Vol 17 Issue 16

A gezinte winter.

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ICE STORMS

Recap: Avrumi asks Esther Mindy if they can go to his parents for another meal. Esther Mindy doesn’t want to, but feels forced to agree.

At the Shabbos seudah, Esther Mindy works extra-hard to control herself from responding to her mother-in-law’s jabs. Avrumi and his father discuss how Glacier’s arrest means Dr. Bloom will have more public trust.

Chapter 40

On the surface, the two of them seemed to be the most carefree young newlywed couple in existence.

Snazzy clothes, expensive accessories, confident strides. Even their conversation, as they walked home that Shabbos afternoon, was light and cheerful, with lots of chuckles and laughter interspersed.

But behind it all, Esther Mindy’s thoughts were in a turmoil.

“Yeah, that’s how it goes,” Avrumi said lazily, finishing off their conversation about newlyweds in their bubble.

Esther Mindy held her breath. This was the perfect opening to bring up what had happened in his parents’ house just a few hours ago.

But as she opened her mouth to speak, Avrumi covered a yawn with his hand. “I’m bushed tired,” he said. “I’m going to take a nap as soon as we get home.”

Esther Mindy didn’t look at him as her heart dropped. They were almost home already. Then Avrumi would take a nap, go out to Minchah and come home for Melava Malka. There would be no time in between to discuss what she was feeling.

She didn’t say anything, though. Maybe she would talk to her mother about it again before bringing it up with Avrumi. Because despite having tried to explain to her new husband why it was too hard for her to simply fit his mother’s mold, and why she really needed his full backup and support in his mother’s presence, he had yet to understand what she was saying.

Perhaps her mother would know how to deal with this.

Esther Mindy’s eyes were bleak as they entered their perfectly appointed apartment. This wasn’t how she’d pictured feeling as an old married lady of nearly three months. She thought she’d have already feel totally at ease in her new role in life.

These unpleasant feelings of loneliness and even, yes, even betrayal, had never factored into her dreams.

For Esther Mindy, interpersonal relationships had always been a breeze. She’d never met someone she couldn’t wrap around her finger before.

How could it be that the one person who she’d managed to alienate so badly was her mother-in-law?

And why had that, by default, affected her husband so much as well?

***

Sunday mornings were one of her favorite times of the week these days. Raizy smiled as she walked down the familiar path to Gila Batsheva’s house. Here, it was okay to smile in public. To feel, unashamedly.

“Hi,” she greeted Gila Batsheva as she reached the gate, the smile still on her face.

CLASSMATES CLASSMATES

Gila Batsheva, waiting for her arrival as usual, responded with a warm,

“Good morning,” she said, a singsong note to her voice. She unlocked the gate and Raizy followed her into the therapy room. Without needing to be asked, Raizy settled into the comfortable armchair, and Gila Batsheva took her seat facing her.

“How was your week?” Gila Batsheva asked. “Really nice,” Raizy said.

“Any more calls from your little brother?” Gila Batsheva asked.

Raizy chuckled. “No, I think that was probably a once-in-a-lifetime kind of call. But you know who actually did call me this week?”

Gila Batsheva inclined her head curiously.

“His wife actually called me,” Raizy said. “She asked me for her husband’s favorite recipes and I sent her some pictures of stuff I’ve made. Then she called me to tell me that it all came out pretty and delicious. She’s actually really nice.”

Gila Batsheva nodded, then casually said, “It sounds like that surprises you.”

Raizy startled and looked a bit sheepish. “Well, she always was nice. But I thought it was like a typical Grossman kind of nice, a show you put on to charm other people, you know?”

Gila Batsheva nodded. “But nobody would know what she said in a phone call to me. And she’s definitely not trying to impress me, I’m the family pariah after all.”

Gila Batsheva allowed a small grimace at Raizy’s words.

“Whatever,” Raizy said. “Point is, that now I see she’s genuinely nice. I like her.”

“Sounds like a two way street.”

“Whatever,” Raizy said again. “I wonder what she’ll be like when the whole family is together again. It sounds like she’s the only one who’s not terrified of disappointing my mother.”

“Hmm,” Gila Batsheva said.

“She’s really confident,” Raizy said. “I know my brother told me that she got scared off when my mother said all those nasty comments to her in front of everyone. But really, it doesn’t sound like she cares so much. She even went back to my mother again this week for a Shabbos seudah.”

“Wow, that does take confidence.”

“Yeah, I think she’s pretty brave. And to call me like that also was pretty brave of her.” Raizy thought for a minute, hesitated, then looked up at Gila Batsheva. “I’m jealous of her,” she admitted.

Then she dropped her gaze immediately and studied the couch cushions intently.

“Why?” Gila Batsheva asked softly.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Raizy asked, slight irritation seeping into her words. “I wish I could be as confident as her. Not be scared of my mother.”

“You think she’s less scared of your mother than you are,” Gila Batsheva said.

“Yeah. I wish-” Raizy stopped. “I wish I could be like her,” she said. “You can be like her,” Gila Batsheva said thoughtfully.

“You think?” Raizy said. “You know, my family always goes to Switzerland for Shabbos Chanukah. And I always dread it. We go to this ten-thousand dollar a night hotel and my mother goes crazy making sure we’re all on our best behavior. And I go crazy because I hate every second of it.”

Unconsciously, Raizy pinched the couch cushion near her, her jaw tense.

“I wish I wouldn’t have to go, but I don’t have too many choices in the matter. I literally can’t handle a whole Shabbos like that.”

“How do you usually handle it?”

“I try to stay in my room as much as possible,” Raizy said, not meeting Gila Batsheva’s eyes. “It’s awful. My mother gets mad at me every time because I’m being antisocial. Then, if I dare make a comment at the table, she puts it down and says something nasty to me.”

Gila Batsheva didn’t say anything, just looked at her with empathyfilled eyes.

“I try to leave the seudah as soon as possible, and then my mother wants to know why I can’t just sit around with everyone else. And the entire time she makes comments about my wardrobe as if I’m a little kid still living at home, as if I don’t know everything she thinks is so important in my clothing.”

The air was filled with a poignant silence.

“How does thinking about that make you feel?” Gila Batsheva asked softly.

“Awful,” Raizy replied promptly, still not meeting her eyes.

“Where do you feel that awfulness in your body?”

Raizy looked up and met Gila Batsheva’s eyes for a brief moment, surprised at the question. She thought about it for a minute.

“Do I have to tell you?” she asked. “I feel kind of weird about this.”

Gila Batsheva inclined her head. “You don’t have to,” she said. “Can you see for yourself, though?”

Raizy nodded.

“What does that awfulness feel like?” Gila Batsheva asked.

“It feels like it’s choking me. Like I’m on fire and I need to do something immediately or I’m not going to be able to handle this.”

Gila Batsheva nodded, her eyes intent on Raizy’s thin, slightly hunched shoulders. “Do you think you can sit with those uncomfortable feelings for a bit?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just to sit with them. Just to let them be.”

Raizy looked agonized. “That’s really hard for me.”

“Maybe,” Gila Batsheva proposed after a moment, “let’s find another place in your body. A place that’s completely calm and not feeling that on-fire feeling. Is there any place like that at all? Maybe at your ankles?”

Raizy grimaced. It all sounded so strange to her. But she did as Gila Batsheva had asked, going within herself to find a calm quiet space.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “Maybe my ears.” She smiled self-consciously. What would her family say if they could see her now?

“Can you go there for a minute?”

Gila Batsheva asked, disregarding Raizy’s discomfort.

“Yeah,” Raizy said. “Now see if you can alternate between that place inside you that’s feeling such intense emotions, feeling awful and choking, and the other place that feels okay. That feels calm.”

Raizy thought about that, trying to experience it the way Gila Batsheva described it.

She thought about her mother and Switzerland, letting the choking feeling surface until she was nearly ready to jump out of her seat. Then she let herself focus on her ears, which were completely impervious to all the roiling emotion. She sat on the couch, intently concentrating on what was going on inside of her.

Gila Batsheva gave her the space to sit, to feel, to experience.

After a few minutes had passed, Gila Batsheva broke the silence. “What’s going on for you?” she asked softly.

“I’m not sure,” Raizy said. “Do you mean that this is the kind of thing I could do when I feel like I can’t stay at the Shabbos table any longer? When I feel like my mother’s suffocating me?”

“Do you think it would be helpful for you?” Gila Batsheva asked, reflecting the question back at Raizy.

“Could be,” Raizy said thoughtfully, as the power of her emotional experience began sinking in.

“If you wanted to do something like that,” Gila Batsheva said, “and check in with your body to see how it feels inside, to alternate between a calm space and a frantic one, then no one would need to know about it.”

Raizy nodded.

“It’s something you can do without telling me, and without anyone else noticing either.”

Raizy looked thoughtful. There was another few moments of quiet.

“I think it could be helpful, maybe,” Raizy said.

“You don’t have to decide now,” Gila Batsheva said. “It’s something we can practice, to see how it feels when you speak about your mother and how you can sit with the emotions that come up because of it. That way you can learn how to hold unbearably difficult emotions without falling apart.”

Raizy listened carefully, her eyes glistening as she did.

“I think that’s what I need,” she said. Gila Batsheva nodded.

*** Glacier rested his head wearily on his uncomfortable iron bed. Prison cells were even worse than he’d ever imagined them to be.

Especially because his head had never recovered from the blow he’d received that fateful night. Not being able to fall asleep at night was made much worse by his miserable conditions.

His fuzzy brain didn’t allow him to feel all the rage and frustration that should have come along with seeing his worst nightmare come true. It hardly even bothered him when he heard his cellmate telling the other prisoners that he was not quite right in the head.

One thing he still had the presence of mind to be happy about was that he hadn’t had to deal with the Investor’s rage at his arrest. Safely incarcerated, he was out of the Investor’s reach.

The sole spot of light in his miserable situation.

***

Glacier was right about the Investor’s rage. It was none too pretty a sight.

The Investor banged his glass down on the patio table, sending glass shards flying. He rose so quickly out of his chair that it went crashing to the ground. Heedlessly, the Investor rushed into his house, shouting and cursing into the phone all the while.

“We’ll crush them all to the ground!” he raged to Adams, who was quivering at the other end of the line. Adams dearly hoped that the Investor wouldn’t remember whose idea it had been to send Glacier to the airport.

If he did, Adams could count his days.

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THE OUTSIDE BUBBLE

Recap of Chapter 41

Mali reports to Hinda about the clothing sale, where she and her friends had manned the registers. She tells her mother that after the sale ended, a young guy had come and taken the leftover clothes, but he’d left the money with her.

Six-year-old Becky, whose intelligence is way beyond that, feels confused about her brother Mike’s disappearance. Her parents are taking the blow very hard.

CHAPTER FORTY TWO

“Yosef?” Dr. Kaplan stopped near the bench on which the young man with the light beard was sitting. “Yosef, wasn’t your shift over an hour ago?”

“That’s right,” Yosef affirmed. “So, what are you doing here now?”

The young aide shrugged. “I’m not in the mood of going home.”

Dr. Kaplan lowered his voice. “And your medications?” Yosef dug a small container of pills from his pants pocket. “I took everything with me.”

“Good. What’s going on at home? How is your twin? You have a twin, right?”

“Yes, and he’s even on vacation now; we call it ‘bein hazmanim.’ But he went to stay with my older brother, who is married. Because he also didn’t really want to come home. My mother has guests, and…it’s more comfortable for me here than at home.”

Dr. Kaplan thought for a moment. “Alright,” he said finally, drawing out the word. “If you’re ready to stay for another shift, and you have the energy, we’d be happy

to have your help. The emergency room is very busy, as usual, and it would be great if you can see if the patient at the end of the row on the east side needs help. He’s an older feller; I think his wife came with him. He got something for pain a few minutes ago, because he’s in a lot of pain, and he’s waiting for some tests so that we can decide what to do next.”

He hurried on, but after a moment, he returned. “Did you tell your mother that you’re not coming home for now, Yosef?”

“Yes,” the young man muttered. He stood up and walked in the direction Dr. Kaplan had sent him, but when he got there and pulled the curtain aside, he wasn’t sure this was the right man. The occupant of the bed was someone who didn’t look like he was “in a lot of pain.” Maybe the painkillers had already kicked in, but if, according to Dr. Kaplan, he only got them a few minutes ago, it was strange. The man was sitting straight up in his bed, supported by a rolled-up blanket, because there was a chronic shortage of pillows in the emergency room, and he was talking on his phone. He wore a large, colored kippah, and his wife was sitting next to him saying Tehillim.

He paused his conversation when Yosef approached the bed. “Yes? Did you come to take me for an x-ray?

Another x-ray?”

“Not right now,” Yosef replied. “I wasn’t given instructions to. I came to ask how you are doing and if you need anything.”

“I need a refuah and a yeshuah,” the man said with a smile. “Shlomo, we’ll talk later; there’s a nice young man who just came in to ask how I’m doing.” He hung up the phone.

The woman in the chair placed her finger at the end of

the perek she had just finished. “Maybe there’s a way to get a pillow for my husband?” she asked. “It’s not very comfortable for him like this.”

“Honestly, it’s a miracle that they found you a blanket.”

Yosef came closer and checked if the blanket could be folded in a better way. “That’s not always here either.”

“Everything is fine, and I’m very comfortable,” the man said. “I’m just wondering if they will tell me to go home.”

A barking cough cut off his words. “Or if they’ll decide that I’m the one they need to fill the hole in the internal medicine department.”

“Pneumonia?” Yosef asked politely. “And water in the lungs as well,” the man clarified. “Maybe you want to play chess with me or something? I’m frustrated that they won’t let me get up.”

“He’s not so stable,” the woman said worriedly. “Probably because of the high fever. He fell as soon as we got here. Yaakov, are you sure it’s okay for you to play a game now? It won’t be hard for you to concentrate?”

In the end Yaakov won the argument, and he and Yosef played on a small magnetic board that Yaakov’s wife had produced from her bag.

Yaakov won the game. Just as they were about to start another round, Dr. Weiss came in and instructed Yosef to take the man—whose name was Yaakov Alvashvili— for another x-ray.

“Take the chess,” Mr. Alvashvili said to Yosef. “It’s a gift from me. I have a few sets in my bag—it’s fine. Unfortunately, I’m used to hospitalizations.”

Yosef put the folded chess board in the wide pocket of his blue uniform shirt, and helped Yaakov into a wheelchair. By the time he had pushed the man to the x-ray department and then back to the emergency room, it was already very late, and he was tired. “Refuah sheleimah,” he told Alvashvili, and then went to take off his uniform.

A private detective is like a policeman, but even better. The private detective that their father had hired was the best private detective that could be found. That’s what he’d told Daddy and Mommy, and he’d promised to do everything possible to bring Mike home soon. “Amen,” Mommy had said, blowing her nose. “Amen, amen.”

Later that day, Becky was lying on the grass, just under Mommy’s workroom window, the place where she could be near her mother without driving her crazy. She looked at the world from down below. It was actually nice.

“Baron, the detective, will be here at 7:30 to interview us all,” she suddenly heard Daddy say to Mommy. “The workers, me, you, and Becky.”

Becky’s heart leaped at the sound of her name, and she sat up. She didn’t want to talk to any detectives! Detectives discover people’s secrets, and she did not want him to discover her secret!

“What does Becky have to do with this?” Mommy protested. “You know what the psychologist said; as it is, the child is so sensitive and far too involved. We can’t draw her even deeper into this mire of pain.”

Mire of pain. Becky loved the ring of those words. “We are all in this mire anyway,” Daddy said. Becky imagined him shrugging his shoulders. “And if we want Baron to get results, we have to give him a free hand. If he wants to speak to Becky, then he will, simply because we don’t have other options.”

So she had to speak to him? Becky bit her bottom lip, hard.

***

Goodbye house, goodbye neighborhood. It had been nice being Michoel Perl all this time. Now the time had come for him to move on, before Kornblit or his people got there.

And even without thinking about it for more than a few seconds, it was clear to Martin that his next stop would be in Haifa, at the home of Hinda, the niece. He had no idea how he would be welcomed there, how they would react, or what they would do. But the time had come to take this heavy responsibility off his shoulders, as the only person who knew about Perl’s disappearance. He had to tell them everything, and let them decide themselves.

True, they had ignored the paper he had left on their mailbox, but to be fair, he hadn’t written any details about the issue itself, so they probably hadn’t felt it that important to call.

He left 500 shekels under the tablecloth in the dining room, packed up the few belongings he had acquired in the past few weeks, and locked the door. The phone he had purchased just a few weeks ago was buried here in the ground; let Kornblit try to track him down using it. He was going to buy a new phone—also an anonymous one—and then start again.

***

Michoel

The yard was large. So very large, that he could see a wall on the right side, but nothing on the left. Just a massive lawn that ended with trees. Were there some

THE BUBBLE

small structures there? Could be.

Michoel squinted. His long-range vision was actually excellent. Were there bungalows there or not?

He began walking in that direction, wondering if he’d meet anyone on his way. What was the point of not using mirrors? A principle?

He had to call Hinda and speak to her. Eventually, he’d get out of here, and the time had come to change some things. It was inconceivable that a person should be as isolated as he was now, and no one would really worry about him. The time had come to stop being so stubborn.

He would tell her to try to revive that suggestion with Freiberg, her widowed or divorced friend—he couldn’t remember which—that he had angrily rejected when she’d first mentioned the idea.

But first, he needed to get out of here, and to do that, he needed to understand the motivation behind the directors of this place. If it was only his health that they were focused on, that would be one thing, but he wasn’t sure about that. This place was not being run like a normal hospital.

In the middle of the lawn there was a muddy, wet path. He walked along it slowly, enjoying the mud squelching under his shoes. At the end of the path, the trees began, and there was a bench hewn out of rock. Someone—it looked like a youth—was sitting on the bench with his back to the path.

Michoel walked around the bench and slowly sat down next to the young man. On his right, a lantern hung on a pole, with a candle glowing inside. It wasn’t electric, it was real, and Michoel stretched in his place, wondering about the strangeness of this place. And about the strangeness of the young man next to him, who jumped up in alarm and quickly stuck his hand in his pocket.

“Whoa, such panic,” Michoel said calmly. “I’m happy to see that you have a phone. Can I make a short call with it? I’ll pay.” He still wasn’t thinking about his wallet, which was definitely not in his possession right now.

The young man looked him up and down. “I don’t have a phone,” he said in a hostile tone, his protruding

cheekbones moving angrily as he spoke. “It’s not a phone.” The accent was familiar, and Michoel felt right at home.

“Oh,” he said. “With all those heavy southern dialects around here, I’m happy to hear English in a slightly more normal accent! Are you from New York?”

“No,” his bench-mate said tersely.

“Why are you saying that you don’t have a phone when I saw that you do have one?”

“It’s not a phone. It’s just a device for making calls.”

“Oh, it’s all about how you say it? Fine. So, can I use your device-that-makes-calls for a moment, please?” He paused. “I won’t tell anything to anyone, of course.”

“I don’t give my devices to anyone,” the younger man grumbled. Standing at full height, he didn’t look more than nineteen or twenty years old. “And you can tell whatever you want to whomever you want.”

Michoel studied him patiently. “Really?” he said. “Well, if you don’t want them to see that you have a device for making calls, as you referred to it, don’t sit with it here as if nothing is going on. It could have easily been someone else who came here and saw it.”

“I don’t care if they see it; I’m allowed to have it.” The youth moved off toward the trees.

“Can I ask them to let me have such a device, too?” Michoel shouted after him. “And can I tell them that if they let you have it, then I also want one?”

“Tell whatever you want to whomever you want,” the youth said again. With that, he disappeared into the dark woods.

At that point, all Michoel wanted to do was retrace his steps to his now-familiar room, but he felt too roiled-up inside to do nothing about this bizarre encounter, so he stood up and followed the young man.

It didn’t take more than a few minutes of walking in the dark woods to realize that he now couldn’t see a thing. Even the moon’s rays could not penetrate the thick foliage, and there were no candle-lanterns in this area to light the way, either... TO BE CONTINUED

• What is unique about the first parshi'os of Shemos which were designated as a special time of the year? • Is it true that the subject of Shovovim is reserved only for those engrossed in Kabbalah? • Will my study of the subject of Shovovim have a positive impact on my life? • Why is Shovovim such a well-kept secret for so many? • What is so special about learning for five hours, without interruption, and is that something that I can do? • Is Shovovim for all segments of the Jewish World?

BY RABBI S. BINYOMIN GINSBERG

By Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Sorotzkin

Pirkei Avos Foundations of Marriage

Nesivei Chinuch Shemos

MORE GEMS FROM THE NESIVOS SHOLOM:

SEFER PENINEI SHLOMO AL HATORAHDivrei Torah, mussar, commentary and insights on the Chumash from Hagaon Rav Shlomo Eliyahu Miller shlit"a Compiled by Rabbi Yehuda Gestetner

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

The Free Tefillah at the Baba SaliRav Yisrael Abuchatzeira zt”l

BY: SARA MEDINA

A mini Meron. This upcoming Thursday January 26th, Daled Teives is the yahrtzeit / hilula The holy tzaddik Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira zt”l, known as the Baba Sali. The Baba Sali was born in Morocco to his father Rav Massoud Abuchatzeira zt”l. As a young child, the young R’ Yisrael learned throughout all hours of the day and fasted during the days of Shovavim. He was a Rosh Yeshiva in Morocco to hundreds of talmidim in his twenties and was fluent in all of Shas by heart.

Known as a miracle-worker throughout his life, the Baba Sali settled in Netivot towards the end of his life where thousands would come daily to seek his brachos and

wise counsel. To this day his hilula in Netivot draws tens of thousands of people coming to daven at his kever in what is known as the “Mini Meron”.

As in previous years, Yad L’Achim is arranging for Talmidei Chachamim and grandsons of the Baba Sali to daven at his kever on the day of the hilula for all who submit their names for tefillah through Yad L’Achim - and as always, there is no minimum donation required to submit names for tefillah.

Baba Sali was very close to Yad L’Achim, the organization that helps rescue Jewish women and children. Before he passed away

he wrote a letter in which he promised great reward for all Yad L’Achim supporters.

…and Hashem, who is kind, will bring good blessings to all who support their (Yad L’Achim’s) hand”

The word Hilula means “day of festivities” and at a Hilula it is customary to tell stories, inspiring of their goodness and greatness of the tzaddik’s impact on the world. You can see an incredible story of Baba Sali and the man in the wheelchair on our website www. YADL.org

Photo Credit: JDN E:

Kabulas Punim in London for Hagaon Rabbi Yitzchok Ahron Goldberger

Melavah Malke for the Zichron Yoel Shul in Lakewood

BROOKLYN'S KIRUV CENTER,

BJX, MAKES 4 EXTRAORDINARY BAR MITZVAHS ON SHABBOS

Most of us take for it granted that our Bris Milahs were conducted when we were babies and our Bar/Bas Mitzvah occasions were marked at the traditional times. However, many of our fellow Jews don't have such opportunities. Due to various societal factors and assimilation, these precious Yidden, living amongst us in Brooklyn, don't have the same privilege their frum from birth contemporaries have. That's where Brooklyn Jewish Xperience (BJX), Brooklyn's Kiruv Center, steps in. Our goal is to ensure that every single Jew no matter their background or past has the ability to connect to our heritage in a loving, joyful and meaningful way. Our motto is, "It's never too late!"

The past week was witness to several amazing spiritual milestones:

One BJX public high school senior, an 18 year old from Sheepshead Bay just celebrated his own father's Bris Milah, at the age of 43. Not very typical for a child to be present at his father's Bris. We are exceedingly proud of the courage ND conviction that father and son, George and David showed.

This past Shabbos at BJX, the energy was over the top. Not one, not two - four Jews were called up to the Torah and received their long awaited Bar Mitzvahs! When each young man recited the Beracha, "You chose us from all the nations and gave us the Torah..." you can see the fervor in their eyes and the passion on their face. One young man was honored with the seventh

Aliyah, which was Chazak. Although this Aliyah is usually reserved for the Rov, it was decided that there is no greater depiction of Chazak Chazak V'Nischazeik, then our student Allan, who is defying all odds and attaching himself to the Torah. It is this strength that strengthens us. Aaron, a young professional who is an engineer at Boeing visited for Shabbos. He shared with everyone that four years ago he attended the BJX Shabbos Project as a secular college student for his first Shabbos. He has been Shabbos observant ever since. Aaron said that the inspiration and spiritual infusion he received will never fade.

On Shabbos day, Michael, a young attorney, arrived for the Gemara class. Michael's entire family is secular. In his effort to become more observant, Michael chose not to drive and walked more than 3 miles each way because his soul is thirsting for Torah.

We merit to see miracles all time. Miracles of lost children returning to their Father. Miracles of Jewish people with different perspectives uniting together in harmony and mutual respect. Your help can save a Neshama! Help BJX reach our to more Yidden and bring them back to Yiddishkeit.

Please donate generously at www.helpbjx.com or mail a check to 2915 Avenue K Brooklyn NY 11210

Raved Yerishulayim farhers Dushinskia Yeshiva

Bar Mitzvah in Courts of Dombrova and Karlesburg

Kalish Rebbe Motzei Shabbos in Boro Park

Satmar Rebbe visits Kiryas Yetev Lev

Kalashin, Debretzin and Vienna

Photo Credit: JDN E:

Levayah of Hagaon Rabbi Shimon Badany Zt”l

Dirshu Siyum on Chaburas Horuah in America

Rabbi Ahron Taussig giving a Shiur in the Beled Shul in Boro Park

Hachnusas Seifer Torah on the Yurtzeit of the Bnei Yisoscher Zy”u in Dinev Poland

Rabbi Chaim Yosef Biderman Motzei Shabbos in Williamsburg

Narratives

Inspirations

miraculous recovery

A menahel recently shared a poignant anecdote. After working in the chinuch field for several decades, nothing takes him by surprise - but this particular incident touched him deeply:

Our yeshivah is geared for boys between the ages of 14 and 16, and Shloimy had just about hit his 14th birthday.

He was such an earnest young boy, with clear, blue eyes and a ready smile. In those hectic days at the start of the zman, I didn’t exchange a word with him but his sweet personality made an immediate impression.

“Did you distribute the technology forms yet?” I asked the mashgiach one morning. “I like to get that done sometime in the first week.”

“Yes, the forms were given out yesterday,” he replied, waving a sheaf of papers to prove it. “Most of the boys returned them already. I’m just waiting for the last few.”

Our students pledge to completely avoid Smartphones and we are proud of their commitment. The forms are just a formality since the boys know our stance on the technology issue and they commit to it before enrollment.

Shloimy seemed perturbed. I noticed it immediately. There was something so good and golden about this new student, causing his distress to stand out and catch my attention.

“Shloimy, is everything alright?” I asked him during lunchtime. “Is there something you want to discuss?”

He blushed to the roots of his blond hair and shook his head. Moments later, I heard soft footsteps behind me and I knew that Shloimy had reconsidered.

“Uh…I – I – about the form,” Shloimy stuttered. “The form we have to sign?”

His voice jerked upward in a question mark and I wondered which part of this simple procedure he was finding so unnerving. I smiled, the most reassuring smile I could muster, but Shloimy couldn’t bring himself to continue.

“I just – I mean, forget it,” he whispered. “It’s nothing.”

Mere moments later, when I was sitting in the tiny closet we call an office, the secretary put through a telephone call to my extension.

“Is this the menahel?” the caller asked.

“Speaking.”

“My son called last night,” the man said quickly, almost desperately. “Shloimy. You probably don’t know the boys by name yet, but he’s a good boy. A gift from Hashem.”

The man swallowed audibly. I wondered what secrets lurked behind the sweet, bashful smile of his young son.

“He called me, crying,” the father continued, his voice cracking ever so slightly. “He said that he wants to sign a form, committing himself not to look at a Smartphone all year. But he’s afraid that it will be a lie.”

“A lie?” I repeated, completely bewildered.

“He told me, ‘Totty, I’m afraid that when I come home I’ll look at your phone by mistake. Maybe I’ll sneak a quick peek. How can I sign this form?’ That’s what Shloimy asked me last night. He was crying, begging for the chance to keep himself pure.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Just when I thought he had hung up, the man said, “So I just wanted to know if you can give Shloimy a message. Tell him that…that he – he can sign the form with a clear conscience. It won’t be a lie. Tell Shloimy that I threw out my Smartphone last night.”

HOUSE / CONDO FOR RENT

Chestnut Ridge Monsey-house + guest house-2300 SF, on 18 acres, featuring an extra guest house (900 SF)

Call Shalva Singer for more details: 845-327-0374

Toms River beautiful house on a beautiful property- 4 BDR, 2 full baths, 1/2 bath on main floor, & 1/2 in bsmt, kit, dinette, lots of closets, big fin bsmt, big back porch & back yard. Call/Text: 917-776-1072

APARTMENT UNFURNISHED

BP- 11&53 2 bdr chosson kallah apt ready to move in. 646-220-8609

East 3rd, & Ditmas ave. 4 BDR, 1.5 baths, walk in closet laundry room, large D/R, 3rd-floor new house great cond, front porch no section 8 $3600, avail feb 1. 718 871 4028/ Text: 347 461 6896

BP-11th & 51st, bsmt apt, 1 BDR downstair, full kitchen & bath, W/D, closets, windows, couch ... avail monthly or long term.1 BDR util incl. photos:el7777@gmail.com Agent Edith: 718 -851-1546

East 4th & Ave L, very large 2 BDR for rent. Call: 845-576-6122

BP-11th & 53rd, 2 flight up, front, Ideal for Chosson/Kallah. Call: 718-926-6136 or 718-438-7961

Flatbush-Ave K & E 31st, newly renov large 1 BDR bsmt, new full bath, W/D hookup. Call: 718-437-1811

HOUSE / CONDO FOR SALE

BP-10th & 42nd, 4 BDR condo, 2 full baths, pesach kit, high ceilings, front & back porch, 5th floor with elevator, nice block, asking $975k. Call/Text Isaac Shmedra Landau: 718-853-0202

BP-12th & 36, 2 BDR, newly renov kitchen & bath, 1 flight up, approx 750 SF, ideal for chosson kallah. Call: 718-415-5442

BP-12th 7 43rd, freshly renov 1 BDR apt, just became avail, perfect for chussen kallah. Call: 646-854-8255

BP-11th & 52nd, brick houses semi-attached, 2 fam houses, $2,4, 20x60 on 25x100 +garage. Agent Edith for further details & other houses:718-851-1546

BP-11th & 54th, 2 fam, brick, semi-det, shared driveway, 25x100 lot, 20x65 built, dec cond, asking $1,950m. Call/Text Isaac Shmedra Landau 718-853-0202 www.isaaclandau.exprealty.com

BP-13th & 55th, 2 BDR apt newly redone, 1st floor, place to make sukkah, front apt. Contact the broker: Call/Lv msg:718-490-0825

BP-15th & 42nd, 3 BDR, brand new, 3rd floor, with appliances, $3200. Call:347-581-5250

Flatbush-bet Ave I/J, & East 26, 3 BDR, 1 bath, 1st flr, 2-fam house, large L/R, D/R, W/D hookup. Call: 718-253-8808 Call/Text: 347-392-8796

BP-12th & 47th, apt avail for rent for women or girls only. Call/Text for Details: 323-632-8623

BP-13th & 54th, new 1 & 2 BDR, 1 flight up, full kitchen, bath, A/C, W/D, linen. Daily, Shabbos, weekly, monthly. Day: 718-686-0909 Eve: 347-524-7686

BP-15th & 50th, 3 BDR, 1.5 bath 1200 SF avail for short term. Text:929-475-1558

Flatbush-East 13th & bet Ave I & J renov apt 4 bed, 2 bath, kosher kit, large LR&DR, W/D hookup. Call: 646-591-6018

Flatbush-East 23rd & ave I & Dead End, newly renovated bsmt, 2 BDR/2 full baths, new kitchen, washer/dryer, asking $1,650 including heat. Call: 917-776-9040

BP-16th & 50th, beautiful 1 bedroom, kitchen & living room 3rd flr, windows, W/D, util incl. 718-438-5154 or 917-440-6940

Flatbush-ave J & East 27, large1 BDR bsmt, util incl, near shopping & trans. Call:917-734-4146

Light airy 2-room attic apt, bed, kitchen, good for single or couple. Call: 718-436-1273

BP 14th & 38th, 2 fam, brick, attached house, decent cond. 20x100 lot, 20x55 built, asking $1,690m. Call/Text I.S. Landau 718-853-0202 landau7667@gmail.com www.isaaclandau.exprealty.com

Children's boots, used in good cond, many sizes.

Family with good income/credit seeks to rent a home with the option to buy: 718-576-4511

Selling beautiful brand new homes, 2 floors & bsmt center of Monticello, near all shopping. Call:718-801-1915

BP-17th & 54th, 2 BDR, 2nd floor. Call broker: 718-490-0825

BP-apt, BDR, L/R, large kitchen, W/D, MIC. Call: 917-660-4800

BP-mid 40's, nice front 2 BDR, D/R, EIK, 2nd flr. Call:929-533-5561

Linden-3 BDR house in central heimishe area, large backyard & basement, avail for long term. Text: 908-443-1071

Linden-home for rent, 3 BDR, 3 baths living space, outdoor space, linen quilts, etc prov. Text:908-443-1071

Furnished apt avail- good location! Call/Lv msg: 929-269-6919

Oak & Vine-bsmt apt for rent, now avail furnished. Call: 917-376-4127

SHORT TERM RENTALS

Ocean Pkwy & Parkville, 3 fam house, 3rd flr, 3 large BDR, 1.5 baths EIK, L/R, D/R, backyard, $2400. Call:718-436-1897/718-938-8388

BP-Webster & 47th, 2 BDR for rent, in a building. Call: 347-486-2858

APARTMENT FURNISHED

BP- 3 BDR,1.5 bath, 1200 SF.

Text:908-443-1071

Gorgeous 3-room house, in center of Monticello, section 8 all year, near Shull & all shopping. Call:718-801-1915

Gorgeous modern fully furnished apt, big luxurious beds 3 BDR, 2 full baths, ready for your shabbos, oak n vine area, lots of shuls & shopping.

Call/text 848-525-2991

Linden, 3 BDR, 2 bath vacation home, avail for the weekends. Linen, towels, etc incl, lg backyard. Please Text: 908-443-1071

Linden vacation- Exclusive brand new fullyfurnished house, all amenities. incl, sleeps 9 +crib, 8 min walk to shuls, monthly rates avail for winter. Call/Text 601-675-2665/ Crownprincevilla@gmail.com

North Miami Beach, 4 BDR villa, large D/RL/R, 2 full bath, priv pool, towels/linen prov, kosher kitchen, walk to shul, beautiful grounds.

Avail weekday/weekend/Yom Tov. Call: 845-662-6980

Planning a Shabbos in Monsey? 1 & 2 room suites, fully furnished, avail for Shabbosim in center of Monsey. 845-352-8564

House available for Shabbos in Monsey (Airmont). 4 bedrooms. Large dining area and living room. 5 minute walk to shul with a mikvah. Call or text 347-432-3185

APARTMENT WANTED

Single person is seeking to rent small studio apt for $1000.

Call: 718-576-4511

VACATION RENTAL

Luxurious Kosher Villa on Casa Grande AZ, priv lake & golf course in, 3 BDR, office Wifi, priv heated pool, fully stocked kosher kit, minyan, kosher grocrey, shabbos packages avail. 520-251-4459

Luxury oceanfront penthouse & villas to accommodate large group getaways. Florida - NY-NJ. Book your vacation today! Refresh Getaways: 347-674-6443

Miami-3200 Collins ave, 2nd floor, beautiful 2 BDR, 2 baths, porch. Call: 347-528-7038

Relax: Cozy private villa in Woodburn,15+ beds, L/R w/ imaginary fireplace, jet tub, shul walking distance, group or familyavail for week/weekend. Call/Text: 845-537-1162

Seagate Vacation

Driveway, 14th ave & mid 40's. Call: 923-202-3238

Parkville Ave, bsmt space avail, priv ent. Ideal for small office, storage options avail. Text/Call: 347-307-4074

CAR FOR SALE

Car Donations

Home

Avail weekday/weekend/Yom Tov. Fresh

ocean air in beautiful resort.

1, 2 & 3 BDR homes. 718-946-1236

Shabbos Getaway - Kingston, PA

Donate your vehicle. Receive $1500 tax deduction + $2400 in gift card. We buy cars too! 718-974-9428

BUSINESS FOR SALE

Miami Beach, Indian CRK.. near hotels, beautiful, clean, sunny condo, porch, stunning views, & parking, near shuls. Call: 718-812-2656

• 5 BDR + 10 Beds • Lg master suite

• 3.5 bath • Super-sized backyard

• walk to shul • Mikvah

• Supermarket • Pizza/Fleishig Deli

For Details, Mendel: 718-974-6415

4 BDR home w/hot tub, across from shul, book any 4 nights in Dec, Jan Feb for $987*restr. apply *clean/ secur fee not incl Call:732-644-3806

Airmont, beautiful new suite for couples, nice grounds. Shabbos & Yomim Tovim. Call: 845-352-4875

Belle Harbor, corner beach block. Shabbos, Yom Tov & mid-wk. Enjoy fresh ocean air. 2 & 3 BDR apts. Eruv, nr shuls, kosher, 20 min from BP. Summer rentals avail. 347-619-3525

Florida Boca Raton rentals!

Call/Lv msg: 917-589-3673

Large house avail in Airmont for Shabbos Chanukah, can fit up to 5 couples & children, linens & towels prov.

For more info Email: shabbosairmont@gmail.com

Miami Beach, newly renov 1 BDR apt, beautiful ocean view. Call: 347-760-0570

Miami Beach Carriage Club North beautiful 2 BDR, 2 bath, ground floor, avail for the winter season. Call: 347-499-0031

Swan Lake, beautiful, new furnished 2 BDR apt, avail shabbos/weekly, in town, near shul, full kit, bath, linen, C/A, porch, avail until the summer. Day: 718-686-0909 Eve: 347-524-7686

Trucking business for sale! transporting food & equipment for parties & events kosher non-kosher around new york city & the tristate area, consistent clients potential for growth, assets: 3 excellent 24-foot trucks with liftgates (2 w/reefer, 1 dry box). asking $225k.

Email: YYStrucking@gmail.com

OFFICE / SPACE FOR RENT

Monsey House

Magnificent, luxurious, 8 BDR additional BDR may be avail, Large dining/living room. Huge kitchens, backyards, swing sets, etc. Great for getaways & Simchos. Book now Pesach!! 347-831-6836

MONSEY SHABBOS GETAWAY

Spacious 7 BDR house in Concord for Shabbosim. 19+ beds, XL deck & backyard, 3 flr, linens & Shabbos essentials prov. Call: 845-548-6478

Basement storage on 42nd st & Ft Hamilton, separate ent from outside, front room w/windows.

Call: 347-405-4777

BP-44th st, & 13th ave, bsmt-approx 190 SF, $500 a month. Call: 646-595-9544

JOB OPPORTUNITY

A 30-year-old male with mild disabilities who enjoys talking about hatzolah/shomrim/celebrities, etc. & going out to eat is seeking a companion for 1-2 times per week to go out in the evenings. Call: 718-854-2747 Ext 3300

BP. *New Utrecht & mid 50's, prof office spaces, $350 - $1500.

*Mid 50's & NU office rm, $350.

*Mid 50's & 12th bsmt rm, $675.

*Office rms for females, $200+. Broker: 732-708-2004

An Agency is seeking a female to go to a house in Kensington, twice a week to tutor an 11-year-old girl. Email info/resume to: Launchfwd123@gmail.com Put in the subject Kensington

!!MYRTLE BEACH VACATION HOME WINTER SPECIAL!!

A heimishe insurance office looking for an exp insurance account rep, must have good customer service & organizational skills, great oppor & pay! BP & Lakewood. insurancecareersinc@gmail.com

BP Bookkeeping office seeks a F/T secretary, heimish envir, will train. Email resume: Joel@weemanage.com

BP chassidish cheder is looking for a warm & devoted pre-nursery teacher for immediate hire. (BA/Master pref) Email resume to: chederhire2@gmail.com

A Heimishe BP office seeking F/T bookkeeping assistant, must be detailoriented, competitive pay + potential for growth!

Email Resume to: insurancecareersinc@gmail.com

Atedeynu is looking for speech therapists PT, & a special ed teacher to join our team, great pay! Graduate students are eligible to apply Text/call/email: 603-403-7332 Danielle.betesh@appliedabc.com

Bais Yaakov style school in Flatbush seeking a 6th-grade afternoon teacher for all subjects, avail to start immed.

Call: 718-909-8940

Email: csteinfeld@yeshivanet.com

BP Headstart seeking half-day assistants, 1:00-3:30, excellent pay, warm atmosphere.

Email resume to: pjobopening@gmail.com

BP Heimish office seeks P/T & F/T secretary/bookkeeper pleasant envir, nice pay!

Contact: brooklynjob4520@gmail.com

BP real estate office looking to hire P/Tflexible hours & F/T Willing to train.

Email resume: yn@eppmgmt.com

BP Women's Clothing store looking for a sales lady, F/T or P/T, Sunday a must, great pay. Call/Text/Whatsapp: 347-388-6427

Child Center seeking P/T secretary, afternoon hours & Fridays.

Email resume: info@littlegiantscc.com/ Call: 718-577-8486 #101

Children's store in Willi looking for a sales lady. 347-668-4188

Excellent Oppor for P3 provider!! Enhanced Rates! Case #1140. 2nd-gr girl. 4 hrs/wk. Ave L & E 21st Contact: 718-362-6086 ext 102/ rivky@p3connect.com

Looking for a full-time, responsible, and organized person with excellent communication and computer skills to work with parents, workers, and care managers. Responsibilities include coordinating services, recordkeeping, and collaborating with a team.

jobs@hcsny.org

Looking for a male P3 provider for this school year. Call/Text: 917-789-4288

Frum Flatbush office is looking for a resp, enthusiastic office manager. multiple secretary positions avail. services@theintuitionteam.org/ Call: 718-550-1400 Ext 0

Great job oppor as a F/T secretary in a BP office, be appreciated & grow with us, female pref. If you think you are the right candidate, email your resume to: Officeposition24@gmail.com

NYC-based cleaning company looking to add on a F/T commercial/residential field manager, Sunday-Friday. Email your resume to: Office@kleenoh.com

PENDENCY SEIT

Looking to hire a F/T Pendency SEIT in Williamsburg for boys Yeshiva, $90 per hour, amazing supervision. Call: 917-968-2292 (P/T hours can work too).

BOOKKEEPER

Entry Level Yeled V`Yalda BP, qualified candidate will have excellent time management skills, detail-oriented, computer literate, comfortable with MS Word & excel, salary range: $40,000.$45,000.

Email: jobs@yeled.org Call:718-686-2422

Bookkeeping position avail for non-profit in BP, min 5 years bookkeeping & QB exp a must. Admire exp a plus. Email resume to: mosodjobs@gmail.com/ Fax: 732-686-6499

BP Bookkeeping Office seeking F/T account managers. Great environment, multi-girl office. We will train. Team@ringelco.com

Brooklyn kitchen company seeking exp Kitchen Designer, F/T, excellent envir, 70k - 90k salary.

Send Resume to: hr@luxorkitchens.com

Capable, compassionate workers needed! In school & after school hours positions avail, Brooklyn, Queens, & Staten Island, work one on one with children & families with challenging home situations, well paid, high school diploma req. Bachelor’s degree a bonus. Potential for clients during the day as well. Contact Go Forward Services at 718-878-6624 x104/ mhelfgott@goforwardservices.net

Head start in BP seeking family worker, F/T, exceptional interpersonal skills, organizational skills, computer efficient, salary range: $30,000.-$33,000. Email: jobs@yeled.org/ Call: 718-686-2422

Heimish office in BP looking for F/T female secretary. Text: 646-598-4949 Email: padhoffice@gmail.com

Playgroup seeking Yiddish-speaking post/high school girl, for Fridays only. Call/Text: 718-344-6067

Real estate mangmnt co seeking to hire a resp candidate to handle, AP/AR financial assistance, oversee daily prop operations, handle orders, post avail apt. 516-310-1678

Email:waveconewyork@gmail.com

School in BP seeks OT or OTS RSA rate. Call: 347-585-8305

Champion is seeking a F/T employee to join our customer service dep. job duties include recruiting & employee relations.

Candidate must be computer savvy & detail oriented, must have excellent organizational & communication skills.

Forward resume to: jobs@hcsny.org

Join a team that inspires growth day after day, become a care manager, great job for someone looking for work in social services, admin, & therapy (OT, PT, SP/L) male & female candidates, P/T or F/T positions avail, competitive compensation, full benefits package, BA req. Forward resume to: jobs@championny.org

LIFEGUARD Yeled V`Yalda fitness center seeks Lifeguard for Thursdays 9 am-2 pm, $25./Hr. Call: 718-686-2404

Seeking kraft teachers,Yiddish speaking, for a Sunday program, graduates pref, bet-11:00-2:00 Call: 718-619-2757

Seeking male computer IT professional w/ exp, located in central BP. Well paid. 203-989-0907

Seeking playgroup assistant, Yiddish speaking, 10:30-3:00, no Friday, can bring along baby. Call: 718-438-2920

Seeking P/T afternoon secretary for Wed, Thurs & Fri morning, must be comp savvy

& have personable phone skills. work-fromhome option avail. Call/Text: 646-481-9164/ Email resume: Joboffice11219@gmail.com

•Bugaboo chameleon 3, limited edition, Wit bassinet rain cover & bugaboo board, $450.

• Black & floral satin dimensions maternity dress Sz large, $175. Call: 347-486-2258

Classy black w/gold chain brand new

Seeking secretary/ assistant to in assist running an after-school program detail oriented & multi-tasking a must. Email: jobs@hcsny.org

Store in BP looking for saleslady, F/T or P/T.

Call/Text: 917-971-7109

Upstate chassidish bungalow Colony looking for a fun personable & responsible head counselor/ director for girls day campCall for more information: 929-454-3653

Furla crossbody selling for $150/best offer. Call: 347-977-0600

2 Rachels place productions one hundred dollar tickets for January 21st, will sell for less.

Call/Text/Lv msg: 917-544-0596

2 Siberian Goose blankets Queen Sz, yearround weight, used once, $600 each. Call: 646-825-1194/718-851-2012

A few brand new synthetic sheitels, leftover from a salon that closed, $35 each. Call: 718-692-4187

AMERICAN GIRL DOLL, 18"- brand new in box (style#37). Call: 718-930-1648 /1919

Baby bassinet for yoyo stroller aqua color. Call: 347-661-5276

Beautiful black mink coat, approx Sz 2-4-6.

Lv msg/Text: 718-675-6093

Brand new in box LG classic phones, for $180.

Call/Text: 917-843-6715

Brand new Sam Edelman black lace up boots Sz 6 & 6.5, selling for $75 eachoriginally $250, p/u in BP. Call: 347-461-1698

Brand new with tag NEXT Pants. Blackregular fit-school collection. Sz 3 & 9, $12. Call: 718-873-3064

Brochsoni brand new Sz12 black label shirt $15. Call: 917-570-3662

Beautiful jewelry, designer pieces, brand new cond, gold necklace, Shabbos ring, & bangle.

Lv msg/Text: 718-675-6093

Bugaboo Bee 5, just the bassinet Maroon Melange color. Call: 347-439-1236

YDE Girls Elementary School Seeks •P3 providers •AM general studies associate teachers •F/T secretary.

Email Resumes: egresumes@ydeschool.org

JOB WANTED

I am available to work pref-from pref from home P/T, pick up phones, telemarketing, fundraising, & other minor tasks, bilingual. Call/Lv Msg: 718-755-8402

2 Tracfone TCL flip phones, for just $57.99 filtering avail, hurry before it's all gone! Text/Lv msg: 347-377-2108

3 E-90 pink/black e-scooter brand new in box, orig, $179, each, take all 3 for $425, P/U in BP. Call: 718-234-4124

Beautiful stunning perfect cond sefforim shank, 7 units, brown, incl molding 22.5 ft wide, 9.2 ft high, & 16" deep. Call: 718-436-5259

Beautiful women's Ebel watch! Be the only one - new- great price $5500.

Lv msg/Text: 718-675-6093

13 Unlimited ride pass tickets to IPLAY America. Price: $25, free $10 game card incl w/ each ticket. 347-787-1838

Big freezer & coach, for giveaway price. Call: 347-693-8911

Bugaboo travel bag $150 orig, $200 brand new in pkg, also, brand new bugaboo organizer, $40. Call: 347-746-9189

Cutie pullups Sz S/M.

Call/Text: 718-913-5489 D/R chairs & buffet, due to move. Call/Text: 718-213-7017

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

•Beautiful seforim shank, solid wood, gteat cond, H-92", W-112", $2300. •Beautiful armoire, great cond, brown. Call: 347-564-0002

24" white premier gas stove/oven & white LG gas dryer, $300 each, perfect cond, due to move.

Call/Text: 347-353-2307

A brand new doona car seat in box, $300. Call: 718-436-3929

•brand new bugaboo performance winter footmuff & bugaboo diaper bag-black, great price. •Bugaboo Cameleon, black frame w/'Stellar' hood, incl bassinet, great cond.

Call/Text: 917-586-5999

Adorable brand new Zara pink baby jacket, 6-9 & 9-12 months.

Text: 71-913-5489

Black chiffon & lace adult gown for rent, Sz 10-12, $250. Call: 347-786-1821

Boys shoe, black velvet boys loafer Sz 26, $29, serious inquiries only. Call: 347-843-2846

Dusty pink Zara coat 9-12 months runs big for $50, Williamsburg. Call: 646-618-2919

Folding Treadmill. $2,000 half of original price. from Better Health - newexcellent model. Lv msg/Text: 718-675-6093

Brand new appaman coat, $65 Sz 6.

Call/Text: 347-578-1373

Foot massager, brand new in box, heated vibrating foot spa. H&B model number FBM605, blue & white, $40/best offer, pick up in Midwood. Call:718-252-5274

The frum community's one stop for all furniture buying & selling!

Le enfant black bonnet 3-6 months, $24, Yo-yo black bassinet $200.00. Call: 914-474-1805

MARC JACOBS brand new black leather w/gold tone, crossbody was $325.00selling only for $225.00 Call: 718-930-1648 /1919

Midea 1,500 square feet dehumidifier, like new. Call: 347-439-1236

Natural synthetic medium brown wig, blunt cut, selling because cut too short, $650. Call: 347-786-1821

New black MOSCHINO Shabbos dress, great price. Call/Text: 718-812-6307

Rent a blow-up bounce house for your Chanukah party/event, $85 a day. Call: 347-645-6857

•Stunning black & white gown, Sz 2-4.•Mechtenista gown gray, Sz 8-10. Call: 347-546-2419

Samsung S10 phone to sell for $150. Call:718-812-0616

Selling Valco double carriage dark grey like brand new excellent cond, brown leather handle, $499. Call/Text: 917-701-8448

2 beautiful blue gowns, worn once, Sz 14 & 0. Call: 718-338-3945

Custom-made beautiful bridal gown, Sz12-14, tall.

Call/Text: 917-553-7842

Elegant white & light blue gown, adults Sz 14-16, great price. Call: 347-645-6857

2 stunning Valentino gowns, off-white, trimmed in black lace, worn once, Sz 2, great price. Call/Text: 917-723-7176

Shoe Sz 31, perroquet black leather Chain Loafer, new in box. Call/Text: 718-974-2411

Showcase/mirror glass w/light, &+2 smaller showcases, &+ bookcases. Call:718-854-0878

Sz 9 black men's floafers, $35. Call: 347-683-2346

11 adorable cream kids gowns, sizes 4/5-16/18, incl shell & petticoats. Text: 347-668-9348

Beautiful black Mechetanista dress with white beading Sz 12. Text: 718-612-6328

Beautiful black tulle gown, Valentino look, Sz 2-4. Call/Text: 646-823-0973

Exquisite sister of bride gown Sz 0/2, offwhite & black, worn once.

Call/Text: 718-431-3047

Gorgeous off white & cream, Sz 6 & 2 teen gown.

Call/Text: 917-676-9802

Gowns new adorable children's cream & black velvet trim sizes 3-4, 6-7, 8-12. Call: 347-986-8820

Magnificent teen gowns for sister of bride, white/gold. Sz 0 & 6. Call/Text: 718-600-8266

New bugaboo lynx stroller black with aluminum frame + bugaboo black performance footmuff, only $875. Call: 347-564-6560

New costco infant car seat light & comfy dx only $69.99! Call: 347-737-5440

Tickets avail to Jewish Children's Museum, $12/ticket. Value $15. 347-787-1838

Treadmill, barely used, $250, original $550, pick up from Williamsburg. Call: 718-781-9601

Beautiful exquisite black & ivory gown, Sz 0-2, brand new, worn once. Call: 347-497-0453

Beautiful white/mauve sister of the bride gown, women's Sz 6-8. Call/Text: 347-930-2541

Magnificent textured ivory gown with brown velvet detail, custom designed, Sz 0-2.

Text/Call:917-686-5477

One of a kind black velvet gown w/ multicolored beading Sz 10-12 gown. Call/Text for pics: 347-527-9877

New custom gold color nightstand, never used due to wrong color. Call/Text:718-812-6307

New denim blue melange bugaboo hood, newest version with window for fox\lynx\comeleon stroller, $70. Call: 917-982-8162

New Maclaren red Vida bouncer, only $69.99! Call: 347-737-5440

Uppa baby Vista carriage, great cond, new wheels, infant seat w/toddler seat, $350. Text: 929-678-0863

APPAREL FOR SALE

•Ivory & gold gowns, children's Sz 5. ladies Sz 0-2 & 2-4 with room to let out. •Navy gowns.

Call: 718-551-8714

Brand new lace dress, from Englanders, Sz M.

Call: 718-438-1850

Stunning Black gown Sz 2 & 8 for married sis of bride, & for kids some matching white gowns, min fee!!!

Email:elegantdress2wear@gmail.com

Stunning KLADE gowns for sale off-white with little white flowers size 7 & 8 for $100. Call: 646-300-3787

Classy black pre-maternity custom-made gown, Sz 6-8, $450.

Call/Text: 347-351-3822

Teen white & pink gown, worn once. Call: 347-314-5189

Very Elegant custom short black dress, with long chiffon overlay, perfect for that special occasion.

Sz 16, $1000. Call: 347-633-4205

APPAREL FOR RENT OR SALE

•Sophisticated white gown, for high school girl.•2 adorable white with embroidery gowns, sizes 6/8 & 10. Call:718-486-8405/347-351-9280

2 beautiful white kids gowns Sz 6 & 10. Call: 347-452-7416

2 Stunning custom white gowns for sister of bride, 8 & 10 year old girls. Great price. Call/Text: 347-423-2317

2 stunning designer-looking green gowns, sister of the bride, 1 preteen is 18 & another is adult Sz 6, worn only once recently (year 2023). Call: 347 512 8049

APPAREL FOR RENT

SERVICES AYIN HORAH

Adorable fresh white & pink girls gown Sz 2 & 4-5, great price! Call/Text: 347-351-3440

Beautiful adult black & white sister of the bride gown, Sz 8-10. Call/Text: 347-489-9999 for pic.

The renowned Rebetzin Aidel Miller from Yerushalayim Is now available to remove “Ayin Horah” over the phone.

Call: 718-689-1902/516-300-1490

Chair massage! book for your party or event! Women only. Lv msg/Text: 718-675-6093

Beautiful black maternity gown. Call/Text: 347-578-1373

Beautiful gown, black base w/ colored embroidered velvet flowers approx size 8, $350. Pic avail. 347-666-2567 bandsbyzc@gmail.com

Black eyelet gown size 16. Call/Text: 718-926-4318

deedesigngraphic@gmail.com

• •

•

5 simple & elegant children’s gowns green & black velvet, 1 teen coordinated gown. Call:347-668-5271/347-834-4332

Beautiful custom gown teen Sz 0-2 blue gown. Call: 718-483-0639

Current season black & gold Exquisite gown. Size 2. Great price. 718-781-1592

Gown, black & white lace, Sz 8-10, could also work for early maternity.

Call: 718-871-0870

Magnificent & adorable off-white tulle sis of bride gown, can work for approx 7-10 yr old.

Text: 718-926-4773

Black gown Sz 8 velvet top satin bottom, beading by neck & waist very slenderizing, rent-$250. Call: 347-254-8468

Black maternity gown, Sz M. Call: 347-971-2434

Classy, black married sis of bride, Sz 4.

Call: 718-438-1769

BABYSITTER TO SHARE

GARTLECH

Beautiful HANDMADE GARTLECH, hand crochet, hand knit, silks & more with a beautiful gartel bag. Text/ Call: 718-283-4589 wholesale orders avail.

Professional custom photo albums! For every occasion-by Dimenchix. Call: 718-436-9534

BABYSITTING

Exp, heimishe babysitter avail, in my home, 14th & 47th. Newborn - 2 year, small group, Mon-Fri. All year, F/T only. 718-438-1280

Heimishe, exp lady willing to babysit in area of 14th/15th Ave & 50th-60th St, eve & night pref. Call/Lv Msg: 718-755-8402

Heimishe warm babysitter on 18th & 60th, drop-ins welcome. Monday-Friday. Hours: 9-5. Open all year round. 718-232-3096

Looking to share my babysitter starting Sep, 17/50 st, area. Call/Lv msg: 347-372-6090

Heimishe exp dating coach to help your son or daughter navigate their dates or b'shows. Reach out to: 347-304-1360

Light alterations. Please Call: 718-450-4700

CLEANING HELP Hatzlacha cleaning Cleaning homes/ Offices/ Schools. Contact Mr. David at: 718-541-7415

CONSTRUCTION

SPRINTER & MINI VAN SERVICE

Heimishe driver available to do deliveries local & long distance, we shlep with a smile! Call: 718-951-0090

We fix hand knitted/crochet gartlech & make professional fringes. Also, teaching how to knit/crochet. Call: 917-414-3281

ALBUMS

Bathrooms, kitchens, closets, decks, extensions, additions, basements, all electrical, plumbing, carpentry. Lowest prices, fastest service. 718-951-0090

DRIVER

Heimishe driver avail for long-distance & upstate, 6 passengers, large DVD player, also deliveries. Call: 917-773-5147

Advocacy Therapy Services

Gemach Advocate to assist w/ obtaining P3, SETSS, SEIT or related therapy services. 551-236-3578

Baby Bassinet Gemach Call for availability. 347-228-9222

Baby Bassinet Gemach Beautiful brass iron baby bassinet for your simcha. 646-493-4338

Baby Bassinet Gemach Chana Zissel םייח

Williamsburg. 718-237-8715

Baby Gemach (BP) Car seats, Snap & Go stroller, Pack ‘n Play, white bassinet for newborns. 718-854-6829

Baby Carrier Gemach Baby Bjorn-great for vacation & touring. 718-809-9707

Baby Gemach Segula for easy birth from the Kuznitzer Magid. 917-514-9461

Baby Formula Gemach Donate / receive baby formula. 718-782-5145

Baby Formula Gemach Donate / receive Neocate baby formula. Leave Message: 347-385-9188

Baby Scale Gemach In Williamsburg. Text: 347-675-9509

Baby Scale Gemach 718-435-5257

Baby Scale Gemach Located in BP. 718-633-9266 or 718-473-5268

Bentcher Gemach Bentchers for simchas, no charge. בקעי םהרבא ’ר תב ליטאמ אשאס נ”על 718-972-8181

Bed Gemach

Having guests? Need extra bed? Luxury folding beds. Call for availability. 405-345-6831

Bilkelech Gemach Fresh heimishe bilkelech, הלח אשטנעה םירמ ת- לחר ש”פרל .ןעמונעג 347-228-9222

Boot Gemach

Children boots. Donate gently used children’s boots. 718-435-7848

Box Gemach

Borrow up to 100 cardboard boxes for moving. 3 sizes: for books, dishes & clothing. 347-962-1509 / yachnesy@ gmail.com

Baby Spica Cast Gemach Pillow & bean bag chair.

718-288-2279

Bridal Accessory Gemach Gorgeous headpieces, veils, dektichlach. Min cost. BP. 347-680-1701

Bridal Chuppah Card Gemach

Beautiful Tefillah cards for a Chuppah. Free. Kensington. 347-675-0096

Bridal Headpiece/Shoe Gemach

Crowns, veils, long veils & dektich, shoes, petticoats. Min fee. 718-551-8714

Bridal Headpiece Gemach Beautiful selection, Flatbush. 718-737-1844

Bridal Cape Gemach

Beautiful mink capes. White for kallah. Black for mother. Free of charge.

Willi: 718-387-7122/347-5816400

BP: 718-633-3659/917-683-5557

Bridal Cape Gemach Brand new luxurious fur capes for chuppah.

Bridal Chuppah Tefillah Card Gemach

Tehillim, techinos & special tefillah for chosson/kallah. Many locations.

Lv Msg/Text: 347-885-5114

Bridal Chuppah Tefillos Gemach

Laminated tefillos for chuppa. 718-854-1223 or 917-974-0690

Bridal Shoe/Sneaker Rental All sizes. Many styles. White/ black. 917-936-8997

Bridal Shoe Gemach Dance in comfort. White wedge sneakers. Free. Call/Text: 718-755-8105

Bridal Shoe Gemach White kallah shoes. Free. 718-435-1950 or 201-686-1764

Bridal Yom Hachupah Gemach Seder Yom Hachuppah in Yiddish now avail in BP. 718-435-3492

Bridal Yom Hachupah -Kol Tefilos Gemach Beautiful tefilos pamphlet to rent for the Chuppah. Donations to Yad Batya L’kallah. Rochel: 718-258-0415 Chaya: 718-986-0594

Bridal Yom Hachupah Gemach Machzor Lyom Hachuppah. Nusach Sfard & Ashkenaz. 718-837-8853

Bridal Yom Hachupah Gemach BP, Seder Yom Hachupa for Kallahs. 718-972-1892

Briefcase Gemach Grt cond & washed clean. Drop off anytime: 940 45th St. יוליעל רסיא

P/U, Call: 718-436-0936

Bris Gemach Complete package. Lv Msg/Text: 347-461-4925

Bris Gemach

Beautiful bris outfit, poya, pillow & tefillos. Delivery & P/U in BP only. Call/Text: 347-244-2065

Bris Gemach

Nice poyas, pillows & suits for bris. 718-871-7902

Bris Zichron Mordechai Gemach

Bris outfit w/ pillow. Tefillah for bris. Pidyon Haben outfit. Much more. Call/Text: 347-794-1278

Bris Gemach

Take away yellowness of baby before bris, Segula stone avail to be used 4 days before bris. 718-710-8483

Bris Gemach Cards w/ tefilah to be mispalel while baby cries which is ais ratzon. 718-510-5521

Bris Gemach Free Mohel 347-383-5696

Bris Gemach Chusheva Mohel. Free of charge. Will pay for seudas bris. 347-447-9947

Bris Gemach Free Mohel service for people in need. Lv msg will return call same day: 646-637-5092

Bris Gemach Chasdei Zev Bris outfit & pillow free of charge. 917-607-3914

Car Seat Gemach לדניירבו

Front seat occupants & children under 16 in front/back seats must buckle up. Children under 8 must be buckled in appropriate child restrained system. It’s the law. דאמ םתרמשנו Williamsburg: 718-384-4622 Monroe: 845-774-2425 BP: 917-468-7557

Car Seat Gemach Zichron Gedalya השמ ן- ’ילדג נ”על Car, infants & booster seats. 718-438-5451

718-633-8261

Bridal Cape Gemach

Cape & headcover set for chuppah & mitzvah tanz. Lace & fur, $20. 718-438-6250

Bridal Cape Gemach

Lace (x fur), white & off-white capes for chuppah / mitzvah tantz. BP: 718-782-2869

Williamsburg: 718-599-0224

Bridal Cape Gemach Luxurious white fur capes, fresh for chuppah. Black fur capes avail for mother. 718-437-2873

Bridal Cape Gemach White fur capes for chuppah. 718-218-8124

Bris Gemach

Beautiful bris set. Washed & clean. Stunning vach nacht outfit. 718-633-3659 or 917-683-5557

Bris Gemach

Bris pillow from the holy Harav Kanievsky. 646-492-9952

Bris Gemach

Bris outfits & pillow. Flatbush. 917-838-2191

Bris Gemach

New bris pillow & outfit. 718-435-0664

Bris Gemach Poyas, pillows, bris outfits. BP: 718-435-7221-15th & 57th BP: 718-871-5467-12th & 41st Williamsburg: 718-599-5508

CCC Crohn’s Colitis Coalition A div of Chaim Medical Resource. Counseling, referrals, seminars, SCD food gemach & more. Free shiurim, chizuk, news, updates, valuable resources. 718-480-5555

Chair & Table Gemach Call or Text: 347-452-0442

Chair & Table Gemach םולש

7 Folding tables, 24 chairs, coat racks. 718-431-0851

Chair Gemach 12 Chairs to lend. Williamsburg. 718-802-9755

Chair-Up Gemach

10 Comfortable black folding chairs. No charge. Call: 718-853-4966

Chavrusa Gemach

Donate 10% of your time, volunteer to be a chavrusa w/ homebound yid. BP/Williamsburg/Flatbush. 718-438-7871 / Eve: 718-6922898

Chocolate Mold Gemach

BP: 718- 972-4768 Williamsburg: 718-522-3445

Clothing Gemach

Donate clothes, shoes, linens. Great cond only. Call/Text/WhatsApp: 347-816-6406

Clothing Gemach

Seeking ladies clothing, linen, towels, wigs, cz jewelry etc. Helping out Almanos, Kallahs & all those in need! Please Call: 929-276-2404

Coat Rack Gemach Zichron Shlome

Coat racks to lend for any occasion. 718-854-0900

Doona Gemach

Brklyn. Doona avail for medical reason/short period of time. Call: 260-366-6293

Doula - Dona Certified Min fee. רתסא

917-627-3282 הכלמ

Doula Services Exp, extra special price. לחר נ”על ה”ע םחנמ לאומש תב Call: 718-781-5385

Dr. Sarno Book Gemach Book has helped thousands heal from backache, eczema, stomach issues, etc. 347-461-7330

Hat Gemach

Beautiful, updated hats for simchas, small fee. Donate elegant hats. 347-351-1604

Flood Gemach

Dehumidifiers & commercial wet vacs. Flatbush. Call/Text: 347-628-3109

Furniture & Appliance Gemach Menadvim - donate & receive furniture, appliances, toys & more. 718-MENADVIm (636-2384)

Glassware Gemach יולה

Fruit & salad bowls, cake trays, mirror trays, vases, tea lights, candy dishes, cookie jars & plates. Glass shelves. 718-854-3017

Haircut Gemach

Beautiful haircuts for girls. Min fee. 929-290-6568

Hairstyling Gemach

All occasions. Free. Lv Msg/Text: 347-948-5701

Hair Styling Gemach

Professional. For kallah & family. Min cost. Henny: 718-851-9058

Hospital Tznius Nightgown Gemach 347-786-2330

Hospital Bed Capes

To be worn over a hospital gown.

Williamsburg: 718-852-7477 BP: 718-438-1882

Hospital Gown Gemach Bensonhurst. 718-259-0143

Hospital Gown Gemach

Chasdei Miriam. 2 hospital gown styles.

15th & 51st: 718-853-3187 12th & 54th: 718-871-3741 13th & 38th: 718-633-2392 19th & 50th: 718-951-1892

Hospital Gown Gemach

Tznius hospital gowns in compliance w/ hosp req. 718-851-2418 cell: 917-207-5549

Hospital Gown Gemach

Tznius hospital nightgowns in compliance w/ hospital requirements. 718-625-0161/347-998-8455

Infant Massage Gemach

Lessons on how to perform skilled massage to soothe & calm babies. 347-753-1071

Invitation Gemach

We’ll email-blast your wedding invitation to your email list on the day of the wedding. 646-450-4608

GEMS GEMACH

Gemach for Emunah Motivation & Sources

• Transformation Hotline 945218-0956 #549732. Press # / # 100-560. Yiddish/English.

• Rabbi Golombecks Emunah Hotline 732-719-3898

• Chazak Hotline 718-258-2008

• Bnos Melochim Hotline 718906-6451

• TorahAnytime 641-552-5300 Free lending libraries for Emunah books coming soon iY”H!

Ladies Clothing/Shoes Gemach

New ladies clothing & shoes for needy ladies. 718-974-9428

Laptop Gemach

Donate an old yet functioning laptop to help build skills of special needs kids. 646-543-6224 laptopgemach@gmail.com

Life Coaching Gemach Text: 347-215-0600

Lighting Gemach

Lighting bars avail to greatly enhance your event. Min fee. 929-276-2404

Linen Gemach

Having company & short on linen? 718-853-4934

Maternity Coat Gemach

New/gently used maternity coats, $50. Deposit returned. Accepting donations. maternitycoatgemach@gmail. com

Call/Text 7-9PM: 718-635-1710

Maternity Simcha Gemach Gowns/dresses. Call for appt. Also, looking to buy current, elegant maternity gowns/ dresses. 1325 56th • 718-871-2005

Medical Gemach

Donate/receive. Pediatric wheelchairs, walker-shower seat, cast cover for shower, crutches. 718-388-3079

Medical Gemach

Medical Advice & Support Call: 646-239-7319 Email: Mybobbi2@Yahoo.com

Mezuzos Gemach 718-666-7222

Mezuzos / Tefilin Gemach Hasofer of BP 1640-49 / 718-437-7078

Mother’s Milk Gemach

Donate/receive mother’s milk. Leave Message: 718-258-0532

Music Gemach – Simchas Freida

Music & sound equipment. Keyboard, speaker, mike & mixer. 845-459-4226

Musical Kumzitz Gemach

Treat your friends/talmidos to a musical kumzitz. Nashir B’yachad: 347-543-2195

Nursing Lingerie

Conversions Gemach Min Fee. B. Estersohn: 718-437-0428

Otzer Haseforim Gemach Free copies of seforim

718-388-3085

Oz Vehadar Levusha Gemach

Segula Nifla for any Yeshuah: Oz Vehadar Levusha, 40 booklets for 40 days. Call/Text: 347-372-5115

Pack ‘n’ play Gemach (BP) Call in the eve: 718-851-1017

Party Planning Gemach Simchas Rochel. Party planning for your Shabbos simcha, free. 347-385-9090

Pidyan Haben Coin Gemach 5 - 1oz pure silver dollars. Yachov Friedman: 646.419.0782

Pidyon Haben Gemach Baskets for garlic & pillow, tray, etc. 718-851-7964

Pidyan Haben Gemach

Zichron Meir V’Liba All Pidyan Haben needs incl coins & organza bags. 718-252-1517

Pidyan Haben Gemach

Custom design Pidyan Haben box. Frilly w/ blanket & pillow incl.718.633.3659/917.683.5557

Petticoat Gemach

Long petticoat for kallah & family for weddings. 718-809-7252

Power Tool Gemach

Call/Text: 718-813-3479

Project Hour Blessing

Volunteer to assist mothers of multiples w/ baby care. 718-438-9013

Projector Gemach Projectors for simchos, parties & gatherings. Min fee. Call Only: 347-631-1768 1718abcdefg@gmail.com

Pump Gemach New Medela pumps avail short term. 718-853-2382

Pump Gemach Long/short term electric pumps & hospital grade pumps. 718-436-3919

Pump Gemach Gemach in Eretz Yisroel looking for pumps. 718-207-2362

Proposal Gemach

Props: Table, chairs, red carpet, champagne flutes. Brooklyn: 347-628-6079 Lakewood: 347-933-3399

Rabbi Avigdor Miller Gemach

BP. Borrow any Rabbi Miller sefer, free! TorasAvigdor.org/ info@torasAvigdor.org / 732-844-3670

Reflector Belt Gemach Stay safe while walking or biking. Leave Message: 718-853-4966

Relationship Gemach Communication w/ direction with you, family & friends. 347-753-1071

Robe Gemach Donate robes in perfect cond. 718-645-6715 or 718-866-5878

Seuda Challah

Fresh seuda challah for bris seuda/seudas mitzvah. 718-871-3020

Shadchan - Matchmaker Zivug Shainee Only. Strictly confidential. Rabbi Goldstein Rav of Onod: 718-384-5812 or 917-747-0964

Shalom Bayis MP3 Gemach Beautiful speeches in Yiddish on shalom bayis & chinuch on MP3. 718-871-4506

Sheitel Gemach

Donate sheitels to gemach in Eretz Yisroel. 718-837-5091

Sheitel Gemach Donate wigs to a gemach in Eretz Yisroel. 347-675-6526

Sheitel Gemach

Wigs wash & set, repairs, cut & recut, half price. 718-256-0979

Sheitel Gemach

Accepting/donating wigs in good condition. 314-780-4583

Shtreimel Gemach

Shtreimel avail, short term. Refundable deposit requested. Leave Message: 718-851-2790

Simcha Accessories Gemach

Challah deklach, linen napkins, napkin rings. Gemach Zichron Freida Call/Text: 347-558-6050

Simcha Challah Cover Gemach םהרבא

Beautiful challah covers for your simcha. Williamsburg. 718-802-9755

Simcha Gemach

Bechers, challah covers for Simchas. 718-435-4844

Simcha Gemach

Glass bowls & trays to lend. No fee. l”n Shprintza bas Sara Nechuma 718-871-0860

Simcha Gemach

White cubbies for miniature cakes, white ceramic square cake stand & 2 rose bowls, etc for sweet table. דוד השמ ןב ךורב נ”על 917-536-1742

Simcha Gemach

YBZ Beautiful bechers & challah covers. 718-972-1873

Simcha Gemach Tablecloths & props for simchas. 718-387-6620

Simcha Flower Gemach

Donate/receive fresh flowers to enhance another simcha. 347-907-0450

Singles Girls Gemach

Free sessions w/ heimishe licensed therapist. Tue Only, 1 - 5 pm: 347-6514038

Song Gemach

Listen daily to the songs of tzadikim listed in order of yartzeit on Kol Dodi Dofeik. 718-989-6844/845-351-1115 x17

Suppers For Kimpeturins

Fresh hot suppers for kimpeturins & family, delivered by 3:00 in BP, 4:00 in Willi. Min fee. Hashgacha. 718-964-8057

Tablecloth Gemach

6 Crushed velvet pretty blue tablecloths for upsherin/party. 347-598-2927

Tefilin Gemach 917-337-7484

Tehillim Hachida Gemach Segulah for parnassah, zivug & all yeshuos. Get Tehillim Hachida for 40 days. 718-435-8789

Tichel Gemach

Silk Tichlech. Donate / receive tichlech in good cond. 718-854-1514

Tutor Gemach Chasdei Chaim Discount tutoring for all subjects & levels. 347-962-1509 / yachnesy@ gmail.com

Twin Carriage Gemach Lend / rent a twin carriage for week, season or yr. Mint cond only. 718-522-3891

Twin Baby Clothing Gemach Receive / donate baby clothing, newborn - sz 2, brand new cond. (Specializing in layette). Call/Text R. Bornstein: 347-7427189

Water Pump Gemach Flood? Water pump, 50’ hose. (No solids.) 718-633-1850

Wedding Gemach Baby breath wreath, real looking. 718-809-7252

Wedding Kit Gemach

All accessories for kallah/ chosson’s family for wedding night. L”N Perel Gela Bas R’ Shloima

BP: 718-633-0510 or 718-4355193

Monsey: 845-425-2036 or 347351-2947

Wedding Boys Suit Gemach Yismach Yisrael • Sz 9M-8 yrs • 1943 50th St. 347-462-4596

Wedding Cap Gemach

Huge selection & variety of colors & styles. Sun, 4-6 pm. 718-633-1084

Wedding Dresser

For Kallah & Family Text: 347-215-0600

Wedding Wreath GemachFlower Buds (Linked w/ cap gemach). Magnificent wreaths for your princess. 718-633-1084

Wedding Gown Gemach

Crown Heights, for teens/adults. By Appt Only. Call/Text: 347-770-4136

Quick Scheduling: gowngmach. com

Wedding Machteiniste Gown Gemach

Gowns in beautiful cond. Donate/book an appt. 646-250-9755 or 917-588-6377

Wedding Shtick GemachMesamchim

Exquisite & unique designs! Call/Text: 347-407-1964

Wedding Shtick Gemach

Kallah Tumblers. Personalized kallah cups. 631-861-4536 or 347-846-8276 kallahtumblers@gmail.com

Wedding Shtick Gemach

Beautiful arches & more. Min fee & deposit req. 917-862-6087

Wedding Shtick Gemach Arches & other shtick. Min fee. Lv Msg; 347-939-2916

Wig Recut Gemach

Wig recuts for tznius purposes, get $275. 929-640-7453

Wheelchair Gemach

Wheelchair avail short term. 718-633-7708

Wig Gemach - Brooklyn

Accepting human hair wig donations. Any length / color, wearable cond. Drop off / Pick Up Call Berta: 917-474-4305

Etty Fishbein

Blimy Weber

creativecorner!

Avrumi Roth 8

Yides Taub 7

Malky Gluck 4

Gavriel Fischer 4

Matti Goldberg 5

Mimi Greenfeld

Libby Schwimmer 5

Berish Englander

Diny Mann

Matty

Nehorai Halevy 5

Daniel D.

Eli Salamon

Leah Horowitz

Chaim Fisch

Yitzchok Goldhirsch

Blimy

Naftula

Family Lowenstein

Aidy

KIDS LINK

By: Esther S.

Cartoon Corner

Story

R’ Yissocher Dov of Belz once came into a Shul to find a Soldier sitting and learning. After many hours of watching this soldier learn, he went over to him.

“I’m amazed.” He said, “I’m watching you learn and learn. You don’t stop for anything. I’m so impressed.”

The soldier replied, “This is something I undertook many years ago. I’m a soldier in the army and I need to fight on Shabbos also. I had asked my commander if I can have Shabbos off so that I don’t need to be Mechalel Shabbos but he said ‘no.’ I told him that I’ll work extra hours every day in order to be able to get Shabbos off. He finally agreed, and I told myself that I will dedicate the entire Shabbos to learning. And this is what I do!”

R’ Yissocher Dov of Belz was speechless and then said, “It’s people like you, who hold Moshiach back from coming, because of the great Nachas Ruach you give to Hashem!”

"The color of springtime is flowers; the color of winter is in our imagination"

By: Esther S.

KIDSLINK

? Did You Know

Snow is not white; it is totally clear. The word Chionophobia is used to describe the condition of being afraid of snow. Snowflakes exist in more than 35 different shapes and sizes.

Police, animal control officers and members of the community participated in a chase Sunday when a goat ran loose through a Utah city. Taylorsville residents said emergency responders and volunteer goat wranglers chased the animal for more than an hour Sunday. Police said the goat was spotted attempting to break into a home before finally being wrangled in a resident's back yard.

Anecdote

Winter is Mine

Some people don’t like winter, Some people think it’s too cold, I think they just like to complain, Or maybe they’re just too old.

I like bundling up, In coats with boots on my feet, I like to see my breath fog up, In the rain, or snow or sleet.

Riddles

How are minus zero, negative zero and below zero the same?

I can be round, white and shaped like a ball yet I cannot be dribbled or bounced at all. What am I?

What is a snowman’s favorite smell?

A snowball. 3) Carrots.

1) They are all ridiculously cold. 2)

I like to break off icicles, And break them for a drink, In the winter the world goes quiet, I like to listen and think.

Some people don’t like winter, I say they just don’t get it, You might want sunshine all day, But I say you can forget it!

“One kind word can warm three winter months”

Color the page according to the color of the outline.

Kraft it!

In each line, find and circle around the object that’s different.

When you’re done, send a picture to info@weeklylink.com

CHESED ORGANIZATIONS

GEMACH HATZOLAH- K.J. 845.782.5376

GEMACH MEDICATIONS B.P. 12TH AVE. 718.435.8266 over the counter Medications at night or shabbos and yom tov

MEDICAL CHAIN GEMACH 718.435.0748 All medical supplies - donations excepted

GEMACH WOUND HEALING WILLIAMSBURG 718.709.6525 Burns, wound and mrsa

- H -

HEBREW INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF 718.377.7507 Services for the Hearing Disabled

HEARING IMPAIRED CHILDREN 845.425.4138

A group of mothers meet regularly in Monsey. Networking and information also available.

HILF - WILLIAMSBURG/BORO PARK 718.388.8088

- I -

IMCHA 718.435.3312 jfischer@imcha.org Mrs. Judy Fischer Integrated Medical Care and Advocacy Medical & Mental Health

IM’CHAYA 718.854.2222

Offering Apple iPad devices free of charge, for short time use. For patients in Maimonides Hospital. Each device is preloaded with Jewish music, games, books.

- J -

JEWISH CROHN’S & COLITIS SUPPORT GROUP 718-63-JCCSG (718-635-2274) www.JCCSG.org Support group for Crohn’s Disease and colitis

JEWISH DIABETES ASSOCIATION 718.303.5955 • 917.963.8143

Information and Support for those affected with Diabetes

JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 800.995.1888

Support services and assistance for the visually impaired

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KAPAYIM 718.412.8560 Assistance & Entertainment for pediatric patients & their families KESSER MALKA 718.853.7674 Daily routes to Hospitals in NYC area

KIDNEY DONORS 917.627.8336 To donate a kidney or to speak to others who have done so.

KIDS OF COURAGE 516.612.8844 Patient Entertainment for children and young adults with serious medical diagnoses

KNAFAYIM-WINGS OF HOPE 917.627.5528 mklaristenfeld@gmail.com The premier organization helping, supporting and guiding families facing pregnancy and baby loss

KOILE SHEMA INSTITUTE 718.781.5752 Email: 7815752@gmail.com Support for hearing impaired

KOL HACHESED HELP LINE 718.705.5000 Telephone hotline with all medical services & Chesed Organization

Kosher Kare ANywhere 973.373.5500 orders@kosherkare.org provides kosher meals in areas that dont have kosher food

- L -

LEV ROCHEL BIKUR CHOLIM - LAKWOOD 732.905.3020 - 24/7 Emergency Hotline: 866.905.3020 Telephone hotline with all medical services & Chesed Organization

LINAS HATZEDEK K.J. 845.783.6909

LINAS HAMITZVA - WILLIAMSBURG 718.436.5052

- M -

MAGEN AVROHOM 718.222.4321 Guidance and support for families dealing with eating disorders

MECHON L’HORAAH HALACHA LINE 845.352.4934/845.425.2242 24 Hours in case of emergency

MEKIMI 866.635.4641 mekimi@mekimi.org Cheer Up Squad for Patients in Hospitals and free digital entertainment library

MEOIROS 718.624.7908

Help for families that went through a tragedy

MISASKIM 718.584.4548 / 877.243.7336

MILES FOR LIFE-KANFEI CHAIM 845.492.3131 info@milesforlife.org www.milesforlife. org

Donating flight miles for patients

MISAMEACH 877.905.8181/732.905.9191 info@misameach.org www.misameach. org

Providing entertainment, arts and crafts, major family events, DVD library plus more for the homebound and hospitalized patients.

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NEFESH 201.384.0084

The international association of Orthodox Mental Professionals

N’SHEI AHAVAS CHESED 718.436.7265 Food for Kimpeturin

N’SHEI C.A.R.E.S. 718.851.3191

Support group for caregivers of a spouse, parent or relative with a physical or mental disability.

N’SHEI CHAYIL 718.964.8057

Providing hot fresh suppers for kimpeturins & their family With small fee

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OJ KOSHER MENU 718.782.0063

Providing kosher food in all US hospitals upon request

OSTOMY GEMACH 347.742.1868

Education and support for Crohn’s disease & colitis including Ostomy Supplies Gemach ”Donate or Recive”

- P -

PREEMIE LINKS OF REGIONAL BIKUR CHOLIM 888.552.4587 EXT. 82 / 888.246.8811

Network of information and support for Preemie Children

PROCREATIVE CONSULTANTS 718.387.8523 • aron@procons.org

Support & Guidance for couples experiencing infertility

PESHA EIAS BIKUR CHOLIM D’BOBOV 718.851.1632/212.575.0008

Medical referrals for Brooklyn

CHESED ORGANIZATIONS

- R -

RABBI AVROHOM FRIEDLANDER (Hivnover Rav) 347.436.6220

Addressing Medical & Kashrus Shailos in regards to hospitals, nursing homes, etc.

RABBI HERSHEL AUSCH (Volkaner Rav) 718.237.2112 (4-6 pm 718.435.1502) Medical Referral & Halachic Guidance

RABBI ITZIK TWERSKY SHLIT”A 718.614.3434 Medical Referral

RABBI ZISHA AUSCH (Dayan in Willi.) 718.496.4911 Rabbi.ausch@gmail.com Medical Referrals & Halachic Guidance

R.C.C.S. 718.722.4722 Financial Assistance for health insurance premiums

REFUAH HELPLINE 845.782.2000 Mrs. Landau

REFUAH RESOURCES 718.437.7474 Rabbi Shuki Berman

REFUAH V’CHESED 646.220.2720 Medical Referrals for Cancer & Complicated Diseases

REFUAH YESHUAH 718.436.0666 Medical assistance for people living in Israel

RELIEF RESOURCES 718.431.9501 Medical referral & Guidance for Mental Health Care

RENEWAL 718.431.9831 A Comprehensive Resource for Kidney Donors and Recipients

REGIONAL BIKUR CHOLIM OF MONROE 845.783.4500 / 888.552.4587 Wide range of Bikur Cholim services including Medical Referrals

RIVKA LAUFER BIKUR CHOLIM 718.851.6920

RODEPH CHESED VOLUNTEER AMBULETTE 718.435.9229

- S -

SATMAR BIKUR CHOLIM (Bus Schedule to NYC Hospitals) Boro Park 718.854.5900 Flatbush 718.253.3119 Williamsburg 718.387.0546 Willi. Driver: 347.423.6406

SATMAR BIKUR CHOLIM/ MONSEY CHAPTER 914. 419.6287 Financial Assistance

SOMACH NOIFLIM 845.537.1039 A Support Group for Parents of Children with Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders

SHARSHERET 866.474.2774 http://www.sharsheret.org Support for young Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer

SHVILHACHESED-NEW SQUARE 845.354.3300

Daily hospital shuttle Schedule: 845.354.3233 Driver: 845.304.1072

SFUSEINI - HELP FOR SPEECH PROBLEMS 845.783.4500 #315

SPARKS 718.277.2757

Serving Pre & Post Natal Women and Families with Awarness, Relief, Knowledge, & Support

SPECIAL CARE FOR FAMILIES & CHILDREN FOR SPECIAL NEEDS 718.252.3365 Medicaid waiver agency for mentally disabled children

SULLIVAN COUNTY BIKUR CHOLIM 845.554.3066 scbc2005@gmail.com Bikur Cholim and medical referral services in Sullivan County

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TAFKID 718.252.2236 Parent support group for challenged children

TZNIUS HOSPITAL GOWNS WILLIAMSBURG 718.875.2458 • 718.782.6760 • 718.387.2290 B.P. 718.853.3187 K.J. 845.783.3504 • 845.782.7284 MONSEY845.425.8687 Mrs. C. Gertner

TANTZERS 917.474.6220

Group of volunteers available to dance at simchas

TFILUS RABIM - DAVEN WITH MINYAN 212-493-3636 Live Minyan hookup for Cholei Yisroel

THE MEDICAL CHAIN (KESHER) 718.435.0748

Gmach for all medical supplies in Brooklyn

THE YEHUDA MEMORIAL CENTER 866.287.6081

Jewish Hospitality Rooms

TIKVAS EFRAIM 718.377.8458

After School Program for Differently Abled Children -

V -

VAAD REFUAH HOTLINE 877.973.3824

Medical referrals & patient advocacy to assist patients in NYC hospital

VITAL ONE - ISSAC LIEDER 888.961.5030 info@vitalone.org

Emergency medical transfers and search and rescue missions

- Y -

YACHED D’BOBOV 718.851.2500

All Bikur Cholim needs, medical refferal & medical supply g’mach

YAD EPHRAIM 718.431.0404

Heartwarming Heimeshe hospital meals for someone spending time in Maimonides and other local hospitals. Patient care and family support as well.

YAD RACHEL HELPLINE LAKEWOOD 732.364.4IMA / 732.987.9343

Postpartum Depression Care

YAMEITZ LIBECHU 718.501.7537/347.305.3229

Support group & medical referrals for congenital heart defects

YEDEI CHESED 845.425.0887 Services for Special Children

YEDIDIM - K.J. 845.774.1174

YESH TICKVA - LYME DISEASE 347.389.5963

Medical referral & Support for Lyme Disease patients

- Z -

ZICHARON 718.534.1008

Support groups for caregivers dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

ZICHRON SHLOME REFUAH FUND 718.438.9355

Financial support for cancer patients & their families

Meet Mrs. Klein*, one of Dr. Stein’s devoted secretaries.

Mrs. Klein: I worked for Dr. Stein when she still had her private practice. I loved working there. She had very nice people working for her. The atmosphere was unusually friendly and warm. Dr. Stein was very understanding of her staff’s personal lives. What are the plusses and minuses of being a doctor’s secretary?

There were many plusses. For one, I appreciated being able to help a doctor, even though I didn’t have a college degree. I also loved helping yiddishe kinder. It was hard, though, to work full time. When I went to work in the morning I didn’t know when I would come home. Oh, I knew an approximate time, but when it was busy season, I’d have to wait until all the patients were seen.

How does the scheduling work in a doctor’s office? Are there quiet days where hardly anyone shows up? It’s not something a doctor can predict…

Yes, believe it or not, there were some quiet days. Snow days are usually the quietest and some smart mothers would brave the weather and come with their children for well-visits on snow days. The kids were home, the office was quiet, what better time for well-visits? But we secretaries didn’t just do appointment scheduling. When it was quieter, we took care of other matters such as billing. (The billing was partially taken care of in the office and partially by a billing company.) Other office work that we’d do was calling patients and reminding them about their well-visits and more. The insurance companies keep track of every visit and they’d send us reminders to call patients to keep

What do you have to say about the busy

flu-shot season. Camp season was also busy, but Dr. Stein went out of her way and made night hours to accommodate the teens, so that was more manageable.

As a pediatrician’s secretary you are often dealing with frazzled, stressedout parents. How did you deal with those parents?

We didn’t have difficult parents. It was very rare for us to get stuck. We were working with Heimishe people.

What were the most common issues patients would call in with?

There were all sorts of issues. Oh, this was common. Children would come in complaining about one issue or another and it often turned out to be an excuse not to have to go to school. The children were fine. Dr. Stein called it schoolitis.

From your doctor’s secretary’s viewpoint, is there anything you’d like to bring to people’s attention?

When you are coming for a well-visit, please specify how many children you would like to be seen. Please don’t walk in for the last appointment with five children in tow, expecting them all to be seen. If you want them to be seen, you would need more than one appointment.

Also, when you see me in the streets and I don’t know who you are, please understand that although our office was such a friendly place, I have a hard time remembering all parents’ faces. So please forgive me if I appear blank when you greet me.

All in all, it was a pleasure working for Dr. Stein as her secretary. I miss it very much.

CHESED ORGANIZATIONS

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ACHIEZER COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER 516.791.4444

Community resource in numerous situations in Far Rockaway, Five Towns & Long Island area

A T.I.M.E. 718.687.8912

A Torah infertility medium of exchange: Medical Referrals, Support Groups, advocacy, education, and guidance

AKERES HABAYIS 718.435.8044 A support Group For women during bedrest

ANCHOR 718.307.7892

Advice, Support, Referral for Postpartum Depression

ASKEN.ORG 518.217.8887 Support@askan.org www.Askan.Org Help In Finding the Right Organization and people to assist

- B -

BEINEINU • 347.743.4900 www.beineinu.org Network of information and support for parents of special needs children

BEIN-ISH UBEIN UCHIV 347.743.4872 Helping seriously ill patients and their family every step of the way

BIKUR CHOLIM APARTMENTS 718.854.3650

Temporary apartments arranged for those in need of medical treatment.

BIKUR CHOLIM OF BORO PARK 718.438.2020

BIKUR CHOLIM OF SATMAR (KITCHEN) 718.387.7749

Fresh meals delivered daily to patients at NYC area hospitals upon request

BIKUR CHOLIM OF ROCKLAND COUNTY 718.425.7877

BINA STROKE & BRAIN INJURY ASSISTANCE 718.645.6400 Services to families dealing with the difficult aftermath of Stroke & Brain Surgery

BONEI OLAM 718.252.1212 A worldwide organization that assists with funding for all aspects of infertility related treatments

- C -

CARING & SHARING 718.596.3130 Outreach & Support for Families of Children with Cancer

CENTER FOR RARE JEWISH GENETIC DISORDERS (BONEI OLAM) 718.301.9774 medical@boneiolam.org Support & Counseling on Genetic Disorders

CHAI LIFELINE 212.465.1300 International non-profit org. dedicated to meeting the non-medical needs of seriously ill children & families

CHAIM MEDICAL RESEARCH 845.492.8700

CHAYIM ARUCHIM 718.535.9061 chayimaruchim@agudathisrael.org Help for End of Life Issues, To download a proxy form visit www. chayimaruchim.com

CHASDEI AVOS DAY: 718-377-3273 EVE: 718-692-2898 LAKEWOOD 732-901-9035 MONROE/MONSEY 845-425-6640 Volunteer Chavrisa To Learn With Homebound

CHASUDIM OF ROCKLAND 845.426.5555 Referral services for all areas: Food, Transportation, Medical, Income, harmony, Legal, etc.

CHESED - BORO PARK 718.431.0111 Free Transportation to and from Hospitals

CHESED - MONSEY 718.425.4070 Free Transportation to and from Hospitals

CHESED - WILLIAMSBURG 718.218.9000

Free Transportation to and from Hospitals

CHESED SHEL EMES 718.436.2121 917.559.8250

24/6 Hour Hotline

CHESED 24/7 OF NEW SQUARE 845.354.3233

Fresh meals delivered to hospitals upon request, Plus all Bikur Cholim needs

CF SOCIETY 718.866.9000 www.cfsociety.org Support for Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

CHILD-LIFE SOCIETY 718.853.7123 Assists jewish children and adults with Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

CROHN’S DISEASE NETWORK 347.668.4402 Support network for Crohn’s Disease

CSB CARE - COMPUTER SCIENCES FOR THE BLIND 718.837.4549

Provides a wide range of services for the

COUNT ME IN 718.388.5465

Enhancing the quality of life of all people with Developmental Disabilities. (Down Syndrome, Education, Rehabilitation of the people, their families.

CROHNS/COLITIS COALITION 845.492.8700 #2 • ccc.cmresource.org Hotline 718.480.5555

Support network & medical referral regarding Chrohn’s Disease

- D -

DIALYSIS AND KIDNEY FAILURE SUPPORT GROUP 646.525.0016

DOR YESHORIM 718.384.6060

Committee for Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases

- E -

ECHO-NYC 718.859.9800

Provides doctor referrals and help.

ECHO-UPSTATE 845.425.9750 Provides doctor referrals and help.

EZRA LEMARPE MEDICAL REFERRALS (Rav Meilich Firer’s Organization) 718 435 9788

Rabbi Dovid Orlander, Director USA

EIZER LEHATZOLAH - K.J. 845.783.1440 a medical supply gemach

- F -

FRIENDS WITH DIABETES 845.352.7532

RabbiMeisels@FriendsWithDiabetes.org

Support group & informational services for Type 1 Diabetes

FOCUS ON LIFE 917.705.4146 WWW.FOCUSONLIFE.ORG

Patient advocacy & referrals for bone marrow or stem cell transplants for cancer patients

- G -

GIFT OF LIFE. BONE MARROW 800.962.7769

Help for bone marrow transplant

The Bostoner Rebbetzin a”h was an expert on all methods of healing. She was very ahead of her times. She did acupuncture, acupressure… I recall eating breakfast with her one day and watching her give the Rebbi a handful of vitamins along with his food. He looked at her, rolled his eyes, but he took them. The Rebbetzin told me, “You have to listen to the doctor, but these things also work.”

I am not opposed to alternative, but I want to know that the natural products have been monitored. That my patient won’t vomit for four hours straight because of a natural product. Marijuana is also natural. A lot of herbal markets are not studied. On the other hand, I believe in a healthy lifestyle- diet, exercise, Vitamin D… rather than turning to medication as a quick fix. As a side point, many drug reps were not coming to my office when I had a private practice, because I wasn’t prescribing enough medication.

What do you say about the pharmaceutical companies? Do you feel that they are completely transparent?

Pharmaceutical companies push medication. They come down, bring lunch and push their products. Those with seichel study them, learn how it interacts with the body and other medications and decide if they want to use it. I don’t usually try new medications until they’ve been out for a year or two, and I’ve had enough time to see if they are safe and if they work.

Now, back to the question about what issues I want to bring to people’s attention: Another thing people should know, is that it’s very important to stick to one doctor. I know my patients so well, I can often even sense their shalom bayis. I am able to treat those patients better than those who I don’t know well, because I get a much better, clearer picture. When you create a relationship with your doctor you get much better care. Find the right doctor for you, the right shliach. Also, know that Urgent

Cares are mini emergency rooms. They can have great doctors- don’t get me wrong. But they will be missing the full picture that a family doctor who knows you well, will get. Just like we don’t go Rebbi shopping, don’t go doctor shopping.

Any interesting stories that happened over the many years of your practicing?

Oh, there are all sorts of stories, let me see what I can remember….

A mother once came to me and told me that her friend told her to put tea on her son’s conjunctivitis (cold in the eye). She poured tea over his eyes instead of placing (not too hot!) tea bags over his eyes to treat the infection. There are some heartbreaking stories such as the little baby who died from sepsis. He had no fever, he just passed away in his sleep. That’s why we are so careful when little babies get sick. I also dealt with a patient’s parent who suffered from a unique psychological disorder called Munchausen by proxywhere a caregiver will fake illness on their charge to get attention. There are all sorts of stories.

What are common issues that you keep dealing with?

There’s this widely-believed myth that Tylenol is safer than Motrin, but the opposite is true. Motrin, from age six months and up is safer. There is also more strep phobia in our community.

Is there more strep in our community in comparison to other communities?

You mean other city-communities? I don’t think so. We live squished together, I would say it’s more cultural. We have larger families, mingle more, Shabbos, Yom Tov, Simchos... so things spread faster.

Dr. Stein, here’s a big one. What’s it like

to be a mommy and a doctor, at the same time?

I try to separate the two personas. I am a very anxious mother when it comes to my children’s health. I remember calling Dr. Diamond in the middle of the night, in tears, about my child who wasn’t feeling well. He said, if it wasn’t MY child (as a pediatrician), he’d send the child to the emergency room. I went to the emergency room despite what he said and they laughed me out of there. It’s very hard for me to be objective as a parent. I don’t give my kids their shots myself, but I will do something simple such as strep cultures for them. I told my son that I will be my granddaughter's Bubby, not her doctor.

But being a mommy and a doctor is actually a strength. Mothers feel that they can very much relate to me. For example, I know what it’s like to tell a mother to give her child medication every six hours. I’ll say, let’s work this out, let’s see how we can make it work. Men can be very involved, but they tend to go by the book. As a mother, I think I have a better perspective on what works.

Dr. Stein, would you recommend your kids to become doctors?

No. If they’d want to become doctors, I’d recommend that they become nurse practitioners. Since Obamacare started in this country, they’re slowly getting rid of doctors. Nurse practitioners get paid nearly the same amount as doctors with less schooling. Medical school is very expensive and all consuming. You can’t work and go to medical school at the same time. Medical residents make less than minimum wage. The era of doctors becoming millionaires is over. Doctors are not making huge amounts of money like they used to;

Obamacare is phasing everything out. We are moving towards socialized medicine. Many doctors with small private practices can’t make it financially and need to pool together with other doctors to survive.

What

do you say about Obamacare?

My in-laws are from Australia. I think the Australian system is the best. They have something akin to Medicaid for everyone, but you can buy private insurance and have private doctors, too. So, you have the best of both worlds, insurance for everyone and good, motivated doctors (for those who want to pay).

This is the change I’d love to see.

Here we have insurance, co-insurance, co-pays and deductibles. We have insurance and we are still paying so much.

What’s it like to treat patients from your own community, people that you know well?

It’s been nice. It’s nice to work with the people I know. My two oldest sons’ shidduchim came through my patients’ parents.

Do you have a parting message to us?

Yes. Doctors are not Hashem and good doctors will not think that they are. If you are not satisfied with what your doctor said, feel free to get second opinion. A good doctor will not mind. And feel free to discuss what your doctor said with your Rebbe.

And, remember, we can’t cure everything. Only Hashem can and may he speedily cure us from all sickness and pain.

for regular family life. I also wanted to work primarily with children, so, I decided to do pediatrics. I applied to residency programs all over the US with my eye on Shomer Shabbos residency programs. I flew to different Jewish communities to be interviewed, such as St. Louis and Denver. The only two Shomer Shabbos programs were in New York (Maimonides) or Chicago. When I asked my Rav where to apply he told me to try to stay local as residency is so demanding (I already had one baby at that time) and as my family is in Baltimore, I’d have more help.

Residency programs work like this: Applicants for residency programs make a list of their top ten choices. Residency programs and colleges from all over the US also make a list of the applicants they want. These lists are fed into a computer which matches them up. On a day called Matching Day (it’s a very big day, applicants bring along their families and friends to celebrate) students are told where they are going to be for residency. It’s sort of a goral done by computer. In my school, each time an applicant’s match is called out he puts a dollar into a barrel. The last applicant to be called out gets all the money from the barrel.

I was matched with Maimonides. My husband was in Kollel then, I had one baby and we moved to Boro Park. I completed my residency and then got my first job with Dr. Rosen in Crown Heights. At a dinner for his yeshiva my husband met two friends, Dr. Dick and Dr. Begun, who had opened a practice in Williamsburg and they expressed interest in opening another practice in Boro Park. I partnered with them at the beginning and after a few years took over the practice (as we had originally made up). For many years I had my own successful practice Baruch Hashem, but times were changing with Obamacare, and I saw where the country was headed. I realized that doctors with small practices will not be able to make it financially, so I partnered with NYU. That was the beginning of the end of my private practice. It did not work out and now I am gratefully treating Yiddishe kinder in Dr. Diamond’s practice.

What do you like most about being a doctor?

I love to be able to help people.

What do you dislike the most?

I dislike the insurance system. If you were running a gift shop, you’d be the one to decide how much to charge for the things you sell. For doctors, the insurance companies decide. They tell you what tests to take, what medications to take, how long to take them. It’s very frustrating for me if I know that my patient needs an MRI and the insurance company denies it. Insurance companies have their own doctors who decide about treatment but they are usually very money oriented.

Another part that’s hard for me as a doctor is when I know what needs to be done for a child and parents are not compliant. Parents may have different ideas or sometimes they are simply negligent. When I know of a treatment that works, based on scientific evidence (to the best of my knowledge, I am not Hashem) and the parents disregard it, that is hard for me. I so strongly want to help their child.

Is there anything that you think would surprise people about being a doctor?

I think people would be surprised by how much we care.

- Excuse me for interrupting Dr. Stein, but I don’t think

that’s surprising about you-

Thank you. But many times, doctors can come across as gruff and paternalistic. I think it’s important for people to know that a doctor may have been upset because he is frustrated that the patient is not getting better. Of course, there are some difficult doctors, but for the most part, we really care.

We are also constantly learning and updating our knowledge. We need 50 hours of continuous education throughout the year. We take an exam every three months (it used to be once every ten years). It is part of a four-part program over the course of five years that is needed for us to maintain our licenses. We keep updating our knowledge about infectious diseases, infection control, latest regulations, studies and so much more. The medical field is very well-regulated. We don’t just become doctors and then stop learning. There are lots of rules and regulation that we may and may not do. For example, I can do stitches but I cannot do surgery. If I’d like to sub-specialize in a particular field, I’d need another 2-3 years of training.

Medical school today is very expensive. All my schooling, from all the years that I attended medical school, costs as much as one year of medical school today! And then there’s the malpractice insurance which is super expensive. (Incidentally, pediatrics has one of the cheaper malpractice insurance rates. Obstetrics malpractice insurance, on the other hand, costs a fortune.)

Doctors may make high salaries, but it costs lots of money to be a doctor.

What are issues that keep coming up for you as a doctor that you’d like to bring to our attention?

A lot of people think they know more than the doctor. We don’t know everything. We do the best we can, but we learned a lot and keep on learning. And our knowledge is based on solid scientific research. It’s frustrating when parents say “My friend said…” when I am offering you solidly researched advice. I can’t and won’t force a parent to do something. But, it’s one thing for a parent to suggest, ‘let’s discuss this different option, I heard that ____ may work’, I don’t mind that. What bothers me is when I have solid advice and the parent insists on doing something that is purely anecdotal. In my twenty-two years of practice, I am noticing this distrust in doctors grow more and more. Its is not just me noticing it, this lack of trust is a growing trend in this country.

Do you think it’s a result of Covid?

This wariness with the medical world was here before Covid. Covid just accelerated it.

If I have a question in law, I ask a lawyer. If you have a question about healthcare, you ask a doctor. Some people see me as a medication dispenser, rather than a doctor with years of experience, knowledge and the ability to network with other doctors and professionals. (We network all the time. We even have a frum chat group called Orthodocs.) This can get challenging, because as we say, “rule #1 in pediatrics is Listen to the Mother”. But sometimes the mothers are misguided by what they have heard from other sources.

What is your take on alternative medicine?

Alternative medicine can work. And if it’s safe and it works, that’s great. But the problem with the alternative market is that it’s mostly unregulated. As a doctor, I need to know that the medication I am prescribing is safe. If it has side effects, I want to know what they are and if/how they interact with other medications and medical conditions.

People should understand that natural supplements

that work are also medications (and if they don’t work, they are not worth anything). Did you know that legally there is no need for vitamins and supplements to contain what they profess to contain? Medications are studied with double-blind studies (where both the participants and researchers will not know who has been given the real medication or the placebo). Those are the most effective studies.

TO DOCTOR WITH CARE

By: B. Schwartz

To some of us, doctors may seem to take on hallowed existences. Almost like little children who think that their teachers live in school and do nothing other than teach them, we sometimes forget that the doctor with the stethoscope strung around his/her neck, is a person with a rich life outside the office, too.

It is my pleasure to introduce Dr. Rivka Stein to you, in the following interview. It was a treat to schmooze with her without crying toddlers and wiggling babies in the background. (Yes, she is my children’s pediatrician.) Talking to Dr. Stein about her life, deepened my (already present) respect for her and increased my feelings of gratitude to Hashem for sending such a wonderful shliach my family’s way.

MEET DR. RIVKA STEIN:

Dr. Stein, can you tell us more about yourself?

Sure. I’m Rivka Stein, MD. I wanted to be a doctor from when I was two years old- that’s what my parents tell me. Originally, I wanted to go into emergency medicine(working in the emergency room) because of the action, the drama, the wide scope of issues the doctors deal with, but I dropped that dream because the hours would not work with a Shomer Shabbos Yiddishe Mamme.

I grew up in Baltimore. My father is a chassid from R’ Levi Yitzchok Horowitz a”h, the Bostoner Rebbi. When I was in seminary in Eretz Yisroel, I was accepted into Laniado Hospital’s nursing school. At that time, I had given up on my dreams of becoming a doctor because I felt it would interfere with being a Mommy. I went to the Bostoner Rebbi- (he spent part of the year in Eretz Yisroel and part of the year in the US) to ask him what I should do, and he sent me back to America.

When I came back to Baltimore, I went to a college that was known for its good acceptance rate in medical schools. I got my bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in education. In my third year of college, I needed to decide what I would major in. Once again,

I went to Boston to consult with the Bostoner Rebbi. I asked him if I should go to medical school. He did not answer. Instead, he gave me a twenty-minute lecture on the importance of being an eim b’yisroel. I asked the Rebbetzin, who, by the way, was very knowledgeable in all things medical, what to do. The Rebbi was not giving me a clear answer, I said to her. She said to me, “we don’t tell our chassidim what to do”.

I had a bachelors in science with a minor in education. I decided to be a good Bais Yaakov girl and to become a teacher. I went back to teach in the school that I myself attended when I was a girl. I was a terrible teacher. My science teacher, a non-frum but very Jewish woman, named Mrs. Oshry, asked me, “Rivka, why are you doing this?” She knew that I had my heart set on becoming a doctor. I told her why. She looked me in the eye and said, “Go to medical school.”

I decided to apply once and see what would happen. I got accepted to my first-choice school - The University of Maryland. There were four frum people in my grade of about sixty.

It is in the third year of medical school that you have to decide what field you’d like to go into. Like I said before, I was thinking about emergency medicine but gave that up because I realized it would be too hard

Show empathy to another person. Take responsibility for your actions.

Think before speaking or acting.

Compromise.

Disagree respectfully.

Accept different opinions.

Apologize respectfully.

Reflect on a good or bad decision.

Regulate your emotions. Use positive words to communicate. Make eye contact when speaking with people. Identify one action that impacted others.

Practice using personal space.

Resolve conflict peacefully.

Use self control. Read non-verbal social cues.

Take a risk for something new.

Celebrate someone else's successes.

Use appropriate manners. Wait patiently.

Work together with someone on a task or project.

Ask permision before doing or borrowing.

Take turns in a conversation.

Give someone a compliment.

Spend time with a friend.

Offer help or support. Use appropriate voice, tone and volume.

Set up a healthy routine.

Accept critisicm gracefully.

Forgive someone.

• Sleep. Sleep gives you the ability to recharge and have energy for the day ahead.

2. Breathe. Deep breathing slows down your stress response. If you practice deep breathing even when you are not anxious, you can more easily use it when you are in a stressful situation.

3. Mindful awareness. Close your eyes and pay attention to your body. How does it feel to breathe? Do you feel your heart beat? Can you feel your stomach rumble? Now, focus your attention away from your body. What do you smell? Hear? Last, shift your attention back to your body. When you are able to focus both internally and externally, you will feel more in control of your surroundings and your circumstances.

4. Don’t listen when worry calls your name. Anxiety is an emotional state. As I talk about in my children’s book My Friend, the Worrier, anxiety is a monster. When you feed the monster by giving into the anxiety, you let it grow bigger. Instead, you need to stop listening to the monster. You need to stop feeding it. You need to say, “That’s just my anxious brain again.” Then, you can begin relaxation breathing.

5. Knowing, not showing, anger. Sometimes anxiety and anger are coupled. When you feel angry, you begin to feel anxious. If you can separate those emotions and

understand that you are feeling anger, rather than anxiety, this may allow you to let go of the anxiety. Ask yourself, “What am I angry about?” rather than “What am I anxious about?”

6. Have a little fun. When you are in the midst of an anxious moment, it’s hard to laugh. But, if you make an effort to add more laughter and lightness into your life, you might find it easier to navigate the stress-inducing moments.

7. Turn it off. This one is a tough one; however, once you learn how to do it, it can change your life. The idea is to “turn off” your everthinking mind. First, you think about each thing that is bothering you, one at a time. Then, you visually place each worry thought into a mental container and close it shut. Then, you can take out those worries when you have the time and resources to deal with them.

8. Interrupt those worries. When you feel your brain starting up, say “Stop” or picture a stop sign or hand. Then, say something like, “I can do this” or another selfasserting statement.

9. Worry well, but only once. If you simply must face your anxiety and you can’t turn it off or stop it, then you should worry. But, you should set aside a prescribed time that you are allowed to worry about it. For instance, “I am going to worry about my son not making

friends in school for 20 minutes on Monday.” And, set aside that time to think about solutions or simply to worry. Then, when the worry thoughts pop up on Tuesday, you tell yourself, “Stop! I already worried about that” and divert your thoughts to another activity.

10. Learn to plan, instead of worry. The difference between planning and worrying is that once you create a plan, you don’t need to check it over a million times. If you are worrying, you revisit that plan over and over. So, learn to plan. Learn to:

• Identify the problem

• Come up with possible solutions

• Choose the best solution for you

• Create a plan of action

Don’t rethink it and change the plan. Instead, stick with it. You’ll ultimately be happier and less anxious.

I created a 30 Day Anxiety challenge (see sample below) that incorporates these different element into everyday of the month. Hundreds of people have already started (and completed!) the challenge. Call today to get your 30 Day Anxiety challenge and join other people looking to change their lives and no longer live in fear!

An acclaimed educator and education consultant, Mrs. Rifka Schonfeld has served the Jewish community for close to thirty years. She founded and directs the widely acclaimed educational program, SOS, servicing all grade levels in secular as well as Hebrew studies. A kriah and reading specialist, she has given dynamic workshops and has set up reading labs in many schools. In addition, she offers evaluations G.E.D. preparation, social skills training and shidduch coaching, focusing on building self-esteem and self-awareness. She can be reached at 718-382-5437 or at rifkaschonfeld@gmail.com. You can view the web at rifkaschonfeldsos.com.

It’s a low-grade fear. An edginess, a dread. A cold wind that won’t stop howling.

It’s not so much a storm as the certainty that one is coming. Always… coming. Sunny days are just an interlude. You can’t relax. Can’t let your guard down. All peace is temporary, short-term.

It’s not the sight of a grizzly bear but the suspicion of one or two or ten. Behind every tree. Beyond every turn. Inevitable. It’s just a matter of time until the grizzly leaps out of the shadows, bares its fangs, and gobbles you up, along with your family, your friends, your bank account, your pets, and your country. There’s trouble out there! So you don’t sleep well.

You don’t laugh often. You don’t enjoy the sun. You don’t whistle as you walk.

And when others do, you give them a look. That look. That “are

you naïve” look. You may even give them a word. “Haven’t you read the news and heard the reports and seen the studies?’

Max Lucado, a New York Times bestselling author begins his book, Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World, with the above passage. Do you live like that? Constantly imagining danger around the corner? Are you suffering from low-grade anxiety on a constant basis?

Lucado smartly points out that “anxiety and fear are cousins, but not twins. Fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one. Fear screams, Get out! Anxiety ponders, What if?” While fear results in running away or fighting, anxiety inspires gloom and doom. Lucado also points out that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem among women in the United States (and in the top three in US men).

There are plenty of resources available for those whose worrying gets in the way of their day-to-day lives. In her book, The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques, Margaret Wehrenberg lays out 10 methods to help overcome anxiety:

1. Manage the body. People who are stressed don’t take care of their bodies. But, this leads to a cycle of stress. Therefore, in order to manage your emotional and mental state, you need to take care of your physical self:

• Eat right. Get plenty of fruits, vegetables, and proteins. These will help your brain feel safe and taken care of.

• Avoid alcohol, sugar, and caffeine. These substances can create dips and spikes in our moods.

• Exercise. Exercise releases stress-reducing hormones that calm the body and the brain.

BOOST IMMUNITY AGAINST COLD AND FLU SEASON

care of them, three-year-old Shragi and Shloimy, plus five-year-old Faigy and Mendy.

Okay, so it helps that I’ve gotten a lot more experienced. By now I know how to hold four kids at a time. (It’s not that hard. I can give courses in this.) I also know that having cleaning help is almost as important as having food to eat.

So with all my experience, I’ve been having a really calm morning where all the kids play piano with their cereal spoons and I shep nachas and take pictures. Then I leave all four big kids strapped into their booster seats in the kitchen while I go dress Hershy. And his forehead feels hot.

Uh-oh.

This is a shtickel of a crisis. I really have a major billboard design project I was supposed to start at work today. I can’t really take off to bring Hershy to the doctor.

But I’m nervous it might be chicken pox because one of the babies by the babysitter had it, and Hershy hasn’t gotten his shot yet. So…what do I do now?

I check the clock. It’s seven o’clock in the morning. I think I can call Dr. Feldman already. He gave us his personal cell number, and said we can always leave a message.

“Hi Dr. Feldman, Hershy has fever this morning. When would you be available to come down and check him out?”

Holding Hershy in the crook of my arm, I go check on my other mischief-makers. There’s still time until their buses come, but they’ll all be thrilled if they get to watch Dr. Feldman check Hershy. He’s one of their favorite people today.

I really should thank Goldie for this, I think idly as I pour more cornflakes into Faigy’s bowl, since she’s the only one actually eating her food. It’s amazing what a change she’s brought into the world.

When Dr. Feldman calls me back that I’m going to be first on his list of house stops, and he’ll be by my door at 8:30, I actually do call Goldie.

My sister is as calm in the middle of the morning rush as I am after all my kids are sleeping for the night.

“Goldie, you know that you’re a miracle worker, right?”

“Of course,” Goldie says. “Why, are you in the market

for a miracle right now?”

“No,” I say. “Just appreciating one of the old miracles you were part of. Dr. Feldman’s coming to check out Hershy’s chest today, in my living room! How amazing is that?”

I can hear Goldie’s grin, and shrug, through the phone line. “It only makes sense,” she says, just the way she wrote it in the articles that changed the way doctors operate. “If you think about it, everyone today is trying to upgrade their customer service. Doctors should be the first to join them. Especially because being exposed to other sick people is not helpful for sick people.”

There’s no one like my twin sister. I feel so grateful to have her.

Until Dr. Feldman pronounces, “Respiratory virus,” and tells me that there’s nothing to do about it.

“Goldie,” I cry into the phone, “Dr. Feldman says there’s nothing to do for Hershy! We might land up in the hospital with him!”

“That’s life,” my practical sister says. “Not always is there something to do.”

But my creative out-of-the-box imagination knows better by now. All I have to do is think of the perfect idea and get my logical sister to agree to champion it. Then life as we know it is bound to change again. Later that night, after all my kids are sleeping, I call Goldie back. “I have the most amazing idea,” I tell her.

“What is it this time?”

“It should be against the law for doctors to leave a mother without medication for her babies. No matter what, they have to prescribe something. If there’s no medication to give, they should at least give a placebo medicine, so that mothers feel like they can take care of their sick kids. It’s only right to give people that secure feeling that they have something to do.”

Goldie listens quietly. Does she think I’m making sense?

“Actually, despite that being totally against logic, you actually make sense, my dear sister,” she says, and I hold my breath. Those are all the words I need to hear.

The world is about to change again.

I only start getting really worried when Shragi starts breathing so heavily it sounds like he’s gasping for breath. Then I panic.

Do I call Hatzolah or run to the urgent care? Dr. Feldman’s office is closed already. I wish I would be able to see him again, because he knows my kids.

I call Goldie again because I’m not managing.

“I have a brilliant idea for how doctors can make money,” I announce.

“Doctors already make money,” she responds very sweetly.

“I know, but you know it says yesh lo manah rotzeh masayim so they for sure want more money once they have a little.”

Goldie grunts.

“Don’t you want to hear my idea? Shloimy woke up with fever just now and Shragi’s breathing sounds like a train and I might be in the hospital soon with him so if you want to hear my idea, this is your very last chance!”

“What is your amazing idea?” Goldie asks, making a very obvious effort to put in excitement into her voice.

“Doctors should start doing house calls,” I announce triumphantly. “Instead of all the sick babies coming together in one place to share their germs so nicely, every doctor can come to the house where he can check the entire family of sick kids. Isn’t that brilliant? The insurances will have to start paying for transportation instead of sponsoring fancy toys in the doctor’s office, or the doctor can get some of the exercise they claim is so healthy.”

I’m about to continue expanding on my brainstorm, but Goldie interrupts me.

“Actually, my left-brain twin, I think you make a lot of sense this time,” she informs me. I’m dumbstruck for a minute.

Did practical Goldie just admit that her flying creative twin sister who comes up with a million ideas a minute is talking sensibly for once?

“Remember reading about all these family doctors who did home visits? It was just a few decades ago, and it really is so much smarter than our system of doctor’s offices today.”

Goldie is being unbearably logical, turning my wish and dream into a whole major revolutionary idea.

But I let her continue, while I hold Shragi in one hand and Shloimy in the other hand and keep the phone firmly pressed between my ear and shoulder.

“In today’s exposure-conscious climate, I think people will be really excited about such an option.”

She talks like a politician, my sister. I guess that’s because she almost is. Her husband is a famous activist and she writes newspaper articles.

“Nah,” I attempt feebly to stop her race down the tracks. “Doctors aren’t going to change the way they do things. Us poor mothers will just have to learn to manage with sick babies in stuffy waiting rooms.”

But Goldie is still thinking about my idea.

“Sure, change is hard,” she acknowledges. “But look at the way urgent care centers changed things. Just a few years ago, if your kid was sick at night, you had to wait until the morning to see the doctor. Nowadays there’s bound to be an urgent care not far from you.”

“Right,” I’m biting my lips because my sister is a force to be reckoned with. The doctors of this community don’t know what little Shragi Goldman can cause.

“It’s like therapists. Sure, there are a lot of play therapists who work in therapy centers, but so many of them will make home visits, because it’s considered a norm.”

“And there are so many of them who want to break into the field,” I comment, thinking of Shaindy, my sweet play therapist who comes once a week to work with the twins. The older twins. Mendy and Faigy.

“Right, but a family doctor who would make house calls would be a whole different service. People would for sure switch to him.”

“You bet I would switch to him.” I say as I gently lay Shragi down in his crib. His breathing’s gotten much better throughout my conversation with Goldie. Apparently, this is a good idea. It’s already helped Shragi breathe easier. ***

Goldie is a force to be reckoned with. She always was. But I never imagined how much. I’m remembering those crazy days when Shragi and Shloimy were babies. I was in total non-managing mode. But now, even though Hershy and Tilly are not yet a year old, I’m somehow managing to take

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NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group Brooklyn

Many of our offices accept most insurance and have same-day, early and late appointments, and some even offer weekend availability. Or, if you can’t make it in, we offer video visits.*

Make an appointment at nyp.org/medicalgroups *Restrictions apply.

Gently, I take him out of the crib and hold him tightly to my chest, putting his pacifier back in his mouth. He sucks desperately, hair matted to his forehead with sweat. In the middle of a suck, he spits out the pacifier and gives a deep, hacking cough.

I pat his back as he cries from the pain of coughing. My poor little baby. He’s only five months old, way too tiny to be coughing like that.

Before I can reach for the thermometer, a second pair of lusty lungs let out a wail. Shloimy must be jealous of the one-on-one attention his twin is getting from Mommy.

Nothing to be jealous of, cutie. Shragi’s going to the doctor very soon.

I rock Shloimy’s crib with my foot while I dress Shragi and take his temperature. 101.9 degrees. I purse my lips. Not a very nice number to see on the thermometer screen.

After some Tylenol and a bottle, Shragi is calm, and Shloimy is gurgling at me while I dress him. At least this kiddo is feeling fine, although I’ll be waiting with bated breath for his FOMO to kick in. Twins don’t let their twin miss out. I know that already from Faigy and Mendy, who took turns being sick straight through their first year.

Speaking of whom, there are some pretty suspicious noises coming from the kids’ room. What are they emptying out over there?!

It’s two hours later and the kids are thinking even bigger. Why spill out only the regular Lego if they can dump the Duplo too? Faigy is shrieking delightedly as Mendy makes a racket letting the Duplo fall on the floor. And I thought she was my little princess.

Remind me-why does playgroup start at 9:30 am? That’s like a whole four hours plus after my kids are up for the day.

Shragi is still restless in his sleep, the fever making him irritable and cranky. I’m sitting on Mendy’s bed holding Shloimy in one hand and rocking Shragi’s infant seat with my ankle while I try to wrestle Faigy into her pants. She’s having none of it.

Meanwhile, my overly foggy brain is figuring out the best way to tell my boss that no, I won’t be coming in once again, even though the major Future Fellows campaign’s design is due today. And since I already missed enough work this month to make my boss sure it’s time to fire me, there’s still plenty of

tweaking and finishing up left to do. Sorry, Future Fellows. Apparently Shragi has it in for you and your campaign design. It’s going to go down the doctor’s visit drain.

I’ve already scheduled a visit to Dr. Feldman, although I’m not sure that he’ll have anything to say aside for, “Respiratory virus,” along with the basic treatment I know all about.

Though there’s still a long while to go until doctor’s offices open and my other three kids leave the house so I can take my poor little sick baby to the doctor.

***

“It’s absolutely insane!” I inform my twin sister, while rinsing out a bottle with one hand and trying to make sure that Shragi doesn’t drop out of my hands.

“I spent 45 minutes waiting in the doctor’s office with Shragi screaming in my hands. Finally, I schlep myself into the doctor’s office and Dr. Feldman listens to his chest and says he has a virus. I could just scream!”

“Go ahead,” Goldie says. “Last time you did it you found it so therapeutic.”

I groan. Being given permission to scream takes all the fun out of it.

“I don’t need to scream, I need some sort of solution. I can’t keep taking off work every time one of my babies is sick and bringing them to doctors’ offices that are full of even more sick kids so that their compromised immune system gets exposed to more germs. I told you, it’s totally insane!”

“Look, this is life,” Goldie says, like the practical girl she always is. “You can fight it, or work with it.”

“Well, I say it’s time to fight it!” I bristle.

Even though Goldie’s so practical she’s still great at listening to kvetch rants. So I hang up the phone feeling all ranted out, and also wrung out like a shmatta. Because it’s already 5:00 pm and I’m up for 12 hours, no coffee because officially it makes the babies more colicky. It’s a miracle I’m not talking gibberish at this point.

Feeling like a shmatta has nothing on what I feel like a few minutes later when I pick up Shloimy for his feeding and he feels hot too.

I don’t even bother groaning.

Change is Healthy

5:00 in the morning and the circus begins.

It starts with a loud cock-a-doodle-doo from Mendy’s toddler bed. Okay, so he doesn’t literally say that. His version of the let’s-wake-up-Mommy already call sounds something like, “Beebi! Beebi!” Which means he needs another bottle.

I unstick my eyelids, both of which are protesting the short amount of time they were able to stay peacefully down.

I’m not sure what goes into Mendy’s bottle, but he sucks it contentedly as soon as it’s in his hands, so I’m assuming there’s no dish soap in it.

Just as I’m debating between snuggling back under my covers for a few more minutes of sleep or just convincing those rebellious eyelids that it was morning and time to stay up“Waaah!” The howling shrieks coming from Shragi’s crib make me jump. Why is he so hysterical?

I tiptoe over to Shragi, who’s twisting and turning, wailing pathetically. It doesn’t look like he’s even managed to fully wake up yet. I reach down into the crib to pat him back to sleep.

Noooo.

Tell me it isn’t true. I close my eyes. Then I gingerly touch my baby again. He’s definitely burning up with fever.

What to know about voice problems and treatment…

Many of us have at some point developed a case of hoarseness or laryngitis which lasted for a short period of time or perhaps longer. Furthermore, some may have a chronic vocal quality which sounds atypical but is not necessarily hoarse, etc… At what point is a voice problem truly an issue and how do I know when and where to get treatment?

In general, hoarseness or any form of dysphonia (atypical voice) becomes a concern when it persists for a few days. Hoarseness or dysphonia which lasts for a few hours or a day or so is not usually associated with a broader voice problem but is often attributed to an episode of vocal abuse or misuse, allergy, illness, etc… However, once the voice issue has lasted for a few days (especially for those who use their voice extensively), one should see an Ear Nose and Throat doctor (ENT) to determine the issue and its cause.

When going to the ENT, one can expect to have a laryngoscopy performed. This is a relatively quick procedure in which the ENT will insert either a flexible tube through the nasal passages and into the throat area, or a rigid scope into the mouth, which offers a different way of viewing the vocal cords and surrounding areas. Viewing the vocal cords allows the ENT to look for pathologies of the “voice box” such as vocal nodules, vocal polyps, reflux, granuloma, vocal cord paralysis, etc…

Once the ENT has determined that there is indeed a voice disorder with or without any associated pathologies, the doctor will determine the best course of action; i.e. medical intervention, medical intervention coupled with voice therapy, or voice therapy by itself.

What kind of medical intervention would be necessary to treat a voice issue? That depends on what the doctor sees when scoping. More common intervention may include treatment for acid reflux, surgical removal of various lesions or pathologies, laser removal of lesions or pathologies, or forms of injections to repair damaged vocal cords.

And while medical procedures are at times necessary, voice therapy coupled with medical intervention as well as voice therapy by itself is often the preferred approach. So what is voice therapy and what is to be expected during and after the therapy?

The goal of voice therapy is to remediate a voice disorder and bring out the patients best vocal quality through a series of techniques, voice and/or breathing exercises, as well as implementing appropriate vocal hygiene. The duration of the therapy is generally determined by various contributing factors, such as:

• Type of pathology

• Vocal quality

• Motivation level

• Etc…

Voice therapy may be performed only by a SpeechLanguage Pathologist (Speech Therapist). The therapy may take from between 6 – 8 sessions, however this may be longer or shorter depending on a combination of factors. Voice therapy is typically done from age 6 and above, however younger children may benefit from vocal hygiene tips as well as some techniques and exercises. Some general tips for good vocal hygiene include:

• reducing or eliminating screaming

• avoiding excessive whispering

• significantly limiting caffeine intake

• drinking adequate water (8 cups per day)

• Using your optimal vocal volume and pitch as much as possible

Exercises and techniques employed during the therapy may include:

• Trilling

• Humming

• Facilitating appropriate vocal resonance

• Tuck-chin

• Appropriate posture

• Vocal scales

Voice therapy is generally highly effective. One should keep in mind however that as is typically the case, practice outside the therapy sessions is crucial to success.

And lastly, it is worth noting that there is a fundamental difference between voice therapy and voice lessons. The goal of voice therapy is to remediate a voice issue whereas voice lessons is generally associated with building up and improving a normal voice. As well, voice therapy may only be performed by a speech therapist, whereas voice lessons can be done by a therapist, chazzan/cantor, or vocal coach.

**Yaakov Skovronsky MS CCC – SLP is a Speech Therapist specializing in voice therapy. He has been treating adults and children with various voice issues for more than 15 years and is the therapist of choice of many leading and world-renowned ENT’s. His practice locations are in Boro Park and Williamsburg and he may reached at 718-8511464 (BP) or 929-509-2323 (Williamsburg).

Eating Healthy with Inflation costs

There's no denying prices of food has been skyrocketing, especially in the last few months. While you may be looking for ways to get your grocery budget under control, there’s no reason to throw your health goals away. Some of the healthiest choices can also be cost-effective. Here are some of my best tips for living a healthy lifestyle economically.

1. Homemade has always been, and still is, much cheaper than store-bought. Even if individual ingredients have gone up, it’s still much cheaper (and healthier) to cook then to buy takeout. Additionally, you can save a lot of money by putting together some sauces yourself, instead of buying the ready-made version. For example, putting together a salad dressing costs pennies and buying a bottle of the prepared version can cost up to $8 a bottle. Similarly, certain salads that cost pennies to make (i.e. cucumber salad) can be as high as $10/lb if ready-made. Baking your own homemade treats for the family are usually healthier than their store bought, often processed counterparts.

2. Get rid of bottled water and flavored beverages. There is no evidence that bottled water is any better for you than tap water (to the contrary, actually), and bottled water is an unnecessary expense that you simply do not need in your budget. Also, start paying attention to how much you are spending on sodas, vitamin waters, and any other beverage. This can really add up.

3. Check your own produce. This can save you a lot of money. For example, buying a head of lettuce costs around $3. That same amount of lettuce, already checked, is usually $12. Although a bit time consuming this step can help keep your cost down and your wallet happy.

4. Consider canned fruits and vegetables, with a proper hashgacha, these don’t need to be checked at all and can be much cheaper

than fresh or frozen, especially during certain seasons. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables seasonally for the best nutrient content and prices.

5. Consider shopping yourself instead of opting for convenience options, such as phone orders or instacart. You’ll be able to compare prices on the shelf to see if one brand is cheaper than another. Additionally, you can look for the freshest dates, which translates into less food wasted, and you’ll save money on having to pay for delivery and tip drivers.

6. Shop when the stores are less crowded. This will help you keep a clear head to make smart choices. Try to shop from a list, and don’t go shopping when you are hungry to avoid impulse purchases.

7. Try to consume less meat, and opt for vegetarian sources of protein, which are cheaper and healthier than meat and poultry. Beans, legumes, chick peas, tofu, nuts and seeds are all great to start including in dinner options.

8. Consider using reusable dishes rather than disposables. This one is better for the environment too. If you are someone who uses all disposables (including bakeware and plates), try aiming for small changes at a time. For example, while disposable bakeware might be a necessity, perhaps you can use non-disposable plates and cups. Also, pick your battles. Baking chicken in a reusable pan is a pain to clean, but baking vegetables in one is a breeze.

For help planning a budget-friendly healthy lifestyle, consider seeing a dietitian. We take insurance and can help you get healthier. 347-746-0453. TheDietititiangroup.com

Supports a normal inflammatory response through its influence on genes involved with your body’s inflammatory response

Supports normal healthy insulin sensitivity and metabolic health Supports respiratory health, especially your lungs and airways

Protects tissues and cells from the effects of oxidative stress from exercise

Supports normal healthy cellular growth and development

Supports healthy mitochondrial function

Provides valuable support for your liver and kidneys

Promotes a positive mood and cognition through its impact on neurotransmitter levels in your brain

Why Your Liver May Need

Extra Support

Years ago, a healthy person’s liver did just fine without extra support, but today, we live in a different world. Your liver confronts challenges humans have never faced before.

Your body’s largest internal organ, your liver is responsible for removing toxins and harmful substances in your food and living environment, including the water you drink and the air you breathe.

The more contaminated your diet and environment, the harder your liver has to work.

Besides its primary role of protecting your body from harmful substances, your liver plays other key roles, too.

When your liver is healthy, it:

Produces bile, which helps carry away waste and break down fats.

Helps regulate the levels of sugar, protein and fat entering your bloodstream.

Clears your blood of drugs, alcohol

and other potentially harmful substances.

Neutralizes highly reactive oxygen molecules, or free radicals.

Processes nutrients absorbed by your intestines during digestion.

Produces cholesterol, proteins and clotting factors to help your blood clot.

Regulates many of your hormones.

When your liver encounters harmful substances, it breaks them down and sends the byproducts to one of two places – they either enter your blood to be eliminated by your kidneys, or they go into your bile and are passed out through your intestines.

When your liver is healthy, all these functions go on like clockwork, without much support on your part.

But in today’s highly-contaminated environment, your liver has to handle an unprecedented load of toxins, which presents many potential threats to its well-being…

Your Expanding Waistline May Be a Sign Your Liver is Under Strain

Stunning new research suggests that your liver may be aging faster than the rest of your body if you hold excess weight in your waist.

Researchers found that for each 10unit increase in body mass index, or BMI, the physiological age of the liver has grown by 3.3 years.

Let’s put that into real numbers with two individuals, one who is normal weight and another who is overweight.

Suppose a 5’8” adult weighs 130 pounds and has a BMI of 20. A second adult of the same height and age weighs 230 pounds and has a BMI of 35.

Even though they are the same age, the liver of the overweight adult is likely five years older than the liver of

the normal weight individual.

What if the second individual decided to have surgery to rapidly lose the excess weight?

The age of his liver wouldn’t change.

To rejuvenate his liver, he would need to make lifestyle changes to begin the process of revitalizing his liver and protecting it from future threats

You might guess that your liver’s worst enemy is alcohol. And while it’s true that alcohol is harmful to your liver, there’s another substance that’s equally as damaging – and far more prevalent. It’s in nearly every processed food, often hidden from view.

Causing more damage to your body than any other type of sugar, fructose is particularly hard on your liver. All fructose is shuttled to your liver, where it must be broken down, whereas glucose only needs to be partially broken down before it can be utilized.

Worse, fructose is metabolized directly into fat that stores in your liver, as well as other internal organs and tissues, as body fat, leading to mitochondrial malfunction.

It also produces toxic metabolites and superoxide free radicals when it is metabolized, that can lead to inflammation in your liver.

Your home affects your liver, too. Chemicals, such as phthalates and BPA/BPS, flame-retardants and formaldehyde, found in furniture, floor coverings, building materials, scented personal care products and even grocery store receipts, are toxic to your liver.

Once any of these contaminants enter your body through your skin or lungs – or from food and beverages you consume out of plastic containers – they end up in your bloodstream, where it becomes your liver’s job to process and remove them.

Disclaimer:

sick. With low levels of glutathione, you may be more likely to be hospitalized or even die, compared to someone with higher levels.

In fact, longevity researchers now believe glutathione plays a key role in determining your life span.

The level of glutathione in your cells may actually predict how long you will live.

Why? Glutathione helps keep all your other antioxidants functioning at their peak, so lower levels of glutathione can mean a less robust and inferior antioxidant defense overall.

Keep in mind... Your body – especially your liver – depends on antioxidants to help maintain healthy cells and tissues. A lack of antioxidants can lead to oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Oxidative stress occurs when you have an imbalance between the increased production of ROS and a lack of antioxidant defense to repair oxidative damage to cells, tissues and organs.

Adequate antioxidant defense against ROS damage is crucial for optimal health. Poor antioxidant defense leads to cellular aging and chronic disease.

To look and feel your youthful best, you must have sufficient antioxidant power. Having optimal levels of the “master antioxidant” glutathione is like having insurance, knowing you have enough antioxidants to meet your body’s needs.

What’s Your Risk for Low Glutathione Levels?

Who’s most at risk for having lower levels of glutathione?

We already know older people have lower levels, simply because their body’s natural production of glutathione has slowed down. Some men are also more likely to have low levels, as well as smokers and heavy drinkers.

Studies show those who have

comorbid conditions, or comorbidities, are also at greater risk of low levels of glutathione. This includes anyone with metabolic and weight concerns, as well as those with blood sugar issues.

Why is this? Glutathione influences the expression of your genes, including those playing a role in glucose metabolism and insulin secretion.

And here’s another interesting finding... Glutathione levels appear to be related to vitamin D levels. When your vitamin D blood levels are low, your glutathione is likely to be low, too.

Hundreds of studies show low levels of vitamin D can seriously jeopardize your health, especially your cellular, immune and metabolic health.

And now, it’s apparent that glutathione deficiency may cause changes that impair how your body metabolizes vitamin D.

So, if you are taking a vitamin D supplement to help raise your vitamin D level, or are already getting adequate sun exposure (it’s very difficult to do in the Northern Hemisphere), you must have enough glutathione for your body to metabolize vitamin D.

However, raising your glutathione levels may not be as easy as it sounds...

The Preferred Way to Raise Your Glutathione Levels

You can raise your glutathione levels using food, supplements and exercise.

Foods and nutrients, like broccoli, green tea, curcumin, rosemary and milk thistle, have a positive impact on glutathione production.

A study with 80 healthy, sedentary adults showed that aerobic training in combination with circuit weight training had the greatest effect on the glutathione antioxidant system.

Certain supplements may help, too. While a glutathione supplement may seem like the obvious best choice, it’s not.

Because oral glutathione consists of three amino acids, it is rapidly broken down in your stomach by digestive

enzymes. Even if you could assimilate it intact, we don’t recommend taking oral glutathione as it may interfere with your body's ability to produce it naturally.

Instead of taking an ineffective glutathione supplement, I recommend providing your body with the raw materials for making its own glutathione. This allows your body to produce only the amount it needs.

One of the best ways to help your body produce glutathione naturally is with N-acetyl cysteine, or NAC, a derivative of cysteine and precursor of glutathione.*

The use of NAC is backed up by decades of scientific research demonstrating its valuable role in boosting glutathione levels.

For example, one study showed that supplementing with NAC for 30 days helped restore baseline glutathione concentration in people with low glutathione levels.

Here’s how it works…

When your body manufactures glutathione, cysteine is the “ratelimiting amino acid.” That means cysteine tends be available in lower amounts than the other two amino acids that make glutathione.

When you take NAC, you increase your cysteine levels, providing your body with more of the raw material it needs to pair up with glycine and glutamine to make glutathione.

8 Additional Ways NAC Supports Health

By replenishing your cellular supply of glutathione on a regular basis, NAC helps your cells regain and maintain their ability to protect themselves against free radicals and ROS damage, especially as you age.

However, researchers have found that NAC does more than just replenish glutathione within your cells...

NAC is a powerful antioxidant on its own, providing potential benefits in these additional areas:

By a famed clinical nutritionist:

Essential for producing what may be your body’s most important antioxidant, N-Acetyl-Cysteine, or NAC, has recently been rediscovered for its ability to help protect your liver and cells as well as support healthy insulin secretion, respiratory and immune health, especially when challenged.

N-Acetyl-Cysteine, or NAC, allows your body to naturally produce glutathione, your body’s “master antioxidant,” which is essential for optimal immune and metabolic health as well as for your body’s proper metabolism of vitamin D3.

NAC with Milk Thistle provides ongoing support for your body’s normal detoxification process and healthy inflammatory response, while also helping your body produce and effectively use antioxidants to help protect against free radical and oxidative damage to your cells and tissues.

Our formula combines three powerful ingredients – NAC, Milk Thistle Seed Extract and Organic Broccoli Sprouts Powder – to provide an exceptional array of antioxidants for supporting the healthy function and normal daily repair of your liver.

Glutathione has received much attention in recent years for the key role it plays in overall health and well-being.

What is glutathione?

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant made up of three amino acids – cystine, glycine and glutamate. Known as the “master antioxidant,” it’s the most abundant antioxidant produced in your body and is found in all of your cells.

One of glutathione’s major roles is to keep all your other antioxidants, such as vitamin C and CoQ10, in line and performing at their peak.

Glutathione’s primary task is to help protect your body from free radical damage, wastes and potentially harmful substances. It is one of the most important tools in your body’s detoxification arsenal and is crucial for your liver’s well-being.

But that’s not all... Your brain, lungs, joints, skin, eyes and every system in your body requires glutathione to function properly.

It’s a “must” for your immune system, as your immune cells work best when they have a delicately balanced level of glutathione. Studies show glutathione promotes T-cell function, and optimal glutathione levels tend to be seen in healthy human subjects.

As you age, your body’s ability to produce glutathione declines. And many substances can hasten its destruction, like alcohol, drugs and environmental contaminants.

When your cells run out of glutathione, they die. When levels run low, cells lose their ability to repair themselves and produce the antioxidants your well-being depends upon.

How Glutathione Affects Your Health and Longevity

Researchers have discovered that your levels of glutathione can determine how well your body responds when you become

BE FIT WITH BENEFIT

Have any nutrition questions? Send email to: benefit@weeklylink.com

AImagine your bank account. You have the capability of making deposits and withdrawals. Sometimes, we can live in the red as well. We come into this world with fundamental “energy”. We kind of operate like a bank account. We are designed, however, to supplement this energy with what we generate from eating, drinking, breathing and sleeping. Each day we can make withdrawals and deposits; we invest or deplete. When the balance of the scale tips in the direction of us using more than we put back in, we begin to live in the red, with the potential of falling further and further behind. Same with us. When we continuously withdraw from our “savings account”, alarm bells can begin to sound, telling us that our survival is being challenged. These alarms present to us as symptoms in the body, often of the type that don’t initially lead us to stay home from work, so we forge ahead and often do nothing about them, until we feel like we were run over by a truck.

Some of the symptoms of dipping into our energy savings accounts include fatigue, low mood, anxious feelings, waking up feeling unrefreshed, brain fog, digestive system problems, “unexplained” weight gain, and signs of rapid aging. Sort of what you must be feeling; perpetually tired, as you described. What are some common factors that may lead us to live in the red when it comes to our energy and what can we do about them?

Lack of nutrition- There is nothing in the world that can replace a nutritious way of eating. For some, food is either about losing or maintaining a preferred body weight, for others it’s about eating the most convenient thing to squeeze into a

busy day. Yet, when we eat in a way that focuses on nourishment, our body thrives. Nourishment means whole, real foods as close as they come to nature. It means prioritizing vegetables, particularly leafy greens and feeding our body with the nutrients it needs to drive the millions of biochemical processes in our body.

“Leaky” gut- In a healthy gut, only the tiny nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are transported across the gut wall into the blood, and this is the remarkable process through which we are nourished and stay alive. However, the cells that line the gut can come apart, like a row of bricks with gaps between them. Fragments of food are not intended to enter the blood. Nutrients — the vitamins and minerals from food — are. So, if fragments of food enter the bloodstream, the immune system, which protects you from infection, thinks that the food fragment is a germ and it mounts an immune response against it. This contributes to exhaustion in some people. We need to reseal our gut with proper nutrition and self-care.

Stress hormones- Whether from the overconsumption of caffeine or living a life full of pressure, many people are churning out stress hormones on a daily basis. Adrenaline, our shortterm stress hormone, affects our blood sugar levels, which can cause spikes and drops in our energy and have us hunting for quick sources of energy such as more caffeine or ultra-processed carbohydrate-rich foods full of sugar. If stress continues, the body may begin to produce more of your long-term stress hormone cortisol and when cortisol levels fall outside their ideal range, it can wreak havoc on our energy.

Movement- Some people don’t get

enough movement in their days while others overdo it. Either scenario can lead to sluggish energy. Our body needs movement or we start to lose our muscles and joints can become stiff and sore. Yet exercise is actually a stress on the body but we can do too much of it. Be guided by how your body feels during and after exercise –if you come away feeling absolutely exhausted, you’ve gone too far. Start off small. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Not enough rest- If you’re on the go 24/7, you’re going to find yourself exhausted after a while. If you add to that poor quality sleep, either because you can’t seem to sleep very well or because you don’t prioritize the need for 7-9 hours of sleep per night, it’s just going to compound the situation. You will notice a significant difference in your energy if you build sufficient rest time into your routine.

Busy mind-Having too many tabs open in our brain can put a drain on our energy. As can having a perception that everything is urgent and putting immense pressure on ourselves to do it all to the highest standard. If your mind is running at a million miles an hour, your body is likely struggling to keep up. Try to close tabs regularly –this means completing those little tasks that sit in the back of your mind and nag at you. An inbox overflowing with emails might feel urgent, but in reality, there will be many correspondences in it that don’t require your immediate attention. Try to prioritize and notice what is truly important.

Take the time to do some selfreflection and try to see what parts of your life can use improvement. Good luck!

Shaindy Oberlander, BS, INHC is a certified integrative nutrition health coach in private practice in Lakewood NJ, in addition to many virtual clients worldwide. Shaindy caters to teens/adults and creates customized lifestyle and food plans geared towards overall wellness/nutrition, weight loss and hormonal balancing. Shaindy has specific tracks for pregnant/nursing mothers, tracks for gut health and tracks geared towards common intestinal issues and that can be healed with proper nutrition. Follow Shaindy on Instagram at benefithealtprogram or visit her website @www.benefithealthprogram.com. Shaindy

QI hope that you can help me. I am perpetually tired. All. The. Time! Why?

Chesed 24/7 that he was privileged not only to have done the mitzvah of bikur cholim, he also was able to perform the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim as well.

Chesed 24/7 is made up on many small cheseds whose impacts are unknown. At any given time, you will find Jews of all types and stripes in the Chesed 24/7 Room davening, eating, distracting each other and giving each other chizuk. The rooms are there for everyone to use to recharge while in the hospital -- whether its to recharge one’s cell phone, recharge one’s body with nourishing food, or recharge one’s soul with connections to other Yidden who have become like family. One never knows what a difference one small chesed makes to those who need it.

Chesed 24/7 provides services NYP Columbia (Milstein), NYP Columbia (Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital), Lenox Hill Hospital, NY Cornell Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Hospital For Special Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Montefiore Einstein Hospital, Calvary Hospital, Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack Medical Center – Women’s, Valley Hospital, Englewood Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Catskill Regional (Harris Hospital), Ellenville Hospital, Henry J Carter Hospital, Trinitas Hospital, Northern Westchester and Alaris Healthcare. For more information, please call Chesed 24/7 at 845-354-3233.

- Mother of young boy featured in Binah Magazine

The patient went on to explain that he used to be in Hatzalah and knows how working for the klal can sometimes take one away from their family, but these klal workers are really Hashem’s melachim in disguise. Shulim Pesach remembered the patient and remembered the visit, but he also didn’t think he made much of an impact. Several weeks later, however, the impact was obvious when the patient expressed how just one small visit changed his day.

Every Chesed volunteer and every Chesed worker should see the impact on a daily basis. Chesed 24/7 has over 1,000 volunteers. Some volunteers cook meals that are delivered to the patients and their families, some volunteers clean and stock the Chesed Hospitality Rooms on a daily basis. There are volunteers that cut fruits and vegetables or make salads to stock the Rooms with healthy options. There are other volunteers that donate toys or coffee. Each volunteer “brightens a person’s day.”

Dov Steiff is a Chesed 24/7 volunteer who often stocks the Chesed Hospitality Rooms Thursday nights. One Thursday, before going to the hospital, he stopped in the grocery to pick up some items his wife asked for. On the list was a package of 12 dixie cup ice creams that his son needed for camp the following day. On a whim, Dov picked up an extra package of ice cream and brought it to the Chesed Room to put in the freezer. Two weeks later, Chesed 24/7 got a thank you letter in the mail. A patient was having trouble eating after surgery and the doctors were talking about putting in a feeding tube. In the middle of the night, the patient asked his wife for an ice cream. She was thrilled that her husband

had some kind of appetite and ran to ask the nurse to find him a kosher ice cream. The nurse could only offer apple sauce and jello, neither of which the patient wanted. The wife went to the Chesed Room, opened the freezer and saw Dov Steiff’s last minute whim purchase. He would have no idea what a difference this small chesed made to the life of a patient and his wife.

Mrs. Stern couldn’t agree more. When her five-year-old son Berel was undergoing treatments, she brought him to the hospital literally kicking and screaming. The only thing that cwould calm him down was the promise of a chocolate bar and super snacks. Throughout the entire 5 hours of treatment, Mrs. Stern would pray that the Chesed 24/7 Hospitality Room would have these items or she knew she would be doomed. Chesed 24/7 never disappointed.

Whether it is snacks in the Chesed Hospital Rooms or hot meals delivered during the week, on Shabbos or over Yom Tov, Chesed 24/7 doesn’t disappoint. Chesed 24/7 is the only organization that delivers hot fresh meals on Yom Tov itself through non-Jewish drivers that are hired for the transport. Chesed’s volunteers prepare the food early Yom Tov morning so it can be brought hot and fresh to the patients and families. Over Succos, Chana Berger was hospitalized and Chesed 24/7 delivered an enormous bag to her and her husband. After their meal, he passed by another frum man whose wife was just admitted through the emergency room. When Mr. Berger realized this man and his wife had no food for Yom Tov, he shared the remaining food he had since there was such an abundance. He later told

Nothing does it like a fresh & FREE* Açaí Bowl

This isn’t just another health fad- this is a powerful treat packed with antioxidants (hello, winter immunity boost), and topped with added goodness for your palate and your body.

Enjoy it in good health!

Our mission: Providing you with health solutions you will enjoy implementing, and that really help.

Chesed 24/7

Chanukah is a distant memory for most -- a memory of watching the kindling lights, a memory of the family Chanukah parties with cousins connecting and playing games, a memory of donuts and latkes. But for Shaindy Klein, the memory of Chanukah is the memory of Chesed 24/7.

The stage 4 diagnosis came about a week before Chanukah. Overwhelmed with second opinions, CAT scans, lab results and the myriad of calls, Shaindy almost forget what day of the week it was until she walked into the Chesed 24/7 Hospitality Room. “When I walked into the Chesed Room and saw the donuts and the presents, it finally hit me that it was Chanukah. I felt embraced by the warmth in that room and allowed myself to believe that Hashem can also give our family the nes that we needed.”

Chesed 24/7 Hospitality Rooms, open 24 hours a day, seven days

a week, 365 days a year, offer patients and families a small piece of home in the hospital. Located inside each hospital, the rooms are fully stocked with hot and cold meals and snacks. The rooms have refrigerators and microwaves, Shabbos warmers and urns. Any item that a Jewish patient would want in the hospital is provided. The rooms even have cell phone chargers which are often so necessary to keep in touch.

More importantly, the Chesed Rooms offer a quiet place where family members can sit and relax or receive emotional support from others in similar circumstances. A Chesed 24/7 liaison frequents the rooms to interact with patients and their families, offering guidance, support and additional assistance with any issues that may arise.

It is hard to know how far reaching a chesed is, or what a

difference a kind word means. When one is in the hospital, they can begin to feel forgotten and alone. Shulim Pesach Greenberg, the Executive Director of Chesed 24/7 makes it his mission to care about every Jewish patient, regardless of their affiliation. He regularly visits Jewish patients each week, asking them how they are and what Chesed 24/7 can do to help. Often patients will ask for a kosher meal or a Shabbos Box so they can light Shabbos candles in the hospital. Often they will speak for a few minutes and then wave him away, making him wonder if he made an impact. Upon leaving a patient room, he always leaves his card – telling them he is available 24/7 if they need anything.

Last month, Mr. Greenberg received an email from a patient thanking him for a visit. The patient told Mr. Greenberg “not to take for granted how much his visits brighten a patient’s day.”

Ah! Be Gezunt!

If you could choose only one word, That encompasses Yiddishkeit. Constantly said and heard, That word would be ‘טייהרעטנוזעג’!

Traveling by foot, bus or flight?

טייהרעטנוזעג םוק ןוא ייג.

Ess Gezunterheit, do it right, Shluf Gezunt – have a good night!

Need to sneeze – hold that tissue tight, Ah – ‘ASISA’… Gezuntheit! Skirt too tight, lost a fight? Abi gezunt – it’s all right!

Yes, let’s confess, we all obsess, To strive, to thrive to stay alive. It’s a gene we all possess, יח ל-ארשי םע' – we shall survive!

A ‘health minded’, united nation, Surrounded with all that we need. Flooded with information, !דיא עטנוזעג א ןייז וצ יוזא יוו

Filtered water, central steam, Steady comfort, all year round. Self-care, awareness, and esteem, Courses and hotlines abound!

BY R. LOWY

Alternative healing and food, An openminded generation. Tuning in to our every mood, With getaways and relaxation.

Tried and tested recipes, Fleishig pizza, pareve cheese. Diet or food allergies, So many necessities!

Yet… from amidst this ‘healthy dream’, A warm and well fed ‘healthy’ nation. United in one silent scream, ‘Tatteh, we need medication!!

One that only YOU can give, Heal our hearts with true nechama. Hashem, we want to really live, Hear our cries, heal our neshama!

We are so homesick, it’s been so long, Ravaged by deadly disease. A galus so painful and strong, Prescribe the promised remedies!

Take us while we’re still alive, Bring the ultimate האופר

, we shall thrive, '!ינבה םילשוריב

The author can be contacted at: 914-299-5744

Why Am I Hungry???

BY: TANYA ROSEN

Some people claim to still feel “hungry” while following a healthy balanced diet.

When I hear this after a client’s first week, I don’t even take it so seriously as it is normal transition. However, everyone’s favorite thing about my plan is just the opposite; the lack of hunger. So when someone complains of this past the first week, I’m actually very surprised and start investigating the possible causes.

What can it be?

LACK OF WATER If you aren’t drinking at least 8 cups of water a day, you may be mistaking thirst for hunger . If you weigh more than 150 pounds, are a man, nursing, or pregnant, you need at least 10-12 cups of water a day. Try to drink two cups of water before every meal, before going out to eat, before a party or a Simcha, and especially before resorting to a cheat.

LACK OF SLEEP An adult needs AT LEAST 7 (But preferable to get 8-9) hours of sleep every single night. Missing even one night can affect your hunger signals. When you’re too tired to think clearly you simply can’t make as good of a decision on that piece of cake or those fries. Sleep deprivation has been shown to lower leptin, an appetite suppressing hormone which is usually produced in abundance at night. Lack of sleep also increases ghrelin, a hormone released by the stomach that stimulates hunger.

STRESS While some usual stress is normal, having it constantly or excessively, can cause cortisol, the primary stress hormone to act up, which increases sugar in the blood stream. Stress can also cause emotional eating. Try to find healthier ways to relieve

stress such as exercise, a bath, etc.

MEDICATIONS Some medications (such as birth control and depression meds) can actually DO cause you to feel hungrier. If it is an option to switch brands you can try that.

NOT EATING OFTEN ENOUGH On my plan, a huge premise is eating every few hours to prevent hunger (amongst other benefits). Make sure you’re eating every 2-3 hours. Even splitting up your meals and snacks if you can’t eat it all at once helps.

NOT HAVING ENOUGH VEGETABLES OR HEALTHY FATS On my plan we recommend having a fruit or a vegetable with every meal. Vegetables are completely free and are great fillers because of their fiber amounts.

NURSING Nursing mothers require around 500 extra calories per day plus a lot more water than non nursing women. If you’re not getting these extra calories (From healthy sources), you truly may be hungry. Combine that with lack of sleep and you have even more reason to feel hungry.

PREGNANT Cravings are NOT the same as physical hunger so just make sure you’re differentiating between the two.

BEING USED TO EATING MORE Your body is amazingly adaptable and can learn to get used to eat less. After all we’re really not meant to try to stuff a five course meal into a first sized belly. So while you may not be physically hungry, you may be just used to having more which takes some reconditioning.

If despite dealing with or eliminating all of the above, you still feel hungry, here are some more natural ways to help (AKA never ever take “diet pills”):

There are several natural herbs and plants that have been shown to surpasses one’s appetite and heighten the feeling of feeling full. Here are some that can help surpasses appetite and help you lose weight:

1. FENUGREEK - is a herb from the legume family. Since fenugreek is high in fiber, it’s been shown to control appetite, as well as blood sugar regulation and lower cholesterol. Fenugreek can either be taken as a whole seed, or a capsule.

2. GLUCOMANNAN - this helps decrease the absorption of protein and fats, helps feeds the friendly bacteria we have in our gut, regulates blood sugar levels and reduces LDL cholesterol. Glucomannan is a great soluble fiber that is the most effective for weight loss.

3. GRIFFONIA SIMPLICIFOLIA (5-HTP) - this is a plant that is one of the best sources of 5-HTP (5-hydroxyryptophan). 5-HTP is a compound that gets converted into serotonin in the

brain, where an increase in serotonin has an effect in the brain to surpasses appetite.

4. GREEN TEA EXTRACT - Green tea contains two compounds that helps with weight loss: caffeine and catechins. Caffeine is a stimulant that increases fat burning and surpasses appetite.

5. GARCINIA CAMOBGIA - This is effective in lowering appetite, where it blocks fat production and decreasing body weight. In addition, it also raises serotonin levels. Serotonin is in charge of satiety signals in the brain.

6. COFFEE - Coffee and its high concentration of caffeine is known to have some health benefits. It increases fat breakdown and calorie burn. Studies show that ingesting caffeine a 1/2 hour to 4 hours before a meal may affect appetite hormones, feelings of hunger and “stomach emptying”.

Always remember that it takes the brain twenty minutes to process that you are satiated. Before deciding you are hungry, aside from going through the mentioned possibilities, also make sure AT LEAST 20 minutes passed so that you can make am accurate decision.

Tanya

For more information: 844-TANYA-DIET (826-9234) www.nutritionbytanya.com | info@nutritionbytanya.com

Tanya Rosen is the owner of Nutrition by Tanya with 12 locations in NY, NJ, and Israel.

is also the creator of the TAP food line, Shape Fitness kosher workout DVD’s, and Cooking with Tanya cookbook series.

unborn were in great danger. Chaim Medical worked with a top maternal and fetal care specialist, and saved mother and baby. A bachur was diagnosed with debilitating Crohn’s disease. Chaim Medical’s CCC (Crohn’s Colitis Coalition) got him treated, and taught him to manage the disease, so he could go back to yeshiva.

The stories could fill many volumes – but they all point to the same unstoppable dedication and drive. Chaim Medical sees incredible siyata dishmaya in its efforts.

“It’s as if the Ribbono Shel Olam is blessing us for our efforts,” says Mrs. Pessie Schlafrig, co-founder of the organization. “We see Yad Hashem openly in our work.”

This year, Chaim Medical Resource took a major leap forward in its lifesaving work. They moved to a large facility in Boro Park’s Brooklyn Square, where they were able to hire more researchers, coordinators, and advisors, to save more lives. The offices are equipped with the most state-of-the-art equipment and

computer systems. There are research rooms, conference rooms, and video conference rooms, where Chaim’s 75 coordinators can confer with specialists throughout the world. And of course, there are ample spaces for staff members who deal directly with patients, family members and physicians.

Chaim Medical’s department list resembles a hospital directory. There are three divisions for oncology alone! (Adult oncology, pediatric oncology and oncology research.) That’s besides for the cardiology department, ophthalmology department, GI department, and departments dealing with every medical specialty.

Chaim Medical has a multi-million-dollar annual budget. They serve the entire Jewish community – and need YOUR support to keep them going. Every dollar you donate helps Chaim save more lives. Please respond generously to Team Members who reach out to you – or donate at Charidy.com/Chaim or 718.540.5739.

Visit www.maimocare.org appordownloadtheonyourphone

Care at your fingertips

Introducing MaimoCare, the new app from Maimonides which allows you to find a doctor, schedule (or reschedule) your next appointment and access virtual care.

MaimoCare is another initiative from Maimonides Health designed to meet the needs of our community & ensure access to outstanding care. For assistance, call 718-283-2344 between 8am and 6pm (Mon-Fri)

When daily life stops, Chaim Medical is UNSTOPPABLE

You’ve seen the ads and posters for Chaim Medical Resource’s UNSTOPPABLE Charidy campaign. Maybe you’re expecting a call from one of the organization’s dedicated Team Members. But what does it mean to be unstoppable? Toby Unger learned firsthand.

When four-year-old Leiby was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, life as Toby knew it ground to a halt. Work stopped. Shopping stopped. Pesach cleaning stopped. Even cooking for supper stopped. Her life revolved around her precious little boy, and an endless barrage of surgeries, treatments and tears.

“We were so afraid,” she says. “When they wheeled Leiby into the OR for his first surgery, it felt like my heart was being cut open –without anesthesia.” But two things gave her comfort. The first was the knowledge that Leiby was in Hashem’s hands. The second was that they’d done the best hishtadlus. They’d called Chaim Medical Resource.

“From the minute we called, Chaim Medical took over. They studied Leiby’s medical files, and sent us to a distant state, because the surgeon there was top in the field. Whenever we had a question or an issue with a hospital, we called Chaim – even in middle of the night. Even on Shabbos.” Toby recalls one particularly harrowing experience.

“Leiby was home, and started having seizures. Hatzolah rushed us to a local hospital. The doctors ordered tests and scans, and said the seizures were coming because of a life-

threatening bleed – that was inoperable! It was the middle of the night, on Shabbos, and we couldn’t call anyone, but I told my husband, ‘I’m calling Chaim Medical.’ Of course, they picked up – they’re always available for cholei Yisroel!

In middle of the night, on Shabbos, Mrs. Kahan spoke to the doctors. Then she pulled strings – I don’t know how – and almost before we knew it, we were on a private medical transport plane, flying to our surgeon a thousand miles away. Although the local doctors said it was dangerous to fly, Chaim Medical reached out to a specialist who reviewed the case in detail and gave the go-ahead for the patient to take off.”

Chaim Medical’s tenacity was incredible! It’s a tenacity that comes from sheer ahavas Yisroel – a relentless drive to save lives. “Besides for our fervent tefillos and emunah, we had nothing else to count on,” Toby says. “Leiby was in the operating room two hours later. Chaim Medical saved his life.”

Toby is one of the thousands who’ve experienced Chaim Medical’s unstoppable energy and drive. The organization stops at nothing – literally – to save lives. There are so many stories.

A young father needed an urgent liver transplant. Chaim Medical was able to locate an organ and facilitate the transplant. A woman was told that both she and her

ARE MY EATING HABITS UP TO DATE?

In the field of nutrition, as in the medical world, misconceptions and wrong beliefs abound. Studies are continuously conducted to learn more about health. Research proves that the best method for weight control is eating highly digestible food. Low fat and low carb diets, may result in yoyo dieting and/or eating disorders. Non-diet culture or food freedom, being fit without feeling deprived, are prevalent. Current guidelines are compatible with this approach.

‘My pyramid’, created by the USDA as a food guide, is no longer used. ‘My plate’ reflects the nutrition updates. The new food pyramid, created by Harvard school of public health, complements ‘My plate’ recommendations.

CHANGES IN THE

Starch (including white starches) at the base of the pyramid.

Fruits and vegetables in a narrower part, on top of starch. Fats, including healthy oils, relegated to the “use sparingly” tip. Healthy proteins and unhealthy proteins grouped into the same category.

Dairy is overemphasized.

PYRAMID

The new food pyramid Reason for the change

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats at the base. Refined starches placed in the “use sparingly” tip.

Fish, poultry, eggs, beans, and nuts in the second level of the pyramid. Red meat and processed meat placed in the “use sparingly” tip.

Dairy in the narrower part of the pyramid than the rest of the proteins.

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats support a healthy gut and proper digestion. This is the cornerstone of attaining an ideal weight.

The lighter the protein is to digest, the more health promoting it is. (Beans are a high-fiber food which makes it highly digestible.)

Dairy consumption, while being a great source of nutrients, may have negative effects, such as mucus buildup.

Controlling mucus buildup is a key to health.

My pyramid MY PYRAMID THE NEW FOOD PYRAMID

By: Sheindy Unger

two days which were the past two days and today was the first day in a week when I could actually begin to pick up on the edges of Stillness and Quiet but then Shmuli vomited in cheder and I picked him up and scheduled an appointment for him and for fouryear-old Ruchi and thirteen-yearold Sarala who both seemed to have the flu but Sarala said she was not coming along as she was too sick to come to the doctor and I also scheduled for Shaindel Shoshana who is pulling at her ears and decided that this time I would be on time- I started getting ready an hour (!) before the appointment but then we could not find Ruchy’s shoe so I told her to wear her crocs when her teenaged sister Sarala yelled from the couch that no way can Ruchy go to Dr. Kleiner with crocs because she’ll die from embarrassment if her friends, Shayna and Rivka Leah, who also see Dr. Kleiner will see her little sister with nebby, rubbed-out, imitation crocs and that’s why we should have gotten Ruchy Shabbos shoes like everyone else because Shabbos shoes are made for when you can’t find weekday shoes and that I should say ‘Amar Reb Binyomin’ which I did and in a fascinating twist of hashgacha, I passed the washing machine and changed around the load inside the washer to load some more laundry into the washing machine when I felt something hard- and lo and behold- it was Ruchy’s shoe and Sarala breathed a sigh of relief and then said ,”Ma, my friends want to come over to visit, do you think this house will ever get clean?” as I looked around the house and felt weak, as the Shabbos tablecloth was still on the table and it’s Thursday today

and the house looked like a tractor trailer backed up into it, made a u-turn and then exited from the other side, so I told Sarala that I don’t have the time to clean up and she said that all normal families have clean homes, that this is so embarrassing, it’s dysfunctional, when the phone rang as I was getting Shaindel Shoshana into her snow-suit, with the Bikur Cholim coordinator calling to remind me about the supper I had promised to make four weeks ago for family S. whose mother was not well and that it was being picked up in three hours so I quickly yanked some cutlets, frozen containers of soup and knishes out of the freezer and put the chicken into a small tub of hot water on the counter to defrost FAST and then packed a change of clothes for the baby, diapers and baby wipes and put on lethargic two-year-old Shmuli’s coat who, for a change, complied, instead of having me chase him around the house but this time it was four- year old Ruchy who I had to drag out the door and down the steps, by the hand, because she refused to come to the doctor because she was afraid that the doctor would give her a needle or stick a stick down her throat and the only way I got her out of the house was when I told her that I don’t think the doctor will do any of that to her and I know that the chinuch experts say that you should not lie to your kids but I wondered how the chinuch experts get their noncompliant kids to the doctor as I finally got all three kids out of the house with the baby bag and the blanket and the bunting and Shmuli’s pacifier and Ruchy’s favorite doll and strapped the baby into the carriage when I realized that in my great haste I

forgot to shut the gefilte fish cooking on the flame but then I remembered that Sarala was home resting on the couch so I took out my cell phone to call her and tell her to shut the flame but the phone, my phone, the phone that I charge every single night, was all out of power because Sarala had been listening to hotlines all day until it died so I had to unstrap the baby, take all three kids up to the main landing, left Shmuli and Ruchy there while I ran up the flight of stairs to our apartment on the second floor and told Sarala to shut the flame, but she was too weak to get off the couch so I went in and shut it myself and then I went back down to Ruchy and Shmuli waiting in the front hallway and at that point Ruchy needed to go to the bathroom and Shmuli threw up all over the front landing while Shaindel Shoshana screamed in the background, so I went back up again with Ruchy, got some paper towels, washed Ruchys’s hands, wiped Shmuli’s mess and then trooped down the steps to the waiting carriage, strapped in Shmuli and Shaindel Shoshana and huffed and puffed until I entered your office like the tailwinds of an angry storm, thirteen minutes late, and your scowling secretary gave me a dirty look that said, ‘Mrs. Schonfeld can’t you ever be on time!’ and my heart fell, so I wanted to ask you, Doctor, can you please, please tap into the cleverness, compassion and care that you possess, that I’ve come to appreciate over all these years that we’ve been frequenting your practice for and perhaps, please, please can you start making house-calls, like the doctors of yore?

Doctor’s Visits

By Yehudis Schonfeld

Doctor!

Have you got the slightest idea of what it took for us to get here?

Your scowling secretary gave me one of her dirty looks when I walked in only thirteen minutes late as I struggled to keep the door open and herd in Ruchi and Shmuli, while Shaindel Shoshana whimpered in her snowsuit, one arm in, one arm out, stained with spit-up which I haven’t got time to wash because for the past three weeks I’ve been running a clinic in my home where everyone besides for me and fifteen year-old Sholom have been sick, and Ruchy and seven-yearold Zevi have been sick twice with Shaindel Shoshana sick now for the third time, and I am so stressed, she already had the flu and RSV and I did not get more than three hours of uninterrupted sleep for the past two weeks as my husband has also been sick, not so sick if you were to ask me, but he thought he was dying and I thought- I knew- he’d be okay but if I don’t take a break, I may not be okay, so I thought of going on vacation (ha!) but I could not even get to the suitcases stashed on the side of the washing machine because there was (and is) so much laundry in my way, some of it clean, lots of it, not so clean, and I have not had the time to get to all the family’s laundry so I keep skimming the surface of the hamper and wash out only the top overflow so that my teenage daughter, who has been wearing the same pair of tights with holes for the past five days has had to wear boots to school even when it was warm, and she threatened, sweetly suggested to invent a hamper that is like a barrel where you put in the dirty clothes on top, but take out the clothes from the bottom spigot so that the laundry at the bottom of the hamper gets washed first and then the cleaning lady- the cleaning lady, THE CLEANING LADY! got sick and I was davening that Maria bas Claudia should be gezunt but Hashem knows what’s really good for us and she got sick and did not come for a week and a half and my house has not gotten a good, thorough cleaning in a while and you told me, doctor, when I was here last week that I should make sure to wash down all bathrooms and surfaces each day to keep the germs from spreading and to make sure that the little ones don’t touch the baby and that they keep washing their hands and I looked at you incredulously as I know you are a father of a family, so I want to talk to your wife and ask her how she keeps the little ones from touching the baby and how she disinfects all surfaces each day when she lives in a fog and has not eaten a meal in weeks where she is not interrupted with someone needing Tylenol, Motrin, a blanket, a tea, a book, tissues, food, drink or a hug and has had kids home for the past three weeks, mostly kids who are not well enough to go to cheder, but very well enough to pull out every toy from the shelves, and fight, fight, fight with each other, which you, Doctor, when I came to you last week with my seven- year old twins, Zevi and Dovi, said that they should stay home another two days from school just to be on the safe side and I told you doctor, if they stay home from school, I’m going to school and you said, patience, patience, you don’t want them spreading germs and quite frankly doctor, at that time I felt that if I don’t find a place on this planet where blessed stillness reigns, I will be the next patient, but I kept them home for the next

HEALTHY BROWNIE BITES

Brownies that you can actually feel good about eating! Don’t worry, you won’t taste the tahini….

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray a 8x8 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Place chocolate in a small microwavesafe bowl (you can use a 2 lb container). Microwave for 20 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir. Repeat as necessary until chocolate is melted and smooth.

If you prefer, you can melt it in a double boiler or by placing it in the oven for 5 minutes.

Add tahini, maple syrup, egg, salt and vanilla extract and mix well.

Stir in cocoa and flour and mix until it is incorporated in the batter.

Transfer batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes until the center appears set.

Cut into squares.

Tip: These are amazing straight from the freezer.

Note: These brownies are shehakol. You can sub regular flour for the almond flour if you prefer.

Roast chickpeas: Preheat oven to 400°. Toss chickpeas with oil and spices in a 9x13 pan. Bake 35-45 minutes, until crispy. Prepare dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small container. Seal tightly and shake well until smooth. Assemble salad: Combine all ingredients. Top with roasted chickpeas and drizzle with dressing.

LOADED AVOCADO TOAST

This one’s a real treat! The eggs and onions can be prepped in advance, making this quick and easy to pull together.

2 slices sourdough bread, toasted

1 avocado

1 jammy egg, halved

Pickled onions:

1 red onion, sliced

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup water

2 Tbsp sweetener

Prepare jammy eggs: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Lower 3-5 eggs (using a spoon) into the boiling water. Set the timer for 6 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice cold water. As soon as the 6 minutes are up, transfer the eggs to the ice water. Eggs can be used immediately or refrigerated for up to a week.

Prepare pickled onions: Combine sliced onions with remaining ingredients in a small container. Let sit overnight before using. Onions will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.

Assemble the toast: Mash half the avocado, sprinkle with salt and smear on the toasts. Slice the other half of the avocado.

Top the toasts with the sliced avocado, pickled onions and jammy eggs.

Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine oats, nuts, cinnamon and salt in a 9x13 pan and toss to combine. Add oil and honey and mix well.

Bake 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips (if using) over the granola. Let sit for 2 minutes then mix well.

Break granola into chunks. Let cool, then store in an airtight container.

BRUNCH THAT’SBETTER FOR YOU

Filling up on healthy foods can be easy and delicious. Take the time to prepare yourself a healthy brunch; your body will thank you!

GITTY NEUMAN

decline Rages Tinnitus Fatigue Vision loss Cardiac issues

Handwriting changes Vertigo Hyperthyroidism MS

Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches Bells Mania Rashes Mood changes Hearing loss

Schizophrenia Twitches Tingling Vertigo Numbness Vertigo

Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety ALS Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden OCD Vertigo Neuro inflammation Schizophrenia Tinnitus Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression

Tumors Delirium Tics MS Paralysis Panic attacks Vertigo Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion OCD Cognitive decline Schizophrenia Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain Social changes MS Headaches Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes

Twitches Tingling Numbness OCD Hallucinations Attention Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset Neuro inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches MS Bells Rashes Mood changes OCD Paralysis Twitches

Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors OCD Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Celiac Seizures

Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages MS Fatigue Handwriting changes Paralysis Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches Bells Rashes Mood changes Twitches Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Bipolar Hearing loss Incontinence Confusion Cardiac issues Cognitive decline Rages

Tinnitus Fatigue Vision loss Cardiac issues Mania Handwriting changes Vertigo Hyperthyroidism MS Memory loss Joint pain changes Headaches Bells Palsy Mania Rashes Mood changes Hearing loss Schizophrenia Twitches Tingling Vertigo Numbness Vertigo Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety ALS Aggression

Weakness Focus Sudden onset OCD Vertigo Neuro inflammation Schizophrenia Tinnitus UTI Regression Appetite Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium Tics MS

Paralysis Panic attacks Vertigo Celiac Seizures Incontinence Confusion OCD Cognitive decline Schizophrenia Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism

Memory loss Joint pain Social changes MS Headaches Bells

Rashes Mood changes Twitches Tingling Numbness

Misphonia Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety Rages Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset Neuro inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss pain Social changes Headaches MS Bells Palsy Rashes changes OCD Paralysis Twitches Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Migraines Depression Tumors OCD Delirium MS Tics attacks Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages MS Fatigue Handwriting changes

Paralysis Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches Misphonia Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes Twitches Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Weakness Focus Panic attacks Celiac Seizures

Bipolar Hearing loss Incontinence Aches Confusion Cardiac Cognitive decline Rages Tinnitus Fatigue Vision loss Cardiac issues Mania Handwriting changes Vertigo Hyperthyroidism MS Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches Bells Palsy Mania Rashes Mood changes Hearing loss Schizophrenia Twitches Tingling Vertigo Numbness Vertigo Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety ALS Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset OCD Vertigo Neuro inflammation Schizophrenia Tinnitus UTI Regression Appetite Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium Tics MS

Paralysis Panic attacks Vertigo Celiac Seizures Incontinence Confusion OCD Cognitive decline Schizophrenia Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain Social changes MS Headaches Bells

Rashes Mood changes Twitches Tingling Numbness

Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance

Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety Rages Aggression Weakness Sudden onset Neuro inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium Tics Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Misphonia Incontinence Confusion Cognitive decline Rages Fatigue

Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain changes Headaches MS Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes OCD Paralysis Twitches Tingling Numbness

Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Migraines Depression Tumors OCD Delirium MS Tics attacks Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages MS Fatigue Handwriting changes

Paralysis Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes

Twitches Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Weakness Sudden onset Neuro inflammation UTI Regression attacks Celiac Sei Incontinence Aches Confus decline Rages Tinnitus Fatigue Vision loss Cardiac issues Handwriting changes Vertigo Hyperthyroidism MS Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches Bells Mania Rashes Mood changes Hearing loss Schizophrenia Twitches Tingling Vertigo Numbness Vertigo Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety ALS Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden OCD Vertigo Neuro inflammation Schizophrenia Tinnitus Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression

changes MS Headaches Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes

Twitches Tingling Numbness OCD Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety

Cognitive

Mania

Tumors Delirium

Cognitive

Twitches Tingling Numbness OCD Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety Rages Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism

Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches MS

Palsy Rashes Mood changes OCD Paralysis Twitches

Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Inflammation Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors OCD Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Celiac Seizures

Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Paralysis Hyperthyroidism

Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches

Palsy Rashes Mood changes Twitches Tingling Numbness

Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations

Anxiety Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Headaches

Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes Twitches Tingling attacks Celiac Seizures Bipolar Hearing loss Incontinence

Aches Confusion Cardiac issues Cognitive decline Tinnitus Fatigue Vision loss Cardiac issues Mania Handwriting changes Vertigo Hyperthyroidism MS Memory loss Joint

Social changes Headaches Bells Palsy Mania Rashes changes Hearing loss Schizophrenia Twitches Tingling Vertigo Numbness Vertigo Hallucinations Attention deficit disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety ALS Aggression

Weakness Focus Sudden onset OCD Vertigo inflammation Schizophrenia Tinnitus UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium Tics

Paralysis Panic attacks Vertigo Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion OCD Cognitive decline Schizophrenia Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism

Memory loss Joint pain Social changes MS Headaches

Palsy Rashes Mood changes Twitches Tingling Numbness

OCD Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance

Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety Rages Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset Neuro inflammation UTI Regression

Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Incontinence Confusion Cognitive decline Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain changes Headaches MS Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes

OCD Paralysis Twitches Tingling Numbness Hallucinations

Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors OCD Delirium MS Tics attacks Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages MS Fatigue Handwriting changes Paralysis Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain changes Headaches Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes

Twitches Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention Sleep disturbance Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Bipolar Hearing loss Incontinence Aches Confusion Cardiac Cognitive decline Rages Tinnitus Fatigue Vision loss Cardiac issues Mania Handwriting changes Vertigo Hyperthyroidism

MS Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches

Palsy Mania Rashes Mood changes Hearing

Schizophrenia Twitches Tingling Vertigo Numbness Vertigo Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety ALS Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset OCD Vertigo Neuro inflammation Schizophrenia Tinnitus UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium Tics MS Paralysis Panic attacks Vertigo Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Schizophrenia Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain changes MS Headaches Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes

Twitches Tingling Numbness OCD Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety Rages Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism

Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches MS

Palsy Rashes Mood changes OCD Paralysis Twitches

Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Inflammation

Misphonia Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression Tumors OCD Delirium MS Tics Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion Cognitive decline Rages MS Fatigue Handwriting changes Paralysis

Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain Social changes

Headaches Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes Twitches

Tingling Numbness Hallucinations Attention deficit disturbance Palpitations Anxiety Aggression Weakness

Focus Panic attacks Celiac Seizures Bipolar Hearing Incontinence Aches Confusion Cardiac issues Cognitive decline Rages Tinnitus Fatigue Vision loss Cardiac Mania Handwriting changes Vertigo Hyperthyroidism

Memory loss Joint pain Social changes Headaches Palsy Mania Rashes Mood changes Hearing

Schizophrenia Twitches Tingling Vertigo Numbness Vertigo Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations

Psychosis Anxiety ALS Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset OCD Vertigo Neuro inflammation Schizophrenia Tinnitus

UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines Depression

Tumors Delirium Tics MS Paralysis Panic attacks Vertigo

Celiac Seizures Incontinence Aches Confusion

Cognitive decline Schizophrenia Rages Fatigue Handwriting changes Hyperthyroidism Memory loss Joint pain changes MS Headaches Bells Palsy Rashes Mood changes

Twitches Tingling Numbness OCD Hallucinations Attention deficit Sleep disturbance Palpitations Psychosis Anxiety Rages Aggression Weakness Focus Sudden onset inflammation UTI Regression Appetite loss Autism Migraines

Dear Friend,

I am sharing my story, simply because I want to initiate and spread awareness.

“Life for Lyme” is a nonprofit organization. They give referrals and medical guidance to patients struggling with Lyme disease. They`ve helped me tremendously and never asked for remuneration.

I was a young, healthy, and vibrant woman when I started feeling that something was not right. My main symptom was weakness. In the beginning, I felt exhausted all the time. The more I slept, the more exhausted I became. In addition, I got these acute weakness attacks. From one second to the next I felt acute weakness overcome my body and I could not move for a few minutes. If I would be walking or standing, I would have to lean on the wall for support, until it passed. After putting a load in the washing machine or cutting a few vegetables, I would collapse in bed, waiting for strength to continue tiny chores.

One morning I awoke and felt too weak to get out of bed. Hashem is always holding my hand. Now he guided me to a doctor that tested for Lyme disease right away. Two days later I got my results back. Lyme disease = positive. And so began my journey.

After about six weeks the doctor told me to stop taking medication as I was complaining that it stopped working. He explained that the Lyme left my body, and I was feeling the aftereffects. He advised me to rest for a while. When the while was long over, and I was feeling even worse, I went back to him, and he claimed it was just a virus. Since this so-called “virus” seemed to stick to me, I went back to him a third time. This time he laughed at me and told me to “get on with my life.” So, I listened, squelching my inner voice, ignoring my symptoms as they got worse.

Dear readers: Since this story is real, you`ve most likely guessed what happened next. Yes, it did not take long before this disease got the better of me and I simply collapsed. This time not only was I unable to get out of bed, but I also suffered from huge headaches, was extremely dizzy, sensitive to noise, strong light, and I saw stars. I have never felt so sick in my life. But the doctor laughed it off and said that it was all in my head. As a matter of fact, most of my acquaintances also believed that it was coming from stress. I almost started believing it myself. But, like I said before, Hashem was with me throughout- and since things were not making sense. At last, we agreed to try and seek additional medical opinions.

To sum it up, I had Lyme disease for almost two years switching doctors seven times—and I FINALLY did get rid of ALL my symptoms and went back to my normal healthy self. I beseech all of you. If you had a tick or ever struggled with Lyme disease, please-do not ignore it.

• Lyme disease is only one of the tickborne illnesses. Although people have a few tickborne illnesses, it will be referred to as Lyme disease. For example: I had Lyme, Bartonella, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

• Symptoms can range from pain, weakness, stiff joints, to mood swings, and seizures.

• Any specialist or eminent doctor will not necessarily know more about Lyme disease than an average doctor since they are not required to learn extensively about it (in college). Only a doctor who decides to study this on his own- knows what he is talking about and is considered a “Lyme Literate Doctor”.

• Some people will be diagnosed with Lyme disease through a regular doctor (like I was) and some will only be diagnosed through a Lyme Literate Doctor.

• Different doctors and treatment options are available. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another.

• A competent L.L. doctor who treats with antibiotics will prescribe three different types of antibiotics to take daily, since Lyme can transform itself into three different types of bacteria.

• There is no doctor that prescribes antibiotics for more than 3 months, since the CDA does not allow it (the doctor could lose his license.) (That`s why I switched doctors approximately every three months.)

• A good L.L. doctor does not take insurance.

• Every person with Lyme disease has a unique recovery. People with really bad symptoms and/or diagnosis, can be healed faster than people with less harsh symptoms/ diagnosis.

• Why do people lack understanding about Lyme disease? This is likely because of the average doctor’s attitude. Therefore, one must remember to be honest with him/herself.

• There is no way to be fully protected from a tick bite. There is an anti-tick spray available at your local health food store. Wearing a bug bracelet can also help. If a person gets a rash, fever, or fatigue, be aware that the person might have been bitten. Remove tick immediately using a magnifying glass and fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out with steady, even pressure. Avoid squeezing the tick’s stomach, puncturing it, or allowing any blood to remain on your skin.

Following is some knowledge I gained throughout my journey, that might be helpful:

You don’t heat your home with coal. Or wash your laundry in a metal wash pot. Why use an outdated reading mastery approach?

If “repetition, repetition” didn’t help him until now, it won’t help if he repeats it one hundred and seven times. It’s time to stop with the hammer-in-yourhead approach. This road to reading mastery has been proven ineffective time and time again.

Kids emerge irritated. Families get frustrated. And still, no sign of reading mastery in sight.

But despair gives way to hope. There’s a new way. A tried and tested and FUN way.

Meet Mosaic!

Mosaic, a tried-and-true program expounded on the Davis Method, dispels the notion that your child can’t read.

Based on the Davis Method, Mosaic has helped countless children delightfully discover the joys of reading! It’s a positive, creative-based, and multisensory program designed for people with dyslexia.

Anyone familiar with the Davis Method knows how it addresses the root cause of learning disabilities. Ron Davis believed that dyslexia is a talent. People dealing with dyslexia think in pictures, rather than words; they are imaginative and creative. The Davis Method relies on using the mental talents that dyslexic people share to overcome their learning problems. At Mosaic, instead of attacking the inherent mental gift, they creatively work around the issue to solve it.

“If you eliminate the reason a problem exists, the problem ceases to exist,” said Ron Davis.

Due to a high demand, Mosaic made their program available in Yiddish. Every one of their amazing steps leading students to success was completely adapted to the Yiddish language with a Yiddish dictionary to boot. The only Yiddish dictionary of its kind, professionals marvel at its work and effectiveness. Finally, a salvation for Yiddish speaking children struggling with reading.

At Mosaic, children discover HOW they learn. It finally clicks to them! Hey! I think in pictures rather than in words. And because I am imaginative and creative, I try to solve problems by looking at the whole picture, rather than working step-by-step. Dyslexic children finally feel validated after too many

“you’re not trying hard enough,” and “if you’d give it your all…”

By eliminating a negative reading relationship, children relate to reading as a positive experience. There’s nothing like the aha! moment when they realize it doesn’t take a genius brain to read; the brain simply needs to be oriented.

Mosaic’s well-equipped and sophisticated facilities are the kids’ best outlet. It’s their safe haven where they are understood. For once, they don’t feel like a failure. And when students recognize their mental talents, they develop a renewed sense of self-esteem and confidence.

“The only issue,” a thrilled mother mock-complained, “is that Sury refuses to come home.”

Yes, there’s a reason students want to be in first and out last. (Many wait outside excitedly long minutes before their time slots!)

Teamwork is another point Mosaic’s staff is very passionate about. Mosaic’s staff, parents, teachers and other therapists work hand in hand to bring out the best in every child. “When you’re on top of the entire picture, you can truly maximize progress,” a certified Davis facilitator at Mosaic explained.

Therefore, they hold meetings to track the progress of clients on weekly basis. Meetings are held in the presence of a licensed specialist in the field who guides them with subsequent steps.

Exclusive to Mosaic, the MATAR hit program teaches children about their emotions.

Unfortunately, many students arrive at Mosaic traumatized. The embarrassment and humiliation in the classroom by peers and teachers accompany them. There is so much injustice, so much anger, so much hurt. The MATAR program works on emotional regulation alongside the Davis method.

Under MATAR, children acquire how to identify and name their emotions. There’s nothing like the joy on a child’s face when he recognizes the emotion he feels and then expresses it in words.

Teachers and rebbeim report improvement in all areas. “Yanky is a changed child since he started Mosaic,” Yanky’s rebbe testified. “He’s more positive, more confident and he’s making friends. Best yet, he’s reading fluently!”

Mosaic

• Davis dyslexia correction program

• Davis Autism Approach

• Davis life concepts program - ADD/ADHD

• Davis young learners program

Our health is in our hands

Makdim was founded with the goal of saving lives, one health screening at a time. Sign

Makdim is here to help you stay

We seek to raise awareness of the importance of health screenings while emphasizing the life-saving benefits of early disease detection. As a collaboration between Yachad D’Bobov, the BPJCC, medical professionals, community leaders, and Askanim – Makdim takes a unified approach to tackle low levels of health screenings within the Boro Park community.

to date with health screenings. Visit makdim.org or call 718-925-2943 to learn more.

Dovid’s Story

I learned about the importance of colonoscopies at a health awareness event arranged by Makdim. Within two days, I walked into a doctor’s office for my colonoscopy. I was under anesthesia for twenty minutes and was out of the office within an hour and fifteen minutes.

My colonoscopy revealed thirteen polyps, with two dangerously measuring over 10 cm in size. Thanks to early diagnosis, I was able to easily have the polyps removed and did not have to potentially endure r”l any significant illness.

I realize I am lucky, I know people that were unaware and undiagnosed, and unfortunately are suffering tremendously today.

Dovid W.

About Colorectal Cancer

How common is colorectal cancer?

The American Cancer Society estimates there to be 106,180 new cases of colon cancer and 44,850 new cases of rectal cancer in 2022. The organization also calculates the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer to be: about 1 in 23 (4.3%) for men and 1 in 25 (4.0%) for women.

How treatable is colon cancer?

Colon cancer has a high treatment success rate when caught in the early stages. 91% of stage 1 cases are successfully treated according to The American Cancer Society, but are unlikely to be detected without screening – as patients are most often asymptomatic at this stage. However, at later stages mortality rates climb, with colorectal cancer being the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women.

Colorectal cancer in our community

“Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society has assisted 203 colorectal cancer patients in 2022 alone, 104 male and 99 female. A colonoscopy can be the difference between needing nothing (no painful medical intervention) to nothing can help r”l. Screening can spare heartache”

Zishe Lowy Director of Patient Services, RCCS

“Colon cancer should be unheard of or rare in our community.”

– Dr. Aaron Tokayer

We’ll take care of the legwork – all you have to do is show up to your colonoscopy.

Subscribe to screening alerts

Register by calling 718-9252943 or online at makdim. org. Provide us with your date of birth and a callback number.

We give you a call

Together we’ll talk about your current health screening needs, previous screenings, and relevant medical history.

You stay updated

We give you a call when it’s time for your next health screening.

We help arrange your screening

You receive a referral for a recommended health screening provider and assistance in scheduling your screening.

Your health is important. We’re here to help.

Colonoscopy FAQs

Who should get a colonoscopy?

All people over age 45 should be encouraged to have a colonoscopy. People with a family history of colorectal cancer, or who have Crohn’s Disease, or Ulcerative Colitis may need to start screening at an earlier age.

Why get a colonoscopy?

Most colorectal cancers start out as a concerning polyp which then progresses into cancer. Many people taking a colonoscopy will have polyps, and removing them prevents these polyps from turning into deadly cancer. Colonoscopy screening also often finds early-stage cancer that can be removed before it can spread and become incurable.

I do not doubt that the colonoscopy screening campaign by Makdim will save lives and prevent some people from needing therapies such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

Dr. Mendel Goldfinger Assistant Professor of Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

How often do colonoscopies need to be scheduled?

This is determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on your family’s history of colon cancer and previous colonoscopy findings. For individuals without additional risk factors, colonoscopies are typically recommended every 10 years.

How do you prepare for a colonoscopy?

Doctors generally recommend a clear liquid diet or limited non-fibrous food earlier in the day prior to a colonoscopy, and laxatives for an effective colon cleanse. Adhering to your doctor’s instructions will ensure a thorough colonoscopy.

How long will the colonoscopy take?

Patients are usually under general anesthesia for approximately twenty minutes during the screening, and in and out of the doctor’s office within an hour and a half. Concerning polyps are usually removed during the colonoscopy.

Are colonoscopies painful?

Colonoscopies are generally painless, as the colon is not wired to feel pain.

Dr. Aaron Tokayer, Gastroenterologist, Maimonides Medical Center

Screening saves lives

The doctor is here

in a mazeldiga shoe

Committed to helping you meet your orthopedic needs, Moonwalk now welcomes the renowned podiatrist, Dr. Uriel Levi, DPM.

He is available at our o ice to provide podiatry services as well as custom arch orthotic prescriptions quickly and conveniently so patients can continue living life on the right foot.

Because we care.

We

Boro Park: 3808 14th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11218

Hours Sun-Th: 1:00pm-12:00am

Fri: 8:00am-3:45pm

Motzei Shabbos: 6:30pm - 12:00am

Williamsburg: 735 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205

Hours Sun-Th: 12:00pm-12:00am

Fri: 8:00am-3:45pm

Motzei Shabbos: 6:30pm - 12:00am

South Williamsburg: 420 Kent Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11249

Hours Sun-Th: 8:00am-9:00pm

Fri: 8:00am-3:45pm

Motzei Shabbos: 6:30pm - 12am

choose providers that relate to our heimish community.

There’s hope for depression

Sick of waiting hours on the phone?

Our customer service is lightning-fast. Just call or Whatsapp your question or order and we’ll have your prescriptions and over-the-counter items sent over in no time.

Because your convenience is our priority.

At Integrity Care, our recovery-oriented approach to mental health treatment enables you to do more than simply “manage” your mental health, but reach your fullest potential. With world-class clinicians handpicked to ensure patient compatibility, and the dedicated support of your care team, experience a more personalized, achievable path forward.

Struggling or feeling overwhelmed? See how Integrity Care can provide you with a more viable path forward.

MINDFUL

R’ YANKY KAUFMAN

former heavy stutterer and world-renowned expert has trained in

MONSEY & MONROE

AARON MULLER

M.S. CCC-SLP, TSSLD

‘As an SLP and Supervisor with a strong interest in the treatment of stuttering I’ve taken many trainings. However, I was doubtful that the methods learned would be of practical value. Using R’ Kaufman’s methods, I am now excited to treat people who stutter through his practical and concrete program .’

English Yiddish Hebrew Speaking Therapists

BORO PARK & WILLIAMSBURG

TZVI FRIEDMAN

M.S. CCC-SLP, TSSLD

‘‘Ever since I became a speech therapist, it was my passion to help those who stutter. I have taken courses from top professionals in this field offering great treatment. However, nothing excited me more than using R' Kaufman's revolutionary program. It is truly comprehensive, user friendly and effective.’’

MANCHESTER & LONDON

BENNY RAKOW

BSc (Hons), FdA, MBACP

‘As a graduate of R’ Kaufman’s program, I have personally experienced the fantastic results in just a short period of time. I am eager to help others using his natural and effective methodology.’

LAKEWOOD

TZIPORAH SILBERBERG

M.S. CCC-SLP

‘R’ Kaufman‘s program is a holistic and well organized program which addresses the underlying needs of people who stutter. It provides research based methods in a user friendly, step by step process to help people overcome their stuttering.’

M.S. CCC-SLP

As a former stutterer R’ Kaufman has a deep understanding of the psychological needs of those who stutter. His clear & straightforward method is exceptionally successful!

-Dr. David Lieberman Ph.D

After spending $25,000 on all different speech therapies, I decided to join Rabbi Kaufman's program. His new straightforward method helped me immensely.

- Dr. Eliyahu Levine

My son is still speaking fluently over 4 years later.

- Zev Schloss LCSW

‘I have personally experienced the success of R’ Kaufman’s program. I am excited to gift this program to others and improve their lives.’

I tried everything over the past 47 years to overcome my stuttering. Rabbi Kaufman's method is the most normal and adaptable into real life.

- Eli Tropper

I have personally seen outstanding results in Yanky Kaufman's program. It's amazing to see how people can gain control of their speech in such a short period of time!"

- Chaya Schwed M.A. CCC-SLP, Regional Director of Rehabilitation

Allaire Health Services

It’s a ticking time bomb

Colon cancer doesn’t wait for you to screen. A colonoscopy has the potential to save your life. It’s time to act – now.

Colon cancer is one of the most common, yet most preventable types of cancer. Colonoscopy screenings are encouraged for individuals over the age of 45 to detect and remove pre-cancerous polyps before it has a chance to progress into colon cancer.