Jewish Action Winter 2019

AGE

Winter 2019/5780 | Vol.

PROFILE

Searching for Heather Dean

By Toby Klein Greenwald

COVER STORY: The Daf in the Digital Age Introduction by Gil Student

Behind the Daf

Discussing Daf Yomi with some of the most distinguished maggidei shiur

Interviews by Dovid Bashevkin and Sholom Licht

Up Close with Dr. Henry Abramson Interview by Sholom Licht

In Teir Own Words— How Daf Yomi has changed lives

Tweeting the Talmud

By Binyamin Ehrenkranz

Printing the Shas

Commemorating the 500th anniversary of the printing of the Bomberg Talmud

By Michelle

Chesner

HOLOCAUST

A Discovery Sheds Light on Rescue

Eforts During the Holocaust: Letters from venerable gedolim published for the frst time

By Susie Garber

Te Kestenbaum Rescue

Eforts: An Analysis

By R. Licht

INSPIRATION

Chanukah: I See the Light

By Hillel Goldberg

SPECIAL SECTION:

Death and Dying: the Jewish View

Meet Rochel Berman

A volunteer for the chevra kadisha, Berman has spent decades engaging in the ultimate act of chesed. As told to Leah R. Lightman

REVIEW ESSAY

Hope, Not Fear: Changing the Way We View Death

By Rabbi Benjamin Blech

Reviewed by Elizabeth Kratz

DEPARTMENTS

LETTERS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Can We Survive Community Harmony?

By Mark (Moishe) Bane

FROM THE DESK OF ALLEN I. FAGIN

Te Intolerance of Tolerance

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

By Gerald

M. Schreck

JUST BETWEEN US

Should You Put Your Kid on a Diet? Ten Points to Tink About By Dina Cohen and Rachel Tuchman

LEGAL-EASE

What’s the Truth About . . . Jews Counting Years Starting From Creation?

By Ari Z. Zivotofsky

THE CHEF’S TABLE Say “Cheese!”

By Naomi Ross

INSIDE THE OU

Compiled by Sara Olson

INSIDE PHILANTHROPY

Compiled by Marcia P. Neeley

BOOKS

A Father’s Story: My Fight for Justice Against Iranian Terror

By Stephen M. Flatow

Reviewed by Dov Fischer

Te New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Teir Religion Today

By Jack Wertheimer

Reviewed by Yitzchok Adlerstein

LASTING IMPRESSIONS

A Family Treasure

By Sarah Rindner

Cover: Aliza Ungar

Jewish Action seeks to provide a forum for a diversity of legitimate opinions within the spectrum of Orthodox Judaism. Therefore, opinions expressed do not necessarily refect the policy or opinion of the Orthodox Union.

anyone who wished to fll his morning hours with Torah study. Afer establishing the fagship branch of Agra D’Pirka at Knesses Bais Avigdor in Flatbush, and witnessing its remarkable success, he opened Agra D’Pirka branches in other New York communities including Boro Park, Kew Gardens Hills, Williamsburg and Monsey. Branches were also launched in Lakewood, New Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland; and Miami Beach, Florida, with plans to open new branches in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Los Angeles, California.

Any treatment of this subject should include Agra D’Pirka.

Chaim Fuhrer Administrator

Agra D’Pirka Brooklyn, New York

BURYING A FETUS

We applaud you for publishing Rabbi Elisha Friedman’s article “Burying a Fetus and a Dream” (fall 2019). Tis moving article is a further indication that the Orthodox world has fnally begun to acknowledge the pain and difculty associated with pregnancy loss, and that it afects men as well as women.

But we found one aspect of the article troubling. Rabbi Friedman writes, “I marveled, because Jewish tradition has given us a wise, if painful, framework to process miscarriage. Standing at that anonymous grave all those years later, I knew something I could never have imagined back when I experienced my own loss: that despite the searing pain of that miscarriage, it was wise that I had been encouraged not to name my child and bury her, but to move on.”

Based on our two experiences with second-trimester pregnancy loss, we have drawn diferent lessons. Mourning for such a loss is not incompatible with “moving on.” On the contrary, having time and space for healthy mourning can help a couple become ready for another attempt at conception, and assist them in caring for any children they already have. Additionally, openness about the loss allows for other people to get involved and provide support.

With our frst such experience, we were too shocked to think constructively about what would be best for us. We simply let the doctors do what they needed to do and mourned by ourselves. Tese turned out to be poor decisions.

Unfortunately, we faced the same situation a few years later. We knew this time to reach out for help. Sara delivered the baby and was able to hold him. Our rabbi did not advise us to refrain from naming our child, and we did give him a name. Tis act gave him an identity as a human being and as a potential life. Te burial was handled by the chevra kadisha, but Sara was there when it took place, accompanied by a friend. (Alan was not able to go, as he is a kohen).

We respect Rabbi Friedman’s perspective and his means of coping. However, we would caution readers that his is by no means the only Torah-true pathway to deal with such a loss.

Rabbi Friedman’s moving and valuable contribution will surely be comforting to many fellow parents who sufered a perinatal bereavement. However, it should not leave the misimpression that halachic tradition requires leaving the parents out of the process of naming and burying the nefel [a fetus that dies in the womb or is born dead].

For example, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l, strongly objected to a chevra kadisha preventing parents from being present at the burial of their child.1 In 2014, a joint directive of Israel’s Ministry of Health, the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Religious Services2 required the chevra kadisha to ofer the parents the opportunity to be at the burial [of a nefel]. Te United Synagogue, a union of Orthodox shuls in England, created a “Guide for the Jewish Parent on Miscarriages, Stillbirths & Neonatal Deaths,”3 which notes:

“Some parents fnd it too difcult to be present for the burial whereas others derive a certain sense of comfort from being there. Both approaches comply with Halachah and every family should do what they feel is best for them. Some close relatives or friends might also attend but it is not usual to have a large gathering of people at such an occasion” (p. 6).

Surely the bereaved parents’ rabbi, who knows their needs, should be the one counseling them on issues such as whether they or the chevra kadisha choose a name for the nefel and who should attend the burial.

Parents bereaved by a perinatal death react in many of the same ways as do those who sufer the loss of an older child, but society responds diferently, especially in the traditional Jewish community. Tere is no communitysupported funeral and no shivah where people could come to express their sympathy and encouragement. As a result, there may well be disenfranchised grief. Indeed, lack of social support is among the predictors of the development of complicated grief afer such loss.4

True, many bereaved parents would prefer dealing with their loss in private. But many might well appreciate social support at that dark moment. Public recognition and expression can be as simple as arranging for Maariv at the home of the bereaved or learning a mishnah or two followed by Kaddish deRabbanan.5 Bereaved parents need not take of their shoes or sit on a low stool to be comforted by caring friends and family who stay aferwards. Keriah is not required for the death of a nefel, but the berachah is independent of keriah and may be said b’Shem u’Malchut for this death, as the parents are indeed saddened by the news.6 Te parents can also be reminded that it would be appropriate for them to attend Yizkor each holiday if they wish.

We should be aware of the varied opportunities available to comfort those bereaved by such a loss.

Notes

1. Rabbi Avraham Stav, Kachalom Yauf 74 (Jerusalem, 2010), 39. Te volume discusses halachic and hashkafc issues regarding this bereavement.

2. Te details are available at https://www.health.gov.il/ English/Topics/Pregnancy/Pages/Loss_of_baby.aspx.

3. See https://www.theus.org.uk/sites/default/ f les/still%20birth%20singles.pdf.

Alan and Dr. Sara Goldman University Heights, Ohio

4. A. Kersting and B. Wagner, “Complicated grief a fer perinatal loss,” Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience 14, no. 2 (June 2012): 187-94.

5. On the general issue of women saying Kaddish, see my review of “Kaddish, Women’s Voices,” Hakirah 17 (summer 2014): 165-178, http://www.hakirah.org/Vol17Wolowelsky.pdf.

6. Rabbi Aaron Felder, Yesodei Smachos (New York, 1976), 2, n. 12, quoting Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, zt”l

Joel B. Wolowelsky Brooklyn,

New York

Editor’s Note: Dr. Joel Wolowelsky is the author of To Mourn a Child: Jewish Responses to Neonatal and Childhood Death (Brooklyn, 2013).

NechamaComfort is an organization supporting families sufering miscarriage, stillbirth and early infant death. We know the pain Rabbi Friedman so eloquently describes.

At NechamaComfort, we have found that couples can be helped tremendously by immediate support at the time of loss and by being ofered choices. If they want to, they can pick a name for their baby that is meaningful to them, have organized grieving time and know where their baby is buried so they can put up a matzevah (stone marker) at the grave and stand and cry for their terrible loss. Halachah allows for all of these things.

It is crucial to train rabbis, doctors and hospital staf so that they know how to be supportive and helpful. Communities can also be educated on how to embrace a sufering family and allow space for both the joys and the sorrows of building a family. NechamaComfort provides professional training and community awareness programs to make sure no one is lef to sufer alone.

Te goal is not to “get over it” but to “move through” the sufering and to fnd a meaningful way to incorporate the loss into the story of your life. Whether the loss happened yesterday or years ago, it is never too late to be supported by those who understand what you are going through.

Reva Judas, founder and director, NechamaComfort

Sharon Barth

Ellen Krischer

Esther Levie

Teaneck, New Jersey

Editor’s Note: OU Executive Vice President, Emeritus, Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb recalls being told by senior rabbis in Baltimore that the custom in some communities in pre-Holocaust Europe was to give stillborn children uncommon names, such as Abaye for males and Zilpah for females.

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CAN WE SURVIVE COMMUNITY HARMONY?

By Mark (Moishe) Bane

Confict within the Jewish community is ofen due to challenges to the religious essence of Judaism and to the binding nature of Torah and rabbinic authority. But history is also replete with instances of discord within the Orthodox community itself, despite all factions sharing a common commitment to Torah observance and values. Sometimes such Orthodox divisiveness is caused by petty jealousies, greed and insecurities. But other times, battles within the Orthodox world rage over truly substantive ideological issues, albeit within the contours of Torah and the mesorah

Although there is currently no shortage of disparate, ofen conficting, religious attitudes and practices within the American Orthodox community, it seems that the friction between various sectors is less intense nowadays than in earlier decades. Signifcant ideological clashes within the American Orthodox community are increasingly rare; even when disagreements do arise, the volume of the battles seems to be fairly mild compared to some of the more explosive ideological conficts of the past. Each sector appears content to leave others to follow their own path in avodas Hashem, notwithstanding how misguided the path may be viewed.

Is Communal Tranquility Attributable to Religious Apathy?

It would be nice to believe that the current relative harmony among American Orthodoxy is the product of increased righteousness and maturity. Or perhaps American Orthodoxy is circling the wagons in response to mounting anti-Semitism and to secular society’s assault on religious observance and values. A more frightening possibility is that the tranquility is a refection of religious apathy. Afer all, vigorous religious confict is ofen an expression of authentic ideological passion. People tend to engage in ideological battles only when they feel the cause deeply and personally.

Some might even argue that religious ideological battles have a positive impact. As long as conducted

respectfully and appropriately, religious confrontation is not only an expression of true passion but also tends to enhance the participants’ religious commitment and growth. Certainly, confict motivated by authentic religious commitment is less troubling than the calm born of ideological indiference. When children disagree and bitterly fght about how their elderly parents should be cared for, the parents are surely pained. But such familial discord is certainly preferable to indiferent children, readily ceding to their siblings’ views while shrugging their shoulders and walking away mumbling “whatever.” Fortunately, it cannot be credibly suggested that American Orthodox Jewry is religiously indiferent. To the contrary, the commitment to religious observance and values of the community, as a whole, is truly admirable.

• Orthodoxy in general continues to thrive in Torah study and commitment to Torah values. Moreover, increased Torah knowledge and understanding are engendering an enhanced and increasingly attentive approach to mitzvah observance.

• Te frum community’s deep commitment to living a Torah lifestyle is clearly evident when considering the economic demands, and resulting lifestyle sacrifces, entailed in raising an observant family.

• As a whole, the community has retained, if not enhanced, its emunah, its profound faith in God.

Mark (Moishe) Bane is president of the OU and a senior partner and chairman of the Business Restructuring Department at the international law firm Ropes & Gray LLP.

Tis dedication is particularly stunning in light of the ongoing state of hester panim (the lack of explicit manifestations of God’s presence) that has been imposed since the destruction of the frst Beis Hamikdash (Temple). Tis hester panim has plagued the Jewish people through centuries of massacres, pogroms and expulsions, reaching a crescendo in the Holocaust. And yet we are ma’aminim bnei ma’aminim, devout believers, children of believers. Hardly the stuf of religious apathy. • Te Orthodox community has embraced holiness, manifest through its commitment to marriage, family and communal benevolence. Te community’s elevated holiness is all the more extraordinary in light of the incessant bombardment of society’s perspectives and priorities that are antithetical to Torah values, the infuence inherent to the integration of Orthodox Jewry into society’s social and commercial structure and the alluring temptations of materialism and immodesty pervasively accessible through technology. As a whole, the community is manifestly committed to Torah Judaism. Tus, it should be apparent that American Jewry’s relative lack of discord is not due to an absence of religious commitment and passion. How then can we understand American Orthodoxy’s relative internal tranquility? Tis conundrum is compounded when considering the ofen bombastic conficts raging within the Israeli Orthodox community.

Admittedly, the ideological strife in Israel can be attributed to factors and infuences not found in America. Tese include the IDF draf and its religious exemptions, the Ofce of the

Chief Rabbinate and the multiple and intensely socially segregated Orthodox educational school systems. And of course there is the ubiquitous role of Israeli politics and the resulting entanglement of Israeli Orthodoxy with religious political parties. Nevertheless, the absence of these factors in America cannot alone explain the diminished American Orthodox infghting.

Individualism or Collectivism

A signifcant distinction among social cultures is how they balance individualism and collectivism. Individualism emphasizes the primacy of each human being, placing the interests of the individual ahead of those of the community. Collectivism, by contrast, regards the aggregation of people into a community as the grander expression of humanity, prioritizing the interests of the collective ahead of those of any individual.

Te dichotomy between individualism and collectivism extends beyond public policy and philosophy to inform how people perceive their own identity and purpose. Terefore, it infuences life choices. Is their primary identity dictated by their personal distinctiveness or by the society or community with which they associate? Are their goals and aspirations focused on personal achievements and independent expression, or on the successes and accomplishments of the group?

In any society, healthy people’s psyches and aspirations will include aspects of both their individual and communal identities. Te allocation between the two, however, is typically infuenced by the culture of the society in which they dwell.

Rather than viewing individualism and collectivism as contradictory or

competitive, Judaism recognizes each as representing distinct dimensions of Torah values, each being integral to a healthy and productive Jewish life.

For example, halachah addresses when one’s personal interests must take priority, and when deference to communal concerns is advisable. Certain mitzvos can be observed as an individual, while others can be performed only as a community. In the Beis Hamikdash, may it soon be rebuilt, most of the daily and holiday services were performed on behalf of the collective community, but there were also contributions and services due from each individual.

In mystical terms as well, a Jew’s relationship to God must be developed on both planes. Each Jewish soul is both independent and interdependent, and thus, one Jew’s spiritual growth afects the entirety of the Jewish people. On Yom Kippur we repeatedly chant Vidui (the confession prayer) for our individual failings, but in each instance, we then chant it a second time collectively, for our community’s defciencies. Individualism and collectivism should not subsume or override the other.

American culture recognizes a role for, and the value of community, but generally weighs heavily in favor of the individual. American society’s emphasis on individualism is refected in its focus on personal aspirations and wants. Self-actualization is a linchpin of American culture, which encourages people to be who they are, feel as they feel and live the life they experience as being most authentic. In fact, restricting one’s self-expression or personal aspirations to accommodate communal sensitivities or needs is regarded as weak and pointless.

Unbridled individualism ofen results in attitudes that are antithetical to Torah, such as narcissism and selfshness. It foments boundless expectations and demands for individual entitlements, encompassing the widest of spectrums, from how to live to when to die.

Western culture increasingly seeks to diminish the role of God and religion in society and in private life. Perhaps individualism is encouraged because

Each Jewish soul is both independent and interdependent, and thus, one Jew’s spiritual growth affects the entirety of the Jewish people.

it not only promotes individual needs above the will of the collective, but also creates a mindset that elevates individual needs above the will of God.

To be sure, individualism as an ideology has positive efects. It has resulted in exceptional levels of creativity, entrepreneurship and personal achievement. Individualism trains one to look past the blur of humanity, focusing on the worth of the individual. Perhaps this social outlook is responsible for the American dedication to addressing the needs of the disadvantaged, as well as those with special needs and disabilities. And, perhaps in a bizarre sort of way, the American culture of individualism may also be responsible for the increased harmony among segments of American Orthodoxy.

Is Communal Tranquility Attributable to Individualism?

Te Orthodox community comprises various communal segments forming an amalgamated whole. Are these segments individual pieces that stand on their own but happen to create a collection, or is each communal segment intrinsically interwoven, attaining its true signifcance by joining with other segments to create the holistic fabric of Torah Judaism?

Tose with a collectivist mindset view the Orthodox world as a composite, with each sub-community’s current state and future fate afected by every other segment. In this view, each group is understandably troubled, if not ofended, by another’s attempt to radically “innovate” or to depart from past practices or halachic standards. Te deeper the provocation, the more intense the response. Tis indignation stems from a deep sense of communal achdus and cohesiveness, a recognition of our mystical connectedness that makes us all both spiritually dependent upon, and responsible for, one another.

Tose with an individualistic mindset, by contrast, view each sub-community as independent, as an island. In this view, sub-communities care little about one another since there’s no appreciation of an interconnectivity or interdependence between the groups and no sense of one group having an efect on another. No segment need be perturbed by the

practices and religious views of another. In fact, they feel it is inappropriate to be judgmental of others since each group is on their own, unafected by the others and entitled to do as they please. When one sub-community, for example, adopts an unprecedented or deviant practice or religious view, others are likely to merely shrug their shoulders, move on and mumble “whatever.”

Can Orthodox Jewry Survive Internal Tranquility?

Tus, we must ask: Does the lack of strife among American Orthodoxy refect brotherly love and respect or does it signify a sense of alienation and detachment? Indeed, sometimes the absence of communal tension may strike us as attractive, but should not be a cause for celebration since it reveals simple indiference.

Te Jewish community cannot survive a “harmony” that is the byproduct of apathy and detachment among fellow Jews. If we lose sight of our spiritual interdependence and interconnectivity, we forfeit one of the seminal foundations of Judaism.

Midrash Rabba (Parashas Emor 30:12) describes four categories of Jews: the pious scholar, the non-pious scholar, the non-scholarly pious person and the Jew who is neither pious nor a scholar. Tis disparity and inconsistency raises

questions regarding the viability of the Jewish people. In His eagerness to preserve our special nation, God advises that as an antidote to our vulnerability, each sector of the Jewish people should bind itself to the other three and by doing so, each will redeem the other. Trough this bond, the Shechinah, God’s Holy presence, will pervade His people. Internal strife within the Orthodox world is distressing and painful, and yes, it is wonderful if such conficts have generally subsided. But we are sufering a fate far more devastating than internal confict if the absence of discord is, in fact, due to indiference, inertia and the failure to comprehend our interdependence. Our survival as a vibrant people, and our relationship with God, is dependent on our recognition of how intertwined our fate is and how interconnected we are as a people. Admittedly, this recognition may lead to confict. But if we also recognize that our connection to the Almighty is dependent on our preventing the inevitable ideological strife from compromising our bond with our fellow Jews, we can surely engage in such battle while preserving our respect and love for one another. Klal Yisrael can thereby survive, if not fourish, within the tensions that ensue when brothers and sisters truly care about one another.

If we lose sight of our spiritual interdependence and interconnectivity, we forfeit one of the seminal foundations of Judaism.

The INTOLERANCE of TOLERANCE

Ihave never before, in the pages of this magazine, directly addressed the resurgence of blatant anti-Semitism both here in the US and abroad. I’m not certain why. Perhaps because the subject is simply too painful. Perhaps because the search for solutions is so seemingly intractable. Perhaps because the now daily reminders that the scourge of vicious hatred has not departed from our midst dulls our sensitivity and mutes our outrage.

But I now feel compelled to speak, and, in so doing, to address not just the purveyors of hate—that would be easier, albeit futile—but those that tolerate anti-Semites; that disclaim their message but defend their right to advance it; that, in the process, enable them to spew hatred of Jews and the Jewish people—ofen under the blanket protection of “free speech.”

Pittsburgh and Poway are but examples—perhaps the most frightening and brutal examples— of a resurgent anti-Semitism that is engul f ng our country. According to a recent survey conducted by

the American Jewish Committee, nearly nine out of ten American Jews (88 percent) say anti-Semitism is a problem in the US today—almost 40 percent call it a very serious problem. Nearly a third of the Jews polled have avoided publicly wearing, carrying or displaying things that might identify them as Jews; a quarter have avoided places or events out of concern for their safety; a third reported that Jewish institutions with which they are a f liated have been targeted by anti-Semitic attacks, gra fti or threats. Not a day goes by without the report of anti-Semitic incidents in communities throughout America; swastikas painted on, and in, school buildings and playgrounds; at Duke University, where a swastika was painted over a mural honoring the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings; at UCLA, where the administration gave tacit approval to the National Conference of Students for Justice in Palestine, whose ranks include leaders who have tweeted such statements as “let’s stu f some Jews in the oven,” and “every time I read about Hitler, I fall in love all over again”; in multiple Brooklyn neighborhoods, where acts of anti-Semitic violence against Orthodox Jews have become commonplace—shul windows smashed and pedestrians violently assaulted. My purpose here is not to chronicle these heinous acts. Rather, I want to explore how civil society has, by its actions or its failure to act, enabled such conduct to slowly work its way beyond the fringes of our society, both lef and right, and in f ltrate the mainstream of our social fabric.

Let me illustrate: Earlier this year, videos surfaced on social media showing high school students in Garden Grove, California, giving the straight-arm Nazi salute while singing

a German military song. One could, I suppose, write of such conduct as the prankish, sophomoric actions of uneducated youth. But what I found particularly distressing was the reaction of the mainstream press as the videos went viral. T is conduct, regardless of intention or motivation, was pure, unadulterated anti-Semitism; the type of conduct that should have been immediately and universally condemned. But when USA Today reported on the incident, the response was equivocal: “[t]aking disciplinary action sends a direct message about whether hate will be tolerated, but at the same time raises questions of freedom of speech.” Freedom of speech—the tolerance of intolerance.

Tere is nothing new or unique about anti-Semitism. What is shocking, however, is the degree to which the mainstream of civil society—not the radical fringes of right and lef , but our core institutions and opinion makers— academics, public intellectuals and journalists—have blithely tolerated the most blatant acts of intolerance.

Several weeks ago, Columbia University invited the prime minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, to address its Global Leadership Forum. Dr. Mohamad is a notorious, self-proclaimed anti-Semite and Holocaust denier.

Among his vile pronouncements:

“I am glad to be labeled anti-Semitic.”

“Today the Jews rule this world by proxy. Tey get others to fght and die for them.”

“You cannot even mention that in the Holocaust it was not six million [Jews who died].”

“ Te Jews are not merely hook-nosed, but understand money instinctively.”

But despite this history—known to all—one of the world’s most prestigious universities extended an invitation to an outspoken, vile anti-Semite to address its students.

A fer news of this invitation became public, I wrote the following to

Allen I. Fagin is executive vice president of the OU.

Columbia’s president, Lee Bollinger: I am an alumnus of Columbia College, Class of 1971. I have been an active Columbia alum, having served for several years on the Columbia College Board of Visitors. I currently serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Columbia-Barnard Hillel.

As so many Columbia alumni, I was shocked at Columbia’s decision to permit Prime Minister Mohamad of Malaysia to speak at the University. Tere is no dispute whatsoever that the Prime Minister is a rabid anti-Semite and a Holocaust denier. Giving him a forum at Columbia is simply inexplicable. Speaking at any University . . . particularly Columbia . . . is a privilege, not a right. I had always felt that Columbia in general, and you in particular, sought by its conduct and its decisions to live the values that it seeks to inculcate in its students.

I call upon you, even at this late date, to place these values that we all cherish so dearly above all else, and to cancel this misguided appearance.

President Bollinger’s ofce responded, in relevant part, as follows:

You are correct that I fnd the anti-Semitic statements of Prime Minister Mahathir to be abhorrent, contrary to what we stand for, and deserving of condemnation. Nevertheless, it is in these instances that we are most strongly resolved to insist that our campus remain an open forum and to protect the freedoms essential to our University community.

T is is the tolerance of intolerance. “Protect the freedoms essential to our University community.” But what of the freedom to be sheltered from vili fcation based on one’s religious identity? Must an “open forum” include the right to slander and abuse?

In his speech, the Malaysian prime minister defended his absolute right to preach hatred: “When you say ‘you cannot be anti-Semitic,’ there is no free speech. I am exercising my right to free speech. Why is it I can’t say something against the Jews? . . .”

So there we have it. A rabid

anti-Semite was granted license to spew his venomous remarks at the invitation of one of America’s most prestigious institutions. And his right to do so defended—tolerated—by one of America’s foremost intellectuals. Not by a street thug ripping of an Orthodox woman’s wig while she walked with her children on a Brooklyn street; not by a group of ignorant teenagers giving a Nazi salute around a swastika made of beer cups; not by a group of white supremacists in Charlottesville chanting “the Jews will not replace us.” No, this defense of permissible hate speech was from the president of Columbia University, the same institution that hosted the Jew-hating president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in 2007. At least then, President Bollinger had the moral courage to take the stage in advance of Ahmadinejad’s address, introducing him by noting that the Iranian president exhibited “all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,” and adding that by denying the Holocaust, Ahmadinejad was “either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.” But not this time. Now, with anti-Semitism rearing its ugly head across our nation and beyond, the president of Columbia University deliberately chose to tolerate the intolerant.

Our mainstream media has likewise contributed to the tolerance of anti-Semitism. How vividly do we all recall the April 2019 publication by the international edition of the New York Times of a despicable cartoon depicting a blind, kippa-clad President Trump being led on a leash by a dachshund with the visage of Prime Minister Netanyahu, a Star of David prominently displayed around its neck. Te cartoon’s message was crystal clear: Israelis—Jews—are so in control of world a fairs that they could lead American presidents wherever they wish and have them blindly and obediently follow.

T is latest in a cascading series of ofenses by the New York

Times prompted op-ed columnist Bret Stephens to write:

Imagine, for instance, if the dog on a leash in the image hadn’t been the Israeli prime minister but instead a prominent woman such as Nancy Pelosi, a person of color such as John Lewis, or a Muslim such as Ilhan Omar. Would that have gone unnoticed by either the wire service that provides the Times with images or the editor who, even if he were working in haste, selected it? Te question answers itself. And it raises a follow-on: How have even the most blatant expressions of anti-Semitism become almost undetectable to editors who think it’s part of their job to stand up to bigotry?

Our American democratic tradition, rooted in First Amendment values, has seemingly placed the right to speak freely above all other societal norms. But one must question whether such a hierarchy of values in fact fosters the democratic and pluralistic ideals that we aspire to or whether it simply legitimizes conduct that carries within it the seeds of the ultimate demise of democracy itself.

In a recent opinion piece published in the New York Times, entitled “Free Speech is Killing Us,” Andrew Marantz decried the efects of ubiquitous, unregulated, hate-f lled pronouncements on social media, tolerated by our infatuation with free-speech protections:

Noxious speech is causing tangible harm. Yet this fact implies a question so uncomfortable that many of us go to great lengths to avoid asking it. Namely, what should we—the government, private companies, or individual citizens—be doing about it?

Nothing. Or at least that’s the answer one ofen hears from liberals and conservatives alike. Some speech might be bad, this line of thinking goes, but censorship is always worse. Te First Amendment is frst for a reason. . . .

Free speech is a bedrock value in this country. But it isn’t the only one. Like all values, it must be held in tension with others, such as equality, safety and robust democratic participation. Speech should be protected, all things

being equal. But what about speech that’s designed to drive a woman out of her workplace or to bully a teenager into suicide or to drive a democracy toward totalitarianism? Navigating these trade-ofs is thorny, as trade-ofs among core principles always are. But that doesn’t mean we can avoid navigating them at all.

Indeed, our right to say whatever we want, wherever we chose to, is not limitless. First Amendment protections have never applied to the private sector—only to government action. And even our First Amendment jurisprudence is bounded. As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. famously observed, no one is free to shout “f re” in a crowded theater. Libel and slander are actionable. Incitement of violence and child pornography are all forms of speech, and yet we prohibit them without fear that the very foundations of our freedom will come crashing down.

Jewish law likewise places limits on “free speech.” Tere is a Torah prohibition against gossip: “Do not go around as a gossiper among your people” (Vayikra 19:16). Lashon hara is a subset of this broader prohibition. As the Rambam explains: “ Tere is a far greater sin that falls under this prohibition [of gossip]. It is ‘the evil tongue,’ which refers to whoever speaks despairingly of his fellow, even though he speaks the truth” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 7:2). Whoever speaks with an evil tongue, the Talmud teaches us, it is as if he denied God (Arachin 15b). In the last century, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, zt”l, the Chofetz Chaim, devoted much of his enormous Torah scholarship to the laws of speech, and the avoidance of lashon hara.

And for many Western democracies outside of the United States, hate speech is routinely banned as inimical to social order. Recently, for example, a German neo-Nazi—the former leader of the far-right National Democratic Party—was convicted of Holocaust denial by a German court. He appealed his conviction, arguing that a ban on Holocaust denial was a violation

of his human rights. Te European Union Court of Justice upheld his conviction, holding that denial of the Nazi slaughter of six million Jews was “not a basic human right.” Te court found that promotion of Holocaust denial “could not attract the protection for freedom of speech” incorporated in the European Convention on Human Rights, as such statements ran “counter to the values of the Convention itself.”

Columbia University’s President Bollinger is surely not an anti-Semite, and Columbia University is not an anti-Semitic institution. Yet in their zeal to pray at the temple of free speech and academic freedom, they have become enablers. Teir position is cowardly and morally repugnant. Tey have tolerated intolerance, and in the process sacri fced the very freedoms that we cherish and that they seemingly seek to foster.

In a seminal essay entitled “Repressive Tolerance,” noted philosopher Herbert Marcuse wrote as follows:

In the past and diferent circumstances, the speeches of the Fascist and Nazi leaders were the immediate prologue to the massacre . . . But the spreading of the word could have been stopped before it was too late: if democratic tolerance had been withdrawn when the future leaders started their campaign, mankind would have had a chance of avoiding Auschwitz and a World War . . . When tolerance mainly serves the protection and preservation of a repressive society, when it serves to neutralize opposition and to render men immune against other and better forms of life, then tolerance has been perverted.

T is was, I believe, the true intent of our Founding Fathers—to balance the liberties we cherish, including the right to speak our minds and freely express our views, against the rights of every citizen to live in safety, free from persecution and the gnawing insecurity of organized hatred and vili fcation.

In August 1790, President George Washington wrote a now-iconic letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island. Te letter is remarkably short—only 340 words— but its impact on American history has been profound. In it, President Washington reassured those who had fed religious tyranny that their lives in the nascent American nation would be forever altered; that religious “toleration” would give way to religious liberty; and that the power of the state would never be used to interfere with matters of belief or religious practice.

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their efectual support. We pine for a society that gives to bigotry no sanction. We long for a society that gives to persecution no assistance. Tose who seek to ful f ll this great vision can no longer tolerate the intolerance that surrounds us.

Anti-Semitic political cartoon that appeared in the international edition of the New York Times in April 2019. Illustration: Antonio Antunes/Expresso, Lisbon, Portugal/CartoonArts

By Gerald M. Schreck

“Never before in Jewish history has it been so easy to learn a blatt gemara as it is today.”

Te above line could have been written in 2019, but it was actually written in 1997 in an article published in the now-defunct Jewish Observer entitled “New Technological Frontiers in Dialing the Daf,” by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum. Te creator of the famed Dial-a-Daf program, Rabbi Teitelbaum goes on to explain just how easy it is to learn the daf on the phone: “Just punch in the masechta code and the blatt number on your nearest phone and you are instantly connected to a master Rebbe who’ll explain the daf loud and clear.”

Te Dial-a-Daf, for those old enough to remember, was run from the basement of Rabbi Teitelbaum’s two-story house in Boro Park. According to a New York Times article on Dial-a-Daf, the phone system could accommodate a few hundred calls an hour, and most of the users were in the New York metropolitan area.

It’s hard not to chuckle when reading these lines. How far we’ve come in making learning the Daf easy, available and accessible! Tere’s a vast and impressive array of digital resources on the Daf that have made Daf Yomi a possibility for thousands who could have never even contemplated committing to it. As Dr. Henry Abramson, who writes and produces the “Jewish History in Daf Yomi” video series, a project of the OU’s Daf Yomi Initiative, says in

CHAIRMAN’S

MESSAGE

his interview in this issue with Jewish Action author Sholom Licht: “We are living at a moment of great opportunity in Jewish history . . . it is a ‘Gutenberg moment.’ We’re at the cusp of leveraging a new technology that has incredible implications for the Jewish people.”

I began studying the Daf thirty-four years ago, and I have my good friend Steve Savitsky, a former OU president, to thank for encouraging me to embark on this life-altering journey. Back in 1985, I visited Steve at his ofce and noticed the large volumes of Gemara arranged on the bookshelf. “Why do you have these volumes at work?” I asked. “I travel a lot for work,” he said. “What a better way to spend your time in the air than doing the Daf?” His words hit home. Even though I was running my own public relations frm and had a growing family at the time, I decided to take the plunge and commit to studying the Daf.

But this was the '80s—there was no Internet, no Gemara apps, no ShasPod. With the incessant demands of my career and family, I couldn’t manage to make a daily shiur. So I contacted Rabbi Mayer Apfelbaum, a”h, who became my “savior.” Rabbi Apfelbaum was the ingenious innovator who started the frst Torah tape lending library. Every month I would drive to his Boro Park home, which housed thousands upon thousands of audiocassettes with shiurim on the Daf from some of the best maggidei shiur at the time, and get a stack of new tapes, which I would return a few weeks later. I am forever indebted to Rabbi Apfelbaum and his legendary library for enabling me to stay on track and not give up on the Daf. I am also grateful to another friend of mine who made my journey into the Daf so much easier: Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, a”h. Te Shottenstein Edition of the Talmud is my constant companion as I navigate the daily Daf. With the coming Siyum, I will have the tremendous zechus of having gone through yet another Daf Yomi cycle—I am grateful to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for continuing to give me the ability to persist in this lifelong quest of Torah study.

Before signing of, I would like to take

the opportunity to introduce you to the newest members of the Jewish Action Editorial Committee. Astute readers will have noted that our masthead has, for past few issues, included the following new names: Deborah Chames Cohen, Dr. Rosalyn Sherman and Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman. Deborah Chames Cohen, a partner at Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine in Miami, is a seasoned family law attorney who is very involved in her local community. Dr. Rosalyn Sherman is a clinical psychologist who maintains a practice in Manhattan and serves as an adjunct associate professor in the Mental Health Psychology Department at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. Rebbetzin Shmidman, who has spent years teaching Judaic studies to high school students, is currently the director of the OU’s Women’s Initiative and rebbetzin of the Lower Merion Synagogue in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Each of these highly accomplished, talented women brings a unique and valued perspective to our robust editorial team. With their varied backgrounds and expertise in the felds of education, mental health, law and communal service, our newest Editorial Committee members help support our mission to enrich our readers Jewishly by providing articles that inspire and enlighten and provide an honest, open perspective on Jewish ideas, culture and thought not found elsewhere. Finally, I am grateful to Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz, senior lecturer at Ohr Somayach and a popular teacher at the OU’s Seymour J. Abrams Jerusalem World Center, who has taken on the role of rabbinic advisor for the magazine. Rabbi Breitowitz needs no introduction to our readers—he has been published in these pages numerous times—and his brilliance and wide-ranging knowledge in so many areas are well known in the Orthodox world. We are honored to have him on the Jewish Action team.

Gerald M. Schreck is chairman of the Jewish Action Committee and an honorary vice president of the OU.

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Searching for Heather Dean

In a new memoir, a former entertainment journalist shares why she gave up a glamorous career to pursue newfound dreams in Israel

By Toby Klein Greenwald

Apoised, statuesque woman enters the main hall of the OU Israel Center in Jerusalem. She is about to launch her memoir, Searching for Heather Dean: My Extraordinary Career as a Celebrity Interviewer and Why I Left It. The audience waits, rapt with curiosity, as she peruses her notes before she begins speaking.

A highly successful celebrity interviewer, Heather Dean has conducted more than 1,500 interviews with the likes of Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Isabella Rossellini, Harrison Ford, Reese Witherspoon and Martin Scorsese. (And for this article, she gave a personal interview to Jewish Action!) But the most inspirational stories in her book are her own, written with sparkling wit and emotion—and no sugarcoating. Her bottom-line message: “Remember who you are.” For Dean, it took about thirty-five years to discover exactly who she is.

Born and raised in the affluent Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, Dean had a fascination with TV. This obsession, along with not wanting to be one of the “cool kids,” led her to spend hours watching, analyzing and dreaming of working in the entertainment industry.

“I used my tenure as a teenage social outcast to hone my skills as a perceptive observer of people,” said Dean, who shared that she would often be invited to braid the hair of other girls, but not invited to their parties. Her experiences also helped her to be empathetic later in life to young people who consider themselves outsiders

Growing up, Dean attended Hebrew school, which lef her uninspired. Moreover, she found the Conservative synagogue services “maddeningly and mind-numbingly endless.” She felt that being shown flms about Judaism on Shabbat, being driven to synagogue and being allowed to write and cook on synagogue premises on Shabbat was a classic case of “Do as I say, not as I do.” “It certainly didn’t have a positive efect on me,” she says.

A Rising Career

One summer, while visiting her parents who had moved to Portola Valley, California, Dean was accepted as an intern at People Are Talking, San Francisco’s highest-rated morning TV talk show at the time. She loved being part of the team and getting her foot in the door. She saw many women in senior- and executive-level production positions who were making important decisions. People Are Talking Producer DeAnne Hamilton gave her the following advice: “Go for it. Just go for it.” Te lesson in courage served her well.

“That life-altering summer [internship] was ultimately bittersweet. I could foresee a future in broadcasting that looked promising. It was also the summer my mother learned she had cancer,” she writes in her book.

“She broke the news to all of her children in the most nonchalant of ways . . . I didn’t want to pry details out of her if she wasn’t ready to tell us more. In any case, I preferred the cold comfort of denial to the hard truth that she might leave this world in the near future.”

Dean returned to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and convinced the school to let her spend her last semester as an intern; subsequently, she was accepted by MTV in Manhattan as one of three news department interns, marking the fulfillment of a dream. She moved up the totem pole, eventually becoming a premier entertainment journalist working for E! Entertainment Television, the Associated Press News Radio and other television networks.

Dean has positive things to say about some of the celebrities she interviewed, even as she grew, over time, to reject their lifestyles and choices. Thus we learn that neither George Harrison nor Sinéad O’Connor displayed “an ounce of arrogance”; Rosie O’Donnell “avoided speaking unkindly about other people”; and Robin Williams was “totally open

with you . . . Throw him a topic, and he’d weave a hilarious tapestry.”

She joined a press junket to Houston for the release of the Hollywood drama Apollo 13, met with the leads and director, declared Tom Hanks “a mensch” and quoted him as saying, “About every five years, I’ve gone through some sort of process of reexamining where I was in life, as a man, as an actor . . .”

Nevertheles, the more Dean spoke to actors, the more she witnessed their constant battle to stay young, relevant and successful. “I have been told by such stars as Madonna, Gary Oldman and Drew Carey that fame and popularity do not solve your problems, nor do they wipe out your inner insecurities and struggles.”

Toby Klein Greenwald, a regular contributor to Jewish Action, is a journalist, playwright, poet, teacher and the artistic director of a number of theater companies. She is the recent recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from AtaraThe Association for Torah and the Arts for her “dedication and contributions in creative education, journalism, theatre and the performing arts worldwide.”

Fame and popularity do not solve your problems, nor do they wipe out your inner insecurities and struggles.

Today, Heather Dean produces a popular weekly podcast for Aish.com.

JA: What was the most moving or exciting interview you did from your old life and from your new life?

HD: From my old life, it was the first time I interviewed Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes. Knowing his reputation and the fear he strikes into people . . . but within one minute I could tell, this man is a pussycat, and he gave the most professional interviews because his sound bites were clear and concise. In my new life, I would say Rabbi Berel Wein, because, in the religious Jewish world, he is admired by people from all streams, and through his TV show Ask the Rabbi he reaches a broad spectrum of Jews. He has a depth of scholarship in history and the Bible, and is a giant in our times. He’s also very humble.

JA: What advice do you have for a would-be journalist/interviewer?

HD: Know the body of work of the person you’re interviewing—or at least read or watch whatever they are promoting. Be nonjudgmental in your everyday life, and your interviewees will pick up on that vibe and speak more freely.

JA: What would you say to someone who is thinking of going into broadcasting or the performing arts?

HD: It’s tough, because you will be expected to work on Saturdays. Going into that field in the frum world? I’d say, welcome to the club, and know there is already a [creative] community that will help you grow professionally.

JA: How does one retain humility in that world, even in the frum world?

HD: Have kids! . . . When you’ve had that kind of a day that your career gets a [positive] bump, you have to remember you’re an eved [servant of] Hashem. Remember who you really are.

JA: If you could meet any of these celebrities again, what would you ask them today?

HD: I would ask Oprah about spirituality, not because she’s so famous, but because she’s so influential. [When I interviewed her] she was a joy, stayed on topic, had a rich vocabulary. . . . I’d ask her about her spiritual journey. She has overcome a great deal of adversity.

JA: What guidance do you have for those who become Torah-observant, regarding family relationships with those who are not?

HD: To be very accepting. . . . Don’t have high hopes that you’ll change any minds. Rather, hope that they will accept you on your journey.

Dean’s memoir Searching for Heather Dean: My Extraordinary Career as a Celebrity Interviewer and Why I Left , which she presented at a book launch at the OU Israel Center in September.

Dean had always been a very spiritual person, but the heartbreaking diagnosis of her mother’s cancer, as well as her own struggle with health issues, was a turning point. She writes in her book, “I couldn’t change my mother’s situation, nor heal her, but this ‘detour’ and concern about health was the necessary catalyst for me to make some major lifestyle changes of my own.”

After her mother’s death in 1995 following a long illness, Dean fell into “an emotional fog” and sought counsel from a rabbi. A friend gave her a list of four local rabbis on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where Dean lived at the time. She called the first one on the list, Rabbi Avraham Goldhar, who, along with his wife Yocheved, became mentors who shepherded Dean on her spiritual journey.

One day—amid a life busy with movie screenings, Broadway shows, comedy gigs and dress rehearsals of Saturday Night Live—Dean realized that she had no one to interview. It was Rosh Hashanah, and all of the celebrities’ publicists “were in Temple!”

Dean went home, dressed modestly, and walked to Aish HaTorah New York, where she had previously met with Rabbi Goldhar (wondering all the while what the word “Aish” on the building meant). “So I won’t enjoy myself,” she recalled thinking, “but I’ll kill some time.” Amazingly, she discovered that, although she had not read or spoken Hebrew in twenty years, she was able to follow the service—something she attributed to “an act of God”—and she even recognized some of the melodies. “Despite myself, I found myself fighting back a tear.”

She began to attend classes at Aish, although she was sure she would not go as far as observing Shabbat, keeping kosher or regularly attending synagogue. She thought of herself as pro-God and anti-religion. “I was already on a spiritual path that was a philosophical path,

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but not adhering to any rules. The only rituals I adhered to were taking a shower every morning after a race walk in Central Park and then getting dressed while listening to The Howard Stern Show.”

So another Yom Kippur came and went, and she didn’t fast. “I perceived myself to be a ‘good person’ who didn’t require atonement. I knew I wasn’t perfect, but I figured I was also far from being a sinner.”

But Dean continued to question and investigate. “I consulted with [a religious woman] who used to be a staunch feminist, about male-female relationships, wondering, for instance, how realistic being shomer negiah is in this day and age. The next hurdle was handling twenty-five hours of Shabbat.”

Dean writes about falling for a non-Jewish man and walking away from the relationship, even though, at that point, she was not yet fully Torah-observant. During a pivotal conversation with Rabbi Goldhar, he described some of the potential conflicts that could arise over religious issues, asking Dean, “What long-term goals do you share?”

Writes Dean: “[It was a] simple question, but it had me stumped. Who could think of long-term goals when the present was so all-encompassing and delightful?”

Subsequently, Dean met her then-boyfriend at a Starbucks, but “he didn’t take the bait” when she told him that she “could only be in a relationship with a man who was either Jewish or interested in learning about Judaism.” He smiled and stayed silent. Then the tears came. She writes, “It was the hardest goodbye to a man I had ever said.”

Although Dean had been to Israel a number of times as a young girl, as she attended more and more classes at Aish, she decided to join a few of Aish’s trips to Israel. It was during a trip in 1999 that she knew she was ready to make some dramatic changes.

She writes: “Nothing prepared me for the exquisiteness and majesty I would feel from seeing the Golan Heights with my eyes and . . . my soul.”

“We were going north along the road bordering Jordan . . . and the further we went north the more it impacted me,” she said. “I was already praying

from a siddur, and the Morning Prayers [talk] about the goodly land; . . . it was connecting the prayer book to the land. That’s spirituality—seeing the actual land and knowing that Hashem made good on His promise.”

Back in the States, New Year’s Eve 1999 arrived on a Saturday, and Dean had “an invite to almost every party in town.” But instead of spending it at “the party of the century,” Dean, who had started attending Shabbat services regularly, made a fateful decision: She spent New Year’s Eve at Aish, enjoying a lovely Shabbat meal and dancing with women singing Yibaneh haMikdash. “That’s how I brought in the new millennium. I decided to celebrate a new era in a way that joined me with my fellow Jews, my spirituality and my identity.” She searched inside herself and finally declared, “I could be so much more.” It was a seismic shift for her. And regarding God, she writes: “He waited until I made this decision—with a full heart.”

Eventually, Dean decided to study Torah at Neve Yerushalayim in Israel. “I was happiest when I was in a Torah class.” Yet, she still felt that she had

Dean presenting a workshop on the “Power of Podcasting: Promoting Your Published Work with Successful Podcast Interviews” at the Jerusalem Women’s Writers Seminar in 2018. Photo: Reuven Ansh Photography

a foot in two worlds. “It would take me many years to figure out how to meld the best of both of my lives.”

While living in Jerusalem, Dean found a role model in Rebbetzin Chaya Levine, a woman steeped in chesed while balancing family and work responsibilities. And as Dean met more and more people like the rebbetzin on her new journey, the more she felt they engendered more meaningful experiences than she’d ever had interviewing celebrities. (Years later, Rebbetzin Levine became an even greater role model to Dean, exemplifying great faith and nobility when her husband, Rabbi Kalman Levine, was murdered in the terrorist attack at a synagogue in Har Nof in 2014.)

A New Chapter

When she felt ready, Dean joined the shidduch scene in Israel, and was introduced to Andy Haas. Te

two hit it of, and got engaged in Israel, where they planned to live.

Dean felt her mother’s presence at their wedding, held in New York a few weeks later, and felt like all of the numerous phases of her life were coming together “in a glorious crescendo.”

“Part of accepting a life of Torah and faith in God means knowing that both our gifts and our challenges are given to us for a reason,” Dean writes in her book. “Nothing God does is random, arbitrary or without purpose.”

Reflecting back on her career while at the book launch, Dean says, “It really was a lot of fun and an extraordinary career. But here we are in Jerusalem, and [it’s] a more meaningful life than anything outside the Land of Israel and outside of Torah Judaism can provide.”

Dean and her husband were blessed with several children, all of whom were born when Dean was already in her forties. She

spent a few years as a full-time mom—enjoying every minute it.

Once her children became school age, Dean decided to return to broadcast journalism, using her talents and skills to spread Torah. She hosted Israel News Talk Radio’s Conversations with Heroes and The Modern Jewish Home. Presently, she produces a popular weekly podcast for Aish.com called At Home in Jerusalem, where she interviews Torah personalities on Judaism, family life and other issues.

She quotes Rabbi Noah Weinberg, zt”l, on the question: What is real happiness? “Happiness is appreciating what you have—counting your blessings.”

She concludes her book by recalling a sentiment from Pirkei Avot 4:1: “A rich person is a person who enjoys what he has . . . I’m aiming for that.”

IN THE

DAF DIGITAL AGE

The Talmud is the lifeblood of the Jewish people and Daf Yomi exempli fes the mass reconnection to that source of faith and guidance we experience in our age. With all the challenges of the Internet age—the constant distraction; the onslaught of information; the radical openness to everything sacred and unholy; the challenges to our personal and family sanctity—the open page of the Talmud looks both the same and very di ferent than in past years. Te new tools available to us, the audio-visual-textual commentaries available to beginner and expert alike, ofer people with di ferent skill sets entry to the challenging text of our tradition. Many recent thinkers have compared the Talmud to the hyper-linked text of the Internet in many ways. While there is some truth to this abstract comparison, a contrast in the other direction deserves our attention as well. In many ways, Daf Yomi is the opposite of the Internet. “ Te Daf” begins with Berachot 2a and continues for 2,711 pages until it concludes with Niddah 73a. Of course, you can start anywhere in the middle, particularly at the beginning of any of the thirty-seven masechtot. But it has a discrete beginning and end, followed by a siyum celebration and return to the beginning. In contrast, the Internet

has no entrance or exit. Every article contains links to many others. Every person has his own beginning and only stops when other concerns beckon. Even an individual never enters or exits his social media feed at the same place twice. Daf Yomi approaches a f nite text with in f nite depth. Te Internet, like the universe, constantly expands.

Te Daf, like its name, is an experience of the page. We study the text, perhaps with additional tools when available, but always remaining on, or at least returning to, the page. Te Internet has no anchor, sending you across the globe with endless links. YouTube videos move from one to the next, sending the user down the winding path of an ofen ba f ing algorithm. Social media giants desperately try to keep users on their platforms, generally to little avail. Te constant movement of the Internet keeps users in motion, circling across the span of information. Te Daf contains an internal speed limit and single direction—always forward, onto the next page at a uniform pace.

Finding explanations of the Daf requires efort. Some commentaries can be found encircling the text, but locating the illuminating entry in Sefer HaMitzvot or responsum of the Chatam Sofer requires skill and no small measure of Divine

assistance. Alternate opinions on the Internet lie a Google search away. No opinion is too large or too small to lack a contradictory view, readily available to anyone with the time and interest to delve into the maze.

Perhaps most importantly, learning the Daf generates community. Even if you do not attend a shiur where collegiality naturally grows, merely studying the same page as thousands of others creates instant connections. Many wedding table conversations begin, not with the awkward questions about hometown and occupation, but with “did you see today’s Daf?” As social scientists have adequately documented, the Internet causes isolation despite its focus on “communities.” Te falseness of online persona, the distraction from real life, the super fciality of the relationships detract from meaningful community life.

When used healthily, the Internet can be a strong tool for life and for learning the Daf. In these pages, we explore how Daf Yomi can transform lives and how digital tools can enhance and deepen that experience.

Introduction by Gil Student

Rabbi Gil Student writes frequently on Jewish issues and runs Torahmusings.com. He is a member of the Jewish Action Editorial Committee.

BEHIND the DAF

DISCUSSING DAF YOMI WITH SOME of the MOST DISTINGUISHED MAGGIDEI SHIUR

Q: How did you come to start teaching Daf Yomi?

Rabbi Moshe Elefant: Many years ago, I attended a Daf Yomi siyum where Rav Mordechai Gifer, rosh yeshivah of Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio, was one of the speakers. In his inimitable way, Rav Gifer said that in Europe, a “Shas Yid” was someone who had gone through the entire Shas. I can’t convey the idea the way he did. But he said that you didn’t have to be a rav or a rosh yeshivah to be a Shas Yid; you could have been an ordinary “ba’alebos” (lay person). But if you were a Shas Yid, it was considered a real status—a real achievement. Once I heard that, I knew I wanted to be a Shas Yid.

Around thirty years ago, I began teaching a Daf Yomi shiur at 5:40 every morning for members of a shtiebel in Brooklyn near my house. I am about to fnish my fourth cycle.

Fourteen years ago, the OU, being ahead of the curve, decided to launch a Daf Yomi shiur online, which was a revolutionary project at the time. In addition to delivering my early morning shiur at the shtiebel, I began recording a Daf Yomi shiur at home, or on occasion, at the OU headquarters in Manhattan, that is broadcast online. Today, about 2,000 listeners tune in from all over the world, including North America, Israel and Europe—and even places like Gibraltar and South Korea.

Rabbi Moshe Elefant is chief operating ofcer of OU Kosher and a maggid shiur for the OU’s Daf Yomi webcast (which attracts 2,000 participants daily, making it one of the most popular online Daf shiurim in the world).

Rabbi Yisroel Edelman: Te Young Israel of Deerfeld Beach started a Daf Yomi shiur some thirty years ago. Initially, there was resistance because there was no consistent maggid shiur and the participants weren’t coming regularly. But a few shul members persisted, and baruch Hashem, the shiur began to fourish. Back when the shiur started, many of the Deerfeld

Interviews by Dovid Bashevkin and Sholom Licht

Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin is director of education for NCSY and a member of the Jewish Action Editorial Committee. His most recent book is Sin a gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought (Boston, 2019).

Sholom Licht is a freelance writer living in Queens, New York. He received his BA from Bar-Ilan University and MA from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.

Beach residents did not even live here year-round, so attendance was an issue. Today, a signifcant portion of the community lives here year-round.

I started delivering the Daf Yomi shiur when I joined the shul eleven years ago. Nowadays, during “the season,” we have more than 100 participants coming to the shiur. It’s probably one of the largest Daf Yomi shiurim in the country.

Rabbi Yisroel Edelman is rav of the Young Israel of Deerfield Beach in Florida.

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz: Fifeen years ago (two cycles ago), before the siyum, Rav Dovid Willig came over to me and Rabbi Shalom Rosner—we were learning together—and said, “You both have shuls; you really should be giving a Daf Yomi shiur.” We told him we didn’t think there was enough interest “No one’s going to come,” we said. But he persisted. Eventually we both started giving Daf Yomi shiurim in our shuls and, baruch Hashem, it worked out very well for both of us.

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz is the rav of Beis HaKnesses of North Woodmere in New York.

Q: Does learning Daf Yomi change one’s appreciation of Gemara?

Rabbi Lebowitz: Doing the Daf gives one a better appreciation of the cadence and rhythm of the Gemara.

Even if one doesn’t remember every Gemara he learns, he develops a sense of how the Gemara uses terminology and ideas and what types of questions the Gemara would ask. To really understand any [kind of] learning, one needs to get a broad picture of the language of that discipline.

Rabbi Elefant: Ofen when one learns Shas, the topics can be very esoteric, such as Zevachim, Menachos Temurah.

In Kerisos, which we are currently learning, there doesn’t seem to be any topic in the frst fve blatt [Yiddish for daf] that relates to everyday life. It’s usually at this point that Daf Yomi learners start to feel tired.

Even when the Gemara seems to be dense and enigmatic, I try to point out how it does, in fact, relate to our contemporary lives. For example, we recently came across a discussion in the Gemara that centers on how much of a korban needs to be consumed. I pointed out that this is the source for the halachic concept of kezayis (a Talmudic unit of volume). From this Gemara, we learn how much we need to eat in order bentch, et cetera. So I always try to incorporate halachos that apply to daily life.

However, one needs to recognize that even when a Gemara has little to do with one’s day-to-day life, learning Gemara over time gives one a certain way of thinking. Afer learning Gemara so many times, you start to think like the Gemara, which is tremendously valuable in and of itself.

Rabbi Edelman: What’s very geshmak [enjoyable] about learning Daf Yomi is that you get a feeling for the entire masechta. When one learns in yeshivah, he tends to be focused on the daf that he’s learning. But each masechta has its own complexion, its own favor. When you learn the Daf, it’s true you may not remember

Rabbi Elefant’s webcasts are available on the OU’s new All Daf app.

After learning Gemara so many times, you start to think like the Gemara, which is tremendously valuable in and of itself.

Rabbi Moshe Elefant Photo: Kruter Photography

Rabbi Moshe Elefant

the details, but you get the fow and the favor of the masechta.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is starting to learn Daf Yomi? What can one do to get the most out of Daf Yomi? And, as a follow up, is the Daf for everyone?

Rabbi Lebowitz: Come up with a system of chazarah (review) and review the material properly. It’s probably the best thing you can do.

Afer each section, I take a bird’s-eye view. What did this section just say? And for each amud (one side of a page which is only half of the daily page), I write down three or four sentences that summarize that section. If you can’t summarize the idea in a sentence, you probably don’t have the clarity that you need.

Rabbi Elefant: Currently, you no longer need to be present at a physical Daf Yomi shiur. Tere are plenty of shiurim online, and so a Daf Yomi learner has no reason to fall behind. If you’re going on

When it comes to learning the Daf, it's important to think of it as one daf at a time. You should not look at it as a masechta or a seder at a time or as learning all of Shas; thinking of it as one daf at a time makes it much more manageable. And then eventually it just starts piling on, and over time, you will complete a mesechta and then a seder, and eventually all of Shas.

— David Katz is an operations director for a multinational company and is in his third cycle teaching Daf Yomi at the Young Israel of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee.

As told to Binyamin Ehrenkranz, a member of the Jewish Action Editorial Committee.

vacation, take your Gemara on the road with you and listen to a shiur. People ofen say to me, “I learned this masechta and that masechta and I really don’t remember them. So maybe I should abandon the Daf?” Te question is, “So what are you going to do instead?” If you stop learning the Daf, will you take on a diferent shiur with the same kind of consistency and commitment?

Regarding the fast pace of the Daf,

I’m not convinced that the people who are learning at a slower pace are remembering more. So if they’re not remembering more, what have they accomplished? Tey have given up the consistency and commitment [of Daf Yomi], they have given up the opportunity to go through all of Shas, and what has been the payback for it?

Of course, the Daf isn’t for everybody. Certainly, if you are learning in yeshivah or kollel full time, you are not a Daf

Yomi candidate. But for those of us who spend our days working, I can’t think of a better way to learn Torah consistently.

Rabbi Edelman: Learning the Daf can be frustrating for one who never learned the particular masechta before and is not willing to put in the time. In other words, assuming the Daf is focusing on aggadita (non-legal material such as parables or anecdotes), he will probably not fnd the material challenging even though he never learned it before. However, the majority of the dapim are not mostly aggadita, and in order to follow the Gemara’s arguments and reasoning, it’s best to review the Gemara before the shiur. You don’t need to devote a huge amount of time; but I would advise going through an ArtScroll frst. Ten hopefully, during the shiur, you’ll get what the Gemara is trying to say. Is Daf Yomi for everybody?

I believe that that Daf Yomi is for anyone who is willing to put in the time.

Another helpful tip: I try to write notes on the page of the Gemara. I fnd that writing notes in a notebook is problematic because you don’t always have the notebook with you. But if you write your notes in the Gemara, you can look at your notes and remember the main points of what you learned.

Q: What do you think about using the ArtScroll or Koren translations? Do you discourage the use of a translation?

Rabbi Lebowitz: Translations are very important. Tey should be used based on one’s level of learning and particular needs. Tey are also helpful when the Gemara mentions certain terms, such as particular types of vegetables, and you’re not sure what they are. On the most basic level, an ArtScroll or Koren can serve as a dictionary. Te less-experienced learner may need it to help explain ideas and concepts.

A young man asked Rabbi Mordechai Willig if he should use a translation to learn Gemara. Rav Willig replied that he knew somebody who had gone through Shas four times with a translation. Four times! Are you going to argue with that?

Q: Have you ever told anyone not to do Daf Yomi?

Rabbi Lebowitz: Daf Yomi is not the best kind of learning for everybody, but I never told anyone not to do it. Tere are those who criticize Daf Yomi and claim that learning at such a fast pace ensures that the material goes in one ear and out the other. My response to that is this: Show me something better [that these individuals] will do with that hour a day. More importantly, people who learn a daf every day start to defne themselves as learners, and that new self-defnition impacts how they spend their free time. A Daf Yomi learner is much more likely to pick up a sefer during down time in his day.

Q: How has Daf Yomi changed some of your family dynamics? You take a vacation for only four days, you come back and they’re not waiting for you to catch up. How do you integrate this kind of intense commitment into your family life?

Rabbi Elefant: I regard the Daf as another child in my family. Just like I have to pay attention to every one of my children, I need to pay attention to the Daf. It’s a seven-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year serious commitment. When Rabbi Meir Shapiro founded the Daf Yomi program, people ofen joked that he was a tough boss who gave no vacations. It’s a tough job, but being a parent is also a tough job.

Rabbi Edelman: Te commitment to study Daf Yomi is tremendous. For the maggidei shiur, there’s an even greater commitment. If you participate in the Daf, you come for that hour and listen. When you’re preparing the shiur, however, it can take hours and you have to fnd the time to do it. It usually takes me at least two hours to prepare. Our shul is large, baruch Hashem We are right next to Century Village a retirement community in Deerfeld Beach, although many of our members are still working. Te Daf gives me an opportunity to have serious daily interaction with the regular attendees. We also have a very diverse crowd. We have beginners in Gemara as well as plenty of talmidei chachamim who

Continued on page 28

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz Courtesy of Yeshiva University

People who learn a daf every day start to defne themselves as learners, and that new self-defnition impacts how they spend their free time.

One of the participants of my shiur has been doing the Daf for over twenty years. He has probably been through Shas four times. And he can barely read Hebrew. But he shows up every single day and whatever he gets out of the shiur is a zechus for him. He is certainly an inspiration. David

Katz

Every Jew starting of in learning should know that he has tremendous potential. Over the years I have learned with individuals who knew just alef beis, and by the time we finished the cycle they had a very good working knowledge of many important topics in Shas. They might not have become experts in Shas, but they had acquired tremendous knowledge and gained a much better appreciation of Gemara. If a person would come to me and say: “This mountain is so tall, how will I ever be able to climb it?” I would tell him the following: “There have been a lot of climbers who have scaled this mountain successfully. And there’s no reason why you cannot do the same.”

Dovid Retter is a corporate trust attorney at an international law firm who has been delivering Daf Yomi shiurim for over forty years on the West Side of Manhattan and in Monsey and Monroe, New York. He has also delivered Daf shiurim to fellow travelers across the globe, including most recently, in South Korea and Japan.

As told to Binyamin Ehrenkranz

When I first started teaching the Daf, most of the participants were retirees. The youngest member of the shiur was probably in his forties or fifties. Today that same individual still attends the shiur and is actually the oldest member now. Most of the participants these days are young professionals with growing families.

After I had been giving the shiur for a full cycle, we held a siyum Two friends of mine attended the siyum and decided to join the shiur afterward, even though it was in the middle of the cycle. When people see how much one can accomplish just by being consistent and learning a half hour or an hour a day, they want to be a part of it.

Yoel Goldberg is a healthcare executive who is in his second cycle teaching Daf Yomi at Congregation KINS of West Rogers Park in Chicago, Illinois.

As told to Binyamin Ehrenkranz

One of the members of our shiur, a Yeshiva University graduate who works in finance, started learning with us a couple cycles ago. After the end of his first cycle we honored him with reciting the “Hadran” (a short prayer recited upon completing a tractate of Talmud or seder of Mishnah) on the entire Shas at a community-wide siyum held by several Daf Yomi shiurim on the West Side. For the whole fifteen minutes while reciting the Hadran he was crying. He said, “In my life I never expected to finish Shas. This was a dream. What relationship did I have to Shas? But I was able to do it in seven and a half years. And I am the happiest person alive.” He was crying from joy. There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience. Even now when I remember it I become emotional.

Dovid Retter

It’s true you may not remember the details, but you get the fow and favor of the masechta.

Rabbi Yisroel Edelman Courtesy of Rabbi Edelman

NOBODY ABUSED DESERVES TO BE

Continued from page 26

have been maggidei shiur in their own communities. So when I prepare for the Daf, I’m very conscious of the fact that I need to give something to everybody. We get members from across the spectrum, Modern Orthodox to Satmar; our diversity is just beautiful. Where else can you fnd Modern Orthodox, Litvish, Sefardi, Chabad, Satmar, frum and not-yet-frum all on the same page? I always say that I think Rabbi Meir Shapiro would be very proud of our Daf Yomi in Florida because here you really see the achdus of Am Yisrael.

Q: Have you noticed any change in the attendees’ study habits and knowledge as digital tools have developed over the last cycle or two?

Rabbi Elefant: Years ago, the primary challenge facing those studying the Daf was keeping up with the rigorous schedule. What do you do when when you’re on vacation or when you have to travel for work? In years past, many people would start learning the Daf only to drop it afer falling too far behind. Nowadays, because of the plethora of Daf Yomi resources online, if you fall of the wagon, it’s so much easier to get back on. I recently attended a conference and a rabbi I never met before approached me. “I’m really angry at you,” he said. “Why?” I asked, confused. “Because I give a Daf Yomi shiur in my shul [in a large Jewish community in New York]. And ofen the members of my shiur listen to your Daf Yomi shiur online frst. So if I don’t explain a concept the same way you did, or if I leave out a certain idea, I’m sure to hear about it!” he said, smiling. But in truth, digital tools not only help Daf Yomi learners stay on track, they help them remember the tremendous amount of material they are exposed to day afer day. By reviewing the material—whether that means listening to a shiur while driving or even while eating lunch—the Daf Yomi learner is better poised to remember what he learned.

Q: Do you have any interesting stories about the Daf or your Daf Yomi shiurim?

Rabbi Edelman: I fnd that there’s a certain hashgachah pratis in the Daf. It happens quite regularly that the topic discussed in the Daf Yomi appears in newspapers on the same day; the Daf ofen refects what’s going on in the world at large.

Up Close with

AbramsonDr.Henry

Interview by Sholom Licht

Dr. Henry Abramson.

Photo: Marko Dashev

In a wide-ranging conversation with Jewish Action writer Sholom Licht, Dr. Henry Abramson discusses everything from skiing to Piaseczno Chassidut to his involvement with the OU’s groundbreaking Daf Yomi platform, All Daf. Born in Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada, Dr. Henry Abramson serves Touro College in Brooklyn, New York, as both the academic dean of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences and as dean of the Machon L’Parnasa/Institute of Professional Studies. A specialist in Jewish history and thought, Dr. Abramson received a PhD in history from the University of Toronto. He writes and produces the Jewish History in Daf Yomi video series, which is a project of the OU’s Daf Yomi Initiative.

Sholom Licht: You grew up in Iroquois Falls, Ontario, which isn’t a very thriving place, Jewishly speaking. Yet you chose to major in Jewish studies and Jewish history. How did that come about?

Dr. Henry Abramson: You’re right about Jewish life in Iroquois Falls. Tere were exactly three Jews there—my mother, my father and me. (I’m an only child.)

My parents are traditional and never had the beneft of a strong Jewish education, but they were incredibly devoted to the cause of Jewish education—and they made tremendous sacrifces in order for me to get one. Until I was ten years old, we commuted every Sunday to Timmins, which is about sixty miles south of where I lived. All of the scattered Jewish kids in the north would get together, and there was a traveling melammed who would meet us and we would learn aleph bet and holiday-related material and so on. When I turned ten, my parents felt I needed more [in the way of Jewish education], as I was soon to become a bar mitzvah. At great sacrifce, my father, a”h, rented an apartment in Toronto, where my mother stayed with me, and my father would commute for the weekends every other week. In Toronto, I attended a talmud Torah afernoon school.

SL: What was the talmud Torah experience like for you?

DHA: My father’s siblings lived in Toronto, and he asked them about Jewish schools in the area. Tey said, “Whatever you do, don’t send him to Eitz Chaim because they are fanatics there.” Sure enough, he sent me to Eitz Chaim, because that was my father’s way. And I was really inspired. I remember being transported by the stories in Midrash and Gemara that we learned during those few hours afer public school. Ten I had my bar mitzvah, and we moved back up north.

SL: How did your Jewish education continue afer that?

DHA: Well, my Jewish education stopped then, but the rabbis at Eitz Chaim really planted seeds.

SL: How did your interest in Jewish history and text-based Jewish studies come about?

instructor. I fgured, well, what can I do? I was good at philosophy, so I went back to college. One thing led to another, and I ended up getting involved with Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem (my wife’s infuence), and then I went on a whirlwind tour of jumping from yeshivah to graduate school to post-doc. I calculated recently that my wife and I moved ten times within fve countries, during the frst seven years of our marriage. But it was an amazing ride.

SL: Tat is a fascinating story. Jewish historians, especially scholars of Jewish intellectual history, ofen have this struggle of dual loyalties to Chazal and the mesorah and then to secular academic views. How do you feel about this tension? How do you deal with it when teaching your classes?

Sholom Licht is a freelance writer living in Queens, New York. He received his BA from Bar-Ilan University and MA from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.

DHA: Believe it or not, afer getting a bachelor’s in philosophy, I was a ski instructor for several years. I was working on obtaining a visa to teach skiing during the summer in New Zealand, and my dream was to circle the globe, following the snow. But Hakadosh Baruch Hu intervened. I met my future wife Ilana, who was also a ski instructor. She almost derailed my plans to go to New Zealand, but I was determined. So Hashem sent me another messenger—I burst my femoral artery in a training accident, and I was laid up for six months. New Zealand was totally out of the picture. But I went to plan B, which turned out to be Hashem’s plan A—marrying Ilana.

Ilana really propelled me in my Jewish education. I realized that if we were going to have a family (and pay day school tuition), I couldn’t be a ski

DHA: It’s a very, very difcult question. Te academic versus the traditional study of the Talmud is fraught with intellectual challenges and pitfalls. Tere are so many areas where there are big blank spots in my personal knowledge, and there are big blank spots in historical literature. I’m just doing my best to talk about what I know within the context of what’s available to know. But a Jew understands that the commitment to Torah and mesorah must be paramount even when there are aspects of the mesorah that seem to pose intellectual difculties.

SL: What about the conficts vis-à-vis your own internal hashkafah? It’s more of a personal question.

DHA: Tere’s a dynamic struggle between my youthful sensibilities and the society with which I’ve chosen to a f liate—that’s part of the ba’al teshuvah condition. But at a certain point in my spiritual development I understood that there are some questions that I may never be able to answer. I kind of imagine them as a massive storm cloud that has receded signi fcantly and you can see the sun coming out and enjoy the rays of the sun and feel its warmth—but at the same time you, can see the storm cloud in

the distance. Te Holocaust, for example, is a very big, dark storm cloud. But my hope is that as I grow in my Yiddishkeit, I can shrink that storm cloud signi fcantly.

Ultimately, however, the “the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades” (lyrics from a hit song of the 1980s). You would have to be blind not to see hashgachah pratit in your own life. If you think objectively about the things that happen in your life—even the bad things—they all culminate in something good. I would not have the temerity to say this to someone who has experienced incredibly traumatic loss, but I still hashkafcally believe it. I can see it just by looking at my own life, at the things that have led me to deep personal satisfaction, including marriage and children. Many of the most wonderful aspects of my life grew out of crisis—for example, that femoral artery accident. If I hadn’t had that terrible accident, you and I would not be sitting here having this conversation. I would probably be a skiing instructor somewhere, drinking and smoking in the back of a trailer and watching reruns from the 1990s. Instead, thank God, I have a fantastic wife, children and grandchildren and all kinds of really satisfying things in my life.

At so many points in my life I was at crossroads. I can think of two examples right now that were very signi fcant. One was when I was in graduate school and I was wavering between becoming a historian or embracing an Orthodox lifestyle. At the time, I didn’t see how I could synthesize these two paths. I was living a dual life: I used to act like an ordinary graduate student, but I would take the TTC (the transit system in Toronto) and when I would get to Steeles Avenue, which is located in the Orthodox neighborhood, I would get out and put on my kippa. One year, over winter break, I said to myself, “What am I doing? What am I afraid of?” And so I went back for spring classes wearing my kippa, and my PhD supervisor, who was a brilliant guy, pulled me aside and asked me, “You feeling okay? Maybe you should see the school’s counseling services?” He thought my wearing a kippa was indicative of some kind of psychological illness!

Things could’ve gone very differently in my life. But Baruch Hashem, when I look back, even the really hard things turned out to be gam zu letovah, for the best.

I was doing really well as a graduate student and I was nominated to a very prestigious three-year scholarship at an Ivy League school that will remain nameless (but the university ended up publishing my f rst book, hint). It was an amazing honor, and I had to put together a project. I wrote a proposal and made it to the second round of interviews, but I didn’t make it into the f nal round because the idea I was working on had already been done decades earlier. Again, it was a wonderful proposal—too bad I didn’t realize someone else had already completed it! I was pretty crushed.

In the end, I got a scholarship to study in Yerushalayim for a year at Ohr Somayach. I wound up being exposed to the world of yeshivot, which was overwhelming and transformative!

Had I gone to an Ivy League school, I would have probably been some snooty, idly professor wearing a tweed jacket with elbow patches, looking down my nose at all my undergraduates. Tings could’ve gone very diferently in my life. But Baruch Hashem, when I look back, even the really hard things—it was hard not getting that scholarship—turned out to be gam zu letovah, for the best.

When you have those kinds of experiences on a personal level (and everybody does, especially when you expand that scope historically and look at everything that happened to the Jewish people, you can very ofen see the refuah is created before the makkah), how can you not buy

into the system? And even though there’s a storm cloud there—even a few big ones—but there’s also a tremendous amount of sunshine.

SL: Let’s talk about Ohr Somayach. Were there specifc individuals who had a strong impact on you?

DHA: Defnitely. Rabbi Nachman Bulman, zt”l, the mashgiach there, taught us Piaseczno Chassidut— way before it was popular—and it transformed my life. I wrote a book on the Piaseczno Rebbe, and I have another one forthcoming, God willing, this year. I was just overwhelmed with the brilliance of Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, zt”l, who ofen showed me how I was learning a text the wrong way week afer week. And that was a very humbling and empowering experience, because it showed me how much bigger the Torah is than I had originally thought. Rabbi Nota Schiller, an incredibly erudite and literate individual, gave me a path to express the fullness of my personal encounter with the world and Yiddishkeit Tose three rabbis in particular had a huge impact on me.

But my religious journey was an emotional one as well. Before we became Orthodox, my wife and I were members of a Conservative shul where I was one of the more knowledgeable members, and I felt like a real macher. One day, a member of the sisterhood got an aliyah, which in and of itself did not bother my wife or me. What bothered my wife was that the woman wore sunglasses during her aliyah. My wife couldn’t let it go:

“You’re wearing sunglasses when you’re getting an aliyah?! Where’s your kavod haTorah?” And she said, “Okay, let’s go check out those Orthodox people.” But it was the sunglasses that did it. Ofen it’s not an intellectual matter that turns people on to Yiddishkeit. It’s the smell of the cholent.

SL: All Daf, the OU’s new app, brings supplemental material about Jewish history, Nach, halachah and more into Daf Yomi learning. Since April 2019, you’ve been producing Jewish History in Daf Yomi as part of this initiative. Tell us about the series, its genesis and what you hope to get from it.

DHA: I got involved with the project when my rav, Rabbi Ya’akov Trump, connected me to Rabbi Moshe Schwed, director of the OU Daf Yomi Initiative, who really turned me on to this idea. Basically, All Daf aims at enhancing daf learning by providing supplemental material, such as Jewish history, Nach, lomdut and a host of other topics related to the Daf. Rabbi Schwed somewhat audaciously asked me, “Can you do a series of lectures focusing on some element of Jewish history found on every daf in Shas?” Te idea was to create a brief Jewish history video for each daf. At frst I thought it would be impossible, because so much of Shas does not deal directly with historical topics. Tere’s torts and ritual law, et cetera. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there is, in fact, a huge amount of history on every daf. Now when I prepare for the series, I fnd there’s so much history in every single daf, and I have to decide what I’m going to talk about—sometimes I have as many as eight or ten ideas to choose from. Rabbi Schwed’s audacious idea is now fascinating to me; I’m totally wrapped up in it.

SL: Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was probably the frst to systematically integrate philological, biographical, social and historical context into an otherwise traditional commentary on the Gemara, wasn’t he?

DHL: Yes. But he did not take it to its fullest extent, and nor am I, by the way. But I’m following in the path that he furrowed. Te historical

We’re at the cusp of leveraging a new technology that has incredible implications for the Jewish people . . . we are living at a moment of great opportunity in Jewish history . . . a “Gutenberg moment.”

Just in time for the new Daf Yomi cycle, the OU is introducing a revolutionary new app that will change the way you study the daf. With All Daf, a project of the OU Daf Yomi Initiative, learners of all backgrounds can enhance their learning.

All Daf ofers shiurim on the daily daf byworld-ren owned maggidei shiur, such as Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Rabbi Shalom Rosner, Rabbi Sruli Bornstein and Rabbi Shloimy Schwartzberg. Additionally, All Daf will introduce Daf Yomi learners to the diversity of fascinating subjects in the daf— including history, archaeology, halachah, lomdut and more—with brief video clips featuring speakers such as Dr. Henry Abramson, dean of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush, New York; Rabbi Ya'akov Trump, rabbi of the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst, and others. “This app, the only such app of its kind, is for learners across the board, from maggidei shiur to novices. It will ofer something for everyone,” says OU Daf Yomi Initiative Director Rabbi Moshe Schwed.

With multiple options of shiurim and commentaries, All Daf will enable learners to customize their Torah learning experience with the most comprehensive daf database anywhere.

For questions, contact schwedm@ou.org or visit alldaf.org.

special gramma switch controller allows people with mobility limitations to travel independently on Shabbat & Yom Tovim, in accordance with Halacha.

I’m able to go to Shul and can have lunch at a friend’s home on Shabbat. The Amigo Shabbat keeps me from being isolated.

context really makes Gemara come alive and ofen helps render Gemara more understandable. For example, the Gemara might discuss a threshing foor. What exactly is a threshing foor and what is threshing? Who threshes nowadays? How big is a threshing foor? It’s such a foreign concept to those of us living in urban environments. Just trying to understand the peshat of Gemara ofen requires us to understand more of the history. When the rabbis were recording Gemara, they were aware of lots of historical realia that we are not aware of today. It’s like trying to understand Gemara without the vocabulary. You need that vocabulary to understand what they’re trying to tell you.

SL: What are your hopes for this project?

DHA: Te new series will hopefully delve into biographies, culture, geography, archaeology, numismatics

and other realia. Each video is about two to fve minutes long. Currently, more than 300 videos are available online at alldaf.org. Te goal is to cover the entire seven-and-a-half year Daf Yomi cycle—2,711 videos in all.

I was born in the middle of last century, which means that I’m like one of those Jews who knew what it was like to live in Egyptian bondage. But everyone who was born afer 1985 is a digital native and they don’t know what it was like even before cell phones, for example! I think I’ve got to be part of that generation that shovels over some of that wisdom into the new generation and the new technologies that digital natives consume.

We’ve been at this moment really only twice in our history as far as I can determine. Te frst was the very dramatic moment in the second century ce when Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi took us from a culture of oral

tradition into a culture of manuscripts, all with incredible consequences. With the Mishnah and, later the Gemara, written down, Judaism became portable. Even though there was a Diaspora at the time, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi’s fateful and controversial decision to write down the Oral Law really made it possible for Judaism to maintain its integrity in a far-fung Diaspora that would last two millennia.

Te second major challenge was at the end of the ffeenth century when printing was introduced to the Jewish world. We said, “Wow. We can take these expensive manuscripts and democratize knowledge and increase literacy, allowing every Jew to have access to the tradition on a very fundamental level.” And we loved it. We just absorbed it wholesale. So the Internet is the same kind of revolution, except way bigger. Te Internet presents

The academic versus the traditional study of the Talmud is fraught with intellectual challenges and pitfalls ...a Jew understands that the commitment to Torah and mesorah must be paramount even when there are aspects of the mesorah that seem to pose intellectual diffculties.

Photo: Marko Dashev

so much possibility for Jews to connect to Yiddishkeit in all kinds of far-fung places and times and spaces in an ironic return to orality. We can use the digital medium to give over information— not only orally but visually.

I believe that we are living at a moment of great opportunity in Jewish history. And, at the same time, a moment of phenomenal, almost existential, challenge; it is a “Gutenberg moment.” We’re at the cusp of leveraging a new technology that has incredible implications for the Jewish people—and, at the same time, other forces are threatening our survival on a very basic, elemental level. I feel directly and personally charged with the task of navigating this opportunity and this challenge simultaneously.

We have an incredible possibility of leveraging this new tool, yet simultaenously, we are assimilating ourselves out of existence. We are disappearing faster than we did in the period before the Maccabean Revolt. Te challenges of the Diaspora are greater today than during the Spanish Inquisition.

I feel that my small contribution of Jewish history to Daf Yomi will open up the world of the Talmud to a massive new audience of Jews by giving them a slow ramp up to this otherwise very arcane, very esoteric, very coded-in-difcult-Aramaic text. I’m trying to provide a threshold that everyone can step through. It’s easily digestible material. It’s short, and it’s got a storyline, and it’s fascinating. I actually met someone the other day who told me that he has a friend who studies Shas only through my history lectures! Tis is defnitely not ideal. I’m not recommending such an attenuated connection to Talmud, but it’s better than no connection at all.

If I boil it down to one sentence, I would say my hope is to leverage the possibilities of this new technological capability to expand Yiddishkeit to a much larger audience, especially at this time of crisis.

SL: And why did you choose history?

DHA: History is what I know. History is also something that requires very little buy-in from the consumer. Te viewer doesn’t have to take on Shabbat to hear a little bit about the history of his own people. He doesn’t have to stop eating cheeseburgers to appreciate aspects of Jewish history, so it’s an easy way in. It’s low-cost, low commitment and hopefully it will increase unafliated Jews’ connection to Yiddishkeit

SL: Critics will perhaps suggest that, in studying the Talmud, focusing on the historical aspects is somewhat less important than the actual fundamental content of Gemara, be it the halachic or the analytic or the aggadic and so on. What would be your response to such criticism?

DHA: I wouldn’t disagree. It’s defnitely more important to study the Talmud itself than to study the history behind it. But I think that, in some cases, ignoring the historical aspect means you get Gemara wrong. Tere are a few examples that stand out. Take, for instance, an interesting discussion that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai has with a certain zaken, an elder, in a place called Beit Pani in Mei’lah 7. He has this discussion, and then goes back and meets with his rebbe, Rabbi Akiva, who is not happy with him, and says, “Why did you discuss it like this, why didn’t you discuss it this other way?” It’s kind of a bizarre exchange. It turns out that if you look in the Tosefa, it’s pretty clear that Beit Pani, which Tosafot simply describes as “shem makom—some place,” is actually Beit Pagi, or Bethpage, which in the time of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a noted Christian pilgrimage site. Once you understand that it’s Beit Pagi—where presumably Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was called upon to speak about the ideological confict between traditionalist Jews and Jews who were attracted to nascent Christianity, and Rabbi Akiva wasn’t satisfed with his student’s speech—all of a sudden, the Gemara is much clearer. Te diference between a nun and a gimmel opens up a broad historical perspective—but

unless you study some of the historical knowledge, you will totally miss what is going on in Gemara. I’m not trying to distract from Gemara. I’m trying to expand Gemara, enhance Gemara, provide a foundation for Gemara study. But the ikkar (most critical element) is defnitely what Chazal say.

SL: Chazal did not put a large focus on teaching us history. How would you explain Chazal’s minimal focus on Jewish history? Is it because Chazal only cared about teaching us the halachah?

DHA: I believe that Chazal had a very profound historical sensibility. Chazal were defnitely conscious of the weight of history driving the Jewish people forward. But they did not feel that teaching history was the way to achieve their larger objectives. Teir ultimate goal was to bring people closer to Hashem, and they accomplished this through moral, halachic and hashkafc lessons. Tey did not feel that history was the tool to achieve their larger objective, at least not in their time. In our time, maybe it has a role.

SL: Any fnal thoughts with which you want to leave our readers?

DHA: In many ways, Rabbi Berel Wein is my role model. He really expanded the study of Jewish history with cassette tapes. (Translation for digital natives: Cassettes are an obsolete technology from the last century that involved downloading audio tracks onto miles of tiny brown plastic tapes and trapping the tape in plastic cases. For real.)

What Rabbi Berel Wein did for cassette tapes, I want to do for the Internet.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

HOW DAF YOMI HAS CHANGED LIVES

I was injured in a terrorist attack in 2001. Since then, I have been paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. It is important for my health to spend time standing every day. So I do my “standing time” every day while listening to the Daf Yomi. This is my second cycle—the first cycle I studied the Daf with Rabbi Moshe Elefant and most recently, I learned with Rabbi Shalom Rosner [both are maggidei shiur for the OU’s Daf Yomi Initiative at alldaf.org]. Most people probably learn the Daf while sitting down. Forced to sit in a wheelchair all day, I am grateful to be able to do the Daf while standing!

Steve Bloomberg

Karnei Shomron, Israel

My husband and I learn the Daf. I listen to Rabbi Shalom Rosner’s daily podcast and then review the Daf later in the day and my husband has his own seder. Our children are growing up seeing us, a Daf Yomi couple, set aside time to learn.

I began the Daf seven years ago and have found it’s a magnificent window into the halachic framework that informs our lives. Going through the Daf cycle makes Torah a constant in my life.

Dr. Robyn Horowitz Grossman, as told to Leah Lightman Teaneck, New Jersey

I first studied Gemara at Ramaz. Later, when I was in seminary, I heard about a Siyum HaShas made by the daughter of Rav Soloveitchik. That made a deep impression on me. Twenty-two years ago, when I was nine months pregnant with my youngest daughter, I began learning the Daf.

[In addition to learning Gemara], the Daf has also improved my knowledge of Tanach and has given structure to my daily learning of other subjects. For example, I started AMIT’s Tanach Yomi program in 2000. When the program was discontinued in 2002, I followed the format on my own, learning approximately four pesukim a day with meforshim. In June 2017, almost seventeen years later, I completed Nach.

Lisa Zahn Lazar, as told to Leah Lightman Lawrence, New York Lisa is a participant of the Daf Yomi shiur on the Long Island Rail Road 7:49 am train from Far Rockaway to Penn Station.

Learning Daf

Yomi connects me to so many people in Klal Yisrael. Knowing that I can travel to [frum] community, shiur, and we are all up to the same daf—within a few lines of each other—is an incredible phenomenon.

Dr. Elly D. Lasson Baltimore, Maryland

As a civil engineer, I travel extensively. There were times I was flying 35,000 miles per year—roughly a flight a week. Planes are hands down the best mode of transportation for serious learning because you can’t get calls or e-mails in-flight, so distractions are minimal. I take a lightweight volume of the masechta I’m learning and listen to any number of shiurim. Twenty years ago, I would never have been able to keep up with the Daf the way I do now. The technology did not exist. Nowadays, doing the “the Daf on the go” is fairly easy. If you can find a shiur with the right depth and at the right pace for you, you can listen from any place, at any time. Some web sites will display the Daf while streaming so you don’t even need a physical Gemara.

As anyone who studies Daf Yomi knows, you can’t afford to fall behind. It doesn’t matter whether I’m on an Amtrak, in a car or at 30,000 feet in the air, the Daf is always there in the background, on my mind. Over the past seven and a half years, I think I’ve done the Daf in at least twenty-five states and in places where the closest Orthodox Jew was 500 miles away. Quite possibly, I could be setting some kind of record, having done the Daf in places no one else has ever done it—like Jamestown,

As a CPA, I end up sitting at a desk most of the workday. Learning Shas works well with my schedule. Instead of listening to music like many people do, I play the OU Daf Yomi Shas audio in the background instead. I was able to finish Shas in approximately three years while I worked. The busier I got, the more Shas I learned.

I am a ba’al teshuvah from a long line of rabbis. Unfortunately, my great-grandfather, who was a melammed, died in 1892 at the age of thirty-five. My grandfather was two-and-a-half years old at the time, and without his father’s guidance he strayed from the path of Torah. I completed Shas on my grandfather’s yahrtzeit considered my siyum to be a sort of tikkun for him.

Michael Daniels Brooklyn, New York

Gemara has been present throughout my life, starting in sixth grade at Westchester Day School, and then at Ramaz. While at Barnard, I attended a weekly Gemara shiur given by the then campus rabbi, Rabbi Charles Scheer. When my youngest child went off to school, I traveled weekly into Manhattan to attend Rabbi Haskel Lookstein’s Gemara shiur.

I committed to learning the Daf after I attended the last siyum. I thought about the commitment and decided, “Running a marathon is not for me. But I can do the Daf.”

announced he wanted to do the Daf, I said, “Sure.” I could not imagine he would drag himself out of bed and be out the door no later than 6:00 am I thought he’d last a week.

I was wrong.

Alan has been committed to the Daf for more than thirty years, and he’s still going strong. His Gemara is the first thing he packs wherever we go; he never leaves home without it. I am a proud Daf Yomi wife.

Sheila Shapiro, as told to Leah Lightman Lawrence, New York

More than seven years have passed since I started attending the Daf Yomi shiur at the Young Israel of Great Neck in New York. For the most part, I am the only woman participant. I sit at a separate table and all the participants are careful to make sure I have a clear view of Rabbi Eric Goldstein, the maggid shiur. Learning the Daf is not a passive experience for me. I ask questions and Rabbi Goldstein and the other men are very respectful. Sometimes when learning, a light bulb goes on in my head and I say to myself, “Wow— this is where the mitzvah comes from.” I then perform the mitzvah with greater care because I understand its source.

Fern Block Resmovits, as told to Leah Lightman Great Neck, New York

I do the Daf while driving. I have learned an incredible amount [of Torah], make good use of my driving time and can honestly respond in the affirmative when asked, “Did you set aside time for learning Torah?” Of course, one of the biggest advantages of doing the Daf while driving is that I can’t fall asleep!

Moshe Roth West Orange, New Jersey

My husband started learning the Daf fifteen years ago, around the time my second son was born. He will be finishing his second cycle this January. Once he makes a decision to commit to something, he’s totally committed. So I knew when he started that he would stick with it.

Daf Yomi has always been a part of our children’s lives—they see their father running to shiur or reviewing the Daf in the house. A Gemara is always with him—whether he’s on the way to work or on a family vacation.

At times my children go to the Daf Yomi shiur with their father or attend one of the siyumim. It’s a part of our everyday lives.

In my view, our family does not sacrifice in order for my husband to learn Daf Yomi. Rather, it’s a way of life, a Torah-committed life.

Weiss

I listen to Rabbi Moshe Elefant’s Daf Yomi shiur online and have reached out to him many times with questions. When I used to visit the New York area, I would try to catch a shiur “live” at the OU headquarters in downtown Manhattan [Rabbi Elefant’s shiur is occasionally recorded from OU headquarters]. It’s amazing that this Daf Yomi shiur, given to a relatively small audience at the OU office, has hundreds of talmidim listening all over the world.

It was a bit emotional for me [during the previous Daf Yomi cycle] as I listened to Rabbi Elefant deliver the shiur on the last daf in Shas. He was speaking to thousands of virtual talmidim—most of whom he has never met, yet all of us traveled with him on this seven-year journey through Torah Shebe’al Peh.

Dr. Elly D. Lasson Baltimore, Maryland

My husband is out the door with a coffee cup in hand by 5:50 am to give the Daf Yomi shiur, so it’s up to me to get the kids ready. With four children under the age of eight, things are always hectic as the day gets underway. It would be very helpful to have another adult present, especially during the inevitable meltdowns and last-minute homework.

I try to keep the bigger picture and higher purpose in mind, especially knowing that when he returns home in time to take the kids to school, he is totally “in the zone” and right to work, keeping the energy upbeat and positive. He is on a Daf Yomi “high,” and we all benefit. Our children see and experience the consistency on a daily basis and are growing up with the primacy of Torah learning as a core value.

Melanie Mernick, as told to Leah Lightman Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel

If you go to a regular Gemara shiur, or even learn with a chavrusa a few times a week, you will only cover so much ground. About fifteen years ago, at the suggestion of one of my children, I decided to invest in an iPod that contained all of Shas. I take the iPod and a small Gemara with me and learn during my daily commute on the subway. I completed Shas twice in this manner.

Steve Brizel Queens, New York

Itty

Far Rockaway, New York

TWEETING the TALMUD

By Binyamin Ehrenkranz

When he began his second round of learning Daf Yomi in the summer of 2012, Ben-Zion Radinsky decided he was going to do it di ferently this time. Besides keeping up with the learning itself, he was going to hold himself more accountable and review the material more ofen. And he would f nally begin recording all of the fascinating nuggets from the Gemara he saw so many others whiz past.

But the Woodmere, New York, resident realized he would need a system with which to tackle these goals. Soon enough he came upon a modern-day solution: Twitter.

With some 20,000 bursts of Talmudic wisdom over the past seven years, @TweetTheDaf has become one of most popular Daf-focused Twitter accounts.

T rough publicly telegraphing his daily learning and observations from the Daf on the relatively new and rapidly growing social media platform, Radinsky would be able to keep his learning on track while also sharing insights with other Daf enthusiasts. Tus began the @TweetTeDaf account. At the time, Twitter limited tweets to 140 characters, which Radinsky found “brilliant” in that it required him to be very clear in his thinking.

“It forced me to make an idea crystal clear in my mind. I had to distill it into its simplest parts.” Even though the now-giant social media company doubled the character count two years ago—“diluting the brilliance” of the original constraints in Radinsky’s view—he still tries to adhere to the original limit.

Aside from helping him capture his learning in bite-size thoughts, he also found Twitter to be a great place to share interesting points of Jewish culture that typical commentaries might not pick up on. Tere are clever ideas that appear throughout Shas that go unnoted and provide tremendous favor and depth to the experience of learning, Radinsky says, such as comments that relate to the sources of common customs, testimonies of the Sages’ political interactions and even rabbinic puns. “Gemara is much, much broader than just a book of lomdut or halachah. It’s also really a monumental book of Jewish culture,” he says.

Radinsky’s tweets—numbering some 20,000 to date—are, not surprisingly, wide ranging, focusing at times on philosophy, history, archaeology,

Binyamin Ehrenkranz is a member of the Jewish Action Editorial Committee.

Ben-Zion Radinsky

ethical teachings (Rebbe: a person should love rebuke. As rebuke brings goodness [ Tamid 28]) and general observations of the Talmudic sages (Sailors are generally God-fearing [Niddah 13]). On occasion Radinsky addresses common cultural questions or myths concerning Judaism and Torah literature. For example, a tweet explaining the source of the notion that Adam and Eve sinned with an apple (the Talmudic Sages believed it was a di ferent fruit) reads as follows:

What fruit did Adam sin with?

Grape; Wheat; Fig. [Sanhedrin 70]

(Source for apple is pun: Latin for evil is mali and apple is malum).

At f rst, Radinsky, who works in f nance, viewed himself as an editor, reviewing and posting submissions from other Twitter users on each day’s daf. But a fer a few weeks, the submissions started to slow down, the pace of Daf Yomi becoming too di fcult for even the most avid of the account’s followers.

“At that point, I said, ‘I’m loving it myself,’” Radinsky recalls. He found he was reading through the Gemara multiple times to f nd relevant material to post, his microblogging ensuring that he was learning the Gemara in a timely manner. Te expectations from the readership forced him to do the Daf well and consistently, f nally making him feel accountable for what he was learning. His goal was never to present any ideas of his own, but to tweet material directly from either the Gemara or its commentaries. Each day he would begin by tweeting between three and seven of what appeared to him as the Daf’s most salient points:

What types of clothes require tzitzit? Can tzitzit strings be transferred from one garment to another? How many strings are required when making tzitzit? [Menachot 41]

He would also include memorable lines from the Sages’ conversations with one another, counterintuitive points and insights he noticed:

R. Yehuda teaches [an] important tolerance lesson. Be strict with your own behavior, and be lenient with what other people do [Berachot 22].

Digital Resources Every Daf Learner Should Know About

By Binyamin Ehrenkranz

dafyomi.co.il

The Dafyomi Advancement Forum: Founded and run by a noted talmid chacham, Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld, the Forum is one of the longest-running comprehensive Torah resources on the Internet. Behind it lies the intensive eforts of an entire Jersualem-based kollel that studies each day’s daf in-depth while also composing material for the site. About a dozen diferent resources are ofered on every single gemara—mostly in English— including point-by-point outlines, review questions and answers, quizzes and an archive of replies to questions the kollel fields from around the world.

daf-yomi.com

The Daf Yomi Portal: An all-Hebrew aggregator, the portal is geared toward those looking for advanced-level material. This includes digests summarizing the major commentaries on each daf, essays and newsletters by contemporary rabbis and dynamic forums of discussions on the Daf. For those comfortable in Hebrew, the site is a great portal for enrichment.

Daf Notes and Daf Yomi Digest: These sites feature newsletters on every single daf, including summaries, insights and inspirational stories. Daf Notes is often several pages long and aims to explain the entire daf, whereas Daf Yomi Digest presents a more condensed outline and is typically two pages long. Written with the beginner in mind, both are designed for easy printing and reading.

Daf Hashovua or Daf-A-Week: Begun two Daf Yomi cycles ago, the Daf Hashovua program has taken of, with shiurim currently in about forty diferent communities around the world. Designed to allow participants to learn each daf at a more deliberate pace, participants pride themselves on gaining a clear understanding of their learning. The site ofers review questions and answers and a planner for reviewing each daf multiple times.

Daf Hachaim: One of the most innovative Daf resources, Daf Hachaim features a full-length video shiur with sleek charts and illustrations to explain each Gemara. It also includes a short introductory presentation to each daf, as well as a review. Both can be quite helpful—you can see the presenter of the Daf alongside the highlighted line in the Gemara he is discussing. The mobile app is highly developed and ofers similar functionality. Illustrations are available for download.

All Daf: The OU’s newest Daf Yomi platform promises to transform the way Daf Yomi is studied (for details, see pages 34-37 in this issue).

A sampling of some of the many wonderful digital resources available to those learning the Daf Yomi

Fostering socialization, independence and fun for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Kohen would place lechem hapanim on silver table then gold table because we only ascend in matters of holiness [Menachot 99].

Today, @TweetTeDaf has more than 2,500 followers, including rabbis and academics from across denominations, and stands as one of social media’s longest-running and most popular Daf-focused Twitter accounts.

@TweetTeDaf uses the image above as its avatar. Te image is that of the Edict Ordering the Conf scation and Burning of the Talmud in Venice, 1553.

1. Campers live in a bunk integrated into a mainstream camp.

2. Campers are fully integrated in a bunk with their mainstream peers.

Participants work in camp settings with support.

Participants get to vacation and travel the world.

While a handful of others on social media have been posting about Daf Yomi since the beginning of the current cycle, @TweetTeDaf has been one of the most active accounts dedicated solely to commenting on the learning. Radinsky still receives dozens of comments each month from other Twitter users, sometimes echoing his thoughts, other times disagreeing with his reading of a passage from the Gemara or its commentaries.

Courtesy of the Library of the Jewish Teological Seminary

In organizing his tweets with consistency, Radinsky has also found a hobby in becoming something of a taxonomist of the Talmud, cataloging his Jewish cultural observations, such as various rabbinic jokes or all the instances in which halachah or other important points are derived from gematria. He hopes he might turn these collected lists into a book one day.

By now, he has tweeted almost every daf in Shas. In the coming Daf Yomi cycle, he still needs to decide whether he will post fresh material or re-post his previous tweets. He also has his eye on other projects, such as tweeting all of Mishnah, since many of the mishnayot do not appear in the Gemara.

Although he acknowledges the limits of Twitter—it’s impossible to capture the intricacies of more complicated Talmudic passages—Radinsky also refects on how the project has given him an empowering insight: Conquering the corpus of Gemara, even if sometimes only on a surface level, is actually within reach. Looking back on thousands of succinct takeaways he has tweeted over the years, he realizes that really knowing the raw material of the entire Shas may be easier than he had originally thought.

By now, he has tweeted almost every daf in Shas.

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There are many ways to support Israel, but none that has a greater effect on its people and its future than a gift to Magen David Adom. Your support isn’t just changing lives — it’s literally saving them.

Make an end-of-year donation to Magen David Adom at afmda.org/chanukah today.

PRINTING the SHAS

By Michelle Chesner

COMMEMORATING

THE

500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRINTING OF THE BOMBERG TALMUD, Columbia University librarian Michelle Chesner tells the story of the monumental printing of the Bomberg Talmud, the frst complete set of Shas to ever be printed.

In December of 2015, as part of my many duties as the librarian for Jewish studies at Columbia University, I attended an auction at Sotheby’s in New York. Te sale included unique and precious items from the famed Valmadonna Trust Library, a collection that included Jack Lunzer’s complete set of the so-called Bomberg Talmud. Tere was plenty of animated bidding on the lot, and the set f nally sold for nearly $10 million, breaking records for the highest price ever paid for a set of Jewish books.

Te Bomberg Talmud contained a combination of the f rst and second complete editions of the Talmud, using the relatively new technology of moveable type. Printed in Venice by a Christian, this set was a rare complete copy of the volumes that set the

Michelle Chesner is the Norman E. Alexander librarian for Jewish studies at Columbia University; co-director of Footprints: Jewish Books Through Time and Place; and president of the Research, Archives, and Special Collections Division of the Association for Jewish Libraries. She lives in New Jersey with her family. Special thanks to Michael Kent, senior librarian, Published Heritage Branch, Library and Archives Canada, for his assistance in obtaining images for this article.

Te Westminster Talmud, printed by Daniel Bomberg between 1519 and 1523. Part of Valmadonna Trust Library of the late Jack Lunzer, the set sold at auction in 2015 for $9.3 million. Courtesy of Sotheby’s New York

standards for printed Talmudim still in place today. Daniel Bomberg started his monumental task of printing Shas 500 years ago, in the Hebrew year 5280, which began in the year 1519 of the modern era.

Even in an era when everyone has easy access to a computer and a printer, the magnitude of printing the Talmud is easy to understand. Creating the very f rst complete printed edition on a fully manual hand press was a monumental feat. Te text of each of the nearly 3,500 leaves had to be laid out by hand, with each line of type carefully measured and set into place. Te unique format of the Talmud, with Rashi and Tosafot on either side of the Talmud text, meant that pages needed to be designed in advance to ensure an even distribution of the text.

Earlier Talmud Printings

Te Bomberg Talmud was the f rst complete set of Shas to be printed, but it wasn’t the f rst printing of Gemara. Individual masechtot were produced during the ffeenth century in both the Iberian and Italian peninsulas. At least nine volumes1 were printed in Guadalajara, Spain, around 1480, with only Rashi’s commentary, a scant decade a fer the beginning of Hebrew printing. Jewish printers in Spain would be expelled a dozen years later (along with the rest of the Jews), though, and so a set of Shas was not completed on the Iberian Peninsula.

Tere was a bit more freedom for Jews in Italy during the same time period. On December 19, 1483, Gershom Soncino printed his f rst volume of Talmud: Masechet Berachot

with Rashi and Tosafot. T is is the earliest dated volume of Talmud that we have today. Soncino determined the modern layout of the Talmud page, with Rashi on the inner margin and Tosafot on the outer, as well as the standard layout of four lines of commentary before the Talmud text. Soncino and his heirs attempted to print a complete set over the next four decades, 2 but Daniel Bomberg’s work efectively took over the market.

Te Talmud was not Bomberg’s f rst foray into Hebrew printing. In 1515, Bomberg applied to the authorities for a privilege to print Hebrew books in Venice.3 Tat same year, he produced a Latin Psalter with some Hebrew type, and his Biblia Rabbinica of 1517 (with nikud, commentary and cantillation marks) is possibly one of

the most beautiful examples of early Hebrew printing from the period. By 1518, Bomberg had received the “exclusive right to print Hebrew books for ten years” in Venice, thus setting his grand plans into motion.4

Printing the Whole Shas

Before beginning the work, Bomberg sought manuscripts from around the world to ensure that his copy was as accurate as possible.5 Not only was the text of the Talmud and its main commentaries important, but he also added additional commentaries following the main text: the Piske Tosafot, Rambam on the Mishnah and the Rosh (Asher ben Yechiel).

Bomberg had signi fcant funds at his disposal, and thus could a ford the investment required for this huge project. Te cost of paper alone would have been astronomical. But Bomberg had bigger plans. He hired expert editors and typesetters, and even requested a special privilege allowing his Jewish employees permission to walk through Venice without the yellow berets identifying them as Jews so they would not be accosted on their way to or from work.6

One of Bomberg’s most important innovations in his printing of the Talmud was the concept of f xing the text on each page. Te whole reason that a Daf Yomi cycle can be completed is because everyone, anywhere in the world, using any edition, can be studying the same page with the same text. Daniel Bomberg was also the f rst to add foliation (numbering leaves, or dapim) to the Talmud, and the vast majority of printers followed his layout of the text.

Te reason that the Talmud text begins on 2a rather than 1a can be traced to Bomberg—or simply understood as a relic from the early print era. During the 15th and 16th centuries, printers would sell texts printed on stacks of paper, which the new owner then brought to a binder to make the book “shelf ready.” Te binding only took place a fer the book lef the printshop. Printers numbered the pages to make the binder’s work easier, thereby ensuring that the

Te owner of this volume of the Bomberg Talmud handwrote the entire text of Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi’s Shitah Mekubetzet in the margins of each tractate bound in this volume. Pictured here is a page at the beginning of Masechet Bechorot . Courtesy of Columbia University Libraries, call no. B893.1NI B20 v.16.

Bomberg had signifcant funds at his disposal, and thus could afford the investment required for this huge project. The cost of paper alone would have been astronomical.

text was in order (especially for non-Roman texts, such as Hebrew, which the binders most likely could not read). Tus the title page was not usually numbered because the binder recognized it as page 1, and the numeration began with page 2, as we see with the Talmud today.

Even the concept of daf and amud is a carryover from early print. Printers numbered folios (a single sheet of paper, or a daf in Gemara) rather than pages (each side of the page, or an amud ) because they were guides to the binders, similar to the above. Because later printers were so careful to stay true to Bomberg’s printing style, this remained well a fer pagination was introduced in printed books.

Although moveable type made book production orders of magnitude easier than writing books by hand, printing illustrations was still a di fcult and time-consuming process in the sixteenth century. Te Talmud isn’t known for its many illustrations,

but there are actually quite a large number of diagrams referenced in the main Talmud text as well as in the commentaries. Daniel Bomberg dealt with them the easy way—he lef a blank square or rectangle next to text where an image was referenced. Perhaps he meant to have them f lled in later, as with many early printed non-Jewish texts that lef blank spaces for capital letters meant to be illuminated by hand. In most Bomberg editions, however, these spaces remain blank to this day. Tere are some notable exceptions, though, such as the one from the Jacob M. Lowy collection at the Library and Archives Canada [see illustrations on page 50].

Nearly every printer of the Talmud in the centuries that followed— until the modern era—followed the standards set by Bomberg in their printing of the Shas.

Later Additions

In looking at existing copies of the Bomberg Talmud today, one can see

why later amendments were made to the Talmud page. Annotated copies, like an edition of Masechet Shabbat printed in 1522 now at Columbia University,7 show what is essentially the Masoret haShas, the citations to the references made in the text, added along the margin. Following demand, printers would print those citations in later editions.

A particularly interesting volume at Columbia University 8 contains the entire text of the Shitah Mekubetzet by Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi. Te owner of a copy of Masechtot Ketanot from the Bomberg Talmud wrote the entire text by hand within the margins of the book. Other volumes, conceivably owned by the same person, exist in other collections as well and are similarly annotated.

Te Talmud and the Church

From the political-religious perspective, it was no simple project to print a Talmud, regardless of whether one was Christian or Jewish.

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In Loving Memory of Dr. Leonard I. Kranzler Z'L

Hand-drawn diagrams of possible catacombs (relevant to a discussion in Bava Batra 101a about tumah and taharah) in a volume of Bomberg’s Bava Batra in the Lowy Collection at the Library and Archives Canada, call number: BM506 B4 1521 x.fol. Because printing images was incredibly time consuming in the sixteenth century, Bomberg lef blank spaces in the layout for referenced illustrations. In most copies, the illustrations were never drawn in. Photo: Tom

Tompson

Bomberg had initially been required to include a Christian response to the Talmud within his volumes, which would have alienated potential Jewish buyers. (Tis was a legitimate concern—Jews would later boycott the works of a printer in Prague who had converted from Judaism to Christianity in 1539.9) With some luck and continuous advocacy, however, Bomberg was able to print the Talmud without the Christological inclusions. Te trouble with print, as the Catholic Church soon learned, was

that it allowed the wide dissemination of texts that had the potential for heresy. Te Talmud had long been seen as a problematic text that held the Jews back from seeing the “light” of Christianity, and once it was printed, it was referenced as banned in early editions of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the ofcial Church volume of prohibited books

On Rosh Hashanah in 1553, the Church ordered a public burning of the Talmud at Campo de’ Fiori in Rome. It was caused by a dispute between two printers of Hebrew books, and it decimated the remainder of Bomberg’s stock. In later years, the many persecutions and peregrinations of the Jews in the centuries following meant that the survival of an original complete copy of the Bomberg Talmud is incredibly rare.

Only twelve complete copies exist whose history can be traced continuously (as a set) to the 16th century. All but the copy from the library of Rabbi David Oppenheim (now at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford) were owned by Christians, which no doubt played a critical role in their survival.10 Tere are collections that contain an example of each masechet printed by Bomberg, but those have been assembled in the centuries afer Bomberg’s work by purchasing individual masechtot one by one.

Te Bomberg Talmud Today

Tere are many volumes still in existence around the world, and for many Judaica collectors, completing a Bomberg Talmud set is an ideal goal. Costs for individual tractates thus vary signifcantly. In fact, in a sale at the end of 2018, a copy of Keritot (of the second edition, 1528) sold for just under $7,000, while a Chullin (of the frst, 1521) sold for more than ten times that at $100,000. I learned very quickly when I frst entered the feld of rare Judaica as a professional that the cost of any book is simply what one person is willing to pay.

As we near the completion of the thirteenth cycle of the Daf Yomi, one can only wonder—was the original printing of the Shas ever used in its entirety? Was there anyone who

completed the Daf (in this cycle or otherwise) using an edition of Daniel Bomberg’s Talmud? Who were the people who pored over these newly printed volumes in Italy (and beyond) 500 years ago? Regardless of which imprint one prefers today, every mesayem from 1519 to 2019 has been impacted by the monumental Talmud printed by Daniel Bomberg.

Notes

1. Masechtot Chullin, Yoma, Chagigah, Beitza, Berachot, Mo’ed Katan, Kedushin, Ketubot, Ta’anit and possibly others that have not survived.

2. Twelve diferent masechtot printed by Soncino are extant today, although more may have been printed and are now lost.

3. Piattelli, Angelo M. “New Documents Concerning Bomberg’s Printing of the Talmud,” in Mehevah le-Menahem: Studies in Honor of Menahem Hayyim Schmelzer, ed. Shmuel Glick, Evelyn M. Cohen, Angelo M. Piatelli (Jerusalem, 2019), 176. Tere is some discussion as to when Bomberg established his press, but there are no extant copies of works that he printed before 1515.

4. Piattelli, “New Documents,” 178.

5. Marvin Heller, “Daniel Bomberg-Te Editio Princeps,” Printing the Talmud: A History of the Earliest Printed Editions of the Talmud (Brooklyn, 1992), 145. He notes that Bomberg’s errors followed Soncino errors, and some text clearly removed for censorship purposes followed the Pesaro edition. So Bomberg certainly leaned on Soncino for some of his work.

6. Piattelli, “New Documents,” 177.

7. B893.1NL B20, v.22, containing Masechet Shabbat (printed 1522).

8. B893.1NL B20, v.16, containing Masechtot Bechorot, Eruvin, Temurah (printed 1522), as well as Keritot (printed 1525). Te same volume contains Mesechtot Me’ilah/Kinim/Tamid/Middot as well, but without manuscript notes.

9. See Magda Teter and Edward Fram, “Apostasy, Fraud, and the Beginnings of Hebrew Printing in Crakow,” AJS Review 30, no. 1 (2006): 47.

10. A complete listing of these copies and their provenance can be found in Sotheby’s New York sale catalog which includes the Valmadonna Talmud as Lot 12 (December 22, 2015) as well as in Milton McC. Gatch and Bruce E. Nielsen, “Te Wittenberg Copy of the Bomberg Talmud,” Gutenberg Jahrbuch 78 (2003): 296-326.

A Discovery Sheds Light on Rescue Efforts During the Holocaust

By Susie Garber

Original documents revealed to the public for the frst time—some from venerable gedolim of the twentieth century—tell of heroic efforts to save hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.

All documents and images in this article are courtesy of the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust unless indicated otherwise.

Jewish refugees congregate outside of the US consulate in Marselles, southern France, circa 1941. US immigration policy had been tightened by the Immigration Act of 1924, which imposed quotas by nationality. Tragically, while the inferno in Europe was raging and Jews were desperately seeking escape routes, the quotas went unfulflled, refecting the national climate of isolationism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection/Eric Saul

November 30, 1938: Honored and Beloved David Kestenbaum, I am simply unable to describe to you the tragedy that has befallen us. I lived comfortably in Leipzig [Germany], had a good business and comfortable and well-furnished apartment. My family and I were expelled from our home, driven across the Polish border and for the last fve weeks we’ve been in Krakow [Poland], homeless and without any means of support. I have to depend on the charity of strangers for the next meal, and the next [place to sleep]. I therefore turn to you for help in enabling us to come to America. Unfortunately, I have nobody else but you to turn to, my good friend, to save me.

Enough; I cannot continue writing . . .

Hersh Tzvi Kanarek

[Original in Yiddish. Translation by the Center for Holocaust Studies.]

Telegram sent by David Kestenbaum to the American Consul General in Warsaw, Poland, at the end of 1939: I sent an afdavit of support on December 1938, to the American Consul General in Warsaw, Poland, for the Kanarek family. . . . I am now informed that the three [Kanarek] sons . . . are refugees. . . . residing in Vilnius, Lithuania. Due to the present conditions in Europe, I am very much concerned about their safety and would be very much obliged to you if you would grant my cousins US immigration visas. . . . so that they can live in America without fear. . . . I am sure that they will prove to be good citizens of this country.

Te letters above are part of an extraordinary collection of documents

that were recently re-discovered at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in downtown Manhattan. Among the documents, found in some seventeen boxes, are original letters, a fdavits, telegrams, notarized paperwork, letters to and from the US State Department and consular documents—all of them addressed either to or from David or Jacob Kestenbaum or both, two men who spent their days and nights responding to the desperate cries of European Jewry during the Holocaust. Among the documents, donated to the museum in 1981 by members of the Kestenbaum family, are letters from various gedolim, including Rabbi Chaim L. Shmuelowitz, zt”l, rosh yeshivah of the Mirrer Yeshivah; Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe, zt”l; Rabbi Shemaryahu Gourary of Chabad, zt”l; and Rabbi Aharon Kotler, zt”l, then-dean of the High Rabbinical College Etz-Chaim Kletzk who later founded and was rosh yeshivah of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Some of the documents were on display in the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s exhibition, Against Te Odds: American Jews & Te Rescue Of Europe’s Refugees, 1933-1941, which ran from 2013 to 2015 and featured the heroic rescue eforts of a handful of American Jews, including the Kestenbaums. However, many of the documents, including correspondence featured in this article, have never been viewed by the public.

Just how were these boxes rediscovered? Last year, Daniela Kestenbaum, a student at Manhattan High School for Girls, began working on a genealogy project for school. She

Susie Garber writes for the Queens Jewish Link, Hamodia and other publications and is the author of numerous books. She would like to thank the staf of the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, and in particular, Susan Woodland, senior manager for collections and research services; Michael Morris, curatorial associate; Treva Walsh, collections project manager and Debbi Portnoy, volunteer archivist, who came up with the idea for this article.

Daniela Kestenbaum expresses thanks to Ms. Chani Gotlieb, Mrs. Shaindy Eisenberg, Rebbetzin Peshi Neuberger, Mrs. Shaindy Eisenberg and her family members for assisting her in the research. Special thanks to Ray Kestenbaum for his help in preparing this article for publication.

knew that her great-great grandfather, David Kestenbaum, zt”l, had been involved in saving Jews during the Holocaust, but she wanted to f nd actual documentation detailing his extraordinary eforts to rescue hundreds of Jews, as well as the only yeshivah whose student body survived the Holocaust intact, the Mirrer Yeshivah. At the Museum of Jewish Heritage, alongside volunteer archivist Debbi Portnoy, Daniela began to learn the incredible story of her great-great grandfather, David Kestenbaum. Here is his story.

Born in Tarnow, Poland, David Kestenbaum was the son of Rabbi Eliyahu and Leah Rachel. In 1914, the couple and their six children moved to Leipzig, Germany, where the rabbi and his sons opened a thriving fur business. Two of the sons immigrated: Yisrael opened a branch of Kestenbaum Fur in London and Jacob opened a branch in New York in the 1920s. David remained in Leipzig where, in 1918, he married Gisella Goldman and the couple had seven sons.

Rabbi Eliyahu was a prominent Jew and a recognized communal leader in Germany. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, David and his father were promptly arrested. Te Nazis soon released Rabbi Eliyahu, but David remained imprisoned. By good fortune, David escaped—and the Nazis didn’t go a fer him because, miraculously, there was no record of his imprisonment. A few days later, while Rabbi Eliyahu was singing Shabbat zemirot at his table, a neighbor threw a Nazi fag onto the terrace. Later that week, the rabbi made a call to his lawyer to f le a grievance. “Herr Kestenbaum,” the lawyer said, “zie haben ganishts mer keine rechts in diesem landt—You have no rights in this country.” A fer this incident Rabbi Eliyahu made the decision to leave Germany with his family. Bernard Kestenbaum, one of Rabbi Eliyahu’s grandchildren, recalls as a child hearing his grandfather warn his parents: “Move away without any delay. Don’t worry about your comforts or your assets. Leave everything behind.”

David and Gisella fed with their

family to Holland and then to Paris in 1934, as they wanted a strong Torah education for their sons. Tey soon realized they needed to leave Europe. Because Jacob had already immigrated to America, he was able to help bring the rest of his family to the United States. In 1936, David and his family settled in Brooklyn, New York.

At the time, the United States had a strict immigration policy, the Immigration Act of 1924, which imposed quotas by nationality. Tragically, while the inferno in Europe was raging and Jews were desperately seeking escape routes, the quotas went unful f lled, refecting

the national climate of isolationism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

To obtain visas, refugees needed American sponsors who could issue a fdavits that assured the government that they would take f nancial responsibility for those rescued. Te a fdavits required mountains of burdensome paperwork: bank records, tax returns and so on.

Despite the formidable challenges, David and Jacob funded and procured a fdavits of support for hundreds of Jews. How did they do it? First, the Kestenbaums would receive a letter from a family desperate to fee Europe. Ten they would work on obtaining

a fdavits and proving that they had su fcient resources to support these “relatives.” Each family that reached out to the Kestenbaums became a “cousin.” Te brothers worked tirelessly to secure a fdavits—even hiring a full-time employee to interface with federal agencies. Ultimately, they succeeded in signing 358 a fdavits and saving the lives of hundreds of Jews.

In each letter Daniela read, in every telegram she saw, she heard agonized cries for help and desperate pleas to be saved. Te pages ahead feature a sampling of letters from various gedolim addressed to the Kestenbaums that have never been published before.

The desperate letter from Hersh Tzvi Kanarek of Leipzig to David Kestenbaum in 1938, pleading for assistance to escape the Nazis after being driven out of Germany to Krakow, Poland.

Many of the documents . . . featured in this article have never been viewed by the public.

David Kestenbaum as a young man.

Rabbi Aharon Kotler, Dean High Rabbinical College

Etz-Chaim Kletzk

Jonava, Lithuania

Feb. 10, 1940

Dear honorable, charitable, Torah lovers, esteeming Rabbis, treating them with kindness and supporting them, distinguished Kestenbaum brothers, may you live and prosper together with your honored families, they should live and enjoy the goodness and blessings of the Almighty forever!

With esteem and blessings!

You have most likely heard about the rescue of all the yeshivot that moved to Vilna, which is now part of Lithuania. Tank God, we have succeeded in rescuing our yeshivah and transferring it to Lithuania. Until now the yeshivah was in Vilna, but for certain reasons we moved to Jonava, a much smaller town in Lithuania, where we hope to be able, with the help of our friends, to maintain it in the Diaspora.

At the moment, we have with us 240 Torah students, may they multiply, refugees from the area occupied by Soviet Russia and Germany who are facing the most difcult and terrible conditions and sufering indescribable hardships, may Hashem have mercy on them.

In spite of that, the spiritual level of the yeshivah [has not been] diminished, and the voice of Torah [has not been] weakened by the various Diaspora events. Te yeshivah is once again the source of Torah and piety, as it was in the past.

However, the fnancial situation of the yeshivah has recently deteriorated very much and is currently in a very difcult state that threatens its very existence. Te loneliness and homelessness of the hundreds of yeshivah boys have increased the expenses of the yeshivah, and we are struggling mightily to maintain it. Were it not for the assistance of the JOINT [the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee], who knows what would have happened to the yeshivah. However, one must not forget that their assistance is steadily declining, and all together cannot cover the large expenditures we have (even) afer all of the downgrading and savings.

Having relocated to Jonava, Lithuania, to escape the Nazis in Poland, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, dean of the High Rabbinical College Etz-Chaim Kletzk, wrote to the Kestenbaums in February 1940 to request assistance for his yeshivah.

“Herr Kestenbaum,” the lawyer said, “zie haben ganishts mer keine rechts in diesem landt—you have no rights in this country.”

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We must therefore turn to all friends of the yeshivah with our call for help; they should not forget the yeshivah at this time of pain and sufering. We hope that, as in the past, you will continue supporting the yeshivah and will be pleased with the opportunity of extending your help to us to the best of your abilities. In the merit of your support of Torah, you will be blessed with a long life, good fortune and prosperity and continue to be privileged with being among the Torah supporters until the coming of the Messiah, soon and in our own days. Amen!

Wishing you a kosher and joyous Passover holiday with much pleasure together with your honored families, we conclude with blessings and hope for Heavenly mercy.

Signed and rubber stamped, Aharon Kotler

[Original in Yiddish. Translation by the Center for Holocaust Studies.]

Rabbi Chaim L. Shmuelowitz

Dean of the Mirrer Yeshivah

June 9, 1941

Dear honored Mr. Kestenbaum:

We want to express our thanks to you for your participation in helping the immigration of our community to America. Tese are terrifying times, yet you have dedicated yourself in such a noble manner for the sake of Torah. In today’s generation, you are one of the few lovers of Torah who are in the holy cause of rescuing Torah. . . . You have always done your heroic deeds

Continued on page 62

Letter from Rabbi Chaim Shmuelowitz, dean of the Mirrer Yeshivah, to one of the Kestenbaum brothers in 1941. In the letter, Rabbi Shmuelowitz professes his gratitude to Mr. Kestenbaum for assisting the yeshivah in its escape from Nazi Europe.

I can recall as a boy of nine sitting on the staircase in our house on President Street in Brooklyn, hearing the outcry of the men of the Vaad Hatzala in the living room. It was frightening! They were yelling because they received cablegrams of murders, arrests, break-ins and family members hauled off for transport.

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Continued from page 58

completely. You are one of the elites of today’s generation who are helping the holy Tabernacle move from place to place and country to country, as it did in the desert in ancient times. We are experiencing such terrible times, and when the Torah fnds its true place and the yeshivah comes to America, then from close by you will see the column of fre that illuminates the way for all of Israel, and then you will feel eternally and deeply your great part in this endeavor. . . .

We feel ourselves encouraged and comforted in such a critical moment to see among our friends and supporters such a great lover of Torah as you, and, in deepest recognition, we want to include you among our closest and dearest and declare you a gabbai of our yeshivah.

You will surely cherish the knowledge that you are recognized as one of the builders of Torah and a savior of the Jewish future; this is an everlasting tie between you and us.

May you and your family be blessed, in the merit of your work for Torah and support for Torah scholars, and may this inspire everything you do.

Signed and rubber stamped, [Rabbi] Chaim Shmuelowitz

[Original in Yiddish. Translation by the Center for Holocaust Studies.]

Rabbi Shemaryahu Gourary, on behalf of student Josef Mendel Tenenbaum, June 10, 1941

My dear [sic] Mr. [Jacob] Kestenbaum, I wish to take this opportunity of writing to you as one of our dearest and most devoted friends to the holy cause headed by my most venerable father-in-law, the Lubavitcher Rabbi. I feel that I need not call your attention to the sad plight of our students of the world-famous Lubavitcher Yeshivoth Tomche Tmimim whom we have evacuated from Eastern Europe and brought to Japan on their way to America. Tere are a great number of our students now in Japan and many of them have already secured afdavits, but we still need many afdavits. We are therefore appealing to you that you

Jewish refugee children wait to board the SS Mouzinho in Lisbon, bound for the US, August 20, 1941. Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum/Gif of Milton Koch

Rabbi Shemaryahu Gourary, son-in-law of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, requesting Jacob Kestenbaum’s assistance in securing further affdavits.

kindly give us an afdavit for one of our students, and if possible, to also prevail upon some of your friends to also give such afdavits. You understand the urgency of this matter, and we therefore trust that you will kindly comply with our request in this most important and requisite request. Please have the afdavit made out to the American consul at Japan . . .

Very sincerely yours,

Rabbi S. Gourary

When the US government became suspicious of the Kestenbaums and their claim of having hundreds of cousins, the family found new ways of helping Jews escape with behind-the-scenes f nancial support while having others sign of on the a fdavits.

Te Kestenbaum brothers were also active in Vaad Hatzala, an organization originally founded to save the lives of yeshivah students, talmidei chachamim and rabbanim, which expanded to rescue as many Jews as possible from the Nazis. Together with Rabbi Aharon Kotler, zt”l, Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz, zt”l, Irving Bunim, zt”l, and other members of the Vaad, they rescued and provided food and shelter for 300 Mirrer Yeshivah talmidim and families until the group reached Shanghai,

Vaad Hatzala volunteers prepare a shipment of Pesach products for Europe, circa 1946. From lef to right: Mr. Shabse Frankel, Mr. Stephen Klein, Mr. Menashe Stein and Mr. Irving Bunim. David and Jacob Kestenbaum were active members of the Vaad, in addition to their personal rescue eforts on behalf of Jews in Europe. Courtesy of Yeshiva University Museum

Letter from the Mirrer Yeshivah Association thanking David Kestenbaum for executing nine affdavits on behalf of students of the Mir.

A list of Mirrer Yeshivah students and rabbeim stranded in Vladivostok, Russia.

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Speaking at David

China. David’s sons, Bernard and Joseph, went door to door to raise money for the talmidim and their families.

In a 2016 article in the Jewish Voice, the youngest child of David and Gisella, Raphael “Ray” Kestenbaum, wrote, “I can recall as a boy of nine sitting on the staircase in our house on President Street in Brooklyn, hearing the outcry of the men of the Vaad Hatzala in the living room. It was frightening! Tey were yelling because they received cablegrams of murders, arrests, break-ins and family members hauled of for transport.”

At one point, Mike Tress, the national president of Agudath Israel of America, contacted the Kestenbaum brothers about a fdavits on behalf of Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe and his family. Tey had been smuggled out of Poland and brought to Eretz Yisrael at the beginning of the war. Although the a fdavits were secured in 1941, they were never used because the rebbe didn’t want to leave Jerusalem.

Even a fer the war, the Kestenbaum brothers were inundated with requests for a fdavits and help. Te family was also instrumental in establishing the Mirrer Yeshivah in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood.

“To know that the Kestenbaum name was one associated in a time of war with ‘savior’ and ‘heroism,’ a name that everyone knew they could trust, is a great source of pride for myself and my family,” said Daniela.

Speaking at David Kestenbaum’s levayah in 1957, Rav Kotler, overcome with emotion, could only say: “He was a great tzaddik.” He couldn’t continue further and sat down.

One of David Kestenbaum’s values was to never waste time. He was so thankful that Hashem had enabled him and his family to fee the horrors of Europe, and he therefore felt obligated to help others. In the Jewish Voice article cited earlier, Ray wrote that his father “worked tirelessly” and “was a man of broad shoulders,

Kestenbaum’s levayah in 1957, Rav Kotler, overcome with emotion, could only say: ‘He was a great tzaddik.’ He couldn’t continue further and sat down.

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of statesmanship and of drive for the job ahead. Much of that drive stemmed from his profound sense of hakorat hatov, thankfulness to Hashem for the insight and ability to escape early with his family . . .”

Si f ing through the documents, Daniela wondered what had become of her great-great grandfather’s friend, Hersh Tzvi Kanarek, as well as his wife and their children. As she continued her research, she found record box 1-2, which provided the answer.

Below is the last letter written by Hersh Tzvi Kanarek, in Poland at the time, to the Kestenbaum brothers.

David and brother Jacob, may you live and prosper! Yesterday at 11:00 in the morning I received your telegram

and out of joy could not sleep all night. . . . May the Almighty repay you with happiness. Following, you will fnd the requested information about each of our family members, myself, and my wife Dora, our three sons and our daughter, Lea.

According to what people have told me, in order to expedite matters, the afdavits should be sent to either Belgium, the Netherlands or Switzerland, and then the afdavit recipients are permitted to move there. I have no preference about any of the above countries. Perhaps you could fnd out . . . which of the three to choose from and make the decision about which is best for us. In the meantime, what should we do

here . . . to survive, as most of our means of support were unfortunately lef behind in Germany . . . .

[Original in Yiddish. Translation by the Center for Holocaust Studies.]

Although the three Kanarek boys had joined the Mirrer Yeshivah and survived the Holocaust, David’s good friend, Hersh Tzvi, his wife and their daughter did not make it out of Poland alive. In 1943, David walked one of the sons, Rabbi Yisroel Kanarek, down the aisle to his chuppah

T roughout her year-long research project, Daniela only managed to examine a small number of boxed f les. Who knows what other important documents are still waiting to be revealed?

Each family that applied became a Kestenbaum “cousin”...Ultimately, they succeeded in signing 358 affdavits, sparing the lives of hundreds of people.

David and Giselle Kestenbaum and their seven sons aboard the SS Washington en route to the US in 1936. From lef: Joseph, Binyamin, Leonard, Mr. Kestenbaum, Menashe, Raphael (Ray) above, Mrs. Kestenbaum, Ephraim (Menashe’s twin) and Bernard. Te family settled in Brooklyn. All of the sons attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaath. Courtesy of the Collection of Ray Kestenbaum/Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

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The Kestenbaum Rescue Eforts: An Analysis

By R. Licht

Notwithstanding factors including the Great Depression, isolationism and nativism, all of which influenced American policies and the national mindset, a handful of Jews, non-Jews and organizations responded to the pleas for help not only from overseas family and friends, but also from strangers.

Unquestionably, the strict American immigration policy, underlined by the Great Depression and the prevalent anti-Semitism of the time, which existed among both the populace and government ofcials, made it difcult if not impossible for Jews during the Holocaust to find a safe haven in the United States. Had the United States adapted its immigration policies in the 1930s to permit persecuted Jewish refugees to enter America or, at the very least, had it fulfilled the existing quotas, more Jews would had survived the Nazi era.

For decades following the end of the war, debates raged within the American Jewish community (and among historians) about whether American Jews did enough to save their European brethren. History attests that during the 1930s Jews in America (along with non-Jewish citizens) responded to fascism and the Nazi persecution

of the Jews with demonstrations, supported anti-German boycotts and provided financial support to Jews living under the Nazi regime. But these activities did not rescue Jews. Clearly what was needed was a change in the immigration policy, which neither the American government—including President Franklin Roosevelt—nor the American people wanted.

In 2013, the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York held a haunting exhibit titled Against The Odds: American Jews & The Rescue Of Europe’s Refugees, 1933-1941, which depicted the stories and noble actions of these heroic and selfsacrificing Jews who made rescuing European Jewry their personal mission. Among the rescuers presented in the exhibit were David and Jacob Kestenbaum, themselves immigrants who were successful furriers residing in Brooklyn, New York. The exhibit noted that the brothers “issued hundreds of afdavits to extended family, friends and total strangers.”

Further research at the museum archives revealed 700 case files in the Kestenbaum collection. This remarkable collection of letters documents the horrific situation facing Jews in Nazi Europe, as well as the challenges they faced while pursuing refuge in America. Most striking among the array of supplicant letters received by the Kestenbaums are those from European Jewish leaders, rabbis and roshei yeshivah, whose correspondence reflects deep concern, personal responsibility and a commitment to the survival of their communities and students. Reading these letters and their desperate cries for help, one feels overwhelmed with grief. These original letters and documents put a human face to history.

Jewish children fleeing Europe looking at the Statue of Liberty from the deck as they arrive in the US, June 4, 1939. Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection/ Gift of Julius Wald

R. Licht teaches Holocaust studies in high schools throughout the New York metropolitan area.

In addition, the 700 case files found in the Kestenbaum archives reveal the heroics, the determination and steadfastness of the Kestenbaum brothers in rescuing their brethren from Nazi Europe. They overcame the formidable obstacles presented by American

immigration laws. They disregarded the prevailing negative attitudes toward Jewish refugees. They claimed strangers as relatives as they provided an astonishingly large number of afdavits. They hired extra employees to deal with the increasing amount of paperwork necessary to obtain afdavits. They provided financial aid to Jews so they could leave their countries and travel to the United States. Even after the outbreak of war, when immigration to America was not viable, the Kestenbaums continued their rescue work. The files reveal their activities in aiding students of the Mir Yeshiva as well as students of Lubavitch who were stranded in Shanghai during the war. It would be misleading to declare that the activities of the Kestenbaums dispel the

reality of American Jewish inaction during the Holocaust.

The Jewish community in 1930s America faced various political, economic and social challenges that informed their responses to the tragedies in Europe. As a minority community living in a country with economic difculties and ever-present anti-Semitism, Jewish leaders and citizens were cautious and hesitant to act.

David and Jacob Kestenbaum disregarded these concerns and, guided by their religious convictions, answered the call for help. These businessmen from Brooklyn became activists for rescue and saved the lives of hundreds of Jews.

Unfortunately, there weren’t nearly enough David and Jacob Kestenbaums in America at this critical time.

For decades following the end of the war, debates raged within the American Jewish community (and among historians) about whether American Jews did enough to save European Jewry.

Chanukah: I See the Light

By Hillel Goldberg

If someone “enlightens” me, this means I see the point. Or even I see the truth.

But what if I “see” literally, not fguratively? What if, when I “see the light”—when I am enlightened—this is not a fgure of speech? What if it signifes light, as in fames or sun rays?

I saw the light recently when I threw away my whole life; more precisely, my ophthalmologist threw it away. As a consequence of surgery on each of my eyes, I am now struck by light, and also by how “light” has been taken as a Jewish metaphor for spirituality but may be more than a metaphor.

Indeed, I see the light every moment. Dramatic beauty strikes me every morning as I awaken and gaze out the window at nothing particularly beautiful. Te grass and the trees out there do not need to be beautiful. It is

Colors?

describe what is now my daily gif.

Truth be told, the grass and the trees are also dramatically diferent. I no longer see a tree; I discern the shape and topography of each single leaf. God has etched every object, animate and inanimate, and I now discern its individuality. Colors? I thought I knew colors. How little did I know the astoundingly beautiful world, as colors now blaze before my eyes. My wife is used to what surely must seem like irrational outbursts as I cannot help but phone her as I drive to or from work.

“ Te bricks!” I exclaim. On homes or buildings along the streets I drive, I now discern each brick in its specifc shape, texture and shade, rather than the blurred side of a building.

the light, embracing and enveloping in a way I had never seen before. I have no adjective for this. Any word I might summon—luminescent, translucent, gorgeous light—does not begin to

“ Tat stop sign!” I exclaim. Te redness of the sign jumps out at me. Pure, deep, striking red. Greens, yellows, blues and purples leap out at me. I see black as I never saw it before. I marvel at the way new black cars gleam; the way the burnish on my tefllin straps is transfgured. I see white as I never saw it before, especially

Rabbi Dr. Hillel Goldberg is the editor of the Intermountain Jewish News and a contributing editor of Jewish Action.

I thought I knew colors. How little did I know the astoundingly beautiful world, as colors now blaze before my eyes.

“Jerusalem Menorah,” copyright © 2019, yoramraanan.com. Tis painting is by artist Yoram Raanan, who was featured in the winter 2018 issue of this magazine.

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when I’m reading. With the blackness of the letters blacker than ever before and the whiteness of the page whiter than ever before, the act of reading has become an overwhelmingly aesthetic experience, wholly apart from the substance of what I read. I see the light! Which brings me to light as a metaphor. I always understood the “Divine light” to be a metaphor, and no doubt it is. But afer surgery, it is not only a metaphor.

Example: Kabbalists speak of our universe, our material world, as unable to be purely spiritual, as necessarily material, since the Divine light is too intense for the human being to absorb. Humans need materiality to coarsen the Divine light, to blunt it, so that it does not overwhelm and blind us. I get it. I now understand light as able to change in character because I now see light as less coarsened, purer than any light I have ever seen. Perhaps, with surgically corrected vision, I merely see what everyone else already sees; still, the contrast between my sight before and a fer surgery establishes the truth of the Kabbalah. Light is more than metaphor, more than language needed by theologians to express how an infnite God creates a fnite universe. Light, yes, can acquire a palpable presence, not just abstract meaning. I said before that I have no adjective for this; the closest I can come to describing the light I now see is El Greco’s View of Toledo.

Prof.Shoshana

Another example: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). With that primordial light, Adam, the frst human being, saw “from one end of the world to the other,” says the Midrash. However, Adam’s immeasurable sight endured for only thirty-six hours, afer which God “hid” the original light, saving it for “the future to come” (le’atid lavo). If that future is inaccessible, the nature of that light is also inaccessible. But “the future to come” is not only a metaphor for an ultimate perfection, says the Slonimer Rebbe, citing the Zohar. Te “future to come” includes every Shabbos, as well as the capacity of tzaddikim to access God’s hidden light. If this “light” signifes not just insight but light, then each person who is Sabbath-observant, and all people in their holiest moments as one of the tzaddikim, can “see the light,” literally.

Tis year, on Chanukah, I will see diferent lights. I already know this from the Shabbos candles. Before my surgery, they used to burn with a dark yellowish tint, black at the base of the fame. Now, they blaze in white, blue at the base. White light. Pure, deep, striking white light.

Surely, the Chanukah candles will not be less. I will see their white light.

Our Chanukah menorah, whose fames represent the oil used in the ancient Holy Temple’s menorah, tells us that in the most spiritual spot on earth, light was a necessity. It was the light of the menorah; the light we see. It was also the locus of the Divine light; the metaphor. Both, together.

Mrs. Rachel Besser

Dr. Danielle Bloom

Mrs. Shalvie Friedman

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Kislev – Danielle Bloom, Noted Torah and psychology teacher, Ateres Bais Yaakov, Monsey, NY and Naaleh High School for Girls, Ridgewood, NJ

Tevet – Shalvie Friedman, Judaic Studies Teacher, Hasmonean High School; Educator, Aish UK, author and speaker, London, England

Shevat – Rachel Besser, Chair, Nach Department, The Frisch School, Paramus, NJ

Adar – Shoshana Schechter, Director, Mechina Pathways Jewish Studies Program; Professor of Bible, Stern College for Women, New York, NY

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Meet ROCHEL BERMAN

Rochel Berman has developed an expertise that few people want but everyone will need some day. She is an expert on Jewish burial practices. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, who lived in Yonkers, New York, and subsequently, in Boca Raton, Florida, Berman is a veteran of chevra kadisha volunteer work, preparing bodies for burial. Additionally, she is the author of Dignity Beyond Death: The Jewish Preparation for Burial (winner of the Koret Jewish Book Award), and an educator who has designed a day school course on facing death for teenage students. Over the years, she has performed more than 500 taharot.

A veteran of chevra kadisha work, Rochel Berman has spent decades engaging in the ultimate act of chesed.

Rochel Berman holds up a set of tachrichim (white linen clothing) at a demonstration for yeshivah high school students at the Gutterman Warheit Memorial Chapel in Boca Raton, Florida.

Photo: Madeline Gray/the New York Times /Redux

Jewish Action recently interviewed Rochel Berman, a vibrant, articulate woman in her eighties. Tis is an edited transcript of that conversation. As told to Leah R. Lightman

I decided to join the chevra kadisha afer my father’s death in 1985. I arrived in Winnipeg afer my father’s petirah, and he was already cold when I kissed him on the forehead. At the graveside funeral the next morning, I wondered, “What happened to Papa from the time I kissed him until this moment?” (I did not grow up religious and was not aware of all the rituals surrounding the Jewish preparation for burial.) I had known the chevra kadisha existed but knew no details of their work. Afer returning home (which was then in Yonkers), I volunteered to become a member of the chevra kadisha at the Young Israel Ohab Zedek of North Riverdale and Yonkers. My husband and I became founding members of the chevra kadisha of Westchester County.

Te chevra kadisha is entrusted with the met afer the medical professionals have done everything. We provide a loving and elegant passage from this world to Olam Haba; we are “advocates” for the deceased.

I fnd that the core values of Judaism are so beautifully expressed in a taharah: the selfessness in caring for the helpless; respect for the dead (kavod hamet); and treating everyone consistently with dignity regardless of religious, socioeconomic or any other kind of status. Tere is equality in death. Everyone is buried wearing the same tachrichim (white linen clothing) and in the same plain pine box. Te tachrichim have no pockets and no hems to signify impermanence and that you take no worldly goods with you. Everybody, rich and poor, young and old, religious and nonreligious, is buried in the same garments.

Every time I entered the taharah room for the 500 plus taharot I’ve performed, I felt awestruck. Each time I lef, I felt something extraordinary had happened. Not once did it feel like it was done by rote.

Te purpose of the taharah is to provide comfort for the soul and care

for the body. We members of the chevra kadisha talk very little while performing a taharah, except about the tasks at hand. When we are working on the deceased, we never pass anything over the body. We always walk around the body as a sign of respect for the dead. I have a distinct sense that the soul is hovering and is in transition as we do this, and that makes us that much more careful with the body.

Although this mitzvah is magnifcent, it comes with its challenges: Suicides. Children. Yet no matter the challenge, the taharah is always done in peace and tranquility.

Working for the chevra kadisha has also put my own mortality into much sharper focus. I don’t have a fear of death.

When someone says to me, “I will never be able to do a taharah,” I respond: “ Tat’s because you don’t really know what it’s about.”

I have spoken to many audiences throughout America about the work of the chevra kadisha. Some of those audiences have been quite sophisticated, with well-educated Jews in attendance. It is amazing how many people do not know about these rituals; this results in many Jews engaging in practices that are alien to Judaism, such as cremation, buying expensive caskets or dressing up corpses. Even many religious Jews don’t have a clue about how a taharah is done and why.

Afer much thinking and discussion with others, I decided to devote considerable time to educating Jews about the chevra kadisha and taharot, especially teenagers. In 2015, I began teaching classes to teens on the work of the chevra kadisha

Together with Rabbi Jonathan Kroll, former head of school at the Katz Yeshiva High School of South Florida (who was previously a volunteer member of the chevra kadisha of Westchester County), I developed a curriculum for twelfh-grade students called “ Te Final Journey: How Judaism Dignifes the Passage,” which has been met with considerable success at the school. Tere are several lectures, with the inaugural one given by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, rabbi of the Boca

Raton Synagogue, on the relationship between the body and soul in Judaism. Tere are also videos, as well as a feld trip to a funeral home. Tis interactive, hands-on curriculum makes the important work of the chevra kadisha known to the younger generation. Tey feel like they emerge from the experience more refective, more spiritual and with a greater sense of the importance of community involvement.

I am ofen asked: Why do teenagers need to know about death and specifcally, the Jewish rituals of death? I always say: Because when you understand the Jewish perspective on death, you live your life diferently.

Leah R. Lightman is a freelance writer living in Lawrence, New York with her family.

When you understand the Jewish perspective on death, you live your life differently.

Hope, Not Fear: Changing the Way We View Death

Inever really thought much about death until my own father’s sudden death seven years ago. Until then it had been an abstract, sad concept that I didn’t ever wish to discuss in detail. Tough my father had been seriously ill and recovered, I had never before entertained the idea of him actually dying.

Te issue is, we don’t talk about death much or what happens to those we love afer their bodies die. We believe in the concept of souls, and we feel the presence of those who are beloved, but

By Rabbi Benjamin Blech Rowman & Littlefeld Maryland, 2018

168

pages

Reviewed by Elizabeth

Kratz

in our universe, as in our belief system, everything dies, except Hashem, Who is eternal. While Judaism and Torah focus, in large part, on life and the living and the work we must do in this world, it makes sense to explore the topic of death, at least somewhat, to allay our own fears of the inevitable and to comfort those facing the waning months and years of their lives.

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and beloved pulpit rabbi in Oceanside, New York for close to four decades, is

a warm, congenial writer of more than a dozen books, including Te Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Judaism. He takes on the topic of death in his most recent book, Hope, Not Fear: Changing the Way We View Death. Te book is framed in the context of his receiving a terminal medical diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis; Rabbi Blech’s goal in addressing the topic was not only personal; it was urgent. As his six-months-to-live diagnosis extended to six years and counting, Rabbi Blech, may he live and be well, used his time to construct an honest, comforting, and sometimes unorthodox, description of the Jewish view of death. Like his other books, it is written for the layperson; it is not overtly academic or scholarly. Its accessibility to people of any background, including non-Jews, is one of its strongest attributes.

Rabbi Blech spends roughly the frst third of his book expounding on every cliché, relaying every midrash and rabbinic story I have ever heard about death, and a few I hadn’t, invoking names as varied as Woody Allen, Osama bin Laden, Rabbi Eliezer, Indian philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, Ernest Hemingway and Steve Jobs. He spends the second third of the book discussing the fate of the body and soul, sharing a vast, and in some cases eye-opening, array of medical and paramedical information regarding near-death experiences (NDEs) and the thoughts of those who have “been to the brink” and lived to tell about it. Te fnal third of the book, likely the most powerful—and consequently the most useful—provides Rabbi Blech’s fve major lessons of how to live when facing death.

Te Torah’s Silence

Rabbi Blech dedicates a few pages to the silence of the Bible on what happens afer death, then repeating in the name of the late Professor Herbert Chanan Brichto, what many have said before—that the Written Torah was “meant to teach us how

Elizabeth Kratz is associate publisher and editor of the Jewish Link of New Jersey and the Jewish Link of Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut.

to improve our earthly status, how to live life to the fullest, how to conduct ourselves in a way that would be pleasing to the Creator.” Te aferlife was not mentioned “precisely because it was a given,” he wrote.

What the Bible does tell us is how God created life, how He created man out of dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Tis concept of the breath of life, what it means and what it comprises, are discussed in considerably more detail in other books that invoke more Kabbalistic ideas, including those referring to the universe one lives in today versus the various universes one can inhabit throughout their lives on earth and beyond. Although Rabbi Blech references some of this, it’s clear his interest lies decidedly elsewhere—specifcally, in the reports from those who have traveled away from their bodies and were somehow pulled back to earth and the accounts of doctors and nursing staf who have witnessed NDEs.

NDEs and Science

Rabbi Blech presents death as a continuation of that bright-lightat-the-end-of-the-tunnel concept, reported across cultures, religions and continents, by children and adults. It’s clear in the way Rabbi Blech presents the evidence as a vibrant and growing academic discipline that he fnds this idea palatable and comforting.

He explains how surgeons and nurses are instructed in various hospital settings to not speak of-the-cuf even if a patient is clinically brain dead, because multiple patients have come back and told them that they heard every word that was said.

Rabbi Blech expresses the idea that all NDEs share in common the experience of an aborted journey (i.e., that whatever was about to happen was halted and the person was sent back into his or her body). “Much as they were tempted to go forward to that brilliant light at the end of the tunnel, they hear the decree to go back because their mission in life was not yet accomplished” (emphasis is Rabbi Blech’s).

Conversely, Rabbi Blech uses this idea to comfort those who have dealt with the premature death of others, particularly young people, relaying both rabbinic and medical metaphors about people “going home because their work was fnished.” Reminding us to do mitzvot in this world only, he also refers to a well-known story told by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter of a wealthy man who saved his money for afer his death, when he planned to write a really big check. Afer he passed on, the Heavenly court replied, “We are truly sorry, but here we do not accept checks—only receipts.”

Te Five Lessons

Since we know death is inevitable, the material point, Rabbi Blech concludes, is that we need to use the time we have lef well. Whether we have six months, ten years or forty years lef on this earth, we are constantly presented with options for how to spend our time. Tose with serious diagnoses likely feel more pressure to choose wisely.

To Rabbi Blech, his fve major lessons of life are the key to facing death with confdence: the power of faith, purpose, optimism, miracles and prayer.

In this chapter and in his fnal summation, Rabbi Blech is at his most convincing. He does his best to show that living gratefully and optimistically, in the presence of a loving God who makes miracles for us every day, is the best kind of life. He stresses that a life flled with missions realized and prayers ofered to our benefcent Creator is a life that leaves little time for doubt about the future. Beware the pessimist, he warns, the one who looks at a bagel and sees only the hole, not the bread. “He

is a person who thinks that the chief purpose of sunshine is to cast shadows,” Rabbi Blech writes. Such people, he says, tend to live shorter and less healthy lives, according to a Mayo Clinic study which noted that pessimists have a 19 percent increase in the risk of death.

One of the most powerful portions of this chapter is Rabbi Blech’s focus on the power of purpose: “What I found myself thinking of, when I believed I would shortly die, was what I could do to make myself worthy in God’s eyes of longer life. Not because I am a rabbi but because I sincerely believe that everyone has to recognize that they are put here on earth for a purpose. It’s imperative to identify the reason for our presence in the world—what is it that we contribute to society at large and composes our legacy for the future? Ten we have to pursue that purpose in a way that would make our absence noticeable and, for as long as possible, our disappearances impossible.”

While this shows how very tethered Rabbi Blech is to his life and his life’s work here on earth, it is also a truly instructive message for every person. Contemplation of death may be something we should read about, think about and work to be better prepared for, but it’s not the goal of life. Te goal of life, Rabbi Blech concludes, is to accomplish what God put us here to do. A life well lived is not punished with death, and therefore not something to fear; rather, death is achieved when our missions are complete.

Whether we have six months, ten years or forty years left on this earth, we are constantly presented with options for how to spend our time.

Jewish Action seeks to provide a forum for a diversity of legitimate opinions within the spectrum of Orthodox Judaism. Terefore, opinions expressed do not necessarily refect the policy or opinion of the Orthodox Union. Readers are invited to use this forum to express personal views and address issues of concern.

Should You Put Your Kid on a Diet?

10 POINTS to THINK ABOUT

By Dina Cohen and Rachel Tuchman

In early August this year, WW, formerly Weight Watchers, launched a weight-loss app designed for kids which caused an uproar, to put it mildly. Some of the leading organizations dedicated to addressing eating disorders, including the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA), the National Eating Disorders Association

Dina Cohen, MS, RDN, CEDRD is a nutrition therapist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, chronic dieting, women’s health and pediatric nutrition. She is the owner of EatWellSoon LLC, a nutrition counseling practice in Lakewood, New Jersey.

(NEDA), and Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders (FEAST), issued statements expressing outrage and calling the new app “dangerous,” and a plethora of news articles and op-eds were written opposing the app. An online petition to remove the app gathered over 113,000 signatures, as of October 2019.

Parents who want to put their child on a diet may have the best of intentions. Tey might be worried that their larger-than-average child will struggle with self-esteem issues. Tey may feel that their child needs restrictions because of the many food-related events that are part of the frum lifestyle like Shabbat, yamim tovim, bar and bat mitzvahs and other semachot. But putting kids on diets is dangerous. Our children are supposed to be growing. Pushing children to obsess about what they eat and how much they eat puts them at higher risk

of developing eating disorders and having a dysfunctional relationship with food. It could also lead to a slew of other mental health issues. Te American Academy of Pediatrics states very clearly that putting children on diets is not safe1 and should never be recommended.

You want your kids to be healthy and happy; how does their weight ft into the picture? Below are a few helpful ideas for parents concerned about their child’s weight:

1. Understand Your Child’s Weight

Before you decide that your child is overweight, it’s important to understand the infuence of genetics on weight. Just as a child has a

Rachel Tuchman is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) with more than ten years of experience. Her practice is in Cedarhurst, New York.

Worried about your child’s weight? You should . . .

• talk to your pediatrician to assess whether your child is growing along her curve or if she is actually gaining too quickly. Rule out medical conditions that may cause excess weight gain.

• examine your feeding practices. Is there too little structure around food or too much rigidity? When it comes to food, your job is when, what and where to serve. Your child’s job is whether and how much to eat.

• serve balanced meals and snacks and provide a variety of foods

Your child needs exposure to all kinds of foods in order to learn how to handle them outside the home. Including treats at home helps teach your child how to manage them appropriately.

• provide your child with opportunities for fun physical activities

Just like kids don’t want to eat food that doesn’t taste good to them, they don’t want to move in ways that aren’t enjoyable to them.

• treat the child the same as your other children. Singling him out won’t make things better.

• never shame your child for his weight. Shame does not lead to lasting positive changes. Make it clear to your child that she is valued for who she is rather than what she looks like.

• create an atmosphere at home that is respectful of body diversity. A child is more likely to take good care of his body when he respects and appreciates it.

• look out for and address any underlying struggles, such as emotional or social issues, which may be contributing to overeating.

• take a look at your own relationship with food and consider how your attitudes and behaviors might be influencing your child’s eating.

• seek professional help if necessary. If your child continues to gain weight too quickly, exhibits disordered eating behaviors or has low self-esteem, contact a pediatric dietitian or therapist or both. Make sure that the relevant professional has a no-diet approach.

• read! Here are some recommendations:

• Maryann Jacobsen, How to Raise a Mindful Eater (2016)

• Ellyn Satter, Your Child’s Weight: Helping Without Harming (New York, 2005)

• Linda Bacon, Health at Every Size (Dallas, 2010)

• Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor, Body Respect (Dallas, 2014)

• Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works (New York, 2012)

predetermined height and shoe size, he has a predetermined natural weight range. If your child is growing along his natural curve, then even if he is bigger than the other kids in his class, he may be perfectly healthy.

Your child (or you, the parent) may wish that his weight was lower and might be upset by his size. Especially during times of rapid growth, he may feel uncomfortable with his body. What happens when he says he wants to lose weight before his bar mitzvah, for example? His unhappiness should be taken seriously, but if he’s at a healthy weight, then the distress is the problem, not the weight. Your job as a parent is to help your child learn to manage his emotions surrounding his weight. Yes, it’s hard to feel diferent. We need to give him tools to efectively deal with those feelings, but we should not try and manipulate his weight to help him feel better in the short term.

Just because a practice is accepted within a certain culture doesn’t mean it is necessarily right or good. In China, for example, the practice of foot binding persisted for hundreds of years. It was culturally acceptable for a fve-year-old girl’s toes to be broken and bent in order to make her feet smaller. Putting a healthy child on a diet may be culturally acceptable in the United States, but that does not make it right. Moreover, trying to suppress a child’s natural weight is very likely to backfre. If a signifcant amount of efort is required to maintain a lower weight, that’s a good sign that that weight is too low for that child. Te body is going to fght to get back to its natural weight.

2. Excess Weight Gain Is a Symptom

If a child starts gaining weight (or begins to lose weight), have her assessed for an underlying medical cause. Perhaps she isn’t eating well because of behavioral or emotional issues. Similarly, a child who is gaining weight too quickly needs to be assessed for a medical condition that may be causing excessive weight gain. If it is clear that the weight gain is due to overeating, the parent needs to ask, why she is eating too much? Is she afraid there won’t be enough food unless she eats it all now?

Is the feeding style in your home chaotic, where she never really knows when the next meal will be? Is she eating because she’s bored or lonely? Is she eating in an attempt to please an adult in her life, such as a grandparent or other caretaker? If she is cared for by more than one adult, is it possible that both of them are feeding her the same meal twice? Do you need more education about the amounts and kinds of food that are healthy for a child?

A pediatrician or pediatric dietitian can help identify the child’s challenges, provide strategies for improving her eating behaviors and support the parents and child in developing a healthy relationship with food and her body. A psychotherapist can help address any underlying emotional issues that are responsible for the overeating.

3. Restriction Is Not Harmless

Dieting doesn’t work any better for children than it does for adults—and the risks are much greater.2 Children who diet are far more likely to end up at higher weights than they would otherwise and to develop eating disorders.

Te human body will fght attempts to diet on both physiological and psychological levels. When calories are restricted, the body does its best to keep us going under these undesirable circumstances. Tis means a decreased metabolic rate and an increased focus on obtaining food. Trying to make a child follow a bunch of food rules will lead him to feel restricted, and food restriction leads directly to food preoccupation.3 Kids who are restricted from food, either in quantity or type, are going to be much more vulnerable to eating in the absence of hunger. When they have access to a “forbidden” food, they will eat much more of it than kids who haven’t been restricted. In the long term, this causes even more weight gain and can set the stage for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. We have seen many adult clients who were put on diets when they were young and have continued to struggle with their weight for decades.

Dieting is also a gateway behavior to an eating disorder. Not every child who diets will develop an eating disorder, but a very high percentage of eating disorders start with a diet. Dietitian Marci Evans points out that children are more likely to develop an eating disorder than to sustain weight loss from dieting. A striking study

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Putting a healthy child on a diet may be culturally acceptable in the United States, but that does not make it right.

from the University of Minnesota followed more than 2,000 teens who dieted and found that fve years later, they were at approximately three times greater risk of being overweight than teens who did not diet—and the incidence of eating disorders was higher in the dieting group as well.4

An eating disorder is a psychiatric illness, and it is a serious one, with the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.5 How does a diet trigger something so serious? Eating disorders have biopsychosocial origins, meaning they develop as a result of something in a person’s biology as well as in his environment. For example, an individual with a genetic predisposition toward anxiety, perfectionism and people-pleasing tendencies may be more likely to develop anorexia nervosa. Put such a child on a diet, and the counting, measuring and weighing can ignite any obsessive tendencies. Te expectations and compliments add additional pressure, and the restriction of calories can cause cognitive changes that put full-blown anorexia nervosa in motion. Another child might feel intense pressure to lose weight but may fnd himself “cheating” on his diet. His despair might lead him to binge, and he may fall into a pattern of restricting and binge eating, developing a binge eating disorder. If he purges in an attempt to “erase” his binge, he may eventually meet the criteria for bulimia nervosa.6

4. Provide, Don’t Deprive

How does a child know that she is loved? Her frst experience of being

loved and nurtured is right afer birth, when she is held and fed. Being fed means being loved and protected, and when we take away food from a child, she may experience that as a withdrawal of love. You may be restricting food with the best of intentions, but to your child, it could feel like you are withholding love.

Te best way to improve your child’s nutrition is by providing instead of depriving. Provide your child with balanced meals and snacks on weekdays and Shabbat too! Have food available at appropriate times instead of too frequently or too sparingly. Teach her to identify physical hunger and fullness so she can learn to eat according to her internal signals and know what it feels like to be pleasantly satisfed instead of uncomfortably full. Being forced to eat food past the point of fullness is one of the earliest consent violations a child will experience. Let your child rely on his built-in mechanism for knowing how much to eat and when to stop. Children are born intuitive eaters, but we can undermine this instinct by teaching them that hunger is bad or that their fullness cues are wrong. Dietitian and social worker Ellyn Satter has written a few excellent books on how to feed a child in a way that respects her autonomy but still provides boundaries [see the sidebar on page 82 for a recommended reading list].

You should also provide your child with opportunities to be physically active in ways that are fun. Ofer suggestions on how she can entertain

herself when she is bored as well as strategies to manage challenging emotions like sadness or anxiety.

5. Show, Don’t Tell

Diets are all about what’s “good” and “bad,” what’s “allowed” and what’s considered “cheating.” It’s critical to realize that young children are concrete thinkers and therefore take things literally. If you say to a young child, “Candy is bad for you,” he thinks, “I am bad if I eat candy.” A child will most likely continue eating candy, but will now feel guilty about it. He will also be confused—if he gets a lollipop at shul, is the candy man trying to make him sick? In an efort to make children eat more healthfully, parents ofen unwittingly convey messages that lead to fear and guilt around eating, food preoccupation, resentment toward exercise and body shame. Yeshivot and day schools may also unintentionally be at fault by instituting “healthy snack” rules that limit what kinds of food kids can eat in school; these rules are ofen presented with language that conveys the message that some foods are good and others are bad. Instead of categorizing food into “good” or “bad” groups, show your child what balance looks like. Serve a wide range of foods. Take your child grocery shopping. Include a balance of nutrients in your meals and let him help prepare them. Allow him to cook a dish for Shabbat. Include him in the menu planning for a Chanukah party.

In an effort to make children eat more healthfully, parents often unwittingly convey messages that lead to fear and guilt around eating, food preoccupation, resentment toward exercise and body shame.

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6. Don’t Blacklist Foods

It’s not hard to spot the kids who never get candy at home. Tey’re usually the ones attacking the candy dish at a friend’s Shabbat table or raiding the snack drawer when they go to a play date. Te body has a very strong reaction to feeling deprived and it feels a lot like addiction. Te more you restrict your child, the more she will obsess about the foods that she wants, which can lead to sneak eating behaviors, stealing food, eating too quickly and binge eating.

Take candy, cakes, cookies and chips of a blacklist and stop assigning morality to what we eat. Food is neither inherently healthy or unhealthy; it is our behaviors over time that contribute to health. Teach your children, in an age appropriate manner, that there are nutrient-dense foods and foods that are less nutrient-dense, but all foods provide energy and can be part of a healthy lifestyle.

7. Singling Out a Child Is Harmful

When you single out a child and give him diferent food rules than the rest of the family, you send the message that your love is contingent upon his meeting your standards. Tis creates feelings of shame and isolation. Your child gets the message that he is bad and wrong because of the way he looks or eats. I don’t get to have the food I like. I am a disappointment.

Your child may feel like he is being punished for being fat or “overweight.” Tis rejection increases the risk of developing eating disorders as well as other mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

8. Weight Stigma Is Real

Parents need to be aware of the impact of fat phobia on a child’s developing identity and psychological health.

Kids need to know that our love is unconditional. Making kids and teens feel bad about their weight will not help them develop a better relationship with food, themselves or you. Weight stigma is a signifcant risk factor for depression, low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction.7

It is important to recognize that weight bias among health professionals

exists as well.8 Moreover, doctors still use measurements such as the Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine health, despite the fact that it has long been proven that BMI is not an accurate predictor of health because it does not take into account muscle mass, body composition and distribution of weight, among other factors. And weight is not a good indicator of health because our health is more than just physical. Mental health, fnancial health and spiritual health all impact our physiology.

When you visit your doctor, have your child stand facing away from the scale numbers and let your doctor know in advance that weight is not up for discussion in front of the child. If your doctor advises weight loss as a response to some other medical concern, ask what he would recommend if your child had the same issue and she was not “overweight” and then tell the doctor you’d like to try that frst. For example, if a doctor suggests weight loss as a solution to high cholesterol, ask what he might recommend for a thin person with high cholesterol. Eating foods that are helpful in lowering cholesterol and increasing physical activity are ways one can achieve healthy cholesterol levels regardless of one’s weight.

9. Dealing with Bullies

If your child is being bullied for being “overweight” or “fat,” the solution is not to validate the message of the bullies and put her on a diet. Instead, give her the tools and confdence to stand up for herself. Remind her that all bodies are good and discuss the concept of body diversity. Involve her in activities that allow her to use her body in ways that will increase her self-esteem (such as dance, swim or ball sports) and remind her that she is so much more than her appearance.

10.

Confdence Is an Inside Job

Your kids are watching you and they are listening to every conversation you have. If you are weighing yourself, restricting, pinching your rolls, showing disgust for your body, praising thinness and weight loss—know that your child is taking that all in and internalizing it. More important than what you say to your child is what you do yourself. You cannot give your kids what you don’t have. Reject diet culture, practice body acceptance and stop diet talk in its tracks when it comes up.

As parents, our goal has to be to foster an environment that encourages healthy and sustainable eating behaviors and a positive body image. We need to teach our kids to reject the diet culture. Giving our kids a sense of autonomy and a positive self image are our gifs to them, which will have a positive ripple efect in all areas of their lives.

Food is neither inherently healthy or unhealthy; it is our behaviors over time that contribute to health.

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WHAT’S THE TRUTH ABOUT. . .

COUNTING YEARS STARTING FROM CREATION?

By Ari Z. Zivotofsky

Misconception: Jews have always counted years the way it is done today: from Creation.

Fact: Troughout Jewish history, a variety of systems have been employed.

Background: For the purpose of keeping track of time and dating legal documents such as loans, ketubot and gittin, there must be a standardized system for counting years. Documents dated using the prevalent Jewish system indicate the current year as 5780,1 meaning that it is now 5,780 years since Creation. But Jews have not always counted using a system of dating from Creation. Historically, there have been a variety of methods employed, with this system being relatively recent.

Any system of tracking years requires a starting point, known as an epoch. For example, the Islamic calendar (Hijri) starts with Muhammad’s arrival at the city of Medina in 622 ce Te widespread method in the Western world today, which ostensibly2 starts with the year Yeshu was born, was introduced in 525 ce Tis replaced the prior system in which the year count

was based upon the reigning consul, a system not dissimilar to what the Jews used for centuries. A convention used in ancient Rome was abbreviated as the AUC system, which stood for “ab urbe condita—meaning from the founding of the city” or “anno urbis conditæ—in the year since the city’s founding.” Te assumption was that the city of Rome was founded in 753 bce and that was taken as AUC 1. Te Roman Empire was founded in 27 bce, (i.e. AUC 727).

Te earliest year-counting system used by the Jewish people, found in Tanach, counted from Yetziat Mitzrayim For example, Sefer Bamidbar opens by declaring that the events described occurred “on the frst day of the second month in the second year afer the Exodus” (1:1). Tis system continued for hundreds of years up until the building of the First Temple, 480 years afer the Exodus (I Kings 6:1). Following the building of the Beit Hamikdash, events were also dated from the commencement of the construction of the First Temple (e.g., I Kings

9:10). In addition, events were dated in relation to the reign of a monarch (e.g., I Kings 15:28 and II Kings 18:1).3

A summary of the methods used to count years until the Talmudic period is given in the Mechilta (on Parashat Yitro 19:1) and in the Yerushalmi (Rosh Hashanah 1:1 [1b]),4 where it states that initially counting was from the Exodus, then from the building of the First Temple. Afer the destruction of the First Temple, the Jews counted from the start of the exile (i.e., Ezekiel 40:1),5 and fnally they began counting from non-Jewish monarchs (i.e., Chaggai 1:1), a practice criticized by the Tzedukim (Sadducees) (Yadayim 4:8).6 It is noteworthy that in these sources there is no mention of a system of counting from Creation.

Post-Churban Bayit Sheni, some Jews counted from the second Churban. An amazing collection of tombstones dating from 351 to 577 ce were discovered in Zoar, southeast of the Dead Sea. Te inscriptions on the Christian tombstones use the calendar of the Roman province of Arabia, which began in 106 ce. Te inscriptions on the Jewish tombstones, which are in Aramaic, used a Jewish lunar calendar that counted from the second Churban, and noted the year number in the seven-year shemittah cycle, as in the Book of Jubilees. 7

Rabbi Dr. Ari Z. Zivotofsky is a professor of neuroscience at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

During the late Second Temple period and shortly thereafer, several short-lived year counting systems were adopted. For example, a get written on Masada is dated “year six” and scholars contend it was written in 111 ce, the starting point being 106 ce, the year the provinces of Arabia and Bostra were incorporated into the Roman Empire (era of the Provincial Arabia).8 Coins minted during the Bar Kochba Revolt (132-135 ce) were dated from the beginning of the revolt. Te coins include inscriptions such as “year one of the redemption of Israel” or “year two of the freedom of Israel,” similar to the way some people today write on a wedding invitation, “seventy-one years since Israel’s independence” or “ff y-two years since the liberation of Jerusalem.”

In addition to the short-lived year counting systems, one more system developed in the mid-Second Temple period, known as Minyan Shetarot (“accounting of documents”) or l’malchut Alexandrus, known in the secular world as the Seleucid era (SE), which lasted for many centuries.9

Te starting point for this system relates to the founding of the Seleucid monarchy in Syria, the year that Seleucus I Nicator (Alexander the Great’s general) returned to his then-capital Babylon afer solidifying his claim to a piece of the now-deceased Alexander the Great’s empire. Seleucus’ son, Antiocus I, rather than begin counting anew as was customary for rulers, continued the year count from his father’s reign, thus initiating the Seleucid era. Jewish tradition also calls the system “l’malchut Alexandrus” and some sources erroneously attribute the starting date to Alexander the Great, although he actually died in 323 bce or -11 se

During the Talmudic period (third to ff h centuries ce) the method of dating documents seems to have difered between the Land of Israel and the Diaspora. Rashi (Avodah Zarah 9a, s.v. tzeh), commenting on a baraita which refects practices in the post-Temple Land of Israel, implies that the standard method of reckoning years in Eretz Yisrael was counting from the destruction of the Second

Temple. Outside of Eretz Yisrael, the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 10a) records, in the name of Rav Nachman, that one should count years from [the beginning of the era of] the Greek kings (i.e., Minyan Shetarot). However, the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 9a) recognized that during the Talmudic period Jews were using a variety of counting methods and therefore it provides the conversion factors between the Seleucid system, the count from Creation and the count from the Second Temple’s destruction.

In the immediate post-Talmudic era, Minyan Shetarot continued to be used, as did dating from the second Churban At some point Jews also started counting from Creation and thus, in the early Medieval period, all three systems were in use. When Rambam wanted to make clear which year was a shemittah year, he used all three systems. He wrote (Hilchot Shemittah v’Yovel 10:4): “According to this calculation, this year, which is 1107 from the [second] Churban, which is 1487 according to Minyan Shetarot, which is 4936 [1176 ce] to Creation, is a shemittah year and is year twenty-one in the yovel cycle.” It seems that in twelf h-century Egypt, all three of those systems were in use.

For most Jews, dating from Churban Bayit Sheni went out of style long ago; however, Romaniotes (descendants of the original Greek Jewish community) used this system until recently. A poignant example is a ketubah from Corfu10 dated “Friday, the fourth of Sivan, 5704 to Creation, and 1876 to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, may it be built speedily in our days and the days of all of Israel, Amen, according to the dating system we are accustomed to use here, the city of Corfu.” Tat date corresponds to May 26, 1944, just two weeks before the Nazi’s order to round up all the Jews of Corfu for deportation on June 9, 1944.

Minyan Shetarot continued to be used by Jews in some Sephardic countries, particularly in Egypt, until several hundred years ago. Rambam says (Hilchot Gerushin 1:25) that in twelf h-century Egypt when writing a get, all Jews counted either from Creation or from Minyan Shetarot, and thus he gives the option of using either

(Hilchot Gerushin 4:12). As is the case today, Jews ofen also used the local secular calendar,11 and thus one can fnd documents in the Cairo Genizah that used the Islamic calendar alongside the dominant Minyan Shetarot

Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (the Chida, 1724-1807) wrote that one of the accomplishments of the great sixteenth-century halachic authority Rabbi David ben Shelomo ibn Zimra (Radbaz, 1479-1573), in addition to writing more than 3,000 responsa, was that he abolished the use of Minyan Shetarot in Egypt (Shem Hagedolim, vol. 1, dalet:16, p. 19a).12

A signifcant exception to the abolition of Minyan Shetarot was in Yemen, where it continued to be the exclusive system used until modern times. Rabbi Yosef Kapach proudly proclaimed13 that Yemenite Jews adhered to tradition and continued to use it in ketubot, gittin, legal documents and personal correspondence until the twentieth century. Rabbi Yaakov Sapir (Even Sapir 62b) in 1864 described that Yemenite Jews (and Cochin Jews, who were in close contact with the Jews of Yemen) exclusively used Minyan Shetarot on all their legal and personal documents, and with the exception of scholars and scribes, most people did not even know the count from Creation. He was so intrigued by this that he devoted the entirety of chapter twenty-nine of Even Sapir to analyzing the SE system’s three possible starting dates and what can be learned from the Yemenite tradition.

At some point in history, most of the Jewish world moved over to counting from Creation. Rabbi Azariah dei Rossi (1511-1578) in his controversial Me’or Enayim (p. 254-255), says many people erroneously believe that counting from Creation is an ancient custom, but he demonstrates (p. 256-257) that it clearly was not used in the time of the Mishnah and Gemara and is of relatively recent vintage.14 He surmises (p. 257) that it started to be used afer the time of Rav Sherira Gaon (d. 1006) who used SE extensively in his famous epistle. Rabbi Azariah postulates that this switch coincided with the disintegration of the Greek Empire, and thus the transition to using a counting

system based upon Creation, i.e., the Kingdom of Heaven, a system to which local rulers would be willing to defer.15

Rabbeinu Tam in twelf h-century France (Tosafot, Gittin 80b, s.v. zu), the Tur in early fourteenth-century Cologne and Toledo (EH 127, last line), and the RaN in mid-fourteenth-century Catalonia (Gittin 42a in Rif pages) all record that in their time the universal practice was to date a get from Creation. Te Shulchan Aruch in the sixteenth century assumes (EH 127:10) that in dating a get the Creation system would be used, and further assumes that that year-counting system was so accepted that if the sofer leaves out the words l’briat olam, the get is still kosher. Tis indicates that at some point there was a move to (near) universal use of the Creation system, a system that had certainly been in use but was not the dominant method.

Counting from Creation is referred to by scholars as AM—anno mundi, meaning “in the year of the world.” To use the AM system as a standard, there needs to be an agreed-upon starting date. Te Bible states a few chronologies, but no absolute dating from Creation. Te oldest systematic Jewish chronicle is Seder Olam Rabbah (presumably edited by the Tanna Yose ben Chalafa [d. about 160 ce]). Te system it employs gives such famous dates as Avraham Avinu being born in 1948 am iii. But it is not the only system. Tere are actually three common variants of the AM system, based on the epoch used.16 In AM I, the currently used system, year one started one year before Adam’s creation. In AM II, the system used in the Talmud,17 year one started on the day of Adam’s creation.18 In AM III, the system of Seder Olam, year one commenced one

year afer Adam’s creation. In diferent locations, time periods and classical documents, all three of these methods have been used, and this has led to considerable confusion.19 It is not clear why AM I became the accepted system, but one advantage is that shemittah years occur when the year number divided by seven has a remainder of zero. Tus, in the currently used system Avraham was born in 1950 am i Pitchei Teshuvah (EH 127:16) explains that in order to avoid confusion between AM I and AM II, the phrase “In the year so and so to the Creation of the world according to the counting in this city . . .”20 is included. Tat phrase is also used in general to disambiguate which counting system is being used, since a variant of the phrase is found in gittin that use Minyan Shetarot.

It is certainly peculiar that the SE system, of all the systems, should be the one that lasted so long. It seems odd that the Jews would latch on to a system that counts from a long-gone Greek ruler. Te answer to this puzzle may lie in a point noted in the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 10a): that the SE system started exactly 1,000 years a fer the Exodus. In 5603 (1843), Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Leib haKohen Rapoport (1786-1867) postulated that the SE system of counting was really just a continuation of the counting from the Exodus, as they share the prat gadol. Rabbi Yaakov Medan, rosh yeshivah at Yeshivat Har Etzion, points out 21 that the count from the Exodus is thus actually a count from the start of a royal reign—not a human reign, rather the reign of the King of Kings.

Notes

1. Usually written as tav-shin-peh, which is equivalent to 780 (400+300+80). Te complete date includes a “ heh ” (fve) in

the thousands place, which is usually omitted for convenience. Te full four digits (5780) are known as the klal. If, as is usually done, the thousands digit is omitted, the remaining three digits are properly known as the prat gadol. If the hundreds digit is also omitted, the letters representing the remaining two digits are called the prat katan (see Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 43:2). Te familiar lamed-peh-kuf abbreviation found on many tombstones stands for l’prat katan and is used, erroneously but nearly ubiquitously, to refer to the last three digits. Rashi (Avodah Zarah 9a, s.v. prati) describes the hundreds and thousands as klali and tens and units as prati.

2. Factually, it appears to be of by four to eight years. Because of the stated starting date, some posekim are averse to using this system (which was adopted as the epoch of the Gregorian calendar). Te Chatam Sofer wrote that counting from Creation reminds us that the world is renewed [by God], that the Land of Israel is for us and that it is wrong to use the Gregorian count (Derashot, derush 10, 7 Av 5570, vol. 5, p. 114 [5775 edition]). He felt that Jews should be ashamed that some today count from the birth of the Christian savior (derush 18, 8 Tevet 5593, vol. 2, p. 374-5 [5775 edition]). His student Maharam Schick (YD 171) ruled that it is a Biblical prohibition to write the Gregorian year on a tombstone. For comprehensive discussions of this topic, including possible reasons to be lenient, see Yabia Omer 3:YD:9 (which takes into consideration the historical dating error and the many earlier rabbis who used the Gregorian year) and Tzitz Eliezer 8:8. To remove the religious signi fcance from this system, scholars use BCE (Before the Common Era) instead of BC, and CE (Common Era) instead of AD.

3. Te system of dating from kings is convenient on a short-term scale but has a major drawback in calculating longer time periods. It is much easier to calculate how many years passed between 5704 [1944] and 5744 [1984] than from year twelve of the FDR presidency to year four of the Reagan administration.

4. Te Torah Temimah (to Bamidbar 9:1, one of the verses cited by the Yerushalmi) cites the Yerushalmi and then concludes: “and now [i.e., late nineteenth century] we count from the Creation of the world.”

5. Although not exactly “dating from the Churban,” to this day Yemenite

The earliest year-counting system used by the Jewish people, found in Tanach, counted from Yetziat Mitzrayim.

Jews conclude the kinot on Tishah B’Av evening with a moving declaration of how many years it has been since the destruction of the Second Temple, as well as how many years since the destruction of the First Temple and the subsequent exile of the Jews to Yemen (see Rabbi Yaakov Sapir, Even Sapir 65a; Rabbi Yosef Kapach, Halichot Teiman [1987 edition], p. 45). Similarly, the Spanish-Portuguese community in New York uses a 1965 edition of Isaac Leeser’s siddur, which, just before the last kinah on Tishah B’Av night, includes the announcement (in Hebrew [p. 137]): “Brethren of the House of Israel, it is owing to our iniquities and the iniquities of our fathers, that we number this day (x years) since the destruction of our sanctuary and the burning of our Temple. . . .” (Note that they [erroneously— see note 19] count from 68 ce.)

6. Te Mishnah (Gittin 8:5) includes counting dates from the building of the Bayit Rishon or from the destruction of Bayit Sheni as unacceptable dating systems for a get. But that implies that those systems were still extant and that one may have thought to use them.

7. See Sacha Stern, “ Te Jewish Aramaic Tombstones from Zoar,” Journal of Jewish Studies 68, no. 1 (spring 2017): 158-179.

8. P. Beniot, J. T. Milik and R. de Vaux, Discoveries in the Judean Desert II: Les grottes de Murabba’at (Oxford, 1961), 104-109. Yigael Yadin, the famed Israeli archeologist, disagreed and dated it, based on a counting of the Great Revolt, to 71 ce. It seems exceedingly unlikely that there were any Jews in the vicinity of Masada as late as 111 ce, although the Roman garrison was still stationed there until then. See Eshel, et al, “Four Murabba’at Papyri and the Alleged Capture of Jerusalem by Bar Kokhba,” in Law in the Documents of the Judean Desert, ed. Katzof and Schaps (Te Netherlands, 2005), 48-9.

9. Tere are actually three possible starting dates for year 1 se: Immediately afer the Battle of Gaza, with year two beginning a few months later in autumn 312 bce; autumn 312 bce (the SE generally used by the Jews); or autumn 311 bce. It seems that the author of I Maccabees used the frst possibility while the author of II Maccabees used the standard, second version (Edgar Frank, Talmudic and Rabbinical Chronology [New York, 1956], 32).

10. See the ketubah in the Jewish Teological Seminary online digital

collection: http://gar feld.jtsa.edu:8881/ R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_ id=252394&local_base=GEN01.

11. Note that in Israel, one may date legal documents using the Jewish calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar.

12. An example of its use in thirteenth-century Egypt, is the pruzbul from Fustat, Egypt, dated “Tursday, 27 Elul, 1535 in Minyan Shetarot, as normally counted in Fustat, Egypt on the Nile River” (N. H. Tozczyner, et al., Sefer Klausner [Tel Aviv, 1937], 231-232).

13. See his comment no. 49 to Rambam, Hilchot Gerushin 1:25.

14. A possible early use of dating from Creation is in the ancient synagogue in Susya. Tere are several broken inscriptions found there, and one of them seems to date its founding to the ff h millennium from Creation, i.e., between 240 and 1240 ce (the piece with the prat gadol is broken of ). Scholars say the shul was built in the Byzantine era, sometime between the fourth to seventh century ce and was used until the ninth century ce. For the text of the inscription see: https:// www.k-etzion.co.il/%D7%97%D7%95 %D7%A8%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%A1 %D7%95%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%90%D7%93%D7%95%D7%93%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%AA.

15. Rabbi Yaakov Sapir seems to have believed that counting from Creation was an ancient Jewish tradition. He records (Even Sapir 63b) that Josephus wrote that at the famous meeting between the Kohen Gadol Shimon HaTzaddik and Alexander the Great, Shimon HaTzaddik promised that in exchange for Alexander not putting a statue in the Temple, the Jews would name all boys born that year Alexander and would switch from counting from Creation to counting from Alexander (i.e., the SE system). Unfortunately, while both the Gemara (Yoma 69a) and Josephus discuss this meeting, neither mentions the promises. Te tenth-century Josippon (ch. 5 [17b]) does mention the promise about the name, but not about the calendar. I have been unable to f nd the source for the Even Sapir

16. Tere are actually many other AM systems based on various readings of the Biblical text! Using the dates cited in Seder Olam, one arrives at a Creation date of Oct. 7, 3760 bce. Christian scholars ofen use the year 4004 bce. Te calendar used in the Byzantine Empire

and many Orthodox churches is based on the Septuagint text and has an epoch equivalent to 1 September 5509 bce.

17. In Hilchot Shemittah v’Yovel (10:2), Rambam uses only AM, but gives both AM I and AM II. Te Kesef Mishnah on Rambam’s Shemittah v’Yovel states that the AM II is used. See Rabbi S.Y. Zevin, HaMoadim B’Halachah (seventh edition), p. 35-36 (section on Rosh Hashanah).

18. See ArtScroll Arachin 13a, note 12, where it explains that AM I counts from the Creation of the world, considers the fve days before the creation of man as a full year (referred to as “shnat tohu”), was used in the West (Land of Israel) and has become the standard system. AM II was used in the East (Bavel) and thus by the Talmud and subsequently, by the Rishonim. It starts with the creation of man and thus di fers by one from the standard system (AM I).

19. Tere is a widespread belief in both the Jewish community and the academic historical community that the Talmud, Seder Olam and Rambam all place the destruction of the Second Temple in 68 or 69 ce in contradiction to the overwhelming historical evidence that it occurred in 70 ce. Edgar Frank, in his important book on the calendar, Talmudic and Rabbinical Chronology, convincingly demonstrated that all of the sources accurately placed the destruction in 70 ce. Tis misconception arose due to misunderstanding that there are various AM systems with difering epochs. In other words, according to AM I, the current year is 5780 and the Churban Bayit Sheni was in 3830, exactly 1,950 years ago, placing the destruction` in 70 ce. According to AM III, the Seder Olam system, the Churban was in 3828. But in that system we are in 5778. See Tashbetz (3:301) who addresses several seeming calendrical contradictions in the traditional sources. See also Chazon Ish Hilchot Shevi’it 3:33.

20. Regarding a get written in 1204 in southern Italy that was dated only using AM (4964), Rabbi Isaiah di Trani (Shu”t Rid 23) explained the purpose of this phrase.

21. See: https://www.etzion.org.l/ he/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%90%D7%94%D7 %97%D7%95%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%94%D7%96%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%9D.

Stuffed Dates with Goat Cheese

Photo: Baila Gluck

SAY “CHEESE”!

By Naomi Ross

A cheese-lover can’t help but get excited about the approach of an eight-day holiday in which there is a custom to eat cheese. Te custom is derived from the defeat of the Greek general Holofernes by Yehudit, daughter of Yochanan Kohen Gadol, by means of salty cheese. Very ofen, less is more when cooking with cheese. “Over-cheesing” is a good way to ruin an appetite—no one enjoys attempting to swallow a big wad of cheese, nor is it pleasant to the palate. However, a nice little shaving of Parmesan or Pecorino can add a unique complexity of favor and texture to a dish, an incomparable fnishing touch; a small crumble of feta can add a subtle nuance of taste without overpowering the other elements present. Tere are many terrifc OU-certifed cheeses out there from all over the world. Taste and explore diferent cheese favors and styles, and incorporate them into recipes. Try serving up these starters at your next Chanukah party!

Spinach-Feta Latkes

Yields about 14 large or 22 mini-latkes

Enjoy these Greek-inspired latkes on Chanukah or any time of year!

1 pound (16 ounces) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

1 cup grated onion (about 1 small or ½ of a large onion)

2 scallions, thinly sliced

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup all-purpose four

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper (about ½ teaspoon or more to taste)

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup packed crumbled feta cheese (about 8 ounces)

Canola oil, for frying

Combine spinach, onion, scallions, eggs, four, dill, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg in medium bowl. Mix well.

Fold in crumbled feta cheese. (Mixture can be prepared up to three hours ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Stir to blend before continuing.)

Cover the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with oil, about 1/3 inch deep. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop spinach mixture into skillet by the heaping tablespoonful. Fry until pancakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Serve hot with sour cream or Chive Yogurt Sauce (see next recipe).

Naomi’s Note: Latkes can be kept warm uncovered in a 200°F oven, or re-heated uncovered for 15-20 minutes in a 350°F oven.

Chive Yogurt Sauce

½ cup plain Greek yogurt or labaneh

2½ tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stufed Dates with Goat Cheese

Yields 16 stufed dates

A sweet hors d’oeuvre with tart goat cheese and a touch of honey. Be sure to use Medjool dates, whose caramel tones and substantial size are ideal for stufng.

16 Medjool dates

4 ounces (about ½ cup packed) goat cheese

2 ounces cream cheese, sofened

1 teaspoon orange zest

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons honey, plus more for drizzling

8 pecans, halved (or sliced almonds)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Using a sharp paring knife, make a slit lengthwise in each date and remove pits. Set dates aside.

Combine goat cheese, cream cheese, orange zest, cinnamon and honey in a small bowl, mixing until well blended.

Stuf each date with about ¾ teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Top each with a pecan half (or a few sliced almonds).

Naomi Ross is a cooking instructor and food writer. She teaches classes throughout the tri-state area and writes articles connecting good cooking and Jewish inspiration.

Place stufed dates in a small baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes to warm. Drizzle each date with a few drops of honey prior to serving.

Fried Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Reduction

Yields 16 skewers

Aged provolone cheese—a smoky semi-hard Italian cheese—is a perfect choice for frying in this favorful starter. Other semi-frm cheeses, such as mozzarella, can also be used in this recipe. Look for small skewers to serve on—fanned out on a serving platter, they make a beautiful presentation.

Balsamic Reduction

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

Fried Caprese

8 ounces aged provolone cheese or frm mozzarella, cubed

1/3 cup four

1 egg, beaten

1 cup panko or coarse bread crumbs

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup canola oil

16 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

16 short wooden or plastic skewers

Place vinegar and brown sugar in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine. Bring to a boil and cook until mixture is reduced by more than half, about 20 minutes; mixture should have a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Transfer to a container or squeeze bottle to store.

Next, place four, beaten egg and panko/bread crumbs each in separate bowls for dredging. Season crumbs with black pepper. Dredge cheese cubes in four, then egg, then crumbs. Place breaded cubes on waxed paper in the freezer for about 15 minutes to frm or until ready to fry. Slice the cherry tomatoes while waiting and set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat until oil is hot and shimmering. Fry cheese cubes until golden brown, turning once, about 1 minute per

Spinach Feta Latkes

Photo: Baila Gluck

side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and cool slightly.

To assemble the skewers, carefully thread a tomato half (cut side up), a baby basil leaf (or medium leaf folded over), cheese cube, another basil leaf and fnish with another tomato half (cut side down). Drizzle with balsamic reduction immediately before serving.

White Cheddar & Cremini Wontons

Yields 12 wontons

Robust favors pack a cheesy punch in this crispy wonton starter. A good sharp white cheddar is enhanced by a touch of mustard and trufed cremini mushrooms.

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 ounces (about 5-6) cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced ½ teaspoon white trufe oil (optional, but worth it!)

12 frozen square wonton wrappers, defrosted

1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard, or more as needed

2-3 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, cut into ¾ inch cubes

Canola oil for frying

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until sofened, about 4-5 minutes. Drizzle trufe oil over mushrooms; stir to coat and blend. Remove from heat; set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, lay out wonton wrappers on a cutting board or fat surface. Using a pastry brush (or the back of a spoon), brush the center of the wonton wrapper with a smear of mustard, leaving the perimeter plain. Place a cube of cheddar cheese in the center of each wonton. Top each cube of cheese with a slice of reserved mushrooms. Using a wet fngertip, moisten the perimeter of each wonton.

To seal each wonton, fold opposing corners upwards to meet each other over the flling, pressing and sealing between your thumb and forefnger. Repeat, matching and sealing the other corners, folding to ft and seal the edges. Place wontons on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes to frm or until ready to fry.

Heat oil flled to a depth of 1-2 inches in a deep saucepan or pot over medium heat. If using a fry thermometer (recommended), heat oil to temperature of 350-360°F. Fry a few wontons at time until golden and crispy, turning once during cooking, about 1 minute per side. Use a slotted spoon to remove wontons, transferring to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Serve immediately and enjoy!

PROGRAMS OF THE ORTHODOX UNION

INSIDE OUthe

HAPPENINGS

AROUND THE OU

Campers at Yachad’s Camp Chaverim enjoying the thrill of a nature hike at Dingmans Ferry in Pennsylvania. Among Yachad’s twenty-nine summer programs, Camp Chaverim is its best-kept secret. Over 100 participants attend this male-only, six-week sleepaway summer program for individuals with disabilities ages six to twenty-five. Located on the campus of Camp Magen Avraham in upstate New York, Camp Chaverim provides its campers with the opportunity to socialize and engage with peers while fostering independence.

For more information about Camp Chaverim, visit yachad.org/summer.

On the Road for Torah

When is a road trip more than just a road trip?

When it’s the Uvelechtecha Baderech Summer Kollel. During three weeks this past summer, fifteen young men traversed the East Coast, visiting dozens of Jewish communities—including Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Richmond, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia—teaching

Torah along the way. Whether running programming for high schoolers, visiting seniors in an assisted living facility or learning in the beit midrash, the kollel members brought a dose of spiritual energy to each city they visited.

“Growing up in the bubble of the tri-state area, we are often oblivious to the richness of Jewish life ‘out of town,’” said kollel participant Chaim Book. “This trip really gave

us a glimpse of the sacrifice and beauty of a Jewish community.”

Directed by Rabbi Aryeh Leibowitz of Yeshivat Sha’alvim, the program was sponsored by the OU Department of Synagogue and Community Services and Yeshivat Sha’alvim, in partnership with Camp Kaylie and a dozen OU-affiliated shuls.

Recognizing Leaders at Teach NYS Gala

Key New York State legislators joined with school heads and lay leaders from nonpublic schools across the state at the annual Teach NYS Dinner to celebrate this year’s historic achievements, including the additional $60 million in government funding secured for nonpublic schools, as well as the legislature’s historic STEM bill. Honored for their advocacy and support were New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, and lay leaders Daniel Lowy, and Elizabeth and Joe Braha. Mayer, the Chair of the Committee on Education in the New York State Senate, has been a champion of increased government funding for nonpublic schools. Teach NYS, a division of the OU’s Teach Coalition, advocates for equitable government funding for New York’s nonpublic schools to increase security, enhance education and defray the costs of state-mandated services.

For more information, visit http://teachnys.org.

Maury Litwack, Executive Director, Teach Coalition, presents an award to New York State Senator Shelley Mayer.

Pictured: Kollel participants sightseeing in the riverfront district along the Savannah River in Savannah, Georgia. Courtesy of Ruvie Sturm

We are grateful to Senator Mayer for her leadership in Albany on behalf of each and every New York child.

— Maury Litwack, Executive Director, Teach Coalition

OU Israel Celebrates Forty Years of Inspiring the World from Yerushalayim

In celebration of OU Israel’s forty years of growth, more than 5,000 people joined the festivities at a Yaakov Shwekey concert in August, held in Rishon Le’Tzion. The OU Israel Center first opened its doors in downtown Jerusalem in 1979, with the mission of strengthening the bonds between the Jewish people, Torah and the Land of Israel. In the forty years since, the OU Israel Center has expanded, moved premises and grown above and beyond the dreams of its founders. This past year alone, more than 110,000 people have visited the Seymour J. Abrams Jerusalem World Center, OU Israel’s headquarters. Their programs include the Jack E. Gindi Oraita Program, Makom Balev, the Pearl and Harold Jacobs Zula Outreach Center, the L’ayla Women’s Initiative, NCSY Israel, Camp Dror and more. The celebrations have stretched out across the year, including a Yom Ha’atzmaut event, culminating with the mega-event of Torah Yerushalayim in October (see following page).

OU-JLIC Expands on the Israel Front

By Simcha Himmel

With a rising number of Anglos choosing to continue their secular education in Israel, the OU’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC), in partnership with World Mizrachi, just opened a second campus program in Israel at Bar-Ilan University. Serving at an off-campus site in Givat Shmuel are Rabbi Yehuda and Chagit Peles, OUJLIC’s newest Torah Educator couple. Rav Yehuda spent nine years studying at Yeshivat Har Etzion, obtained semichah from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, served as a paratrooper in the IDF and received degrees in chinuch, Tanach and Jewish philosophy at Herzog College. Chagit received her bachelor’s from Hebrew University and a master’s from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Tzfat and is a registered dietitian. She is currently studying at Bar-Ilan University for her PhD in nutrition. OU-JLIC, also at IDC-Herzliya, is currently on twenty-three campuses in the United States, Canada and Israel.

Rabbi Yehuda and Chagit Peles

OU Israel honored the contributions of Phil Chernofsky, the recently retired Educational Director and Editor of Torah Tidbits who for thirty-eight years played “a vital role in shaping OU Israel into what it is today,” said OU President Mark (Moishe) Bane. “From the Torah Tidbits weekly magazine that he launched in 1992 that reaches 55,000 readers each week, to his Shabbatonim and shiurim , Phil unstintingly gave of himself, changing the landscape of Torah learning for English speakers in Israel and the world over. His impact is immeasurable.”

Yaakov Shwekey performs in honor of OU Israel’s fortieth anniversary.

Photo: Shlomi Pinto Studio Photography

"Today, OU Israel ofers an unbelievable array of classes, events and programs; it has truly become a home away from home for Anglos in Israel, whatever their stage in life. We ofer something for everyone."

—Executive Director, OU Israel Rabbi Avi Berman

TORAH TAKES THE MOUND AT CITI FIELD

Around 2,500 participants came to listen and learn from twenty-nine internationally renowned scholars at the OU’s third annual Torah New York event at Citi Field in September. In preparation for the Yamim Noraim, the day of Torah learning and inspiration featured sessions on a wide range of topics, from repentance in an age of social media to smart homes and Shabbat observance.

Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky, Rosh Yeshivah of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington Tiferes Gedaliah in Silver Spring, Maryland, discussing the meaning of Jewish unity.

Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon, an internationally acclaimed Posek, and Rosh Yeshivah of Lev Academic Center, explaining halachic concerns raised by smart homes and artificial intelligence in the Jewish home.

From left: OU President Mark (Moishe) Bane and OU Executive Vice President Allen Fagin welcoming participants to the third annual Torah New York event.

Participants watching the never-before-seen recording of the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, delivering one of his famed annual Teshuvah Derashot, which screened several times throughout the day.

Photos: Kruter Photography

Introducing Torah Jerusalem

Expanding upon the OU’s successful Torah events in New York and Los Angeles, OU Israel hosted the inaugural Torah Yerushalayim event at the Ramada Jerusalem Hotel in October. With over 2,000 in attendance, the day of learning, chizuk and transformation in preparation for Yom Kippur featured more than thirty-five Torah educators and lecturers. Pictured: Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, Founder and Dean of Migdal Ohr educational institutions, speaking at the event.

Rav Hershel Schachter, Rosh Yeshivah at YU’s RIETS and Posek for OU Kosher, with talmidim before his presentation at the Semichat Chaver Program and Siyum at Citi Field. The Siyum attracted 400 people from twenty-three North American communities. Semichat Chaver, sponsored by the OU, is an innovative halachah study program taught by community rabbanim around the world.

Photo: Moshe Biton

US Air Force Captain Mark Edelstein chatting with Rabbi Moshe Schwed, Director, OU Daf Yomi Initiative, at Torah New York.

Famed speaker Charlie Harary leading a discussion at the OU’s NextDor Networking Program for young professionals.

Dr. Ora Wiskind, Associate Professor and Head of the Graduate Program in Jewish Studies at Michlalah College, Jerusalem, speaking about self-transformation during Tishrei.

Leading the Way in Women’s Torah Scholarship

WOMEN IN ACTION

Since its founding in 2017, the OU Women’s Initiative has made showcasing, supporting and developing women’s scholarship a pillar of its work. Through its ongoing Scholars Program, WI events bring high-caliber women scholars—both known and emerging—to shuls, schools and audiences across the nation, deepening religious and communal engagement. WI’s most recent events included:

• Shavuot 2019: Counting Toward Sinai—A series of scholar-inresidence programs during the weeks of Sefirah highlighted the growth opportunity between Pesach and Shavuot and featured female scholars in more than twenty-five communities across North America. Thanks to this WI program, a 120-year-old

shul in the mid-Atlantic region hosted the second female speaker in its history.

• Weekend of Inspiration—

In preparation for the Yamim Noraim, noted speakers Mrs. Dina Schoonmaker and Rabbanit Shani Taragin delivered shiurim at day schools and shuls on Friday and Shabbat leading up to the OU’s Torah New York event. The shiurim, presented in Far Rockaway and Kew Garden Hills, New

York, and Teaneck, New Jersey (respectively), culminated with pre-Selichot presentations and webcasts on Motzaei Shabbat.

• Simchat Torah Together 2019— Partnering with over forty shuls across the US and Canada, WI sponsored meaningful shiurim for women during the aliyot on Simchat Torah morning. Each shiur was given by a local female scholar in each shul’s community.

“The WI looks forward to continuing to partner with our shuls and communities to provide growth and learning opportunities for women,” said Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman, Director of WI.

For more information regarding the WI and upcoming programs, visit ou.org/women.

Rabbanit Shani Taragin, Senior Lecturer at Matan Eshkolot, served as Scholar-in-Residence in Teaneck, New Jersey for the WI’s “Weekend of Inspiration,” held the Shabbat prior to the OU’s Torah New York event. Above, Rabbanit Taragin speaks at Torah New York.

Photo: Kruter Photography

"Adina Shmidman is now the destination for rabbis across the nation seeking women scholars."

— Etta Brandman Klaristenfeld, Chair of the Women’s Initiative

NEW POSITIONS & PROMOTIONS

...Rachel Sims, Esq. who serves as General Counsel for the OU. Rachel’s responsibilities include coordinating all legal and compliance work, advising OU departments on legal matters, and handling special projects as requested by the OU President, Executive Vice President and Executive Committee. Rachel served as a senior litigator at the Blank Rome law firm for the past five years. Prior to that, she was a litigator at prestigious New York law firms after completing Brooklyn Law School magna cum laude, where she was a member of the Brooklyn Law Review.

...Miriam Braun, who joins the OU Marketing and Communications Team as Senior Marketing Manager. She primarily manages Yachad’s digital and social media needs, and advises on broader OU Communications initiatives. Miriam comes to the OU with over five years of experience as Digital Marketing Manager at Jewish National Fund, where she managed all digital campaigns and social media. Prior to that, she worked at various ad agencies, managing clients in both the non-profit and for-profit world. Miriam is a graduate of the Macaulay Honors College at Baruch and she holds a bachelor’s in business marketing.

...Nina Halon, who joins the OU’s Human Resources team as a Talent Management Specialist . After working in human capital within non-profits, finance and commodities trading, Nina is stepping in to drive the OU’s professional development trainings. She believes in actively working toward workplace satisfaction and productivity and enjoys being a part of that process. Nina earned a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science from Mercy College and holds a master’s in social organizational psychology from Columbia University.

...Josh Gottesman, who has been promoted to OU Assistant Director of Human Resources. He focuses on the professional development of one of the OU’s biggest assets, its employees. Prior to joining the HR team six years ago, Josh worked for NCSY for eight years. Josh holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Yeshiva University, an MBA in industrial/organizational psychology and HR management from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, and is certified as a Senior Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management.

...Nathan Diament, OU Executive Director for Public Policy, on being named to the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) newly created Subcommittee for the Prevention of Targeted Violence Against Faith-Based Communities. Diament is among eleven representatives from diverse American faith communities and law enforcement leaders appointed to the group. The committee was formed in the wake of recent attacks against synagogues, churches, temples and mosques and will focus on the security of faith-based organizations across the country.

NEW FROM OU PRESS

Shalom Rav: Insights on the Weekly Parasha— Bereshit and Shemot

By Rabbi Shalom Rosner OU Press and Maggid Books

Rabbi Shalom Rosner is well-known for his popular and engaging shiurim on a wide variety of Torah subjects. This volume collects Rabbi Rosner’s inspirational shiurim on the weekly parashah, containing a broad array of brief observations culled from a wide range of Torah sources. In addition to the classic commentaries on the Torah, Rabbi Rosner presents insights and stories from a host of gedolim of the recent past, including Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Rabbi Avrohom Pam, Rabbi Shimon Schwab, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, as well as contemporary leaders such as Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, Rabbi Yitzhak Zilberstein, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Rabbi Asher Weiss and Rabbi Yaakov Medan. This partial listing should give the reader some

sense of the breadth of sources one will encounter in this work. Rabbi Rosner’s focus is not on the simple meaning or peshat of the text, but rather on the inspirational message that can be derived from the Torah’s teachings. In this regard, Shalom Rav follows the long and distinguished tradition of derush, homiletical works that seek to address our contemporary issues through the lens of the parashah By use of parables, anecdotes, analogies and sharp interpretations, baalei derush find lessons in the parashah for our everyday lives. To give one example, Rabbi Rosner cites Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, who explains the lesson behind the names of Yosef HaTzaddik’s children, Efraim and Menashe:

Rav Zevin points out that these two names are not just about one individual and his two children. We know that the actions of the fathers portend for their descendants; in this case, these two children represent middot that we all have to have. We’re referred to as she’erit Yosef and haben yakir li Efraim. We are all Yosef’s children, so we are all Menashe and Efraim. They represent two of our kochot: Menashe represents turning from evil—help me root out my pain, my difculties, the negative. Efraim represents doing good, gaining the positive. Klal Yisrael is never referred to as Menashe’s children because turning from evil is not the ikar. We are called the children of Efraim because the ikar is the obligation, the doing good, the light of Torah . . .

In the pages of Shalom Rav, readers will find an abundance of derush in keeping with the finest of this venerable tradition.

OU PRESS CLASSICS Between the Lines of the Bible:

1. Genesis—Recapturing the Full Meaning of the Biblical Text

2. Exodus—A Study from the New School of Orthodox Torah Commentary

By Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom OU Press and Urim Publications

In contrast to the works of derush discussed above, Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom’s Between the Lines of the Bible series advocates for a focus on the peshat, the plain sense of the text, while incorporating new insights culled from modern disciplines such as archeology and literary analysis. Rabbi Etshalom’s work presents an opportunity for readers to become familiar with the work of one of the great proponents of the “new Orthodox school” of Biblical commentary. This methodology, which has emerged over the last generation primarily in Religious Zionist circles in Israel, ofers an approach which is rooted in tradition but also highly innovative. In encountering the text on its own without preconceived notions, Rabbi Etshalom discovers new solutions to ancient questions, and answers more recent questions raised by Biblical critics. Between the Lines of the Bible is an excellent introduction to a new world of Torah commentary, which is both highly original and deeply committed.

PHILANTHROPY

LIOR ARUSSY Portrait of Philanthropy

By Pnina Baim

Lior Arussy’s larger-than-life reputation precedes him. Raised in Israel in a Dati Leumi family, Lior first entered the start-up world when he joined Accent Software, a multilingual software company, in 1994. He was then involved in one of the start-ups that launched Israel’s “start-up nation” phenomenon: Finjan Holdings, a cybersecurity company now publicly traded on Nasdaq. Once his company went public, Lior moved to Silicon Valley with his American wife, Drora, spending more than twelve years in executive positions in the high-tech world.

In 2003, he started Strativity, where he began working with companies such as Mercedes-Benz, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Royal Caribbean to help them create positive, personal customer relationships and employee experiences. Lior stresses that the key ingredient to having a successful company is having empowered employees. “It doesn’t matter what the CEO says. It matters what Suzy from accounting does,” he said. “Engage your employees, and your company will see results.”

When choosing a cause to support, Lior focuses on an organization’s successes—and he doesn’t confuse passion with competence. When Lior met Rabbi Ethan Katz, Director of NCSY Relief Missions, he recognized that this program perfectly fit his view of philanthropy.

NCSY Relief Missions trains and sends high school students to disaster sites throughout the United States and Puerto Rico to provide immediate relief to victims. Often, they are the first boots on the ground. “Relief Missions educates teenagers through service to others,” said Lior. “Rabbi Katz feels that we can challenge them with hands-on experiences that they can own. The teenagers become givers, not passive recipients, by physically helping victims of natural disasters. This experience creates the leaders of tomorrow.”

As for Rabbi Katz, he sees Lior as his mentor. “He is one of the busiest people I know, but he is actively involved in every detail of the program.”

Since the program’s first mission in 2005 to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, more than 1,800 teenagers have participated in over 100 missions to twenty diferent locations. The missions have made a tremendous impact on disaster victims, and

have transformed participants’ lives, giving them the opportunity to live Jewish values in real time. Teenagers return home imbued with a sense of purpose and often take on leadership roles in their own communities.

“Working with Rabbi Katz, and then with [OU Senior Managing Director] Rabbi Steven Weil and the greater OU has augmented and accelerated our overall commitment to the program. These are not bureaucrats, where you never know what diference the money will make. Here you know the job will get done,” said Lior. “The OU and NCSY Relief Missions are doing amazing work, and it’s a privilege to be there when they need me. I provide guidance, but Rabbi Katz makes it happen.”

Lior’s influence goes further than business models. A father of five, whose children are also involved in New Jersey NCSY, Lior travels internationally on a regular basis and makes tremendous sacrifices to be home with his family for Shabbat. In fact, Lior has non-Jewish clients who noticed that he was unavailable for the twenty-five hours of Shabbat, he said, and have decided to implement this time-tested approach for taking time to recharge and reconnect with friends and family.

“I have had the blessing of working with many lay leaders, but I have never had the opportunity to work with someone as strategic and creative as Lior,” said Rabbi Weil. “He is a fascinating person, and a talmid chacham as well. Having him as a supporter is a tremendous asset to our organization.”

We invite you to join us and make a difference. Contact Arnold Gerson at agerson@ou.org or visit ou.org/giving

A HOLE IN ONE FOR NCSY

Despite the rain, spirits were high at NCSY Oregon’s 6th Annual Kishka Klassic Golf Tournament & Benefit BBQ Lunch held this past September at the Red Tail Golf Center in Portland. With nearly 100 in attendance, the golfers munched on brisket and falafel as they chipped and putted their way to victory in the eighteen hole tournament. The day’s activities also included a chance to win $50,000 at the Hole-In-One Contest, a rafe and a classic paddle-raising auction. By day’s end, $32,000 were raised to support NCSY Oregon’s programming, including JSU clubs, Shabbatonsand scholarships for summer programs in Israel.

PHILANTHROPY BEHIND THE SCENES

Seeking a broader understanding of how major donors view their funding decisions, more than eighty OU Development Professionals attended a candid panel discussion at NCSY’s Stafcon this past September. The donors discussed their motivations for making gifts, their views on anonymous giving and their thought processes before making a major gift. From left: New Jersey NCSY Donor and Benefactor Circle

Member Gershon Distenfeld, Southern NCSY

Donor and Benefactor Circle Member Evelyn Katz and Philanthropist Fred Springer.

Josh Weinberg

Photo:

Through the tournament, I channel my enjoyment of golf into enriching the lives of today’s Jewish youth—what could be better?”

—Tournament Co-Chair Ron Sidis

Golfers on the green at NCSY Oregon’s golf tournament. From left: Les Gutfreund, Jonathan Singer, Evan Bernstein and Tournament Co-Chair Brad Stern.

ACCELERATOR COHORT GRADUATES

Nearly 100 philanthropists, lay leaders, influencers and entrepreneurs attended the first-ever OU Impact Accelerator Demo Day at Bedford on Park in Manhattan this past September in celebration of the Accelerator’s inaugural cohort’s graduation. During the event, each member organization showcased its achievements from the past year.

“Through this initiative, we are harnessing the power of entrepreneurship in order to move our community forward,” said Impact Accelerator Founding Director Jenna Beltser.

“The Accelerator has been our mini MBA,” said NechamaComfort Founder and Director Reva Judas during her presentation. “If only we could apply again!”

The OU Impact Accelerator identifies and invests in start-up nonprofits addressing current and future Jewish communal interests through education, mentorship and collaboration.

WHAT YOUR DOLLAR CAN DO

If you could guarantee a mitzvah a day for just a dollar a day, would you do it? That’s the question chiropractor and longtime NCSYer Dr. Jonathan Donath of White Plains, New York, asked when he launched Daily Giving this past year. When you give a dollar a day to this tzedakah initiative—run entirely by volunteers—every penny goes to support forty-two diferent national charities selected by Daily Giving’s rabbinical board—including NCSY and Yachad. “Jonathan’s investment in us is personal; he cares about us and understands who we are,” said Tifany Yankovich, NCSY Associate National Director of Development and a fellow NCSYer with Donath back in the ‘90s.

Since its launch in January of this year, Daily Giving has raised over $360,000. It will be contributing at least $12,000 combined to NCSY and Yachad over the next year, and the numbers will keep growing as more people sign up.

For more information about Daily Giving, visit dailygiving.org.

We invite you to join us and make a difference. Contact Arnold Gerson at agerson@ou.org or visit ou.org/giving

Presenting certificates of completion to graduates of the OU Impact Accelerator program: OU President Mark (Moishe) Bane (far left); Accelerator Chairman Ezra Friedberg (next to Mr.Bane); OU ExecutiveVice President Allen Fagin (front row,right of center); and Founding Director Jenna Beltser (far right).

Photos: Zush Heinrich

OU Accelerator Board Member Chaya AppelFishman (left) with NechamaComfort Team Member Esther Levie.

OU-JLIC HONORS CAMPUS EDUCATORS

This past June, some 100 alumni, donors and supporters attended OU-JLIC’s Soho Rooftop Dinner to honor the accomplishments of outgoing educators Rabbi Ariel Fisher and Bina Brody (Princeton University), Rabbi Yaakov and Racheli Taubes (University of Pennsylvania), Tali and Gershon Weiss (Binghamton University) and Channah Cohen (Queens College). “OU-JLIC Educators are the cream of the crop,” said Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal, OU-JLIC National Director of Development. The dinner raised $85,000, which will be used to support Orthodox life on campus and bring OU-JLIC Educators to more campuses.

OU-JLIC STATS:

40,000 ALUMNI 23 CAMPUSES 4,500 STUDENTS

throughout North America and Israel currently served by OU-JLIC

impacted since the founding of OU-JLIC twenty years ago

From left: OU-JLIC Commission Member Emanuel Adler, OU Board Member Arthur Luxenberg,whose law firm Weitz and Luxenberg hosted and sponsored the evening, and OU-JLIC Founding Director Rabbi Menachem Schrader.

Being a Campus Educator is not a job; it’s a calling. These educators really embody Jewish leadership.” — Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal, OU-JLIC National Director of Development

Thank you

YACH AD - In c lu sion f o r pe ople w ith disa bil ities

SEIF OU-JLIC - S uppo r ti ng Je wish lif e on c olleg e ca m pus es

N CSY - L i fe -chang in g te en empowe rment a nd i nsp iration pr ogram

OU ISR AEL - O utr each t o at- ris k y o u th , s uppo r t f or sol dier s an d ol im

ISRAEL FREE SPIRIT BIRTHRIGH T ISR AEL - C onnect ing Je wish you th with Israel and their he rita ge

THE PEPA & RABBI JOSEPH KARASICK DEPARTMENT OF SYNAGOGUE & COMMUNITY SERVICES

E duc ationa l cont ent, prog ram s, c o ns ulting f or s ynagogue s a nd communities

THE WOMEN’S INITIATIVE - Creating and promoting inspirational and educational programming for women

TEAC H COALITION - F i ght i ng f or Je wis h s chools t o receive fair govern m ent f u ndi ng

KOSHER FOOD LIFELINE - Assisting kosher food pantries to help the needy in their communities

OU ADVOCACY CE N TER - Pro mo tin g J ew is h interest s in t h e h alls of gove rnme nt

OU TORAH - Pr o viding a br oa d ar ray of Torah st udy op portu nities

JEWISH ACTION - The OU's insightful and inspirational quarterly publication

OU IMPACT ACCELERATOR - A mentorship program for growth and early-stage funding for Jewish nonprofit entrepreneurs.

OU PRESS - P ublishing in sigh tful and c o mp ell ing wo rks on J ewish tex ts

for yo ur generous ann ual s up po rt of o ur v ital prog rams . OU.ORG

Members of the OU BENEFACTOR CIRCLE lead through their philanthropy. We applaud them all for their commitment, including those whose names remain anonymous. We invite and encourage you to join them in making a diference.

/B ENEFACTOR

To learn more a bou t the O U Bene fa ctor Circ le or to b ecome a memb er, ple a se c all Ar nold Ger son, Ch i e f Inst i tu tio na l Ad vance m ent Ofce at 21 2.613-8313 or em a il ager son@o u.or g.

Ambassador

$250,000 & OVER

THE AVI CHAI FOUNDATION

ARIELA BALK IN HONOR OF THE MENDEL BALK YACHAD ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER

DRS. FELIX AND MIRIAM GLAUBACH

DR. SHMUEL & EVELYN KATZ

IN MEMORY OF ANNE SAMSON A"H

Guardian

$100,000-$249,999

MARK (MOISHE) & JOANNE BANE

SHERRY & NEIL COHEN

ROBERT AND MICHELLE DIENER

MR. AND MRS. JACK FEINTUCH

ELLIOT P. AND DEBORAH GIBBER

ALAN & BARBARA GINDI

BECKY & AVI KATZ

MORDECAI & MONIQUE KATZ

THE KOHELET FOUNDATION

THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF

GREATER LOS ANGELES

DAVID AND DEBRA MAGERMAN

THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO

RAPHAEL AND RIVKA NISSEL

ERIC AND GALE ROTHNER

RUDERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

MORIS & LILLIAN TABACINIC

UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK

JOYCE AND JEREMY WERTHEIMER

Founder

$50,000 - $99,999

MR. RAANAN AND DR. NICOLE AGUS

ALLEN AND DEANNA ALEVY

HOWARD AND CHAYA BALTER

DANIEL & RAZIE BENEDICT

AARON AND MARIE

BLACKMAN FOUNDATION

THE CAYRE FAMILY

GERSHON AND AVIVA DISTENFELD

FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS, GREATER PHILADELPHIA

RABBI MANFRED AND LISELOTTE Z"L

GANS CHESSED FUND

DR. EPHRAIM AND RITA GREENFIELD

J. SAMUEL HARWIT & MANYA

HARWIT-AVIV CHARITABLE TRUST

RICHARD HIRSCH

KITTY & ANWAR HOORY Z"L

JEWISH FEDERATION OF

NORTHERN NEW JERSEY

ETTA BRANDMAN KLARISTENFELD & HARRY KLARISTENFELD

IN MEMORY OF JUDY LEFKOVITS

MR. DAVID LICHTENSTEIN

Tank You

ESTATE OF ETHELYN LIEBLICH

CHUCK AND ALLEGRA MAMIYE

MAYBERG FOUNDATION

EITAN AND DEBRA MILGRAM

GENIE AND STEVE SAVITSKY

THE SHAMAH FAMILY

JOSH AND ALLISON ZEGEN

Buider

$25,000 - $49,999

LEWIS AND LAURI BARBANEL

SABY & ROSI BEHAR

HARRY H. BEREN Z"L

MAX & ELANA BERLIN

BRIAN & DAFNA BERMAN

JUDI AND JASON BERMAN

VIVIAN AND DANIEL CHILL

DR. BENJAMIN AND ESTHER CHOUAKE

THE CONDUIT FOUNDATION

CRAIN-MALING FOUNDATION:

WWW.CRAINMALING.ORG

DRS. ROBERT AND KAY FAGUET

FALIC FAMILY FOUNDATION

GREATER MIAMI JEWISH FEDERATION

HOWARD TZVI AND CHAYA FRIEDMAN

RALPH S. GINDI FOUNDATION

SHANA GLASSMAN FOUNDATION

EVE GORDON-RAMEK

ARI AND ALISON GROSS

JAMES AND AMY A"H HABER

DR. ELLIOT & LILLIAN HAHN

ROBERT AND DEBRA HARTMAN

LANCE & RIVKIE HIRT

ALISSA AND SHIMMIE HORN

DR. ALLAN AND SANDY JACOB

PAUL AND CHAVI JACOBS

JEWISH FEDERATION OF S. PALM BEACH COUNTY

BENYAMIN AND ESTI KAMINETZKY

RABBI MARK & LINDA KARASICK

KARMELA A”H AND JERRY KLASNER

ALBERT LABOZ

JEFF AND MARCI LEFKOVITS

MICHAEL AND ANDREA LEVEN

FAMILY FOUNDATION

IRIS AND SHALOM MAIDENBAUM

AZI & RACHEL MANDEL

MRS. FEGI MAUER

MERIDIAN CAPITAL

HENRY AND MINDY ORLINSKY

MARTHA AND GEORGE RICH FOUNDATION

MALKI AND J. PHILIP ROSEN

JAMES AND LOREN ROSENZWEIG

ROBBIE AND HELENE ROTHENBERG

SAMIS FOUNDATION

STEPHEN AND JESSICA SAMUEL

LOUIS AND STACY SCHWARTZ

YITZCHOK AND BARBARA LEHMANN SIEGEL

BARRY & JOY SKLAR

DAVID AND AMY STRACHMAN

MICHAEL AND ARIANNE WEINBERGER

THE WEININGER FOUNDATION INC.

DAVID AND GILA WEINSTEIN

THE WEISS FAMILY, CLEVELAND, OHIO

ESTHER AND JERRY WILLIAMS

MR. JERRY & MRS. SARA WOLASKY

Visionary

$18,000 - $24,999

MR. AND MRS. LIOR ARUSSY

DENNIS AND DEBRA BERMAN

MARCUS AND DORIS BLUMKIN

THE CHARLES CRANE FAMILY FOUNDATION

PETER & LORI DEUTSCH

SHIMON AND CHAYA ECKSTEIN

LINDA AND MICHAEL ELMAN

JUDITH & ALLEN I. FAGIN

MARK & CHERYL FRIEDMAN

JOAN & PETER HOFFMAN

ED & ROBYN HOFFMAN/HOFFMAN CATERING

JACK ALBERT KASSIN

MICHAEL AND ELISSA KATZ

DANA AND JEFFREY KORBMAN

STEPHEN AND EVE MILSTEIN

JACK A"H AND GITTA NAGEL

MARTIN AND ELIZABETH NACHIMSON

YEHUDA & ANNE NEUBERGER

ISABELLE AND DAVID NOVAK

MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY

MARC PENN

ALLEN & MIRIAM PFEIFFER

THE REFUGE - A HEALING PLACE

HENRY AND GOLDA REENA ROTHMAN

GEORGE AND IRINA SCHAEFFER

TOBY MACY SCHAFFER

MORRIS AND RACHEL TABUSH

GEORGE & JONI WHITE

Partner

$10,000 - $17,999

ALISA ABECASSIS

DANIEL AND LIORA ADLER

MR. AND MRS. EMANUEL ADLER

AARON AND TAMMY ATTIAS

IRA AND SHERI BALSAM

YALE & ANN BARON

MR. AND MRS. ISAAC BERMAN

HARVEY AND JUDY BLITZ

DAVID AND CHEDVA BREAU

JO AND JONAH BRUCK

DR. MOSHE AND BRYNDIE BENARROCH

VANESSA AND RAYMOND CHALME

COMBINED JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES

MR. SHELDON J. DAVID

MICHAEL AND ALIZA DAVIS

FRED AND SUZAN EHRMAN

RINA AND RABBI DOV EMERSON

DRS. GILAT AND YOSSI ENGLANOFF

MARTIN AND LEORA FINEBERG

MARK AND CHAVA FINKEL

EZRA AND RACHELI FRIEDBERG

ARNOLD AND ESTHER GERSON

Winston Churchill

THE RALPH S. GINDI FOUNDATION

MARY JO ROBINSON AND GORDON GLASER

MURRAY AND BATSHEVA GOLDBERG

MR. AND MRS. DAN GOLDISH

JOSEPH AND LAURA GOLDMAN

RABBI BEN AND AVIVA GONSHER

RABBI MICAH AND RIVKIE GREENLAND

ROBYN AND SHUKIE GROSSMAN

ABE AND RONIT GUTNICKI

MR. AND MRS. DAVID HARTMAN

THE HIDARY FAMILY

MR. NATE HYMAN

THE JACOBY FAMILY

JEWISH FEDERATION IN THE

HEART OF NEW JERSEY

DR. AND MRS. BERNARD KAMINETSKY

MORRIS AND SONDRA KAPLAN

RABBI JOSEPH KARASICK

DR. EZRA AND LAUREN KEST

DAVID AND ROBERTA KIMMEL

ALICE AND JACOB KLEIN

LAWRENCE AND EVELYN KRAUT

SCOTT AND AVIVA KRIEGER

JONAH & FRAN KUPIETZKY

KIM AND JONATHAN KUSHNER

DANIEL AND AMANDA NUSSBAUM LAIFER

MRS. SHIRLEY LEVY

VIVIAN AND DAVID LUCHINS

JEFFREY AND ADRIA MANDEL

DAVID AND MICHELLE MARGULES

MR. AND MRS. SHALOM MENORA

STUART AND FRANCES MILLER

MR. & MRS. ASHER DAVID & MICHELLE MILSTEIN

GILA AND ADAM MILSTEIN

DANIEL AND JESSICA MINKOFF

ETAN & VALERIE MIRWIS & FAMILY

ALEXANDER AND YOCHEVED MITCHELL

CAL AND JANINE NATHAN

AARON AND AHUVA ORLOFSKY

AVI AND ALISSA OSSIP

THE OVED FAMILY

DREW AND CAREENA PARKER

IN MEMORY OF RABBI RAPHAEL PELCOVITZ Z"L, FROM THE PELCOVITZ FAMILY

ISRAEL AND NECHAMA POLAK

THE RABBI NATHANIAL AND SHIRLEY POLLACK MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

DANIEL AND LEYLA POSNER

PROSKAUER ROSE LLP

RALPHS GROCERY COMPANY

IAN AND CAROL RATNER

YARON AND LISA REICH

DR. JAY AND MARJORIE ROBINOW

MATTHEW ROSENBLATT

KENNETH AND MINDY SAIBEL

ETHEL AND STAN SCHER

MENACHEM AND RENA SCHNAIDMAN

JOSEPH SHAMIE

LOUIS SHAMIE

MR. BARUCH SINGER

THE HERBERT SMILOWITZ FOUNDATION

MR. AND MRS. DAVID SOKOL

WILLIAM SOLOMON

RABBI SHLOMO & MINDY SPETNER

DR. AND MRS. ETHAN SPIEGLER

RONALD AND BETH STERN

TALK N SAVE

ISAAC H. TAYLOR ENDOWMENT FUND

DR. AND MRS. SHIMMY TENNENBAUM

GARY AND MALKA TORGOW

TRAVEL INSURANCE ISRAEL

IRA WALDBAUM FAMILY FOUNDATION

STANLEY & ELLEN WASSERMAN

THE WEIL FAMILY

JESSICA AND LENNY WEISS

TOVA AND HOWARD WEISER

SUSANNE AND MICHAEL WIMPFHEIMER

DRS. YECHIEL AND SURI ZAGELBAUM

MR. & MRS. ALAN ZEKELMAN

Paton

$5,000 - $9,999

ADM/ROI

ARIEL TOURS, INC.

ASHFORD HOSPITALITY

JAIMIE AND GERSHON BALLON

SAMUEL AND RACHEL BARATZ

MICHAEL & SUSAN BAUM

MR. HARVEY BELL

DR. AND MRS. YITZHAK & ELLEN BERGER

MR. AND MRS. JULIUS BERMAN

CAROL LASEK AND HOWARD BIENENFELD

YEHUDA AND FAIGIE BIENSTOCK

MR. AND MRS. TOMER BITTON

RABBI GLENN & HENNI BLACK

ENID AND HAROLD H. BOXER ENDOWMENT

DR. AND MRS. STEPHEN BRENNER

CCS FUNDRAISING

HIMAN BROWN CHARITABLE TRUST

JEREMY AND HILDA COHEN

PACE & AILEEN COOPER

STEVE AND CHAVI DORFMAN

LEA AND LEON Z"L EISENBERG

ROBERT EISENBERG

MRS. MARGARET FEDER

RABBI DAVE & CHANI FELSENTHAL

ERROL AND PAT FINE

ARYEH AND DORIT FISCHER

RON & LISA ROSENBAUM FISHER

STEPHEN & ROZ FLATOW

JOSEPH & RACHEL FOX

SURA & BERT FRIED

DR. STAN AND MARLA FROHLINGER

ANDREW AND YVETTE GARDNER

LAWRENCE & JUDITH GARSHOFSKY

MR. AND MRS. ERNIE GOLDBERGER

JERRY AND ANNE GONTOWNIK

GOLDIE AND I. DAVID GORDON

AARON AND MICHAL GORIN

FREDA GREENBAUM

DR. EDWIN & CECILE GROMIS

NORMA HOLZER

DR. DAVID AND BARBARA HURWITZ

JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION

OF RICHMOND

CHAIM AND SURI KAHN

STUART KARON AND DR. JODI WENGER

RABBI ETHAN AND DEBORAH KATZ

IRA AND RONA KELLMAN

MR. ROBERT KORDA

AVI AND RAVITAL KORN

JOSEPH AND HANA KORNWASSER

MARC & RENA KWESTEL

DAVID AND FAYE LANDES

JOSHUA & BRYNA LANDES

ALLAN & CAROLYN LIEBERMAN

HYLTON AND LEAH LIGHTMAN

DAVID AND JUDITH LOBEL

JOSEF LOEFFLER

DR. MARIAN STOLTZ-LOIKE AND DR. JOHN LOIKE

NOAH AND ARINN MAKOVSKY

BENAY AND IRA MEISELS

JENNIFER & DROR MICHAELSON

JAY AND JOYCE MOSKOWITZ

DR. MICHAEL AND ELIZABETH MUSCHEL

SHARONA & IRWIN NACHIMSON

ANNA BAUM & BARRY NOVACK

TERRY & GAIL NOVETSKY

PEOPLE'S UNITED INSURANCE AGENCY

LARRY AND ANDREA PORTAL

MR. AND MRS. DAVID PORUSH

RICHARD AND ORA RABINOVICH

NORMAN & LINDY RADOW

REGALS FOUNDATION

DRS. CRAIG AND JACKIE REISS

SARA AND LAURENCE RICHARDS

DR. WESTON AND DENISE RICHTER

GAIL & BINYAMIN RIEDER

IRA AND DEBRA ROSENBERG

YITZHOK AND TAMAR ROSENTHAL

YECHIEL & NOMI ROTBLAT

JOSHUA & ALYSE ROZENBERG

ZVI & SHARONNE RUDMAN

LARRY AND SHELLY RUSSAK

MILTON AND SHIRLEY SABIN

MARVIN AND ROZ SAMUELS

DAVID AND ROSLYN SAVITSKY

TAMMI AND BENNETT SCHACHTER

JERRY & BARBARA SCHRECK

MALI & STEVE SCHWARTZ

SHLOMO AND GITTY SCHWARTZ

ANDREW AND STEPHANI SEROTTA

MRS. MARGIE SHABAT

RUTH SHANKER

JAYNE SHAPIRO

DR. MORRIS AND SHARON SILVER

MICHAEL SMITH

JAIME & MARILYN SOHACHESKI

AVI AND DEENA STEIN

MR. AND MRS. ABRAHAM J. STERN

DR. DAVID AND DOROTHY STOLL

AARON AND ARIELLA STRASSMAN

ABRAHAM SULTAN

MATT TEICHMAN

TAL TOURS

JOSHUA AND LESLIE WANDERER

ESTHER AND BARUCH WEINSTEIN

WILF FAMILY FOUNDATION

JORGE AND TAMMARA WOLDENBERG

FRAN & DAVID WOOLF

We apologize for any omissions. If you wish to be acknowledged, please contact Elaine Grossman at grossmane@ou.org

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

A Father’s Story: My Fight for Justice Against Iranian Terror

By Stephen M. Flatow Devon Square Press New York, 2018

208 pages

Reviewed by Dov Fischer

Stephen Flatow’s part memoir, part eulogy, part detective story, part spiritual journey and catharsis, comes in several parts. In this book, he discusses the tragic murder of his college-aged daughter, who had a gorgeously holy soul and a dimpled smile. Alisa Flatow died in 1995 when Arab terrorists blew up an Israeli bus near Gush Katif, the Jewish community in Gaza that the Sharon government dismantled a decade later. Alisa was studying in Israel at Nishmat—the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women in Jerusalem, while on leave for overseas studies during her third

year at Brandeis University, where she was active in the Brandeis Orthodox Organization (BOO). Initially, she and her friends planned to tour Petra in Jordan, but one of them was short on funds for that trip, so they went to see Gush Katif instead. Her parents knew of the itinerary change and wished her well. It is a memory that Flatow carries, even as he notes that another Arab terrorist attack later saw people murdered—at Petra in Jordan. I am a tough guy, but my eyes welled with tears as I read the frst ffeen pages of Flatow’s book. So I put it down, went to other reading materials, and then started the book again. And again the tears welled in my eyes. As the book moved into other directions, I settled in, but the tears started coming again when I reached the last ffeen pages. For more than twenty years, I have spoken of the murder of Alisa Flatow, but only now do I know Alisa Flatow. I mention her full name twice in the prior sentence to convey that the book has achieved perhaps its primary purpose—to give her name and her life rich and honored perpetuity. Alisa Flatow emerges not as a victim but as a vibrant soul who lives.

Stephen Flatow, we learn, is a real estate attorney who grew up in Middle Village, Queens, and graduated from Brooklyn Law School. He set up his frst home with his wife in Canarsie, Brooklyn, and practiced law in Jersey City. He and his family ultimately moved to West Orange, New Jersey,

where he eventually helped found an Orthodox shul, serving as its frst president. Troughout the book, he splices in so many personal tidbits of his life, his thoughts on a variety of matters ranging from the Brooklyn Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles to his father’s many part-time jobs that the book demands a steadier focus from the reader than do works that seem more carefully edited. Tus, the text seems to meander and ramble at times. But like certain rabbinic sermons, Flatow’s digressions, afer leaving the reader wondering “Where is he going with this?” inevitably tie together to make salient points. For example, he states that the Dodgers would not have moved had Robert Moses, who controlled New York City public properties with an iron hand during the Robert Wagner administration, been more fexible when the team’s management sought a new location for their stadium. Tis helped teach Flatow the power of real estate and property ownership. Not only does that realization underscore his professional career—his area of practice is real estate title law—but it also helps introduce the detective part of his journey, as he seeks to fnd Iranian assets to attach in the United States.

Afer the attack on his daughter, Flatow was phoned and told to fy there immediately. Arriving the next day at the Soroka Medical Center’s ICU in Beer Sheva, it soon became clear that his daughter was already dead. She appeared unscathed, but shrapnel

Rabbi Dov Fischer, an attorney, adjunct professor of law and contributing editor of the American Spectator, is a senior rabbinic fellow at the Coalition for Jewish Values, congregational rabbi of Young Israel of Orange County, California and holds prominent leadership roles in several national rabbinic and other Jewish organizations.

from the bombing had entered the back of her head and killed her. Tere had remained a sliver of hope that the medication she had been administered to retard her brain swelling might have been negating her breathing refex, but when the medicine wore of, it was it clear she was gone.

Te main part of the book focuses on how Flatow set about to pursue justice. If he could not resurrect his daughter, he could fght for justice. His theory is that the terrorists and their sponsors must be made to pay a profoundly heavy fnancial price when they perpetrate an act of terrorism, with the hope that sufcient monetary judgments ultimately will deter them. In his situation, he rapidly determined the relative uselessness in pursuing legal action against the particular terrorist thugs who took credit for the bombing. It would be impracticable to assert legal jurisdiction over them or to collect from them. Instead, he undertook to identify the Iranian government’s connection with the murderous explosion. Shiite Iran was supporting Hezbollah. Israel had expelled 400 Arab terrorists from Judea and Samaria a few years earlier, and most took up residence in Southern Lebanon. When Israel later allowed them back in, afer the 1993 Oslo accords, a wave of terror ensued, like the bus bombing that took Alisa’s life. It became clear that Iran had played a critical role in supporting and sustaining that wave.

Initially, President Bill Clinton personally phoned Stephen Flatow to express his pain upon hearing of Alisa’s murder and ofered to help. In time, however, the Clinton administration would prove to be Flatow’s toughest adversary in collecting the $225 million judgment he was awarded by the Washington, DC, federal court that granted his verdict. To get that judgment, Flatow had to fnd an attorney skilled in the unique and rarely charted waters of litigating American victims’ claims against terror-sponsoring nations. He found his “dream team” in attorney Steven Perles and in courtroom trial lawyer Tomas Fortune Fay. Tey determined how to obtain jurisdiction by serving process on Iran, which did not have an active presence in America, via the diplomat in the DC Swiss embassy who handled Iranian interests. Afer the diplomat was served, he opened the envelope and

For more than twenty years, I have spoken of the murder of Alisa Flatow, but only now do I know Alisa Flatow.

then carefully sealed it and returned it “unopened.” But the federal district judge, the Hon. Royce Lamberth, deemed service proper. Iran did not attend the court proceedings, and a trial ensued with evidence unequivocally linking the Iranians to the bombing. With judgment in tow, it now fell on Flatow’s legal team to fgure out how to collect.

Flatow is remarkably restrained and apolitical in detailing the disappointments and setbacks he encountered in his meetings with one Clinton administration ofcial afer another. Tere were concerns in that administration that Iranian assets needed to be untouched, retained as bargaining chips in the future on other issues, and that they would not sufce to pay all victims of Iranian-fnanced terror anyway. Flatow and his attorneys were not deterred, and they ultimately found bi-partisan Senate support from his home-state senator, New Jersey Democrat Frank Lautenberg, and from Florida Republican Connie Mack.

Flatow gives the reader an insider’s perspective into the legislative process. He describes how the frst terror victims’ bill that was passed in the Senate needed to be revised afer its loopholes lef the legislation without teeth. Ultimately, a third bill was necessary to make the text ironclad. Even then, that fnal iteration could pass without opposition only afer it was attached to a diferent bill that no one could oppose.

In time, through some Internet searching and utilizing skills that he had honed during his career, Flatow and his team were able to identify certain properties, including a Manhattan skyscraper, as Iranian-government assets, and they also were able to learn of prominent foreign banks in Europe that essentially laundered Iranian currency into dollars. As a result, the United States was able to recover enormous sums in penalties imposed on those banks, and much of those sums became available to victims of Iranian-sponsored terror. However, Flatow had wanted the judgments to come directly out of Iranian assets so that the mullahs’ Shiite regime would feel the full brunt of the cost of terror. Instead, third parties had paid in, and he ruefully notes that America later sent $150 billion to Iran during the time of the Obama administration’s Iran deal [a claim which is not entirely accurate].

Along the way, amid the segues described above, Flatow discusses how Alisa changed his family’s life when, at age four, she demanded to be enrolled in a Jewish preschool rather than at the secular school her parents had planned. He asked the rabbi of the Jewish day school whether the school would change his household’s lifestyle, and the rabbi told him “no.”

Years later, with the Sabbath-observant Alisa having inspired her parents to become increasingly observant, that rabbi told Flatow that he had asked the wrong question: instead of whether

the school would change his lifestyle, he should have asked whether his daughter, by attending the school, would. Te family became Orthodox, and their daughters and son all are grown and married, living Torah-centered lives.

Tere are two quotes that resonate long afer one fnishes the book. When Alisa was a little girl, she frequently sustained odd injuries. Afer someone rode a bicycle over her foot, causing her a profoundly severe injury, she asked: “Why do these things always happen to me?” It is the kind of haunting question that her father, and all of us who love and fear God and His Torah, could not and still cannot answer.

Te second quote derives from the initial questioning at Flatow’s federal trial. When Flatow’s attorney began by asking him to identify himself for the trial record, saying, “Flatow, were you the father of Alisa Flatow?” he startled his lawyer by answering “no.” And then he added: “I’m still her father.” Here come the tears again.

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When Alisa was a little girl, she frequently sustained odd injuries. After someone rode a bicycle over her foot, causing her a profoundly severe injury, she asked: ‘Why do these things always happen to me?’ It is the kind of haunting question that her father, and all of us who love and fear God and His Torah, simply cannot answer.

By Jack Wertheimer Princeton University Press

New Jersey, 2018

400 pages

Reviewed by Yitzchok Adlerstein

Ten years ago, Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm was interviewed about the future of non-Orthodox Judaism. “With a heavy heart, we will soon say Kaddish on the Reform and Conservative movements.”1 If that interview alerted the world to a patient in critical condition, then Jack Wertheimer’s Te New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Teir Religion Today is a description of its hospice care.

Wertheimer, a professor of American Jewish history at the Jewish Teological Seminary of America and its former provost, has long elicited admiration and confusion in the Orthodox world. Admiration—because of the honesty and respect with which he has treated the accomplishments of contemporary

The New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Their Religion Today

Orthodoxy.2 Confusion—because he frequently brings the same honesty to bear upon the problems within his own Conservative movement among other parts of the non-Orthodox world,3 and people see him amass data and analysis that prove the Orthodox social criticism of non-Orthodoxy.

In ten chapters, an introduction and a conclusion, Wertheimer reports on hour-or-longer interviews with more than 160 rabbis of all stripes, trying to look away from the national denominations and organizations, and instead to capture the “developments afecting the lives of ordinary Jews”— what Judaism means to them; what engages them and what fails; what new ideas show promise for the future.

Te spoiler comes right at the beginning. “ Tis book takes it as a given that Jewish religious life in this country has endured a recession” (p. 5). In this context, the term recession is an understatement. “Over two million individuals of Jewish parentage no longer identify as Jews, and many others . . . eschew identifcation with the Jewish religion, choosing instead to defne themselves in cultural or ethnic terms. And outside Orthodox communities, rates of childbearing are depressed relative to the recent past, leaving observers to wonder who will populate Jewish religious institutions in the future” (p. 3).

If religion is on the decline, will a sense of peoplehood keep the Jewish enterprise afoat? “Peoplehood alone will not keep Jews engaged in Jewish life with any measure of intensity . . . Sacred religious practices, holidays, rituals, and commandments keep

the Jewish people Jewish . . . Jewish families without religion don’t stay Jewish for very long” (p. 20).

Is reading the rest of the book similar to plowing through a murder mystery afer learning that the butler did it?

Wertheimer continues to fascinate— and to depress—the reader who stays with it. In many cases, it will be best to listen to Wertheimer in his own words.

He deals with a full continuum of Jewish religious practice (devoting three full chapters to Orthodoxy), but draws a line where religion turns into something diferent. “ Tis book does not examine spiritual practices with no discernible relationship to Judaism. No doubt, many Jews fnd it meaningful to commune with nature . . . engage in Eastern meditation practices, or in other ways ‘do’ spiritual things . . . Tere is no good reason to assume they necessarily are acts of Jewish religious activity . . . Te same reasoning will be applied . . . to reports of Jews engaged in social justice and political activism” (p. 17).

In a chapter on fnding meaning in Judaism, we learn that outside of Orthodoxy, “congregants struggle to believe in a God Who hears and answers prayers, and is actively involved in the fate of individual humans. To be sure, rabbis in non-Orthodox settings say some of their congregants hold fairly traditional theological beliefs, ofen reporting to their rabbis on material they have read on web sites of various Orthodox outreach organizations” (p. 28). Tose who come to services three days a year have a hard time, however, relating to an unfamiliar practice and liturgy—

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein is a contributing editor to Jewish Action.

and one, moreover, whose references to sin clash with what they are told by their therapists. One Reform rabbi reports the question of a congregant: is it wrong to feel during prayer that she is speaking to God? (p. 30). While a majority are not atheists or agnostics, the non-Orthodox are confused as to Whom God is. No wonder. One Conservative rabbi titled a High Holiday sermon, “Why Jews Should Not Believe in God,” and told his congregants that the images of God in our Torah that they cannot buy into should be upgraded to a kind of “container to hold our experience of life that is unnamable” (p. 31). A Reform rabbi who polled his congregants the day afer Yom Kippur came to the conclusion that, “For them . . . God is a presence or power . . . not so much ‘above’ us in heaven as . . . ‘beside’ us or ‘within’ us . . . [Who] ‘acts’ when we act with God’s attributes, such as love, kindness, and justice” (p. 32). Te replacing of the traditional belief in God with something else has led many rabbis “to sanctify the preexisting social and ideological commitments of their congregants by fguratively blessing them as somehow Jewish” (p. 39). Commandments per se are out. Rather, there is “a complete rejection

of the notion that to be Jewish involves the acceptance of some externally imposed commandments . . . Internally generated rights and wrongs are all that matters” (p. 40). “ Te large majority of non-Orthodox Jews have internalized a . . . set of values . . . indistinguishable from those of their non-Jewish peers. A single commandment may have survived—one that was newly minted in the ‘80s: Tou shalt engage in Tikkun Olam”(p. 41).

Has any of this worked? Hardly. “Alas, it has not brought large numbers of members into synagogues, nor has it translated into other forms of religious participation” (p. 42).

What does religious practice look like outside of Orthodoxy? Not all that much remains of traditional observance. A small fraction of Conservative Jews still don tefllin and pray daily. Not so with Reform Jews. Geography, gender, denomination and generation all play roles. While 33 percent of men in a Reform temple claimed that “there is no God,” only 8 percent of the women concurred. Te men lead as well (44 percent vs. 23 percent ) in agreeing with the statement that “science can explain everything” (p. 59). Millennials are more disengaged than their GenX predecessors, who are less involved than Boomers. New rituals occasionally emerge to replace old ones. Some are advocating replacing brit milah with slicing a pomegranate. (It bleeds [p. 4].) For many non-Orthodox, Judaism is not about any particular practice, but about being a decent person—the defnition thereof having nothing to do with any Jewish teaching or text (p. 64).

Does this mean that religion has lost all its signifcance to the non-Orthodox? No, says Wertheimer. It is still important to many. “For most non-Orthodox Jews, religious participation is episodic and infrequent; but it occurs at particularly meaningful moments . . . In this sense, religion is hardly marginal to what they hold most important” (p. 66).

Where are the other denominations going? Tey certainly are moving. In the case of Reform, some of that movement is at the prayer services,

which have dramatically changed form, as worshippers are literally encouraged to move around the sanctuary. By 2013 Reform had a plurality of those who identify with Judaism. Unconstrained by Jewish law, it can be as innovative as it wants. Siddurim have been replaced by projections on screens; the music is a major production, drawing on diferent musical styles each week (p. 111-113).

Te freedom to be creative has not led to any gains in membership. Only 36 percent of those raised Reform are members. Even fewer (28 percent) report any involvement with Jewish organizational life. Barely half give to Jewish causes. More than half have not attended any synagogue during the past year. For the overwhelming majority, Jewish schooling ends at bar-mitzvah (p. 114). One third are intermarried; among those aged thirty to ffy, half are intermarried. Emphasizing autonomy has lessened commitment to the collective Jewish people (p. 119). For a moment, Wertheimer sounds like a mashgiach ruchani in an Orthodox yeshivah: “When the overwhelming majority of synagogue members cannot be counted on to participate in religious services other than on the High Holidays, what precisely is thriving in Reform temples? (p. 116) . . . How long will signifcant numbers of people continue to be drawn to, or stick with, a religious movement that cannot or will not defne criteria for committed living, and . . . has self-consciously shunned imperatives and obligations?” (p. 120).

Evidence for the decline of Conservative Judaism is even more dramatic. As recently as 1990, a plurality of American Jews identifed as Conservative. By 2013, the number was down to 18 percent (p. 121). During the single decade of the ’90s, membership contracted from 915,000 to 660,000. A large number bolted to join Reform. Conventional wisdom attributes much of the walk-of to a less hospitable attitude towards intermarrieds. But a “major factor seems to be that too many individuals raised in Conservative synagogues have received a minimal Jewish education, which has lef them unable to participate in religious services” (p. 128-129). Moreover, for

A single commandment may have survived—one that was newly minted in the ‘80s: Thou shalt engage in Tikkun Olam.

younger people, God Himself has receded to an ideological background, where He is no longer a focus of devotion. “ Te God they are not interested in is a personal God who intervenes in history and commands in discrete language . . . Young people feel they have a soul even if they don’t believe in God” (p. 137). While the introduction to the service of musical instruments produced an uptick in attendance, Wertheimer wonders what will happen when the novelty wears of (p. 141). Some Conservative congregations have adapted to the drop in participation by moving the bimah back to the middle, surrounded by moveable chairs that can be confgured according to how many people show up (p. 185). (Instrumentalizing services is not the only innovation that went bust. Te decision by the denominations to ordain women doubled the potential pool of applicants to their rabbinic schools. Instead, attendance plummeted relative to previous years. In 2015, the combined total of students entering non-Orthodox rabbinic seminaries was less than 100 (p. 177)—in other words, less than the attendees of a single, small Orthodox yeshivah.)

Wertheimer fnds that the denominational structure of non-Orthodox Judaism is clearly in a state of decline. We don’t have accurate fgures on how many Jews still afliate with each denomination’s congregations, because those numbers are not shared with the public. Nor, he says, given the large number of intermarrieds, do we know how many of those who do afliate are actually Jewish (p. 161). We do know that budgets and programs have been slashed. Wertheimer believes that the huge investment of denominational time and efort in ideological issues like women’s roles and gay rights diverted attention from the changing realities afecting American Jews that were making congregational participation irrelevant to them. What is lef is not pretty to behold. Only 22 percent of single Jewish adults belong to a synagogue (p. 202). Parents who do belong have a changed expectation of the synagogue, which some have

called the “dry-cleaning model”: Drop of the kids; the Temple makes them Jewish, and pick them up a few hours later (p. 192). What used to work to unite Jews is now in some places not even a topic of discussion. A 2013 poll of 500 rabbis showed that one in fve is fearful of voicing any opinion about Israel or her policies (p. 199). Wertheimer does fnd evidence of vitality in new innovations outside of the old moribund denominations. He shows plenty of experimentation with new forms of engagement— religious start-ups, if you will. From the Renewal movement: “Picture 20 massage tables, with people lying down and being gently touched, with music playing. On Yom Kippur” (p. 240). From the Humanistic Judaism people: “Let’s rise and say the Shma. We are doing this as a tradition, not as a prayer” (p. 243). Te Lab Shul reports that “Instead of using the baggage laden ‘God’, we’ve replaced it with terms like ‘source of life,’ and ‘deepest source.’” While these new ventures hold promise to their promoters, they all require urban environments. As millennials get older and move to the suburbs, Wertheimer wonders whether

they can last. One of Wertheimer’s rabbinic interviewees asks:

How does a culture of narcissism[,] over[-]entitlement and personalization manifest itself in terms of Jewish communal engagement? How can an iPod generation fnd rigorous exploration of Talmud and Jewish literature compelling and life-sustaining? How can those taught to walk away/ delete/unfriend on a whim be taught [and] . . . be stimulated to discover a spiritual practice that actually requires practice? Is there a way to cultivate a sense of obligation, enchantment, [and] spiritual hunger in a generation [that] is essentially able to log of or sign out in all other aspects of life? (p. 209).

In a concluding chapter, Wertheimer seems to tire of his objective stance, and is more forthcoming with his frustrations about the New American Judaism. It is entitled “A New Remix,” and takes its name from the combining of new musical media with old musical lines to come up with a new-old form of entertainment. He sees this as an apt way of explaining where just about everyone in Jewish life is going. Having freed themselves from tired denominations, fossilized

It would be foolish to see ourselves as if watching safely from shore. The forces that have wreaked havoc with the older forms of non-Orthodox religious expression threaten our own community as well.

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institutions and ideas they don’t relate to, the signifcant number of Jews who still care are experimenting with ways to hang on to the old by freshening it up. “Let’s throw things against a wall to see what will stick. And what does stick will become the Judaism of tomorrow” (p. 267).

Some trends emerge. Much of what is happening is Jews picking, choosing and innovating. How much are they really guided by what Judaism meant in the past? “Ever more Jews choose whether they wish to identify as Jewish and then defne for themselves what such a decision means.” But making that determination free of any strictures from outside is non-negotiable to those who have embraced the myth of the sovereign self. People can believe that they are independent and autonomous, but they are ignoring the confning power of group expectations and norms. Tey have become, in their worship of autonomy, a “herd of independent minds” (p. 258). Te upshot is that “in practice, utilitarian, therapeutic, and secular liberal assumptions guide the behavior of contemporary American Jews far more than do Jewish teachings” (p. 259).

If what Jews are doing is little more than aping the mores of the surrounding culture, how long can it survive? While Jews are quick to boast of Judaism’s ability to adapt and change, what happens when everything is negotiable? Perhaps, he asks, Judaism “also has survived precisely because of what has not changed” (p. 264).

Some say they really don’t care. Tey don’t see themselves as religious; rather, they are spiritual. Wertheimer is not consoled. He cites sociologist Nancy Ammerman. “People who do not have a religious community or some circle of focused spiritual conversation do not do very well at maintaining a spiritual outlook on life. . . . One of the most striking results of our research . . . is the degree to which participation in organized religion matters” (p. 265).

He makes his own suggestions, drawing from a past Judaism that worked. First, frequency of participation is important. He poignantly points to Franz Kafa’s “Letter to My Father”:

As a young man, I could not understand how, with the insignifcant scrap of Judaism you yourself possessed, you could reproach me for not making an efort . . . to cling to a similar, insignifcant scrap. It was . . . a joke, not even a joke (p. 269).

Second, it was unhealthy to move Judaism to the synagogue. If Judaism will continue outside of Orthodoxy, it must fnd its way back to the home as the center of Jewish life. Tird, Jewish literacy counts. Focusing entirely on positive experiences and social action will not work.

Te New American Judaism is a chronicle of how our non-Orthodox brothers and sisters have grasped at spiritual straws and come up empty-handed. We watch as those aboard a Jewish Titanic, having struck the glacier of autonomy and assimilation, do not just re-arrange the deck chairs. Rather, they spend their last precious time aboard debating how to reupholster them.

Tere is no room for triumphalism or schadenfreude here. We are witnessing tragedy—pure, unmitigated tragedy. Millions of Jews are disappearing, but not because they ever had an opportunity to understand or experience the beauty of

Making Judaism ft the times, rather than working to make the times ft Judaism, has been a colossal failure.

what they are giving up. Te vast majority of them are victims of choices made by their forebears in earlier generations— and many of those choices were the consequences of the many manifestations of our long victimization through Te last Rashi in Chumash records the two greatest accomplishments of Moshe’s career. One of them is breaking the luchot in the afermath of the Golden Calf. Rabbi Nachman Bulman, zt”l, explained that Moshe brilliantly understood that this is the only way to bring a Jewish soul back from the precipice. Many will reject parts of the Torah, believing that they have their own way to understand it. Tell them that God is severing His relationship with them, and they can be shocked back to repentance. Moshe’s breaking the tablets did not tell them that Hashem was angry with them. It told them that they were being utterly cut o from the faith of their ancestors. Te message got through to them and shocked them into the process of return.

Many Jews are far beyond the point that this threat has any meaning to them. But there is something poignant, even majestic in beholding the obstinacy of the non-Orthodox clergy and educators—as absolutely wrong and misguided as they are—who refuse to give up on Judaism, even where it appears pointless to go on. If only they would understand that something inside won’t let them let go of their rightful patrimony!

At the same time, it would be foolish to see ourselves as if watching safely from shore. Te forces that have wreaked havoc with the older forms of non-Orthodox religious expression threaten our own community as well. Too many in our own ranks think that they can make Orthodoxy more popular and acceptable by reinventing it to conform to contemporary mores and expectations. If this book demonstrates one thing, it is that (paraphrasing Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch) making Judaism ft the times, rather than working to make the times ft Judaism, has been a colossal failure.

Te most important words in the quote from Rabbi Lamm with which we opened this review are “with a heavy heart.” Seeing the end coming, seeing the ship going down, we must redouble our eforts in plucking as many out of the waters of assimilation as possible. We have to rescue them, one precious soul at a time.

Notes

1. “YU Chancellor: Non-Orthodox Judaism on the Way Out,” the Jewish News of Northern California, May 15, 2009, https://www.jweekly. com/2009/05/15/yu-chancellor-non-orthodox-judaism-on-the-wayout1/.

2. Jack Wertheimer, “What You Don’t Know About the Ultra-Orthodox,” Commentary (July 2014), https://www.commentarymagazine.com/ articles/what-you-dont-know-about-the-ultra-orthodox/; Jack Wertheimer, “Why the Lubavitch Movement Trives in the Absence of a Living Rebbe,” Jewish Action 74, no. 4 (spring 2014): 26-28, https:// jewishaction.com/jewish-world/lubavitch-movement-thrives-absenceliving-rebbe/.

3. Jack Wertheimer and Steven M. Cohen, “ Te Pew Survey Reanalyzed: More Bad News, but a Glimmer of Hope,” Mosaic, November 2, 2014, https://mosaicmagazine.com/essay/uncategorized/2014/11/the-pewsurvey-reanalyzed/; Jack Wertheimer, “ Te Ten Commandments of America’s Jews,” Commentary (June 2012), https://www. commentarymagazine.com/articles/the-ten-commandments-ofamericas-jews/.

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A Family Treasure

By Sarah Rindner

My young daughter was playing in my mother’s living room and approached me holding a battered prayer book she found on the shelf. When I realized what it was, I gasped. I hadn’t thought of it in years, but the siddur is a family treasure. My grandmother, Raizel Berger, a native of the Maramures region of Romania, was sent to Auschwitz along with her family in 1944. She managed to smuggle a small siddur into the camp by hiding it in her stocking garter. Te young women in her bunker, mostly Chasidic Jews from Romania and Hungary, took turns praying from it each night. One of the girls worked in the kitchen and snuck out a potato sack to use as a cover for the siddur, onto which she used a rough yarn to beautifully embroider a Star of David in the center. Te pages of the siddur are delicate with age, but the section of Tehillim (Psalms) is particularly worn from repeated use. A fer the war, my grandmother married my grandfather, a Holocaust survivor from Poland. Tey moved to the United States and had four daughters in quick succession. Te siddur continued to be used on a daily basis in their brownstone home in Brooklyn. Each holiday, my grandparents lit dozens of Yizkor candles for their many murdered family members. But their resilience to transition into loving parents and industrious new immigrants almost immediately a fer surviving such horrors still ba fes the mind. So

too the siddur, once hidden in the bowels of a dark dungeon and used by inmates of the most horri fc and debased place on earth, transitioned to use for mundane, though still holy, daily prayers. In unsentimental fashion typical of Jews of my grandparents’ type, the siddur was not treated as a talisman. At some point, someone even scrawled a phone number on the inside cover.

My grandmother passed away from lung disease when she was seventy-four, likely related to the tuberculosis that she contracted in the camps. When my grandfather sold their home, the siddur moved from its unnoteworthy spot on my grandparents’ bookshelf to an equally unremarkable spot on my parents’ bookshelf.

T is year, an Auschwitz exhibit opened at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City (Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away). A fer years of not doing much with the siddur, publicity surrounding the exhibit prompted my mother to contact Dr. Robert Jan Van Pelt, one of the historians involved, to see if he would be interested in including it in the exhibit. In their exchange, Dr. Van Pelt provided a full account of the precise names of the concentration camps in which my grandmother was imprisoned, including exact dates. He also, quite remarkably, shared an excerpt from a memoir of Geordie Hussar, a POW interned at a slave labor camp where my grandmother ended

up at the end the war. Hussar describes the Jewish prisoners, my grandmother almost certainly among them: We were appalled by the spectacle of a large group of young women, hardly recognizable as such, being marched into the factory yard and stood outside the empty block. It’s hard to describe one’s feelings of sorrow at the [sight] of those thin, bedraggled, shaven headed, soulless looking girls . . .

For years, our family conceived of my grandmother’s Holocaust experience through her eyes. Te siddur was a kind of symbol of that perspective, which understood her story as anything but “soulless.” My grandmother and her bunkmates lost nearly everything. But in spite of, or perhaps because of it all, they continued to pour out their hearts and souls to their Creator. Te addition of a more historical point of view adds a new documentary type of layer to the story. But it is only a layer, which sits atop the living heart of the matter. Te siddur didn’t make it to the exhibit in the end—it still sits on the same shelf in my mother’s home. Since the Shoah, much has been written about the place of the Holocaust in Jewish memory and theology. T is discussion, understandably, ofen focuses on the Holocaust as a kind of in fection point in the relationship and covenant between God and the Jewish people. Yet, for some Jews like my grandmother who lived through the horror itself, there is perhaps more continuity between the pre- and post-Holocaust eras than those abstract discussions assume. Like her siddur—smuggled into Auschwitz, but also consistently and faithfully prayed from in a Brooklyn home long a fer the events of the war receded into history.

Sarah Rindner’s writings on Jewish and literary topics have appeared in the Jewish Review of Books, Mosaic Magazine and other publications. She lives in Israel with her family.

Photo: Josh Weinberg