easy moving to LA, uprooting everything he has ever known at the age of 28, to move to a city, marry into a new family, find a new place of employment, and be tasked with making new friends and a place for oneself in the community. As Shlomo recounts, “it was really hard when I moved to LA. At that time I didn’t have any family, there were many people that I had not yet met.”

For Holly, “Shlomo is [her] hero. He left everything he had ever known: his family, hometown, reputation, connection, friendships, and started his life all over again at age 28.”

As demonstrated by his various positions at Gindi Maimonides Academy, Shlomo is someone who likes to keep busy

messages middos. Dvar what myself.” public do process. the with to feel negative them.” readers York, touch them,I sending there’s and skills. become al driven to when year, go speaker. good, day. help yourself.’ increased put myself working self-confidence, negative hesitates people’s bad,

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“Shlomo’s constant desire to learn and draw lessons from everywhere is one of his most endearing traits.”

“Danielle is Shlomo’s advocate. She speaks up for him when people cut him off or assume what he meant before he finishes speaking.”

and cannot sit by unproductively. During Covid, when schools were closed, Shlomo found himself with too much free time. So he started his own business! He began by cleaning a few people’s backyard furniture and then began to market himself by knocking on doors, making calls, printing business cards, and his business spread by word of mouth. His entrepreneurial idea helped so many who were stuck at home and primarily spending time in their backyards.

Talking Torah

Shlomo is famous for the Divrei Torah that he regularly sends out via text to those lucky enough to be on his list, spreading messages of Torah, parsha, emunah, and middos. “I used to have people help me with Dvar Torahs and speeches by telling them what to write down, but now I do it all myself.”

In his drive to improve his writing and public speaking skills, Shlomo has decided to do more by himself. “I am improving my process. I write down my thoughts, and make the messages more clear so I can share them with others to help them.”

Even though many people are too busy to respond, Shlomo still does it to “help them feel positive, in case they are feeling negative or sick, [he] can be there for them.”

it makes me feel uncomfortable.” With light in his eyes, Shlomo speaks about being a professional speaker, “I found the someone who I am meant to be. I like to speak to make other people feel good about themselves. It’s not just for me, even though it makes me happy.”

Shlomo feels that writing Divrei Torah and speaking publicly are “things that help me be calm and controlled when I’m sending words out.” He plans to become an author by compiling his words of Torah into a book. He is also writing a book on how to party.

Creating a Community

Finding himself a place within the LA community was very important to Shlomo. In Chicago, he was used to going to different places to daven. He continues that tradition here, by rotating the shuls he attends, some of which are Beth Jacob, Adas Torah, YICC, the Community shul, LINK, and sometimes Shaarei Tzedek in the valley. Recently, Shlomo spoke at YICC on Shabbos at last month’s ETTA Shabbaton.

Shlomo has also developed a sort of “men’s club.” Shlomo initiated this meet-up, and now many of the men have developed close friend -

the shofar, because Shlomo knew how and Rabbi Seidenfeld and others needed to hear it. With tears in his eyes, Rabbi Seidenfeld recounts that “the way that Shlomo blew the shofar stirred my Neshama in exactly

of the most interesting people I’ve known in my life. I’ve been a teacher with influence on the Jewish world for many years, but when it comes to Shlomo, I am his student.”

“It wasn’t easy moving to LA, uprooting everything he has ever known at the age of 28, to move to a new city, marry into a new family, find a new place of employment, and be tasked with making new friends and a place for oneself in the community.”

the way that the shofar is supposed to, in a way that no other shofar blowing ever did.”

The best part was Shlomo’s thrill to be the shaliach of the mitzvah of shofar.

Another close friend, Saul Blinkoff, who shares a love of Disney with Shlomo, says that Shlomo “is honestly one

Saul loves that with Shlomo, there is no facade - what you see is what you get. Shlomo is able to share wisdom that is so profound and with such clarity that many are surprised by the shock of truth and depth that he comes up with.

Saul amazes, “Shlomo brings clarity to my life, things I have overlooked. Shlomo is that person for me who reminds me what life is about and empowers me to grow.”

A Parent’s Perspective

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Many of Shlomo's text and WhatsApp readers live all over the world: Israel, New York, and Chicago. “The point is to keep in touch because even though I’m not with them,I feel more connected to them by sending it. Because during these times, there’s a lot of disconnection.”

His newest passion is public speaking and Shlomo is taking classes to improve his skills. He aspires to become a professional public speaker, driven by his desire to become clearer when speaking. “One year, I flew to Chicago to be a guest speaker. That felt so good, that I thought that could be me someday. I don’t mind having someone else to help me, but now I’m thinking ‘no, do it yourself.’ Now I can go do it on my own.”

“The way that Shlomo blew the shofar stirred my Neshama in exactly the way that the shofar is supposed to, in a way that no other shofar blowing ever did.”

These efforts of self-improvement have increased Shlomo’s confidence. “I used to put myself down but I don’t want to put myself in the wrong way anymore.” He is working on improving his awareness, and self-confidence, and getting rid of all negative self-talk. When he stutters or hesitates in his speech, he says that “other people’s only concern is not to make me feel bad, but they’re not giving me a chance, and

ships. Mr. Magady describes that Shlomo created a network of guy friends, of all different ages and walks of life, and he is the glue that holds them together. Shlomo “feels more at home now in LA because of the close friendship relationships. It doesn’t feel good to be alone. That’s what makes a community - to be with other people. Being available and making time is important.” Shlomo puts the most value on his relationships with others. “If you are always busy, you may not know your own life, you’re not making your life and you’re not really knowing others.” Shlomo recommends taking your time, having patience, and being yourself when getting to know someone new.

The other men have received so much value from their relationship with Shlomo. Shlomo is “an amazing soul that is so deep and passionate, whom I enjoy getting together to speak about life,” says Rabbi Shlomo Seidenfeld.

In the month of Elul during Covid, Rabbi Seidenfeld invited Shlomo over every morning for a week to his front lawn to blow

It takes a village to raise any child, let alone one with special needs. Terry and Holly Magady are parents who were visionaries themselves, and early on made certain commitments on how they would raise their daughter Danielle, who was born with Down syndrome. After Danielle aged out of early intervention at age three, the Magadys were absolutely certain that full inclusion in a Jewish day school was the only option for Danielle. With the support of ETTA, the Magadys began searching for the right school. They went to many educational and other experts for advice.

Terry remembers the exact words he heard from one of the top specialists: “It will never happen. It will never happen.” Full inclusion at Jewish day schools wasn’t done before.

Walking into their interview at Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov Ohr Eliyahu, the Magadys were prepared with their reasons of why the school should accept Danielle as a student, not as a chesed, but with a list of benefits for the other students, staff, and the school. Before they could say a word, Menahel Rabbi Shlomo Goldberg said, “I was just talking to our administrators about having children with special needs in our school.” This was the opening of the door for Danielle to be fully included and integrated into the Jewish day school system, where she later also graduated from Bais Yaakov LA. The Magadys believe that the only reason this worked so well at YAYOE is that the support came from the top down, from the administration, who supported the Magadys and Danielle’s inclusion when other parents were opposed. YAYOE allowed the Magadys to bring in an inclusion coordinator, Carol Faucett, who served as a huge benefit to the entire school.

ETTA, an organization that provides programs and services that enable people with disabilities to live fully enriched, independent and active lives, was born around the same time as Danielle. ETTA has been supporting

Danielle, the Magadys, and hundreds of other families with inclusion and integration into the community. As Holly fondly says, “Danielle and ETTA grew up together.” At that time, there wasn’t any other place to turn, and ETTA ensured that the Magadys never felt alone. ETTA supported Danielle by sending volunteers to help with homework, which not only served as an avenue for socialization and lifelong friendships but also was very helpful for her parents.

Danielle loved attending Summe@ETTA every summer of her childhood, and even her husband Shlomo worked there the year before moving to Los Angeles. ETTA supported Danielle’s full inclusion in school, with the Magadys working hand-in-hand with ETTA to find education specialists to allow Danielle to be a part of a regular classroom, have typical childhood experiences with friends, provide role models to be inspired by, and help bring her up to reach her true potential.

When Danielle returned from seminary in Israel, the Magadys reached out to a shadchan in Lakewood who specializes in clients with special needs. It was then that Yachad counselors helped to facilitate Danielle and Shlomo’s dating during the summer they were working at two different Yachad summer camps in Pennsylvania.

The support that has always been there will continue to be there for Danielle and now Shlomo when they hopefully move into the forthcoming full-service, multi-unit residential complex ETTA help inspire, Cornerstone Village, of which the Magadys are supporters. “People with special needs are often relegated to the fringes of the community,” Terry says. “Yet the reality is that when genuine relationships are formed between those individuals and others without special needs, the result is magical and that connection becomes a true cornerstone, invigorating everyone with remarkable meaning and purpose.”

Danielle’s success is a tribute to everyone, all the organizations, and all the individuals, along the way.

The Value of Volunt ring

At the very young age of nine, Jake Schochet was already having Shabbos meals with adults from the ETTA group home when his mother would invite them for lunch. A few years later, his older sister was involved in the summer camp, and before he knew it, Jake was spending every summer at Summer@ETTA too. That first summer in 9th grade he worked as a CIT, continued every summer in high school as a counselor, and eventually served as head counselor and assistant director. In 10th grade, Jake joined the Etta Youth Board, later becoming President in 11th grade, all the while garnering other high school students to be involved through volunteering and participating on the board. ETTA lit the fire of volunteering under Jake, who became so passionate about volunteering, that his whole life revolved around it. He was volunteering for 5-6 organizations during his time in high school.

While Jake was still in elementary school and attending ETTA Youth Board events with his older sister, he met Shlomo Meyers, who he describes as “warm and friendly, wanted to chat and share about his life.” When Jake was in 8th grade, Shlomo started working at Maimonides, and Jake would often sit with him at lunch just to schmooze. Shlomo then came to spend time at Summer@Etta, now texts out his Dvar Torah to many (Jake is one of the many recipients), and they see each other when Jake comes to LA for ETTA Shabbatons.

During the summer of 2020, Jake served as the head of staff at Summer@ETTA, returning in 2021 as the Assistant Director which gave him opportunities to run activities and mentor counselors. During his year abroad in Yeshiva in Israel, he volunteered for another organization

serving those with special needs. He credits the Jewish sense of chesed, connecting to G-d, and giving back to the community in other ways as his inspiration. Jake attributes his volunteering to having “increased my patience for others, helps me to see the good in everybody, and appreciate all the aspects of the life we are given.”

Now, in his second year of YU, Jake serves as the ETTA TV program coordinator. While very different from any of his previous experiences, it has been very rewarding to be able to give back in a new way to ETTA and to continue to be engaged in the lives of all the participants that he’s grown close to over so many years despite being thousands of miles away. While Jake no longer attends each TV session as he did when he was working the technology portion, he ensures the presenters and tech are present, and that the program is planned and run efficiently.

Jake continues with his passion to be involved in ETTA, which has led to his current employment while he is still a college student. He has learned so much about himself and his passions, and it has led to the trajectory of his life. Now Jake is taking on leadership and management experience and plans to pass it on to the next generation. His volunteering with Etta has developed Jake’s passion for giving back to the community, caring for others, and ensuring that everyone has the support and resources that they need.

“It gave me a new perspective of Chesed, helped me as a leader, developed me into the person that I am today, and has impacted every aspect of my life.”

Jake is currently majoring in accounting so that one day, he can be a CFO or CEO of a nonprofit, taking the professional career of accounting, but using it to give back to the nonprofit world in some way. His time at Etta has even led to his career choice and influenced his long-term goals.

“Why God Why?” Helps Readers Coping With Tragedy

When Rabbi Gershon Schusterman was 38 years old, his wife Rochel Leah suddenly passed away. She had an unknown genetic heart condition and the doctors couldn’t save her once she got sick. Within a few hours of falling ill, she was gone.

That day, Schusterman lost his wife. Their 11 children, including 16-month-old twins, lost their mother. Together, the Schustermans ran the Jewish day school in Long Beach, California and were shluchim for their community. They lost a beloved mentor and teacher. In the past, the rabbi had counseled

tell ourselves it’s a tragedy. This is understandable. If we were not emotionally distanced to some degree from the losses of others, we could not get through the day. But when it comes to a loss we suffer personally, there is no such distancing. So now, as I reeled from my wife’s sudden passing, I had to ask myself: Did the answers I had been giving others for so long still make sense?”

In one particularly poignant section, Schusterman highlights how important it is to comfort people who have just experienced a tragedy instead of trying to give them answers. He was once visiting his son who was expressing how upset he was because his cousin was dying of cancer.

“When I had an opportunity to respond, I looked into his eyes and said, ‘Eliyahu, do you want an answer, or do you want a hug?’” he writes. “I caught him off guard, and he took a few moments to respond. His eyes filled with tears, and finally, he said, ‘I

many members of his community who were experiencing grief, but he had never had such a personal encounter with it. In the aftermath of Rochel Leah’s death, he had to put everything he knew about Jewish teachings on tragedy into practice. Now, in his new book, “Why God Why? How to Believe in Heaven When it Hurts Like Hell,” Schusterman shares what he learned.

In the book’s prologue he writes, “When someone else goes through a painful experience, we often say it’s a test. But when we go through such an experience, we

He learned that yes, they did. And after sitting on his story for three decades, he has put the teachings into his new book, which touches upon topics like the challenges of living with evil, whether or not suffering is a test of faith, the afterlife, and how adversity doesn’t define us.

The chapters are divided into subsections, making these topics easier to digest. In one subsection titled, “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional,” Schusterman writes: “While tragedy can refine us, it doesn’t have to define us. This, too, is a choice that requires concerted effort.” He continues, “Every life

includes periodic misfortunes, but that doesn’t mean life is not good, nor does it mean that you have a problem with God. If pain and suffering are part of an overarching positive plan, it may take months or years to gain perspective and see the revealed plan at work. When you can see the purpose, it reassures you that the ‘bad’ was not completely bad.”

Judaism also teaches that there is an afterlife and the soul is eternal, which may give comfort to readers who are in pain. Schusterman writes, “Our bodies die, but our souls live on. We will be reborn into a new world with an enhanced and elevated type of perception.”

The rabbi concludes, “A person in pain is a person who really wants the pain to go away. Sometimes a hug serves that need much better than any verbal answer could.”

There really is no satisfactory answer to why we experience tragedy in this human lifetime. Hopefully, when we are reunited with Hashem, we will experience a Godly perspective and a divine embrace that will reveal to us a superior way of viewing our experiences and see them as having been purposeful – and even good.

But in the meantime, Schusterman’s book offers many Jewish perspectives to readers, practicing sensitivity and giving readers the figurative hug they want... and need.

“Why God Why? How to Believe In Heaven When It Hurts Like Hell” is available on Amazon.

Kylie Ora Lobell

Author Rabbi Schusterman

Rebbe’s Stories

Whatever Hashem Does is Only for the Good

This story is found in Meseches Brachos 60b

Rabbi Mordechai Dubin

The great Tzadik Rabbi Akiva was known for always saying, בטל אנמחר דיבעד לכ”כ דיבע,” ”Whatever Hashem does is only for the good.” Even if something did not seem like it was good, Rabbi Akiva would say these words because he knew that Hashem is good and everything that He does for us is only good.

One time Rabbi Akiva was traveling on the road. It was starting to get late and he wanted to arrive at the next town before it got dark in order to find a place to sleep for the night. He made it to the next town just before sunset and quickly went to the only motel in that town to get a room for the night.

We are sorry, sir,” Rabbi Akiva was told, there are no more rooms available.” Rabbi Akiva did not get upset, but rather said to himself, ד ”

אנמחר דיבעד לכ, ” ”Whatever Hashem does is only for the good.”

Rabbi Akiva looked around and saw that there was an empty field next to the motel. He asked the man at the desk if it would be alright for him to sleep in the field next to the motel, and the man said yes. Rabbi Akiva thanked the man and set off for the field.

He took the heavy bundle off his donkey and spread out a blanket on the ground. He lit a small fire so that he could organize his belongings and learn Torah by the light. He took some straw from his sack and gave it to his donkey to eat. Then he took some grain to feed the rooster that he brought to wake him up in the morning. After Rabbi Akiva ate a little supper, he sat close to the fire and began to learn Torah.

It was a windy night and Rabbi Akiva was having difficulty keeping the fire lit. When the fire went out, Rabbi Akiva tried to relight it, but he was unsuccessful. He said, ”דיבע בטל אנמחר דיבעד לכ,” ”Whatever Hashem does is only for the good.” Rabbi Akiva laid his head down on the blanket and went to sleep. Later that night, there was a rustling sound in the bushes. Was it a fox? A coyote? Whatever it was, it scared Rabbi Akiva’s donkey and rooster and they both scampered away. Rabbi Akiva stood alone in the darkness and said, ”דיבע בטל אנמחר דיבעד לכ, ”

”Whatever Hashem does is only for the good.” Suddenly, he heard shouting and crying coming from the motel. Rabbi Akiva stood quietly in his place wondering what was happening.

In the morning, Rabbi Akiva discovered that bandits had raided the motel, taking all the money and jewelry from all the guests that were staying there. When Rabbi Akiva heard what had happened he said, ”דיבע בטל אנמחר דיבעד לכ,” ”Whatever Hashem does is only for the good.”

Questions for Discussion

Rabbi Mordechai Dubin is a Rebbe at Gindi Maimonides Academy. He is the author of three illustrated children’s books, I’ll Never Forget Yerushalayim, I Believe, and I Know 6; and has produced four Musical CD’s for children, I Made This World For you, Let My People Go, Al Shelosha Devarim, and Hashem is Always With Me.

By Rabbi MORDECHAI DUBIN

Mushky Yiftach

books/cds by Rabbi Dubin:

In January 1962, Selak was on a train that derailed and plunged into an icy river, killing 17 passengers. Selak managed to escape with minor injuries.

In 1963, Selak was flung out of a plane when a door flew open. Nineteen people died but he was thrown clear of the crash and landed in a haystack.

In 1966, he was riding on a bus that crashed and plunged into a river. Four others were killed, but Selak managed to escape unharmed.

In 1970, he managed to escape before a faulty fuel pump engulfed his car in flames.

In 1973, another of Selak’s cars caught fire, forcing fire through the air vents. He suffered no injuries except the loss of most of his hair.

In 1995, he was hit by a city bus, but once again, suffered minor injuries.

In 1996, Selak escaped when he drove off a cliff to escape an oncoming truck. He managed to land in a tree and watched as his car exploded 300 feet below him.

To top it all off, in 2003, Selak won $1,000,000 in the Croatian lottery!

(As reported in the Daily Telegraph, England)

Frano Selak, born in 1929, is a Croatian music teacher who used to be famous for his numerous escapes from fatal accidents:

Wisd m for W men

Perspectives

It’s been raining a lot in Los Angeles. I hear a lot of grumbling about this and I get it. You didn’t move to LA for this kind of weather. You don’t pay these prices for drizzling, you pay it for fair weather 365 days a year! A lot of people are also very affected by the weather. It makes some people feel sad, lonely, and unproductive.

Notwithstanding all that, I have a very different experience. To me, every droplet is a physical representation of the word potential. A rain shower holds so much promise, so much budding possibility. And in LA, you see the results almost immediately. Nothing thrills me more than seeing Runyon Canyon blanketed in green and finding lawns with drought signs bursting with life. My heart sings to see the drops, each one a tangible gift from G-d. I watch my children splash and dance in the puddles and need to use all sense of self-control to stop myself from joining them.

I guess it’s a different perspective. We’re looking at the same thing from a different angle. C.S. Lewis once wrote: “What you see and hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”

Everything we see and hear has been curated for us to experience. Many people

like to run with that idea, for instance, when seeing a character flaw in another person. Of course, we reason to ourselves, I see his shortcomings so I could point them out. Indeed, it is my duty to help a fellow in his journey of self-development. This is true. We are responsible for our fellow Jews and here is where it is important to ask oneself echoing C.S. Lewis, where am I standing and who am I?

(Beraishis 9:23). Of course, they knew that he had done something wrong, they knew what he looked like! But they did not see it. From where they stood, it wasn’t something to judge, laugh at, or criticize.

Sometimes, the reason we see the imperfections of others is in order for us to have a mirror of our own selves. It is hard to see our own flaws and failings; it’s uncomfortable to admit that I am not perfect.

into a new trajectory for me, her failing becomes my self-work. With an honest heart and mind, I can have the courage to look at the mirror and muse, where am I standing and who am I?

So how do I know? How do I know if it is my responsibility to lead the other or look inside myself?

The answer is; perspective. Where do I stand? If I look at the other and only see neshama; the holiness, the purity, the infinite potential there, and nothing more, then I am a candidate for providing direction. If I see anything else, then there might be space for me to explore and reflect. However, the mirror doesn’t have to be heavy to lug around. It is a gift, an opening, and an opportunity to grow. Hashem designed this experience just for you! It is a moment charged with potential for you to grasp and reach. Maybe the next time you notice a shortcoming in someone else, you’ll start dancing in the rain too.

In Parshas Noach, we find Cham stumbling upon his father’s nakedness. He then proceeds to race to Shem and Yafes to inform them of this misdemeanor. Shem and Yafes take a blanket and, walking backward, cover their father and the posuk says, “they did not see their father’s nakedness”

“Love is blind” and what stronger inclination is there than protecting oneself? I’d rather look at others and see where they have room for improvement than admit that the reason I am able to see their deficiency is an insight into my own journey. But if I did decide to see it that way, his flaw turns

Hindi is a certified Relationshift coach based in Los Angeles. She is passionate about relationships and self-growth. She educates women on the Torah’s perspective of marriage at her workshops and retreats and helps women around the world through her coaching program. Hindi lives with her husband and their four children in Los Angeles.

Hindi Kalmenson

A koman Baby Gifts

Bas Mitvah Birthday

Lessons I Learned Along the Way

Keeping Judgments In Check

Mrs. Sheindy Gross

About seventeen years ago, I attended the bar mitzvah of a close friend’s son in Brooklyn. After the event, I needed a ride to a different city in the Tri-state area. My friend asked a relative also heading to that city if she and her husband could give me a lift and they agreed.

My parents are people who would do a chesed for anyone without considering it as an imposition to their schedule. So my mother insisted that I ask the couple driving me to briefly stop at my parents’ home, which would not be out of their way, and retrieve my luggage. Though I felt uncomfortable

ed!) I received.

After we continued on our way, I tried to make friendly conversation, but they were not responsive. Once I realized they had no interest in chatting, I remained quiet for the duration of the trip. They dropped me off at my destination and I thanked them.

The next morning I called my friend and asked if this couple ran a chesed organization. She was surprised and asked how I had guessed that. I explained that I have often found that only individuals who see themselves as very developed and successful in a particular middah or mitzvah can have that much contempt for another person. Sadly, the good work they do seems to give them a false sense of confidence, a belief that they have mastered a level of Yiddishkeit and can now judge another person whose action does not measure up in their estimation.

meant to develop humility. We may objectively achieve success in certain middos or mitzvos, but we should never allow ourselves to become condescending to others.

Secondly, while I may not have made the best decision by asking them to make that stop along the way, I realized how easily we can judge another person and how ugly it is when we do. I meant no harm, I just asked for more than they felt I should. How ironic that those who ran a chesed organization found my request upsetting… I now try my best to suspend judgment and recognize that there are many angles to every scenario. I may not

asking this favor, my mother was so sure that this was an easy ask, that I complied.

As we left the bar mitzvah, I asked the couple if they could please make a quick stop so I could grab my belongings. It was a very cold night and I sensed that they were annoyed with me. I apologized profusely. When we pulled up to the house, I ran down the driveway, opened the side door, grabbed my bags, and ran back to the car. As it was a two-door car, the front passengers needed to step out and allow me to leave the vehicle. Instead of waiting in the car, the couple chose to stand outside in the freezing cold. So when I returned about a minute later, you can imagine the frosty vibe (no pun intend-

In Perek 9, Paragraph 11, the Chovos Halevovos cautions us of: “a person (who) prides himself on his wisdom or a righteous man on his good deeds. This causes the wisdom and righteousness to become magnified in his eyes, so that he is satisfied with what he has already accomplished, and thinks that it is enough for him… the good reputation and praise he has achieved from his fellow men. This will cause him to look down on others, despise them, and speak badly of them, to belittle the wise men of his generation in his eyes, and glorify himself in the shortcomings and ignorance of other people.”

My takeaway from this experience was two-fold: In Pirkei Avos we are taught: “Al Taamin Atzmichah Ad Yom Moscha: do not believe in or trust yourself until the day you die.” Rather than discourage us, this is

agree, or even feel slighted or misunderstood, but I would never want to hurt or worse embarrass another person, even though I may sometimes feel justified in my frustration. Disclaimer; I am not as successful as I sometimes wish to be, yet I plan to keep pushing myself because deep down I recognize that this is what Hashem expects of me.

With over 30 years in education as a teacher and a principal, Mrs. Sheindy Gross continues her passion for education with her creation of a new platform called TEHILA, Torah Education with Heart in LA, for women and girls to receive adult education, camaraderie and support. The goal is to strengthen and empower women to develop their best selves through bonding over Torah

learning and connecting with frum women of all ages. In addition to TEHILA, Mrs. Gross provides a myriad of educational opportunities for the community, such as dating and relationship mentoring, Kallah classes, and leadership consulting for educators. Mrs. Gross can be reached at sheindyg@gmail.com.

“We may objectively achieve success in certain middos or mitzvos, but we should never allow ourselves to become condescending to others.”

Kayla Goldwag

Is It OK To Exercise When I Have A Cold?

because “your workout is my warm-up.” [I don’t actually say that.] Seriously though, intensity is subjective and relative to the individual and also plays a role in the decision of whether you should work out with a cold and at what intensity if you do. Whether or not it’s advisable to work out also depends on your cold symptoms.

A workout that makes you breathe

(unless you are out of shape and/or have other stressors). Let your own perceived level of exertion be your guide in determining what is low intensity.

Before the ink dried on my own new year’s fitness resolutions, the universe conspired to give me a one-two punch right back into bed with a cold. That got me thinking about the time back in college when I saw others “push through” a cold with exercise. My try at the same routine, back then, landed me in the infirmary with a case of mono. So, is it a good idea to work out when you’re sick or not?

heavily, sweat, and work hard to the point of some discomfort, awakens a stress response in the body. When we’re healthy, it is precisely the adaptation to that stress in a progressive way that makes us stronger. Healthy bodies can adapt to that stress. However, the stress of this intense workout can overwhelm the immune system. This isn’t generally recommended when you’re sick. When you train hard, your body needs to repair the muscles that have been worked and this can further weaken your immune system.

Some find that lower intensity move-

What shapes this recommendation is the scientific research which shows that when a healthy person exercises consistently and moderately, it strengthens immunity over time. Unusual, infrequent, sudden high intensity, or long-duration sessions can hamper immunity. Even more so, you should take it easy when sick.

Besides your current fitness level and consistency, consider what other stressors you may be facing on a given day. Anxiety, relationship stress, financial, career, environmental (hot/cold temperature outside), diet, sleep quantity and quality, age, obesity, and many emotional and physical health issues all play a part in your immunity and resilience.

I typically tell clients: Don’t exer-

However, it may be ok to exercise if your signs and symptoms are all “above the neck” — symptoms such as sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, or minor sore throat. If you choose to exercise when you have a mild cold, I recommend that you reduce the intensity and length of your workout so as not to risk more serious injury or illness. Also, be considerate and don’t contaminate others. Avoid the gym or other public places.

Listen to what your body is telling you! If you feel miserable, take a day off or even a week off. The few days won’t really affect performance.

Be sure to resume your normal routine gradually as you start to feel better. For instance, if you were sick for 3 days, consider taking 3 days to ease back in. Check with your doctor if you’re still unsure if it’s OK to work out.

If you’re healthy and want to prevent getting sick, the good news is that consistent, moderate exercise most days of the week is preventive for illness. Manage your stress and recovery, especially if you exercise with intensity. Wash your hands.

Kayla Goldwag is a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, Yoga Teacher (RYT200), and PN1 Nutrition Coach. She can be reached at www.GetFitWithKayla.com.

“When you train hard, your body needs to repair the muscles that have been worked and this can further weaken your immune system.”

My husband would like us to take a vacation together, just the two of us. I’ve never left my five children before. My parents and his parents have offered to help out, but I feel torn and it’s hard for me to leave my children for five nights. I feel guilty and uncomfortable to leave them behind. I also want to spend time alone with my husband and be present for him. Any advice?

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your question, your concern for your family, and your concern for your relationship with your husband.

I see your questions as two-fold; the first being you have never done this before and the second is your discomfort with leaving your children for five nights.

To address your first concern, it is scary to do new things, but it is also important to do new things. This is how we learn and grow. For the second concern, you mentioned the word “guilty,” and I wonder why you feel guilty. Do you feel guilty because you will have fun without your children? You are still their mother and they are your children, even if you are having fun without them.

As a parent myself, I have been faced with this very same situation. I did not, however, have both sets of parents volunteering to help me, primarily because they didn’t live in the same city. Con-

part of the greatness of what makes us both have the strength to continue to cultivate a healthy and happy family. These need to be considered when investing in our marriage. In order to do this, we need to take ourselves out of and away from daily living, and gain some clarity while away from the children. I cannot tell you not to feel guilty, but I can tell you that if you consider the importance of this trip, and how great the investment is for your marriage, perhaps that will override your guilt.

Spending time alone with your husband is not only for him but also for both of you. Women need a break, and we need another woman to remind us that it is OK to take that break! You both deserve to get away and reset yourselves. Taking time to perhaps sleep in and not have day-to-day

responsibilities is what every person needs from time to time, especially a couple. This is what makes us better par ents which can only benefit our children.

If you choose to go on this vacation with

“What bolsters us and how we develop over the years of being married is part of the greatness in what makes us both have the strength to continue to cultivate a healthy and happy family. This need to be considered when investing in our marriage.”

sider yourself fortunate that you have family who lives nearby and is willing to help. Both grandparents’ homes, I hope and assume, are safe and comfortable for the children. That safety net may propel you to be able to make a clearer decision because much of the battle when we decide to go away alone with our husbands is securing child care.

Experts in the field, such as Rabbi Dr. Twerski, Rabbi Manis Friedman, and Dr. Phil McGraw believe that marriage is one of the most important things one can invest in and one of the most essential things in our lives. I couldn’t agree more! We begin our marriage with two people, a husband and a wife. When the children come along, naturally a lot of our focus is on them. From babies to adulthood, in different ages and stages, our energy is absorbed into raising them. In all of that, we must remember and be conscious not to lose sight of the one place where it all began: a marriage between a husband and a wife.

What bolsters us and how we develop over the years of being married is

your husband, you will see how great it is to have conversations alone without interrup tions and the benefit of silence when you are trying to relax and recharge.

This also shows our children how im portant the relationship of marriage is. And in due time, they will emulate that in their own marriages. I know this seems scary for you, or perhaps uncomfortable since it will be the first time, but getting comfortable with the uncomfortable can be the first step to a new you.

Adina (Dini) Gres is a wife, mother of 4 adult daughters, business owner, writer, speaker, and certified life coach. Through her role as owner of Financial Concierge LLC and coach for personal and financial clients, Adina recog nizes that trying to get ahead without managing a healthy mentality is the primary reason blocking individuals from success. Through working with her clients, whether that be in business or lifestyle, she can help them understand how they themselves can change the narrative of their lives. You can hear more from Adina by listening to her podcast titled “Things I think you should know.” Adina also shares on her Instagram page @financialconcierge.

For submissions to the “Dear Dini” column, please send your questions to editor@thelajewishhome.com

Dini Gres

Dear Chani, On Shabbos I allow my kids to have special “Shabbos cereal.” This is any sugary cereal that I do not allow them to have during the week but save as a special Shabbos delicacy. Lately my eight year old son has been begging me for Shabbos cereal every morning causing a fight once I say no. I hate that this special treat is turning into a point of contention during the week. Any advice on how I can keep the Shabbos bonus but restore morning happiness at the same time?

Conflicted mom

problem. If we had no other ideas to implement, then removing Shabbos cereal from your home could work, but it is clearly not the ideal solution.

Dear Conflicted,

Yes I totally hear you! Here you are trying to do something special for your children and it seems like it’s backfiring. There must be a way…

A marvelous solution could be to buy the single serve Shabbos cereals on Friday specifically for Shabbos. The kids will be elated to eat the sugary cereal on Shabbos which will then be finished with the conclusion of breakfast. On top of that, each kid receives their own personal box which is even more exciting than the regular cereal boxes! Gone will be the weekday mornings spent begging and fighting because there is nothing left (literally no cereal left) to argue about!

Sort of a “have your cake and eat it too” plot.

Apart from this example, I challenge

Let me introduce you to the wonderful world of technical success! Technical success is a personal favorite parenting tool of mine as well as many other moms who have learnt it!

Technical success is finding a technical solution to a problem that you are encountering. The solution completely eliminates the problem, thus leaving you and your children with only a positive encounter to enjoy together.

I would bet that a technical success solution can be applied to many negative moments that you share with your children.

The way it works is the following:

#1. Figure out the problem.

#2. Try to find a technical solution that you can implement to eliminate the said problem.

In your case, the “problem” is the negativity that is occuring during the week because of the leftover Shabbos cereal.

The solution could be: Don’t buy Shabbos cereal anymore. However you specifically state that you still want your kids to be able to enjoy a special Shabbos breakfast. This solution would eliminate the

you, ambitious readers, to inspect your day for those times of contention between you and your children. Once you find a problem (step 1) you can move onto step 2, and find a technical solution. Implementing technical success solutions will change your life, as well as that of your children! You may find that many things that you already do during your day are technical successes. Good for you that you figured that out!

Some other common favorite technical successes of mine include:

Water bottle next to child’s bed

Toothbrushes upstairs and downstairs Kippa basket next to the front door

Packing kids’ snack the night before Putting yogurt on the bottom shelf of the fridge where little kids could reach

Laying out clothing the night before The opportunities are endless - Get creative, get technical, get positive :)

Chani Heyman is a parenting coach who has been giving parenting classes, based on the teaching of Rebbetzin Spetner, for over 9 years to hundreds of mothers across the US. You can reach her at chaniheyman@gmail.com

“Implementing technical success solutions will change your life, as well as that of your children! You may find that many things that you already do during your day are technical successes.”

Chani Heyman

In The K tchen

The Art of Preserving Foods: Pickling

Dini Klein

There is nothing more frustrating than cooking food in advance, only to end up with food that tastes like the freezer. Oh, how I hate that freezer taste! It’s also disappointing to spend money on a grocery haul just to see the food spoil too soon.

The method in which you preserve your food matters, and a few simple tips and switches can erase these mishaps and save you time, money, and sanity. As you know, that is the Prep + Rally way.

Refrigerator space

Any food that is stored in the fridge door is subjected to hits of warm air every time the door is opened. Foods that can spoil easily belong deep in the fridge so they last longer. Think cheese, milk, and yogurts. Even if you’re tempted to quickly stash them in the fridge door, stick them on the inside shelf instead to preserve their freshness.

Freezing

The most common food preservation tactic is freezing. Loads of people have two freezers to handle the overflow of frozen foods, leftover meals, etc, and for good reason! Most foods can last for 6 months in the freezer if stored properly, so freezing your foods is a great way to prepare ahead, minimize waste, and preserve a food’s flavor and texture for a later date. I always freeze soup, challah, cookies, most cakes and loaves, and many proteins.

For best results in freezing home-

Pickled Vegetables:

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half

1⁄4 cup fresh dill

made food, be sure to wait until the food has completely cooled, and freeze it in an airtight freezer bag (with all air removed) or in an airtight container. This will ensure that there are no water droplets that will freeze into ice crystals or give you that freezer-burn taste.

Preserving in a jar

My go-to method for using up extra vegetables is pickling them in a jar. Any veggie can be pickled and last for over 5 months in the fridge! Vinegar pickling kills off microbes with its high acidity and causes the food to change in flavor and texture, and last longer! Pickling is one of the best ways to repurpose any cut or whole veggies that are sitting in the fridge. It is so simple, takes no time at all, and is pretty darn delicious. Pickled vegetables seriously jazz up any meal.

See my recipe below and feel free to add any and all veggies you have in your fridge!

#FAMILY MEAL PREP SYSTEM THE

3 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick rounds (2 cups)

2 cups sliced baby carrots (1⁄4-inch-thick rounds)

1 cup rice vinegar

1⁄4 cup water

1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions:

Put the garlic, dill, cucumbers, and carrots in a large storage jar with a tight-fitting lid. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, maple syrup, and salt. Bring just to a boil over high heat and then pour over vegetables. Swirl around slightly to coat the vegetables in the pickling liquid. Don’t worry if the vegetables aren’t all submerged in the liquid right away, as they will be once they pickle for a few hours. Let it cool completely, then cover it and store it in the fridge. Let it chill for 24 hours before enjoying it!

Finally a guide to delicious, family-friendly meals with less stress, less expense, and minimal time. Complete with essential advice for remixing leftovers, along with dozens of recipes for easy egg dishes, snacks, and sweets, Prep + Rally will alleviate weeknight meal time stress, once and for all.

Do yourself a favor and get this book! Dini Klein is the real deal—a savvy, strategic cook with more smart dinner ideas in one book than most of us will conjure up in a lifetime. As you page through this book she becomes your kitchen bestie, the friend who wants to help you make a plan, save you time, and have a delicious, crowd-pleasing meal on the table in record time. What I love about Dini’s recipes is that they sacrifice nothing for speed. Flavor, technique, and variety all run deep here, ensuring that everyone from kids to dinner guests will want to clean their plates again and again.

- Adeena Sussman Author of Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen

photo credit: Ren Fuller

Holy Smokes Herb Chicken Rub

I am passionate about BBQ and my cooking method of choice is my 500-gallon smoker! When I smoke my chicken, I usually place it on the hotter spots, where the temperature sits at about 275˚F. Then, to finish up, I move the chicken to a really hot spot so that the skin gets crispy. Anything lower than 275˚F can make some leathery, tough skin.

Use this rub liberally! I also like to get it under the skin to make sure every part is seasoned well. If you are cooking with chicken parts, it should take anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to see when they are done. I cook my chicken legs to 190˚F and they are still nice and juicy!

You can easily use this method in your oven or even just cook the chicken at a higher temperature like 375˚F since you don’t need the time for the smoke to penetrate and flavor the chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup kosher salt

(diamond crystals are best)

1/2 cup coarse ground pepper

1/4 cup granulated garlic

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp ancho pepper

1 tbsp ground sage

1 tbsp ground thyme

1 tbsp ground oregano

Dani Goldblatt

Dani Goldblatt is the pitmaster behind Holy Smokes Kosher BBQ which offers Shabbat takeout, catering, and pop-ups. With over 8 years as a middle school and high school teacher, Dani created meat classes, workshops, and demos for private events, schools, and synagogues. She lives in Tarzana, CA with her husband and 2 boys. You can find more on her website at www.HolySmokesKosherBBQ.com or follow her on Facebook and Instagram @HolySmokesKosherBBQ.

Midlife Mu ical Musings

The Fur Elise Learning Curve

They all want to learn to play Fur Elise. That’s the famous piano music composed by Beethoven and taught to intermediate-level students. Young students often ask me in the second or third lesson, “Can you teach me to play Fur Elise...like now?”

Since the opening theme has a lilting and singable melody, and a player moves his fingers gracefully across the lower and upper ranges of the piano (and they’ve watched their friends play it!) They want to learn to play it as well. The problem is Fur Elise is a somewhat advanced piece of music more appropriate for students who have studied for about a year or more.

Learning of any kind has to be un-

dertaken in stepby-step increments.

True, some students have the gift of a good ear and perfect pitch. They can play music by ear after listening to the music sung or played by someone else. These students can advance more quickly. Nevertheless, the developmental steps cannot be skipped.

Even advanced pupils need

the rigor of the process. Back in the day when I studied piano with a master teacher in the music program I attended, my teacher showed me a technique for playing octaves across the piano. (Octaves are when the pianist plays a series of two identical pitches in unison, using the pinky and thumb simultaneously.) A piece I was learning had a succession of octaves hopping all over the piano, and the teacher taught me a trick to get my technique fluent. For a fleeting moment, I was surprised that “she,” the “expert,” had to use such tricks when practicing.

When I expressed that thought to the teacher, she laughed so hard and told me she was going to repeat my comment to her colleagues. We then continued with the lesson, and I realized the naiveté of putting others on pedestals and thinking they have it easy.

No one has it easy. True, people have talent in certain areas and are able to prog-

ress more smoothly through the instructional steps. But even the greatest expert in any area had to learn the rules, follow them, and go through the motions and practice.

And then practice some more.

A few years ago, I took a few painting lessons. For some reason, the attitude of perseverance I had developed in studying music didn’t transfer to art. When the teacher showed me a bowl of fruit and instructed me to start with the various shades of red, I wondered when I could begin to paint people’s faces or pretty landscapes. I guess I wasn’t prepared to go through the steps of learning how to paint. And I stopped, courtesy of the Fur Elise syndrome. I do wonder what its

equivalent malady is in art. Maybe the Mona Lisa syndrome?

Yes, there are tricks and hacks and good ideas to make things a little easier, but there are no shortcuts to learning anything of value. No such thing as “Piano for Dummies,” if you want to play real music.

So while I was surprised to hear that my master piano teacher also had to go through those

steps to learn the skills, I can now appreciate that anything good is achieved through effort. Our Sages tell us, “Yaga’at u’matzat ta’amin,” that if someone tells you that they worked hard and achieved, believe him. And by contrast, “Lo yaga’at, v’ma-zat, al ta’amin.” If someone tells you that she didn’t practice playing Beethoven, and still achieved, don’t believe her.

And if you’ll excuse me now, I’m going to practice my latest Beethoven.

Miriam Hendeles, M.A., MT-BC is a music therapist for hospice patients and a writer for Binah Magazine and other publications. She’s the author of “Mazel Tov! It’s a Bubby!” and “Best Foot Forward.” One of her passions is advocating for frum women in midlife through a recently launched website of JWOW! or www.jewishwomenofwisdom.org where frum midlife women connect, communicate, and grow through online and virtual interaction.

Miriam Hendeles

“But even the greatest expert in any area had to learn the rules, follow them, and go through the motions and practice.”

THE 50+ FRUM WOMAN

there, Miriam Liebermann, Faigie Horowitz & Miriam Hendeles

Interesting Interview

Driving Change in Charedi Education

Interview by Roz Lyons

Rabbi Menachem Bombach is a community leader and educational entrepreneur, and founder and director of the Netzach Educational Network. As a Viznitzer Chassid, he attended the Ahavat Yisrael Yeshiva and the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem and then completed a bachelor’s degree in education at the Moreshet Yaakov Institute, and a master’s degree in public policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2013 he founded the preparatory program for Charedi students at the Hebrew University, and the Midrasha

Chassidit Torah Academy in Beitar for boys from Chassidic backgrounds.

The teaching of core curriculum subjects like math and English in Charedi schools in Israel became a hot-button issue in the October 2022 elections and the coalition negotiations for Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government. We caught up with Rabbi Menachem Bombach, founder of Netzach Educational Network on a recent visit to L.A. to find out more about this controversial issue.

to work in almost any office. Forty-five percent of Charedi families are trapped in poverty because their fathers cannot earn a decent salary. Employed Charedi men in Israel earn on average 68% of what other employed Israeli men earn. Relying on their wives’ salaries, which are also below the national average, and expecting the same women to birth and support large families, is not financially viable.

There is a myth that boys who learn Gemara for 12 years will be able to quickly catch up with their secular peers, but that is no longer true. The technology in use today and the high levels of math and science required for most jobs make it almost impossible for uneducated Charedi men to qualify for anything more than menial jobs.

There is also a growing recognition that we cannot sustain the Jewish state without including the Charedi community.

By 2050, Charedim will make up 40% of Israel’s population, making this a crucial economic challenge for the country. If we don’t want Charedim to remain a burden on society, receiving more in social security than they pay in taxes, we have to help them qualify for better-paid jobs.

We live in a world where religious values are under attack on all sides from the forces of secularization. Orthodox Jewry has survived throughout the centuries by rejecting external philosophies – since the days of the Maccabees in fact – and many communities see no reason to change now.

It is taking time for Charedim in Israel to realize that they can now control how secular subjects are taught in their schools. Girls in Bais Yaakov schools have a broader curriculum than boys, and the pressure to allow boys to learn basic literacy and numeracy skills are growing.

There are more “State Charedi” schools for boys opening every year, supervised by the “MaMach” department of the Ministry of Education. However, the political leadership rejects this movement, and one of the new Prime Minister’s concessions to the Charedi parties is a commitment to provide full funding for schools that do not teach core curriculum subjects. Without learning English, an Israeli person cannot write down his own email address! This makes it impossible for him

I grew up in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, and I “made aliyah” to Israel at the age of 20. Growing up I spoke only Yiddish and had no knowledge of Hebrew, English, or math. When I decided to become a teacher, I was horrified to realize that I needed to learn everything from scratch, which was extremely difficult at the age of 20.

Today, I encourage students to begin their secular studies as early as possible, to increase the chances that they will complete them. If they cannot learn in one of our Netzach schools, they can learn online on our Eshkolot platform. We currently have more than 19,000 Charedi students studying English, mathematics, geometry, algebra, and physics online in the evenings and during their vacations.

I set up our first school in 2014 and founded the Netzach Educational Network in 2017 to revamp Israel’s Charedi educational system. Our schools prepare both boys and girls to attain Bagrut (matriculation) certificates, equipping them to compete for quality employment opportunities and pursue higher education, while also receiving an outstanding Torah education.

The Netzach Educational Network includes six elementary, three high schools, and three post-high schools in the Greater Jerusalem area. Each school is growing year to year, with demand for places exceeding our capacity. Two of our most successful elementary schools are in Beit Shemesh, where many families who have made Aliyah choose to send their children to us, because they don’t want to compromise on either secular studies or Jewish studies.

There are thousands of Charedi children and teenagers in Israel who want to be part of the start-up nation. They want to play an active role in Israeli society without compromising their religious values. They will become the Charedi doctors, nurses, engineers, and police officers

that Israel badly needs.

According to our research, 60% of Charedi parents in Israel want to offer their children the best of both worlds – an outstanding Torah education and the skills to build a respectable career and support themselves and their families. Our network is growing all the time. G-d-willing, we plan on opening ten more Netzach schools in the next three years.

We are creating a paradigm shift by facilitating the integration of Charedim into Israeli society, without compromising our central religious values. But we are in a race against time. By 2028, 40% of first-grade Jewish students in Israel will be enrolled in Charedi schools. We need to ensure that they do not become a huge economic burden on the State of Israel. We need to ensure that any parents who want their children to become literate adults have access to a Netzach school.

Q: Q:

If we fail to involve the Charedi sector in future-proof economic activity, Israel will be dragged to the level of a third-world country. This is actually the biggest challenge facing Israel today.

Our website is www.netzach.org. il and you can follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mmbombach

Classifieds

Why is the teaching of secular subjects so

Who are the students in the Netzach schools?

How can we contact you to find out more?

What was your background and why did you decide to

Q: controversial in the Charedi world? open the Netzach schools?

Why is it important for Charedi children in Israel Q: to learn math and English?