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ZMANIM

PARSHA וניזאה

Oct 4 | 12 Tishrei

Shabbos starts 6:45

Shabbos ends 7:39

SUKKOT

Oct 6 | 14 Tishrei

Starts Monday night 6:43

Ends Wednesday night 7:33

SHABBOS CHOL HAMOED

Oct 10 | 18 Tishrei

Shabbos starts 6:38

Shabbos ends 7:32

SHEMINI ATZERET / SIMCHAT TORA

Oct 13 | 21 Tishrei

Shemini Atzeret starts 6:35

Simchat Tora ends 7:25

ORLANDO ZMANIM

Shabbos starts /Orlando 6:49

Shabbos ends/Orlando 7:44

SUKKOT

Starts Monday night 6:46

Ends Wednesday night 7:38

SHABBOS CHOL HAMOED

Shabbos starts 6:41

Shabbos ends 7:36

SHEMINI ATZERET / SIMCHAT TORA

Shemini Atzeret starts 6:38

Simchat Tora ends 7:29

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Beyond the Headlines

A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news

By Sivan Rahav Meir

A Week of Liberation

Each year, just before Sukkot, I am reminded of some of the first words of Torah I ever heard. I was fifteen, and was attending an educational event for young people in Jerusalem. As we were about to eat, a girl named Daphna declared that “we can’t sit here and eat without a dvar Torah, even if it’s just something short.” I did not know what a “dvar Torah” was, but she immediately continued. “There is a clear connection between Sukkot and Pesach. Both of these festivals teach us to appreciate the most basic necessities of life. On Pesach we learn to appreciate bread after a whole week without it, and on Sukkot we learn to appreciate our homes after a week of living in booths.”

This simple thought stayed with me for years. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, a recipient of the Israel Prize, was one of the great leaders of Torah, Talmud and Chassidut in our generation. He adds depth to the idea that Daphna shared: “In a life that is too settled and fixed, there is a danger of complacency, of an exaggerated sense of security. People and nations that feel too selfsatisfied in their present situation can find themselves on the edge of an abyss. The sukkah jolts us out of our comfortable existence, takes us away from the stability of our homes and instills within us a feeling of transience. The sukkah liberates us from the feeling that ‘I deserve this’ and that things are ‘mine,’ feelings based on superficial

perceptions. Instead, we live in the sukkah for an entire week with the sense that everything in life is, in fact, temporary.”

Our Time of…Family

Sukkot is distinguished from other festivals as Zeman Simchatenu, “our time of joy,” but it is also our time of family. My mother-in-law, family guidance counselor Ziva Meir, shared these thoughts:

“Many parents ask: ‘Where do I draw the line between time devoted to myself and time devoted to my children?’ There is a misunderstanding in the question however, as the time we devote to our children is, in its very essence, meaningful time devoted to ourselves. There is nothing more wonderful than this. If we regard family time as servitude and sacrifice, it means we are missing something. Those who feel enslaved to their children are not doing it right. The most worthwhile self-development comes from within the family unit. This is the best workshop for per-

sonal growth. If we are truly connected to ourselves we will find time for parents, siblings, children and spouses without a sense of guilt and the feeling that we are constantly losing or missing out. True, during holiday periods things can get complicated, but equating personal time with family time should be our guiding principle. There once was a girl who said to a great rabbi that she wanted to sacrifice her life to Torah. Instead of an enthusiastic response, the rabbi said: ‘Don’t do us any favors.’ So, too, we should not feel like we are martyrs suffering for our children for, after all, Judaism opposes human sacrifice.”

A Season for Everything

The words of Shlomo Hamelech are full of wisdom, and that includes the book of Kohelet, which we read on Chol HaMoed Sukkot. It’s one of the five megillot that belong to the Ketuvim section of the Tanakh, and includes the famous words: “Everything has an appointed season, and there is a time for every matter under heaven. A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot that which is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break and a time to build. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time of mourning and a time of dancing. A time to cast stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.”

There are many commentaries on these words, but let us look at

the simplest explanation: There is a time and a place for everything. In this frantic, confounding, global world of ours, there is a tendency to rush in and do everything simultaneously, erasing definitions and boundaries and mixing everything together. Shlomo Hamelech reminds us of a basic truth: Everything has its own proper time and place. We go through different periods in life and it is full of change. There is both good and bad in our world; it is important to be aware and see what it is needed at which time.

A Sukkah Life

Each night of Sukkot we traditionally invite one of the seven “Ushpizin” (visitors) into the sukka: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe, Aharon and David. What can we learn from this custom?

When we look at the story of their lives, we see that these seven figures had to continually confront challenges and crises. Avraham was called upon to leave his homeland and journey to the unknown Land of Israel, and from there to Egypt and back again. Yitzchak encountered enemies throughout his travels in the Land of Israel. Yaakov was forced to flee to Haran, returned to the Land of Israel, and subsequently journeyed down to Egypt. Yosef was sold by his brothers and wound up in an Egyptian prison. Moshe was hidden in a basket in the Nile River, grew up in Pharaoh’s house, fled to Midian, and eventually returned to Egypt. His brother, Aharon, wandered with him for forty challenging years in the desert. David’s life, too, was filled with war and rebellions.

Our forefathers lived transient “sukkah lives” without permanent homes. But despite all their challenges, they continued to flourish: they learned, they educated, they brought good to the world, and so they became significant figures, powerful and eternal. They did not put everything on hold until “after the crisis.” Just the opposite. They understood that the time is now, that life is lived within the maelstrom. Instead of waiting for peace and tranquility in order to do great things, they knew how to focus on what was important even while the world around them shook and trembled.

Before we leave the sukkah, this is the message we should take with us: No more excuses, the time is now.

Translated by Yehoshua Siskin

JCS’ Annual Milk & Honey Event to Deliver Holiday Joy and Nutritional Support to Holocaust

Survivors and Homebound Seniors

Over 500 volunteers will join Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS) to deliver Rosh Hashanah food baskets and personal care items to vulnerable seniors.

On Sunday, September 14, more than 500 community members are coming together in North and South Miami Dade County to participate in Jewish Community Services of South Florida’s (JCS) Annual Milk & Honey event, delivering Rosh Hashanah food baskets and personal hygiene items to Holocaust survivors and homebound seniors across South Florida.

As part of JCS’ 106-year mission to serve the most frail and vulnerable residents of Miami-Dade County, the Milk & Honey event ensures that hundreds of low-income seniors, many of whom live in isolation, receive nutritional support and a warm, personal visit just in time for the Jewish New Year.

“Our Milk & Honey event brings more than just food. It brings comfort, connection, and the sweetness of the holiday to those who need it most,” said Miriam Singer, JCS President & CEO. “With the ever-rising cost of living in Miami-Dade, many seniors and Holocaust Survivors are struggling to afford basic essentials; items that are not fully covered by government assistance programs.”

Each basket includes traditional Rosh Hashanah foods along with personal hygiene products, helping to meet both physical and emotional needs during this important time of year.

“This event is a reflection of who we are as a community, coming together to lift one another up,” Singer added. “It is our privilege to serve as South Florida’s safety net and to bring holiday joy to those who might otherwise be alone.”

The annual Milk & Honey

event is made possible through the generosity of local donors, community partners, and hundreds of volunteers who give their time to ensure no senior is forgotten during the Jewish High Holy Days.

About Jewish Community Services of South Florida

Since 1920, Jewish Community Services of South Florida, based on Jewish values, has remained true to its mission in providing a resilient safety-net of health and social services through a broad array of programs that promote, health, safety, and self-sufficiency. By collaborating with community partners, funders, hundreds of volunteers, sister organizations and local leaders, our team continuously strengthens its engagement and impact. Our professional team continues to provide healing and hope in serving the many layered needs of residents in our diverse and vibrant community. JCS is here for you. Learn more at https://jcsfl.org/.

NOT A JOKE

A Succos Shailah With a Happy Ending

It was just a few days before Yom Tov when the phone rang at the Refuah B’Halacha Center. On the line was a soft, hesitant voice of a man calling from an out-of-town community.

“Hello, Rav… I’m not sure how to ask this… but I need some guidance before Succos.”

The Rav reassured him kindly, “Please, take your time. What’s on your mind?”

The caller explained that in his city, people lived in small apartments in a very crowded area. No one had a private sukkah or even the space to build one. Instead, the entire community gathered in the big shul’s sukkah, where all the meals were held. It was a beautiful arrangement, but for him, it posed a serious problem.

“Sounds very nice, so what’s the issue?” Asked the Rav.

He paused for a long moment, then finally whispered, “You see, I was born with a facial disfigurement. My jaw never developed normally. Besides how I look, it’s not a very pleasant sight when I eat. People tend to stare… children sometimes laugh. I’m very self-conscious, and the thought of sitting in a public sukkah, and eating in front of so many people, it’s unbearable for me. I have thought about going to the sukkah after everybody leave, but that’s not possible as the Gabbai of the shul locks it up after everyone leaves. I’m asking… am I obligated to eat in the sukkah at all? Or am

I patur?”

The Rav leaned back, absorbing the weight of the question. This wasn’t just halacha on paper—this was halacha meeting a broken heart.

He began gently: “The Teshuvos Tzel hachachma (5;9), brings down the Shulchan Aruch in 640;4 that writes that one who is mitzta’er in the sukkah is exempt from eating there. For example, if it rains, or if the conditions inside the sukkah are intolerable. The halacha recognizes that the mitzvah of sukkah is meant to be a place of dwelling, and just as one does not dwell in an area where he is suffering, he does not need

to dwell in a sukkah where he is suffering.”

The caller was silent, waiting, hoping.

“But,” the Rav continued, “the question here is: does embarrassment qualify as tza’ar? Is the pain of being stared at, the humiliation of being laughed at, considered a valid exemption from sukkah?”

And then, firmly, the Rav answered: “Yes. Without a doubt. Embarrassment is mitzta’er, and perhaps even worse, says the Tzel hachachma. He further continues and quotes from the Sefer HaChinuch, mitzvah 240, that writes there is no pain greater than being embarrassed. Additionally, Rab-

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beinu Yonah, in Shaarei Teshuva 3:111, says that shame can be more bitter than death itself. So, in your case, where you normally avoid eating in the company of others because of this suffering, you are indeed exempt from eating in the sukkah.”

There was a long pause, and then a soft “Thank you… thank you so much.” The relief in his voice was evident.

But the Rav was not finished.

“Please understand,” he said with warmth but firmness, “this exemption applies for the rest of Yom Tov. However, on the first night of Succos, the halacha is different. Even someone who is mitzta’er must eat at least a kezayis of bread in the sukkah (Rama 639;5 and 640;4). Even in your situation you are obligated to eat in the sukkah for the first night. I know it’s not easy, but that much you must do.”

The man’s voice trembled with disappointment. “I see. I understand. Halacha is halacha.” He thanked the Rav with a heavy heart, and after exchanging warm Yom Tov wishes, he hung up.

The next evening, before Erev Succos, the man was sitting alone at home, mentally preparing himself for the ordeal ahead. Then, his phone rang.

“Hello? Is this Mr. Cohen?” came the voice of an elderly man.

“Yes, speaking.”

“My name is Mr. Maskowitz. I live a few miles from you. I heard you were planning on spending Yom Tov alone this year. My wife and I aren’t having any company, and we would be honored if you would join us for all our meals in our sukkah, you can stay by us.”

There was stunned silence on the other end. Finally, Mr. Cohen asked, “How… how did you even get my number?”

“Oh,” Mr. Maskowitz chuckled warmly, “an old friend of mine— the Rav you spoke to at the Refuah B’Halacha Center—gave it to me. He told me about your situation. He didn’t want you to be alone this Yom Tov, so he thought perhaps we could host you. Please, it would mean so much to us if you joined, all our children are away for Yom Tov and we don’t have any company.”

Mr. Cohen blinked back tears. He had never expected this. He had called for halacha, but instead he had found compassion, friendship, and a place to belong.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, “yes… yes, I would be honored.”

That Succos, Mr. Cohen found himself not in isolation, not in shame, but seated warmly at the table of a kind elderly couple, surrounded by the embrace of a sukkah and the comfort of the true Yom Tov spirt.

And all because one Rav at the Refuah B’Halacha Center didn’t just answer the question he was asked. He listened between the lines. He heard the loneliness behind the words, the silent cry that the man himself hadn’t dared to say. And he acted.

At the Refuah B’Halacha Center, people call for guidance on complex halachic-medical questions. But time and again, what callers discover is more than just halacha. They discover caring Rabbanim who truly feel their pain, who carry their burdens, and who find ways to ease not just the halachic challenge, but the human one as well.

JUDAH

How to Expand Health Care Access in Florida

By Liam Sigaud

A recent report bestows on Florida a dubious distinction: One of the worst health care systems in the United States. The news is unlikely to shock anyone familiar with long wait times for a doctor’s appointment or lab test, congested emergency rooms, and high costs.

More than one in four Floridians live in communities officially designated as primary care shortage areas, where there are too few providers to meet basic health needs.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

While part of the story is population growth – health care providers are struggling to cope with the rapid influx of new residents to the Sunshine State – misguided laws are making the problem worse.

Many states are empowering non-physician health care providers to offer a broader range of services. But lawmakers in Tallahassee have repeatedly rejected legislation that would grant advanced practice nurses, including certified nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners, the authority to prescribe routine medications – such as antibiotics and drugs to manage blood

pressure – and deliver other types of care without needing a physician’s signature.

Twenty-eight states have already enacted similar reforms, and patients are reaping the benefits of more accessible care. Expanding the role of advanced-practice nurses is especially important for rural communities with few physicians’ offices and long driving times to the nearest hospital. Permitting advanced-practice nurses to practice independently removes bureaucratic hassles and unnecessary costs, while allowing physicians to focus on more complex cases. Advanced-practice nurses have completed rigorous training. Why not allow them to serve patients to the fullest extent of their skills?

Numerous studies have shown that these reforms deliver significant benefits to patients. Expanding nurse practitioner scope of practice increases access to healthcare services and the frequency of routine check-ups, reduces costs for patients, reduces hospital readmissions and preventable emergency room visits, and improves health outcomes. Moreover, nurse practitioners are more likely to work in rural or underserved communities if their state grants them full practice authority.

While the shortage of primary care physicians is projected to grow even deeper, reaching a nationwide deficit of up to 40,000 doctors in 2036, the supply of nurse practitioners is soaring. Today, there are approximately 100,000 more nurse

practitioners in the U.S than primary care physicians – and the gap is growing every year. Placing artificial limits on the nurse practitioner workforce just doesn’t make sense.

Physician associations have consistently opposed efforts to expand other providers’ practice authority. A common argument is that nurse practitioners may not provide the same quality of care as physicians, resulting in more medical errors and harm to patients. But decades of data contradict these claims. Across a wide range of quality measures – including opioid prescribing rates, malpractice payouts, and adverse action reports – researchers have found no discernable evidence that expanding nurse practitioners’ practice authority jeopardizes patient safety.

The same goes for other types of advanced-practice nurses. For example, granting full practice authority to certified nurse-midwives makes care more accessible with no sign of adverse consequences for patients.

The evidence is clear. Independent-practice nurses provide high-quality care to millions of people in the U.S. But too many states, like Florida, erect regulatory barriers that limit their effectiveness, depriving patients of accessible care. Allowing these providers to do the jobs they were trained to do isn’t radical. It’s common sense.

Liam Sigaud is a research analyst at the Knee Regulatory Research Center at West Virginia University.

A Gift of Life in South Florida: An Interview with Kidney Donor Zalmy Cohen

By Jordana Baruchov

Nine days after donating his kidney, North Miami Beach resident Zalmy Cohen is already back on his feet; full of energy, full of gratitude, and eager to share his journey. In this conversation, he opens up about what inspired him to become a donor, how his family and community reacted, and what he hopes others will learn from his story.

Q: Zalmy, let’s start at the beginning. What inspired you to even consider kidney donation?

A: To be honest, it was a very foreign concept at first. You hear about people donating kidneys here and there, but it didn’t hit home until someone in my own community; someone I knew personally was suffering. He was on dialysis, really living through hell. Our shul in North Miami Beach held a Renewal swab drive, and the entire community came out. We all knew it was a kidney donor drive, but I don’t think we realized how far-reaching the impact could be. For us, it started with wanting to help one person in need; but that one drive ended up saving many lives. That was the push that started my journey.

Q: Was there a particular moment when you knew you were going to go through with it?

A: As the founder of Hatzolah here in South Florida, I see a lot of

emergencies. But kidney failure is different; it ties you down to a machine for hours every week. You can’t travel, you can’t live freely. That image stuck with me. On top of that, I kept hearing stories from people whose loved ones had died from kidney failure. The more I saw, the clearer it became: if I had the ability to change someone’s life, why wouldn’t I?

Q: How did your family react when you told them?

A: It was a mixed bag. Some people thought I was crazy. I even had doubts myself at first; I said to my wife, “Why give my kidney to someone who’s already sick?” And

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she looked at me and said, “Who do you think needs it? Healthy 20-year-olds?” That snapped me back into reality. My wife and kids were amazing. My daughter told me, “Tati, you’ve got to live life to the fullest. Be there for others. If you can help, go for it.” That really pushed me.

Q: Can you walk us through the process itself?

A: It started with a simple swab at the shul. Months later, I got the call: “You’re a match.” I went through rounds of forms, then a full day of testing: bloodwork, scans, EKGs, meetings with surgeons, psychologists, and nutritionists. They want to make sure you’re physically, mentally, ready, and that you understand you’re donating with no strings attached. That’s important; once your kidney leaves your body, you have to give it wholeheartedly.

And throughout it all, Renewal was there. They didn’t push me or pressure me; they simply guided me, step by step, answering every question. If I didn’t understand something, they explained it clearly. I never felt alone in the process. That support made all the difference.

Q: What was it like waking up after surgery?

A: Funny enough, I thought it would be two hours. When I woke up, seven hours had passed. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. But it was a “good pain.” I kept tell-

ing myself: this is nothing compared to what the recipient went through. That same night I forced myself to walk the halls. Recovery isn’t a walk in the park, but the reward far outweighs the discomfort. You know you’ve just saved someone’s life! That feeling is indescribable.

Q: Florida has a growing community of donors. What role did the community play in your journey?

A: South Florida showed up for me in a big way. Friends and neighbors who were also donors came by constantly; to put on tefillin with me, to learn with me, to bring food, to walk with me. Even previous recipients came to sit with my wife during the surgery. That kind of support is priceless.

And alongside the local community, Renewal’s support was incredible. They made sure I understood everything, checked in constantly, and reminded me I was part of a bigger family of donors and recipients. Between Renewal and my neighbors, I felt carried every step of the way.

Our North Miami Beach shul alone has produced multiple donors in just the past couple of years. This community is small, but it’s powerful.

Q: What message do you hope your story sends to others?

A: That kidney donation is possible, and it’s life-changing. People think it’s impossible to “rip open

your body and take out a kidney,” but I’m living proof it’s doable. It’s not always easy, but it’s not as scary as people imagine. Education is the key. Why wait until there’s a crisis? If communities did even one drive a year, the ripple effect could be enormous. Every donor gives not just to one recipient, but to their entire family and future. And to anyone wondering: yes, you can live a full, healthy life after donation. In fact, I feel even better. Emotionally, I feel like I won the lottery. I gave someone 20 years of life. Who else gets to say that?

Closing

From North Miami Beach to the wider world, Zalmy Cohen’s story is more than one man’s act of generosity. It’s a testament to the power of community, family, and faith. In his words: “If you can help, go for it. What does it cost you? A couple of weeks of discomfort. And in return, you give someone their life back.”

Jordana Baruchov, better known as @ Drinkitin_Jordana, is the Director of Social Media and Marketing at Renewal. Beyond her work there, she guides others in “finding their voice”—whether it’s the quiet voice within, the confidence to speak on stage, or the courage to show up authentically online. A passionate Torah educator and host of the Drink It In podcast, Jordana shares Jewish wisdom in a way that feels real, relatable, and inspiring; whether through content, conversation, or even a cup of coffee on Instagram.

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Operation Inspiration: Vanity of Vanities

Many years ago, a friend was told an explanation on the Parsha by his Vaad lead, one Rabbi Chaim Tzvi HaKohain Katz z”l. Upon hearing it, the bochur exclaimed, “Ah! That’s the Reshash’s pshat.” R’ Chaim Tzvi looked at him and said, “No, it’s mine. I didn’t see it in the Reshash; I came up with it on my own. But let me tell you something. When you’re traveling from Cleveland to New York, you take the I-80, because it is the straightest route. The odds are, if you’re on the right road, you’ll come across others taking the same path.”

His point was that the idea was his own, original thought, but the fact that someone else said it only underscores its accuracy and truth. When your thinking aligns with that of someone else, especially someone of great Torah stature, you can feel more confident that you’ve arrived at the truth. Many of us can relate to thinking of a great question or answer and the joy in finding out that R’ Akiva Eiger, or Rashi, or some other great sage asks or answers it the same way.

Well, recently, I had that experience. Sort of. You see, I got the idea for this column when I saw a vanity license plate on a car. It seemed to coalesce in moments in my brain, but I was afraid that I may have written about it before. Indeed, I did. Some ten years ago, it was a topic that also

By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

entered my mind while driving, and I shared my thoughts then. They are slightly different this time around, but I know that since I bumped into someone else on the same path – in this case, me of ten years ago – it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s emes.

As I drove down one of the beautiful roads in the Monsey area, I noticed a license plate that said, “PERGRIN.” Ah… I said to myself. Peregrine, like the falcon. Now, though I had been able to decipher the intended word, I still had no idea of its relevance. Was this person a falconer, with a leather gauntlet and medieval mask? Or an amateur ornithologist? No idea.

Then I wondered. What if I’m wrong? Maybe it doesn’t say, “Peregrine.” Maybe the fellow behind the wheel is a comedian whose success is measured in smiles and laughs. He gets paid

“per grin.” And once I’m at that explanation, maybe he’s not a comedian at all, but an Orthodontist. Again, he gets paid per grin. It’s also possible that he intended some other combination of words to be indicated by those letters. I don’t know, I’m just a spectator.

And in life, it’s very much the same thing. Hashem places His little messages wherever He chooses to place them, and when we see them, we try to figure them out. I don’t know why He does things, so I can only guess, just as I guessed the word peregrine. But even if I guess correctly, I still have no idea what is in Hashem’s mind because the word could mean so many different things to different people. It would be hubris for me to assume I can know what goes on in Hashem’s thoughts if He hasn’t told me in His Torah.

Maybe that’s what Shlomo HaMelech was referring to when he said, “Vanity of vanities, everything is vanity!” I mean, I don’t think horses and donkeys had license plates affixed to their tails, let alone vanity plates, but perhaps he was alluding to this concept that we only get hints and can’t know everything.

I’m reminded of a story which I find very comforting.

One harsh winter day, the Baal Shem Tov gathered a group of 9 of his chasidim, got into a wagon, and let the horses loose. They

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came to rest at a small home in the middle of nowhere. When they did, the man of the house came out and asked, “Is one of you a Mohel? My son is 8 days old today and I could not take him out in this weather!”

One of the chasidim was a mohel and the bris was performed with great joy. Afterwards, the

arms. The Baal Shem Tov and his entourage buried the child, performed the consolation ritual and tried to calm the couple, then left. In the wagon, there was an uproar. “Rebbe!” the chasidim cried. “What is going on?”

“Did you not hear that the baby was named Yosef? Today is the Yahrtzeit of R’ Yosef Caro, author

that holy soul. Once he had a bris on time, he was able to return his now-perfect soul to Heaven.”

We may not know what Hashem intends at any time, but we can certainly take the license to rest assured that His intentions are good.

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Yachad Rosh Hashana Crafts in Boca

Gan Chabad Preschool children in West Aventura preparing for Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur.

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INSPIRED TORAH SCHOOLHOUSE

Students from Inspired Torah Schoolhouse brought joy, song, and gifts to residents of local senior living facilities in heartwarming Rosh Hashanah celebrations. As part of the school’s commitment to experiential learning and meaningful connection, the students worked with Chabad for Seniors to usher in the Jewish New Year by sharing traditional holiday customs and building intergenerational bonds. Students and seniors alike felt joy and inspiration through the festive celebrations.

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ZUCKER ACADEMY BOCA RATON

Jewish Public School children in CHAP learn about Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur

Division within Jewish Communities Cited Ahead of Antisemitism as Barrier to Hope in M² Hope Study of Jewish Communal Professionals

During times of crisis, nonprofit workers seek strong leadership, clear guidance, and practical tools from their employers

New York, September 18, 2025 –M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education (M²) today released findings from its first-ever Hope Study, a survey of nearly 950 Jewish communal professionals across North America. Conducted in the summer of 2025, the Hope Study represents a comprehensive effort to understand how Jewish professionals are sustaining — or losing — hope during a time of unprecedented crisis.

The study found that only 24% of Jewish communal professionals often feel hopeful about the future, compared to 82% of the U.S. population, with internal divisions within Jewish communities — not external threats — emerging as the greatest obstacle to sustaining hope. Respondents most often described political disagreements and sensitivities around Israel as the hardest challenges to navigate. Leadership shortcomings were the second most common barrier to hope, while external antisemitism, though deeply affecting personal well-being, was cited less often as undermining professional hope and resilience.

Key insights include:

Internal communal division is the greatest obstacle to sustaining hope. Professionals report that

tensions and political disagreement within the community erode their confidence and leave them uncertain about the future, making it harder to feel resilient in their work. Leadership gaps compound this challenge, while external antisemitism was cited less often as a direct threat to hope.

External threats weigh heavily on personal well-being, but less on professional resilience. 65% said the situation in Israel affects their personal well-being, and 59% worry extensively about antisemitism. Yet only 26% reported antisemitism significantly affecting their work performance, underscoring that hope in professional life is challenged more by internal dynamics than external threats.

Belonging and purpose fuel hope. 73% report feeling a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people often or very often, and 55% said they often feel energized by their work. The most import-

ant source of hope, cited by 85%, was the impact of their work on others, followed closely by support from colleagues (73%).

Principled leadership is a key generator of hope. Respondents said they are sustained when leaders provide moral clarity and communicate with conviction, especially in moments of crisis.

Collective supports are valued over individualized ones. 63% requested clear guidance for sensitive conversations, 48% asked for forums to process current events with colleagues, and 44% requested peer support groups. By contrast, 42% prioritized individualized mental health resources. These preferences show that professionals find hope in shared spaces, practical tools, and communal solidarity.

Based on these findings, M² recommends building authentic community infrastructure that restores and strengthens hope

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across the field. This includes training leaders to combine moral clarity with empathy, equipping staff to navigate sensitive conversations, creating systems to make professional impact more visible, and deepening professionals’ connection to Jewish belonging.

“The Hope Study makes clear that what undermines hope most is division within our own community and a lack of clarity from leaders,” said Shuki Taylor, Founder & CEO of M². “Yet the study also shows where hope is being replenished — in belonging, in meaningful work, and in colleagues who lift each other up. Our responsi-

bility is to nurture those sources of hope so professionals can continue to serve the Jewish people with strength and conviction.”

“Jewish communal professionals are the lifeblood of Jewish life – they are the ones holding people together in times of crisis,” said Linda Adler Hurwitz, Chair of the Board at M². “By listening to their voices through the Hope Study, M² is taking an essential step to ensure that those who sustain our communities are themselves sustained. We believe that by understanding what fuels and depletes their hope, we can build a stronger, more resilient Jewish future.”

About M2: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education

M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education is a global nonprofit organization whose mission is to unlock meaningful and purposeful Jewish living. Founded in 2016, M2 empowers educators and organizations to conceptualize transformative educational experiences that inspire individuals and communities to find meaning and purpose in Jewish living. Its cutting-edge professional development programs, innovative educational frameworks, and tailored consulting services provide educators with tools to strengthen their professional identities, master their craft, and drive impactful change. M2’s global network of alumni and partners continues to inspire and expand the reach of Jewish education worldwide. For more information, please visit: ieje.org.

Torah Academy Honors First Responders on Patriot Day

On Thursday, September 11th, Torah Academy of Boca Raton held a moving Heroes Day ceremony, joining the nation in marking Patriot Day. This day was established in memory of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, when thousands of innocent lives were lost in the terrorist attacks on American soil. Patriot Day is also a time to honor the heroism of first responders who ran toward danger to save others.

At Torah Academy, this annual commemoration is an opportunity to instill in students a sense of hakaras hatov—gratitude toward those who dedicate themselves to protecting our community. Assemblies were held in both the boys’ and girls’ elementary divisions, and the school was privileged to welcome special guests from the Boca Raton Police Department. Among the attendees were Chief of Police Michele Miuccio, Assistant Chiefs Elizabeth Roberts and Juan Pijuan, Captains Keith Graham and Drew Kossova, along with several members of the Community Engagement Unit: Officers Richard Guberman, Adam Glass, Ryan Jenney, Jose Martinez, and Gabriel Cox.

Following an introduction from school leadership, the spotlight shifted to the students. Each class had prepared personal letters of appreciation, which were read and presented to the officers. The sincerity and thought-

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fulness expressed by the children made a deep impression on their guests. Representatives from the student body also had the privilege of presenting gift bags to the officers as a token of the school’s collective gratitude for their tireless service and dedication.

One particularly meaningful moment came when Officer Ryan Jenney addressed the children directly. He expressed how moving it was for him and his colleagues to receive such heartfelt thanks from the students, emphasizing that their words of appreciation give real encouragement to those serving in law enforcement.

The ceremony was a true kiddush Hashem as the students of

Torah Academy modeled the values of gratitude, respect, and responsibility. “May we continue to raise a generation that not only learns Torah, but lives it,” remarked Rabbi Reuven Feinberg, Dean of Torah Academy, “showing appreciation to those who protect us and embodying the middos tovos that define a true ben Torah.”

Torah Academy of Boca Raton is a Yeshiva with preschool, elementary, and separate boys’ and girls’ middle school divisions, serving approximately 900 students this year. For more information, visit www.torahacademybr.org or call 561-465-2200.

Latest Cyberwell Research Highlights Surge In Online Antisemitism During Uk, Us, Canadian, Australian Elections

TEL AVIV – Ahead of World Democracy Day, CyberWell — a nonprofit dedicated to monitoring and combating online antisemitism, and a trusted flagger for Meta (Facebook, Instagram, and Threads) and TikTok — has published a new report revealing a sharp rise in election-related antisemitic content. It revealed that enforcement efforts lagged during recent national election cycles in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia. This surge comes on the heels of a wider global trend among democratic countries toward authoritarian tendencies (Pew Research Center, 2024), intensifying the stakes for both civic integrity and the spread of targeted hate during elections.

Examining election-related content between 2023 and 2025, the report found that antisemitic narratives accusing Jewish communities of political manipulation or control repeatedly surfaced and were amplified online. These narratives, which align with the second example in the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, were often tied to conspiracies alleging Jews exert disproportionate, secretive influence over electoral processes and governance. Such rhetoric has, throughout history and arguably today, incited violence against

As Moderation Efforts Lag

the Jewish community while undermining public trust in democratic institutions and governments.

Despite clear prohibitions against hate speech by most major platforms, CyberWell’s research found a notable decline in enforcement during election periods. X (formerly Twitter) hosted the highest volume of election-related antisemitic content while removing the least amount of content, despite regular reporting by CyberWell. This reflects its broadly permissive stance toward extreme election-related material, including misinformation, hyper-partisan narratives, and hate speech.

Conversely, YouTube recorded the lowest incidence of antisemitic election content, likely due to its explicit policy prohibiting election-related hate speech against protected groups.

Meta and TikTok showed enforcement rates consistent with average removal rates against antisemitic content at 40%, after violations were flagged through trusted reporting channels by CyberWell. TikTok, like YouTube, had a significantly smaller sample size, suggesting either lower prevalence of antisemitic election-related content or more effective proactive moderation.

Across all platforms, the pre-

dominant form of antisemitism linked to elections centered on long-standing conspiracies about undue Jewish influence in government. Posts falsely accusing Jews or “Zionists” of covertly controlling governments, financing candidates, or rigging elections appeared consistently in every country surveyed. “While social media companies are dedicating sporadic and reactive resources to detect election misinformation, they continue to underestimate the extent to which hate speech, especially classical antisemitism, is gaining traction during politically sensitive times,” said CyberWell Founder and CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “Our report illustrates that narratives blaming Jews for societal and political failures often surge during elections, yet enforcement remains below average.”

“We continue to provide data and enforcement-based insights to develop the tools to effectively identify and address anti-Jewish posts at scale and effectively,” added Cohen Montemayor. “Stereotypical and conspiratorial claims about Jewish control over politics have fueled violence and mass scapegoating against Jewish communities in free countries in the past, before they turned fascist. Today, the same

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narrative is gaining increasing traction in the online universe, primarily on social media. Taking care to enforce digital policies against hate speech at scale during election time is a crucial part of ensuring safe elections and preventing additional erosion of trust in our democratic institutions.”

CyberWell’s report also offered clear recommendations to social media platforms on more effective enforcement of their own policies. It urged them to refine their election-related hate speech enforcement policies—not just focus on election-related misinforma-

tion. The report also called for improved moderator training to better distinguish between legitimate political discourse and targeted attacks on protected groups. CyberWell also called for improved detection technologies capable of identifying visual cues, coded language and emojis which typically accompany antisemitic content.

CyberWell’s World Democracy Day Elections Report is available here: https:// cyberwell.org/wp-content/ uploads/2025/09/Antisemitism-Online-Amid-National-Elections-Report.pdf

CyberWell is an independent, internationally focused, tech-rooted nonprofit combating the spread of antisemitism online. Its AI-technologies monitor social media in English and Arabic for posts that promulgate antisemitism, Holocaust denial and promote violence against Jews based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Its analysts review and report this content to platform moderators while indexing all verified posts in the first-ever open database of antisemitic social media posts – democratically cataloging it for transparency at app.cyberwell.org. Through partnerships, education and real-time alerts, CyberWell is holding social media platforms and their moderators accountable, promoting proactive steps against online Jew-hate. For more information, visit: https://cyberwell.org/

From Candy Sales to Corporate Empires: Moshe’s Relentless Drive

South Florida’s business community is crowded with entrepreneurs, bankers, and developers, but few have a story as sweeping— and as unlikely—as Moshe’s. From his first candy sales in a Queens schoolyard to managing catering crews as a teenager, from running nursing homes in the Midwest to leading one of Florida’s most distinctive community banks, his path has been anything but ordinary. Along the way, he has built companies, created jobs, and supported countless Jewish causes—all while developing a reputation for relentless drive and unfiltered honesty. At the center of his current work sits Optimum Bank, a publicly traded institution based in Fort Lauderdale. For Moshe, the bank represents more than balance sheets and loan portfolios. It is a place where relationships matter, where community comes before bureaucracy, and where clients know that they will be heard. “Every entrepreneur I meet has a story,” he says. “When Optimum helps them succeed, I become a small part of that story too.”

Early Hustle: From Candy to Catering

Moshe’s business instincts appeared early. As a first grader in Queens, he would take his allowance, head to the local candy shop, and buy bulk bags for a nickel apiece. Back at school, he resold the sweets to classmates for ten cents each. “I built up a nice little

nest egg by the time I was in second and third grade,” he recalls with a laugh. It was less about the money than the thrill of success—the discovery that effort and creativity could create opportunity.

By his teens, Moshe had graduated from candy to catering. He worked long hours in Jewish hotels in the Catskills and spent weekends serving bar mitzvahs in tuxedos. “I’d work Friday setting up, serve through Shabbos, sleep in the shul if I had to, then break everything down Saturday night,” he says. At just sixteen, he was managing forty employees in a Queens deli-style takeout operation. The

grind was grueling, but the promotions and tips provided a rush that reinforced his appetite for responsibility.

Moshe is quick to note that his family was not wealthy. “We were poor,” he says bluntly. “We got hand-me-downs, we got donations, we got whatever we could. But my father taught us that boys had to work. That was the philosophy. Grades and behavior mattered, but so did earning your keep.” What began as necessity soon became habit, and then passion. Success became addictive.

First Big Step: Nursing Homes

REAL ESTATE & FINANCE

The pivotal shift from worker to owner came in Indiana, where Moshe relocated after marrying. At the time, South Bend had only a few dozen observant families. Moshe took a job in nursing home management and quickly climbed the ranks. But when he asked his employer for a $5,000 raise—after generating millions in profits—he was turned down. That refusal became the catalyst. “If he had paid me more and treated me better, I might never have left,” Moshe admits. Instead, he struck out on his own, acquiring his first nursing home.

The deal brought with it both opportunity and terror. “Suddenly I had 150 employees,” he says. “The pressure of making payroll every week was enormous. I didn’t have credit lines; I kept a small cushion of a couple hundred thousand dollars and prayed it would be enough. For ten years, I worked straight through Thursday nights into Friday, just to keep everything on track.”

Those sleepless years taught lessons no MBA program could: discipline in cash flow, caution in leverage, and respect for the lives affected by every decision. His partner focused on clinical operations; Moshe obsessed over the numbers. Together, they expanded steadily, acquiring more homes while maintaining a reputation for paying bills on time and never bouncing payroll. “In all the hundreds of companies we’ve bought, nobody has ever lost a penny with us,” he says with pride.

Building an Empire: Strawberry Fields

The nursing homes became the foundation for Strawberry Fields

REIT, now a billion-and-a-halfdollar portfolio spanning 11 states, generating $140 million in revenue and $80 million in free cash flow annually. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker STRW, Strawberry Fields is one of the largest healthcare real estate investment trusts in the sector. Its origins, however, were humble. Moshe had invested in a multifamily project that issued Israeli bonds, and when he read through the loan documents, he saw potential. “I realized if we consolidated our properties and built the right structure, we could access public markets in Israel.” That initial exposure paved the way for the even-

tual U.S. listing. Today, Strawberry’s growth is proof of his instinct for structure, scale, and timing.

Vertical Integration and Side Ventures

Moshe’s business model has always been guided by vertical integration. “If I’m already spending $400,000 a year on therapy services, why not own the therapy company?” he explains. “If I can provide the same service in-house, I save money, and any outside business becomes pure profit.”

That philosophy led him into pharmacies, therapy groups, and even urgent care centers. Not all ventures were smooth. A construc-

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tion partnership went sideways, costing him money and friendships. But even those missteps reinforced his approach: conservative growth, careful selection of partners, and loyalty to obligations. “We’ve never stiffed a vendor, never defaulted on a deal,” he says. “That matters.”

Faith, Community, and Responsibility

If money were the only goal, Moshe might have retired long ago. But for him, wealth has always been a tool for impact. Early in his career, he founded the Midwest Torah Center, funding it from his own pocket. He watched secular Jews light Shabbos candles for the first time, heard congregants express gratitude, and saw how his giving sparked others to give. “Every time I gave more, I made more,” he reflects. “And I could see the results in real lives. That kept me going.”

The sense of responsibility— to employees, to investors, to the community—drives him still. “If I quit tomorrow, how many checks stop going out? How many organizations suffer?” he asks. That burden, heavy as it is, remains his motivation.

The Optimum Bank Story

If Strawberry Fields is Moshe’s empire, Optimum Bank is his passion project. Sixteen years ago, the small Fort Lauderdale bank was struggling. Capital was thin, regulators were circling, and skeptics saw little hope. But when Moshe joined the board, things began to change. He helped bring in new investors, stabilize operations, and eventually was elected Chairman by his peers. “It was the only business where I didn’t just buy con-

trol,” he recalls. “They chose me. That meant something.”

Transforming Optimum was no small feat. Competing against giants like Chase and Wells Fargo, the bank had to find its niche. Technology was one challenge; relationships were the solution. “At big banks, you’re a number. At Optimum, you’re a person,” Moshe says. “If you need something, you pick up the phone and someone who knows you answers.”

That ethos has attracted clients across Florida and beyond, including Israelis, South Americans, and small business owners who value personal service over digital flash. It also explains why, after years of struggle, Optimum is now one of the top-performing small banks in the country. “We turned something that was on the brink of collapse into one of the best,” Moshe says with evident pride.

Leadership and Loyalty

Moshe speaks candidly about the challenges Jewish businesses face in Florida, particularly the lack of communal loyalty. Too often, he notes, people chase the cheapest deal at Walmart rather than supporting local Jewish-owned shops.

“In New York or New Jersey, you call the Jewish plumber, the Jewish insurance guy. Here, that loyalty is weaker. That’s a problem.”

He sees Optimum Bank as part of the solution: a hub where business owners can support each other, circulate capital within the community, and build a culture of mutual responsibility. “It’s not just about making money,” he insists. “It’s about strengthening the fabric of the community.”

Looking Ahead

For all his successes, Moshe remains restless. There are always more businesses to stabilize, more communities to support, more opportunities to seize. “My goal is to be the best I can be at everything I do,” he says simply. Whether it’s growing Strawberry Fields, guiding Optimum, or mentoring the next generation, he shows no sign of slowing.

And he is quick to share credit. “Optimum’s success isn’t just mine,” he emphasizes. “It’s also about people like David Siegel, who meet with clients every day, build those relationships, and make sure the bank delivers on its promises. That’s what makes us different.”

Florida’s Commercial Rent Sales Tax Repeal a Boon for Businesses

By Daniel Kaskel

For business leaders, landlords, tenants, and attorneys both in and outside of Florida, the state’s recent sales tax repeal for commercial rents will reduce costs significantly and align the state with the rest of the country, where no such tax exists.

The law broadens the scope of tax relief by eliminating Section 212.031 of the Florida Statutes, which had imposed a 2% state sales tax, plus applicable local discretionary sales surtaxes, on rental payments for commercial real property.

Effective Oct. 1, no state sales tax or discretionary sales surtax will apply to rent or license fees for commercial rental or occupancy periods beginning on or after that date. This includes payments for commercial office or retail space, warehouses, self-storage facil-

ities, and even license fees for vending or amusement machines.

Items that tenants pay on behalf of landlords, such as real estate taxes, insurance, common area maintenance charges, and utilities bundled into rent, no longer will be subject to sales tax when included in these payments

By way of example, in a triple-net lease where a tenant reimburses the landlord for ad valorem property taxes, those reimbursements previously were taxable as part of the “rent” consideration. Post-repeal, they’re exempt.

The repeal isn’t absolute. Sales tax will still be due on payments for occupancy periods through Sept. 30, regardless of when the payment is made. Landlords and tenants must prorate charges for transitional periods.

What’s Still Taxed

While the repeal targets commercial rents specifically, Florida’s broader sales-and-use-tax framework under Chapter 212 remains intact. Businesses must keep collecting and remitting the standard 6% state sales tax (plus local surtaxes) on taxable transactions.

Several items are still subject to taxation in the commercial and real estate sectors, including transient rental, parking and storage fees, and certain tangible personal property and services.

If utilities are separately metered and billed directly to the tenant by the provider, they may be subject to sales tax as a separate transaction.

Benefits and Beneficiaries

Commercial tenants, who bear

An aerial view of the Miami skyline. Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

BOYNTON BEACH

DEERFIELD BEACH

the economic burden of the tax through pass-through clauses in nearly all commercial leases, are the repeal’s primary beneficiaries.

By eliminating the 2% state tax and local surtaxes, tenants can expect savings of about 2.5% to 3.5% on total occupancy costs, depending on the county. This translates to substantial annual reductions for large-scale operations, such as retail chains or logistics firms, and can free up capital for expansion, hiring, or investment.

Landlords benefit indirectly, as lower effective rents make Florida properties more competitive, attracting new tenants and reducing vacancy rates.

The repeal is projected to cost the state nearly $1 billion in revenue but is anticipated to boost economic activity by making Florida more appealing for business relocation and growth.

For out-of-state investors and attorneys, the change levels the playing field by removing a Florida-specific hurdle in multistate real estate portfolios and encouraging cross-border transactions.

Broader economic impacts include enhanced affordability for small businesses, which often operate on thin profit margins, and stimulation of sectors such as retail and hospitality. Attorneys advising clients on lease negotiations should highlight these savings in drafting or amending lease agreements.

Practical Considerations

In Florida, sales tax is paid to the landlord, who then remits it to the Florida Department of Revenue.

For seamless implementation, landlords must update invoicing systems to cease collecting tax on post-September 2025 periods, while tenants should verify reconciliations and seek refunds for any overcollections.

The FDOR’s Tax Information Publication TIP 25A01-04 provides guidance and specific examples: A tenant paying August 2025 rent in October remains taxable, while September prepayments for October are exempt.

Businesses with sales tax certificates solely for commercial rents must file final returns through September 2025, even if no tax is due, and the FDOR will automatically update accounts. Refunds for prepaid taxes must be handled tenantto-landlord first, and records must be retained for three years.

Attorneys both in and outside of Florida should advise clients on implications, as the repeal doesn’t alter general sales tax obligations. For interstate businesses, this change simplifies compliance but underscores the need for vigilant tax planning.

Landlords should alert tenants to this change and remove Florida sales tax from rental and license fee invoices for commercial property tenants for all rent applicable to occupancy periods from and after Oct. 1. Attorneys and accountants should advise both landlord and tenant clients to make the appropriate rental payment, reporting, and tax remittance changes.

Landlords also should confirm their invoicing and payment systems are updated to remove sales tax from rent charges for occupan-

cy after Sept. 30. The elimination will benefit landlords, once implemented, by reducing administrative complexity in lease management and billing processes.

Most commercial leases in Florida say tenants are responsible for payment of applicable sales tax to landlords. This language should be reviewed, longstanding lease provisions should be revisited, and contingencies should be made in existing and new leases in case a sales tax is ever imposed.

While this tax is repealed for today, the history of taxation often is the history of old taxes being abolished, with the potential of them reappearing later in other forms. Draft accordingly with foresight and vision.

Looking Ahead

Florida’s sales tax repeal for commercial rents strengthens its attractiveness as a business hub. Both landlords and tenants stand to benefit, with tenants realizing immediate tax relief.

While the repeal streamlines leasing processes and reduces overall costs, it also requires careful attention to transitional provisions and ongoing compliance obligations.

Attorneys, business owners, and property managers should promptly review lease agreements, update relevant systems, and counsel clients on navigating the new regulatory environment.

Daniel A. Kaskel is a partner at Sachs Sax Caplan, where he chairs the transactional law group.

From Temporary Walls To Lasting Lessons

As we settle into the days following Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, many of us are still resonating with the emotional and spiritual momentum from the Yamim Noraim. We’ve just spent days, if not weeks, reflecting on our behaviors, goals, and values. Our hope was to emerge more thoughtful, more aligned, and more intentional in our daily lives.

That’s precisely why the timing of Succot is so powerful. After all the inner work of Elul and the High Holidays, Succot invites us to physically step outside our comfort zones - quite literally - into a temporary, vulnerable, and intentionally unique dwelling. The Succah is not just a hut; it’s a symbol of mindfulness, perspective, and reset. In this space, we have a unique opportunity to reflect on how we can bring more intentionality to everyday areas of our lives, particularly our day-today habits.

Which brings us to the topic of behaviors and routines. In the world of personal finance, automation is often commended, and rightfully so. Automating bill payments helps us avoid late fees and penalties. Scheduling recurring transfers to savings or investment accounts ensures uniformity and consistency. In a world filled with distractions and demands, automating good decisions helps us stay on track with minimal friction.

But there is a danger in confusing automation with doing things on autopilot. It is all too easy to fall into patterns: the morning coffee

By Shmuel Shayowitz

purchase with the unhealthy pastry, the streaming subscriptions that we upgrade for a trip that we forget to downgrade, the tech upgrades that we can really do without, the ‘sale’ that wasn’t really a sale that we didn’t bother to double-check. The list goes on. Often, we are not making conscious choices - we are simply choosing things by default. We’re just swiping, clicking, and confirming because it’s easy, and because it’s what we’ve always done.

How often do you pull into a parking spot and realize you have no memory of the drive there? The car had practically driven itself. This is a common example because it illustrates just how easily one can live life without paying attention. And if we’re not careful, that same autopilot mode can creep into our financial lives as well.

That’s where Sukkot comes in as a powerful pattern interrupt. For one week, we break the rhythm. We leave the comfort of our climate-controlled homes and dwell in a sukkah – a very intentionally temporary residence. It’s not meant to be luxurious, it’s meant to be impactful. That shift in space and environment makes us more aware of everything: the weather, the stars, the people around us. And hopefully, it prompts us to appreciate the essentials and question the excess.

Succot is an invitation to step back and look at our financial “habits of dwelling.” Are we living in alignment with what truly matters to us? Are our financial

behaviors intentional or just automated? Are we using our resources in ways that build a life of meaning, generosity, and stability? Or are we unconsciously chasing comfort, convenience, or comparison?

This week, take one area of your finances off autopilot. Review your recurring expenses. Take a closer look at your savings goals. Ask yourself what financial “clutter” you’ve accumulated and implement a more “succah-like” version of your material life might look like: simpler, lighter, and more connected to your values. In the end, Succot teaches us that less can be more and that temporary discomfort can lead to lasting clarity. It reminds us to live intentionally, not just spiritually, but also practically. Because true financial peace doesn’t come only from automation, it comes from awareness and from the courage to step outside the familiar and into a more mindful way of living.

Shmuel Shayowitz (NMLS#19871) is a highly regarded Real Estate & Finance Executive, Writer, Speaker, Coach, and Advisor. He is President and Chief Lending Officer of Approved Funding, a privately held national mortgage banker and direct lender that has facilitated over $3 billion in mortgage funding. Shmuel has over twenty years of industry experience, holding numerous licenses and accreditations, including certified mortgage underwriter, licensed real estate agent, residential review appraiser, and accredited investor, to name a few. Shmuel has successfully navigated through many changing markets and business landscapes, making his market insights and experience well-coveted within the real estate industry. He can be reached via email at Shmuel@approvedfunding.com.

Chol Hamoed Guide

Kennedy Space Center

Cape Canaveral Admission

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Florida’s Space Coast is the gateway to NASA’s past, present, and future. Guests can stand nose-to-nose with the Space Shuttle Atlantis, experience a shuttle launch simulation, tour historic launch sites, and even meet veteran astronauts. With interactive exhibits, IMAX films, and the awe-inspiring Rocket Garden, it’s a must-visit destination for space enthusiasts and families alike.

Address: Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, Florida 32953

Phone: +1 (321) 449-4444

Hours of Opening

The complex is generally open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with extended hours (until 6:00 PM) during peak periods.

• Entry ends 1 hour before closing.

• The last bus tour departs about 2.5 hours before closing.

Price Range / Admission

• A 1-day general admission ticket is typically around US $77.00 for adults (variations apply).

• Prices can vary depending on add-ons (e.g. special tours, “Chat with an Astronaut” option).

• Some sources list up to ≈ US $82.39 for standard admission.

• Children under 3 years often enter free.

Universal Studios Florida (Orlando)

A movie-set-style theme park packed with headline rides (Mummy, Transformers, Fast & Furious), shows, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter –Diagon Alley. Great for thrill-seekers and film fans alike.

Hours: Vary by date (check the official calendar; commonly 8–9am opening and evening close).

Address: 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819.

Phone: (407) 363-8000 (Guest Services / info).

Price range: 1-Day “Base” tickets typically start around $139+ (date-based).

Crayola Experience Orlando (Orlando)

A colorful indoor attraction designed for families, the Crayola Experience invites kids (and kids-at-heart) to explore creativity with over 20 hands-on activities. From naming and wrapping your own crayon to melted-wax art, it’s an immersive playground of color.

Hours: Typically 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (varies by season and holidays; check official site).

Address: The Florida Mall, 8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809.

Phone: (407) 757-1700.

Price Range: General admission usually $29.99–$32.99 per person; children under 2 free.

Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society (Palm Beach)

Nestled in West Palm Beach’s Dreher Park, the Palm Beach Zoo is a lush, tropical haven with over 500 animals, many endangered. Guests can explore winding paths, feed wildlife, and learn about conservation efforts in an intimate setting.

Hours: Daily, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (last admission ~4:15 PM).

Address: 1301 Summit Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33405.

Phone: (561) 547-9453.

Price Range: Adults ~$29.95, Children (3–12) ~$23.95, under 3 free.

Boomers Boca Raton (Boca Raton / North Broward)

A family-fun center with something for everyone, Boomers Boca Raton features go-karts, bumper boats, laser tag, mini golf, and a huge arcade. It’s a lively spot for birthdays, group outings, or just an afternoon of classic entertainment.

Hours: Typically open 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM weekdays, extended to 11:00 PM on weekends (hours may vary seasonally).

Address: 3100 Airport Rd, Boca Raton, FL 33431.

Phone: (561) 347-1888.

Price Range: Attraction passes start around $30–$40; arcade games and activities vary per play.

Zoo Miami (Miami)

Florida’s largest zoo, Zoo Miami spreads across nearly 750 acres with animals from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia living in open-air habitats that mimic their natural environments. It’s a day-long adventure filled with wildlife encounters, tram rides, and conservation education.

Hours: Daily, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (last ticket sold at 4:00 PM).

Address: 12400 SW 152nd St, Miami, FL 33177.

Phone: (305) 251-0400.

Price Range: Adults ~$25.95, Children (3–12) ~$21.95, under 2 free.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens (Miami)

A blend of European elegance and tropical surroundings, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is a historic villa set on Biscayne Bay. Visitors wander through opulent rooms, lush gardens, and scenic waterfront terraces—capturing Miami’s cultural and architectural heritage.

Hours: Wednesday through Monday, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM (closed Tuesdays; check for holiday closures).

Address: 3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33129. Phone: (305) 250-9133.

Price Range: Adults ~$25, Seniors / Students ~$18, Children ~$10, under 6 free (prices approximate; confirm with official site).

South Beach / Art Deco Historic District (Miami / Miami Beach)

South Beach is an icon — a vibrant stretch of white sand, pastel Art Deco facades, nightlife, and oceanfront energy. The Art Deco Historic District along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue is especially striking, where you can stroll past restored 1930s hotels, neon signs, and café-lined sidewalks.

Hours: Open to the public 24/7 (streets, façades, beach access); businesses in the district follow their own schedules.

Address: Ocean Drive & Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL (roughly 1st to 23rd Streets)

Price Range: Free to browse / walk; cost depends on what you enter (museums, guided tours, cafés).

Jungle Island (Miami)

Perched on Watson Island between Downtown Miami and South Beach, Jungle Island is an eco-adventure wildlife park blending immersive animal exhibits, treetop play, splash zones, and aerial thrills. Visitors can stroll through tropical gardens, catch live shows, and enjoy up-close animal encounters in a compact but fun setting.

Hours: Daily, 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Address: 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami, FL 33132

Phone: (305) 400-7000

Price Range / Admission:

General admission ~ US $43.95 for adults

Children (~3–9) ~ US $27.95

VIP / special experiences cost extra (e.g. backstage tours)

Chag Sukkot: A Time For Achdut And Ahavat Yisrael

By Dr. Chaim Y. Botwinick

As we conclude Yamim Noraim, the days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, we prepare to welcome the beautiful chag of Sukkot, which commemorates the forty years that the bnai yisrael wondered in the midbar following yetziat mitzrayim, their exodus from Egypt.

I can vividly recall as a child how year after year I and my two younger brothers looked forward to assisting our father z”l build our family Sukkah the day after Yom Kippur. This beautiful activity was followed by assisting our mother z”l decorate the Sukkah with bright posters, lights and artwork. It was a most memorable and significant time in our lives.

As the years went by, we expanded the size of our Sukkah to accommodate additional family members and community guests. It was indeed a beautiful annual activity which I will always remember and cherish in my heart.

After our marriage, I together with my wife and our children

continued this inspiring tradition of building our own Sukkah from scratch, until we obtained one which was prefabricated. But even these prefabricated Sukkot grew larger and larger exponentially as we eagerly sought to accommodate additional family members and many more guests.

The feeling of expanding our Sukkah in order to accommodate more people and guests was a phenomenal feeling for our family. It creating a true feeling of warmth, a sense of togetherness, communal harmony and achdut.

All of us siting in one beautiful Sukkah, under one bamboo roof, and under bright stars i in order to observe the mitvah in the Torah of Leisheiv baSukkah – dwelling in the Sukkah

In addition to these beautiful memories, these experiences created a memory and a sense of communality which I and my family feel in our hearts to this very day.

As I matured, the feeling of communality grew strong and stronger. It created in me a deep and profound sense of achdut like no other. To be sure, it made no difference how observant or religious our guests were, they were all invited to join together in order to observe this critically important mitzvah, very specific to Chag Sukkot.

Creating a Sense of Communal Achdut

It is important to note that true achdut is not a state of mind, but

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rather a state of being.

The great Kotsker Rebbe is reported as saying that achdut is not only an imperative for our Jewish existence, but also for our physical, emotional and religious survival. He and other great Rabbinic authorities and scholars of note referenced Chag Sukkot as time to live, understand and appreciate the true significance of achdut and Jewish unity.

Throughout our history, Chag Sukkot is known to be the very Chag that engenders a clear sense of achdut for our families and communities throughout the world. In fact, Chag Sukkot stands out as the one Chag which reminds all of acheinu bnai yisrael regarding the critical imperative of achdut and unity as a fundament Jewish value and as an existential state of being.

We learn from many sources (as detailed by Eliyahu Kitov), that whoever fulfills the mitzvah of the four species on Sukkot and with proper intent, brings peace and harmony among fellow Jews, feels in his own heart a love for all of his people, brings himself and all of klal yisrael under the protection of HaShem, causes the shechinah to become evident and sanctities the name of HaShem.

Several examples in addition to the commandment of living, eating and sleeping in the Sukka throughout the Chag, include the Arba Minim, the Four Species which we hold and clasp together during tefilla and recite a special bracha on Sukkot.

Our Sages expounded on this important concept in Yayikra Rabba 30.

The four minim or species symbolizes achdut, unity and ahavat yisrael.

The four species are the lulav, etrog, myrtle and willow. They represent the different types of Jews in our Jewish community. And on Sukkot they are ALL held together. They represent unity in diversity and the beauty and splendor of bonding with other Jews. They indeed represent different personalities and dispositions. But when are held together they become as one unit.

Embracing and Celebrating Achdut

As indicated, Chag Sukkot reminds all of us regarding the critical importance of achdut and ahavat yisraell. And, it reminds all of us of how interdependent we are as Jews with regard to our individual and collective growth, resilience and survival.

Over the past many years, I have written numerous posts and articles on this topic; and I have presented many podcasts regarding the critical importance of achdut and its relationship to our communal health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately, we are all now living during a very challenging and dangerous period for our Jewish community.

With the explosive rise and spread of the anti-Israel movement exacerbated by Jew hatred and anti-Semitism, we are faced with challenges unsurpassed since the Holocaust.

All of these events exploded immediately post October 7th, as if this vile hatred was percolating just below the surface of our society.

This past week’s reactions at the United Nations regarding Israel, are just one more example of the Jew hatred now circling the globe.

In Conclusion:

It is not within my purview to opine as why this phenomenon is sweeping the globe nor its implications.

Having said that, what is in our control is the manner in which acheinu bnai yirael interact and treat one another.

Yes, there are many theories

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and perspectives as to why we are all witnessing an erosion of internal achdut – from demonstrations against the Israeli government as how its executing the hostage negotiations to the widening divide of religious and nonreligious groups; from those who are anti-war activists to those who are committed to pursuing a military victory…..our people are indeed divided as never before. Frightening? One-hundred percent!

As we know, when our people join together in achdut, it does not eliminate our pain and anguished. But, it does help us cope as a collective and as a community.

As we are about to celebrate the beauty and splendor Chag Suk-

kot, we must all try hard, with all of our strength and emotion, to put our internal differences to aside in order to achieve true, authentic and everlasting achdut bnai yisrael.

Only through achdut do we as a Jewish community have a fighting chance to battle and defeat the evils of society and to emerge victorious.

Chag Sukkot offers us this opportunity.

We must take hold of it and create the best conditions possible for true and sincere achdut and ahavat yisrael.

There is no alternative.

Chag Sukkot Sameach and Moadim L’Simcha.

Dr. Chaim Botwinick is a senior executive coach and an organizational consultant. He served as president and ceo of the central agency for Jewish education in Baltimore and Miami; in addition to head of school and principal for several Jewish day schools and yeshivot. As an Influencer in education, he has published and lectured extensively on topics relating to education, resource development, strategic planning and leadership development. Dr. Botwinick is co-founder of LEV Consulting Associates and is producer/host for “Chinuch Horizons” Podcast. He is the author of Think Excellence, Brown Books 2011

Waiting For Superman

The Analyst Who Wants to Be the “Elon Musk of Mitzvahs”

It’s late afternoon at the South Florida Community Voice offices in Fort Lauderdale. Zack sits across the table, his words spilling out with the energy of someone balancing too many projects to count. Originally from Ukraine, raised in New York, and religious since the age of 13, he speaks with the mix of confidence and urgency of a man who sees giving as both a mission and a calculation.

“Everyone agrees tzedakah is important,” he says. “But most people don’t stop to ask: what’s the best way to give? How do you make every dollar count?”

By day, Zack works as a data analyst. By night—and often in between—he’s the founder and sole funder of a portfolio of philanthropic projects, each with its own website, application form, and outreach strategy. He calls it a one-man nonprofit, except without the paperwork and politics. “Too much red tape,” he shrugs. “I’d rather just use my own money, but use it smartly.”

A Facebook Post That Changed Everything

The turning point came in a Boca Raton Jewish Facebook group. A man casually asked which public school he should send his child to after moving from Israel. “He wrote it like he was ordering a latte,” Zack recalls. “I thought, no way. I posted back: ‘Nope. Yeshiva. If money is the issue, message me.’”

That single exchange opened his eyes to the tuition crisis he’d only heard whispers about. Within weeks, Zack built a website, launched an application form, and began spreading the word through social media and community magazines. Families started reaching out from all over the country. What began as a local gesture became a global mission.

Beyond Writing Checks

What sets Zack apart is his approach. He refuses to do what he calls “lazy charity.” Instead, he applies his analyst’s mindset to philanthropy.

“I look at it like a math problem,” he explains. “If tuition is $20,000, giving a family $500 doesn’t move the needle. But if I ration support across multiple families in the right way, I can

make sure kids actually stay in school. It’s about impact.” He rarely hands money directly to parents. Instead, he works with schools, who already have financial data on each family. He follows up, checks progress, and even gives financial advice. “Sometimes the issue isn’t lack of money—it’s lack of priorities. But the children shouldn’t suffer because of that. My focus is always the kids.”

Building Projects, One by One

Once tuition assistance was underway, Zack began expanding. Torah learning was next. Having studied in Israel, he knew how far donations could go there. Partnering with a kollel, he structured his support so that the majority of the families could benefit without overspending on

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any single one.

Then came tefillin distribution. Inspired by rapper Jesse Farrar’s public campaigns on social media, Zack built his own system where anyone could apply for help obtaining tefillin. “I wanted to take it to scale,” he explains. “If someone in Australia, Israel, or California needs tefillin, I want to be able to get it to them.”

Each initiative has the same structure: a personal inspiration, followed by a tech-enabled system that makes it accessible to anyone, anywhere.

The Analyst’s Edge

Zack admits his professional background plays a big role. “As a

data analyst, I’m trained to look for efficiency, trends, and outcomes. I bring the same skills here—what’s efficient, what’s wasteful, how do you maximize impact?”

He even jokes about creating an algorithm or “credit score” for charity. “It’s not just giving—it’s making sure you’re Michael Jordan at giving,” he says with a grin. “Anyone can dribble a basketball. But greatness takes discipline, skill, and strategy. Same with tzedakah. You can give, or you can really give.”

Looking Ahead

Despite running multiple

projects, Zack insists he’s just getting started. He speaks about wanting to cut through bureaucracy, reach beyond borders, and apply technology to mitzvot in ways the community hasn’t seen before. “Elon Musk is trying to take people to Mars,” he laughs. “I want to take mitzvot to Mars. That’s the dream.”

In the meantime, he’s focused on the ground: helping families pay tuition, supporting Torah learning, and ensuring no child misses out on a Jewish education. “At the end of the day,” he says, “I remind myself—it’s about the kids. Their future depends on what we do now.”

Florida Bill Would Require “Judea and Samaria” in Place of “West Bank” in Official Materials

When Florida Rep. Chase Tramont (R–Port Orange) filed HB 31 (2026) on September 23, 2025, he set the stage for a debate that reaches well beyond Tallahassee. The bill would bar the term “West Bank” from official Florida government materials, directing agencies to use the biblical names “Judea and Samaria” instead. If enacted, the law would take effect July 1, 2026.

What the proposal does

According to the Florida House bill page, HB 31 prohibits use of the term “West Bank” in state materials and prohibits the use of state funds to create official materials using the term. It also includes an exception: an agency head may authorize use of “West Bank” if they determine doing so is in “the best interest of the state,” provided they notify the House Speaker and Senate President in writing within 30 days. The bill page lists no votes recorded and no related bills as of filing.

A summary page on the Florida Senate site reflects the same core points: recognizing Judea and Samaria; replacing “West Bank”; funding prohibition; and an exception.

Tramont’s framing

In comments reported by the Florida Phoenix, Tramont frames the bill around historical accuracy and solidarity with Israel:

> “With this bill, Florida sends a clear message: we will stand with

Israel, we’ll honor truth over revisionism, and defend the eternal bond between the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland.”

“I believe it’s appropriate for Florida to lead the way once again. Judea and Samaria was, is, and always will be recognized as Israeli sovereign land.”

The Florida Phoenix situates the proposal within a broader effort among some Republicans to prefer “Judea and Samaria” over “West Bank.”

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Why the terminology matters

For decades, terminology has carried diplomatic and cultural weight:

“West Bank” became widely used after Jordan’s control (1948–1967) and remains the dominant term in U.S. foreign policy and in-

ternational organizations.

“Judea and Samaria” are biblical names used officially by Israel in many governmental contexts since 1967, and they resonate for communities that emphasize the land’s biblical heritage.

Supporters of HB 31 see adopting “Judea and Samaria” as aligning with biblical history and Israel’s preferred usage. Critics often counter that using “West Bank” reflects established international practice and avoids taking sides in a geopolitically sensitive dispute. The Florida Phoenix coverage echoes this divide in how the terms signal different histories and claims.

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The Florida mechanics: how it could play out

If HB 31 advances through com-

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mittees and becomes law, its most immediate effects would be bureaucratic and editorial:

State documents and publications (reports, brochures, online materials) would need to use “Judea and Samaria.”

Educational and reference materials used by state agencies that mention the region would likely require terminology updates, unless justified under the exception clause.

The exception path gives agency heads limited flexibility for cases where “West Bank” might be needed (e.g., reproducing federal forms or citing international documents), provided they issue timely written notice to legislative leaders.

As of filing, the House page shows no recorded votes or committee actions on the bill.

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Wider context beyond Florida

Beyond the statehouse, terminology battles over the territory have surfaced nationally. In February 2025, Axios reported that the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Republican chair instructed GOP staffers to refer to the area as “Judea and Samaria,” highlighting a partisan language split in Washington.

Separately, federal legislation seeking to favor “Judea and Samaria” over “West Bank” has been introduced. (For example, media coverage in late 2024 noted a U.S. Senate bill aiming to ban federal use of “West Bank.”) These efforts underscore how language choices are becoming a policy question in their own right, not just editorial style.

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Reactions and debate (as reflected in coverage)

While your provided sources focus on the bill’s text and Tramont’s remarks, other reporting notes the expected lines of support and criticism:

Supporters (across conservative and pro-Israel circles) tend to view the shift as affirming biblical heritage and aligning state language with Israel’s terms.

Critics argue it politicizes state materials, risks confusion given federal and international usage of “West Bank,” and may be perceived as taking a side in a complex conflict.

Local reporting and advocacy coverage chronicle these reactions as the bill draws attention statewide. (Example: independent outlets and aggregators note the bill’s reach and the exception mechanism.)

--What to watch next

Committee references and hearings: The bill’s path (or lack thereof) in House committees will

signal legislative appetite.

Companion or Senate action: Watch for any Senate movement or a companion measure. (The Senate info page currently mirrors the core summary and shows the House filing.)

Agency guidance: If enacted, expect implementation memos on how to handle the exception clause (e.g., federal documents, treaties, historical reproductions).

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Bottom line (fully sourced)

HB 31, filed by Rep. Chase Tramont on Sept. 23, 2025, would replace “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria” in official Florida materials, bar state spending on materials using “West Bank,” and allow a limited exception with written notice; it would take effect July 1, 2026 if enacted. Tramont publicly frames it as standing with Israel and affirming historical truth, per Florida Phoenix. The move fits a broader Republican trend to favor “Judea and Samaria” in official language at state and federal levels.

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Who Put the Zvi in Tirat Zvi?

By Gedaliah Borvick

Kibbutz Tirat Zvi holds a special place in my heart. In 1984, I spent an unforgettable month of Nissan working there, gaining an insider’s view of a community steeped in history and purpose.

Located in the Beit She’an Valley, just west of the Jordan border, Tirat Zvi was established in 1937 as part of the “tower and stockade” movement. This initiative was a strategic response to the British Mandate government’s attempts to appease the Arabs by limiting Jewish population growth during the 1936–1939 Arab Revolt. Exploiting a legal loophole, pioneers would arrive at dawn with prefabricated materials and assemble an entire settlement by sundown. Once the roof was up, the British could not demolish it. Nearly fifty of these settlements were built in this dramatic fashion, asserting Jewish presence and offering protection during a tumultuous time.

Like many of these settlements, Tirat Zvi’s name carried symbolic meaning. Tirat Zvi - “Zvi’s Castle” or “Fort Zvi” - honors Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795–1874), an early leader of religious Zionism. More than a dozen streets across Israel also bear his name. Rabbi Kalischer championed immigration and resettlement in the Land of Israel, and laid the foundation that inspired the Hovevei Zion movement and ultimately Theodor Herzl’s Zionist vision.

Rabbi Kalischer was a student of some of the greatest rabbinic scholars of his time, including Rabbi Akiva Eiger and Rav Yaakov of Lissa, known as The Nesivos. He

spent his life in Prussia, serving as the communal rabbi in Thorn, where he devoted himself to studying, teaching, and writing on a broad range of Jewish issues.

Unlike many contemporaries who counseled waiting passively for the Messiah, Rabbi Kalischer advocated for proactive resettlement of the Land of Israel. Citing rabbinic sources, he argued that the redemption of Zion would begin through human efforts to reclaim the land, with divine miracles following in its wake.

His vision was threefold: (1) to provide a homeland for Eastern European Jewry, (2) to transform the barren and neglected land of Israel into a fertile, self-sustaining economy, and (3) to enable Jews to fulfill mitzvot hatluyot ba’aretz, the commandments unique to the Land of Israel.

Rabbi Kalischer’s ideas were met

with enthusiasm, and his writings were translated into multiple languages, inspiring the creation of several organizations, including the Association for the Settlement in Eretz Israel. One of the most notable fruits of his advocacy was the establishment of the Mikveh Yisrael Agricultural School in Palestine in 1870. Rabbi Kalischer was invited to serve as the spiritual leader of the school, but his doctors forbade him from making the journey to Eretz Israel due to health concerns. Nevertheless, he remained an active advocate for the settlement of the land until his passing in 1874.

Kibbutz Tirat Zvi has flourished over the decades and become an economic powerhouse. It operates a meat-processing factory whose products are sold worldwide, is Israel’s largest date-palm grower — renowned globally for its Medjool dates and thriving lulav business — and also cultivates crops such as wheat and cotton.

How fitting that Kibbutz Tirat Zvi, the first religious kibbutz in Israel, was named after a man who dedicated his life to promoting the ideals of Torah and cultivating the Land of Israel. Today, over 150 years after his passing, Kibbutz Tirat Zvi continues to thrive as a living testament to Rabbi Kalischer’s vision and values.

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

Rabbi Zvi Hersch Kalischer (Public Domain)

Should Israel fear UN resolutions?

By Moshe Phillips

Many nations cast their votes not on the basis of what is right or wrong, or what is just or unjust, but according to their narrow interests.

The U.N. General Assembly voted this month to endorse a scheme that French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont said “lays out a single roadmap to deliver the twostate solution.”

Why? Because many world leaders apparently want to punish Israeli voters for keeping Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader they preferred, and his coalition, in office.

But does the U.N. vote really matter at all? Keep in mind that this resolution will have no practical impact since the world body has no way to enforce it. The real purpose of the resolution is to intimidate Israel and its supporters to make more concessions, and not to eradicate Hamas, as has been an official war aim of the Israeli government ever since the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Should we take this vote seriously? And should Netanyahu, who is himself a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations?

In a dismissive remark in March 1955, David Ben-Gurion, then Israel’s defense minister, employed the Hebrew acronym “Um” for the United Nations and added a pejorative, “Um-Shmum.” He used the Yiddish idiom to convey casual dismissal during a cabinet

debate regarding his plan to take the Gaza Strip from Egypt in response to increasing cross-border terrorist attacks on Israel. He understood that the Jewish state had to act to safeguard its national security, regardless of whether that made the Jewish state unpopular at the United Nations.

That’s why in his time, Ben-Gurion took such steps as the construction of Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona; the capture and trial of top Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann (condemned by the U.N. Security Council in its Resolution 138 on June 1960, which targeted Israel for a violation of Argentina’s sovereignty by Israel for seizing Eichmann who Argentina had been harboring); and the imposition of strict security measures on Arabs within Israel’s borders.

Ben-Gurion also recognized the inherent moral weakness of the United Nations. Every country— no matter how oppressive or bellicose—has the same voting power in the U.N. General Assembly as an enlightened, peaceful and democratic state. One country, one vote.

Genocidal Sudan is equal to progressive Mexico.

Misogynistic Saudi Arabia is equal to egalitarian Belgium.

A country where black Africans are enslaved, such as Mauritania, is equal to a country that has rescued black Africans (from Ethiopia and Sudan), such as Israel.

A country ruled by a king, such as Jordan, is equal to a country run by a democratically elected president or prime minister.

The U.N. Security Council is equally problematic. Russia, which has spent years in a war against Ukraine to grab some of its territory, and China, which arms terrorist regimes and genocide-perpetrators around the world, enjoy the same veto power as the other permanent members of the Security Council: France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Furthermore, every country, no matter how oppressive or undemocratic, gets its turn among the Security Council’s 10 non-permanent seats.

Many nations cast their votes not on the basis of what is right or wrong or what is just or unjust, but rather, according to their nar-

row interests, their fear of increases in Arab oil prices or their Marxist principles.

This U.N. resolution on Palestinian Arab statehood is simply a moral farce. Those who voted in favor did not consider whether such a state would be a democracy or a dictatorship; whether or not “Palestine” would endanger Israel; or what the Palestinian Authority’s track record reveals about how a Palestinian state would behave. And that’s if the P.A. can keep Hamas from expelling it from power.

Such real-world considerations have no place in the absurd, upside-down fantasy world in which

the United Nations dwells. That’s why whenever some resolution at the world body targets Israel, one thing Israelis and their friends should do is recall the simple wisdom of Ben-Gurion: “UmShmum!”

Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, has said that “this one-sided declaration will not be remembered as a step toward peace, only as another hollow gesture that weakens this assembly’s credibility.” He is right.

Moshe Phillips is national chairman of Americans For A Safe Israel (www.AFSI. org), a leading pro-Israel advocacy and education organization.

A Sukkah in The Park

by Rabbi Moishe Kievman | Chabad Chayil

Jewish Community to Celebrate Sukkot Holiday Community Sukkahs at Miami-Dade Parks

As the seasons change from summer to fall and families spend more time inside, the Jewish community of South Florida will celebrate the annual holiday of Sukkot by heading outdoors. Sukkot, also known as the holiday of booths, begins this year (5786/2025) at sundown on Monday, Oct 6 and concludes on the evening of Monday, Oct 13. The two day holiday of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah immediately follows Sukkot, beginning the evening of Monday, October 13 and ending on the evening of Wednesday, October 15.

During Sukkot, we remember G-d’s kindness to us during our journey through the desert by dwelling in a sukkah--a hut of temporary construction with a roof covering of branches--for the duration of the Sukkot festival. For seven days and nights, we eat all our meals in the sukkah and otherwise regard it as our home. The temporary booths emphasize how the world and the Jewish people rely on G-d’s protection. Eating under the stars allows us to truly thank G-d and see the blessings that surround us. Sukkot is a wonderful way for us to continue celebrating and connecting with our Judaism after the High Holidays.

This year, Miami-Dade county has allowed the Jewish community to erect a Community Sukkah in the park. As this is going

to print, there’s one being set up at Highland Lakes Park and few more in the works. The Parks Sukkah will be available to anyone throughout the holiday, whenever the park is open.

Another unique holiday practice is the gathering of four different species. The taking of the Four Kinds: an etrog (a rare citrus fruit, originally from Italy, but now also commonly grown in Morocco & Israel), a lulav (palm frond), hadassim (myrtles) and aravot (willows), tied together with Lulav leafs. On each day of the festival, except for Shabbat, we take the Four Kinds, recite a blessing over them, bring them together in our hands and wave them in all six directions. The Four Kinds represent the diverse types and personalities that make up our community, and whose intrinsic unity we emphasize on Sukkot.

Chabad Houses and many synagogues throughout Florida will be available to help each family plan a sukkah during the weeks leading up to the start of the holiday. They will also all be equipped with a Lulav & Etrog set for anyone to use, free of charge. Many Chabads will also have available Etrog and Lulav sets for you to order, as it is preferable to actually own your own set. They will be offering guidance and classes for all community members interested in learning how to put their Four Kinds together or learn more about the holiday.

If you would like to learn how to bind together your own Lulav set, you can join me for a hands-on class on Sunday, Oct 5, 10:00am, right after daily Shacharit at Chabad Chayil in the Highland Lakes section of Miami North (West Aventura). The class will be

free of charge and open to anyone who reserves at ChabadChayil. org/Sukkah.

Drawing from the gravity of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot gives us the chance to celebrate the sweetness of nature and to thank G-d for His protection. Sukkot touches all five senses: the sweet smell of the etrog, the feel of the palm branch and twigs in your hand, the sights and sounds of the sukkah around us and the taste of the festival’s feasts.

Sukkot, referred to as the holiday of rejoicing, comes just five days after Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The group of four plants, including the etrog fruit,

are replete with symbolic meaning, including the fall harvest and gathering season, and the unity of the Jewish people.

We encourage you to contact your local Chabad or synagogue to celebrate the holiday. You’re of course welcome to join us at Chabad Chayil for a community meal in the Sukkah, Shabbat or any of the holiday nights. Reservations can be made via 305770-1919 or ChabadChayil.org/ High-Holidays. You can also use our Sukkah any time of day or night 24/8. We’ll leave the lights on for you, and keep a set of Lulav and Etrog for use any time during the day. To learn more about the

holiday, or to order a Lulav & Etrog, visit ChabadChayil.org/ Sukkah.

About the author:

Rabbi Kievman together with his wife are the ambassadors of The Rebbe to Highland Lakes, FL. They are the founders of Gan Chabad Preschool, your local CTeen & CKids chapters, CHAP - an afterschool program for Jewish children in Public Schools and direct Chabad Chayil. He’s the rabbi at The Family Shul and can be reached at (305) 770-1919 or rabbi@ChabadChayil.org

“I Remember Every Picture”: One Woman’s Unimaginable Mission After October 7

by Rabbi Moishe Kievman | Chabad Chayil

On the morning of October 7, 2023, ZAKA volunteer Valerie Dyksztejn was in Beit Shemesh celebrating Simchat Torah with her husband, daughter, son-inlaw, and grandchildren. The holiday was meant for dancing, joy, and rest. Instead, it became a day marked by unimaginable horror.

Valerie divides her time between Kyiv, Ukraine, and Israel. That morning, missile sirens woke her and her husband, also a ZAKA volunteer, in Beit Shemesh, a city where rocket warnings are rare. Valerie and her husband, Nachman, immediately responded to Israel’s south, becoming two of the 900 ZAKA volunteers from across Israel who responded during and immediately following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.

ZAKA volunteers are trained and work alongside Israel’s law enforcement, security and rescue establishments to ensure dignity for the dead in times of tragedy. The organization that was founded to honor the dead in accordance with religious tradition, has evolved into a full-scale emergency response network operating around the clock. In total, more than 4,000 trained ZAKA volunteers serve the Jewish, Bedouin, Arab, and Druze communities across Israel with teams ranging from rapid medical response to urban search and rescue, water recovery, and culturally sensitive burial services.

Still wearing her holiday clothes, Valerie joined her husband in their car and headed south to respond. Their first stop was Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, where ZAKA volunteers were processing the bodies of the dead as they arrived. Soon after, they were directed to join a ZAKA Ambulance heading towards the site of the Nova music festival, where reports began to emerge of a massacre.

As the ambulance drove down Route 34, they encountered scattered bodies. The team stopped the ambulance to begin the painful task of providing dignity to the dead, placing the bodies in bags so they could be transported, identified, and buried

with dignity as soon as possible while also clearing the roadway for emergency vehicles heading south. The number of bodies was so large that they could not fit into their ambulance, so the group laid the body bags at the side of the road and communicated with ZAKA’s command center to direct trucks that were enroute to collect them.

Valerie helped by opening bags one by one, working quickly to ease the burden for others. Behind each body, she said, was a world: someone’s child, parent, sibling.

As they approached the Nova festival site, the road grew more chaotic. Burned cars lined the sides, gunfire echoed in the dis-

COMMUNITY NEWS

tance, and the smell of death was heavy in the air. The scene was beyond anything Valerie had imagined, even after spending the previous year and a half helping evacuate wounded civilians and Holocaust survivors from war-torn Ukraine.

At the festival grounds, she saw Israeli soldiers, many barely out of their teens, frozen in place and paralyzed by the scale of death surrounding them. Valerie worked without pause, opening bag after bag while her husband and other ZAKA volunteers did everything possible to bring dignity to hundreds of murdered young people. By morning, they had run out of bags.

Valerie thought the worst was over. Then they were sent to homes in the kibbutzim near the Gaza border – an area Valerie knew well after growing up there. The devastation was even more personal. Families had been tortured and executed. Children were burned alive. Women were mutilated and left exposed. She said words could never convey what they saw. In one shelter, bodies were piled on top of each other, faces twisted in fear and pain. There was no longer a need for imagination, only the stark reality of human cruelty.

The suffering became unbearable for Valerie, who, at the suggestion of her husband began taking photographs to help in the identification process including tattoos, rings, or any other remarkable features.

At first, she did it to help in the identification process. Later, she realized that no one else was do -

ing it. Police and military forces were overwhelmed focusing on clearing the area of terrorists. Someone had to preserve the truth.

Weeks later, Valerie traveled with her husband and a lawyer to Geneva to present their testimony, photos and video to the United Nations. There, disbelief turned to despair. UN officials questioned how she could know a body belonged to a child, suggesting perhaps it was just a small adult. Valerie was stunned. For her, that moment marked a second violation - the first committed by Hamas, the second by the world’s refusal to believe what had happened.

Two years later, Valerie, who has returned to her profession running an artisanal natural hair and beauty brand remembers every picture and every moment, but refuses to live inside them. “I never forget,” she said. “But I try not to sleep with it. I try not to live with it every day.”

She is deeply disturbed by how quickly the world moved on. The

silence that followed October 7 was, in her view, its own kind of attack. What happened that day, she said, should have shaken every moral institution on earth. Instead, the world looked away.

For Valerie Dykstejn, ZAKA’s mission did not end after the bodies were buried. It lives on in the memory of those lost, through her refusal to be silent, and through her belief that to honor the dead is also to fight for the living.

“We did not go to save lives,” she said. “We went to give those who died back their names and their dignity.”

Founded to honor the dead in accordance with religious tradition, ZAKA has evolved into a full-scale emergency response network, with over 4,000 trained volunteers operating 24/7 across Israel to honor the dead, aid the living and bring dignity in times of devastation. Today, it operates a wide range of units – from rapid medical response and urban search and rescue to water recovery and culturally sensitive burial teams serving Israel’s Jewish, Bedouin, Arab, and Druze communities. For more information, visit: https://zakaworld.org/.

Carthage (its Roman name) was originally called “Qart-Hadasht”—”New City”—by the Phoenicians who left Tyre and Sidon and founded a city-state in North Africa in 814 BCE.

Carthage became a wealthy maritime trading empire that dominated the Mediterranean and threatened Rome’s rule (Rome itself was also a city-state). Rome grew into an empire that ruled vast territories across Europe, Asia, and also the Land of Israel.

A Roman senator named Marcus Cato (Cato the Elder) ended every speech with the words: “Furthermore, I believe Carthage must be destroyed.”

Carthage fought bitter battles against Rome, and the famous campaign of General Hannibal— who crossed the Alps with an army of elephants and surprised Rome in Italy—is well known.

In a paraphrase of Carthage, I call Qatar the state of Qatargo. Like Carthage, Qatar is a small country on a peninsula, rich in oil reserves. Its immense wealth and cunning, sophisticated policies have turned the tiny emirate into a global powerhouse.

Qatar has no significant military force, but it convinced the United States to establish the largest American airbase in the Middle East on its soil for protection.

Qatar funds terrorism in Gaza. It finances major universities around the world and buys famous sports teams to glorify its

Qatargo

by Dr. Yeshayahu (Yishy) Bick

name and gain global influence. Qatar owns the Al Jazeera network, which broadcasts in many languages and shapes public opinion (Al Jazeera also conducts “investigations” on world leaders that can be used to blackmail them).

Since Qatar has few expenses due to its small population, it has become the richest country in the world.

Qatar funds malicious campaigns about “baby killings in Gaza,” “starvation of Gaza’s population,” and more.

Qatar “plants” “academics” who educate future generations in the U.S. and Europe—those who will become tomorrow’s leaders.

Qatar seeks to impose Islam on Europe and the United States!

The imposition of Islam would mark the end of civilization!

Qatar is the head of a snake— or the head of an octopus—that threatens all nations, not just Israel!

Qatar acts as a mediator in global conflicts to increase its influence. Mediation turns a small country into a significant one and protects it from attacks. Thus, Qatar mediates between Israel and Hamas, or between Russia and Ukraine. In all my previous articles, I warned that Qatar is a deceitful mediator (alongside Egypt), funding Hamas, hosting its leaders in luxury hotels, and delivering false messages to Israel supposedly agreed upon

by Hamas. All this while Hamas holds Israeli hostages and starves them to death!

Qatar promised French President Macron a grant or investment of $10 billion. France’s deteriorating economy forces Macron to accept the money and repay Qatar by organizing global recognition of a Palestinian state.

I sincerely hope the State of Israel is aware of Qatar’s deception and is cautious. Israel must declare Qatar an enemy state and exclude it from any mediation or influence.

In all my articles, I demanded that Israel demand the release of our hostages from Qatar. Qatar has great influence over Hamas and provides the funds for its survival. I suggest threatening Qatar with attacks on its oil facilities—the source of its power and wealth—if it does not return our hostages!

Qatar angers many countries, including Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. It also undermines the rulers of all Gulf nations. None of these countries would shed a tear if Israel were to destroy Qatar’s power and cunning plans.

And like Cato the Elder, I end every article of mine about Qatar with the sentence:

“Therefore, I believe Qatar must be destroyed”—it is the modern Carthage.

Dr. Yeshayahu (Yishy) Bick yishybick@gmail.com

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To

Apricot Chicken

By Jamie Geller

• 68 MIN DURATION • 60 MIN COOK TIME • 8 MIN PREP TIME • 4 SERVINGS •

Apricots and chicken were really made to be cooked together. This is quite a standard recipe, though I find that every chef has their own variation. This one’s a great starter for Apricot Chicken fans.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken about 3 1/2 pounds, cut into 8 pieces

• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 cup dried apricots halved

• 1/2 cup apricot preserves

• 1/2 cup bottled Russian dressing

• 1/4 cup duck sauce

• 2 tablespoon Onion Soup Mix*

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Arrange in prepared pan.

3. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

4. In a small bowl, stir together apricots, preserves, Russian dressing, duck sauce and onion soup mix. Pour over chicken.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Skin should be crisp and brown. Serve immediately.

6. For an attractive garnish, add a few cinnamon sticks before serving. If you are lucky enough to find fresh, ripe apricots, pit and slice a few. Place over chicken before serving.

7. *Make your own Onion Soup Mix with this recipe

Photo Credit: Melinda Strauss

Jamie Geller is the Chief Media and Marketing Officer at Aish. She is also a bestselling cookbook author, celebrity chef, television producer, and businesswoman. She’s the author of eight cookbooks and the founder of Kosher Media Network.

Mozzarella Mushroom Burgers

By Jamie Geller

This dish is a perfect vegetarian burger option. The creaminess of the cheese perfectly complements the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Ingredients

• Gefen Canola Oil Cooking Spray

• 6 portabella mushroom caps each 3- to 4-inches in diameter

• 1/4 cup Bartenura Balsamic Vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 6 slices Natural & Kosher Mozzarella

• 12 slices crusty bread

• 1 16- ounce) jar roasted red peppers drained, dried with paper towels, and cut into strips

Preparation

1. Spray grill pan with cooking spray and place over high heat.

2. To prepare mushrooms for grilling: Remove the stems. Use a spoon to remove the gills by running it along the bottoms of the mushrooms. Wipe clean with paper towels.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Brush the mixture on both sides of each mushroom with a pastry brush.

4. When grill pan is very hot,

place mushrooms in the pan, gill side up. Baste mushrooms with the vinegar and oil mixture. Cook for 8 minutes. Turn and cook second side for 6 minutes. Place a mozzarella slice on top of each mushroom cap and continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes to melt cheese.

5. To assemble: Place mushrooms, cheese side up, on a slice of bread. Evenly distribute roasted red pepper slices on the cheese and place a second slice of bread on top.

6. Serve with Quick Gazpacho.

Jamie Geller is the Chief Media and Marketing Officer at Aish. She is also a bestselling cookbook author, celebrity chef, television producer, and businesswoman. She’s the author of eight cookbooks and the founder of Kosher Media Network.

KID’S ZONE KID’S ZONE

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

FACTS ABOUT TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD – BURJ KHALIFA

1. World Record Holder – At 828 meters (2,717 feet) tall, it has been the tallest building in the world since 2010.

2. So Many Floors! – It has 163 floors above ground plus 2 underground levels.

3. Fast Elevators – The elevators move at 10 meters per second – that’s faster than most roller coasters!

4. Sparkles at Night – At night, the Burj Khalifa lights up with colorful LED shows that can be seen for miles.

5. Super Strong – It needed over 330,000 cubic meters of concrete (enough to fill 132 Olympic swimming pools).

6. Tallest Observation Deck –Visitors can go up to the 148th floor and see the whole city from above.

7. Climate Twist – At the top, it’s about 6°C cooler than on the ground.

8. Movie Star – It’s been featured in films like Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (where Tom Cruise climbed it!).

9. Big Inspiration – The design was inspired by a desert flower called the Hymenocallis.

10. Towering Neighbors – If you stacked three Eiffel Towers, the Burj Khalifa would still be taller!

KID’S ZONE KID’S ZONE

HISTORICAL & FUN STORIES FOR SUKKOT

Circus in the Sukkah – In the late 1800s in Eastern Europe, traveling entertainers would sometimes pass through Jewish towns during Sukkot. Families invited them into the sukkah to perform little shows while guests enjoyed food. Imagine clowns under the sechach!

The Giant Etrog – In Morocco and Italy, some families prized huge etrogim, almost the size of a melon! They’d show them off proudly in the sukkah.

Sukkot at the Circus? – In the 1920s in America, some Jewish circus performers traveled with their own portable sukkah, setting it up behind the tents so they wouldn’t miss the mitzvah while on the road.

Paper Chains & Candy –

In medieval Europe, kids decorated sukkot with fruits and even sweets. Some communities made rules: “Don’t eat the sukkah candy until the holiday is over!” (Easier said than done for kids).

A Water Circus in Jerusalem

Soldiers

in the Sukkah – A Real

Story

During Israel’s early wars, soldiers built sukkot out of whatever they had — sometimes tank parts, sometimes tree branches from the battlefield. In 1973, right after the Yom Kippur War, Jewish soldiers celebrated Sukkot by eating in tiny sukkot made from army netting and sandbags. Even in danger, they kept the mitzvah.

In the Beit HaMikdash, Sukkot wasn’t just prayers — it was a festival! At the Simchat Beit HaShoeva, people filled the streets with dancing, juggling, and music. One famous sage, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, was said to juggle eight torches of fire at once without dropping them. Imagine a mix of a circus, parade, and concert, all in honor of Hashem.

KID’S ZONE KID’S ZONE

WORD SEARCH – BURJ KHALIFA

Find the hidden words below in the puzzle! Words may be across, down, or diagonal.

Words to Find:

CHAG SAMEACH ! JOKES

Q: Why did the skyscraper go to school?

A: To get a little taller!

Q: What do you call a building that tells jokes?

A: A pun-house!

Q: Why don’t elevators ever get tired?

A: Because they’re always taking short rests!

Q: What’s the tallest building in your city?

A: The library—because it has the most stories!

Q: Why did the window look so clean?

A: Because it was on its best pane-ior!

KID’S COOKING KID’S COOKING

RECIPE #1

CHOCOLATE BALLS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package tea biscuits (crushed)

• ½ cup cocoa

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup juice or milk

• Coconut or sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix biscuits, cocoa, sugar, juice or milk together in a mixing bowl.

2. Roll mixture into balls, 3. coat with coconut or sprinkles.

4. Let it chill.

RECIPE #2

FRUIT SKEWERS

INGREDIENTS:

• Grapes (bite-sized pieces)

• Melon (bite-sized pieces)

• Apple (bite-sized pieces)

• strawberrys (bite-sized pieces)

• Wooden skewers

INSTRUCTIONS:

Thread fruit pieces onto skewers in fun color patterns.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 potatoes (grated)

• 1 egg

• 2 tbsp oil

• Pinch salt/pepper

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups oats

• ½ cup honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix all Ingredients together in a mixing bowl, spoon into muffin tins, bake at 375°F for 30 minutes until crispy.

• ½ cup chocolate chips or raisins

• ½ cup peanut butter (or sunflower butter for nut-free)

mixing bowl, press into pan, chill, cut into bars.

New York

Dr. Bentolila, OBGYN