five towns jewish home - 4-30-15
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Five Towns Jewish Home - 4-30-15TRANSCRIPT
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THEJEWISHHOMEA PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY APRIL 30 – MAY 6, 2015 | DISTRIBUTED WEEKLY IN THE FIVE TOWNS, QUEENS & BROOKLYN
Around the COMMUNITY
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PAGE 82
A Greater Vision By Rabbi Mordechai KamenetzkyMAY Dinner – Building the Community, One Talmid at a Time
40Bais Tefila of Inwood Celebrates its Sixth Annual Dinner
The Scars of Vietnam40 YEARS LATER HAVE WE LEARNED OUR LESSON?
DIRSHU’S HISTORIC DAF HAYOMI B’HALACHA BECHINA
PAGE 44
SALUTING OUR
HATZALAH FAMILIESPAGE 94
PAGE 72Young Israel of Woodmere 55th Anniversary Dinner Banquet
75
Page 24
68
Khal Machzikei Torah Motzei Shabbos Learning ProgramGourmet Glatt Grab!
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330 Central Avenue | Lawrence, NY 11559 | P: 516-295-3300 | F: 516-295-5001
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The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.
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Yitzy HalpernPUBLISHER
Yosef FeinermanMANAGING EDITOR
Shoshana SorokaEDITOR
Nate DavisEditorial AssistantNechama Wein Copy Editor
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Dear Readers,It was perhaps the most conten-
tious war in our recent history. And it was probably the most disappointing. Americans are used to victory; we al-most feel entitled to it. But 40 years ago, when the Vietnam War officially ended, American troops headed home disheartened and depressed. For the years that they were on the ground, they witnessed thousands of their brothers blown away by mines and booby-traps laid by guerillas who nav-igated the jungles and marshland with ease. Some came home wounded, with their legs and arms mutilated; others were emotionally damaged, reliving the chaos and the horrors over and over again in their minds. They were sent to war young and optimistic; they all came back home crushed from the ruin that they witnessed.
Part of the disappointment was the defeat. We were beaten by what we saw as a ragtag army, a legion with un-conventional methods. A tiger, as Ho Chi Minh described, willing to “leap upon the back of the elephant, tearing
huge chunks of his side,” ultimately crushing the mighty Americans. The Cold War was intense at that time, and a defeat in Vietnam spelled a victory for the Communists, our mortal enemy.
Nachum Soroka points out in his article on the Vietnam War this week that today we are also engaged in a war with a guerilla army—an army galva-nized by their ideals and values and an army that flouts modern-day rules of engagement. Using children as hu-man shields, kidnapping, torturing, and burning, it’s hard to win against an en-emy so cruel and so inspired.
This week I met with a soldier who fought in Operation Protective Edge. When he was describing his life in the army, he spoke about the ideal of fight-ing to protect a land that was gifted to our nation thousands of years ago. He spoke about how soldiers are willing to be hurt so that their fellow comrades—and their brothers and sisters—can live protected, safe lives. They believe in a higher cause and know that they are doing good. Do American soldiers feel that same zeal when they are fighting
the terrorists of al Qaeda or Islam-ic State? Do they even feel a speck of that inspiration? They are fighting an enemy bent on destruction—in the name of G-d. An uninspired army can hardly attempt to crush terrorists who live and breathe a fiery desire for our annihilation.
On a lighter note, what does spring mean to you? To Brocha Teichman it’s her granddaughter blowing bubbles in the breeze as they shimmer and pop with a damp snap. An artist, she can’t wait to depict this sweet scene every year as her granddaughter grows. To me, a beautiful spring day calls for a wedge of watermelon, and for my chil-dren it’s covering the sidewalk with rainbows of chalk. Today is the perfect spring day, its fragrant scents wafting through my window, and I am looking forward to eating more watermelon and buying plenty of chalk in the upcoming weeks.
Wishing you a wonderful week,Shoshana
PARTLY CLOUDYMOSTLY SUNNYAM CLOUDS / PM SUN
Letters to the Editor 7
Community
Readers’ Poll 7
Community Happenings 34
A Greater Vision by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky 72
Saluting our Hatzalah Families by Tammy Mark 94
News
Global 10
National 18
Odd-but-True Stories 27
Scars of Vietnam by Nachum Soroka 82
Israel
Israel News 14
A Matter of Priority 78
People
Doolittle’s Raid by Avi Heiligman 122
Parsha
Rabbi Wein on the Parsha 87
The Shmuz 88
Jewish Thought
How You Doin’? by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz 89
A Jewish Kind of Hero by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff 90
Health & Fitness
How Do you Get out of Denial when you are in Denial? by Deb Hirschhorn, PhD 99
Spring Clean Your Diet by Aliza Beer, MS RD 100
Parenting
Teaching Each Child in his Own Way by Tamar Cohen 101
Food & Leisure
The Aussie Gourmet: Asian-Style Short Ribs 106
Lifestyles
Book Review on The Nurse 102
No Experience? by Rabbi Mordechai Kruger 111
Bank on It: A Fresh Spring Look for Under $100 by Margaret Ely 114
Eye on Art by Brocha Teichman 118
Ask the Attorney 121
Your Money 127
Barricaded In or Out? by Rivki Rosenwald, Esq., CLC 128
Humor
Centerfold 76
It was a Dark and Stormy Night by Rocky Zweig 112
Uncle Moishy Fun Page 132
Political Crossfire
Notable Quotes 124
Obama’s Nixon Doctrine: Anointing Iran by Charles Krauthammer 126
Classifieds 134
CLOUDY SUNNY MOSTLY SUNNY AM SHOWERS
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Letters to the EditorDear Editor,
This is in response to “A proud Clin-ton Supporter,” four words that should never appear in a sentence together. Abraham Lincoln said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Or was it Mark Twain? Whatever. While you are certainly within your rights to sup-port perhaps the sleaziest politician of all time, one who has accomplished ab-solutely nothing of worth, neither during her tenure as Senator nor while she served as Secretary of State (when she functioned primarily as Obama’s willing lap dog), it is hardly something to crow about. I would love to include a list of Hillary’s Greatest Hits: every scandal (the latest of which is being personally responsible for Vladimir Putin getting his murderous hands on 20% of our ura-nium, or haven’t you heard?), every lie, every failure, but, alas, that would leave no room for anything else in this issue.
You ask, in a ridiculous hypothetical question, whether I would prefer Chris Christie, Rand Paul or Donald Trump as president to the specter of Hillary in the Oval Office. The question is ridic-ulous, of course, because none of those guys has the slightest chance of getting nominated. The answer, however, is still a resounding “yes!” And when you add the serious candidates, Marco Ru-bio, Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, and my per-sonal favorite, Ben Carson, the compar-ison with your empty pantsuit becomes downright ludicrous.
In conclusion, I would advise you to keep your political preferences to your-self, and close the curtain tightly when you vote, lest you hear some snickers of derision upon exiting. Supporting Hil-lary Clinton is comparable to smoking on Tisha B’av after chatzos: something best done b’tzinoh — very b’tzinoh.Sincerely,Ronald Branch
Dear Mr. Bobker and the Editor,Thank you for writing and pub-
lishing “Hakaras Hatov and Yom Ha’atzmaut.” Thank G-od for informed and open-minded people such as you. Keep up the good work! Sincerely,S. A.
Dear Editor,I recently read a quote from Rabbi
Yisrael Kaminetsky which was pub-lished in your newspaper. I am sure it was taken out of context.
In a caption of a picture that featured the rosh yeshiva of HALB addressing the boys he is quoted to have said, “This was the first time in my 18 years at DRS
that I was asked to speak at another local yeshiva.”
For the record, Rabbi Yisrael Ka-minetsky was the featured guest speaker at Yeshiva of South Shore’s Melava Mal-ka a few years ago and addressed our en-tire parent body in our yeshiva.
I will, however, join in the commen-dation of Yeshiva Ketana and the vision of achdus fostered by the menahel, Rab-bi Zvi Krigsman (an alumnus of YOSS), as I, too, was asked to speak for their wonderful talmidim! However, that sense of achdus transcends Yeshiva Ket-ana as Yeshiva Darchei Torah, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, Siach Yitzchok and other mosdos have invited me as well as other local mechanchim from other yeshivos to speak for their talmidim as well. Sincerely yours, Rabbi Mordechai KamenetzkyRosh YeshivaYeshiva of South Shore
Dear Editor,Joe Bobker should be thanked for
his timely article, “Hakoras Hatov and Yom Ha’atzmaut, The Jewish Home, April 23, 2015) and its historical account of true Torah luminaries acknowledging and expressing gratitude to the land and the people who gave so much to pro-tect it and her inhabitants. He has a gift to be able to communicate with people in a calm, provocative, stimulating, kind way.
In order to help increase ahavas Yis-roel and hakoras ha tov to the kedoshim and their families, Kollel Hakoras Hatov completed a siyum Shas Mishnaos for Moshe ben Shmuel, hy”d, a year ago and organized a limud for his yahrtzeit.
After the Gaza war this past summer, the Kollel decided to organize limud Shas Gemara for each individual soldier who died in battle. We were successful in getting a letter from Rav Koldetsky shli-ta cosigned by Harav Chaim Kanievsky shlita endorsing this effort. The ambi-tious plan was for each fallen kadosh to have a siyum Shas in his zechus complet-ed on his yahrtzeit.
Perhaps some of your readers would be willing to join this program this sum-mer and help translate Mr. Bobker’s plea for hakoras hatov for Israel’s fallen ke-doshim into a concrete, tangible deed. I can be contacted at [email protected]. Dr. Moshe Yosef WerzbergerFive Towns/Flatbush
Dear Editor,The future of the United States of
America is quite a dubious one. Espe-cially with the 2016 election nearing, it is imperative that we elect a conserva-
tive to the White House—someone who will faithfully execute his constitutional duties as president and uphold the rule of law. Even more consequential is to elect a president that will provide indis-pensable support for Jews in Israel and of those globally, as we face an ever menacing and genocidal threat that are the Islamo-Nazi subhuman cockroaches of Iran and ISIS. The utter dissolution of law and order and the prevalence of mass murder which permeate the Middle East jeopardize Jews not only in Israel but worldwide too.
However, even electing a conserva-tive to the White House—we must con-cede—does not ensure our security as a nation. Although we must be proactive in helping our fellow Jews by voting for a solidly pro-American and pro-Israel candidate, ultimately, it is our unequiv-ocal emunah in Hashem, heartfelt tefillos and diligent shteiging that will prevail—even against the deadliest nuclear bomb on Earth.Best,Rafi Metz
Dear Editor,I want to thank you for the insight-
ful article about Rabbi Sitnick and Siach Yitzchok. The article conveys how much Rabbi Freifeld gave over in chinuch to Rabbi Sitnick and this community. If anyone is interested in what I think is the best book on chinuch, it is the biography of Rabbi Freifeld. I had my children read it, and my husband and I consider it an integral chinuch manual for our home.
Your article correctly points out just how important it is to accept every child. It is important for schools to do that, but it is even more important for parents to
do just that. Many times parents think that they accept their children but they may not realize that their actions do not convey that message to their children and may in fact be a form of non-accep-tance. For example (this is a common example given in psychology books), many times parents want their kids to do certain things well, such as sports, acting, music, etc. and they believe that their motive is because they want their kid to feel good about him or herself. But sometimes the real, subconscious motive is because they want their kid to be good at that activity because it reflects well on them. “If my kid is good at sports it means he is well-rounded which means I am a good parent.” But maybe being good at sports doesn’t mean enough to your child and is just a pressure. I know that this is a subtle and nuanced exam-ple, but it is very common.
Accepting your child means truly embracing his personality, allowing him to develop his own skills and cherishing everything about him.Sincerely,S.B.
Dear Editor,In response to the hakaras hatov ar-
ticle printed last week, I have something to add. Itta Barber did a lot more than cook for Reb Itzikel; she shared her tiny home with him and was the sole provid-er for both her family and his and she shared everything she had with them. She went out of her way to get a piece of fish for Reb Itzikel l’kavod Shabbos, whenever she could. She was a very spe-cial woman. Rochel Berns
Readers Poll
Spring is here—and so are allergies. Do you suffer from springtime allergies?
34% Yes
66% No
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GlobalDevastating Quake Hits Nepal
A powerful earthquake — the coun-try’s worst in 80 years — rocked moun-
tainous Nepal last weekend. More than 4,600 deaths have been confirmed, and the death toll is expected to rise. Some experts are saying that the number of those killed in the disaster could reach 10,000. Over 9,000 are reported to have been injured in the catastrophe.
At least 18 were killed and dozens more were injured on Mount Everest, where the quake launched an avalanche.
Dozens, if not hundreds, remain trapped under mounds of rubble. The nation’s capital of Katmandu was particularly hard hit. Major aftershocks were felt in the region that have made relief and clean-up a very difficult task.
The quake struck before noon local time about 50 miles northwest of Kat-mandu in an area that the U.S. Geolog-ical Survey calls one of the most seismi-
cally hazardous regions on Earth. It was felt as far away as Lahore, Pakistan; Lha-sa, Tibet; and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Multi-ple aftershocks, including one registered at magnitude 6.7, followed. 75 people were killed in India from the quake and 25 were reported to have died in China.
The earthquake registered as a mag-nitude 7.8. Although on a major plate boundary with a history of large- to great-sized earthquakes, large earth-quakes in this area are rare in the doc-umented historical era, the U.S. Geo-logical Survey reports. Over the past century, just four events of magnitude 6.0 or larger have occurred within about 150 miles of Saturday’s earthquake.
The Katmandu Valley is dense-ly populated with nearly 2.5 million people, and the quality of buildings is often poor. A number of buildings col-lapsed in the center of the capital, the ancient Old Kathmandu, including cen-turies-old temples and towers. Among them was the Dharahara Tower, one of Katmandu’s landmarks built by Nepal’s royal rulers in the 1800s and a UNES-CO-recognized historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped underneath.
The quake will likely put a huge strain on the resources of Nepal, a poor country best known for Mount Ever-est. The nation is highly dependent on tourism. More avalanches are likely to occur on Everest and it’s unclear how those stranded on the mountain will be evacuated to safety. Numerous coun-tries and humanitarian groups around the world have pledged immediate aid and supplies, although access to villages is hampered by the destruction and in-clement weather.
Photos and video from Nepal show heart wrenching sadness and many there are mourning their loved ones. Some have shaved their heads in mourning, and other are stoking fires for cremation of bodies. Many are homeless—having lost their homes or are scared to go into buildings for fear of aftershocks that can demolish structures. The elements showed no mercy to the homeless mass-es on Tuesday as thunderstorms rum-bled over Kathmandu – and more bad weather is forecast for the region in the coming days.
The Week In News
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Sentencing for S. Korean Ferry Captain
Life in prison is the verdict that came down for the South Korean ferry cap-tain responsible for last year’s disaster that killed more than 300 people, most of whom were schoolchildren. A dis-trict court in November had sentenced Lee Joon-seok to 36 years in prison for negligence and abandoning passengers in need but acquitted him of homicide. Victims’ relatives criticized the verdict at the time, saying it was too lenient. Prosecutors earlier had demanded the death penalty for Lee.
Lee’s sentence is now being in-creased because the Gwangju High Court additionally convicted him on the homicide charges while upholding most of other charges that led to his November conviction, according to a court statement. The appellate court sentenced 14 other navigation crew members to 18 months to 12 years in prison, the statement said. In November they had received sentences of five to 30 years in prison.
The court said it decided on Lee’s homicide conviction because he fled the ship without making any evacuation or-der though he, as a captain, is required by law to take some measures to rescue his passengers. Lee’s behavior was “ho-micide by willful negligence,” the court charged. “For whatever excuses, it’s difficult to forgive Lee Joon-seok’s ac-tion that caused a big tragedy,” the court statement cited.
Lee and the 14 crew members have been the subject of fierce public anger because they were among the first peo-ple rescued from the ship when it began badly listing on the day of the sinking in April last year. Most of the victims were teenagers who were en route to a south-ern island for a school trip. Lee had said he issued an evacuation order, but the court statement said two of the 14 crew members acknowledged that there was no evacuation order.
Many student survivors have said they were repeatedly ordered over a loudspeaker to stay on the sinking ship and that they didn’t remember any evac-
uation orders made by crewmembers before they helped each other flee to safety.
A year after the tragic sinking, 295 bodies have been retrieved but nine oth-ers are missing. There is still lingering public criticism against the government over its handling of the sinking, the country’s deadliest maritime disaster in decades.
Authorities blame excessive cargo, improper storage, botched negligence and other negligence for the sinking, and have arrested about 140 people. Even so, critics say higher-level offi-cials haven’t been held accountable.
Mexican Teen Mistaken Identity Case Concludes with Reunion
As a child, Alondra Luna Nunez acquired a unique scar between her eyebrows after an injury from a re-mote-control car. That scar is so unusual that it led to a case of mistaken identity.
Several years ago a girl from Texas went missing; she was described as hav-ing a similar scar to Nunez and a similar name. Nunez, 14, was mistaken as the missing person and was taken against her will to live with Dorotea Garcia of Houston, a woman claiming to be her mother in Texas.
Garcia told a Houston television sta-tion that the first time she saw Alondra Luna, “I saw my daughter.”
Parts of this unfortunate incident were videotaped. In one video, Alon-dra is seen screaming and crying as she is dragged from a Mexican courtroom to her new home. The video prompted others to get involved in her case and helped obtain a just resolution. Her par-ents are blaming the Mexican judge in charge of the case who allegedly refused to accept a stack of documents presented that proved Alondra’s true identity, such as a birth certificate and family photos. Some court officials are claiming that the documents were not “proper.”
“The other girl [who is missing] had a scar, but on the eyebrow, and I have one on my nose. I mean all this was stirred up over that,” Alondra said when she was finally reunited with her real family on Wednesday. “The judge said, ‘No, it’s her,’ and that was that.”
Judge Cinthia Elodia Mercado said it wasn’t within her authority to order a DNA test as Alondra had requested. “We, as judges, are only responsible to resolve the case with respect to recov-ering the minor,” the judge said. “We don’t do investigations or make inqui-ries.”
The Mexican Foreign Ministry said Garcia’s identification of Alondra prompted U.S. authorities to file a peti-tion for her return and the case then was forwarded to the judge. Officials in the State Department and the FBI, however, could not find any indication their agen-cies were involved in recent events. The only action recorded came in 2007 when the State Department initially filed an international child-abduction report for Garcia’s daughter. Based on Elodia Mercado’s order, Mexican federal po-lice went to Alondra’s middle school in Guanajuato on April 16 and transported
her to the magistrate’s courtroom in the neighboring state of Michoacan. After examining some documents presented by Alondra’s parents and Garcia, and hearing their testimony, the judge ruled in Garcia’s favor.
Garcia traveled with Alondra by bus to the border, crossing at Laredo, Texas. Alondra was granted entry based on the birth certificate of Garcia’s daughter and the court order, according to the Foreign Ministry. Upon reaching the United States, Alondra again asked for a DNA test, which was conducted at the Mex-ican consulate in Houston. The results of the DNA tests proved that Nunez was not the suspected missing girl.
Finally, on Wednesday, Alondra was able to return to home to Guanajuato. Her family welcomed her with a barbe-cue at her aunt’s house, decorated with balloons and streamers. “Welcome to your real home, Alondra,” read a home-made sign.
Garcia’s daughter, Alondra Diaz sadly remains on the missing persons list. The girl was allegedly taken in 2007 by her father Reynaldo Diaz and is believed to be in Mexico. Mr. Diaz is wanted on a felony warrant.
The Week In News
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Saudi Arabia Arrests 93 Suspected IS Militants
93 people were arrested in Saudi Arabia, suspected of belonging to the Islamic State militant group, including two people who planned a failed suicide car bombing against the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. 77 of those arrested were Sau-di nationals.
“Activities are ongoing against the deviant group which seeks to under-mine the security of this country...They are ceaselessly seeking to achieve this through their criminal plans,” a state-ment read.
A cell involving two Syrians and a Saudi planned a suicide car bombing against the U.S. embassy in Riyadh but the plot was detected in March. One of the two Syrian suspects and the Saudi suspect were among the 93 arrested, the ministry said.
One cell included in the arrests, which consisted of at least 61 Saudis, sought to recruit members via social media, raise funds and establish training
camps for Islamic State inside the king-dom.
Islamic State last year called on fol-lowers in the kingdom to carry out at-tacks against Saudi authorities, Western expatriates and members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority there instead of trav-eling to Syria or Iraq to join the group.
French Authorities Thwart Terrorist’s Plan
French officials revealed last week that a potentially fatal terrorist attack was thwarted when an Islamic extremist with an arsenal of loaded guns shot him-self in the leg accidently. The suspect, 24, planned to open fire on churchgoers in France. The extremist, a comput-
er science student, was also suspected in the death of a young woman whose body was found on Sunday shortly be-fore his arrest. The individual had been flagged as a risk for intent to travel to Syria but there had been no specific rea-son to open a judicial investigation, In-terior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.
Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said the suspect, an Algerian who had lived in France for several years, was arrested in Paris on Sunday after he ap-parently shot himself by accident and called for an ambulance.
He was outside his apartment build-ing waiting for first aid when police arrived at the scene. Authorities were able to follow a trail of blood to his car, which contained loaded guns, and transcripts regarding possible targets. Later, during a search of his apartment in southeastern Paris, authorities dis-covered more weapons including three Kalashnikov assault rifles. They also found Arabic-language material that cit-ed al Qaeda and the Islamic State group. There were also phones and computers that police used to establish that he’d been in communication with someone “who could have been in Syria.”
This person “explicitly asked him to target a church,” Molins said, declining to answer questions about the investiga-tion into what he termed “an imminent attack.”
Police arrested one person believed to be acquainted with the suspect, but gave no further details.
Israel
F-35 Fighter Jets Flying Israel’s Way
The United States will deliver on a 2010 agreement to sell Israel nine-teen F-35 fighter jets for $2.75 billion. Vice President Joe Biden made the an-nouncement at the Israeli embassy in Washington during an event honoring Israel’s 67th Yom Ha’atzmaut. Biden said the move would help Israel main-tain its military edge in the Middle East.
The vice president described the aircraft as “our finest, making Israel the only country in the Middle East to have this fifth-generation aircraft.” Vowing the United States would make sure Is-rael maintained its “qualitative edge,” Biden told the audience, “Next year, we will deliver to Israel the F-35.”
Biden also admitted that it was no secret that the Obama administration has had differences with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government, but added that the differences were natural and would not affect relations. “It’s only natural for two democracies like ours,” Biden said. “We’re like family. We have a lot to say to one another. Sometimes we drive each other crazy, but we love each other — and we protect each other.”
Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to Washington and one of Netanyahu’s top advisers, also acknowledged that the U.S. and Israel have sometimes had deep disagreements on critical matters. He added, however, that the region’s im-mense security challenges would inevi-tably pull the two democracies together. “We have weathered all those disagree-ments to grow closer and closer, decade after decade,” Dermer said.
229 Israelis Brought Home from Nepal
229 Israelis were finally back home when their El Al plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday afternoon. Among those who were flown back from Nepal were 15 newborns—includ-ing three premature babies.
Hedva Coehn said of the ordeal, “It was horrible; the aftershocks were very frightening. It’s such a relief to be at home.”
After waiting for more than 10 hours at a crammed airport in Kathmandu, which has became the refuge of hun-dreds of tourists and locals, the Israelis were excited to see the blue-and-white plane arriving to take them home. Dror Gurlick, the flight’s pilot, said, “The passengers were really tired, but very happy to see us. They understood it meant that their ordeal was about to end.
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Almost everyone fell asleep the moment they got on the plane, now everything is different – everyone is smiling.”
On Monday, a bus arrived at the Is-raeli embassy to pick up those who were waiting in tents on the grounds of the building. Dozens of doctors in the IDF Medical Corps and Homefront Com-mand troops exited the plane. Immedi-ately upon landing, they began loading the equipment brought from Israel on Nepalese army trucks. During the wait for the flight back home, Foreign Minis-try and El Al representatives handed out sandwiches, snacks and oranges to the Israelis longing to get back home.
Israeli Bible Quiz Whiz Takes Top Spot
The crown of victory from Israel’s International Bible Quiz has been re-turned to the head of an Israeli after a year-long absence. Eyal Yitzhak Ma-tas, a 15-year-old from Rechovot, won the annual competition held on Israel’s 67th Independence Day in Jerusalem. Matas edged out Udi Elgarbli, a yeshiva student from Jerusalem, who finished second. Another Israeli, Arad Kotzer of Ashdod, was third.
Last year, Ethan Amos from Can-ada took the title. The previous year, New Jersey’s Yishai Eisenberg shared the crown with Elior Babian, an Israeli. Eisenberg’s victory ended two decades in which the quiz was won only by Is-raelis. At this year’s quiz, the best per-formance by a non-Israeli was by Ryan Raphael Ripsman of Canada, who came in fourth. Ripsman was one of 12 for-eign contenders who made it to the fi-nal round, along with four Israelis. Of the foreigners, three each were from the United States, Canada and Mexico. The others were from Belarus, South Africa and Panama.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya-hu congratulated the winners in a state-ment in which he also called on Jews to make aliyah. Israel, he said, is “the place in which a Jew can walk in the street and say, ‘I am a Jew’ or ‘Je suis Juif,’” though he added this does not
mean that Israel “negate(s) the respon-sibility of the various governments in the world to see to the security” of Jews living there.
We Keep on Growing
Every year, on Yom Haatzmaut, the Central Bureau of Statistics releases a census of Israel’s population. Accord-ing to this year’s findings, there are 8.34 million people living in the country.
Israel’s population has grown by approximately 162,000 since last year, a 2-percent increase. There were 176,000 births and 44,000 deaths. An influx of 32,000 Jewish immigrants to Israel in the last year accounted for the remainder of the population increase.
The 6.25 million Jewish residents of Israel represent 74.9 percent of the pop-ulation, while the 1.73 million Arabs make up 20.7% of the current popula-tion. Residents without any official re-ligious affiliation and members of other religions (including non-Arab Chris-tians) make up 4.4% of the population.
In 2014, 75% of Jewish residents were born in Israel, as compared to 35% in 1948. When the State of Israel was established, the population numbered 806,000, and Tel Aviv-Jaffa was the only city with more than 100,000 inhab-itants. There are now 14 such cities, six of which are home to more than 200,000 people: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Hai-fa, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Petah Tikva.
Arab Teen Removed from Terror Victim Wall
The family of Muhammad Abu Kh-deir has requested that he be removed from the Victims of Acts of Terror Me-morial on Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl. His name was added last week. The Nation-al Insurance Institute has conceded to their request.
Abu Khdeir’s father, Hussein, said that he wasn’t informed of the move to include his son on the memorial, and that he opposed it. In an interview, he
said that all he wanted was for his son’s killers to be punished. “That’s the most important thing to me — not the honor bestowed on my son,” he added. “My son is gone.[...]I want justice, not honor. What good is it going to do me if his name is carved in a stone?” he said.
In an apparent revenge attack in ear-ly July 2014, three Israeli men abducted and killed the 16-year-old Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem. Last week, Abu Khdeir’s name showed up on the government’s online database of terror victims, next to an Israeli flag over-laid with a picture of the Blood of the Maccabees flower, which has come to symbolize the country’s fallen. Much controversy arose over Khdeir’s name on the list. He is not an Israeli citizen and was killed by lone murderers and not part of a concerted effort to destroy the State of Israel
Hamas Recruiting in Malaysia
Hamas is recruiting and training Palestinians in Malaysia to carry out un-
dercover operations for the terror group, the Shin Bet has revealed.
According to a report in Haaretz on Tuesday, the security service presented detailed allegations of Hamas’s opera-tions in Malaysia in a recent indictment against a Hebron resident who was cap-tured in February as he returned to the West Bank from Malaysia.
In the indictment filed in the Ofer Military Court in March, 24-year-old Hebron resident Waseem Qawasmeh was charged with belonging to and transferring funds for a banned orga-nization. He said he swore allegiance to the Islamist group while studying at the Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur where he was recruited by a top Hamas activist in the university’s student asso-ciation.
The recruits were expected to return home to act as undercover operatives and messengers for already-established Hamas networks in the West Bank and Gaza.
In a separate incident last year, a highly trained Hamas operative cap-tured by the IDF during Operation Pro-tective Edge confessed to investigators that he received military-style training in Malaysia and Gaza to prepare him to
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16 The Week In Newsparachute into Israel to kidnap and mur-der Israeli civilians. According to Shin Bet investigators, the man confessed to participating in a weeklong mili-tary-style exercise in Malaysia, along with 10 other members of the group.
IDF Stops Bomb Transfer
Israel’s military launched an air-strike on the Syrian border after spotting militants carrying a bomb in the Golan Heights this week. An IDF spokesper-son said it carried out the strike after
troops saw “a group of armed terrorists” approach the border with an explosive intended to target Israeli troops. Israeli aircraft “targeted the squad, preventing the attack.”
The IDF did not offer any casualty figure for the strike. Observatory direc-tor Rami Abdurrahman said it was not clear whether the missile was fired by a plane or from a vehicle. On Twitter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Net-anyahu sent messages commending the soldiers involved in the strike. “Any at-tempt to harm our soldiers and civilians will be met with a determined response like the military action tonight that thwarted a terror attack,” Netanyahu said.
No one immediately claimed re-sponsibility of the attack launched from inside Syria, which has been in the grips of a civil war since 2011. Israel has tried to stay out of the war in Syria, but it has spilled into the country before. In Sep-tember, the Israeli military shot down a Syrian fighter jet in airspace over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war. In August, Israel shot down a drone that came into the same airspace from Syria.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to
take military action to prevent Syria from transferring advanced weapons to Hezbollah. Israel is believed to have carried out several airstrikes in Syria in recent years that have targeted sophisti-cated weapons systems, including Rus-sian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Ira-nian-made missiles.
Former Prez Peres Cancels Bank Contract
This week, Shimon Peres announced that he has decided to cancel his con-tract to act as an advocate abroad for Bank Hapoalim. The former president also called off a planned trip to the Unit-ed States to speak at a bank event. Peres spoke with Bank Hapoalim CEO Zion Kenan to explain his decision to end the contract.
The former president convened his aides on Yom Haatzmaut, telling them to cancel the contract, including the plan to fly to New York to address a major event to mark the bank’s 40 years of op-erations in the U.S. “I am not prepared to have a false spin put on my lectures and meetings in New York. I’m not any-one’s lobbyist. I would like to immedi-ately cancel the contract with the bank,” he told his closest advisers.
According to the contract with Bank Hapoalim, Peres was to receive $30,000 per month for advisement and lectures abroad. Many were critical of the large paycheck the former president was re-ceiving, citing a tough economy felt by many Israelis. In response, Peres’ office announced, “Not one penny was not intended for Mr. Peres’ pocket, but was earmarked as a contribution to so-cial welfare projects. However, out of a desire to be responsive to the public sentiment and because of erroneous in-terpretations, Mr. Peres has announced the full cancellation of the contract.”
In a recent interview, Peres asserted, “I did not do anything wrong. I do not earn a single penny, as I did not take a penny of that money. I’m not a lobbyist at all. I do not have a bank; I have my name, and my good name is the only bank that I have.”
Israel: A Happy Country
According to the U.N.’s world rank-ing, Israel is the 11th happiest country in the world. The Jewish State came in behind Switzerland, Iceland, Den-mark, Norway and Canada, and above the United States, which placed 15th, according to the 2015 World Happiness Report.
The results come from 2012-2015 Gallup polling data, which included between 2,000 and 3,000 respondents from each country. Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. The top 10 happiest countries were Swit-zerland (7.587), Iceland (7.561), Den-mark (7.527), Norway (7.522), Canada (7.427), Finland (7.406), the Nether-lands (7.378), Sweden (7.364), New Zealand (7.286) and Australia (7.284). Israel ranked in 11th place, with a rating of 7.278. The United States placed 15th, with 7.119.
Most of Israel’s neighbors ranked low on the index, including the Pales-tinian territories (108), Egypt (135), Jor-dan (85), and Lebanon (103). The five unhappiest countries in the 2015 report were Rwanda, Benin, war-torn Syria, Burundi and Togo.
The survey found that six main fac-tors determined the level of happiness in the countries surveyed: social sup-port, healthy life expectancy, individual freedom, level of gross domestic prod-uct (GDP) per capita, generosity and perceptions of corruption. The scores were compared to those of “Dystopia,” a hypothetical country representing the worst scores from the 2012 to 2014 in-dex.
One of the goals of the World Hap-piness Report was to challenge the as-sumption that happiness is directly cor-related to wealth. While the countries that are happiest by and large do tend to be the wealthier ones, it is social factors that play a larger role in the happiness of those countries, including the absence of government corruption and the de-gree of personal freedom.
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Israel to Attend Non-Proliferation Meeting
For the first time in over two de-cades, Israel will attend, as an observer, a nuclear non-proliferation conference at the United Nations. After a 20-year long absence at summits of this kind, Israel hopes that its appearance, even in a limited capacity, will signal to Arab states a desire for dialogue. “We think that this is the time for all moderate countries to sit and discuss the problems
that everyone is facing in the region,” an anonymous Israeli official told re-porters.
Israel is one of the few remaining non-signatories to the Non Proliferation Treaty, and the country holds a large nu-clear arsenal. Pressures in recent years from Arab states and some European countries to push it into signing the trea-ty and opening up its nuclear holdings have not worked.
Israel began protesting in 1995 after a number of resolutions were directed against it, including an Egyptian resolu-tion that called on Israel to sign the NPT out of “deep concern at the continued existence in the Middle East of unsafe-guarded Israeli nuclear facilities.” But Israel has grown closer to Egypt and other Arab states in the past few years with the rise of mutual enemies — nota-bly, Hamas and Iran.
“I see this, coming as an observer to the conference now, as trying to demon-strate our good faith in terms of having such a conversation,” an official said. “We need direct negotiations between the regional parties, a regional security conversation, a conversation based on consensus. This [attendance at the NPT conference] is meant not to change our
policy. It’s meant to emphasize our pol-icy.”
Saudi Arabia has quietly lobbied against Iranian nuclear plans, as have other Sunni Arab countries, concerned about the Shiite country’s ambitions. Israel, according to the senior official, hopes the summit, which will last from April 27 to May 22, will be an opportu-nity to find common ground with those countries. The review of the 1970 trea-ty takes place every five years. Egypt, which introduced the 1995 resolution that targeted Israel specifically, is now adopting a gentler tone, possibly due to the two countries’ increased military co-operation in fighting Hamas.
NationalBaltimore Burns
The city of Baltimore was on fire as hundreds took to the streets in what they said was a protest for the death of Fred-die Gray. On Tuesday morning, the Na-tional Guard was deployed and a state of emergency was issued after days of violence ravaged the town. Around 500 guardsmen will be helping local police bring order to the chaos, and more are expected to come. A curfew was imple-mented, schools were closed, and a Bal-timore Orioles game was cancelled due to violence.
On Monday night, fires were raging, police cars were smashed, and cinder blocks were thrown at fire engines as firefighters endeavored to extinguish the flames. 15 police officers were injured; six seriously in Monday’s violence.
“This is not a lawless city,” May-or Stephanie Rawlings-Blake claimed. “I’m at a loss for words.” Apparently this is what happens when locals take the law into their own hands.
“This is not protesting, this is not your First Amendment rights,” Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said at a news conference. “This is criminal acts.”
Monday’s violence escalated near
Mondawmin Mall as a group of pro-testers threw bricks, rocks and other ob-jects at police officers. They were seen climbing on police cars and damaging several others. Fires broke out, and protesters gleefully drove cars over the flames, igniting more vehicles.
The chaos was started by a rallying cry after Freddie Gray died in police custody.
“I’m a life-long resident of Balti-more... Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs, who in a very senseless way are trying to tear down what so many have fought for,” Rawl-ings-Blake said. “Tearing down busi-ness, tearing down or destroying prop-erty. Things that we know will impact our community for years.
“It is idiotic to think that by destroy-ing your city you’re going you’re going to make life better for anybody,” she concluded.
Obama Takes Responsibility for Drone Strike Deaths
President Obama said he took “full responsibility” for the accidental kill-ings of an American and Italian hostage during a drone strike on an al Qaeda compound in Pakistan a few months ago. Lifting the lid on a classified op-eration, a solemn Obama expressed his “deepest apologies” to the families of 73-year-old economic advisor American Warren Weinstein and 39-year-old Ital-ian aid worker Giovanni Lo Porto.
Obama gave few details of the botched action, which officials said was a drone strike that took place on an al Qaeda lair in January after hundreds of hours of surveillance. The strike also killed Ahmed Faruq, an American de-scribed as a leader of al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent. It was also re-vealed that al Qaeda’s English-language spokesman, a California rocker-turned jihadist, Adam Gadahn, died in a sepa-rate strike.
The White House said neither al
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Qaeda member was specifically target-ed, raising further questions about the credibility of U.S. intelligence.
“As president and as command-er-in-chief, I take full responsibility for all our counterterrorism operations, including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren and Giovan-ni,” Obama said. “I profoundly regret what happened. On behalf of the United States government, I offer our deepest apologies to the families. It is a cruel and bitter truth that in the fog of war generally and our fight against terror-ists specifically, mistakes – sometimes deadly mistakes – can occur.”
The president said he informed Ital-ian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi per-sonally about his administration’s find-ings. Italy’s foreign ministry described the deaths as a “tragic and fatal error by our U.S. allies” but said the “terrorists” were entirely to blame.
Obama was quick to stress that “we do believe that the operation did take out dangerous members of al Qae-da.” “Since 9/11, our counterterrorism efforts have prevented terrorist attacks and saved innocent lives both here in America, and around the world,” he em-phasized.
Obama’s Emails Hacked
According to a report by The New York Times on Saturday, Russian hack-ers were successful in penetrating parts of the White House computer system last year and gained access to some of President Barack Obama’s unclassified emails.
“There is no evidence that the presi-dent’s email account itself was hacked,
White House officials said. Still, the fact that some of Mr. Obama’s commu-nications were among those retrieved by hackers has been one of the most closely held findings of the inquiry,” the paper said.
A spokeswoman for the White House declined to comment on the re-port. However, earlier this month, the White House confirmed a breach al-though they insisted that it did not af-fect classified information. Although no classified networks had been com-promised, officials conceded that the unclassified system still contains high-ly sensitive information such as email exchanges with diplomats, exchanges about personnel moves and legislation, presidential schedules and discussion about policy.
On Saturday, though, The New York Times claimed that the breach had been “far more intrusive and worrisome than has been publicly acknowledged.”
The exact number of emails sus-pected to have been read was not disclosed. The paper said that senior White House officials had known for months about the depth of the intrusion and were choosing to play it down.
Electric Car Sales Falter
Obama vowed that America would see a million more hybrid and electric cars on the road during his term, but it seems that that’s just another broken promise. According to recent estimates, he is 200K short of his goal.
According to new research by Ed-munds.com, more people are becom-ing disenchanted with electric vehicles. Drivers are trading in their hybrid and electric cars in for SUVs. The auto-re-search group discovered that “22 per-cent of people who have traded in their hybrids and [electric vehicles] in 2015 bought a new SUV,” a car that’s seen as
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the opposite of gas-sipping hybrids. That amount is higher than the 18.8
percent of drivers that did the same last year, but it’s double the number that traded in their electric car for an SUV just three years ago. Edmunds.com re-ports that only “45 percent of this year’s hybrid and EV trade-ins have gone to-ward the purchase of another alternative fuel vehicle, down from just over 60 percent in 2012.”
“Never before have loyalty rates for alt-fuel vehicles fallen below 50 per-cent,” Edmunds notes.
Even so, environmental enthusiasts and the government are still pushing drivers to switch over to more gas-ef-ficient vehicles. The White House and some states even distributed generous tax credits to encourage people to buy EVs, credits of up to $7,500.
Experts believe the lag in the popu-larity of electric cars is due to lower gas prices. When gas prices were high, cus-tomers were more likely to rationalize paying more for an electric car. Low gas prices don’t hurt the wallet as much and consumers are able to enjoy the SUVs that many crave.
Countries that Hate America the Most
The United States is one of the world’s leading powers, but that doesn’t mean that we’re the most popular. In 2014, out of 135 countries, 45% of those polled approved of the United States, about the same as last year. Of major global powers, the United States received the highest median approval rating. While the current public opinion worldwide is relatively positive, espe-cially when compared to the years of George W. Bush’s presidency, a majori-ty of residents in 15 of 135 countries did not approve of the current U.S. leader-ship specifically.
Based on data from The U.S. Glob-
al Leadership Project, 82% of Russians do not approve of the job U.S. leader-ship is currently doing, the strongest disapproval rating of any other country. Seems that Putin’s not the only Russian to dislike us. On the other hand, more than 81% of survey respondents in Sen-egal and Kosovo approved of the United States, both tied for the highest ratings in the world.
So where is America most unpopu-lar? The Russians hate us the most—at 82%. The Palestinian territories were next in line, with a disapproval rating of 72%. 69% of people living in Belar-us don’t like us, 66% of Lebanese, and 65% of those living in Pakistan.
It’s nice to know where you stand in the world.
“Killing Jews is Worship” Ad on NY Buses
Recently, the MTA approved a con-troversial pro-Israel ad campaign to be
plastered on New York City buses. One of the ads depicts a photo of a young man in a headscarf with the words: “Killing Jews is Worship that draws us close to Allah, That’s His Jihad. What’s yours?”
When the ads were first introduced, the MTA rejected them, citing a concern for public safety. But the AFDI (Amer-ican Freedom Defense Initiative) sued the MTA, complaining that the rejec-tion impeded their freedom of speech. Last Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John Koeltl ruled that New York’s Metro-politan Transportation Authority has no right to hinder the ad, regardless of how controversial it is. The MTA has argued that the ad may provoke violence against
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Jews, an idea that Koeltl rejected.MTA officials “underestimate
the tolerant quality of New Yorkers and overestimate the potential impact of these fleeting advertisements,” the judge ruled. “Moreover, there is no evidence that seeing one of these advertisements on the back of a bus would be sufficient to trigger a violent reaction. Therefore, these ads — offensive as they may be — are still entitled to First Amendment protection.”
“This is a triumph for liberty and free speech #freedom #victory #shari-afail” tweeted Pamela Geller, the pres-ident of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), a pro-Israel group.
The AFDI has filed at least nine law-suits across the country, most against cities or their contractors that refuse to display their messages. Another mes-sage that many found offensive was a poster portraying Adolf Hitler meeting with “the leader of the Muslim world” and demanding that the United States cut off all aid to Islamic countries. “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man,” reads another AFDI poster. “Support Is-rael. Defeat Jihad.”
Without surprise, the AFDI’s ads have drawn sharp criticism from Mus-lims globally. The Council on Ameri-can-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil liberties group that promotes the rights of Muslims and better relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, launched its own public relations campaign to com-bat AFDI. In 2012 and 2013, CAIR ran posters in several U.S. cities promoting peaceful versions of Islam. “‘#MyJihad is to build friendships across the aisle.’ What’s yours?” But the ads never ran in New York due to a disagreement be-tween CAIR and MTA. The latest AFDI ad mimics the CAIR’s failed campaign.
“With our NY win, our ads will make their debut on New York buses in the coming weeks,” AFDI’s website prom-ises above a “donate” button. “We want to run 100. Help us make that happen.”
America’s Highest Compensated CEO
Can you guess who is America’s highest paid CEO? Well, you can prob-ably guess who it’s not. Correct, it’s not you. It’s also not some of the very com-mon names including Tim Cook, Larry Ellison, or Mark Zuckerberg.
According to an analysis by Bloomberg News, Nick Wood-
man, 39, CEO of camera-maker GoPro (GPRO), is the lucky guy. Last June, the startup from San Mateo, California, went public and Woodman received a restricted stock grant valued at $284.5 million.
In normal circumstances, the ex-traordinary payout would have gotten the entrepreneur sent to Wall Street’s penalty box, especially since the com-pany’s shares have declined nearly 30 percent this year. But Wall Street ana-lysts are willing to give Woodman the benefit of the doubt because they predict better times lie ahead for GoPro despite its rocky year.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, GoPro noted that Woodman “is critical to the strategic direction and overall management of our company as well as our research and de-velopment process.” As it explained in its IPO prospectus, the company hopes to “develop new revenue opportunities by increasing production of GoPro orig-inally produced content while simulta-neously increasing the aggregation and redistribution of our customers.”
GoPro has signed content partner-ships with snow boarder Shaun White, surfer Kerry Slater and Microsoft’s Xbox division. It even sells “Fetch,” a camera mount that enables users to film from the perspective of their dogs. Ac-cording to Outside magazine, GoPro has 67 percent of the camcorder market, “a share so commanding that its name has become as synonymous with action cams as Kleenex or Xerox were to tis-sues and copies.”
Analysts on average expect GoPro revenues to jump 24 percent this year to $1.73 billion, while per-share profits are expected to jump to $1.38, an increase of about 4 percent from a year ago.
Despite the inconsistent climb, Woodman himself is soaring. In 2013, the latest year data was available, he earned a salary of $800,000 and a $1 million bonus along with $49,591 in car expenses. This year’s numbers haven’t been made available to the public yet, but Bloomberg estimates that his stock award is still worth upwards of $200 million and that he has a net worth of about $2.4 billion
The Week In News
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The Week In News
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Former Prez’s Alarms out of Order
John Roth, the Inspector General for Homeland Security, has informed reporters that the alarm at former Pres-ident George H.W. Bush’s Texas home was broken for at least 13 months before
the Secret Service fixed it. Roth said Se-cret Service agents assigned to protect Bush noticed a failure in the alarm sys-tem at the former president’s Houston home in September 2013. A temporary alarm wasn’t installed until April 2014.
Despite the announcement, the in-spector general was quick to point out that the Secret Service uses roving pa-trols and cameras to monitor the prop-
erty and no intrusions were detected during the time the alarm was not work-ing. Bush’s primary home, which is per-manently secured, is in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Jim McGrath, a Bush spokesman, said that the former president and for-mer First Lady Barbara Bush “have total confidence in the men and women of the Secret Service. Their trust in them is as
unshakable as it is unbreakable.” Roth’s report said the agency is also
concerned about security equipment at other former presidents’ homes. Roth recommended that the Secret Service evaluate security equipment at the homes of everyone protected by the agency and take whatever action neces-sary to repair or replace the equipment.
The report is just the latest in a string of security missteps and scandals for the agency responsible for protecting the president and former presidents. In Sep-tember, a man armed with a knife was able to climb over a White House fence and run deep into the executive mansion before being apprehended. Lawmakers have been loudly critical of the agency, including newly installed Director Jo-seph Clancy.
Lynch’s Historic Confirmation
Loretta Lynch has been confirmed by the United States Senate as the na-tion’s first black female attorney gener-al. The top law enforcement official was confirmed in a 56-43 vote last week af-ter 10 Republicans crossed the political aisle to lend their support. The confir-mation comes following a long drawn-out partisan battle. She will serve for the remaining 21 months of Obama’s presidency.
Lynch takes over outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder, whom Republicans had criticized as being a rubber stamp for Obama’s policies. Lynch’s confir-mation brought to an end a months-long process that Democrats noted took lon-ger than the confirmation of the seven
The Week In News
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Today's Kitchen 202-A Rockaway Tpke, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 • P (516) 371-1100 • F (516) 371-1101
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Affected by Divorce?Gain the help You Need
member of the community?learn how to Provide help
Upcoming screening and Panel Discussionsunday may 3 7:30pm
young israel of woodmere 859 Peninsula Blvd | Woodmere, nY
Panel will include:
rabbi Heshy Billet, Rabbi of Young Israel of WoodmereMrs. rochel Chofetz, Noted Educator
dr. norman Blumenthal, Director OHEL Miriam Trauma, Bereavement, Crisis Response Teamdavid Mandel, OHEL Chief Executive Officer
ohel aims to better educate the community about the impact of divorce – and the specific roles that the wider community, Rabbonim, community leaders, and educators can play to help ensure
that both parents of divorce, and children of divorce can thrive.
Who should see this film?Rabbis, Community leaders, educators, and most importantly,
the entire Community
o H e L P r e s e n T s
rising From DiVorceA groundbreaking new Film for all members of the community
View Trailer at www.ohelfamily.org/risingfromdivorce
Large Crowdsattended inin teaneCk & BrookLyn
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previous attorneys general combined. “Today, the Senate finally confirmed Loretta Lynch to be America’s next at-torney general – and America will be better off for it,” Obama heralded.
Lynch, 55, has served twice as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where she thrived as a relentless federal prosecutor putting mobsters and terror suspects behind bars. Her office has prosecuted more terrorism cas-es since the 9/11 attacks of 2001 than any other office. With her confirma-tion dragging on, Lynch dived into her work as U.S. attorney. Last week, she announced a 25-year prison sentence for an American from New York who admitted he tried to join an al Qaeda group.
In previous years, Lynch successful-ly prosecuted the terrorists who plotted to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank and the New York subway. She also went after corrupt public servants and poli-ticians in both parties and won billions of dollars in settlements in fraud cases involving major banks.
“Clinton Cash” Book Makes Media Waves
The media is holding a magnifying glass over the Clinton Foundation’s fi-nances ahead of a much-anticipated book that Republicans are hoping will hamper Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. The donations detailed in Peter Schweizer’s “Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Govern-ments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich,” which is due out May 5, are raising many eyebrows.
A prominent example is that of Ura-nium One. According to The New York Times, between 2009 to 2013 “a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foun-dation” as Uranium One, a Canadian mining company, maneuvered to sell its assets — including U.S. uranium mines — to a Russian energy company in a deal that required approval by the U.S. State Department, which was then helmed by Hillary Clinton.
Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four dona-
tions totaling $2.35 million to the Clin-ton Foundation. Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clin-tons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well.
Josh Schwerin, spokesman for Hil-lary Clinton’s presidential campaign, says that the Uranium One sale “went through the usual process” and that Jose Fernandez, a former assistant secretary of state who was responsible for man-aging the State Department’s sign-off through the Committee on Foreign In-vestment in the United States, “has stat-ed that the secretary did not intervene with him.”
Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Investiga-tive reporting has revealed that “at least 60 companies that lobbied the State Department during her tenure donated a total of more than $26 million to the Clinton Foundation.”
Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton’s paid speeches are being scru-tinized as well.
Bill Clinton was paid more than $100 million for speeches between 2001 and 2013, including “at least $26 mil-lion in speaking fees by companies and organizations that are also major donors to the foundation he created after leav-
ing the White House.”The book’s allegations are quite con-
troversial. The next few months should bring to light many more details of the Clintons’ financial affairs.
That’s oddBelly of Buried Treasure
When Rajpal Singh went to the hos-pital last week complaining of a stom-achache, he thought it was because of something he ate. Well, what he con-sumed was hurting him but it wasn’t a bad burger that was causing his pain. You see, the 34-year-old farmer from In-dia enjoys downing coins and metal ob-jects when he drinks his fruit juice and milk. “Due to family problems I had
slipped into depression and got hooked onto this weird habit,” he admitted.
Guess what? Eating loads of coins, nails and batteries is not too pleasant for your insides.
Doctors were forced to perform two operations to extract the 140 coins, 150 nails and a handful of nuts, bolts and batteries from Singh’s belly.
“Doctors have told me those sharp needles would have punctured my intes-tine and I would have eventually died,” Singh said. “I feel much more relaxed now. I am never going to do this again.”
Smart man.
Is Man a Monkey?
When we start equating humans to animals, we begin to look like, well, you know, animals.
This week, an animal rights group was granted a court hearing in which
The Week In News
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28 The Week In Newsit will argue that two chimpanzees who live at a New York state university can-not be held captive because they are au-tonomous, intelligent creatures.
New York State Supreme Court Jus-tice Barbara Jaffe in Manhattan issued an order late Monday, called a writ of habeas corpus, requiring the State Uni-
versity of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island to defend its right in court to keep the primates, Hercules and Leo. A writ of habeas corpus requires a per-son to be released from unlawful impris-onment.
In what it said was the first case of its kind in the world, the Nonhuman Rights
Project claims that because chimpan-zees are autonomous, intelligent crea-tures, their captivity amounts to unlaw-ful imprisonment under the law. They want the pair of chimps, who are used in research on physical movement at the university, to be sent to a sanctuary in Florida. And they’re not monkeying
around. But orders like these can be only be
granted to “legal persons” and are chim-panzees considered to be “people”? Jaffe would need to find that chimpan-zees have at least some limited rights traditionally reserved for humans in or-der to make the order stick.
In a separate case, the animal rights group, founded by Boston attorney and animal rights activist Steven Wise, sued the owners of two chimpanzees who live in upstate New York. State judges tossed out both lawsuits, and separate appeals courts upheld those rulings.
Wise has asked the state’s top court, the Court of Appeals, to hear the case. He has said a victory could spur similar cases on behalf of elephants, dolphins, whales and other intelligent animals.
In a more traditional animal welfare case in December, a judge in Argentina said an orangutan who lives at a zoo could be freed and transferred to a sanc-tuary. The judge, though, did not go so far as to grant the orangutan the same rights reserved for humans.
This world is becoming a zoo.
Duck Calls
What’s the newest equipment a fireman needs to perform a rescue? It seems that a cellphone with a duck call ringtone may just be it.
Firefighter Cody Knecht of Loui-siana performed a dramatic rescue this week when he reunited six ducklings stuck in a storm drain with their frantic mother. He used the sounds of “quack, quack” coming from his phone to corral and calm the baby ducks. Despite the almost-realistic sounds, it took the fire-fighter 90 minutes to catch the first four ducklings. The last two needed another hour to calm down.
This is not the first quacky rescue for the fire department. Just last week, fire-fighters rescued a duck that was caught in a chimney.
This town is going to the birds.
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Considering Buying a Home in Israel? Biggest Mistakes Made By Overseas Buyers – And How to Avoid Them
Discussion focusing on legal and practical issues to be aware of when buying an apartment in Israel
Sunday, May 3rd Hosts: Meir & Jenni Levin
18-36 Kildare Road, Jamaica Estates
Wednesday, May 6th Hosts: Adrian & Shani Garbacz
726 Virginia Street, Far Rockaway
Both presentations will begin at 8:00 pm
Gedaliah Borvick Founder of My Israel Home, a real estate agency helping people from abroad buy homes in Israel; syndicated real estate columnist.
Eliezer Goldberg Gold Real Estate and Heter – zoning specialists.
Ruthie Yudin Transaction Specialist at My Israel Home.
RSVP: Optional - [email protected] www.myisraelhome.com
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An Epic Fail
Thought your teacher was bad? Be happy you’re not in Professor Irwin Hor-witz’s class. He got so fed up with his class’s bad behavior—and they are in college—that he failed his entire class, calling his students “a disgrace to the school.”
What got the professor so mad? Well, “enough was enough,” according to him. It seems that his students in his Strategic Management class were so delinquent, the teacher realized that they lacked the maturity to enter the workforce. “Yes-terday I reached the breaking point,” he related. “I was dealing with cheating, dealing with individuals swearing at me both in and out of class, it got to the point that the school had to put security guards at that class and another class.”
Amazingly, the students didn’t even realize how bad they were acting. Or maybe they just weren’t too pleased that someone finally put their foot down. When they heard of their punishment—or maybe we should call it their conse-quence—they were shocked. One senior, John Shaw, called the teacher’s claims “ridiculous” and then voiced concern over possibly losing a job that he has lined up for after graduation.
Too bad for Horwitz. It seems that the college is not going to be backing up his blanket failure. In a statement, the school wrote: “None of them have failed until the end of the class, meaning the only reason a student would fail is because he or she has not performed the expectations for that particular class.”
It would be nice if Horwitz would be able to teach these rowdy kids a real les-son—a lesson on life.
Goats in the YardYard looking a little overgrown af-
ter the long winter? No need to schlep the lawnmower out of the garage. How about hiring a cute, hairy kid to give the grass a haircut? No, we’re not talking about your neighbor’s teenager. We’re talking about Billy the Goat.
If you’ve ever perused Amazon’s “Home Services” section you’ll find some wonderful plumbers and repair-
men. But in some cities, residents have the option of renting a goat to gobble up excess vegetation. Amazon will send out a professional to check out your lawn to ensure that the grass is good for goats to munch on. Once the grass is deemed ko-sher for the animals, they’ll give you an estimate on price, number of goats need-ed and how long it’ll take to get your lawn in tip-top shape. Oh, and they’ll keep the goats in a temporary pen so they won’t start trimming your neighbor’s lawn as well. (After all, what’s their teenage son doing on Sunday?)
What’s a tribe of goats capable of doing? Well, “they eat tons of stuff! They’re curious little creatures that like to at least taste almost anything re-sembling a plant. They actually love to munch away at many types of vegetation that we find invasive, ugly, or harmful to humans. Goats can eat thistle, black-berry, English Ivy, kudzu, poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, wisteria, vari-ous grasses, and more.” Sounds like the perfect lawnmower, I mean lawn-eater, I mean goat, to me.
Dealing with their droppings after they leave, though, may just get your goat.
Gem of a Find
When Susie Clark visited Arkansas’ Crate of Diamonds State Park last week, she didn’t know she’d be coming home with something shiny in her pocket.
This was her second trip to the park; she first visited with her mother and grandmother 33 years ago. This time, Susie noticed a sparkler in the dirt—a 3.69 carat diamond, about the size of a pinto bean. Because she prayed before
she found the diamond, she’s calling it the “Hallelujah Diamond.”
Officials at the park say conditions were perfect for diamond hunting; it re-cently rained and the rains washed away some of the topsoil.
OWP
When Ashley Crawford’s son got pulled over recently, she was overjoyed. Apparently, her son, Jaxson, was doing crazy stunts and the police officer who pulled him over thought that enough was enough.
Well, that’s not really what happened. When Ashley, mother of two-year-old Jaxson, saw police tending to a small car wreck on her street, she asked the police officer to turn on his lights and pull over Jaxson in his beloved red and yellow Cozy Coupe.
The police officer, Bill Mayo, was happy to play along. “I saw this little boy who looked to be not much older than my son, and he was running up and down the street like my son does and he just made me smile,” Mayo relates. “He had this Little Tikes car, and his mom asked if she could snap some pictures. I would never say no to a boy like that. He kept looking up at me like I was some kind of Transformer. He kept smiling.”
The duo spent about 20 minutes to-gether, playing hide and go seek, and of course exchanging high-fives.
Officer Mayo was delighted to spend time with this little tyke. “I probably got just as much out of the interaction as Jaxon did. It made my day complete,” he says. “I’m just a big kid as it is. In a child’s world, make believe and pretend is what it’s all about. I would do it a thou-sand times over.”
He continues, “I can assure you that I have witnessed countless of the exact same acts of kindness from my fellow police officers on a daily and weekly ba-sis. It wasn’t unusual. But it felt good
to get in touch with the community and show police officers’ true character and what we’re about.”
Despite the fun time had by all, Craw-ford is hoping this will be the first and last time her son gets pulled over. “My uncle, when he saw the pictures, said that Jaxon was pulled over for an OWP,” she says. “Operating with a pacifier.”
OK, kid. Keep your hands where we can see them.
A Fruit for a Home
Need a new home? Why don’t you try hitting the president on the head with a mango? Think it sounds crazy? Well, it worked in Venezuela.
Marleny Olivo had a problem with her home and needed to get authorities’ attention. So when President Nicolas Maduro was driving a bus through a crowd last weekend, she threw a man-go at the leader, hitting him on the head. But the mango wasn’t an ordinary man-go. On it, Olivo scrawled, “If you can, call me” with her name and phone num-ber. It may seem unconventional, but her ploy worked.
Maduro was pleased to announce to the country that he was able to solve Ol-ivo’s problem. “I’ve approved an apart-ment for you, Marleny, as part of the ‘Grand Venezuelan Housing Mission,’” Maduro said ebulliently, vowing to eat the mango.
Not everyone was too pleased with Maduro, who, like his predeces-sor Chavez, collects petitions during his trips around the country—although most of them are scribbled on paper and not on fruits. He also frequently gives away homes, appliances and pensions to low-income Venezuelans, irritating critics.
“If for a mango they give you apart-ments, then you know what to do: throw him a pineapple!” quipped Dolar Today, a website that’s vocal about their oppo-sition to Maduro.
“A mango shortage is coming, let’s line up to throw them at Maduro and get a new house!” one Twitter user joked.
This just takes the (fruit)cake.
The Week In News
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YOU CAN BE THAT WOMAN
BFG will select 10 women to inaugurate the The Emma Beckmann Women's Association.
LIMITED SLOTS STILL AVAILABLE!
FORTY-THREE INTERVIEWS AND STILL INTERVIEWING…
1449 37th St. 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11218 | 718-302-8790 | www.bfgny.comNetworking By Women • Trained By Women • Lead By Women • Influenced By Leading Women Producer
Brooklyn Financial Group is an agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), New York, NY File #2015-5200 Exp. 4/17.
a sample of frequently asked questions from our interviewees!
BFG has access to unique tools that no one else in the industry has. We also have successful associates trained exclusively by BFG.
12. HOW LONG IS THE FIRST INTERVIEW?Typically it is 45 minutes or less, unless you have a lot of questions!
13. WHO ARE GOING TO BE MY TYPICAL CLIENTS?It starts with acquaintances, family & friends. And then you network & get recommendations.
14. BASED ON WHAT ARE YOU SELECTING THE ELITE 10?First thing we look for is confidence, entrepreneurial skills and the willingness to succeed. It helps if you have the drive to make money! Since we received a larger response than expected, the number 10 is subject to change.
15. WHAT IF I AM NOT AVAILABLE FOR ONE OF THE TRAINING SESSIONS?It is a rotation of 13 sessions, independent of each other, so if you miss one class, you can still participate with the next one fully. Eventually, you can wait for a subsequent rotation to make up on the session you missed.
16. WHAT’S MY NEXT STEP?Call or email The Emma Beckmann Association as soon as possible - before the 21st of May, when we start our first training session.
CONTACT US TODAY!E. Friedman, Administrator718-302-8790
Team Leader 718-302-8791
5. WHO PAYS FOR THE TRAINING?BFG will pay for each woman selected to join The Emma Beckmann Women’s Association. We will invest our time and knowledge, making your success as a financial representative all the more possible.
6. DO I HAVE TO INVEST ANY MONEY?No.
7. HOW DO I GET LICENSED?We provide you with all the pertinent information, and we will even schedule your schooling - a three day training followed by an exam. Upon passing your exam you get your NYS Life, Accident and Health insurance license and with it, the ability to sell insurance and fixed financial products.
8. CAN I OPERATE MY BUSINESS OUTSIDE OF BROOKLYN?Absolutely! We keep getting phone calls from all over NJ, Monsey, Five Towns, and further. We have mentor support available via phone and email. With today’s technology, distance isn’t an issue at all.
9. WHAT IS THE MENTORING YOU MENTION IN THE ARTICLE ABOUT?We have top trainers being sent to us from Guardian with some of the top producers sharing their tips of success. In addition, we have a very knowledgeable team leader available to support and help with any questions. We will also have an experienced associate accompany our new associates on the first few major meetings if needed.
10. DO I NEED ANY KNOWLEDGE IN THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY TO QUALIFY FOR THIS CAREER?No, not in the beginning. We will give you the knowledge, but you need to bring the willingness to learn!
11. WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF WORKING WITH BFG, AS OPPOSED TO ANY OTHER FINANCIAL ORGANIZATION?
1. HOW MANY HOURS DO I NEED TO COMMIT TO?As with any other business, you want to give it your best in energy and in hours in order to be successful.
2. WHAT IS THE TRAINING SCHEDULE STRUCTURED LIKE?A wise women never stops learning! Typically though,there are ongoing weekly refresher sessions as well as orientation on various new products data.
However, the initial introduction class for our beginners is a full day class and going forward, the insurance initiation sessions are 12 classes of 90 minutes each.
3. CAN I DO BUSINESS BEFORE TRAINING IS OVER?You can start as soon as you have obtained the licenses required.
4. WHAT ARE THE TRAINING CLASSES ABOUT?• How to develop your market• Pinpointing financial problems• Finding the right financial solution• Product Orientation• Business Management• Underwriting process• How your compensation plan works
INFINITE GUIDANCE,INFINITE POTENTIAL,INFINITE INCOME.
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CAN BE THAT WOMANBFG will select 10 women to inaugurate the The Emma Beckmann Women's Association.
LIMITED SLOTS STILL AVAILABLE!
FORTY-THREE INTERVIEWS AND STILL INTERVIEWING…
1449 37th St. 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11218 | 718-302-8790 | www.bfgny.comNetworking By Women • Trained By Women • Lead By Women • Influenced By Leading Women Producer
Brooklyn Financial Group is an agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), New York, NY File #2015-5200 Exp. 4/17.
a sample of frequently asked questions from our interviewees!
BFG has access to unique tools that no one else in the industry has. We also have successful associates trained exclusively by BFG.
12. HOW LONG IS THE FIRST INTERVIEW?Typically it is 45 minutes or less, unless you have a lot of questions!
13. WHO ARE GOING TO BE MY TYPICAL CLIENTS?It starts with acquaintances, family & friends. And then you network & get recommendations.
14. BASED ON WHAT ARE YOU SELECTING THE ELITE 10?First thing we look for is confidence, entrepreneurial skills and the willingness to succeed. It helps if you have the drive to make money! Since we received a larger response than expected, the number 10 is subject to change.
15. WHAT IF I AM NOT AVAILABLE FOR ONE OF THE TRAINING SESSIONS?It is a rotation of 13 sessions, independent of each other, so if you miss one class, you can still participate with the next one fully. Eventually, you can wait for a subsequent rotation to make up on the session you missed.
16. WHAT’S MY NEXT STEP?Call or email The Emma Beckmann Association as soon as possible - before the 21st of May, when we start our first training session.
CONTACT US TODAY!E. Friedman, Administrator718-302-8790
Team Leader 718-302-8791
5. WHO PAYS FOR THE TRAINING?BFG will pay for each woman selected to join The Emma Beckmann Women’s Association. We will invest our time and knowledge, making your success as a financial representative all the more possible.
6. DO I HAVE TO INVEST ANY MONEY?No.
7. HOW DO I GET LICENSED?We provide you with all the pertinent information, and we will even schedule your schooling - a three day training followed by an exam. Upon passing your exam you get your NYS Life, Accident and Health insurance license and with it, the ability to sell insurance and fixed financial products.
8. CAN I OPERATE MY BUSINESS OUTSIDE OF BROOKLYN?Absolutely! We keep getting phone calls from all over NJ, Monsey, Five Towns, and further. We have mentor support available via phone and email. With today’s technology, distance isn’t an issue at all.
9. WHAT IS THE MENTORING YOU MENTION IN THE ARTICLE ABOUT?We have top trainers being sent to us from Guardian with some of the top producers sharing their tips of success. In addition, we have a very knowledgeable team leader available to support and help with any questions. We will also have an experienced associate accompany our new associates on the first few major meetings if needed.
10. DO I NEED ANY KNOWLEDGE IN THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY TO QUALIFY FOR THIS CAREER?No, not in the beginning. We will give you the knowledge, but you need to bring the willingness to learn!
11. WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF WORKING WITH BFG, AS OPPOSED TO ANY OTHER FINANCIAL ORGANIZATION?
1. HOW MANY HOURS DO I NEED TO COMMIT TO?As with any other business, you want to give it your best in energy and in hours in order to be successful.
2. WHAT IS THE TRAINING SCHEDULE STRUCTURED LIKE?A wise women never stops learning! Typically though,there are ongoing weekly refresher sessions as well as orientation on various new products data.
However, the initial introduction class for our beginners is a full day class and going forward, the insurance initiation sessions are 12 classes of 90 minutes each.
3. CAN I DO BUSINESS BEFORE TRAINING IS OVER?You can start as soon as you have obtained the licenses required.
4. WHAT ARE THE TRAINING CLASSES ABOUT?• How to develop your market• Pinpointing financial problems• Finding the right financial solution• Product Orientation• Business Management• Underwriting process• How your compensation plan works
INFINITE GUIDANCE,INFINITE POTENTIAL,INFINITE INCOME.
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A new night Kollel for working baa-laei batim started in the Far Rockaway and Five Towns this past week. It is an extension of the Mir Alumni Kollel in Lakewood, which was established two years ago to fill a void that existed for many alumni of the Mir, and yeshiva guys in general, who went out to work and miss the yeshiva-style learning. B”H there are already many shiurim and learning programs in Gemara, hala-cha, and the like in the community. Yet, with all that, post-yeshiva bochurim find themselves missing that geshmake sed-er in iyun and lomdus. The Kollel offers
working bnei Torah an exciting program that enables them to maintain a mean-ingful kesher with the Yeshiva through learning Sugyos B’Iyun with a close-knit chevra and suitable chavrusos. Weekly maarei mekomos are provided, as well as a coordinator who assists with chavru-sos arrangements and a shoel u’meshiv to discuss the sugyos. Each Thursday night there is a live interactive shiur from HaRav Yosef Elefant shlita, plus periodic shmuessen via two-way video conferenc-ing.
The Lakewood branch has been wild-ly successful, attracting over 50 work-
ing professionals learning every night b’chavrusah.
The Five Towns branch has only re-cently begun, and it is never too late to join the Kollel. They learn through var-ious sugyos, and the maarei mekomos are always new and fresh each week. Although it was originally created for alumni of the Mir Yeshiva, all are wel-come and encouraged to attend.
The Kollel is located at Mesiv-ta Ateres Yaakov, 131 Washington Av-enue (directly across from Carlos & Gabby’s, parking at the bank next door, which is allowed after 6 PM). The Rosh
Chabura is R’ Yitzchok Goodman shli-ta. The Kollel will be learning Meseches Gittin this zman. The learning will start at 8:30 and will be followed by Maariv at 9:45. To quote one member, “As a talmid of Rabbi Elfant, it is exciting to be back in his shiur now. Sitting and listening to the shiur brought me back to my yeshiva days, and it nice to know I still can have a kesher with my Rebbe and continue to shteig as I work.”
For more details, and for assistance in finding a chavrusa, please contact R’ Zvi Soroka at 845-364-7155.
Five Towns Night Kollel
Please join us at theSHALOM TASK FORCE
AnnuAL BRunCHSunday, May 3, 2015 at 10:00 AM
Sephardic Temple, 775 Branch Boulevard, Cedarhurst, NY
HOnORARy AwARdS
Men and Women Invited
Moshe Wolfson, Brunch Chairman
SPoNSorShIP oPPorTuNITIeS AvAIlABle
For reservations and donations, visit www.shalomtaskforce.org
For more information, call 212-742-1478 or e-mail [email protected]
Sheila SeligProFeSSIoNAl leAderShIP AWArd
Joyce AusteindedICATed ServICe
rabbi dr. Abraham J. TwerskiGueST oF hoNor ANd KeYNoTe SPeAKer
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Simple to Spectacular
Mouthwatering full-color photo
accompanies every recipe.
Each recipe includes cooking tips,
techniques, and advice from
Norene Gilletz.
Each dish indicates if it’s freezer-friendly,
for make-ahead cooking.
Many recipes offer a gluten-free option.
Nutritional information is
included for every recipe.
Daniella Silver, a fresh name in the world
of kosher food, joins forces with best-selling
cookbook author Norene Gilletz, to create this
outstanding cookbook that delivers over
160 wholesome, family-friendly recipes that
you’ll make again and again.
NEW FROMAvailable at your local Hebrew bookseller orat www.artscroll.com • 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724)
NEW
COOKBOOK
COMING
NEXT WEEK
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Scenes from Sunday’s 6th Annual Dinner of Bais Tefila of Inwood Jordan & Chana Kaplowitz and David & Chani Winzelberg were the evening’s guests of honor
Around The Community
Many options for great classes with experienced, dynamic professors. Online classes available.
TWO SESSIONS: MAY 27–JUNE 30 AND JULY 6—AUGUST 6
Questions? Email Dr. Gillian Steinberg, Director of Summer School, at [email protected]
To learn more, visit www.yu.edu/academics/summer-program/
SUMMER SCHOOL AT YESHIVAUNIVERSITY!
Yeshiva University
AccountingArtBiologyChemistryEconomics
EnglishFinanceJewish StudiesMarketingMathematics
MusicPhysicsPolitical Science PsychologySociology
SpanishSpeech
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Tuttorosso Tomatoes 79¢
28 oz. can Crushed – Peeled –
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Ronzoni Pasta 88¢ 1 lb pkg
Ziti – Spaghetti – Elbows – Rotini
Hecker’s Flour2 for $5.00
5 lb bag All Purpose
Snapple Teas 69¢
16 oz btls Asst
Season Whole Chestnuts$2.99 21 oz pkg
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– Barley
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lbfilleted per order
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2 liter btls Regular or Diet
Kleenex Facial Tissue
3 for $5.00 160 ct pkg
Marcal Bath Tissue $8.99 20 roll pkg
FRESH SUSHI
Apple Snax Applesauce
99¢ 16 oz pkg
4 pack
Pepper Tuna Roll $4.99
each
Near East Couscous or
Rice Pilaf 4 for $5.00 4 to 11 oz pkg Asst
Mango Avocado Roll $3.99
each
Meal Mart Beef Patties$19.99
3 lb box
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$4.99each
Sabra Hummus3 for
$10.00 17 oz cont Asst
California Tempura Roll
$6.95 each
California Tempura Style w/ Sweet Sauce
Fresh Green Peppers 99¢
lb
Kiwi Fruit 10 for
$2.00
New Crop Florida
Blueberries 2 for $5.00
Long Green Cucumbers
5 for $2.00Organic
Romaine Hearts (3 count)
$2.99
Great for Baking Idaho Potatoes
5 lbs $1.49
Extra Large Mangoes 99¢
each
Portabella Caps or Sliced
Mushrooms “Great on Grill” 2 for $4.00
Natural Snack Grape Tomatoes 2 for $3.00
LaRouge Sweet Red Peppers $1.49
lb
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3 for $1.19
Washington Extra Fancy Red
Delicious Apples (100 ct)
79¢ lb
Baby Peeled Carrots 99¢
each
Dole Classic Iceberg or
Coleslaw Mix 2 for $3.00
Sweet Summer Corn
(Yellow or Bicolor) 12 for
$3.99Tangy Jalapenos
or Tomatillos 99¢
lb
Tradition Instant Cup A Soup 69¢
1.23 to 2.29 oz cup Chicken, Vegetable, Onion, Tomato – Beef
Case of 12 $6.99
Fage Yogurts10 for $10 5.3 oz cont Asst
Glicks Mushrooms
99¢ 8 oz can
Stems & Pieces
Strauss Milky Puddings $3.99
18.76 oz pkg 4 pack
Eggland’s Best Large Eggs $3.49
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Around The Community
St. Louis, Mo., April 20— Five stu-dents from Bais Yaakov of Queens will be honored by The Grannie Annie Fami-ly Story Celebration with publication of their historical family stories. Students who participate in The Grannie Annie write a story from their family history, based upon information they gather by interviewing an older relative. Authors are also invited to submit illustrations with their stories.
Authors from Bais Yaakov whose stories will be published in “Grannie Annie, Vol. 10, “ to be released in May, are fourth-graders Sarah Davis, “Honey for Olives”; Chava Deutscher, “Faith in the Darkness”; Nechama Feintuch, “Face to Face with an Idol”; Abigail G. Harris, “Too Much Lekvar”; and Malka Neuman, “The Worth of a Diamond.”
The Grannie Annie Family Sto-ry Celebration is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in St. Louis, Mis-souri. “Grannie Annie, Vol. 10,” to be published in a paperback edition and a PDF edition, will include thirty-five stories written by fourth through eighth
graders from across the United States. The stories, which are also published on The Grannie Annie’s website, describe events in fifteen different countries, dat-ing back to 1861.
“We’d love for everyone to involve young people in The Grannie Annie,” said Executive Director Connie McIn-tyre. “Together we can support and en-courage students’ work in literacy and art, share history that’s personal and relevant, and strengthen relationships in our families and communities.”
The published authors have been invited to read their family stories and sign books at The Grannie Annie Book Signing Celebration on Sunday, June 7, at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis. Following the Book Signing Celebration, illustrations and excerpts from “Grannie Annie, Vol. 10” will be exhibited at several locations in the St. Louis area.
Complete details about The Grannie Annie can be found at www.TheGran-nieAnnie.org.
Students at Bais Yaakov Have Family Stories Published
Mazel tov to the Mock Trial Team of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls who won the final round of competition in the Mineola Courthouse on Wednesday, April 23! For the second time in SKA’s history, the Mock Trial Team will be going to Albany for the State Mock Trial Competition in May.
As Mrs. Helen Spirn noted in her congratulatory email, it was a tremen-dous kiddush Hashem to watch two ye-shivot, SKA and MAY, compete on such an advanced level. “We are incredibly proud of our students’ performance,
preparation and dedication throughout the season,” she said. “We are grateful
for the guidance of their devoted coach-es, Mrs. Brynde Berkowitz and Mrs. Sa-
ritte Wolkenstein.”
SKA Mock Trial Team Wins Nassau County Championship
On Thursday, April 23, the Shevach students were treated to a very inspir-ing program. The Senior Chesed Heads, Malka Babayoff, Gayli Kaplowitz, Bay-la Koss, and Ita Steinberg, under the guidance and leadership of Assistant Principal Reb. Chani Grunblatt, decided that hakaras hatov for an amazing year of volunteerism was in order. The stu-dent body was therefore invited down to the Multi-Purpose Room for iced coffee and Danishes. Little did they know that the real treat was yet to come. After en-joying the refreshing snack, the young ladies were addressed by one of today’s most powerful speakers, Rabbi Benzion Klatzko. Rabbi Klatzko brought to life the concept of “Olem Chesed Yeboneh,” clearly illustrating through many vi-gnettes how acts of
chesed have the power to make the world an amazing place and is one of the most powerful forces in bringing Moshiach. Rabbi Klatzko described some of the programs he is current-ly running such as Hashem.com and UMA.com.-Urgent Mitzva Alert. Rabbi Klatzko was impressed both by the stu-dents’ commitment to chesed and their overall Torah knowledge.
There was absolute silence in the
room as Rabbi Klatzko had the girls en-thralled with stories of chesed, in partic-ular when he spoke of his brother, Rabbi Gavriel Klatzko a”h, lovingly known as Rav Gav. Rav Gav was a paradigm of chesed; he would literally give the shirt off his back. His acquaintances learned quickly not to compliment anything be-longing to Rav Gav, as that item was immediately given to them. His love of bnei Yisroel was legendary, whether dealing with what appeared to be an Af-rikaner in the middle of Kruger National Park or discovering the Johannesburg Jewish Biker Club in a bar, which led to his creating a weekly Biker Shiur for Jews who previously had no interest in anything Jewish.
Rabbi Klatzko ended his talk with a moving story and song about the chesed he received at the end of the shivah for his brother. The entire student body was incredibly moved by Rabbi Klatzko’s presentation and was further motivat-ed to continue with all their chesed activities. We are confident that acts of chesed such as those portrayed by Rabbi Klatzko are definitely hastening the coming of Moshiach, may he come speedily in our days.
The Inspiring World of Chesed
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Mesivta Ateres Yaakov held its annu-al dinner this past Sunday evening, April 26 at Congregation Ohr Torah in North Woodmere. The Yeshiva celebrated with parents, alumni, and friends who came to pay tribute to an institution that en-compasses a community high school, a yeshiva gedolah, a kollel, and a growing community kehillah.
The honorees included Guest of Hon-or, Mr. Gary Schall, Superintendent of the Lawrence School District, Parents of the Year, Dr. Eyal & Mrs. Alla Waldman, and Community Service Awardee Dr. Eli Shapiro. Rabbi Rafael Stefansky, a veter-an Rebbe in Mesivta, was presented with the Harbotzas Torah Award in recogni-tion of his 12 years of diligently teaching and guiding MAY talmidim. Additional-ly, a scholarship fund was established at the dinner in memory of Molly Klapper a’’h & Rose Meth a’’h by their children, Mr. Jack & Dr. Rochelle Meth.
The overflow crowd at this year’s dinner paid tribute to the Yeshiva’s mis-
sion of catering to the individuality of each talmid. Whether it is through en-richment or remediation, the Rabbeim and faculty of Ateres Yaakov have a keen ability to help each talmid succeed. That same support extends well beyond the classroom walls, to all areas of the talmi-dim’s lives. Each and every talmid is cul-tivated and built up by the Rabbeim and faculty to produce a confident, capable,
well-rounded Ben Torah. Ateres Yaakov is steadfast in its mission of community building via the focus on each individual.
The event was enhanced by the pres-ence of many prominent Rabbanim and community leaders. Many local public officials attended the event including Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, Assem-blyman Phil Goldfeder, and Councilman Bruce Blakeman.
Mr. Mark Gold, co-president and an alumni parent, said, “The large number of attendees and their enthusiasm gave great chizuk to the Rabbeim and staff in attendance.” Ateres Yaakov thanks all of those who attended and those who worked so hard to make the event a great success.
MAY Dinner – Building the Community, One Talmid at a Time
Dr. & Mrs. Eyal Waldman receiving their awardMr. Gary Schall accepting the Guest of Honor Award
Dr. Eli Shapiro, Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, Menhael, Mr. Gary SchallRabbi Yaffe, Rabbi Rafael Stefansky, Rabbi Yehuda Horowitz (Mashgiach Ruchani)
Celebrating Yom Ha’Atzmaut at the JCC of the Greater Five Towns’ Early Childhood Center
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Around The Community
At the Learn & Live Program this week, the boys enjoyed pizza and soda and then answered questions during the “Questions for Dollars” program. Rabbi Yitzy Erps told a story called “The Lost Wallet” about the mitzvah of hashavas aveida, which truly amused the boys.
On Wednesday, April 22, the stu-dents of Shulamith Middle Division attended a meaningful Yom Hazikaron “tekes” (ceremony). We davened as a group, recited Tehillim, observed a moment of silence as they do in Israel, and lit memorial candles for the fallen from all the wars fought by Israel from the pre-State period through today, and for all victims of terror worldwide. We saw a deeply moving video of a beauti-fully worded song, written in memory of the three yeshiva students murdered last summer. Mr. Menachem Landau, father of Hodaya, who served in the IDF from 1997-2000, shared memories of his fel-low soldier, Chief Warrant Officer Rami Kahlon, who fell in Operation Protective Edge this past summer. By hearing the story of a fallen friend, we were able to multiply that by almost 25,000 men, women and children lost over the years,
and personalize the day even though we are living in the U.S. and are not person-ally able to walk among the graves at the military cemetery on Har Herzl in Jeru-salem, as so many students in Israel did today. Our assembly concluded with the Yizkor and Kayl Maleh Rachamim tefilot for soldiers and for terror victims and with the communal singing of Hatikvah.
The next day, we gathered once again to daven together and recite Hal-lel in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut. We then enjoyed a delicious breakfast complete with bourekas, blue and white donuts, and juice. As we munched, we were able to enjoy a slideshow provid-ing us with a virtual tour of the Holy Land. We then watched a wonderful video depicting a wide spectrum of fel-low Jews lauding and applauding our beloved homeland.
Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut at Shulamith
A simple change to a hospital’s drug ordering system reduces the risk that older people will receive dangerously high doses of medication, according to a poster presented at Touro College Re-search Day.
Organized by the Touro Research Collaborative, Touro College Research Day is being held from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Touro College of Pharmacy campus at 230 West 125th Street in Harlem.
Falls are common among hospital-ized older patients, and medications are often the culprit, according to Rebecca Salbu, Phar.D., CGP, an associate pro-fessor at Touro College of Pharmacy, who led the new study with the assis-tance of Dr. Rosanne Leipzig. Some drugs are not recommended for older people at all because they can increase the risk of falls, while others need to be given at lower doses in order to be safe.
“Many elderly people can be on quite a number of medications that may be unnecessary, and may be interact-ing with each other to cause adverse effects,” Dr. Salbu added. These drugs can make people feel dizzy, drowsy and weak, she added, putting them at risk of falls.
When a physician orders a medica-tion for a hospitalized patient, an “order set” embedded into the medical record
will suggest a default dosage for that drug that may or may not be appropri-ate for that patient depending on patient specific factors. In the new study, Dr. Salbu and her team investigated the ef-fect of adjusting these default doses to geriatric-appropriate dosing for patients 65 and older for seven medications that are known to increase the risk of falls.
Over two hundred medication orders were assessed. During the three months before the order-set changes, medica-tions were prescribed appropriately 23% of the time. During the following three months, the rate of appropriate prescribing increased to 40%. And after the order-set change, doctors were less likely to prescribe the fall-linked drugs at any dose to older people. “They may have just become more aware altogether of overprescribing in the elderly popu-lation, and that perhaps the medications were not needed,” Dr. Salbu said.
She and her colleagues are expand-ing their study to other units of the hos-pital. “Our next step is then to see if there was an overall reduction in falls as a result of these changes in order sets,” Dr. Salbu said.
The Touro Research Collaborative, a dedicated group of faculty who pursue research in the medical and health sci-ences, founded the Research Day—now in its fourth year—to foster collabora-tions among faculty and students.
Small Fix Could Yield Big Benefits by Reducing Falls in Hospitalized Seniors
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PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN
Project Extreme held their annual breakfast at the home of Michael and Michelle Edery in Lawrence this week. Pictured here are A Y Weinberg, Director of Project Extreme, Bruce Blakeman, Councilman-3rd District of the Town of Hempstead, who received a Certificate of Recognition, Rabbi Abraham Twersky, MD, Guest Speaker, Michael Edery and Michelle Edery, hosts. A plaque was presented to Mayer Gold and Seasons for the breakfast. A CD of Rabbi Twersky’s speech is available from Ivan Norman at 212-461-0087 [email protected].
PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN
The Young Israel of Wavecrest and Bayswater commemorated the seventh yahrzeit of Sol Kalish a”h, Shlomo ben Abba Menachem, this week. The evening was sponsored by the Hecht and Kalish family. The guest speak-er was Rabbi Jonathan Rietti whose topic was titled: Tefila: 1 800-All-Mighted, Conversations with the Ultimate Therapist. A CD of the shiur is available from Ivan H Norman at 212-461-0087 or [email protected]. Pictured here are Rabbi Eliyahu Hecht, Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, guest speaker, Rabbi Eliezer Feuer, Mara D’asra, Rabbi Daniel Haddar and Rabbi Yehuda Hecht.
Towns and Rockaway were awarded medals for their outstanding research at the Long
Island Math Fair on April 24 at Hof-stra University.
David researched infinite sets and classified various subsets of the real numbers for their cardinality and was the recipient of a bronze medal. Max-well researched recursion relationships
of triangular numbers and was award-ed a silver medal. Eric researched knot theory and was also awarded a silver medal.
All three students worked with their mentor, Mr. Neil Bernstein, mathemat-ics department chairman at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rock-away.
David Fleschner, Maxwell Lent and Eric Wietschner of the Hebrew Academy of the Five
HAFTR Students Take Honors at the Long Island Math Fair
Construction of Ramat Givat Zeev has begun, according to Ichud Yesodot Bniyah, the executing company of the luxury project. The company expects the project to be complete within 24 months.
The construction in the luxury neigh-borhood Ramat Givat Zeev, north of Je-rusalem, has gone into high gear. Ichud Yesodot Bniya, the company chosen to execute the project, has begun opera-tions on site. Progress is already evident.
The implementation agreement signed by Ramat Givat Zeev’s architects and Ichud Yesodot Bniyah is one of the largest implementation agreements signed this year in Israel, totally ap-proximately NIS 216 million at a value of approximately NIS 900,000 per unit. Ichud Yesodot Bniyah was selected be-cause of its long-term experience and its high work standards of work, as seen in the many projects it has been involved in throughout the country.
Nofei Yisrael, the project’s initiator,
says that the first residents will move in within 24 months, dependent upon the receipt of the building permits.
Most of 234 large and luxurious units included in the project were sold during the project’s development. As construc-tion commences, it is expected that there will be another wave of purchasers who will try to buy in at this stage. Based on the current real estate trends, it is likely that the cost of the unsold units will rise as construction proceeds.
Ramat Givat Zeev will be a luxury neighborhood based on Torah values. Homes will be built according to the highest standards of construction and environmental design. The apartments in this prestigious project are char-acterized by a level of finishing seen in Orthodox neighborhoods abroad. The neighborhood will include private homes and 13 apartment buildings. The neighborhood is situated mountain-side above Givat Zeev Hachadasha and fea-tures a breathtaking view.
Ramat Givat Zeev: Construction Has Begun
“The responsibility and devotion you have warms my heart and bring tears to my eyes.” –Yitzy, a fifth grader in Yeshiva of South Shore
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A Gift for Mom...and a little something for you!
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By Chaim Gold“I walked in and what I saw was a
davar niflah, a wondrous occurrence. Such a rabbim, so many people, so many talmidei chachomim muflagim learning, taking tests on halacha! It is not a simple zechus. We are living in the time of geu-lah. The Gemara says that Ben Dovid, Moshiach, will come on Sheviis or Mot-zaei Sheviis, in a Shmittah year or right after a Shmittah year.” These were the heartfelt words of HaGaon HaRav Dovid Schustal, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, upon see-ing legions of lomdei Dirshu taking tests at the Dirshu testing site in Lakewood, NJ.
The Kiddush Hashem That is Capable of Invoking Rachmei
ShamayimHow is it possible to describe a kid-
dush Hashem of such magnitude, a kid-dush Hashem that simply had to invoke rachmei shamayim, Divine Mercy. Ap-proximately 30,000 people throughout the world – yes, tens of thousands! – took Dirshu tests this past Friday and Sunday. Think for a second. Many tens of thou-sands of Yidden have joined the ranks of being shoneh halachos b’chol yom by participating in Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi
B’Halacha program and taking the first test in the Machzor Sheini that began at the beginning of this past month of Nissan. Tens of thousands of bnei Olam Haba learned a daily daf of Mishnah Ber-urah this past month and reviewed to the extent that they could take a test. If that is not a colossal kiddush Hashem that has the power to invoke rachmei shamayim and immeasurably enrich Klal Yisrael, what is?
“Why is Everyone Talking about Olam Haba? What about Olam
Hazeh?!”One talmid chacham, while exiting
the Lakewood testing site, put it suc-cinctly when he said, “Why is everyone talking about Olam Haba, that he who learns halacha every day will receive Olam Haba? I say that his Olam Hazeh is transformed in a way that he has never experienced before! Every second of the day he is living with Hashem. It is amaz-ing! From the second I wake up – we just learned the halachos of negel vasser, of getting dressed, of saying the morning brachos, of tzitzis… hundreds of details have been learned. I feel like a totally dif-ferent person!”
Converging on the Worldwide Testing Sites in Droves
In Eretz Yisrael, where tens of thou-sands have joined the family of Daf Ha-Yomi B’Halacha, the extent of the way that Klal Yisrael has embraced Daf Ha-Yomi B’Halacha is clearly visible. Sim-ilarly, in America and Europe as well, Dirshu has seen an exponential rise in Daf HaYomi B’Halacha learners and test takers. This was especially visible in the large testing centers of Brooklyn, Lakewood and Monsey. Rabbi Kalman Perl, a veteran Dirshu test taker living
in Boro Park, related, “Even when walk-ing down the street several minutes after 7:00 p.m. heading towards the testing site at the Spinka Beis Medrash, I noticed that something was very different. As I walked I saw so many other people walk-ing with a purposeful gait, coming from all sides, converging on the Spinka Shul. Upon entering, my eyes couldn’t believe what they saw. The large beis medrash was soon packed. Even the expansive, upstairs ezras nashim was full… yet peo-ple kept coming.” In fact, nearly 500 tests were taken at that Boro Park site alone!
In Lakewood, too, it was difficult to find a seat in the large Beis Medrash of Yeshiva Ketanah. People just kept com-ing. As soon as one person finished the test, another person grabbed his seat. “We expected a tremendous increase in learn-ers and test takers,” said Dirshu’s Ameri-can Director, Rabbi Ahron Gobioff, “but the numbers and the seriousness with which the test takers clearly approached the test, showed that they had incorpo-rated Daf HaYomi B’Halacha not only into their schedules but into their lives! It was clear that much time had been spent
daily learning and reviewing halacha. By the time they came to the test they were nervously anticipating this opportunity to show Hashem and themselves what a difference this limud has made in their lives.”
Monsey, Williamsburg, Flatbush, England, France, South America, South Africa, Russia and Ukraine similarly experienced tripling, quadrupling and often more of test takers as Daf HaYomi B’Halacha began its Machzor Sheini – embraced by all of Klal Yisrael in its diversity with tremendous love and ded-ication.
“Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is a Constant Companion a Constant
Connection to Hashem”In Boro Park, when the test was at
its peak, with hundreds immersed in the questions and answers, the test tak-ers merited a visit by Dirshu’s Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter. Rav Dovid did not want to interrupt the test in a significant way so he delivered short words of Torah and brachah impressing upon the crowd the magnitude of their undertaking.
30,000 Participate in Historic Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Bechina
Rabbi Y.Y. Eisenberger addressing the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha bechina in New Square
Paris
Argentina The Vienner Rav addressing the Daf HaYomi B’Hala-cha bechina in Williamsburg
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In his words, Rav Hofstedter hailed the beauty inherent in the fact that Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is something that lomdim constantly have on their minds. They learn it in every spare minute, be-fore davening and after davening, bein hasedorim and during lunch break at work, at night, before supper, after sup-per. “It is a constant companion, a con-stant connection and gift to Hashem,” Rav Hofstedter said.
He related that it is no coincidence that both the siyum of the Machzor Ris-hon and the beginning of the Machzor Sheini took place in the month of Nis-san. The Sefer HaChinuch teaches that the day of Sefirah are days of preparation for Kabbalas HaTorah. What connection,
however, does the bringing of the korban Omer have with Kabbalas HaTorah?” Rav Hofstedter asked. “The Medrash says there is a connection between the maan that sustained the Bnei Yisrael in the Midbar and the korban Omer. Hash-em, as it were, says, “Look at the differ-ence between Me and you. I brought you and the Omer of maan every day for each person and you are only bringing Me one Omer, once a year. Another difference is that the maan tasted like anything where-as the Omer was made out of barley, an inferior food.”
The Korban Omer – a Gift of Inferior Food Given with Love
Rav Dovid cited a passuk in Mishlei, “A meal comprised of just vegetables that is given with love is better than a meal made out of the best meat but given be-grudgingly.” He then explained, “The Yidden brought the korban Omer the day after Pesach, the day after Hashem showed His great love for them by taking them out of Mitzrayim. Why? Because they felt so compelled to give something back to Him! The Omer is made of bar-ley. Barley is the first grain to sprout and be harvested. The Yidden simply felt that they could not wait any longer. They so longed to show their love that they even brought the seemingly inferior korban
Omer out of barley to show their love for Hashem.”
Rav Hofstedter then connected the korban Omer with the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha saying, “Compared to learn-ing and being tested on Shas, perhaps the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is inferior, but in truth it has a unique maalah, a unique, special quality. It is like the Omer, it is like the barley korban that is given with love. Yidden take the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha with them wherever they go. Every spare minute is used to learn it, before davening, after davening, at work, during a lunch break, while travelling af-ter seder, bein hasedorim… Every spare minute that someone has he consecrates to Hashem by chapping arein a bit more Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. This shows a unique love of Hashem, it is truly akin to
the Omer, sacrificed with such love!”Rav Hofstedter also visited the Flat-
bush site in the Mirrer Yeshiva on Ocean Parkway. Rabbi Dubin, a veteran test tak-er, related that in his many years of taking tests he had never seen such numbers and so many new people flocking to a Dirshu test.
Infinite Hakaras HaTov to DirshuRabbi Gobioff, who accompanied
Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Dirshu’s Nasi to a number of Brooklyn testing sites, add-ed that one of the most poignant things about the tests was the deep and genuine hakaras hatov that so many learners ex-pressed to Rav Hofstedter. “You could see how they literally felt compelled to get through the crowds, come shake his hand and tell him, ‘Rav Hofstedter, I can’t tell you how much Dirshu has im-pacted my life. I can’t tell you what it has done for my entire family.’ Accom-panying Rav Dovid, I saw this numer-ous times throughout the evening! It was deeply moving.”
One baal habayis related, “I would never have achieved mesikus haTorah, tasted the sweetness of Torah, if not for Dirshu.” Another person came over to Rav Hofstedter and related something simply mindboggling, “I am not a kollel yungerman, and if not for Dirshu there is no way that I would put in the 8-10 hours a day into my learning that I do today!”
“That,” Rabbi Gobioff said, “was said by a person who is engaged in parnassah
Monsey
Flatbush
South Africa
HaRav Dovid Schustal addressing the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha bechina in Lakewood
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but still has managed to find 8-10 hours a day to learn due to Dirshu.”
“This Can Bring the Geulah Closer”The Lakewood testing site was truly
unique. In his public remarks, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Schustal, shlita, Rosh Ye-shiva of Beth Medrash Govoha, said, “The people taking the test are talmidei chachamim muflagim!”
Rav Schustal spoke about the re-markable phenomenon of chizuk ha-Torah that Dirshu has become. In par-ticular, he hailed the revolution in the leaning of halacha, practical halacha from the Mishnah Berurah right up un-til the present day poskim that Dirshu has now strengthened in an unprece-dented fashion. He explained the words of Chazal that the ultimate geulah will come in the zechus of the Mishnah and showed how the word Mishnah means
learning, reviewing and coming to the ultimate halachic conclusions. He said that Dirshu and Rav Hofstedter have merited a zechus that few have merited. First they enhanced the learning of Tal-mud Bavli in a wonderful way with their Daf HaYomi programs and now they have gone a step further by strength-ening the learning of Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah and so many import-ant additions [in the Biurim and Musafim in the Dirshu Mishnah Berurah]. The fact that there is a program and a frame-work to properly learn practical halacha is something that can bring the geulah closer,” Rav Schustal exclaimed.
On a personal note the Rosh Yeshi-va related that he himself has had the pleasure of learning from the Dirshu Mishnah Berurah and benefiting from the numerous citations brought there. It was a sight to see Rav Schustal walking
through the beis medrash and observing the rows and rows of lomdei Dirshu dil-igently taking their tests.
Learning Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is the Highest Level of Torah Learning
In Williamsburg too, at the Dirshu testing site a massive crowd came to take the test. In the middle of the test, the lomdim merited a visit from the dis-tinguished Vienner Rav, HaGaon HaRav Asher Anshel Katz, shlita. Rabbi Chaim Shloime Adler related, “The Rav was clearly moved as he observed the unusu-ally large crowd quietly taking the test.”
In his short remarks, the Vienner Rav first and foremost praised the test takers as heroes, who in a very busy world with so many things vying for their attention, have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort to enhance their limud haTorah by learning, reviewing and knowing the material well enough to be tested on it. Rav Katz focused on the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha saying that in the tefillah of Ahavas Olam said before Shema, we ask Hashem to have mercy on us, to help us listen, learn, teach, safe-guard, observe and fulfill all the words of Your Torah. Each level represents a higher level of service of Hashem. The highest level is “observe and fulfill.” “That is Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. It is the highest level of Torah learning be-cause it is practical halacha l’maaseh.”
Chazarah – a Segulah Not to Transgress Any Halacha
The unprecedented numbers of peo-ple at the testing site in Shikun Skver merited hearing words of bracha from the Skverer Dayan, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Yisroel Eisenberg, shlita. He re-lated that aside from the intrinsic value of chazarah, reviewing also represents a segulah that one should not transgress
any halacha. He hailed Dirshu as the or-ganization that has returned the crown of halacha to its rightful place by ensur-ing that there is “Halacha Berurah and Mishnah Berurah everywhere.” Rabbi Shmiel Greenfeld of Shikun Skver re-lated that he overheard a test taker – an accountant by profession – tell a fellow test taker that he had somehow found four hours each day to put away simply to review all of the material upon which the test was given.
At one of the sites, one person who takes the test, candidly related, “Dirshu has made me into a ben Torah.” The Chiddushei Harim says that a ben Torah means he is child of Torah. Just like a child is always running after his moth-er and can’t separate himself from his mother, so too a ben Torah is constantly running after Torah and can’t separate himself from it. That is the secret of Torah. It makes Torah inseparable from those who learn it.
The Quietest RevolutionRabbi Gobioff concluded, “It was
the quietest revolution that one could find. In every city, Lakewood, Brooklyn, Monsey, Houston, Texas and of course Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, London, Par-is, Johannesburg and so many others, thousands upon thousands were sitting with their pens, brows furrowed, quiet-ly writing answers to the questions on halacha and mussar that they learned over the past month. Who knows? It is very likely that when we will finally be zoche to that ultimate day for which we are all waiting, those tens of thousands of quiet test takers and the aggregate millions of halachos learned, imple-mented and practiced will have had an instrumental role in finally bringing the geulah!”
Rav Dovid Hofstedter at the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha bechina in Boro Park
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By Rabbi Nachman SeltzerI have had the privilege to record the
happenings at quite a few Dirshu events over the last few years. Every one of them was unique, every one of them with a taste all its own.
Every one of these events was spec-tacular in its own way.
Dirshu, however, never rests. As the participants of Daf HaYomi
B’Halacha opened their seforim to the first page of the Mishnah Berurah, the hands of the clock began their relentless countdown to the moment when thou-sands would gather to be tested for the first test of the second cycle. Once again I am off on another whirlwind day, ac-companying Rav Dovid Hofstedter as he makes his rounds from test location to test location, to oversee and personally take part in what is possibly the largest Torah test ever held in Jewish history. A
global halacha test in which over 30,000 bnei Torah people worldwide are slated to take part. Tests will be given in Aus-tralia, South Africa, Europe, Russia, Mexico, Canada, Israel and the United States. In sixteen countries and on five continents.
30,000 people taking a test. That’s a lot of people.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but this may be a moment for the Guinness Book of World Records.
• • •
I left Ramat Beit Shemesh very early Friday morning, parking near the final gas station before the road forks – Tel Aviv to the left, Jerusalem to the right, and was picked up soon afterwards by two members of the Dirshu team. Con-vivial and confident, they afforded me
an opportunity to hear firsthand from people who see the Dirshu effect up close and on a daily basis.
“You want to know what’s hap-pening right now?” one of them asked me. “Since the siyum my phone hasn’t stop ringing! I’m getting phone calls every minute of the day from people around the country who
want help setting up new groups to join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. The amount of shiurim have literally tripled since the siyum! When I take one call, there’s a beep in the middle and I know that I’m missing another call from someone else who wants to open yet another shiur. This kind of success is not normal!”
His phone rang a minute later as if to prove the point. A short conversation ensued.
“Guess who that was,” he asked us.“Don’t keep us in suspense.”“Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s personal
doctor.”“What did he want?”“He told me that he needs to be at
the clinic early today and he wanted to know if we could arrange for him to do the test before he has to leave.”
“And?”He gave me a smile. “What’s the
question? It’s already taken care of!”
• • •
I witnessed rows and rows of Bnei Torah taking the test, while the brilliant chandelier above the bima illuminated the epic scene.
After davening Shacharis with Rav Dovid who had just stepped off the plane, there was a little break before heading over to the nearby test. We even had time for a short conversation.
“What are the most common words that you hear from people?”
He didn’t have to think.“They tell me that being part of Dir-
shu has changed their lives. I hear those words all the time.”
“So much has been accomplished,” I said to him, “but I know that you haven’t stopped dreaming of the future. What’s the next stage for Dirshu?”
“We need to see every school and family around the world involved in studying the words of the Chofetz Chaim. Both halacha and mussar. With tests and accountability”
“And it’s happening?”“New schools are joining the pro-
gram all the time.” The amazing thing about all this was
that Rav Dovid wasn’t just talking about one sector or faction. From the halls of the most prestigious litvishe yeshivos, to the very center of Yerushalmi Meah Shearim, to the Torah scholar/warriors of Mercaz Harav and Kerem B’Yavneh – all of Klal Yisrael is being united under Beitar Illit, Israel
Dirshu Hanahala at Kosel
Rav Simcha Kook, Rabbi of the Churva shul and Chief Rabbi of Rechovot, addressing a Daf HaYomi B’Halacha bechina
Dirshu: Where Dreams Become Reality, Eretz Yisrael View
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the Dirshu banner of Torah excellence. 4,000 people have joined the Dirshu rev-olution in the last few weeks alone!
• • •
The streets of Bnei Brak were filled with an ocean of bnei Torah surging to-wards the Dirshu testing center on Rechov Shlomo Hamelech. The cavernous room was rapidly filling up with a nev-er-ending stream of people taking their seats around the tables, test papers before them. Thousands of people were assiduously filling out their tests as the air buzzed with the quiet hum of knowledge be-ing transferred from mind to paper. Rav Moshe Shaul Klein, a close talmid of HaRav Shmuel Wosner and Rav of Bnei Brak’s Orach Chaim neighborhood, ad-dressed the assembled, after which Rav Dovid himself rose to speak.
• • • Rav Dovid posed a series of ques-
tions relevant to the topic of the Korban Omer. He quoted a number of Talmu-dic statements correlating between the maan, the daily sustenance received by the Jews in the desert, and the Korban Omer – noting how Hashem pointed out that while He provided our sustenance on a daily basis throughout our sojourn in the desert, we returned the favor with the Korban Omer – once a year and in minute quantities.
What,” asked Rav Dovid, “is the con-nection between the Korban Omer and the spiritually based maan/food enjoyed by the Jews in the desert? Furthermore, everyone knows that the Jewish Nation offered many sacrifices daily throughout
the year, and not just the once-a-year Korban Omer!
The answer to these questions,” ex-plained Rav Dovid, “lies in the unique-ness of the Korban Omer which was only offered after the Jewish Nation had been redeemed by Hashem and once they had internalized the eternal love Hashem possessed for them. While the sacrifice itself may have appeared incon-sequential as compared to a regular ani-mal sacrifice, it was offered with incred-ible love and joy on the part of the Jews. Small perhaps, yet very meaningful and filled with sweetness and yearning for Hashem. This tiny sacrifice personified pure love.”
And that was why the Korban Omer was compared to the maan.
Having the maan rain down on the Jewish camp every day for forty years was Hashem’s way of showing the Jews how much He loved them. An interac-tive experience that would remain with them for all eternity – the delicious taste
of the most spiritual of foods, combined with the genuine love Hashem feels for His nation.
“Klal Yisrael continues to offer many sacrifices to Hashem,” continued Rav Dovid. “And the relatively ‘small’ sacrifice of studying a page of halacha on a daily basis can be considered our generation’s Korban Omer, containing as it does, the love of Hashem’s Chosen People.
“The few minutes a day when a Jew opens his Mishnah Berurah and stud-ies his daily quota, is the equivalent of a Jew screaming with all his might, ‘I want to be a Jew! I want to live like a Jew!’ Those few minutes of Torah study reveal a Jew’s true feelings of love for Hashem. A small gift from a Jew to his creator, but one containing tremendous power and depth. A modern day Korban Omer.”
• • •
Rav Dovid opened up to the assem-bled, exposing the depth of his feel-ings on the passing of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, the Sheivet Halevi, zt”l. He spoke of the sadness which gripped the entire nation upon hearing the trag-ic news and how Rav Wosner’s loss is a personal tragedy for the entire Dirshu family. Rav Dovid stressed how involved Rav Wosner had been with Dirshu in general and the Daf HaYomi B’Hala-cha program in particular. Reminiscing about the past, he shared something Rav Wosner had said at a gathering celebrat-ing ten years to Dirshu’s founding.
Rav Wosner transmitted his message to us with excitement and passion.
“Over the course of my life,” he said, “I have Boruch Hashem merited to form relationships with many Torah leaders from around the world. Every single one of them was exceptional in his own way. Some were very sharp, some very deep and some were blessed with uncommon doses of common sense ….. every one of them possessed unique character traits. There was, however, one common thread that united them all; a broadness of knowledge in the hidden secrets and treasures of the Torah…
“I give thanks to the Master of the world, who gave me the ability to witness the Torah scholars of the coming generation…who toil and push them-selves, so as to study the entire Shas with clarity and true mastery.
“And all this,” concluded the Sheivet Halevi, “has come about through the ef-forts of Dirshu.”
It was with these poignant words and fond memories that Rav Dovid Hofsted-
Haifa
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ter bid a personal heartfelt farewell and tribute to one of the undisputed halachic leaders of the generation…and a true be-liever and supporter of the Dirshu dream and mission statement.
• • •
The Kiryat Sefer test took place at Kollel Ateres Shlomo and was graced with the presence of Rav Aryeh Finkel, Rosh Yeshiva of Mir Brachfeld, and Rav Meir Kessler, Rav of Modi’in Illit, who addressed the gathering. (In general, ev-ery testing location was visited by their own special guests. For example, Rav Moshe Tzadka, Rosh Yeshivas Porat Yosef, delivered words of chizuk at the testing site in Ramot.)
As Rav Dovid approached the building, he was greeted by a long row of young yeshiva bochurim from Yeshi-vas Acheinu – a yeshiva for boys from more traditional homes. (Acheinu is one of Rav Dovid’s personal projects.) They watched him approach, then one boy broke forth from the ranks and ran to shake his hand…and it was as if a sig-nal had been given and the entire group surrounded him, asking for brachos and showering him with love.
Walking up the stairs, Rav Dovid in-troduced me to a man in his forties who told me that the Dirshu halacha tests had succeeded in uniting his family like nothing else had ever done.
“During the weeks of Pesach vaca-tion, my three sons and I studied togeth-er b’chavrusa – one big happy family,” he told me, smiling broadly at the mem-ory.
“How old are your sons?”“One is a big boy in Yeshiva Gedola.
The other two are young teens. But age doesn’t matter when it comes to learn-ing Torah. We sat and learned together. It was so beautiful. So special. Now the zman started and the boys returned to yeshiva. But all three of them are keep-
ing up with the program. My sons and I have never been closer.”
I looked at the father and saw hap-piness.
Torah happiness. As I entered the packed Beis Me-
dresh, I witnessed rows and rows of Bnei Torah taking the test, while the brilliant chandelier above the bima illuminated the epic scene. To be honest, mere words won’t suffice to portray the enormity of the moment (you really have to see the pictures to truly comprehend the magni-tude of this magical day).
• • •
The streets of Yerushalayim were congested as we drove towards Meah Shearim. It was twelve o’clock on Erev Shabbos, cars and buses were slow-ing down the traf-fic, but my driver was unfazed. A sharp left into the alleyways of the Bucharim shuk led us to Rechov Yo-sef Karo. Around the Mir and soon we were entering
Meah Shearim proper. Another right and now the alleyways were almost too tight to drive through, the car barely manag-ing to squeeze past the stone buildings on either side. One minute later we were entering Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok,
along what seemed like all of Meah Shearim. The room was packed, every seat taken, as HaRav Tuvia Weiss, Gaa-vad of the Badatz – Eideh Hachareidis, gave an impassioned speech to mark the occasion.
On the surface, Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok was a replay of everything we had witnessed that day. But here, the men wore the striped kaftan of the Yerushal-mi Yid and conversed animatedly in Yid-dish. Outwardly different in appearance from those we had met earlier, there was nothing different about their obvious ap-preciation for Dirshu’s style of learning and the place of prominence it occupied in their lives.
One thing was obvious.Dirshu knows no borders. Litvish, Mizrachi, Chassidish,
Yerushalmi. We all need to know halacha.
• • • The Soloveitchik home on Rechov
Amos welcomed us with graceful charm as the leaves of the towering Yerusha-layim trees rustled gently outside the
windows. The Brisker Rosh Yeshiva was uncharacteristically ebullient in his praise of Dirshu and its accomplish-ments.
“You take thousands of men and transform them into bnei olam habaah,” he exclaimed over and over to Rav Dovid. “What a zechus you have!”
Rav Dovid requested a bracha for the future.
“You’re making people into bnei olam habaah,” replied Rav Dovid Soloveitchik, “why do you need a bra-cha from me?!”
We parted soon after, with warm wishes from the Rosh Yeshiva and a very special bracha for Rav Dovid Hof-stedter.
• • •
Our final stop of the day was at the Kosel.
In the corner of the Kosel plaza were gathered a group of fifty men. Every one of them a powerhouse, these relatively young leaders are the core of Dirshu. They have gathered here to thank Hash-em for past successes and to daven for the future – a future which they hope will include every member of Klal Yisrael. This event is happening far away from the media spotlight and to me it feels most special of all. Rav Dovid stood in the center of the group, embraced by his beloved team. His eyes were closed in concentration. All fifty recited Tehillim line by line and then Nishmas in one voice. It being Erev Shabbos, the Kosel plaza was mostly empty.
Suddenly all fifty young men – the Torah activists of tomorrow – broke out in song…voices blending in perfect harmony beneath the brilliantly blue Yerushalayim sky.
“Kuh Ribbon Olam.” I watched them leaving the week
behind while ushering in the Shab-bos. Arms around one another as they swayed gently from side to side – the Dirshu brotherhood was at peace as they surrounded their “Rosh Yeshiva” in joy-ful solidarity. Song filled the air. The sound of men who carry the Torah study of thousands on themselves, the sound of the team that is splitting the Torah atom.
And then one final handshake to Rav Dovid, and they dispersed with best wishes of Good Shabbos all around, happy in their mission, content in their chosen life, secure in the knowledge of what they have done and will continue to do for Klal Yisrael.
I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to a perfect day.
I witnessed rows and rows of Bnei Torah taking the test, while the brilliant chandelier above the
bima illuminated the epic scene.
Modiin Illit
Elad
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Around The Community
On Thursday, April 16, the students of Shulamith Middle Division gathered in the school’s Multi-Purpose Room for their annual Yom HaShoah Commem-oration. The event began with a recita-
tion of Tehillim led by G.O. President Rachelli Wasser. Next, the students of Grade 8, under the supervision of their music teach-er, Morah Shira, sang a number of moving and very meaningful songs,
including one based on “The Butterfly,” a poem written in Theresienstadt by four-teen-year-old Pavel Friedman, who was later killed in Auschwitz.
In keeping with the solemn na-ture of the day, yahrtzeit candles were lit in memory of the six million kedoshim. We were privileged to be joined by Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Gross, survivors of the Holocaust, parents of Mrs. Vicky Silver-man, and grandparents of Kayla Silver-man, an eighth grad-er in Shulamith. Mr. Gross read a moving statement, charging the students to “re-member and re-member well to pass down for all genera-tions.” He told them that they would be the last generation to hear about the Shoah directly from the survivors, and that it was therefore even more imperative that they heed the call of “Zachor.” We were also zocheh to hear from Mrs. Tzila Weinstein, grand-mother of eighth grader Eliana Hirsch, and mother of Mrs. Rena Hirsch, a facul-
ty member in Shulamith Lower Division. Mrs. Weinstein recounted some of her father’s experiences during the Shoah, and spoke of his emunah in the face of terrible suffering. She reminded the girls to always put their trust in Hashem.
The culmination of this year’s com-memoration was an address by Mrs. Lea Lichtman. Mrs. Lichtman painted a vivid portrait of her experiences before, during, and after the Shoah. She spoke eloquently about her life as a young girl in pre-war Hungary, the escalating atrocities in her hometown, and her de-portation to Auschwitz. Miraculous-ly, she survived the initial selection by lying about her age. She then endured unimaginable suffering, and in the wan-ing days of the war, lost her mother who up until then had been with her in the camps. Upon liberation, Mrs. Lichtman was reunited with her father and brother. After the war, Mrs. Lichtman was able to resume her education. She eventually came to the United States where she mar-ried and rebuilt her life, raising a family, and continuing in the path of Torah and
Yiddishkeit forged by her parents. As students, faculty, and guests rose
to sing Hatikva together, we each dav-ened that Hashem redeem us from galut May we merit to greet Moshiach speedi-ly in our days!
“Remember and Remember Well”
The Margaret Tietz Nursing and Re-habilitation Center will be hosting its third Healthcare Symposium on apha-sia and related conditions on Tuesday evening, May 12. “Face to Face with Aphasia” is a symposium for healthcare providers, caregivers, case managers, social workers, and persons living with aphasia with additional information on stroke recovery. The event will feature two discussion panels one with speech language pathologists and the second with people living with aphasia. The former director of National Aphasia As-
sociation, Ellayne Ganzfried, MS, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, will moderate. Headlining panelists will be Akila Ra-jappa, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, Speech Language Pathologist, Columbia Uni-versity Teacher’s College and Yael Neu-mann-Werth, PhD, CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders, Queens College. There will be an extensive dis-play of information and resources at the event.
Please RSVP to Linda Spiegel [email protected].
Margaret Tietz to Host Aphasia Symposium
OHEL’S Rising from Divorce Film This Sunday
Following on the hundreds who at-tended the Brooklyn debut of the film, an equally large crowd of concerned community members, men and wom-en, attended the Northern New Jersey screening of OHEL’s groundbreaking new film Rising from Divorce at Con-gregation Bnei Yushirin in Teaneck this past Sunday.
Through the film, which is for all members of the community, OHEL aims to better educate the communi-ty about the impact of divorce, and the specific roles that the wider communi-ty, rabbanim, community leaders, and educators can play to help ensure that both parents of divorce and children of divorce can thrive.
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky provid-ed divrei Torah and focused both on the new dawn after divorce, as well as the community-wide role and varied responsibilities in addressing the spe-cific needs of divorcees and especially children of divorce. Rabbi Pruzansky accompanied a professional panel of ed-ucators and mental health professionals who addressed and answered a myriad of questions after the 30 minute film showing.
OHEL’S Long Island screening
takes place this Sunday at 7:30pm at the Young Israel of Woodmere, where Rabbi Heshy Billet will provide divrei bracha and join an esteemed panel including Rochel Chafetz, noted and local edu-cator; Dr. Norman Blumenthal, OHEL Director of Trauma, Bereavement and Crisis Response; Dr. Mark Banschick, well-known author and psychologist; as well as David Mandel, CEO of OHEL, who will serve as moderator.
To see a trailer and for more infor-mation, please visit http://www.ohelfam-ily.org/risingfromdivorce.
With abundant joy and tremendous simcha, Rabbi Spiegel’s 3rd graders of Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island danced through the halls last week to mark the completion of finishing Parshas Miketz.
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Hundreds joined in celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut at HALB last week. A choir, play, exciting games and food were enjoyed by all who participated.
Around The Community
PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS
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Around The Community
Midreshet Shalhevet prides itself on being dedicated to am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael by incorporating classes and programs focusing on the central-ity of Eretz Yisrael to us as Torah Jews. They recog-nize the significance of the State of Israel and instill in their students an attach-ment to the State of Israel and its people as well as a sense of responsibility for their welfare. Therefore, it came as no surprise when Midreshet Shalhevet pre-pared an inspiring dedica-tion to the fallen soldiers of the Israeli Defense Force on Yom Hazikaron. The siren rang and each student stood in silence to honor those who perished protecting Israel. Pictures and biographies of soldiers adorned the walls in the hallway so that each students could read about members of the IDF, who gave up their lives pro-tecting Israel. The Committee for Isra-el Activism club arranged a screening of Beyond the Helmet, a documentary that followed the lives of five Israeli soldiers. The film allowed the students to truly understand and learn what be-ing a part of the army really is, and how much each soldier gives up in order to serve Israel. The footage was moving and uplifting and gave an au-thentic feel to each soldier’s situation. Following the movie, the Shalhevet choir, led by Mrs. Andrea Schulman, performed a beautiful rendition of Ha-tikva and other songs. Each student walked away from the program feeling even more appreciative of the Israeli soldiers who risk their lives each day protecting Israel.
Yom Ha’atzmaut allowed for the activities to continue celebrating Israel and all that it has to offer. Subsequent to davening, the students initiated the
celebration of Israel’s 67th birthday with a daglanut, a traditional Israeli flag dance. After the incredible per-formance, the G.O. broke out Color War! The school was divided between the freshmen and seniors, who were on the white team, and the sophomores and juniors on the blue team. The white team represented Yerushalayim, while the blue team represented Chev-ron. All throughout the day, the girls planned, played, and prepared for the activities. There was a machanayim tournament, Apache race, See Run Build competition, blindfold puzzle tournament, scavenger hunt, obstacle course, and college bowl trivia. The festivities continued onto Friday where each team had to present an original song, stomp, banner, and everlasting gift. Although it was color war, both teams displayed a tremendous amount of achdus and spirit! Congratulations to the blue team on their win!
Celebrating the Spirit of Israel at Shalhevet
By: Shani Klier and Michal Zelmanovitz
This past Thursday, on Israel’s Inde-pendence Day, nine students from Shu-lamith School for Girls went to the JCC to celebrate the day with JCC members, most of whom vividly remember the day Israel achieved statehood. The girls joined the JCC members with dancing and singing. They helped serve a lavish Israeli-style lunch, had meaningful con-versations with the members about their
memories of the time, and sang Israeli songs for them, including the Israeli na-tional anthem, Hatikva. Everyone had a wonderful time dancing with the girls to the musical talents of Ricky Pen. The girls encouraged the seniors to get up and join the dancing and brought back memories of their youth and the actual celebration when Israel became a state in 1948. Hopefully, next year we will all be in Israel celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut together.
Sari Moskowitz, Yael Cinamon, Michal Ginsburg, Sarala Kupferstein, Esti Weiss, Shani Klier, Michal Zelmanovitz, Dvora Golombeck, and Nava Yastrab
Shulamith Group Joins the JCC in Celebration of Israel
OHEL recently launched a new par-enting workshop for parents of young children based on the popular 1-2-3 Magic model. Following up on the very successful initial series led by OHEL’s Devorah Levin, LMHC, the new six week workshop will begin on Wednes-day, May 6 in Far Rockaway.
Devorah Levin, a licensed mental health counselor who maintains a pri-vate practice specializing in adolescents and adults, will bring her expertise both as a parent and clinician to conduct this workshop.
For the past six years Devorah has worked in various OHEL programs working with both children and adults,
collaborating with schools and leading various parenting groups using different evidenced-based models.
The course is open to parents and caregivers of children under 5 years old. Space is limited! For more information or to register for this workshop please con-tact OHEL Access at 1800-603-OHEL or email [email protected].
Since 1969, OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services has served as a dependable haven of individual and family support, help-ing people of all ages effectively manage dis-ability, surmount everyday challenges, heal from trauma, and manage with strength and dignity during times of crises
OHEL Launches New Free Parenting Workshop
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As Lag B’omer approaches, any-one who has been fortunate enough to pour their hearts out at the Tanna Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai recalls these sweet memories. The singing and dancing with other Jews from all walks of life until the wee hours of the night is an experience that bonds itself with the soul.
Why is Meron such an enchanted place, especially on Lag B’omer?
The Talmud teaches that during the time of Rabbi Akiva, 24,000 of his stu-dents died from a divinely sent plague during the counting of the Omer. The Talmud related that this plague happened because the students did not show proper respect towards one another; they were jealous of each other and competed to see who could reach the highest levels of spirituality by putting their friend down. Miraculously, on the 33rd day of the Omer this plague stopped. Rebbe Akiva was left with only five students, one be-ing the Tanna Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai.
The Holy Tanna Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi) grew in his Torah learn-ing to become a gigantic luminary for his generation and for all generations to come. Rashbi’s life spanned many im-
portant periods throughout our nation’s history. He saw the Holy Temple and its destruction while thousands of Jews were being led to their deaths by the Romans. He witnessed the destruction of Beitar and the cruel deaths of the Ten Martyrs.
As the Talmud recounts, Rebbe Shi-mon felt the Romans would soon come for him fearing for his life, he and his son fled to the caves of Tekoa. For twelve years they delved into the depths of To-rah while surviving on the carob tree and water spring that Hashem miracu-lous provided for them. After 12 years, Elijah the Prophet came and stood at the entrance to the cave and said, “Who will notify Bar Yochai that the Caesar has died and the decree is nullified?” Upon hearing that, Rebbe Shimon and his son came out of the cave and started to re-turn home. However, unable to handle the mundane world, they went back into their cave for another 12 months to ease their way back into the physical world.
History of Meron
On the 33rd day of the Omer, Rebbe Shimon left this world. The Zohar de-
scribes that he gathered his closest stu-dents together and shared with them the secrets of the Holy Torah. He told them that this day should be a day of rejoicing and celebration because “it is my day of joy.” The Zohar describes how as his bed was surrounded with a pillar of fire enter-ing the cave floating on air, a Heavenly Voice called out, “Come and gather for the hillulah of Rebbe Shimon.”
The tradition of celebrating the hil-lulah has spanned thousands of gener-ations. Rav Chaim Vital describes the Arizal visiting Meron on Lag B’omer. In the 15th century thousands would trav-el from all over Asia and Africa to visit Meron on this holy day. Families came from as far as Damascus and Baghdad. Bonfires were lit in honor of the Rashbi and people would dance and study Zo-har the whole night. Later in history, the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh got off his don-key and crawled up the mountain with his hands and feet to celebrate this holy day, and when he reached the top he was overcome with emotion and was very joyous on this special occasion. Today, hundreds of thousands of Jews flock to Meron for the largest Jewish gathering in the world to unload their burden and daven for salvation. They dance togeth-er the whole night in celebration of this holy day.
Chai Rotel SegulahRav Aharon of Karlin says that all
those who believe in Rebbe Shimon will be uplifted by Rebbe Shimon. Countless people have seen tremendous yeshuos ei-ther for children, marriage, livelihood, or health because they have contributed to increasing the simcha of Lag B’omer in Meron.
The Ta’amei HaMinchagim says that numerous people have been helped by donating “Chai Rotel” for the seuda in Meron. Rotel is an ancient measurement and 18 rotel is roughly 54 liters of wine. The practice of donating money for food and drinks in Meron is supported by such luminaries like Rav Ovadia M’Bartenu-ra and the Sheloh Hakadosh. Rabbi Ye-hudah Leib Horenstein, Tal LeYisroel, writes that he met two people on Lag B’omer in Meron that donated Chai Ro-tel and had children after more than 10 years of marriage. The Bobover Rav, The Kedushas Tzion, sent a letter from Poland to his Chassidim in Israel asking them to donate Chai Rotel in Meron on this holy day on behalf of a couple that did not have children.
Power of the RashbiThe Sages explain that miracles were
routine for Rebbe Shimon and the Tal-mud describes many stories about the miraculous wonders Rebbe Shimon per-formed even after he has left this world. The Arizal says, “On Lag B’omer the Tanna Rashbi stands at his holy resting place and blesses each and every person that comes to pray there and rejoice in his name on his holy yahrtzeit.”
On the day Rebbe Shimon left this world, a fire was ignited that will never be extinguished. On each and every Lag B’omer, sparks fly from the fire to ig-nite the hearts and minds of all the Jews present, inspiring them to turn their lives back towards Hashem. It was non-other than Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai who pro-claimed, “I can absolve this whole gener-ation from judgment.”
Preparing for this YearMore than 430 years ago, the first
Rashbi hachnassas orchim group was formed to prepare for the special day’s gigantic crowds. In 1998, Rabbi Yehosh-ua Biderman founded Yeshuos Rashbi to continue this tradition.
Yeshuos Rashbi has begun their preparations to accommodate the largest Jewish gathering in the world. The tents are already set up and our staff has spent sleepless nights preparing for thousands of visitors over Shabbos, getting ready to host the single largest Seudah Hilulah for Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai on Mot-zei Shabbos in Meron. We are preparing hundreds of tables, thousands of chairs and over 15,000 portions – more than 1.5 tons of meat to accommodate the larg-est crowd ever. And of course, we have bought thousands of liters of drinks and hundreds of pounds of cake to give out as Chai Rotel.
Every year the crowds increase and more and more people travel to daven at the resting place of the holy Tanna. It is known that the kever of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochi is steeped in ancient majesty. Everyone who visits the site feels a strong spiritual stirring, an incredible longing to cleave to Hashem. The soul yearns to be with its Creator; a pathway opens and stretches directly toward Heaven. Even if you are thousands of miles away, now you too can have a part in creating join-ing in this. Help Yeshuos Rashbi prepare for the largest Seudas Hilulah in Meron by generously donating Chai Rotel. By increasing simcha on Lag B’omer, Hash-em will surely increase the simcha in your life.
Donate today by visiting www.yeshu-osrashbi.com or call 718-705-8430 or e-mail [email protected].
The Majesty of Meron
Around The Community
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FIVE TOWNS & GREATER SOUTH SHORE
4th Annual Community EventTO BENEFIT THE SOLDIERS OF THE IDF
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FOR MORE INFO OR TO APPLY: (855) 282-8273 OR [email protected]
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בס ״ד
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RABBI YOSEF FRIEDLERHEAD COUNSELOR, JUNIORS
RABBI TZVI GREENFIELDM.I.T. DIVISION HEAD
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HANC High School imbues a love of Medinat Yisrael in each and every student, which was evident in the dis-play of passion and love for Israel at the school’s Yom Ha’Atzmaut cele-bration on Thursday, April 23. Begin-
ning on Wednesday, April 22, Yom Hazikaron, the entire high school participated in a program to remem-ber fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terror. Students read poems and viewed a multi-media presentation
that included a video about lone sol-dier, Michael Levine, and those who fell in the Second Lebanon War. The program concluded with the boys’ chorus and the student body singing the Hatikvah.
The following day, April 23, in honor of the 67th anniversary of Is-rael’s Independence, the entire school again gathered to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut. The program began with a Siyum Mishnayot on Zeraim by Ari Levine, who spoke about the laws of the Beit Hamikdash and how we should continue to pray for the com-ing of Moshiach in our time. The si-yum ended with a singing of the Ha-tikvah and dancing.
Following the siyum, the students and teachers gathered for a spirit-ed chagiga with an Eitan Katz con-cert. Students and faculty sang and danced throughout the morning cul-minating with a moving kumzitz with the senior class singing a Yerushalay-im-themed song. Students also en-joyed an all-time favorite treat of blue and white Marino’s Italian ices.
Following the chagiga, the stu-dents gathered to create care-packag-es for IDF soldiers to show hakarot hatov toward those who fight every day to protect our homeland. The Israel Action Committee organized packaging bags to be sent to Israeli soldiers in the Golani Brigade. Each bag contained tissues, socks, snacks, a notepad and pen, candy, and other necessities.
To continue the Israel celebra-tion, students and faculty viewed three-minute student- created videos in their afternoon classes called, “Bits of Israel in Math, Science, English, and History,” which discusses the im-pact that Israel has had on modern so-ciety. It was a day filled with ruach and achdut and celebration of Israel.
HANC High School Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration: A Day to Remember
Around The Community
Read about Rocky’s dark and stormy night
Page 112
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Last week, DRS stu-dents celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut in festive and unique style. The day be-gan with a beautiful and uplifting rendition of Hallel led by DRS Menahel Rabbi Kaminetsky, which ended in spontaneous dancing in the Beis Medrash. Follow-ing breakfast, DRS kicked off our first ever “Yom Ha’Atzmaut Poetry Slam” competition. Throughout the week, students were challenged to do their own research on Israel’s history, culture, contributions to To-rah learning, technological advancements, and most importantly, its religious significance to the Jewish people. Students were then tasked to create original “poetry slams” utilizing the information they gleaned from their research, accom-panied by a visual presenta-tion. Each shiur presented their “slams” to a panel of judges. Before lunch, the 6 best “slams” performed in front of the entire school, and a winner was declared. This was a fantastic use of project-based learning, and the students educated them-selves through the process.
Following the slam, blue and white cupcakes were given out to everyone, as well as vouchers for a free blue and white ice cream cone from the Mr. Softee truck, while the DRS Band performed outside for ev-eryone’s listening pleasure, playing songs connected to Israel.
DRS Celebrates Yom Ha’Atzmaut in a Unique Way
What does spring mean to you?
See page 118
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Around The Community
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Around The Community
“We have entered that sensitive peri-od of time where we feel our historical journey as a nation during the Holocaust and its unfathomable destruction and our seeds of reconstruction and renewal through the miracles of the establishment of the State of Israel.” With these words,
Mrs. Helen Spirn, Head of School of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, addressed the school’s reflective program commemorating Yom Haz-ikaron on Wednesday, April 22, and the celebration on Yom Haazmaut on Thurs-day, April 23.
Yom Hazikaron at SKA was dedicat-ed to the soldiers who gave their lives last summer in the battles of Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, Tzuk Eitan. As Ms. Raizi Chechik, Principal, Grades 9-10, reflected at the special day’s tefila gathering, the students of SKA had been dedicating their learning and tefillot each day since the beginning of the year to a different one of the soldiers killed during Tzuk Eitan, posting his picture and bio on the bulletin board and creating a day dedicated to his memory. Three SKA juniors, Henna Storch, Michal Yacker and Zehava Gros, worked to spread this program to 27 schools throughout the country so that by its conclusion, 5,500 students were participating daily in the prayer and learning dedication. The group they founded, Lev Echad, sent let-ters to each of the families of the soldiers,
letting them know that their sons lived on in our minds and hearts. The evening before Yom HaZikaron, many students joined in the Lev Echad conference call to hear from one of the Tzuk Eitan vet-erans who visited SKA earlier this year, and participated in a group recitation of
Tehillim with students from many other schools.
We were privileged to hear from Pa-nim el Panim visitor Amatzia Fenster-heim, a young English speaking soldier who fought valiantly in that battle, losing many of his friends in a sudden attack. His stirring speech left the students with a sense of pride in our Israeli soldiers and awe at how Jews from all over the globe came to Israel during that time pe-riod to show their unity. Participants of the Shalva Marathon in Jerusalem shared their personal Tzuk Eitan memories after which a viewing of The Green Kippah, a film that chronicles the lives and tragic deaths of three American Jews, reminded us that a great deal of gratitude is owned to the men and women of the Israel De-fense Forces, symbolized by a simple hand crocheted yarmulke that was worn into battle.
With pride, joy and thanks to Hash-em, SKA welcomed Israel Independence Day with Tefila Chagigit, with the whole school joining in an inspiring morning davening together in the auditorium. We then heard from Sgt. Benjamin Anthony,
founder of Our Soldiers Speak, an organi-zation which conducts informative semi-nars on the IDF, who shared his powerful personal story and offered insights into what we can do for Israel. “SKA at the Movies!” with popcorn and soda, offered the students the choice of two films to view, Beneath the Helmet and Crossing the Line. Juniors and seniors had the opportunity to meet Crossing the Line’s producer, Ms. Shoshana Palatnik, who ran a session on anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses and how to combat it. Both speakers conveyed the importance of standing up for the State of Israel; we have the opportunity, Ms. Palatnik noted, to “shape the narrative.”
Throughout the day, SKA’s “Mach-ane Yehuda” shuk offered Israeli snacks while the 9th grade Israeli cities project, led by Morah Antman, Morah Aaron and Morah Naamat, decorated the bowling alley. The Yom Haazmaut Chagigah, with live music and spirited dancing and singing, was preceded by a very festive Israeli style lunch sponsored by the SKA Parent Council. We were proud that a group of our students joined the Panim el Panim marathon with Amatzia Fenster-heim in Brooklyn as well.
It was truly a powerful transition from “meafelah l’orah” – from darkness to light!
Ms. Raizi Chechik and SKA students at the “Israeli Shuk” on Yom Haazmaut
From Darkness to Light: Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haazmaut at SKA
Sgt. Benjamin Anthony addresses SKA students on Yom Ha’atzmaut
By Natalie BarbanelThis week, the students of Shu-
lamith Middle Division participated in Color War. The color war theme was Israel and the teams were Jerusalem (Team Blue), Hebron (Team Red), and Tzfat (Team Green). In addition to the theme songs, banners, and cheers, each team had to make a timeline and a Pow-erPoint about their city and learn about the events that happened there over the last 200 years. It was fun yet interesting to learn about cities which have played
a large part in our Jewish heritage. Each team also had to make a comedy skit about their city. One team’s skit was about making aliyah, another was about auditioning for the prime minister, and the third had to do with commerce in Is-rael. The creativity displayed by each team was admirable! The teams also presented divrei Torah connected to the parsha and our team cities.
Color war at Shulamith is a major highlight of the year, and we all look forward to enjoying it again next year.
Shulamith Enjoys Color War
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HANC students had a fantastic day celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut!
Students at HANC ECC started the day with a fabulous parade in honor of “Israel’s birthday.” Wearing blue and white while waving their handmade flags and wearing their crowns, students, teachers, parents and grandparents sang, danced, cheered and marched to music from Morah Kaylie. Students then dav-ened at the Kotel (and put in their notes to Hashem), got their passport stamped and took a flight to Israel, milked cows and squeezed orange juice on a kibbutz, planted and went fishing in Eilat, visit-ed a museum in Tel Aviv and made their very own Israeli salad. The students all had an amazing “trip” to Israel!
Students at HANC 609 started with a festive davening including Hallel. The students spent the day participating in activities that highlighted the special relationship that the Jewish People has with the Medinat Yisrael. Students participated in a school-wide Israeli art project, played Israeli puzzles and games on iPads, baked cookies shaped
like the state of Israel and took part in IDF “army training.” Lunch included yummy falafel and PTA sponsored blue and white cupcakes from Bageltown. The school day culminated in a wonder-ful outdoor concert with Rabbi Shapiro, during which students, teachers, admin-istrators, parents and grandparents all joined together in singing and dancing! A special “thank you” to Rabbi Merrill
and Morah Dafna for planning and co-ordinating the day’s activities.
And even after the school day ended, the HANC 609 Choir was privileged to be a part of the West Hempstead Com-munity Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebrations!
The students sang to a packed house and did a marvelous job! Special thanks to Rabbi Shapiro for preparing our stu-dents for this wonderful event.
Yom Ha’Atzmaut was a joyous and meaningful day for all.
HANC Celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut
Yeshiva University students celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut with joyous dancing and an uplifting program
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Around The Community
Smiles and laughter permeated the Richard J. Codey Ice Skating Arena at South Mountain as more than 500 chil-dren, teenagers and parents participated in the Chai4ever Chol Hamoed outing on Monday, April 6. From novice to experienced skaters, everyone enjoyed partaking in one last winter pastime, with the knowledge that spring is final-ly here.
That was just the beginning of full-day of activities, which continued just a small “jump” away at the nearby Sky Zone Trampoline Park with every imag-inable bouncing activity. This included springing in foam pits and on trampo-lines, trampoline dodgeball and volley-ball, and skyslam basketball dunking. The enthusiasm and high energy levels carried through to the evening con-cert by Eli Marcus and the Rak Rega band. The spirited dancing and singing bought everyone’s simcha to another level. Watching seriously ill parents dancing with reckless abandon hold-ing their kids close, brought everyone to their feet. Even the most exhausted youngsters had huge smiles on their faces as they left the indoor park late that evening.
“While Pesach can be a stressful
time in the most stable of families,” said Samuel Zaks, Chai4ever executive vice president, “our goal was to make this an occasion of celebration for families who are undergoing more than enough stress the rest of the year. We careful-ly assessed each family’s situation and needs and came up with the solution that reinstated as much normalcy and joy as possible to their yom tov.”
One father, who is juggling his own serious health issues while caring for a wife with cancer, said, “This is the first normal day our family has had in four years.”
Rivka, a mother of seven children who range in age from pre-school to early teens, said that her husband’s chronic illness takes him in and out of hospitals and often leaves him incapaci-tated, making any kind of Chol Hamoed outing extremely difficult. “It is virtual-ly impossible to plan anything and hard for me alone to manage our group in a crowd,” she said. “Everything about the Chai4ever event was so thoughtful and well-organized. They thought of everything, from plenty of volunteer support to work with even the youngest children, to healthy snacks, to grilled kosher l’Pesach hot dogs, to giving the
kids their choice of sweatshirts, t-shirts and hats – they made the kids feel like a million dollars. I don’t remember ever going on a trip that worked out so well!”
The Chol Hamoed celebration was the culmination of the full spectrum of programs offered by Chai4ever to ad-dress unique and not so unique Pesach needs in families struggling to cope with a parent’s serious illness. Other services included providing cleaning help, financial assistance, kosher l’Pe-sach meal deliveries, afikomen toy dis-tributions, and respite retreats to Pesach programs in hotels for all or part of the holiday.
Mr. Zaks said, “Our strongest indi-cator of success were the beaming faces of children and parents alike. Much as we’d like to be able to do so, nobody can restore these families back to exact-ly the way they were before the parent became ill. However, with the help of our generous benefactors and dedicated volunteers and staff, we were able to give them new memories to cherish of happy times together.”
Rivka said the Chol Hamoed event was her introduction to Chai4ever and what impressed her the most was the pervasive atmosphere of fun that in-
fused the event. She said, “Everyone was so happy and cheerful – the volun-teers, the kids, the parents who loved seeing their children so happy – there was just a tremendous feeling of joy throughout the event. It made you feel like you weren’t a taker – you were par-ticipating and joining in something that was so monumentally beautiful.”
Since its formation in February 2014, Chai4ever has quickly become the premier address for families in the U.S. and Israel undergoing the crisis of a parent with such catastrophic illnesses as cancer, heart and lung disease, and stroke victims. With the mission of providing emotional and practical sup-port to mitigate long-term damage to the family, Chai4ever’s comprehensive year-round services include housekeep-ing assistance, homework help, crisis and bereavement counseling, transpor-tation, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, meal preparation and delivery, insurance ad-vocacy and navigation, family retreats and recreational events, and collabora-tion with schools and hospitals.
For more information on Chai4ever, visit www.chai4ever.org, e-mail [email protected] or call (646) 519-2190.
Chai4ever Turns Pesach Into a Festival of Freedom from Worry
Over five hundred children and their families enjoyed a reprieve from illness and isolation at the Chai4ever Chol Hamoed day and evening of fun and adventure
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Long Beach and Lido Beach were among 46 American com-munities, joined by locales from Israel, at the Orthodox Union’s Fifth International Communities Home and Job Relocation Fair in New York this week. Almost 2,000 people attended the Fair on a cool spring day, and each of the Long Island booths saw a multi-tude of visitors.
Rabbi Shaul Rappeport of Lido Beach Synagogue tells Rabbi Ariel Shoshan of Arizona’s Scottsdale Torah Center that there’s one thing Lido Beach has that Arizona doesn’t have: a beach
Lido Beach and Long Beach among 46 U.S. Communities Represented at the OU’s Fifth International Jewish Communities Home and Job Relocation Fair
PHOTOS BY MEIR KRUTER
Rabbi Eli Goodman of the Bachurei Chemed Congregation Jewish Youth Organization (“the BACH”), on right, stands with representatives of Long Beach
Take us to the Holy Land: Nefesh B’Nefesh featured several Israeli communities at the Fair.
Young families were among the prospective candidates for relocation at the Fair. PHOTO CREDIT: RABBI RAPPEPORT
We are taught in Pirkei Avos that each one of us has a portion in the World to Come. So we might think that since this appears to be an entitlement, perhaps we can simply relax and no matter what we do in this world, our reward of blissful eternity is set. To ex-plain why this is not so, it is helpful to consider the following story:
A man worked as a wagon driver. He was a very simple person who did not know much in the way of Torah and kept the bare minimum of mitzvos. One day there was a man who was out in the cold. The man was shivering and very near death. When the wagon driver was told about this man who had been left stranded, he braved the inclement weather to go out and search for him with his horse and buggy. He found him and brought him to the near-est inn, helping him to warm up and saving his life. This particular series of events apparently caused quite a com-
motion in the World Above.This wagon driver had just earned
a large portion in the World to Come because he did the great mitzvah of saving a life. The heavenly court was concerned that the man would soon squander his reward by falling into various dangerous and tempting sin-ful pitfalls. In the upper spheres it was decided to give the wagon driver the choice of his fate for himself. He could take the risk and remain amongst the living, or he could have a few days to finish his affairs and then he would be taken to the next world to enjoy his re-ward.
The wagon driver dreamt about his two options, and he chose not to miss out on his reward. He went back home, wrote a will, spent his final days with his family members and then he passed away. When he got to the next world, he was escorted by the angels who asked him what kind of reward he
was looking forward to getting. He ex-plained that he always dreamt of strong healthy horses, fine roads to drive on that were well paved and a good sturdy wagon, and thus this became the man’s World to Come.
While we don’t profess to under-stand the ways of the heavens and what will be in the next world, our sages do teach us that we will merit the World to Come based on what we accomplish in this world. Taking the easy way out and not putting in the proper effort to achieve closeness to Hashem in this world won’t help us be close to Hash-em in the World to Come. At times we fail to even grasp just how great the potential for reward is for our efforts in this world and just how much we truly can accomplish; we often can’t even conceive of vast grandeur of the true value of what opportunity we have within this world to grant ourselves an eternity of beyond our wildest dreams
and imaginations.May we merit that through working
on our marriage and taking to heart the lessons that are taught in Pirkei Avos, which we learn throughout the weeks leading up to Shavuos, that we should be worthy of a wonderful marriage and an even more wonderful, holy and glorious portion in the World to Come. Not simply any portion, but the type befitting the fantastic spouse we will become.
Five Towns Marriage Initiative provides educational programs, work-shops and referrals to top marriage therapists. FTMI will help offset coun-seling costs when necessary and also runs an anonymous shalom bayis ho-tline for the entire community Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 9:30-11p.m. For the hotline or more infor-mation, call 516-430-5280 or email [email protected].
Five Towns Marriage Initiative Preparing for the World to Come
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Khal Machzikei Torah wishes a huge thank you
to Gourmet Glatt for sponsoring
the unbelievable Gourmet Glatt
grab in honor of this year’s motzei Shabbos learning
program.
Congregation Ohab Zedek of Belle Harbor is holding its 85th Annual Dinner on Sunday evening, May 17. The guests of honor, Esther and Steven Pfeffer and Rabbi Bennett and Ruth Rackman, are prominent members of the synagogue who have con-tributed their time, efforts and resources to enhancing the prayers and events held at Ohab Zedek. As gabbai of the synagogue, Steven Pfeffer can be counted on to sched-ule the various honors according to each member’s needs and abilities. Together with his wife, Esther, Steven makes sure food is bought and delivered for Shabbos Kiddushim, Shalosh Seudos meals and daily breakfasts. Esther, of course, is a sec-ond generation Belle Harborite. Her par-ents, Aline and Herb (z”l) Kamlet helped establish Ohab Zedek. She follows in their footsteps, always willing to pitch in and help in whatever project needs doing. In short, Esther and Steven enhance our lives in countless ways.
Rabbi Bennett and Ruth Rackman are being honored with the Community Ser-vice Award. From the moment the Eruv was established in Belle Harbor, Rabbi Rackman assumed the responsibility for organizing the committee members into teams to check the Eruv every Friday. He acts as liaison to the various parties that are involved in maintaining the successful functioning of the Eruv. For all intents and purposes, the name Rackman has become synonymous with the Belle Harbor Eruv. Ruth is one of the founders of the syna-gogue’s weekly Tehillim group and is a regular participant. Whenever she is called upon to help with any function, Ruth never says no.
The entire membership of Congrega-tion Ohab Zedek looks forward to bestow-ing the honor these two couples so richly deserve at this year’s Annual Dinner.
Congregation Ohab Zedek of Belle Harbor – 85th Annual Dinner
Around The Community
JOIN US IN WELCOMINGMichael Morgenstern, MDNeurology & Sleep MedicineDr. Morgenstern is a board certified neurologist, fellowship trained in sleep medicine, with his neurology residency done at LIJ/North Shore.
He currently lives with his wife andtwo children in West Hemptead and is excited to be able to serve our community. He has passion for sleep medicine and is eager to help develop our current sleep program and state-of-the-art 3 bed sleep lab. He has also doneextensive clinical research and foundeda nonprofit research organization to benefit community health.
Dr. Morgenstern is available to see patients for both sleep disorders and general neurology at our Cedarhurst office.
Please call 516 239 1800 to book your appointment now.
Khal Machzikei Torah wishes a huge thank you to Gourmet Glatt for sponsoring the unbelievable Gour-met Glatt grab in honor of this year’s motzei Shabbos learning program.
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They will never see each other. But that’s OK. Because last week, they hugged.
One of them traveled more than 5,000 miles to meet Yitzy, a fifth grader at Yeshiva of South Shore. The boy did not even see him. But they hugged.
And you, dear reader, like the young boy, will not
see him either. You won’t see him because I have blurred his face. The young boy will not see him be-cause he is visually impaired to the extent that he has virtually no sight.
You, dear reader, will also not see him because as an Israeli soldier in an elite anti-terrorist unit, his face cannot be shown.
Though you may not see his face, I hope, like Yitzy, you will see his heart. It’s a big heart. A spe-cial one. But what else can you expect from someone
who goes into the most dangerous places in the Mid-dle East seeking out those who would want to murder Jewish children?
Let me explain. A number of years ago, Rubin Margolis, the grandfather of one of our
talmidim who is pres-ident of the ZOA’s Brooklyn region, called me. He was going to Israel for Purim and wanted to spend a great portion of the yom tov distrib-uting mishloach ma-nos to Israeli soldiers. He asked whether the students of our yeshi-va and their parents
would be willing to participate – the students by writing let-ters to the soldiers, the parents by helping defray the cost of the 5,000 mishloach manos he intended to distribute. To me it was a simple request, and our administration and teachers encouraged the boys to write letters and par-ticipate in the mishloach manos campaign. Since then we have received a number of surprises. Some boys
received some letters in return, others with little thank you tchotchkes.
But this year something different happened. The letter was different the way the soldier received it was differ-ent, and so was the response.
The letter, a moving letter that brought me to tears, was not written in ink or in pencil. It was written in Braille. The response was not in the form of a thank you note or even a tchotchke. It was a personal visit.
And the visit itself was not sim-ple. It was a journey. Indeed when Mr. Katzoff, the director of develop-ment for ZOA, and Mr. Margolis were handing out mishloach manos on an army base, Avner, an officer in the elite Duvdevan unit, just happened to
be stopping by this particular army base to take care of an internal matter.
“What are you giving out?” he asked. The two Americans explained what they were do-ing, and Avner asked if he could have a package as well. They handed him a package and an envelope with a letter. It felt a bit strange. Bumpy of sorts. But he put away the let-ter and began munching the treats.
A while later, when Avner opened the letter, he realized why it was bumpy. He was fascinated. It was written in Braille. It had a transcription scrawled underneath the raised dots. But it was not only the physical appearance that in-trigued him, it was the amazing and most powerful context, “I get scared in bed thinking of death and the horrors of the
world.” “The responsibility and devotion you have warms my heart and bring tears to my eyes.” “I daven for you and am nervous for you.”
Yitzy asked the anonymous soldier, the one who by Divine providence would receive his letter, a few questions about himself as well, “What position do you have? If you have a moment to enjoy yourself, what would you do?”
Avner realized that the random letter was not from a random writer. And he decided that he would not answer his questions by mail. He would answer them in person. But all he had was a name. The letter was signed with Yitzy’s full name, but no other identifica-tion. Who was this young boy who had virtually no sight, yet had the vision of a mature adult?
Just last week, Avner came to America. He tracked down Mr. Katzoff in the Philadelphia office of the ZOA and asked him about the boy who wrote the
letter, the boy named Yitzy. Mr. Katzoff had not segregated the packages and
letters and therefore did not know from which yeshiva
A Greater V isionBY RABBI MORDECHAI KAMENETZKY
Who was this young boy who had virtual ly no sight, yet had the vision of a mature adult?
Yeshiva of South Shore students speaking with Yitzy's new friend
Yitzy and 'his soldier' with Rabbi Mordechai and Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky
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the letter had come. The office had suggested a few yeshivos and Avner called every one of them. They did not have a boy by that name registered in their ye-shiva and certainly they had no boy who could write in Braille.
Mr. Katzoff’s secretary decided to do some detec-tive work. She Googled Yitzy’s last name and found a connection to a rabbi somewhere in the Midwest. Howard Katzoff had cousins in that town and a call to them confirmed that there was indeed a family who had the same last name as Yitzy did. And yes, that family did have a son named Yitzy who was visually impaired! In fact they were familiar with the family and even had Yitzy’s moth-er’s cellphone number.
The wheels turned fast and Avner came to New York. Indeed he was on vaca-tion and was planning a cross country trip, but one of his first stops was the Yeshiva of South Shore.
I spoke to him for a few moments before he met Yitzy and saw a special person who had a warm heart that propelled him to a devotion that is beyond words. His parents, had become baa-lei teshuva and now live in a religious community in Yerushalayim, and from my conversation with Avner, I felt that he, too, was on his
way.I thought about it. Should I make a whole
“to-do,” an assembly in front of the middle school and Yitzy’s classmates, bringing the two brave hearts together up on the bima, or just introduce the two – the writer and the soldier, in private.
I decided for the former. Indeed I felt it was important to herald the story.
There was a special lesson that I thought was worthy of sharing, clearly more impor-tant than anything else the boys would learn in their afternoon classes. Not because of
Rav Shlomo Zal-man Auerbach’s most famous and very often quoted line, “When I want to pray at the kever of a holy one, I go to Har Her-zl where the soldiers killed al kiddush Hashem are buried.” But because it was important to teach children how much a letter of chizuk can mean to a young man, who had no ye-shiva education, but risks his life protecting fellow Jews. We called an assembly to publicly thank a young Jew-ish man, a soldier who came so far out of his way to find a young boy who he knew would never see him, and
say, “Thank you for giving me chizuk.”And we called the assembly to say thank you to
him as well for doing the special work he does on behalf of am Yisrael.
I called the assembly to let 200 children hear the words that their schoolmate had written, “I have very different types of problems. That’s another way you help me from across the world. I think about my problems, [and] then yours and my life seems easier.”
But most of all to tell a story that life is not only about sight, it’s about vision.
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of South Shore and the author of Streets of Life and the Parsha Parables Series.Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky with the soldier
Holding hands, bridging worlds
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Around The Community
Young Israel of Woodmere 55th Anniversary Dinner BanquetPHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS
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7678ANSWER TO RIDDLE: If Dina got an A, then all four students got an A, which contradicts the fact that only two got an A. If Shira got an A, then so did Aliza and Michal, and that also contradicts the fact that only two students received an A. Therefore, only Aliza and Michal got an A.
T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D
Yankel dresses in his best suit and goes for a job interview at the lo-
cal department store. He does great on the interview and the department store ex-ecutive says, “Well, we would love to have you come work for us.”
Yankel, a savvy business-man, asks, “Vell, how much will you pay me?”
The executive replies, “We’ll give you $15 an hour starting today and in about three months we’ll increase it to $20. So when would you like to start?”
Yankel replies, “In about 3 months from now.”
You Gotta be Kidding!
See answer below
Riddle!Four students, Dina, Shira, Aliza and Michal,
took a mathematics test, and are guessing their
grades.
Dina says: “If I get an A, so does Shira.”
Shira says: “If I get an A, so does Aliza.”
Aliza says: “If I get an A, so does Michal.”
They all guessed correctly, but in fact, only
two of them got an A. Who are they?
Don’t be irreplaceable; if you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
It doesn’t matter what you do, it only matters what you say you’ve done.
After any salary raise, you will have less money at the end of the month than you did before.
The more garbage you put up with, the more garbage you are going to get.
You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.
There will always be garbage on the floor of your car when the boss asks for a ride home from the office.
Keep your boss’s boss off your boss’s back.
Everything can be filed under “miscellaneous.”
Important letters that contain no errors will develop errors in the mail.
If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really
good, you will get out of it.
You are always doing something marginal when the boss drops by your desk.
People who go to conferences are the ones who shouldn’t.
If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.
At work, the authority of a person is inversely proportional to the number of pens
that person is carrying.
When you don’t know what to do, walk fast and look worried.
Following the rules will not get the job done.
Getting the job done is no excuse for not following the rules.
The last person who quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.
“Responsible management” and “hands-on management” are oxymorons.
Rules to Live by At Work
79
GOT FUNNY? Let the Commissioner decide Send your stuff to [email protected]
T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D
1. What part of Vietnam was Communist during the Vietnam War?
a. Northb. Southc. Eastd. West
2. What was the full name of the leader of Communist Vietnam?
a. Dim Dong Dinb. Pyang Wong Wooc. Ho Chi Minhd. Mao Zedong
3. Which U.S. president sent the first combat troops to Vietnam?
a. President Dwight Eisenhowerb. President John F. Kennedyc. President Richard Nixon
d. President Lyndon Johnson
4. Until 1954, the entire Vietnam was a colony of which country?
a. Franceb. U.S.c. Britaind. China
5. Which city was the capital of South Vietnam?
a. Hanoib. Saigonc. Hai Phongd. My Tho
6. How many Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the Vietnam War?
a. 7,300
b. 18,329c. 27,038d. 58,220
7. What happened after the U.S. left Vietnam?
a. The South Vietnamese resistance collapsed and the North Vietnamese troops marched into Saigon, took it over and re-named it Ho Chi Minh City. The North and South were reunified under the Communist regime.
b. The two sides reached a peace treaty and the country was split in two.
c. China took over the entire country. d. A unified Vietnam became a demo-
cratic country.
Answers:1. A2. C3. D4. A5. B6. A7. D
VIETNAM WAR
Picture of the Week
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78ANSWER TO RIDDLE: If Dina got an A, then all four students got an A, which contradicts the fact that only two got an A. If Shira got an A, then so did Aliza and Michal, and that also contradicts the fact that only two students received an A. Therefore, only Aliza and Michal got an A.
T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D
Yankel dresses in his best suit and goes for a job interview at the lo-
cal department store. He does great on the interview and the department store ex-ecutive says, “Well, we would love to have you come work for us.”
Yankel, a savvy business-man, asks, “Vell, how much will you pay me?”
The executive replies, “We’ll give you $15 an hour starting today and in about three months we’ll increase it to $20. So when would you like to start?”
Yankel replies, “In about 3 months from now.”
You Gotta be Kidding!
See answer below
Riddle!Four students, Dina, Shira, Aliza and Michal,
took a mathematics test, and are guessing their
grades.
Dina says: “If I get an A, so does Shira.”
Shira says: “If I get an A, so does Aliza.”
Aliza says: “If I get an A, so does Michal.”
They all guessed correctly, but in fact, only
two of them got an A. Who are they?
Don’t be irreplaceable; if you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
It doesn’t matter what you do, it only matters what you say you’ve done.
After any salary raise, you will have less money at the end of the month than you did before.
The more garbage you put up with, the more garbage you are going to get.
You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.
There will always be garbage on the floor of your car when the boss asks for a ride home from the office.
Keep your boss’s boss off your boss’s back.
Everything can be filed under “miscellaneous.”
Important letters that contain no errors will develop errors in the mail.
If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really
good, you will get out of it.
You are always doing something marginal when the boss drops by your desk.
People who go to conferences are the ones who shouldn’t.
If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.
At work, the authority of a person is inversely proportional to the number of pens
that person is carrying.
When you don’t know what to do, walk fast and look worried.
Following the rules will not get the job done.
Getting the job done is no excuse for not following the rules.
The last person who quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.
“Responsible management” and “hands-on management” are oxymorons.
Rules to Live by At Work
79
GOT FUNNY? Let the Commissioner decide Send your stuff to [email protected]
T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D • T J H C E N T E R F O L D
1. What part of Vietnam was Communist during the Vietnam War?
a. Northb. Southc. Eastd. West
2. What was the full name of the leader of Communist Vietnam?
a. Dim Dong Dinb. Pyang Wong Wooc. Ho Chi Minhd. Mao Zedong
3. Which U.S. president sent the first combat troops to Vietnam?
a. President Dwight Eisenhowerb. President John F. Kennedyc. President Richard Nixon
d. President Lyndon Johnson
4. Until 1954, the entire Vietnam was a colony of which country?
a. Franceb. U.S.c. Britaind. China
5. Which city was the capital of South Vietnam?
a. Hanoib. Saigonc. Hai Phongd. My Tho
6. How many Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the Vietnam War?
a. 7,300
b. 18,329c. 27,038d. 58,220
7. What happened after the U.S. left Vietnam?
a. The South Vietnamese resistance collapsed and the North Vietnamese troops marched into Saigon, took it over and re-named it Ho Chi Minh City. The North and South were reunified under the Communist regime.
b. The two sides reached a peace treaty and the country was split in two.
c. China took over the entire country. d. A unified Vietnam became a demo-
cratic country.
Answers:1. A2. C3. D4. A5. B6. A7. D
VIETNAM WAR
Picture of the Week
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When President Obama held back-to-back meetings with leaders of major Jew-
ish organizations and Jewish supporters — including major political contribu-tors — it would have been the perfect opportunity for them to plead with the president about something that ought to have been at the very top of the list of priorities.
Tragically, it wasn’t. After the meetings, it became ap-
parent that not a single one of the more than 30 Jewish individuals present at the meetings rose to the occasion. The president had invited them to the White House in order to try to alleviate the deeply rooted concerns within the Jew-ish community about the deal with Iran, and to convince them that he values his relationship with American Jewry and shares their concerns about the safety of Israel and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.
We can only imagine what would have occurred had these organizational leaders and advocates decided to use the rare opportunity of a face-to-face meet-ing with the president to actually do something important and meaningful.
We can only imagine the enormous unity that would have occurred had they responded by saying: “Mr. President, since you are seeking to assure us all that you are sensitive to our concerns and truly dedicated to having a strong and productive relationship with both American Jewry and the people of Isra-el, we ask you to make a concrete ges-ture to this effect.
“Mr. President, the best assurance that Israel and the American Jewish community are indeed protected and favorably considered by your adminis-
tration is the dispensation of equal jus-tice. Don’t just tell us you care. Please, show us. End the travesty of justice perpetrated on an Israeli agent who has been sitting in an American prison for a
grossly disproportionate 30 years, with no respite. Release Jonathan Pollard and send him home to Israel. That will reassure us more than all the fine words and expressions of solidarity that we
are hearing now. Thank you, Mr. Pres-ident.”
We will never know what the presi-dent’s response would have been, since
that request sadly wasn’t made. What we do know is that a perfect opportunity for a significant act of hishtadlus [inten-sive personal effort] for pidyon shevuy-im [the release of a captive] was missed.
For the past few years, the Bureau of Prisons had indicated a “30-year mandatory release date” of November 2015 for Pollard. However, in a recent written communication, the Parole Commission blatantly indicated to Jon-athan that this date isn’t automatic, and there is every likelihood that they will insist he serve 45 years to natural life, Rachmana litzlan [Heaven forbid!].
In the coming months, the U.S. gov-ernment will lay down its final position on whether it will finally relent and grant him parole. Therefore, the next weeks and months are vital in the effort to obtain his release.
As readers of Hamodia are well aware, it is now clear to every intelli-gent observer that the reason Jonathan is still in prison isn’t because of what he did three decades ago. No one else who did what he did has served anything near the term that Jonathan already has. He is still in jail because of who he is and whom he tried to help.
In every generation, it was our will-ingness to be moser nefesh [self-sacri-ficing] on behalf of our brethren that earned us the respect of governments the world over. It seems almost incon-ceivable that a people which on numer-ous occasions, through the strength of unity and determination, rescued Jews from the claws of vicious dictatorships should lose its courage and remain si-lent when it comes to ending a traves-ty being perpetrated by a malchus shel chessed [a country of grace].
We are privileged to live in a de-mocracy, where we are expected to speak up against acts of injustice, es-pecially one of such magnitude. Those who prefer to sweep the tragic saga of Jonathan Pollard under the political rug are essentially making a mockery of the Jewish people in the eyes of the nations.
With the exception of the handful of individuals who have worked tirelessly on Jonathan’s behalf for many years, all of us are at fault for what happened last week in the White House. For far too long, we as a community have largely remained silent while this sacred mitz-vah of pidyon shevuyim [the redemption of a captive] has been relegated to the back burner for the sake of political cor-rectness.
The day will come that each and every one of us will be asked: A Jew named Yehonoson ben Malka [Jonathan Pollard] sat in an American prison be-cause he was a Jew. What did you do to help him see the light of freedom?
At that moment of truth, no excuses will be accepted.
As Jews, we are cognizant of the fact that ultimately we will be judged not by our successes but by how hard we tried. It is imperative that all of us do our part to end this terrible injustice and obtain freedom for one of our own. We must not only extensively lobby every elected official who can possibly sway the pres-ident, but must also place pressure on the leadership of Jewish organizations and make it clear that the sacred obliga-tion of pidyon shevuyim [redemption of a captive] for Jonathan Pollard must be at the very top of their priority list.
This article was originally printed in Hamodia on April 21, 2015. It is being reprinted at the request of the Pollards and with courtesy of Hamodia.
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Israel Today
Those who prefer to sweep the tragic saga of Jonathan Pollard under the political rug are essentially making a mockery of the Jewish people in the eyes of the nations.
A Matter of Priority
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Forty years can be considered a long time. Thousands of years ago, an entire newly-minted nation wandered in
the wilderness for forty years as a con-sequence of their wavering faith. To this day, the life expectancy of people in undeveloped countries is capped at forty years. But as the fortieth anni-versary of the fall of the city of Saigon and the North Vietnamese victory in the Vietnam War passes this week, we still find ourselves embroiled in many of the geopolitical issues which are products of that era and fighting wars which are eerily similar to the one we fled on April 30, 1975.
Earlier this month at the Summit of the Americas conference in Panama, President Obama declared, “The Cold War has been over for long time.” That assertion might have been bordering on the obvious, but it came as the president met with Raul Castro of Cuba—the first such meeting between a U.S. president and Cuban leader since Raul’s brother, Fidel, seized power over half a century ago. Mr. Obama’s recent removal of the Communist country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism is highly controversial and has revived many of the debates that took place in the U.S. immediately after World War II and during the Cold War.
While some Communist countries, such as China, enjoy semi-warm rela-tions with the U.S. and its allies, oth-ers, such as Venezuela, are the targets of U.S. trade and travel sanctions. The dissolution of the USSR took place at the end of 1990, but that country—and the region—has failed to find itself on sure footing since then. To this day, Russia has been abetting worldwide trouble with machinations that are reminiscent of Red Russia.
It’s hard to imagine the fear pre-sented by Communism during the 1940s and 1950s in the United States. The Red Scare, as it was known, made Americans fearful and suspicious of one another. The possibility of Amer-
ica’s demise by the Communist Rus-sians was real to the average American and we felt it was our duty to stop the Communist threat from metastasizing overseas. We needed to get involved in the Vietnamese conflict to prevent Communism from spreading in the re-gion. It was our thought that if Vietnam would fall to the Communists’ clutch-es, then so would its neighbors, leaving the area rife with anti-American and anti-democratic populations.
But we entered the war hastily. In-terestingly, the ill-fated U.S. support of South Vietnamese forces in the late 1950s and the subsequent full-blown involvement of the U.S. and its allies is reminiscent of many of the con-flicts which are happening today in the Middle East. The opposition that took place within the United States during the 1960s and 1970s can be very much compared to the resistance to the in-vasion of Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s.
To be sure, the war in Vietnam and the history leading up to the conflict reads very much like those of many other un-
stable countries. Vietnam, as part of the Indochinese region, was the subject of French colonization since the 1850s. While the French ceded to Nazi Germa-ny in World War II, the colonial French government in Vietnam still held loyal-ty to the French Vichy regime and were thus unprotected from the Japanese forces which moved in to take over the colony during the war. The weakened French and Japanese split control of the state for the remainder of the war. The Viet Minh was formed in opposi-tion to the outside in-fluence of the French and Japanese, and by 1945, Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh leader, declared Vietnam to be a free state.
By 1950, the People’s Republic of China had taken over control of China and, along with the Sovi-ets, was heavily as-sisting the Viet Minh Communists in Viet-nam. Viet Minh set up their headquarters in the Communist-con-
trolled city of Hanoi in North Vietnam. The U.S. and Great Britain supported the French-backed government of the State of Vietnam, headquartered in Sai-gon in South Vietnam.
The series of “rent reduction” and “land reform” programs executed by the North Vietnamese in the beginning of the 1950s, along with the Soviet and Chinese support, only reinforced the U.S. sentiment that Vietnam was an-other front for Soviet Communist ex-pansion. The U.S. feared that were the North Vietnamese be allowed to take control of the entire country, it would have a “domino effect” on the region, and not before long Burma, Laos and all of Vietnam’s neighboring countries would turn Communist.
Yet the U.S. and its allies did not have much of a game plan in maintain-ing stability in South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese president, Ngo Din Diem, was brutal to his political en-emies and a weak leader, but the U.S. was forced to support him as there were no better alternatives. In 1961, then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson visited the area and called Diem the Winston Churchill of Asia. When asked to ex-plain his comparison, Johnson offered a weak “he’s the only boy we got out there.”
By 1960, the Viet Cong had formed
The Scars of Vietnam40 Years Later, Have We Learned our Lesson?
BY NACHUM SOROKA
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Forty years can be considered a long time. Thousands of years ago, an entire newly-minted nation wandered in
the wilderness for forty years as a con-sequence of their wavering faith. To this day, the life expectancy of people in undeveloped countries is capped at forty years. But as the fortieth anni-versary of the fall of the city of Saigon and the North Vietnamese victory in the Vietnam War passes this week, we still find ourselves embroiled in many of the geopolitical issues which are products of that era and fighting wars which are eerily similar to the one we fled on April 30, 1975.
Earlier this month at the Summit of the Americas conference in Panama, President Obama declared, “The Cold War has been over for long time.” That assertion might have been bordering on the obvious, but it came as the president met with Raul Castro of Cuba—the first such meeting between a U.S. president and Cuban leader since Raul’s brother, Fidel, seized power over half a century ago. Mr. Obama’s recent removal of the Communist country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism is highly controversial and has revived many of the debates that took place in the U.S. immediately after World War II and during the Cold War.
While some Communist countries, such as China, enjoy semi-warm rela-tions with the U.S. and its allies, oth-ers, such as Venezuela, are the targets of U.S. trade and travel sanctions. The dissolution of the USSR took place at the end of 1990, but that country—and the region—has failed to find itself on sure footing since then. To this day, Russia has been abetting worldwide trouble with machinations that are reminiscent of Red Russia.
It’s hard to imagine the fear pre-sented by Communism during the 1940s and 1950s in the United States. The Red Scare, as it was known, made Americans fearful and suspicious of one another. The possibility of Amer-
ica’s demise by the Communist Rus-sians was real to the average American and we felt it was our duty to stop the Communist threat from metastasizing overseas. We needed to get involved in the Vietnamese conflict to prevent Communism from spreading in the re-gion. It was our thought that if Vietnam would fall to the Communists’ clutch-es, then so would its neighbors, leaving the area rife with anti-American and anti-democratic populations.
But we entered the war hastily. In-terestingly, the ill-fated U.S. support of South Vietnamese forces in the late 1950s and the subsequent full-blown involvement of the U.S. and its allies is reminiscent of many of the con-flicts which are happening today in the Middle East. The opposition that took place within the United States during the 1960s and 1970s can be very much compared to the resistance to the in-vasion of Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s.
To be sure, the war in Vietnam and the history leading up to the conflict reads very much like those of many other un-
stable countries. Vietnam, as part of the Indochinese region, was the subject of French colonization since the 1850s. While the French ceded to Nazi Germa-ny in World War II, the colonial French government in Vietnam still held loyal-ty to the French Vichy regime and were thus unprotected from the Japanese forces which moved in to take over the colony during the war. The weakened French and Japanese split control of the state for the remainder of the war. The Viet Minh was formed in opposi-tion to the outside in-fluence of the French and Japanese, and by 1945, Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh leader, declared Vietnam to be a free state.
By 1950, the People’s Republic of China had taken over control of China and, along with the Sovi-ets, was heavily as-sisting the Viet Minh Communists in Viet-nam. Viet Minh set up their headquarters in the Communist-con-
trolled city of Hanoi in North Vietnam. The U.S. and Great Britain supported the French-backed government of the State of Vietnam, headquartered in Sai-gon in South Vietnam.
The series of “rent reduction” and “land reform” programs executed by the North Vietnamese in the beginning of the 1950s, along with the Soviet and Chinese support, only reinforced the U.S. sentiment that Vietnam was an-other front for Soviet Communist ex-pansion. The U.S. feared that were the North Vietnamese be allowed to take control of the entire country, it would have a “domino effect” on the region, and not before long Burma, Laos and all of Vietnam’s neighboring countries would turn Communist.
Yet the U.S. and its allies did not have much of a game plan in maintain-ing stability in South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese president, Ngo Din Diem, was brutal to his political en-emies and a weak leader, but the U.S. was forced to support him as there were no better alternatives. In 1961, then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson visited the area and called Diem the Winston Churchill of Asia. When asked to ex-plain his comparison, Johnson offered a weak “he’s the only boy we got out there.”
By 1960, the Viet Cong had formed
The Scars of Vietnam40 Years Later, Have We Learned our Lesson?
BY NACHUM SOROKA
111in South Vietnam as a rebel faction to overthrow the Western-backed Diem government. The Viet Cong was most-ly comprised of village farmers and other lower class South Vietnamese who were taken with the land reform the Viet Minh had executed in the North. It is still a matter of debate as to whether the North Vietnamese were actively involved in the formation of the Viet Cong or if the Viet Cong was merely the peasant guerilla group it appeared to be all along. The peasant farmer class largely outnumbered the land-owning class in South Vietnam, and by some estimates at that time the Viet Cong enjoyed the support of near-ly 75 percent of the population.
Discontent with Diem as a leader conflagrated into an all-out CIA-backed coup in 1963 in which Diem was executed. The resulting disorder was seized upon by the Viet Cong in the countryside to escalate its attacks and by the North to intensify its sup-port of the Viet Cong.
By 1965, as a result of a number of North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. ships in the area, President Lyndon Johnson approved a three-stage ground offensive in North Vietnam. The offen-sive was a complete reversal of John-son’s previous assertions that the South
Vietnamese were directly responsible for the defeat of the guerillas in their territory and that the U.S. would only provide support. What followed was perhaps the bloodiest and most dis-couraging military engagement in U.S. history, culminating in the Tet Offen-sive in 1968, in which, despite its vic-tory, the U.S. lost over 4,000 troops. After the battle, Walter Cronkite wrote, “To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the
evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unrea-sonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only re-alistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.” President Johnson wryly remarked, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.”
Following the Tet Offensive, newly elected President Richard Nixon began a series of withdrawals of U.S. troops
from coastal borders and redeploy-ment to inner areas of the country. In 1973, Secretary of State Henry Kiss-inger signed the Paris Peace Accords which declared a ceasefire in Vietnam. Although the agreement was flouted by both the North and South Vietnam-ese for the next few years, it paved the way for the U.S. to limit its interven-tion in the region. In 1975, the North Vietnamese launched Campaign 275, the final offensive of the war. On April 30, 1975, after a frenzied evacuation by U.S. personnel, Viet Cong troops stormed the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon and declared victory.
The war indelibly left its mark on the United States for de-cades thereafter. 58,000 young draftees were killed
in the conflict and many thousands more were left physically, psycho-logically and emotionally handicapped for years after, leaving an entire gen-eration functionally restricted. To this day, presidential candidates are forced to answer their whereabouts during the war, as many tried to evade the draft. “Swift boat” attacks are as big a threat as a tax return probe.
As for the soldiers who fought,
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84112 the long-lasting trauma that remained with them is a sad chapter on a young generation cast into a bloody battle-field all too soon. Consider a teenager, barely out of high school, thrown into a jungle to fight a war; not just any war where the lines of the battlefield are clearly demarcated, but a war where the battle takes place at the least ex-pected moment as you machete-hack your way from village to remote vil-lage. Life did not yet have the chance to teach these boys any rules of en-gagement, yet alone the rules of en-gagement that were being written as their army tour took place.
True the American soldiers were well trained and well equipped with the proper weapons for fighting. But Vietnam was a theater of war like no other. The thick jungles, steamy heat, and monsoonal rains were new to the Americans. Their uniforms immedi-ately became heavy and soaked as they battled their way through the thick fo-liage. Some of those fighting on the side of the Viet Cong were profession-als and were able to fight large-scale offensives against the Americans. But much of the fighting was done by ide-alistic local guerillas who received training and encouragement from the professionals. They knew the terrain and launched ambushes against the Americans, as they led the soldiers into booby traps and mines designed to maim and kill. Homemade bombs were made from old American bombs scattered along the countryside using gunpowder and explosive materials provided by their allies. “Punji traps,” sharp spikes hidden in pits, were crude but effective against the enemy. Most of the Punjis were contaminated by the Viet Cong to increase infection in an injured soldier. The American sol-diers watched in horror as their fellow brothers were killed or maimed right before their eyes.
Towards the end of 1965, the mode of battle changed. No longer would the Viet Cong fight the Americans in pitched offenses. Instead, there would be even more ambushes and hit and
run attacks. But the Viet Cong needed safe bases for their guerilla warriors. American spotter planes forced the Viet Cong to go underground, as they built intricate, winding underground tunnels to house their operations. These tunnels were fighting bases,
capable of providing support for the troops even after a village was cap-tured. Every villager was required to dig three feet of tunnel a day. The tunnels housed rooms for sleeping, eating, kitchens, weapons storage, defense posts and conference rooms. If Americans were to locate a tunnel
extreme caution was required before inves-tigation as many Viet Cong booby-trapped tunnels as they left.
Back at home, ral-lying protests against the war were heard on college campuses across the country. Though the vast ma-jority of the Ameri-can population still supported the admin-istration’s policy in Vietnam, a small but
outspoken liberal minority was mak-ing its voice heard by the end of 1965. This minority included many students as well as prominent artists and in-tellectuals and members of the hip-pie movement, a growing number of young people who rejected authority
and embraced the drug culture.As the war went on and more and
more Americans were losing their lives, the protests became more main-stream and even more vocal. By No-vember 1967, disillusionment was beginning to reach greater sections of the taxpaying public. Billions of dol-lars were being spent on the war ev-ery year and U.S. commanders were demanding more soldiers as young Americans were losing their lives in the booby-traps hidden in the thick jungles and marshland.
Finally, in 1973, most of the Amer-ican soldiers were called back home. But the war for them did not end there. 58,220 of their brothers lost their lives in the marshland of a battlefield. 303,644 came back maimed, miss-ing arms and legs, and forever bear-ing the scars of a disappointing con-flict. Those who weren’t physically damaged bore emotional and mental
blemishes, wounds that they carried around with them as they were sup-posed to go on with their lives. Many resorted to alcohol and drugs to drown out the pain. And many of the veter-ans were scorned by some Americans who called them “baby killers,” derid-ing their fellow Americans who risked their lives for their country.
It was a sad time for a young gen-eration that was forced to grow up all too fast.
The other half of the narra-tive—the victor’s side—is one that we Americans know little of. In contrast to the
58,000 U.S. casualties, the Vietnam-ese suffered close to 4 million deaths, by some accounts. While Western countries view the war as one of the major proxies of the global Cold War of the time, to the Vietnamese it was just one of a series of conflicts for the Vietnamese in their struggle for inde-pendence from French imperialists in the 1940s.
The decade that followed the war did not bode favorably for the Viet-namese. A U.S.-sponsored embargo only compounded the backwards So-viet-style economic policies instituted by the Vietnam government, and the country was forced to adopt economic policies with capitalist orientations by the end of the 1980s. Vietnam is still officially Communist and Transpar-ency International last year ranked it as one of the most corrupt countries to do business in the world, but the new millennium has seen the country gain membership into the World Trade Or-ganization and even a trade deal with its former foe, the United States.
As for the United States, the characters may be dif-ferent, but the song still remains the same. Substi-
tute the country Vietnam for Iraq, Af-ghanistan, Libya or a bunch of other Gulf countries. Substitute Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon for George Bush, Dick Cheney or Barack Obama. Substitute General William Westmo-reland and his widely applauded of-fensives for General David Petraeus and the Surge in Iraq. Lastly, substi-tute the years 1965-1975 for the past fifteen years, and it becomes clear that however grave the lesson taught, it still hasn’t been learned. We are still fighting wars across the ocean with enemies who oppose American values and we have yet to see victory against those who kill and maim indiscrimi-nately in the name of a higher ideal or power.
It was a sad time for a young generation that was forced to
grow up all too fast.
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Rabbi Berel Wein
Zeitgeist
Torah Thought
It is the cool and accepted thing to do – to criticize and delegitimize the State of Israel at every opportunity, almost in a mindless fashion and in a knee-jerk, robotic jargon.
There is no way that anyone can completely shut the door of one’s religious Jewish home
to exclude the influences of prevailing culture from entering our living quar-ters and influencing our families. The zeitgeist – the prevailing culture of the time and place – has always been a powerful and sometime detrimental force in Jewish history.
It was the existing zeitgeist of rampant and universal paganism that explains for us the sins and punishment of Israel and Judah during First Temple times. It was the dazzle of Greek culture and Roman technology that brought Hellenism and a rebirth of paganism to the Jewish society of Second Temple times.
It was the messianic zeitgeist present in Jewish society immediately preceding the destruction of the Second Temple that gave rise to sectarian asceticism and eventually to the creation of Christianity. It was the zeitgeist of Islamic philosophy in the Middle Ages that helped foster the philosophical works of such great To-rah scholars as Saadia Gaon, Rambam and Rabbi Yehuda Halevi.
The spirit of the time in the sev-enteenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries – Enlightenment, Reforma-tion, Marxism, etc. – created Reform, secularism and a very powerful Jew-ish Left, originating in Germany and Eastern Europe and then spreading throughout the Jewish world. From all of the above it is obvious how im-portant the general zeitgeist is in any meaningful understanding of Jewish life past and present.
In Yiddish there exists this phrase that says it all: “Vi est kristilt zich azoy yidilit zich” – whatever is cur-rent in the non-Jewish world becomes current in the Jewish world as well. This innate recognition of the influ-ence of zeitgeist is important for us to appreciate in responding to the current challenges to the State of Israel, the Jewish people and Judaism itself.
The current zeitgeist that is prev-alent in Western civilization is one of unchecked liberalism and moral equivalency. No longer are concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, aggression and justified armed response relevant.
Many decades ago there was a
famous book entitled, “I’m Okay, You’re Okay” that preached a com-pletely nonjudgmental world where anything goes and somehow every-
thing sorts itself out. This philosophy has become prevalent and dominant in our current world. It is no wonder that the cause of the Arab Palestinians is the main cause of political liberal-ism today.
No amount of facts regarding a century of aggression against the Jews, the countless number of terror-ist attacks, the tens of thousands of Jews killed in the name of Arab na-tionalism will alter the thinking of the liberals today. The zeitgeist demands no judgment of right or wrong and no consideration of the moral realities of the situation.
There are thousands of people, especially on university campuses throughout the Western world, who identify with the cause of the Pales-tinians without any knowledge of the complexities of the situation and of the history that has brought us to this day. It is the cool and accepted thing to do – to criticize and delegitimize the State of Israel at every opportuni-ty, almost in a mindless fashion and in a knee-jerk, robotic jargon.
The zeitgeist today is anti-Jewish in a moral and practical sense. It con-dones, if not even promotes, immoral marriage, lower standards of educa-tion, avoidance of marriage and com-mitment, and promotes dependence upon others and upon the government for sustenance and accomplishment.
Judaism is built upon family, upon tradition, upon permanent mor-al values and about concern for oth-ers. Tragically, these ideas and values do not resonate in today’s zeitgeist. It is very difficult, even in the most
observant and sheltered of families, to raise children today that will uphold these traditional Jewish values in their lives.
The zeitgeist has spawned a tech-nology unmatched in all of human history. That very technology itself has become addictive to the extent that it has overtaken the lives of many
of our youth and made them oblivious to the real problems of life and to the world that surrounds them. Easy drug use is rampant and is approaching legal acceptance – no longer just for medicinal purposes.
Perhaps the old traditional meth-ods of education will no longer be successful in dealing with the aggres-sive and wantonness of the current zeitgeist. In a cultureof constant tex-ting, a musical world of wildly vio-lent melody and lyrics, of high expec-tations requiring only minimal effort, anything moral or traditional auto-matically appears to be anachronistic.
The moral right of the Jewish peo-ple to the Land of Israel means nothing in a culture which does not recognize any moral rights. This is the struggle that faces us. It will not easily be won but we cannot afford to lose.
Shabbat shalom.
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“You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fel-low and do not bear a sin because of him.” — Vayikra 19:17
When the Torah mentions the obli-gation to rebuke a fellow Jew, it ends with the words, “and do not carry a sin because of him.” The Targum trans-lates this as “and do not receive a pun-ishment for his sin.”
According to the Targum, it appears that if Reuvein ate a ham sandwich and I didn’t rebuke him, I would be pun-ished for his sin. This seems difficult to understand. Why should I be punished for his sin? At most, you might argue that if I was capable of rebuking him and didn’t, I would be responsible for the sin of not rebuking him. But how do I become responsible for the sin that he perpetrated? He transgressed it; I didn’t.
The answer to this question is based on understanding the connection that one Jew has to another.
The Kli Yakar brings a mashal. Imagine a man who is on an ocean voy-age. One morning, he hears a strange rattling sound coming from the cabin next to his. As the noise continues, he becomes more and more curious, un-til finally, he knocks on his neighbor’s door. When the door opens, he sees that his neighbor is drilling a hole in the side of the boat.
“What are you doing?” the man cries.
“Oh, I’m just drilling,” the neigh-bor answers simply.
“Drilling?”“Yes. I’m drilling a hole in my side
of the boat.”“Stop that!” the man says. “But why?” asks the neighbor.
“This is my cabin. I paid for it, and I can do what I want here.”
“No, you can’t! If you cut a hole in your side, the entire boat will go down.”
The nimshal is that the Jewish people is one entity. For a Jew to say, “What I do is my business and doesn’t affect anyone else,” is categorically
false. My actions affect you, and your actions affect me — we are one unit. It is as if I have co-signed on your loan. If you default on your payments, the bank will come after me. I didn’t bor-row the money — but I am responsible. So too, when we accepted the Torah
together on Har Sinai, we became one unit, functioning as one people. If you default on your obligations, they come to me and demand payment. We are teammates, and I am responsible for your performance.
The Targum is teaching us the ex-tent of that connection. What Reuvein does directly affects me — not because I am nosy or a busybody, but because we are one entity, so much so that I am lia-ble for what he does. If he sins and I could have p r e v e n t -ed it, that comes back to me. A member of my team transgressed, and I could have stopped it from happening. If I did all that I could have to help him grow and shield him from falling, I have met my obligation and will not be punished. If, however, I could have been more concerned for his betterment and more involved in helping to protect him from harm and didn’t, then I am held accountable for his sin.
This perspective is central to under-standing why rebuke doesn’t work.
When Reuvein goes over to Shi-
mon and “gives it to him good,” really shows just what did wrong, the only thing accomplished is that now Shi-mon hates Reuvein.
To properly fulfill the mitzvah of tochacha, there are two absolute re-quirements. The first is in regards
to attitude, and the second relates to method.
What is My Intention?When I go over to my friend to
chastise him, the first question I must ask myself is, “What is my intention?”
If my intention is to set him straight and stop him from doing a terrible sin, then I will almost cer-tainly fail. The only in-tention that fits the role of a successful mochiach is: “This is my friend; I am concerned for his good.”
If I am looking out for kavod Sha-mayaim, or if I am a do-gooder con-cerned for the betterment of the world, then my words will accomplish the exact opposite of their intended pur-pose. I won’t succeed in separating my friend from the sin; I will only succeed in separating him from me. The first re-quirement for the proper fulfillment of tochacha is that it must be out of love and concern for my friend.
The second condition for tochacha to be effective has to with the way it is delivered.
The Chofetz Chaim was once ap-proached by a certain community lead-er who complained that no matter how much he reproached the people of his town, they didn’t listen. The Chofetz Chaim asked this person to describe how he went about rebuking his towns-people. The man described his method of yelling fiery words at them. The Chofetz Chaim asked him, “Tell me, when you put on tefillin, do you shout and carry on? Why do you feel the obligation to do so when you do this mitzvah?”
One of the most basic concepts of human relations is that people hate criticism. We hate it worse than poi-son, and we avoid it like the plague. When you criticize me, I become hy-persensitive. If you whisper, I hear it as loud speech, and when you speak qui-etly, I hear it as if you are shouting in my ears. Being aware of this is vital in choosing the method, tone, and words with which I approach my friend. The mitzvah of tochacha is to help my friend improve. Without a strategy that is sensitive to human nature, even the best of intentions will backfire. To suc-ceed in this mitzvah, I need to choose my words very carefully, making sure that they are as soft and non-offensive possible. This is the second require-ment of the mitzvah.
Out of Concern and Love The reality is that this is a very
difficult mitzvah to perform correct-ly. Typically, we find ourselves either not wanting to get involved or saying things that cause more harm than good. But when the driving force in doing this mitzvah is concern for the good of our friends, and we carefully study human nature and choose our words guardedly, Hashem will help us to per-form it properly.
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Parshas KedoshimRebuke - The Malpractice of a Mitzvah
R’ Ben Tzion Shafier
The Shmuz
When we accepted the Torah together on Har Sinai, we became one unit, functioning as one people.
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They say the only foolish ques-tion is the one not asked, but what about the ones whose an-
swer you don’t really want to know? Yet, we constantly ask people, “How are you?” or “How are things?” but most often we don’t mean it. We’re not really asking for a status report. We don’t expect them to say, “Well, I’ve got this really bad rash and when I sneeze my ears feel like balloons filling up, plus there’s this really ob-noxious co-worker who gets on my nerves.”
In fact, if someone did answer like that, they’d be taking advantage of the situation because nobody asking that question really wants to hear their answer, unless they’re sitting on their couch and paying upwards of a hun-dred bucks an hour for therapy.
And yet, it’s become commonplace to ask those questions. I noticed it one day when I overheard a conversation that sounded quite familiar: “How is everything?” “Thank G-d, it’s good.” “How is the family?” “Oh, really good, thanks.” “And your job?” “Baruch Hashem, it’s going well.”
Now, that conversation provided no new information. The question-er wasn’t really expecting a different answer and the answerer wasn’t about to spill his guts talking about things he knew the other guy really didn’t want to know. It’s like some sort of ancient ritual where both sides know it’s meaningless but they do it because it’s customary.
Now, my wife’s grandmother, Bab-bie Leeba a”h, who endured a linger-ing illness, when asked how she was feeling would say, “Baruch Hashem yom yom,” Thank G-d, day by day. The posuk in Tehillim (68:20) says that every day Hashem helps us bear the burdens we have. In that case, we ac-knowledge that things are sometimes challenging but it’s Hashem Who gets us through. It also conveys that even though sometimes life is a struggle, if we take it one day at a time we can handle it.
Since that response doesn’t require a lengthy discussion with emotional investment, I think most people are OK with it. So if we don’t want an answer, why do we ask it? Isn’t it dis-
ingenuous?I got to thinking about it recent-
ly and decided it isn’t. Though we don’t want to hear an answer, what we’re saying, in effect, is, “I hope everything is going well for you.” We may not have time or the ener-gy to get involved if it isn’t, but I care about you enough that I hope it is. Then, I had another insight which was borne out by an experi-ence that was clearly Heaven-sent.
While I was in the midst of writ-ing this article, I was at a nursing home and a staffer asked a resident how she was doing. She said, “I’m not so good…” and started listing what was annoying her. Then she stopped and said, “I actually should
say, ‘Thank G-d,’ because I don’t have any pain.” Bingo! I knew I was onto something.
What we’re doing when we ask people how they are is giving them a chance to say, “Thank G-d, things ar-en’t as bad as I tend to think to my-self.” By thanking Hashem as part of a perfunctory ritual, we accomplish two things. One, we overcome some of the negativity we might otherwise talk into ourselves by actually speaking out that “thank G-d, things are good.” We’re putting it out there that we’re capable of speaking positively about our lives. We’re showing ourselves that just be-cause something bothers us doesn’t mean others have to be bothered also, and it doesn’t even have to bother us so much that we can’t get past it. We can put on a happy face!
But there’s more. When we thank Hashem and say things are good, we are also accepting whatever He’s given us with love and appreciation. When we do that, Hashem is inclined to give us more because we show that we ap-preciate Him.
I believe I heard in the name of the Chofetz Chaim that when one ac-
cepts yissurim, troubles, with love, he negates the need for them to con-tinue! Because he has shown that he trusts Hashem, the person grows clos-er to Him and accomplishes what the troubles were intended to accomplish.
He gets the mes-sage, which is the whole point of the suffering to begin with.
So, the next time someone asks, “How YOU doin’?” smile, thank Hashem, and say, “It’s all good.”
Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writ-er and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/Rab-biGewirtz and follow him on Twitter @RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates Jewish-SpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion.
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© 2015 by Jonathan Gewirtz. All rights reserved.
How You Doin’?
Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
The Observant Jew
Even though sometimes life is a struggle, if we take it one day at a time we can handle it.
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Jewish history is replete with heroes. While some of our heroes may fit into the con-
ventional stereotypes, using their su-perhuman strength or sharp acumen to achieve salvation in challenging situations, most of our heroes were people of great character and deep faith, who rose above their dire cir-cumstances and limiting beliefs to better themselves and those around them.
One that comes readily to mind is Aharon HaKohein, who suffered through one of the most sudden and dramatic shifts of personal circum-stance in Jewish history. On 1 Nissan, 2449, after many months of waiting, the Mishkan was formally dedicated. At that time, Aharon was conferred with the status of Kohain Gadol and assumed the primary role in perform-ing the daily avodah.
However, this moment of great joy quickly turned tragic. As we recently read, immediately after Aharon duti-fully completed his personal avodah, his great sons Nadav and Avihu lost their lives.
One can only begin to imagine Aharon’s enormous pain. Just a few moments earlier, Aharon was in the midst of experiencing perhaps the greatest day of his life. Now, his
world was turned upside down, and he was forced to quickly accept the painful loss of his beloved sons.
How did Aharon react to such challenging circumstances? The an-swer is with great strength and cour-age. Aharon silently ac-cepted Hashem’s will and continued to perform the avodah as if nothing tragic had occurred. For this, he was rewarded with a spe-cial, direct command from Hashem.
When Aharon heard that his sons had been G-d fear-ing, he remained silent, and was rewarded for his si-lence… From where do we know that he received a re-ward for his silence? From the fact that he was priv-
ileged to have the divine utterance addressed to him alone, as it is said (Vayikra 10:8), “And Hashem spoke
to Aharon.” (Vayikra Rabbah 12:2)This same greatness of spirit can
be seen in the conduct of Rabbi Aki-
va, who lost twenty four thousand disciples during the sefirah period. Again, let us try to comprehend how awesome this tragedy was. The per-sonal story of Rabbi Akiva is well known. Until the age of forty, he was a poor, ignorant shepherd. From this lowly beginning, he rose to become the greatest sage of his generation, and one of the greatest in history.
However, he was not content with his personal growth. Rabbi Akiva invested great degrees of effort to nurture his own students. Soon he developed one of the largest cohorts of talmidim ever known in our histo-ry. Imagine the great satisfaction that Rabbi Akiva must have received from
the knowledge that he was directly responsible for such tremendous out-pouring of Torah study.
Suddenly, and without warning or explanation, everything started to collapse underneath him. This great mass of talmidei chachamim quickly dwindled, until they were complete-ly gone. One can only begin to imag-ine the deep sense of loss and pain that Rabbi Akiva must have suffered as a result of this great tragedy.
Still, he did not become despon-dent. Rather, he rose up yet again, this time in his advanced years, and raised a small group of talmidim (in-
cluding R’ Meir, R’ Yehudah, R’ Yosi, and R’ Shimon bar Yochai) who “filled Eretz Yisroel with Torah” (Bereishis
Rabbah 61:3). It was through them that he would re-build once again, and ensure that his Torah legacy would be preserved.
The lesson that we must learn from these spiritu-al giants is clear. In these very chal-lenging times it is easy for a person to become despon-dent and allow his circumstances to overtake him. Still,
it is our responsibility to emulate Aharon HaKohein and Rabbi Akiva and do everything within our power to rise above our personal adversity and continue to pursue our one true goal, the fulfillment of ratzon Hashem.
Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is an executive coach and president of Impactful Coaching and Consulting (ImpactfulCoaching.com). He can be reached at 212.470.6139 or at [email protected].
A Jewish Kind of Hero
Rabbi Naphtali Hoff
A Fulfilled Life
It is our responsibility to emulate Aharon HaKohein and Rabbi Akiva and do everything within our power to rise above our personal adversity.
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Successfully Riding the Ups and Downs
of Life and Relationships
C H A N A L E V I T A N Neve Yerushalayim Educator, Therapist,
Author of “I Only Want To Get Married Once”
Sunday, May 3, 2015 the 14th of Iyar at 10 A.M. at Cong. Shaaray Tefilah
25 Central Avenue, Lawrence
This month’s lecture is sponsored by: The Elefant Family
li”n Pessel Gittel bas Yeshayahu Yitzchok Hacohen and Reb Yosef ben Shimon
To sponsor a lecture, contact [email protected] or call 516-239-0494
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Hatzalah volunteers are answering these urgent calls at all
hours of the day and night, adding up to thousands of calls annually. The volunteer members of Hatzalah of the Rockaways & Nassau County are ready, willing and able to help at a moment’s notice. Community residents rely on them, taking comfort in the knowl-edge that these men are always on the job.
After an emergency call comes in, the two clos-est available EMTs race to the patient’s side, while a third heads to get the ambulance. At a time when even one second can make all the difference, the ini-tial response time is typically just 2-3 minutes. Once at the scene, a brief assessment is made to determine if back up is needed. The dispatcher will subsequent-ly send out calls to paramedics and doctors if nec-essary, in order to administer intravenous fluids and
other advanced care treatments. Approximately 90% of the patients who call Hat-
zalah will need to be taken to the hospital, accompa-nied by volunteers on the ambulance. The total time for a call can take up to 2 hours. But Hatzalah vol-unteers don’t just drop patients off at the front desk and run. The loyal Hatzalah members stay as long as it takes to ensure that the patient is safe and in good hands.
Many are familiar with the sight of these dedi-cated men with their ever-present radios, darting out of shul when a call is heard over their radio. Hatzalah volunteers are our neighbors and friends. They are also doctors, lawyers, rabbis, plumbers, teachers, and most importantly, fathers, husbands and sons. They are unpaid volunteers who juggle their family life, careers and other obligations.
Saluting our
Hatzalah FamiliesBY TAMMY MARK
The call comes over the radio. A
community member is in distress.
Volunteers throughout the neighbor-
hood jump on the call and respond
immediately. Split second decisions
are made. Who’s available? Who’s
the closest? Who can get there in
the precious few minutes that can
make a difference and save a life?
109It may be harder to recognize those behind the scenes who help make it possible for these selfless souls to serve at a moment’s notice. Who has to leave their family during a simcha or Shabbos meal? What things may be happening at home when that call comes, leaving the other parent or the rest of the family to step in? The ability to serve others and live the life of an emergency medical technician does not come without the assistance of a huge support sys-tem.
The extended Hatzalah family includes the wives and children who allow and encourage them to serve the community. When a call come in, fam-ily members jump to action as well, taking over at home. When there is no other choice, families are even brought along on calls. One Hatzalah volunteer recalls the time his family had piled into the car, all packed up and ready to embark on a trip, when a call came in. He knew he was the closest and didn’t hesi-tate to assist. He raced to the scene with his wife and children in tow. The family waited in the car until he completed his mission, concerned but assured that the patient was properly cared for.
It’s not uncommon for a Hatzalah member to head out on a call during the Shabbos seudah or during dinner. A call to save a Jew is paramount and their wives and children are part of their selflessness. They know that their husband and father is on a mission, a mission to help others and ensure that all of our com-munity is tended to with care and compassion. They, too, are part of the Hatzalah family.
This year on May 3,, Hatzalah will hold its an-nual BBQ dinner at the Sands of Atlan-
tic Beach. They will be honoring the families of the committed volunteers who work together to provide comfort and care to our community. The barbecue dinner is the organization’s main fundraiser.
Rabbi Elozer Kanner, who has been one of Hatzalah’s coordinators for 30
years and
handles much of the fundraising burden, explains the focus on the families this year. Hatzalah volunteers enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that their work makes a difference. Saving a life of a community member or child is their reward, but the family mem-bers give of themselves without always seeing the outcomes. The theme of this year’s dinner, “Saluting our Families,” is about “appreciating the sacrifice of
the wives and children who don’t see with their own eyes the success of the medical intervention,” says Rabbi Kanner.
It was over 30 years ago that a small group of volunteers took it upon themselves to save lives, and today the local Hatzalah has evolved into an orga-nization with over 100 volunteers, including EMTs, paramedics and physicians. They are licensed, equipped and ready to respond to any and all medical emergencies between Belle Harbor, East Rockaway, North Woodmere and West Hempstead. Volunteers throughout the community are capable of reaching all local and regional hospitals in record time, and have been directly responsible for saving many lives.
The annual fundraiser is crucial to help Hatzalah maintain this high level of care. The needs include funding for up-to-date life-saving medications, defi-brillators and the constant oxygen supply. Funds go towards the cost of fuel, utilities, training,
maintaining and updating equipment, and so much more. While there is no fee for the vital community service, Hatzalah looks to the entire community to help – in order for Hatzalah continue to help the com-munity. It is hoped that no one should ever need Hat-zalah’s services.
The community is fortunate to have access to pri-vate services, especially with the professional level of training and care we have come to expect. It is the dependability and level of competence of the volun-teers, together with the high degree of empathy and sensitivity, which upholds Hatzalah’s reputation ser-vices. The consistency and reliability of these vol-unteers relies on the community and on their support system at home.
We all hope that we remain in good health and won’t be needing a life-saving hand. But in case of that one-time event when a few seconds and a car-ing, capable volunteer can make all the difference in proper care, we must make sure that Hatzalah is well-equipped to assist. A donation today can mean that we can continue being a thriving community to-morrow.
While the most integral part of the equation is the people, the ones who give of
themselves to help others and their loved ones that help make it happen, the contributions are truly a critical part of the equation. The Hatzalah volunteers rely on the network and support system that they have –the loving families that are involved in mak-ing things run smoothly and the donors who make it all possible. It takes a community to keep this vital service up and running. It is truly a family affair.
To RSVP or place an ad in the com-memorative virtual journal, visit www.Ha t za lahRL .org /BBQ.
Saluting our
Hatzalah Families
A call to save a Jew is
paramount and their wives
and children are part of
their selflessness.
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109It may be harder to recognize those behind the scenes who help make it possible for these selfless souls to serve at a moment’s notice. Who has to leave their family during a simcha or Shabbos meal? What things may be happening at home when that call comes, leaving the other parent or the rest of the family to step in? The ability to serve others and live the life of an emergency medical technician does not come without the assistance of a huge support sys-tem.
The extended Hatzalah family includes the wives and children who allow and encourage them to serve the community. When a call come in, fam-ily members jump to action as well, taking over at home. When there is no other choice, families are even brought along on calls. One Hatzalah volunteer recalls the time his family had piled into the car, all packed up and ready to embark on a trip, when a call came in. He knew he was the closest and didn’t hesi-tate to assist. He raced to the scene with his wife and children in tow. The family waited in the car until he completed his mission, concerned but assured that the patient was properly cared for.
It’s not uncommon for a Hatzalah member to head out on a call during the Shabbos seudah or during dinner. A call to save a Jew is paramount and their wives and children are part of their selflessness. They know that their husband and father is on a mission, a mission to help others and ensure that all of our com-munity is tended to with care and compassion. They, too, are part of the Hatzalah family.
This year on May 3,, Hatzalah will hold its an-nual BBQ dinner at the Sands of Atlan-
tic Beach. They will be honoring the families of the committed volunteers who work together to provide comfort and care to our community. The barbecue dinner is the organization’s main fundraiser.
Rabbi Elozer Kanner, who has been one of Hatzalah’s coordinators for 30
years and
handles much of the fundraising burden, explains the focus on the families this year. Hatzalah volunteers enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that their work makes a difference. Saving a life of a community member or child is their reward, but the family mem-bers give of themselves without always seeing the outcomes. The theme of this year’s dinner, “Saluting our Families,” is about “appreciating the sacrifice of
the wives and children who don’t see with their own eyes the success of the medical intervention,” says Rabbi Kanner.
It was over 30 years ago that a small group of volunteers took it upon themselves to save lives, and today the local Hatzalah has evolved into an orga-nization with over 100 volunteers, including EMTs, paramedics and physicians. They are licensed, equipped and ready to respond to any and all medical emergencies between Belle Harbor, East Rockaway, North Woodmere and West Hempstead. Volunteers throughout the community are capable of reaching all local and regional hospitals in record time, and have been directly responsible for saving many lives.
The annual fundraiser is crucial to help Hatzalah maintain this high level of care. The needs include funding for up-to-date life-saving medications, defi-brillators and the constant oxygen supply. Funds go towards the cost of fuel, utilities, training,
maintaining and updating equipment, and so much more. While there is no fee for the vital community service, Hatzalah looks to the entire community to help – in order for Hatzalah continue to help the com-munity. It is hoped that no one should ever need Hat-zalah’s services.
The community is fortunate to have access to pri-vate services, especially with the professional level of training and care we have come to expect. It is the dependability and level of competence of the volun-teers, together with the high degree of empathy and sensitivity, which upholds Hatzalah’s reputation ser-vices. The consistency and reliability of these vol-unteers relies on the community and on their support system at home.
We all hope that we remain in good health and won’t be needing a life-saving hand. But in case of that one-time event when a few seconds and a car-ing, capable volunteer can make all the difference in proper care, we must make sure that Hatzalah is well-equipped to assist. A donation today can mean that we can continue being a thriving community to-morrow.
While the most integral part of the equation is the people, the ones who give of
themselves to help others and their loved ones that help make it happen, the contributions are truly a critical part of the equation. The Hatzalah volunteers rely on the network and support system that they have –the loving families that are involved in mak-ing things run smoothly and the donors who make it all possible. It takes a community to keep this vital service up and running. It is truly a family affair.
To RSVP or place an ad in the com-memorative virtual journal, visit www.Ha t za lahRL .org /BBQ.
Saluting our
Hatzalah Families
A call to save a Jew is
paramount and their wives
and children are part of
their selflessness.
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You might be in denial and not know it. Because you’re in de-nial. And don’t think that you
are so aware that it can’t happen to you. It most likely happens to all of us. Before you can even consider getting out of it, you have to realize it’s happening. In or-der to do that it might help to understand why it happens in the first place.
Conscious ProcessOne reason for this is the brain’s
economy or efficiency. Hashem created all things to work optimally. For that rea-son, He gave us a conscious mind which is organized and methodical. It is linear in its process, very sederdik. That is, in thinking through things, it starts at A and works around to B, and so forth. When it jumps around, we complain that our thoughts are “all over the place” and we don’t like that; we can’t function well that way. The purpose of the conscious mind is to think things through clearly and logically. That is its normal func-tioning.
The downside of the conscious pro-cess is that it is slow, laborious, and of-ten leaves out a lot of helpful data. To be economical and efficient, it must do that. It cannot afford to get bogged down with data that we wouldn’t ordinarily think of as important. Thus, data that could be important is left out of the equation all the time. To solve that problem, Hash-em created the unconscious (or subcon-scious) mind. That is everything else that we know but don’t bring to mind con-sciously.
The Unconscious ProcessIn the interest of efficiency, the sub-
conscious mind is not linear but net-worked. Ideas and information that we wouldn’t ordinarily think of as linked in any way become connected togeth-er from time to time. This explains the weirdness of dreams but it also explains how we solve puzzles when we are not thinking of solving them: Our uncon-scious minds link things together that really work to solve the problem.
I’m sure you’ve had the experience of a thought “popping into your head” out of nowhere, a thought which helped you decide what to wear to an import-ant occasion, how to juggle your funds to cover an expense, where to send your child to school or any of a number of
other questions that could not seem to be solved through struggling with them logically and consciously.
Even though the unconscious mind will serendipitously link things together that will be enormously helpful, there is also a downside to this process. The downside is that it will automatically re-peat reactions that we have had before, reactions that seem entrenched in our thinking. This, too, is coming from the need for economy and efficiency. This is a downside when we would wish not to have those reactions.
For example, when you see some-one who makes you uncomfortable – not because this person did anything to you, but because he or she reminds you of someone who did make you uncomfort-able for many years in your childhood – the unconscious mind will keep having you react in this same way. If you want to get past that, too bad. For the sake of economy and efficiency, it just automati-cally goes about its business.
Neurological ResearchIn the last ten years neurological re-
search has come to back up these men-tal concepts with physiological mech-anisms. It turns out that nerves form pathways fire very quickly and automati-cally when presented with the same stim-ulus. Furthermore, they have now un-covered a protein synthesis process that plays a role in this. When a person will bring to conscious mind a memory in all of its multifaceted emotions and sensa-tions, that protein synthesis remains in a state that is capable of changing those emotions and sensations. But that will happen only if a person re-experiences the original memory completely.
This is a great example of the con-scious and the unconscious working together to correct a problem. Efficien-cy of the unconscious is lost for the time that the memory remains open to change (called “labile”) but it helps the healing process in handling uncomfort-able memories.
An ExampleLet’s say that Miriam and Yossi have
been married for 15 years. They have five children and have devoted themselves to their family. On automatic are the many, many concerns and considerations re-garding their children such as homework and bedtime, how they react when their children misbehave – or behave – how they will cover the tuition bills, who is in charge of what aspect of running this home, and so on.
Now, just suppose that every so of-ten, say, once in three weeks, there is some kind of unpleasant emotional up-heaval. Miriam is suspicious, or Yossi feels rejected, or Miriam is lonely, or Yossi is anxious, or some such thing. As a result, one or the other may cry. One may storm off. Another may slam a door or not talk for the rest of the day. One may drink too much. These reactions are quite unpleasant and certainly interfere with the smooth functioning of daily life.
So what does the efficient brain do? Ignore them later on.
That’s denial and that’s one of the reasons for it. In thinking about life, who wants to dig up the toxic memories when most of the time things go smoothly and uneventfully? If all these unpleasant oc-currences dwindle down to one in four months, then several years later, they may not be on the tip of one’s mind when someone brings up the past.
There’s another reason why denial is so pervasive. To understand it, we have to invoke another facet of how people learn.
Variable Reinforcement SchedulesWay back when I was a newly mint-
ed college student, I got to meet B.F. Skinner in person: the rat guy. He was the one who put rats in cages to see how they learned if they were either shocked or given pellets of food. Which worked better and how did that happen? One of his findings was quite fascinating: learn-ing that “sticks” the most is the result of
being reinforced (rewarded) on a vari-able schedule.
Suppose, for example, Mrs. Schwartz wants her little daughter, Melissa, to learn not to touch the electrical outlet. She says, “No!” when she sees Melissa there and gently pulls her hand away. Melissa, of course, is curious about the outlet and she continues to try to touch it. Now, there are times that Mrs. Schwartz may be busy with the other children or perhaps not even around and Melissa is under the care of a babysitter. At those times, Melissa gets away with her behav-ior. Thus, there are times when Melissa is rewarded by getting to touch the outlet with impunity and other times when her behavior is punished with the, “No!” So she is on a variable reinforcement sched-ule. This is the hardest one to break.
Back to Miriam and Yossi. When they are not having painful interludes, things are smooth. Perhaps sometimes, things even are pleasant. There will be happy moments like birthdays, vaca-tions, and positive events that pull them out of their humdrum lives. Overall, their relationship varies. They are on a vari-able schedule of reinforcement. And this, too, makes for denial: its positive aspects are what the efficient brain learns.
The only way out of this is to sit down and carefully examine everything. Don’t overlook the negative even though it may occur few and far between if you are interested in coming to an accurate and realistic evaluation of things in your life. Denial is a great way to cope and deal with unpleasantness but it may not be the best platform from which to make decisions about where you are going with your life.
Dr. Deb Hirschhorn, a Marriage & Fami-ly Therapist and best-selling author of The Healing Is Mutual: Marriage Empowerment Tools to Rebuild Trust and Respect—To-gether, is proud to announce that readers of The Jewish Home will receive a $50 dis-count on every visit to her Woodmere office. Attend the Food For Thought lectures at Traditions Restaurant in Lawrence on Tues-days at 12:30 PM. (There is a lovely optional lunch menu for $12 cash.) Any questions, call 646-54-DRDEB or check out her website at http://drdeb.com. All stories in Dr. Deb’s ar-ticles are fabricated.
Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.
Dr. Deb
How Do you Get out of Denial when you are in Denial?
Even though the unconscious mind will serendipitously link things together that will be enormously helpful, there is also a downside to this process.
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Aliza Beer, MS, RD
Health & Fitness
Spring Clean Your Diet
If you’re looking for new ways to improve your eating habits and possibly lose weight for the sum-
mer, the warm weather can help you create better nutritional habits. Lon-ger days and seasonal produce make the next few months prime time to upgrade our eat-ing habits and get into better nutritional and physical shape.
• Load up on seasonal fruit: Spring means longer days, rising temperatures, and fresh seasonal produce. Berries are especially nutritious since they are high in antioxidants and low in carbs. You can make a fruit soup or compote or smoothie during the warmer, sunnier days.
• Drink Water: Your goal should be 8 cups of water or seltzer a day. If you prefer it flavored, buy an infuser into which you can slice up fresh fruit that will flavor
your water without any chemicals or artificial sweeteners. Drink an iced coffee with skim or almond milk; it will help keep you cool
and feeling full. Avoid those coffee blended drinks as they are typically high in both calories and sugar. Eliminate soda and try an unsweetened iced tea instead.
• Up your Veggie Intake: During the winter months, comfort foods like pasta are craved and in demand. There is an easy way to make a vegetable pasta and cut your calories and carbs while increasing vitamin and fiber consumption. Get a machine that takes veggies like zucchini and spaghetti squash and cuts them into ribbons. You can also make cauliflower into “rice” or “mashed potatoes.”
• Fire up the Grill: Grilling will make a cook out of anyone! You also get to eat all of your favorite fast foods but in much healthier versions. Avoid hot dogs and eat fish or chicken and veggies. Grilled pineapple is a great dessert!
• Head Outdoors: The warmer weather and increase in daylight hours are perfect for outdoor activities like walking, running, or biking. Take advantage and you will be accomplishing two things: 1) You will burn more calories; 2) You will consume less calories than if you had stayed home in front of the TV/computer mindlessly eating empty calorie snacks.
• Close the Kitchen after Dinner: Nothing good can come out of
being in the kitchen at night. You will end up snacking out of boredom not real hunger. Take an herbal tea with you to bed and then brush and floss your teeth. It’ll inhibit you from nighttime snacking.
Embrace all the goodness that
spring has to offer. The wonderful produce, warmer weather, and longer days. Take advantage of this season and you will feel, look, and even sleep better!
Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedar-hurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at [email protected].
85
Imagine a yeshiva in which the students are taught not just a perek of Ge-
mara, but also how that perek connects to other pera-kim, to Yiddishkeit as a whole, and to the very talmidim who are learning it. Imagine a curriculum that contextu-alizes the Chumash so much so that students internalize their personal relevance and potential for contribution.
“Relating and connecting children to what they learn is a key factor in motivating them to want to learn,” says Rabbi Isser Pliner, a veteran mechanech and a re-spected principal of nearly three decades.
Rabbi Pliner has spent years evaluating compulsory classroom education, its benefits and its drawbacks. He recently moved to Far Rockaway after twelve immensely productive years as Dean of Yeshi-vas Eitz Chaim of Toronto and Senior Menahel of its B o y s Division. Rabbi Pliner also spent eight years as Head of School of Pittsburgh’s Hillel Academy, six years as prin-cipal of Rabbi David L. Silver Yeshiva Academy of Har-risburg, PA, and two years as Director of Jewish Studies at Rudlin Torah Academy of Richmond, VA. The fa-ther of eight also has a Masters in Public Administration from Georgia State University and Principals Certifica-tion from the state of Pennsylvania, is a member of the first cadre of principals of Torah U’Mesorah’s Yesud Ma’alah Principals Program, and has published several scholarly articles on a variety of educational topics.
About halfway through his years at Eitz Chaim in Toronto, Rabbi Pliner began to question the all too fa-miliar teacher-centered classroom model as the most effective prototype for teaching all children. Not only do traditional classrooms leave the brightest children under-stimulated and the slower learners behind, they do not take into account basic child development.
Rabbi Pliner also realized that because schools don’t have the time to teach every perek and parsha, “stu-dents’ learning is disjointed and lacks connectedness.” There had to be a better way to approach learning in its entirety.
It wasn’t long before Rabbi Pliner’s intuitions were validated at a Torah U’Mesorah convention during which Rav Matisyahu Salomon, shlita, spoke one Shab-bos afternoon.
Rabbi Pliner paraphrases the gadol: “Everything ar-tificial has side effects. Things that are natural, on the
other hand, have no side effects. Our chinuch system is artificial – but it’s the best we have.”
Rabbi Pliner took those words as a personal chal-lenge to revolutionize the way things have always been done. He started to explore other learning paradigms and implement them in his own school.
“I inspired the schoolboard to the cause, sought out educational experts of all types, hired consultants, and
re-trained my staff in differen-tiated instruction,” he recalls.
But it wasn’t until he began training
himself that Rabbi Pliner took a serious look into Maria Montessori’s phi-losophies, which he had previously dismissed as impractical. Surprised, he discovered a derech that embraced the very mean-ing of “chanoch lana’ar al pi darko” – namely, that
it is impossible to teach two children the exact same way because they absorb and internalize knowledge differently. With this in mind, Montessori developed a system of education that allows each child to learn at his own pace while also foster-ing independence, self-reliance, confidence, and understanding of material, as opposed to rote memorization. Was it possible to orient a Montessori proto-type to a Torah education?
According to well-known educational consultant, author, and speaker Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, yes, it’s more than pos-sible – it’s l’chatchila. And that’s exactly to whom Rabbi Pliner turned with eagerness to learn more.
“Rabbi Rietti is a master mechanech. I finally had a teacher who could help me solidify what I really felt deep inside,” he pro-fesses.
Rabbi Rietti’s fittingly branded ‘Al Pi Darko’ system is based on Montessori methodology, which is founded on three things: a prepared teacher, a prepared environ-ment, and freedom for the child. Children explore on their own, work with peers of different ages, and learn on their own personal trajectories.
Furthermore, it recognizes that in order for a child
to develop his potential and become a receptacle for knowledge, he must understand his relevance in the world.
“If you understand how you fit into the bigger pic-ture, it solidifies where you are going and drives and motivates you to succeed,” Rabbi Pliner points out.
The actual Montessori classroom uses physical sta-tions and materials to prepare children for the skills they are about to learn. Discriminating between sounds and shapes using instruments and other items, for example, is a skill that cognitively prepares children for letters and ultimately for reading.
“There are vital building blocks that need to be in place before learning a skill. Once the prep work is done, the skill can be successfully acquired,” explains Rabbi Pliner.
After all, he continues, the Gemara in Moed Ka-tan states, “Ashrei mi she’bo lekan v’talmudo b’yado.” The Marshah explains that “b’yado” refers to the hand as one of the only parts of the body that actually ac-quires knowledge. How essential it is, then, that learn-ing through touch be incorporated into early childhood education.
A true Montessori classroom also allows students the freedom to structure their own learning time, their own snack time, and their own clean-up time. Many parents are bewildered at this, but soon learn that free-dom coupled with high expectations yields incredible results, explains Rabbi Pliner. A child’s freedoms are
protected as long as academic mile-stones are met, thus fostering self-sufficiency and invaluable time man-agement skills from a very young age.
Rabbi Pliner believes that a Mon-tessori classroom is far more “natural” than today’s traditional classrooms. “When children are in a natural envi-ronment that is developmentally appro-priate, they will be more comfortable and happier.”
Rabbi Pliner, who is also a talmid of HaRav Meir Belsky, shlita, has brought his expertise to a new sophisticated Montessori-based yeshiva in Brooklyn, Yeshivas Darchei Aliyah. To the relief and excitement of many parents in the
Five Towns, he will be arranging private van transpor-tation for boys in preschool through 4th grade from the Five Towns this coming September. He also hopes to bring a branch of the yeshiva to the Five Towns in the coming years.
“The Torah is clear – it is impossible to teach two children the exact same way.” And if Rabbi Pliner has anything do with it, his teachers will never try.
Tamar Cohen
Focus on People
Teaching Each Child in His Own WayRabbi Pliner’s Montessori Vision Offers a Unique Yeshiva Education to All
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Imagine a yeshiva in which the students are taught not just a perek of Ge-
mara, but also how that perek connects to other pera-kim, to Yiddishkeit as a whole, and to the very talmidim who are learning it. Imagine a curriculum that contextu-alizes the Chumash so much so that students internalize their personal relevance and potential for contribution.
“Relating and connecting children to what they learn is a key factor in motivating them to want to learn,” says Rabbi Isser Pliner, a veteran mechanech and a re-spected principal of nearly three decades.
Rabbi Pliner has spent years evaluating compulsory classroom education, its benefits and its drawbacks. He recently moved to Far Rockaway after twelve immensely productive years as Dean of Yeshi-vas Eitz Chaim of Toronto and Senior Menahel of its B o y s Division. Rabbi Pliner also spent eight years as Head of School of Pittsburgh’s Hillel Academy, six years as prin-cipal of Rabbi David L. Silver Yeshiva Academy of Har-risburg, PA, and two years as Director of Jewish Studies at Rudlin Torah Academy of Richmond, VA. The fa-ther of eight also has a Masters in Public Administration from Georgia State University and Principals Certifica-tion from the state of Pennsylvania, is a member of the first cadre of principals of Torah U’Mesorah’s Yesud Ma’alah Principals Program, and has published several scholarly articles on a variety of educational topics.
About halfway through his years at Eitz Chaim in Toronto, Rabbi Pliner began to question the all too fa-miliar teacher-centered classroom model as the most effective prototype for teaching all children. Not only do traditional classrooms leave the brightest children under-stimulated and the slower learners behind, they do not take into account basic child development.
Rabbi Pliner also realized that because schools don’t have the time to teach every perek and parsha, “stu-dents’ learning is disjointed and lacks connectedness.” There had to be a better way to approach learning in its entirety.
It wasn’t long before Rabbi Pliner’s intuitions were validated at a Torah U’Mesorah convention during which Rav Matisyahu Salomon, shlita, spoke one Shab-bos afternoon.
Rabbi Pliner paraphrases the gadol: “Everything ar-tificial has side effects. Things that are natural, on the
other hand, have no side effects. Our chinuch system is artificial – but it’s the best we have.”
Rabbi Pliner took those words as a personal chal-lenge to revolutionize the way things have always been done. He started to explore other learning paradigms and implement them in his own school.
“I inspired the schoolboard to the cause, sought out educational experts of all types, hired consultants, and
re-trained my staff in differen-tiated instruction,” he recalls.
But it wasn’t until he began training
himself that Rabbi Pliner took a serious look into Maria Montessori’s phi-losophies, which he had previously dismissed as impractical. Surprised, he discovered a derech that embraced the very mean-ing of “chanoch lana’ar al pi darko” – namely, that
it is impossible to teach two children the exact same way because they absorb and internalize knowledge differently. With this in mind, Montessori developed a system of education that allows each child to learn at his own pace while also foster-ing independence, self-reliance, confidence, and understanding of material, as opposed to rote memorization. Was it possible to orient a Montessori proto-type to a Torah education?
According to well-known educational consultant, author, and speaker Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, yes, it’s more than pos-sible – it’s l’chatchila. And that’s exactly to whom Rabbi Pliner turned with eagerness to learn more.
“Rabbi Rietti is a master mechanech. I finally had a teacher who could help me solidify what I really felt deep inside,” he pro-fesses.
Rabbi Rietti’s fittingly branded ‘Al Pi Darko’ system is based on Montessori methodology, which is founded on three things: a prepared teacher, a prepared environ-ment, and freedom for the child. Children explore on their own, work with peers of different ages, and learn on their own personal trajectories.
Furthermore, it recognizes that in order for a child
to develop his potential and become a receptacle for knowledge, he must understand his relevance in the world.
“If you understand how you fit into the bigger pic-ture, it solidifies where you are going and drives and motivates you to succeed,” Rabbi Pliner points out.
The actual Montessori classroom uses physical sta-tions and materials to prepare children for the skills they are about to learn. Discriminating between sounds and shapes using instruments and other items, for example, is a skill that cognitively prepares children for letters and ultimately for reading.
“There are vital building blocks that need to be in place before learning a skill. Once the prep work is done, the skill can be successfully acquired,” explains Rabbi Pliner.
After all, he continues, the Gemara in Moed Ka-tan states, “Ashrei mi she’bo lekan v’talmudo b’yado.” The Marshah explains that “b’yado” refers to the hand as one of the only parts of the body that actually ac-quires knowledge. How essential it is, then, that learn-ing through touch be incorporated into early childhood education.
A true Montessori classroom also allows students the freedom to structure their own learning time, their own snack time, and their own clean-up time. Many parents are bewildered at this, but soon learn that free-dom coupled with high expectations yields incredible results, explains Rabbi Pliner. A child’s freedoms are
protected as long as academic mile-stones are met, thus fostering self-sufficiency and invaluable time man-agement skills from a very young age.
Rabbi Pliner believes that a Mon-tessori classroom is far more “natural” than today’s traditional classrooms. “When children are in a natural envi-ronment that is developmentally appro-priate, they will be more comfortable and happier.”
Rabbi Pliner, who is also a talmid of HaRav Meir Belsky, shlita, has brought his expertise to a new sophisticated Montessori-based yeshiva in Brooklyn, Yeshivas Darchei Aliyah. To the relief and excitement of many parents in the
Five Towns, he will be arranging private van transpor-tation for boys in preschool through 4th grade from the Five Towns this coming September. He also hopes to bring a branch of the yeshiva to the Five Towns in the coming years.
“The Torah is clear – it is impossible to teach two children the exact same way.” And if Rabbi Pliner has anything do with it, his teachers will never try.
Tamar Cohen
Focus on People
Teaching Each Child in His Own WayRabbi Pliner’s Montessori Vision Offers a Unique Yeshiva Education to All
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102 Book Nook
Rechy Wolner, protagonist of The Nurse by Pia Wolcowitz, lives in the Chassidic world
of Boro Park, a world which can sure look different from the rest of the frum world. Rechy’s wig is a little shorter, her girls do not go to seminary in Is-rael, the young couples meet through shidduchim but only in front of their parents after the boy’s mother has met the girl and the girl’s father has met the boy. People in her community don’t go to college or train for professions.
The Chassidic community works out its own problems more internally, which at best brings accusations of a siege men-tality and at worse makes the headlines in the New York Post or exposes itself on The View.
But Rechy Wolner’s conflicts and obstacles are relevant across all frum communities, even though she’s had to break a mold to get there. Rechy, a Chassidish wife and mother, has gone to college, became an RN, and in fact is working as a Visiting Nurse for a non-Jewish company in Brooklyn. Re-chy is following her heart as well as her family tradition. Her beloved Bubba, a gifted healer, has been a lifelong inspi-ration and Rechy is also determined to harness her best notion of chessed as she makes her way through the secular workplace.
This beautifully written, well-ob-served novel spins Rechy’s conflict out of the typical women’s issues of “Can she have it all?” and “How is a wom-
an to cope?” Those are the back sto-ries to the stronger and more universal themes of how a frum person employs chessed in the secular workplace. With support as well as protest from DJ, her African-American nursing supervisor, Rechy must learn to calibrate her pro-fessional work with her impulse to do good. It’s hard, but not necessarily in the way Rechy has anticipated. Her pa-tients include elderly Jews, both kosher and treif-eating, and a trailer-dwelling postal worker whose barking dog is as frightening as his grotesque physical state. But most challenging, and what pushes Rechy and DJ to the brink of legal action, is the young teen from Re-chy’s community whose mother insists on an alternative and possibly harmful homeopathic cure for a mysterious ill-ness yet undiagnosed.
In the meantime, life goes on for Rechy’s family, including shidduchim and the school conference where one of her young daughters clearly needs
some ADD intervention. Though this is Pia Wolocwitz’s de-
but adult novel, she is, in fact, a sea-soned and well-published writer. She has been published in Horizons, The Jewish Observer, Hamodia, Binah, and Mishpacha magazines, as well as in professional journals such as Doulas of North America and American Journal of Nursing. Her children’s book, One-Of-A-Kind Yanky, was published by Hachai in 1997, and she has appeared in the anthology, Everyone’s Got a Sto-ry, by Ruchama Feuerman.
In The Nurse, Wolcowitz also cap-tures the delicious nuances of shidduch inquiry and the delicious yentish-ness of shidduch-making. And she renders a beautiful, elevated scene when Rechy and her husband bring her workplace woes to their Rebbe.
On these pages a reader will find a polished inquiry into contemporary Chassidic life, one that’s written sensi-tively and smartly for all audiences.
Book Review on The Nurse
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Book Review on The Nurse — is proud to present —
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Naomi Nachman
In The Kitchen
Barbecue Basics
Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website,www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.
Asian-Style Short RibsIngredients 6-8 strips of meaty flanken, with bone2 cups soy sauce1 cup packed light brown sugar1 cup mirin ½ cup rice wine vinegar¼ cup minced garlic¼ cup minced ginger2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper1 teaspoon kosher salt
PreparationMix together the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl, then add the meat. Let the meat sit in the
marinade for several hours in the fridge.Before placing it on the grill, let the meat come to room temperature. Turn on the barbecue and let it get really hot so the flanken will sear, giving it a nice crust or flavor. Cook on
a high heat for about 10 minute per side. Watch for burning.Once the meat is cooked through let it sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes to “rest.” Slice each strip into smaller portions or serve each person one strip.
Last week, on my radio show “Table for Two” on the Nachum Segal Network, I joined up with another host on the Network, Mark Zomick. Mark hosts “The Stunt Show” and we did a mash-up of our two shows. We broadcasted our show from Mark’s backyard and barbecued all kinds of meats to show our viewers and listeners how to elevate and de-mystify barbecuing as we approach the sum-mer months. The show aired in two parts (one hour each).
On the show, we presented many inter-esting barbecue tips, learned about beer and wine pairings from Jay Buchsbaum, market-ing director of Royal Wine Corp., and grilled lots of hotdogs and salamis with Seth Leavitt, owner of Abeles and Heymann. To watch or listen to the two shows go to the Nachum Se-gal Net Channel on YouTube or listen on the archives on www.nachumsegal.com.
Here are some barbecue tips we shared with our audience:
Allowing the meat to “rest” from the heat before serving allows the juices, which have been driven to the center of the meat by the heat, to redistribute throughout the meat and be re-absorbed. As a result, the meat will lose less juice when you cut it and be far more tender and juicy to eat.
Try to shake off excess marinade before grilling as it can cause the meat to burn. Mar-inades tend to have sugar which burns fast on a high heat of a barbecue.
Always keep a spare tank of gas when barbecuing. You don’t want to run out in the middle of a party. (Fortunately, this did not happen to us on the show as we had our spare tank ready to go!)
You can even barbecue dessert. One great idea is to throw on some peaches or pineapple on the grill for a few minutes on each side.
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No Experience?
Rabbi Mordechai Kruger
Hire Education
I have done this work before and I’m ready to do it for you.
Like a lonely bird calling out in the night, the first-time job hunt-er often sings a mournful song.
“I can’t get a job without experience, and how can I get experience without a job?” I’m afraid that my last column might have made him sadder still, when I explained that skills should be thought of in terms of the way they were used and what was accomplished. Well, if no one will give you a chance to use your skills, then how is that supposed to work? And what happened to those nice people who used to be willing to give a guy a chance?
The first step in solving this puzzle is to make note of an odd feature of the American educational system. That is, with only a few exceptions, that our schools, whether high school, college, or beyond, do not teach their students how to do anything. Even after spend-ing years in school, new hires learn their jobs on the job. Employers are forced to be trainer-educators, which makes hiring an expensive and worry-fraught process. When I was a young football fan, people used to say that three things can happen when the quarterback pass-es, and two of them are bad. Well, three things can happen when an employer decides to bring in a new hire that he has to train, and two of them are bad and happen frequently. The first possi-bility is that the new guy will simply not have an aptitude for the task and do it poorly, and the second is that he will do it well enough to quit and get a bet-ter job somewhere else or even start his own company. So it’s hard to blame an employer for wanting to avoid at least some of the risk by hiring someone with experience.
Once upon a time there were more opportunities for “getting started.” If someone was reasonably smart, will-ing to work, and basically presentable there was usually some job available. We’ve all heard stories from years ago about somebody getting a chance and “making it.” But those jobs were almost always very low-skilled and very low pay. The employer was being nice but he was also risking very little. There are few of those jobs left today, and most of the people reading this column don’t want them. So the real problem is there is a gap between the skill level
of the workers and what is needed for higher level, higher paying jobs. That mismatch is the source of much of the unemployment that we see in our com-munity. And although I certainly can’t say anything that will completely solve the problem, there are some things that are worth thinking about.
Let’s ask a question that has an ob-vious answer. Why do companies want to hire people with experi-
ence? Of course, the answer is that if a new employee already has done a cer-tain job, then he will be able to “hit the ground running” and start producing for his new boss right away. But we know that it doesn’t always work that way. There are people who really have experience, but some people have just been doing the same job for a long time. They have practiced, but they’re far from perfect. And even someone who was a star in his last job may not succeed in a new environment. It seems that if we’re re-ally honest, we’ll admit that experience doesn’t prove much at all. Then why do employers look for that experience thing on the resume? What are they re-ally after?
It’s worth going back to those points we mentioned before, about experience being a way to demonstrate aptitude, and assuring the employer that his new hire will become productive without a long training process. Both of these can be addressed without specific on-the-job experience.
I have another name for “experi-ence.” I call it “the way that you show the employer that you understand the job and that you are ready to do it very
well.” Not catchy, I know, but I think it is helpful, because it leads the job hunt-er to ask himself, “How am I showing the employer that I understand the job? What have I done that proves I can do it very well?” Even experienced people need to think about this very carefully.
I recently was asked to help with a resume for someone who has worked in a technical field for many years who was now applying for a job as a manag-er in his own department. His resume did a great job of describing his techni-
cal skills but said nothing about leader-ship, mentoring, inspiring, mediating—
in short, he was telling the em-ployer, “I know a lot about computers, but not much about people.” And he couldn’t figure out why he didn’t get the job. What he needed to do was comb
through his years on the job and find situations where he demonstrated those people skills. And then look through his non-work life—at home, in the commu-
nity—and find more examples of those same skills. His resume and his cover letter have to focus on those points and show that he has learned from those ex-periences and can apply those skills.
There’s another approach that I rec-ommend to clients. They often look at me funny when I suggest it, but it works. It is common for teachers to prepare model lessons and materials, examples of how they would teach if they were in a real classroom. Any other job hunter can do the same thing. Going into law or accounting? Make up a client and do everything that you would do in a real office. Sales or marketing? Make up a campaign for the product you want to sell. Do the job before you get the job. One day you’ll be in an interview and they’ll say, “Well, we really want some-one who has done this work before.” With a smile you’ll hand out copies of your file and answer, “I have done this work before and I’m ready to do it for you.”
There are people who have experi-ence but some people can demonstrate that they really know how to do the job. Those are the people who get hired.
Rabbi Mordechai Kruger is the Director of Pathways to Parnassa, an organization dedicated to educating our community in all aspects of career choice and job search. Individual coaching is available. He can be reached at [email protected].
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11296Rocky Zweig
The Rocky Rant
It was a Darkand Stormy NightDear Readers,
What follows is a more-or-less unvarnished, untar-nished account of what transpired on my way home from playing drums at a wedding in Rockland County on the Palisades Parkway at about 2:00 in the morn-ing, on a gloomy, misty, rainy night in September of 1978. It is a tale fraught with all the necessary in-gredients of a spine-tingling adventure: darky, stormy night, deserted highway, mystery, intrigue, melodra-ma, melatonin, melon balls, um…sorry — got carried away. And although some poetic license may have been taken (in other words, I may have made some of it up) the gist of the story is true and actually hap-pened. Those of you who are squeamish or faint of heart might want to bail now. If not, strap in. Either way: you’ve been warned.
Late one dark and dreary Tuesday night back in ’78, I was driving home from a
gig in Monsey. It was 2:00 AM, I was alone in my car, and I was exhausted. I was on the Palisades Parkway, one of the creepier roadways around these here parts. The Palisades has lots of twists and turns and is dark. Very, very dark. No lights. No billboards to break up the monotony. Just you, the asphalt, and enough trees to keep the entire universe in toothpicks and match-sticks in perpetuity.
I was driving my 1975 Delta 88, an eight-cylinder behemoth. It was bigger than my apartment. It only got about eight miles to a gallon, but who cared? Gas cost sixty-five cents! G-d, I loved that car. The best part was the factory installed alarm that had the trunk incorporated into the system. In other words, if I was too lazy to schlepp my drums up the stairs to our apart-ment at 2069 Bay Ridge Avenue (AKA 69th Street) in Bensonhurst after a gig, I could leave them in the car. You had to use one of those circular keys to get into it, so the trunk was pretty much impenetrable.
So I’m on the Palisades and I’m dog-tired. It had been a long wedding and it was all I could do to try and stay awake behind the wheel. I tried listening to the radio (nothing but country music), listening to cas-settes (how many times can you hear Hotel California without your head exploding?), listening to the blood coursing through my veins and my heart beating a bit too quickly in my chest. You see, I had driven the Pali-sades alone many times before, but on this night, the road seemed particularly sinister, and for good reason.
Back in July of ‘75, Frenchi and I were in our apartment listening to our air conditioner make noise while the sweat poured down our backs. The AC was one of the many amenities (fridge, bathroom, walls) that was included in our $110.00 pad. Only problem was, all it was good for was scaring away burglars.
The cacophony that issued forth from that ancient ma-chine was enough to con-vince us that it had to be doing something, so every once in a while we would position ourselves directly in front of it and catch maybe a hint of a modicum of a suggestion of coolness coming from its long-dead compressor. But drip we did.
“Sweetie,” I finally said, “If we don’t get outta here soon, they’re gonna find us all shriveled up like a couple o’ beef jerkies.”
“Where do you wanna go? For a walk? It’s nine-ty-six degrees out!”
“How about the Marl-boro?”
“What’s playing?”“Who cares?”The Marlboro Theater sat on the corner of Bay
Parkway and 69th Street in Bensonhurst for seventy-five years, until it closed in 2002 and was ultimately demolished in 2007. Frenchi and I had seen tons of movies there and the air conditioning was absolutely frigid. We started walking the block-and-a-half to Bay Parkway, and soon we were able to read the marquee: JAWS!
“Forget it,” said Frenchi.”“But Sweetie,” said Rocky.“But sweetie, nothing. See ya later. I’m going
home to stick my head in the fridge. Or maybe the oven.”
I pleaded. I entreated. I beseeched. I did other things. Finally I said, “If it gets too scary, we’ll leave.”
“That’s four bucks down the drain. We can pay half our gas bill with that.”
“Come on, honey bunny…pleeeeeez?”I can be very charming. Especially when it’s nine-
ty-six degrees.Two hours later, we emerged with Frenchi’s face
ashen and my left arm bloodied from all the times she had dug her fingernails into it, which was whenever another swimmer got eaten. All the way home, almost trancelike, she sounded like Meir Kahane, over and over: never again…never again…never again…
Fast forward to August, 1976. We were staying in Gulkow’s Bungalow Colony in Woodbourne. The big blockbuster that summer in the Monticello Theater
was “The Omen.” The movie starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick and a kid who was the son of Satan or some such nonsense. It made “JAWS” look like “Mary Poppins.”
“Frenchi, dear?” Know what’s playing in Mon-ti…?”
“Yes. Get away from me.”I made the rounds. Heshy didn’t wanna see it.
Shloimie didn’t wanna see it. Peretz didn’t wanna see it. Bunch of wusses! I was on my own.
Let me tell you: that is one scary flick. It’s the kind of film where you have to keep reminding your-self that it’s only a movie or you’ll go running for the exit. I walked out of the theater (me and like eight other people) pretty shaken, and then I had to walk to my car through dark, deserted streets. Then I had to drive back home to Woodbourne. Alone.
Have you ever looked behind you while driving on a country road at night? There is nothing there but B-L-A-C-K-N-E-S-S. When you look out your front windshield, you don’t realize that without your head-lights you would find yourself smack in middle of the deepest, darkest, spookiest place imaginable. There are unidentifiable sounds and nothing else. You liter-ally would not be able to see your hand in front of your face.
Genius that I am, I kept looking behind me. I had the feeling that someone (something?) was following me. Please Hashem, I prayed, let me be home in my musty little hovel. Just a teeny bit of k’vitzas haderech, whaddaya say? I finally made it back to Woodbourne
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96Rocky Zweig
The Rocky Rant
It was a Darkand Stormy NightDear Readers,
What follows is a more-or-less unvarnished, untar-nished account of what transpired on my way home from playing drums at a wedding in Rockland County on the Palisades Parkway at about 2:00 in the morn-ing, on a gloomy, misty, rainy night in September of 1978. It is a tale fraught with all the necessary in-gredients of a spine-tingling adventure: darky, stormy night, deserted highway, mystery, intrigue, melodra-ma, melatonin, melon balls, um…sorry — got carried away. And although some poetic license may have been taken (in other words, I may have made some of it up) the gist of the story is true and actually hap-pened. Those of you who are squeamish or faint of heart might want to bail now. If not, strap in. Either way: you’ve been warned.
Late one dark and dreary Tuesday night back in ’78, I was driving home from a
gig in Monsey. It was 2:00 AM, I was alone in my car, and I was exhausted. I was on the Palisades Parkway, one of the creepier roadways around these here parts. The Palisades has lots of twists and turns and is dark. Very, very dark. No lights. No billboards to break up the monotony. Just you, the asphalt, and enough trees to keep the entire universe in toothpicks and match-sticks in perpetuity.
I was driving my 1975 Delta 88, an eight-cylinder behemoth. It was bigger than my apartment. It only got about eight miles to a gallon, but who cared? Gas cost sixty-five cents! G-d, I loved that car. The best part was the factory installed alarm that had the trunk incorporated into the system. In other words, if I was too lazy to schlepp my drums up the stairs to our apart-ment at 2069 Bay Ridge Avenue (AKA 69th Street) in Bensonhurst after a gig, I could leave them in the car. You had to use one of those circular keys to get into it, so the trunk was pretty much impenetrable.
So I’m on the Palisades and I’m dog-tired. It had been a long wedding and it was all I could do to try and stay awake behind the wheel. I tried listening to the radio (nothing but country music), listening to cas-settes (how many times can you hear Hotel California without your head exploding?), listening to the blood coursing through my veins and my heart beating a bit too quickly in my chest. You see, I had driven the Pali-sades alone many times before, but on this night, the road seemed particularly sinister, and for good reason.
Back in July of ‘75, Frenchi and I were in our apartment listening to our air conditioner make noise while the sweat poured down our backs. The AC was one of the many amenities (fridge, bathroom, walls) that was included in our $110.00 pad. Only problem was, all it was good for was scaring away burglars.
The cacophony that issued forth from that ancient ma-chine was enough to con-vince us that it had to be doing something, so every once in a while we would position ourselves directly in front of it and catch maybe a hint of a modicum of a suggestion of coolness coming from its long-dead compressor. But drip we did.
“Sweetie,” I finally said, “If we don’t get outta here soon, they’re gonna find us all shriveled up like a couple o’ beef jerkies.”
“Where do you wanna go? For a walk? It’s nine-ty-six degrees out!”
“How about the Marl-boro?”
“What’s playing?”“Who cares?”The Marlboro Theater sat on the corner of Bay
Parkway and 69th Street in Bensonhurst for seventy-five years, until it closed in 2002 and was ultimately demolished in 2007. Frenchi and I had seen tons of movies there and the air conditioning was absolutely frigid. We started walking the block-and-a-half to Bay Parkway, and soon we were able to read the marquee: JAWS!
“Forget it,” said Frenchi.”“But Sweetie,” said Rocky.“But sweetie, nothing. See ya later. I’m going
home to stick my head in the fridge. Or maybe the oven.”
I pleaded. I entreated. I beseeched. I did other things. Finally I said, “If it gets too scary, we’ll leave.”
“That’s four bucks down the drain. We can pay half our gas bill with that.”
“Come on, honey bunny…pleeeeeez?”I can be very charming. Especially when it’s nine-
ty-six degrees.Two hours later, we emerged with Frenchi’s face
ashen and my left arm bloodied from all the times she had dug her fingernails into it, which was whenever another swimmer got eaten. All the way home, almost trancelike, she sounded like Meir Kahane, over and over: never again…never again…never again…
Fast forward to August, 1976. We were staying in Gulkow’s Bungalow Colony in Woodbourne. The big blockbuster that summer in the Monticello Theater
was “The Omen.” The movie starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick and a kid who was the son of Satan or some such nonsense. It made “JAWS” look like “Mary Poppins.”
“Frenchi, dear?” Know what’s playing in Mon-ti…?”
“Yes. Get away from me.”I made the rounds. Heshy didn’t wanna see it.
Shloimie didn’t wanna see it. Peretz didn’t wanna see it. Bunch of wusses! I was on my own.
Let me tell you: that is one scary flick. It’s the kind of film where you have to keep reminding your-self that it’s only a movie or you’ll go running for the exit. I walked out of the theater (me and like eight other people) pretty shaken, and then I had to walk to my car through dark, deserted streets. Then I had to drive back home to Woodbourne. Alone.
Have you ever looked behind you while driving on a country road at night? There is nothing there but B-L-A-C-K-N-E-S-S. When you look out your front windshield, you don’t realize that without your head-lights you would find yourself smack in middle of the deepest, darkest, spookiest place imaginable. There are unidentifiable sounds and nothing else. You liter-ally would not be able to see your hand in front of your face.
Genius that I am, I kept looking behind me. I had the feeling that someone (something?) was following me. Please Hashem, I prayed, let me be home in my musty little hovel. Just a teeny bit of k’vitzas haderech, whaddaya say? I finally made it back to Woodbourne
97
in one piece, but I’ve never been quite comfortable driving alone on dark country roads since that chilling experience.
So here I was on the Palisades, still thinking of all the blood-curdling stuff I had seen in The
Omen two years before. Don Henley started singing “On a dark, desert highway” for about the twenty-third time. That’s when I heard the siren. No, no, no. Please, no. I can’t get a ticket. I have points on my license. I kept driving for at least a few minutes, thinking the cop must be chasing someone else, but the siren kept up. I looked behind me and didn’t see anything that looked like squad car lights, yet the siren continued, unabated. Finally I figured I better pull over, just to be safe. So that’s what I did: I pulled over and waited. And waited. And waited some more.
Cars went zipping by, but no State Troopers. The rain had stopped and had turned into a heavy, misty fog, which made the atmosphere even weirder. I was suddenly wide awake: nothing like a ghost with a siren to make your entire body snap to attention. I sat behind the steering wheel for what seemed like an eternity-and-a-half, debating what to do. I finally decided I had to do something. Simply driving away certainly wasn’t the answer. “It” had followed me before; why would it stop following me now? So I summoned every ounce of backbone I could muster and got out of the car to investigate.
The hot, humid air hit me in the face like a sledge-hammer. The siren was louder outside the car — much louder. Standing in the fog, creeped-out beyond be-lief, I finally came up with the most logical explana-tion for the evening’s goings-on: Sasquatch. As I’m
sure you’re aware, Sasquatch (AKA Bigfoot) roams our forests, eating unsuspecting campers, hikers, and overweight motorists. And while most sightings have been in the Pacific Northwest, who’s to say the big guy doesn’t have mishpucha in New York? I had no idea he had a warning system, kind of like a rattlesnake, but then again I was hardly a Sasquatchologist.
So there I was, standing on the shoulder of the Pali-sades Parkway at 2:30 in the morning, resigned to my fate, importuning Hashem to make my imminent de-mise as quick and as painless as possible. But then something amazing happened: I was able to rouse my-self from my reverie long enough to actually get a han-dle on the direction from whence the dreaded sound was coming. Time stood still. I stood stock still. I listened carefully above the slight howling of the wind and the occasional animal noise until I was able to dis-cern exactly where Sasquatch was located.
Turns out, he was in…MY TRUNK???I walked around to the back of my beloved Olds
and listened. Sure enough, the siren was coming from my trunk. It…was…my…trunk…alarm. Found out later at the dealership that there was a short, I had hit a bump, the bump had shortened the short or whatever bumps do to shorts, and the alarm had responded by scaring the living daylights out of the loose nut behind the wheel.
`I shut the alarm and lo and behold, Sasquatch died. I settled back into the driver’s seat in stunned silence for a few minutes, letting the AC blow on my sweaty face. I was totally drained. Then I just started laughing. I must have laughed for three or four min-utes straight. Then I thanked the Ribono Shel Olam for making my early morning nisayon nothing more than a
manifestation of my own insanely vivid imagination. I punched the play button on the cassette player and Don Henley’s voice sprang to life: “On a dark desert high-way, cool wind in my hair…” I reached over, pulled out the tape and chucked it out the window, threw the car into drive, and started on my journey back home.
Rocky Zweig has been writing since he was sixteen and was the Editor-in-Chief of the late and decidedly unlamented Modieinu, the mimeographed (remember mimeographs?) newspaper of the Tenth Avenue Pirchei of Boro Park, where he wrote everything from stories to news articles to hashkafa articles to...yes (now it can be told!)...letters to the editor. Rocky was sixteen a very long time ago. He is the proud father of three marginally neurotic children. He has been married three — count ‘em — three times and has finally determined that he’s probably not very good at matrimonial bliss. He lives in his Fortress of Solitude in Flatbush with a small menagerie: Clarice, a European Starling; Rabbi Hora-tio LeZard, a Bearded Dragon; an aquarium filled with Lake Malawi African Cichlids; and a ten gallon tank that functions as a Home for Unwanted Goldfish, or H.U.G., collected over the years by his grandkids and great nieces and nephews at myriad street fairs and carnivals (rather than face the un-pleasant task of flushing these unfortunate piscine creatures when they are eventually, inevitably ignored by their own ob-noxious progeny, the parents simply call Uncle Rocky who then feeds them and cares for them until their ultimate natural demise three or four or even ten years down the pike). So ap-parently Rocky seems to get along better with animals than with his fellow homo sapiens. Or sapienses. Or whatever.
Rocky’s column will be appearing every other week in The Jewish Home. Rocky can be reached at [email protected].
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Margaret Ely
Your Home
Now that spring is here, you might be looking to freshen up your
home. But don’t fret if you don’t have the budget for an overhaul. If you want a new look, there is plenty you can do with a small amount of cash. We asked designers for some creative ways to welcome spring into the home for less than $100. Here are their tips:
Update your paintA simple way to stretch
$100 is to spend it on a paint project. “A gallon of paint and a good paintbrush or roller brush can work wonders to in-stantly freshen a room,” interi-or designer Dana Tydings says.
Consider a warm white, she suggests, because it goes with everything. “If you walk into a museum, they have con-stantly rotating exhibits, yet the backdrop is always a beautiful, warm white.”
If you want a fresh shade other than white, interior de-signer Zoe Feldman recom-mends painting the ceiling.
“A light blue or a light gray makes it feel like there isn’t a ceiling,” Feldman says. “It’s cheaper, too, because you need less paint.”
Wash your windowsWindow washing isn’t the most ex-
citing task, but you’ll be glad you did it. “It really makes the house look dif-ferent,” Arlington-based, Va., interior designer Suzanne Manlove says.
Tydings agrees: “It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done. They just they sparkle. Everything looks better.”
If you take on the job yourself, the supplies will be fairly inexpensive. Hir-ing a professional will obviously cost more but might be worth it for hard-to-access windows.
It also couldn’t hurt to extend the spring cleaning to other parts of your house, Manlove points out. “Get rid of clutter and things that don’t spark joy.”
Replace your curtainsLet light in by taking down any
heavy drapes and swapping them with simple curtain panels. Try a plain white cotton drapery panel, Manlove says. She likes Target, West Elm and Ikea for affordable options.
Dress up a drab couchSlipcovers can be as expensive as
fully reupholstering, so try this inex-pensive trick from Tydings instead: Buy one or two cotton throws or foutas (thin Turkish towels) in solid colors. Tydings likes to use foutas as table runners or throws them on the back of a sofa.
“You can take a tired brown sofa and add a creamy white or pale yellow or aqua fouta,” she says. “Lay it across an arm or third of the couch. You won’t see that big ugly brown couch.”
Hang a mirrorTry positioning a mirror or collec-
tion of mirrors across from a window, Manlove suggests, to brighten a space. “It reflects light and is something happy for a room.”
Already have a mirror? If it’s framed in a heavy antique metal or dark color,
Feldman recommends spray-painting it white or a lighter color. And you can change it up whenever you want.
Try new pillows or coversGive existing pillows a fresh start
by replacing the covers with affordable, colorful options, Tydings says. Her firm’s go-to is Etsy.com.
“We always find some great stuff on Etsy,” Tydings relates.
Think about the color palette of what’s permanently in place, interior designer Jessica Bonness says, and lim-it the new colors to one or two. “People can get carried away. They buy a pillow that has 40,000 colors in it. You can never go wrong with a solid.”
Pick one or two new spring shades — navy blue, aqua, apple green or white — then build around that.
Decorate with candlesPillar candles, even the battery-op-
erated kind, offer great ambiance and warmth for the price. Clean out the fireplace and replace leftover coals and wood logs with four to five candles in
various heights.“You can also cluster them
on a tray and plop that on the kitchen table or coffee table,” Tydings says. “It instantly cre-ates a focal point.”
Bring nature indoorsPlants are finally blooming
outside. There’s no reason you shouldn’t enjoy a little color in-side as well.
“Put things at your entry so that you are reminded of spring when you first walk in the door,” Manlove suggests. Succulents and colorful spring flowers can be put in inexpen-sive planters. Or try a few birch logs or plants in your cleaned-out fireplace.
Feldman says spring is the time to fill vases with bloom-ing branches, which are only around for the season outdoors but have longevity inside. “Also, switch out your flowers whenever you head to a farm-ers market, which adds new color into your home.”
Dress up your patio or balcony
You don’t need a major or expen-sive landscaping overhaul to freshen up an outdoor space. A dreary deck or patio can be brought to life with color-ful herbs, annuals and perennials grown in pots, Bruce Allentuck of Allentuck Landscaping in Clarksburg, Md, points out.
Sweep up any leaves or debris left over from winter, then “find a nice piece of pottery and plant something that will last all season until the next frost,” he says. “That’s the easiest thing to do and will give the best impact.”
For sunny spaces, consider petu-nias, bacopa or sweet potato vines. For shadier spots, begonias, impatiens or heuchera will grow if well potted. Try growing basil inside the same pots, Al-lentuck suggests. You can pick it for fresh herbs to use when you’re cooking dinner.
(c) 2015, The Washington Post
Bank on ItA Fresh Spring Look for Under $100
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Early Intervention ServicesFor children birth - 3 years with special needs
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ניצני טל המועצה לשימור צמרת העיר
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By Brocha Teichman
Eye on Art
In my mind, these things are inextri-cably bound up with spring: Pesach, matzah, and bubbles.I can’t think of a better warm weath-
er ritual to accompany the post-Pesach season than the first time one of my grandchildren wants to blow bubbles outside. It’s almost always right around Pesach. It might be a backyard break from spring cleaning, or it might be on a Chol Hamoad evening, as the shadows lengthen and the sun turns a warm or-ange. There is always a nip in the air and a soft breeze that makes those bubbles glisten and dance as they float; there’s just a hint of green on the still bare trees. To me, the painting process is always about encapsulating moments that we want to treasure forever. Much like a forgotten song playing on the radio, or like the scent of a favorite childhood food baking (in this case, quite proba-
bly a cake made with potato starch and ground nuts), the viewing of a painted image can evoke a memory and an emo-tion.
Bubbles, to me, are the universal symbol for spring. It’s about our chil-dren, wrapped in temperate breezes (af-ter so, so long!), and about the fleeting moment of new beginnings.
Last year I painted this same grand-daughter at age two, blowing bubbles. Here she is at age three. I have a vague plan to continue this ritual of ours. I can imagine her at age five teaching her baby sister, just two months old now, to blow bubbles... Or possibly as a young teenager, sitting wistfully un-der a tree, with her knees tucked under her chin... I imagine also, at some point (age fifteen? sixteen?), she might even turn a weary and bored look at me and her viewers. And I’ll capture that too!
Because that’s what this paint-ed experience is about for me: the lay-ers of life and its many nu-anced details. I hope you enjoy my cel-ebration of spring, and I hope it takes you back to similar special mo-ments.
Pesach, Matzah, and BubblesThe Unofficial Start of Spring
Brocha Teichman owns the Brocha Teichman Gallery and the Art Studio of the Five Towns in Lawrence, NY. Brocha can be reached through her website, www.brochateichman.com, or through email, at [email protected].
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Looking forward to
Summer!
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APRIL 30, 2015Medicaid nursing home care
is a means-based program, which means that the gov-
ernment looks at your income and as-sets to determine eligibility. Since you can’t gift away your assets and qualify for nursing home care for up to 5 years, elder law attorneys need to find creative legal ways for over-resourced seniors to qualify for the care they need. In this article we will discuss a few common ways that New York seniors can qual-ify for nursing home care by legally spending their assets down. It is import-ant to note that while married seniors have more planning options than single ones, these strategies work for either. It is also important to remember that it is far better to plan at least five years before you may need nursing care, and
that these techniques are only last min-ute solutions which may not work in every situation. It is highly advisable to
speak to an elder care attorney before undertaking any Medicaid planning on your own.
No GiftingThe first rule to remember is not to
gift any money without speaking to an attorney. Many seniors are tempted to
give away their money to qualify for care. Some erroneously think they can gift away $14,000 per year per person
without a penalty. These actions may result in a penalty period which will delay coverage. Instead, speak with a Medicaid planning attorney to deter-mine which gifts, if any, can be made without invoking a pen-alty.
Legitimate Debts and Mortgages
If you have medical bills, credit card debts, taxes, rent, utilities, a home equity loan, or a mortgage on your house, you can pay them off us-ing your assets without incurring a penalty. Keep in mind that you will still need to protect your home from Medicaid liens and Medic-aid estate recovery after your mortgage is paid off.
Purchasing Non Countable AssetsNeed a new refrigerator? New home
furnishings? A new roof? These pur-chases, along with other items you may need, including new clothes, a newer car, and vacations for yourself, may be purchased without incurring a Medicaid penalty.
Caregiver AgreementsNew York Medicaid allows you to
spend money on your care without in-curring a penalty. This includes paying a child to provide care for you, thereby depleting your funds and helping you qualify. There are, however, a few im-portant requirements. First, the agree-ment should be in writing and signed by both parties. The agreement must define the scope and cost of the services
provided. The cost of the care must be reasonable. Daily time logs must be kept by the caretaker. If a lump-sum prepayment is made to the caretaker, the amount must be calculated using your reasonable life expectancy, and the con-tract should provide that any unearned funds shall be paid back to Medicaid when you pass away. All payments should be made with check or credit card, since cash payments are hard to prove. The money that you pay to the caretaker will be treated as income to them, subject to their paying income taxes on it. It is best to engage the ser-vices of an elder care attorney to prepare and oversee the caretaker agreement.
Prepaying FuneralsMedicaid allows you to use your
funds to prepay your funeral, as long as the prepayment is irrevocable. In addi-tion, you are allowed to pay for the fu-nerals of your spouse, children, siblings, parents, and spouses of any of those in-dividuals as long as the marriage is in effect. This can be a very effective way to make “gifts” to your family members while not having them count as a penal-ized transfer of assets.
No column is a substitute for com-petent legal advice. Please consult with the attorney of your choice concerning specific legal questions you may have.
Roman Aminov, Esq. is an attorney who helps people achieve peace of mind by safe-guarding their assets. He can be reached for a consultation at (347)766-2685.
Assets and Qualifying for Medicaid Nursing Home Care
Because You DeserveA Perfect Smile
Roman Aminov, Esq.
Ask the Attorney
The first rule to remember is not to gift any money without speaking to an attorney.
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Raids during WWII came in all forms. Some of the more well known raids were commando landings on special missions
(such as the one to capture an German radar sys-tem), frogmen placing charges in a foreign port on enemy warships, and submarines performing spe-cial missions like dropping off agents deep into enemy territory. These not only achieved strategic results but put a fear into the Axis powers. The first notable raid by American forces took place in April 1942 when a carrier sent off bombers to attack the Japanese capital. However, this wasn’t just an ordinary raid and it confused the Japanese until the end of the war.
For the first six months of war in the Pacific (December 7, 1941 to June 4, 1942) the Japa-nese had their way. After conquering a large area of lands in the Far East and many islands in the ocean, they were only stopped after American codebreakers figured out their plans of attacking Midway and Aleutian Islands. Before the battle that turned the tide of the war in June, the allies had only two things that boosted the morale on the home front. One was the Flying Tigers in Myanmar (Burma) and the second was Doolittle’s Raid. Attacking Tokyo at such an early stage of the war was almost unthinkable to most military commanders but that didn’t stop the Joint Chief of Staff from appointing Army Air Colonel Jim-my Doolittle to the mission of bombing Tokyo. He would be given whatever he felt was needed to complete the task that President Roosevelt felt would boost public morale.
Jimmy Doolittle was a national celebrity as a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation. Eighty men assembled in a room to be briefed on a dangerous mission with a mystery commander. When Doolittle came in, they were pumped. This mission would be special and they didn’t care that it was fraught with risks. The plan was to send sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers off the carrier USS Hornet 400 miles from the coast of Japan. A ma-jor logistical obstacle that had to be tackled was that the B-25, manned by a crew of five, was a
medium army bomber. It was land-based and had never taken off from a carrier in the past. Picked because it had a short wingspan and more aircraft could fit on the deck, the crews trained tirelessly for the mission. After bombing Tokyo, they were to make their way to friendly bases in China. It was daring plan and many of the crewmembers wondered if they had a chance of coming back. They were told that they had a 50-50 chance of surviving.
Despite all the intricate planning, the crews of the planes and the seamen of the Hornet, her sister carrier USS Enterprise which was there to provide air cover in case of discovery, and the es-corting destroyers were only told of the final des-tination when they were well on their way. The commanders had no intention of letting the Japa-nese in on the secret raid. When the announce-ment was made, everyone was ecstatic as this was the first opportunity to hit back for the destruction caused at Pearl Harbor. The decision was made to launch 600 miles from Tokyo because they saw a small Japanese fishing trawler. Assuming that it sent off a message and the enemy was alerted, the bombers prepared for takeoff.
Doolittle wasn’t a commander who led from behind and was the pilot of the first plane to fly off the Hornet. His plane as well as two others just missed hitting the water but managed to re-main airborne. All of the heavily-laden planes made it safely into the air. Carrying 2000 pounds of bombs and with modifications for this par-ticular mission, removal of guns and a heavy bombsite and the addition of extra fuel tanks, this marked the first time in history that land-based planes took off from a carrier.
Several targets had been selected for the bombing run and each pilot had a main target with two secondary targets. Ten of
the planes, including two nicknamed The Rup-tured Duck and The Green Hornet, bombed To-
Forgotten Heroes
Doolittle’s Raid
Avi Heiligman
LtCol Doolittle and Capt Mitscher with crews onboard the USS Hornet, April 1942
B-25B bombers on the deck of the USS Hornet, prepared to take off
Doolittle (2nd from left) and his crew
Crew of the plane no. 2 and their Chinese rescuers after their crash
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kyo. Two bombed Yokohama, two went Nagoya, The Avenger went to Yokosuka and the TNT targeted Kobe. The targets selected were of military value and the only a few bombs were mistakenly dropped on residential areas. The plane that went to Yoko-suka damaged a carrier that was under construction, delaying her launch by several months. The Japanese were so surprised that they barely had time to set up antiaircraft batteries and only a single B-25 sustained minor dam-age. Three Japanese fighter planes were shot down by the gunners on the bombers and once the bombs were released, gunners strafed the targets with machine guns mounted on the nose of the Mitchell bombers.
Since the Hornet could not land the medium bombers on her deck, the planes flew to China and hoped to find a friendly airfield to land. However, one was so short on fuel that the pilot, Captain Edward York, made for Rus-sia. The plane landed safely but the crew was interred until they were able to escape and made their way back to the States. (Even though Russia was allies with the U.S. they had a nonag-gression pact with Japan. If they gave back the crew to the U.S. it would vio-late the agreement. Supposedly, the NKVD helped the crew escape.)
The other planes crashed in China as they ran out of fuel. Not one plane was salvageable and a crewmember
was killed while parachuting. Chinese locales helped the downed crews even though the Japanese severely pun-ished them later for their hospitality to the enemy. Doolittle himself had a soft landing in a rice paddy which helped soften the blow on an already damaged ankle.
However, two whole crews were missing. A few months later, reports came in that eight of the crewmen were captured by the Japanese after ditching their planes while the last two
men drowned. Three were executed by their captors and one died of starva-tion while imprisoned. The other four
were mistreated in captivity and at the end of the war were released.
The Japanese were totally sur-prised by the raid and were confused how the planes got
to Tokyo. President Roosevelt joked that they came from a place called Shangri-La and the Japanese believed him even though they had no clue where it was located. In reality it was
fictional place that came from a book. The U.S. later named a carrier Shan-gri-La in reference to the raid. Jimmy Doolittle was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions and the other crewmembers were given the Dis-tinguished Flying Cross as well as a medal from the Chinese. Immediately after the raid the morale in the U.S. soared even though the damage in-flicted was light. It was the first time that they were getting back at the Jap-anese which gave the country hope at the near beginning of a long war. The raiders became somewhat of folk he-roes back home as this was punch that the Japanese couldn’t stomach. Japa-nese citizens had been told that Amer-ican planes would never be seen over Tokyo and now a mere five months into the war here they were dropping bombs. 26 months later America was able to send the next wave of bombers back to Japan to finish off the job that Colonel—by that time General—Doo-little and his crews had begun.
Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your com-ments and suggestions.for future columns and can be reached at [email protected].
Immediately after the raid the morale in the U.S.
soared even though the damage inflicted was light.
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“Say What?”Compiled by Nate Davis
Notable Quotes
According to a new survey, almost half of the voters in Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania say that they do not trust Hillary Clinton. Republicans immediately got together and said, “OK, this is a huge opportunity for us. How are we going to [mess] it up?” – Jimmy Fallon
[I’ll be] subjected to all kinds of distractions and attacks, and I’m ready for that. I know that comes, unfortunately, with the territory.- Hillary Clinton when asked about the new book, Clinton Cash, which discloses highly shady dealings by the Clintons over the past few years
Clever how she casts herself as the victim of a book she hasn’t read and of questions she has yet to answer.- Liberal columnist Ron Fornier, reflecting on Hillary’s response
I didn’t get down on one knee, because I don’t think I would have been able to get back up.- George Kirby, 102, of Britain, discussing his recent proposal to his fiancée Doreen Luckie, who is 91
It’s an easy line to say, “Haven’t we had enough Bushes?”…That’s why you won’t see me out there, and he doesn’t need to defend me, and he’s totally different from me. The role of family is not to be a political adviser or a policy adviser — there are plenty of those around — the role is to say, “Hey man, I love you.”- George W. Bush, at a conference discussing his brother’s 2016 run for president
They created the myth of nuclear weapons so they could say the Islamic Republic is a source of threat. No, the source of threat is America itself. - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a televised address to Iranian military commanders
New Russia. - Czarist-era term used repeatedly by Russian President Vladimir Putin to refer to eastern Ukraine, where armed pro-Russian bands have stirred unrest
A U.N. study claims the happiest country in the world is Switzerland. When asked why they’re so happy, Swiss people couldn’t answer because their hands were counting money and their mouths were full of chocolate. – Conan O’Brien
If you can, call me.- Words scrawled on a mango that a woman threw at Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, along with a phone number for him to call as she needed a new home
President Obama at the White House Correspondence Dinner
Anyway, being president is never easy. I still have to fix a broken immigration system, issue veto threats, negotiate with Iran—all while finding time to pray five times a day.
It is no wonder that people keep pointing out how the presidency has aged me. I look so old, John Boehner has already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral.
A few weeks ago, Dick Cheney says he thinks I’m the worst president of his lifetime. Which is interesting, because I think Dick Cheney is the worst president of my lifetime.
I’ve got to stay focused on my job, because for many Americans, this is still a time of deep uncertainty. For example, I have one friend—just a few weeks ago, she was making millions of dollars a year. And she’s now living out of a van in Iowa.
Here on the East Coast, one big story was the brutal winter. The polar vortex caused so many record lows, they renamed it “MSNBC.”
It turns out Jeb Bush identified himself as “Hispanic” back in 2009. Which you know what, look, I understand. It’s an innocent mistake. Reminds me of when I identified myself as “American” back in 1961.
Hillary kicked things off by going completely unrecognized at a Chipotle. Not to be outdone, Martin O’Malley kicked things off by going completely unrecognized at a Martin O’Malley campaign event.
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There are reports that President Obama and his family may move to New York City after his term is over. Unfortunately, the city is so expensive, he’s looking for another ex-president to be roommates with. – Jimmy Fallon
In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn’t do something evil. They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do. - FBI Director James Comey delivering a speech in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Week and discussing humans being “hijacked by evil”
To those who don’t know the historical truth, I would like to say today, Poland was not an aggressor but a victim during the Second World War.- Poland’s Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz criticizing his comments
There are reports that Kim Jong Un climbed North Korea’s highest mountain. Kim Jong Un said all it took to climb that mountain was hard work, determination, and lying about climbing that mountain. – Jimmy Fallon
Today is also a chance for Americans, especially our young people, to say thank you for all the things we love from Japan. Like karate and karaoke…and, of course, emojis. -President Obama during a ceremony with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
I usually tell a bunch of jokes at these events, but with the Patriots in town, I was worried that 11 out of 12 of them would fall flat.- President Obama during a ceremony with the Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots
Hillary Clinton is making income inequality a central theme in her campaign. Yeah, for example, today she pointed out that her husband makes $300 million a year. She has to get by on $200 million a year, and that’s not fair.- Conan O’Brien
Sometimes we drive each other crazy, but we love each other — and we protect each other.- Vice President Joe Biden discussing America’s relationship with Israel at a Yom Ha’atzmaut event with Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer
A 120-pound Texas woman set a new competitive eating record yesterday after she ate three 72-ounce steaks, three baked potatoes, three shrimp cocktails, three salads, and three dinner rolls in 20 minutes. Or as they call it in Texas, a kid’s meal. – Seth Myers
It’s ridiculous that even though US President is black, still such crimes against US blacks continue to occur. #BlackLivesMatter #FreddieGray. – Tweet by America’s new BFF, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei
Many people are noting the difference between Hillary Clinton’s friendly public appearances and her blunt and direct Twitter account. Yeah, she’s nice in person, and mean on the Internet. You know, kinda like everyone. – Jimmy Fallon
I’ve made it very clear that I work with the police, and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters could exercise their right to free speech. It’s a very delicate balancing act because while we tried to make sure they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we gave those who wished to destroy space to do that, as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to deescalate. And that’s what you saw. - During a Saturday briefing, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake making comments that she spent the following days trying to take back
Why aren’t any moderate Muslims ever going to fight ISIS?… If ISIS is so anathema to moderate Muslims, how come zero have gone to fight them? - Bill Maher
Killing Jews is worship that draws us close to Allah. That’s his Jihad. What’s yours?- Text of an ad, alongside a picture depicting a terrorist, which will start running on MTA buses after a federal judge ruled that the MTA cannot stop the pro-Israel group, American Freedom Defense Initiative, from running the ads (The ads are meant to refute a Muslim group’s campaign to make the term “jihad” seem like a peaceful thing)
Today is Earth Day. Environmentalists spent the day drawing attention to the Earth, while the Earth just spent the day checking Facebook to see which planets wished it a happy Earth Day. – Jimmy Fallon
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has been positioning himself to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Hillary once developed a program to deliver rural healthcare, while de Blasio once dropped a groundhog on its head.- Jimmy Fallon
Today is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, also known as No Work Gets Done Day. It is a great opportunity to teach your kids why you come home miserable every night. – Jimmy Kimmel
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“Say What?”Compiled by Nate Davis
Notable Quotes
According to a new survey, almost half of the voters in Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania say that they do not trust Hillary Clinton. Republicans immediately got together and said, “OK, this is a huge opportunity for us. How are we going to [mess] it up?” – Jimmy Fallon
[I’ll be] subjected to all kinds of distractions and attacks, and I’m ready for that. I know that comes, unfortunately, with the territory.- Hillary Clinton when asked about the new book, Clinton Cash, which discloses highly shady dealings by the Clintons over the past few years
Clever how she casts herself as the victim of a book she hasn’t read and of questions she has yet to answer.- Liberal columnist Ron Fornier, reflecting on Hillary’s response
I didn’t get down on one knee, because I don’t think I would have been able to get back up.- George Kirby, 102, of Britain, discussing his recent proposal to his fiancée Doreen Luckie, who is 91
It’s an easy line to say, “Haven’t we had enough Bushes?”…That’s why you won’t see me out there, and he doesn’t need to defend me, and he’s totally different from me. The role of family is not to be a political adviser or a policy adviser — there are plenty of those around — the role is to say, “Hey man, I love you.”- George W. Bush, at a conference discussing his brother’s 2016 run for president
They created the myth of nuclear weapons so they could say the Islamic Republic is a source of threat. No, the source of threat is America itself. - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a televised address to Iranian military commanders
New Russia. - Czarist-era term used repeatedly by Russian President Vladimir Putin to refer to eastern Ukraine, where armed pro-Russian bands have stirred unrest
A U.N. study claims the happiest country in the world is Switzerland. When asked why they’re so happy, Swiss people couldn’t answer because their hands were counting money and their mouths were full of chocolate. – Conan O’Brien
If you can, call me.- Words scrawled on a mango that a woman threw at Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, along with a phone number for him to call as she needed a new home
President Obama at the White House Correspondence Dinner
Anyway, being president is never easy. I still have to fix a broken immigration system, issue veto threats, negotiate with Iran—all while finding time to pray five times a day.
It is no wonder that people keep pointing out how the presidency has aged me. I look so old, John Boehner has already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral.
A few weeks ago, Dick Cheney says he thinks I’m the worst president of his lifetime. Which is interesting, because I think Dick Cheney is the worst president of my lifetime.
I’ve got to stay focused on my job, because for many Americans, this is still a time of deep uncertainty. For example, I have one friend—just a few weeks ago, she was making millions of dollars a year. And she’s now living out of a van in Iowa.
Here on the East Coast, one big story was the brutal winter. The polar vortex caused so many record lows, they renamed it “MSNBC.”
It turns out Jeb Bush identified himself as “Hispanic” back in 2009. Which you know what, look, I understand. It’s an innocent mistake. Reminds me of when I identified myself as “American” back in 1961.
Hillary kicked things off by going completely unrecognized at a Chipotle. Not to be outdone, Martin O’Malley kicked things off by going completely unrecognized at a Martin O’Malley campaign event.
91
There are reports that President Obama and his family may move to New York City after his term is over. Unfortunately, the city is so expensive, he’s looking for another ex-president to be roommates with. – Jimmy Fallon
In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn’t do something evil. They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do. - FBI Director James Comey delivering a speech in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Week and discussing humans being “hijacked by evil”
To those who don’t know the historical truth, I would like to say today, Poland was not an aggressor but a victim during the Second World War.- Poland’s Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz criticizing his comments
There are reports that Kim Jong Un climbed North Korea’s highest mountain. Kim Jong Un said all it took to climb that mountain was hard work, determination, and lying about climbing that mountain. – Jimmy Fallon
Today is also a chance for Americans, especially our young people, to say thank you for all the things we love from Japan. Like karate and karaoke…and, of course, emojis. -President Obama during a ceremony with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
I usually tell a bunch of jokes at these events, but with the Patriots in town, I was worried that 11 out of 12 of them would fall flat.- President Obama during a ceremony with the Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots
Hillary Clinton is making income inequality a central theme in her campaign. Yeah, for example, today she pointed out that her husband makes $300 million a year. She has to get by on $200 million a year, and that’s not fair.- Conan O’Brien
Sometimes we drive each other crazy, but we love each other — and we protect each other.- Vice President Joe Biden discussing America’s relationship with Israel at a Yom Ha’atzmaut event with Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer
A 120-pound Texas woman set a new competitive eating record yesterday after she ate three 72-ounce steaks, three baked potatoes, three shrimp cocktails, three salads, and three dinner rolls in 20 minutes. Or as they call it in Texas, a kid’s meal. – Seth Myers
It’s ridiculous that even though US President is black, still such crimes against US blacks continue to occur. #BlackLivesMatter #FreddieGray. – Tweet by America’s new BFF, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei
Many people are noting the difference between Hillary Clinton’s friendly public appearances and her blunt and direct Twitter account. Yeah, she’s nice in person, and mean on the Internet. You know, kinda like everyone. – Jimmy Fallon
I’ve made it very clear that I work with the police, and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters could exercise their right to free speech. It’s a very delicate balancing act because while we tried to make sure they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we gave those who wished to destroy space to do that, as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to deescalate. And that’s what you saw. - During a Saturday briefing, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake making comments that she spent the following days trying to take back
Why aren’t any moderate Muslims ever going to fight ISIS?… If ISIS is so anathema to moderate Muslims, how come zero have gone to fight them? - Bill Maher
Killing Jews is worship that draws us close to Allah. That’s his Jihad. What’s yours?- Text of an ad, alongside a picture depicting a terrorist, which will start running on MTA buses after a federal judge ruled that the MTA cannot stop the pro-Israel group, American Freedom Defense Initiative, from running the ads (The ads are meant to refute a Muslim group’s campaign to make the term “jihad” seem like a peaceful thing)
Today is Earth Day. Environmentalists spent the day drawing attention to the Earth, while the Earth just spent the day checking Facebook to see which planets wished it a happy Earth Day. – Jimmy Fallon
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has been positioning himself to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Hillary once developed a program to deliver rural healthcare, while de Blasio once dropped a groundhog on its head.- Jimmy Fallon
Today is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, also known as No Work Gets Done Day. It is a great opportunity to teach your kids why you come home miserable every night. – Jimmy Kimmel
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Charles Krauthammer
Political Crossfire
Obama’s Nixon Doctrine: Anointing Iran
Obama lighted upon a new idea: We don’t just withdraw, we hand the baton. To Iran.
In December, President Obama said that he wished to see Iran ultimately become a “very successful regional
power.” His wish – a nightmare for the Western-oriented Arab states – is be-coming a reality. Consider:
– Gulf of Aden: Iran sends a flotil-la of warships and weapons-carrying freighters to reinforce the rebels in Ye-men – a noncontiguous, non-Persian, nonthreatening (to Iran) Arabian state – asserting its new status as regional bully and arbiter. The Obama administration sends an aircraft carrier group, appar-ently to prevent this gross breach of the U.N. weapons embargo on Yemen. In-stead, the administration announces that it has no intention of doing anything. Meanwhile, it exerts pressure on Saudi Arabia to halt its air war over Yemen and agree to negotiate a political settle-ment involving Iran.
– Russia: After a five-year suspen-sion, Russia announces the sale of ad-
vanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran, which will render its nuclear facilities nearly invulnerable to attack. Obama’s reaction? Criticism, threats, sanctions? No. A pat on the back for Vladimir Pu-tin: “I’m, frankly, surprised that [the embargo] held this long.”
– Iran: Last week, Obama pre-emp-tively caved on the long-standing U.S.
condition that there be no immediate sanctions relief in any Iranian nuclear deal. He casually dismissed this red line, declaring that what is really important is whether sanctions can be reimposed if Iran cheats. And it doesn’t stop there.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Obama is offering Tehran a $30 billion to $50 billion signing bonus (drawn from frozen Iranian assets) – around 10 percent of Iranian GDP.
– Syria: After insisting for years that President Bashar al-Assad of Syr-ia “step aside,” the U.S. has adopted a hands-off policy toward a regime de-
scribed by our own secretary of state as an Iranian puppet.
– Iraq: Iran’s Quds Force Com-mander Qassem Suleimani, director of Shiite militias that killed hundreds of Americans during the Iraq War and were ultimately defeated by the 2007-08 U.S. surge, operates freely through-out Iraq flaunting his country’s domi-nance. In March, he was directing the same Iraqi militias, this time against the Islamic State – with the help of U.S. air cover.
This is the new Middle East. Its strategic reality is clear to everyone: Iran rising, assisted, astonishingly, by the United States.
Obama’s initial Middle East strategy was simply with-drawal. He would enter history as the ultimate peace president, ushering in a new era in which “the tide of war is receding.” The subsequent vacuum hav-ing been filled, unfortunately and predictably, by various en-emies, adversaries and irredeemables, Obama lighted upon a new idea: We don’t just withdraw, we hand the baton. To Iran.
Obama may not even be aware that he is recapitulating the Nixon doctrine, but with a fatal twist. Nixon’s main fo-cus was to get the Vietnamese to take over that war from us. But the doctrine evolved and was generalized to depu-tize various smaller powers to police their regions on our behalf. In the Per-sian Gulf, our principal proxy was Iran.
The only problem with Obama’s version of the Nixon doctrine is that
Iran today is not the Westernized, sec-ular, pro-American regional power it was under the Shah. It is radical, cleri-cal, rabidly anti-imperialist, deeply an-ti-Western. The regime’s ultimate – and openly declared – strategic purpose is to drive the American infidel from the region and either subordinate or anni-hilate America’s Middle Eastern allies.
Which has those allies in an under-standable panic. Can an American pres-ident really believe that appeasing Iran – territorially, economically, militarily and by conferring nuclear legitimacy – will moderate its behavior and ideology, adherence to which despite all odds is now yielding undreamed of success?
Iran went into the nuclear negoti-ations heavily sanctioned, isolated in-ternationally, hemorrhaging financially – and this was even before the collapse of oil prices. After 17 months of seri-al American concessions, the Iranian economy is growing again, its forces and proxies are on the march through the Arab Middle East and it is on the verge of having its nuclear defiance re-warded and legitimized.
The Saudis are resisting being bro-ken to Iranian dominance. They have
resumed their war in Yemen. They are resisting being forced into Yemen nego-tiations with Iran, a country that is, in the words of the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., “part of the problem, not part of the solution.”
Obama appears undeterred. He’s determined to make his Iran-first in-verted Nixon Doctrine a reality. Our friends in the region, who for de-cades have relied on us to protect them from Iran, look on astonished.
(c) 2015, The Washington Post Writ-ers Group
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Allan J. Rolnick, CPA
Your Money
Guaranteed Loser
You’ve bought a lottery ticket or two in your time, right? The Powerball jackpot hits a
kajillion dollars, and you realize you really can’t win if you don’t play. So you buy a ticket or two just to nurse that fantasy of champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Forget the reality that most lottery players never win, and even the ones who do make headlines usually seem to go bankrupt faster than a professional footballer who tears his ACL two games into his rookie season.
Most people who buy lottery tickets re-ally do want to win. In fact, a 2006 study revealed that 21% of Americans believe playing the lottery was their best bet for financ-ing retirement! (Really? That’s not the same thing as counting on the lottery to retire, but it still doesn’t say much about our financial planning smarts.) But would you believe there’s a small group of Americans who pay top dollar for losing tickets? Why on earth would anyone ever do that? The answer, not surprisingly, lies in that financial can-cer that we lovingly refer to as the In-ternal Revenue Code.
Start with the premise that gam-bling winnings are taxable income. That makes perfect sense, of course; the IRS doesn’t really care how you make your living as long as they get their share. (Even illegal income is tax-able — remember who finally nailed Al Capone?) And that stinks. Sure, win-ning a hundred million sounds like a lot, but you’re lucky to be left with half of that after you take care of your Un-cle Sam and all the rest of those greedy relatives who show up with their hands out as soon as they hear you’ve won.
The good news is, you can deduct your gambling losses from gambling winnings before the IRS takes their cut. You don’t even have to net out your to-tals by contest — you can deduct casi-no losses against lottery wins, and vice versa. But deducting gambling losses creates its own problem. The lottery commission, casinos, and racetracks where you do your best “work” are happy to send the IRS a Form W2-G
reporting your wins. So how do you show an auditor how much you lost?
That’s where the losing lottery tickets come in. Just hop onto a web-site like Craigslist or ebay, and look for folks with losing tickets to buy or rent! The sellers might try to disguise them as “memorabilia.” But just between us, we know what they’re really for. The Daily Beast even found one bold seller
getting rid of $1,100 in losing tickets, for the bargain price of $500!
Wanna know what sort of finan-cial genius cooked up such a great scheme? He was an accountant named Henry Daneault, and he used to work for the IRS! In 1985, his client Phillip Cappella won $2.7 million, paid out over 20 years, in the Massachusetts Megabucks. When tax time rolled around, Daneault and his client made up $65,000 in gambling losses to erase $20,000 in tax. Then his old employ-er the IRS came sniffing around. Uh oh, what now? He paid $500 to rent $200,000 worth of losing tickets for a month. It might have been a great idea if it had worked. Sadly, it did not, and Daneault and his client both wound up pleading guilty to fraud and serving time in jail.
So now you know how to be a guaranteed loser. Want to know how to guarantee a win? Have a plan to pay less tax, and you’re surely a winner! You won’t have to win the lottery — you’ll just feel like you did!
Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at [email protected].
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Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
Life Coach
Barricaded In or Out?
Does anyone go to the library anymore? I did! I needed a quiet area to do some work.
The big problem is there’s always someone whispering right near you. Did you ever notice that? And in most cases it’s the librarian.
So I decided to go to the quiet room. Well, guess what? They took the walls down! What part of quiet does that offer? Seriously, it’s like the em-peror’s new clothes. There is no actual separation between that and any other area of the library, except that it’s sep-arate. Therefore, if there is any noise you hear it.
Maybe the idea is it offers better air circulation. But if I’m looking for air, the library certainly wouldn’t be my first stop anyway!
Did you ever notice that these days you have access to the internet practi-
cally everywhere. That is, except for 2 places: where you are at the moment and in your home, the very place you actually installed it! Everyone’s going around looking for bars. You’d think
we all escaped from an AA meeting. Everyone’s walking around asking, “Do you have a bar? Do you have a bar?” I’m busy telling my kids that bars on the corner are bad and they’re telling me they are good! What a role reversal.
And can we talk about passwords for a minute? You set these up, often under duress, supposedly to protect others from having access to your in-formation or equipment. However, I’m
sure you know as well as I do, that the only person who usually can’t get back in is you. Who can remember all of these passwords?
And when you forget them they give you a hint. But once you get it they won’t let you reprogram with the same password. When you try to set a new one up they say it’s too similar to your old one. Well, that’s the idea! The reason you can’t remember it in the first place is because the first time they re-minded you of it, they made you mod-ify it, and now you can’t remem-ber which version of it you are us-ing.
I practi-cally can’t buy any items online, a n y m o r e . That’s be-cause any-where I’ve shopped before, I can’t remember the password I’ve used. Ev-eryone can shop if they never shopped there before, but you! Since you can’t remember your password and prove you are you, you can never shop there again. Why do they care who I am? They don’t kick me out of Banana Re-public or Forever 21 if I don’t know some secret password to walk into the store.
I have to find a new identity just to shop at some random store that I vis-ited two years ago because I can’t re-member one of 2,000 passwords I’ve used in the past. I thought my name pretty much used to identify me as me.
But now, that has nothing to do with who I am. If I can’t remember a series of letters, numbers, or words, I can’t use anything of mine!
Imagine if my husband wouldn’t take my calls until I remembered my password—we’d probably never speak again. Thank goodness he’s still let-ting my calls through based on my first name— even though I’ve have used that before!
So back to the library. There, where it makes sense to have an area of pri-vacy, they’ve taken down that nice glass wall that used to keep the noise out. But everywhere else that you need to get access to, they put up bar-riers. Maybe if I knew the right pass-word some invisible glass would ride up from the floor and close off a quiet area for me. OK, I bet you’re thinking, Oh please, that doesn’t exist. Well, rest assured, we’ll never know because I’d have an easier time actually construct-ing a wall than remembering one more password, anyway!
Note: The password to access this article next week is LOL123 and your
birthday. Followed by the # sign and an access code to be delivered to you by a random stranger collecting for your favorite charity.
Have a great week. And should you forget the password, don’t worry; the article will be preserved in an archive at your local library!
Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relation-ship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or [email protected]
Imagine if my husband wouldn’t take my calls until I remembered my password—we’d probably never speak again.
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Hakshiva is saving the lives of American teenagers at risk in Israel through its unique and innovative programs. As more of our neighbors and families make aliyah it is critical that
they receive the support necessary to thrive.
Please join us for our
to welcome
Rabbi Yonason Martin MAFounder and Director of Hakshiva
Sunday morning, May 3, 2015 at 9:30 AM in my home 180 Harborview N., Lawerence, NY
We look forward to seeing you there,
Dov LebovicLouis Greenspan, Rabbi Dr. Zev Brown
Yitzy Halpern, Binyomin Ganz
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With Lag B'omer right
around the corner,
Remember to preserve
those memories before
the upsherin!
Under New Ownership. Same Location. 523B Central Ave, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 Phone # 516.792.2533
Picture this
portraits by
When �eeting moments become lifetime treasures, trust their preservation to the artistry of Ira Thomas Creations
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134 TJH ClassifiedsSERVICES
Buying or Refinancing a Home?Pre-Approval letters that brokers trust!
Put as little as 3% down.Borrow up to 90% with no MI!We can beat any written offer!
Specializing in very difficult scenariosCall Daniel at Landmark Funding Group.
NMLS#367291 at 718-663-7202All loans arranged through
3rd party lenders.
CarCo 516-234-7870www.TheCarCoExperience.com
Cars for Sale - Dive with Confidence!
2004 Honda Odyssey 98k Miles $5,0002005 Honda Odyssey 110k Miles $6,800
2007 Honda Accord 90k Miles $8,0002008 Honda Odyssey 55k Miles $8,9002012 Honda Accord 30k Miles $15,5002003 Toyota Sienna 100k Miles $4,5002003 Toyota Avalon 133k Miles $4,9002004 Toyota Avalon 90k Miles $6,5002005 Toyota Camry 118K Miles $5,9002013 Toyota Camry 55k Miles $15,500
Alternative Solutions Geriatric Care Management staff will assist you with:
* Obtaining Medicaid and Pooled Income Trust* In-home Assessments, Individual and Family Counseling* Securing reliable home care assistance* Case and Care Management services
Dr. S. Sasson, DSW, LCSW (718) 544- 0870 or (646) 284-6242
Fair Price Rubbish DealHome, stores, garages, offices, basements, atticsInterior, exterior, demolition, garbage removal
Efficiency is our goal.718-775-7431
Wilson Tree ServiceTree cutting, pruning, seeding, spraying,
stump grinding, plantingFree estimate. No tree too tall
718-444-2275
The Children’s Clothing Gemach in Cedarhurst
Is fully stocked for boys/girls in sizes newborn-teen
To make an appointment please call/text 516-712-7735
Experience Math Teacher Available to TutorAll subjects, algebra, geometry, Math A, Math
B, Trigonometry, Calculus etc. Guaranteed improvement, first hour free. Shomer Shabbat.
Call Yossi at 516-581-3930
PsychotherapistDepression, anxiety, marriage,
low self-esteem, Adults/Children Professional/ConfidentialKenneth J. Levin, LCSW
Insurance Accepted (516) 546-9170
Keep Calm and Get Organized!Organizer. home. closet. playroom. kitchen.
garage.Call today to get started
- Special Low Rates -Call Miriam 347-684-0338
Photos 4 your SimchaProfessional Photography and Video
We love what we do and it shows in our work! Competitively priced!
Check out our website & specials.www.photos4yoursimcha.com
or call Yaakov 718-868-1800
Join us this summer @ Kiddy Camp!Led by Morah Shiffy Schreiber
For children entering kindergarten Sept 2015Please call/text 917-921-6841
Yiddish Home Study Program: The new book Yiddish in 10 Lessons along with 2 CD’s has just been released to easily learn to
read, write and speak the Yiddish language.Call Chaim at 516 924 7694 or
www.conversationalyiddish,com You can also sign up to receive a
Free Weekly Taste of Yiddish
Hair CourseLearn how to wash and style hair and wigs
Hair and wig cutting, wedding stylingPrivate lessons or in a group
Call Chaya 718-715-9009
“Kosher” Yoga & Licensed Massage TherapyThe Peaceful Presence Studio
436 Central Avenue, CedarhurstSeparate men/ women
Private sessions/ Women’s Tai Chiwww.peacefulpresence.com
516-371-3715
Struggling with Shalom Bayis?The Shalom Bayis Hotline 732-523-1112
Caring rabbanim answering your questions for free.
So far very positive results BS’D!
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
WOODMERE: Stately 3BR, 2.5 Baths “Old Woodmere” Colonial, Lg Eik, Formal DR, Den + Sunroom, Finished Basement, Master BR Suite,
SD#14…$649K - Call Carol Braunstein - (516) 295-3000
www.pugatch.com
NORTH WOODMERE: NEW LISTING
Fabulous Exp-Split, 4BR, 3.5 Baths, Lr W/Cathedral Ceiling, Formal DR, Eik W/En-
trance To Deck, Finished Bsmt, New Hot Water & Boiler, Spacious Backyard, Patio, SD#14,
Close To All...$649K - Call Carol Braunstein - (516) 295-3000
www.pugatch.com
SERVICES SERVICES SERVICES
Spacious & Bright 4BR, 3 Bath Split, Eik, FDR, Den W/Fpl, SD#15…$659K
Completely Renovated 6BR, 3BA CH Col, Granite Eik, 2 Dens, Master Suite…$1.1M
www.pugatch.com
Carol Braunstein Call or Text (516) 592-2206 [email protected]
Lovely 4BR Exp-Ranch On O/S Property, Eik, LR, FDR, Many Updates…$535K
LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL? CALL ME TODAY! ! !
(516) 2 9 5 - 3 0 0 0
950 Broadway
Woodmere, NY 11598
BARRY PUGATCH
If You Are Interested In Buying, Selling Or Leasing Call The Local Commercial EXPERTS 516-295-3000
www.pugatch.com
Very Spacious 5BR, 3.5 Bath Split, Lg Eik, Den, MBR Suite, Prime Loct...$799K
CALL ME FOR A FREE MARKET ANALYSIS FOR
YOUR HOME!!!
Commercial Property FOR SALE/LEASE
7,000 +/- SF Building 2 Of f ices Two 14’ OH Doors20’ High Ceilings 400+ Amp Electric
Multiple Car Parking 2 Bathrooms Fantastic Location Close To J.F.K Airport Call For Details!!!
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TJH Classifieds
PLAINVIEW NYFor Sale By Owner
4 Bdrm colonial, New 2.5 bath,Den/fire place,DR, LR, 21’ Eating kitchen, finished 8’ basement. All up grades. New siding &
Windows. Multi DeckS. Walk to Shul & JCC.$859,000 516-547-3126
LAWRENCE: Beautiful Sprawling 3BR, 3BA Exp -Ranch Set On 1/2 Acre In Lawrence Estate Area,
LR, Granite Eik, FDR, Stone Fplc, Lg Den, Lux MBR Suite, SD#15, Much More…$1.249M -
Call Carol Braunstein - (516) 295-3000 -www.pugatch.com
BORO PARK FOR SALE 54th St. (Bet. 11th & 12th Ave.,) 2 family,
attached, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, built-in closets, Kosher Kitchen & Passover Kitchen, Mint Condition. Asking 1.6 Mil. Serious buyers only.
Email: [email protected]
WOODMERE: $699,000 R.E. Taxes with Basic Star = $11,987
Walk to Numerous Shuls. Step into the splen-dor of this captivating 5 Bedroom, 4 full bath
JewelAll redone, Inside & Outside, Upgraded, Updat-
ed, Upsized and awaiting your indulgenceSS, granite, EIK
Perfect for the Discerning HomeownerCall or Text today for private showing:
C. Slansky, Broker: 516-655-3636
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Commercial Property In Hewlett: 2,400 +/- SF
Retail Store With Basement, Great Parking, Very Reasonable, For Lease…
Call For More Details - (516) 295-3000www.pugatch.com
Commercial Property In Rockville Centre: Medical Suite, 3,000 +/- SF Turn Key, Close To S
Nassau & Mercy Hospitals, Only $395K For Sale…
Call For More Details - (516) 295-3000 - www.pugatch.com
Commercial Property In Valley Stream: 650 +/- SF Newly Renovated Retail Space On
Rockaway Avenue, Great Location, For Lease…Call For More Details - (516) 295-3000 -
www.pugatch.com
INVESTMENT PROPERTY FOR SALEINWOOD Commercial mixed use building + Lot. Private parking, corner property, high traffic area 1st floor offices, 2nd floor: 2 Apts. Asking 849k.
Call 212-470-3856 Yochi @ WinZone Re
WOODMERE Office/Retail Space For Rent
Ground Flr: 2500 +/- sq’ available plus partial basement $2,950. and Second Flr: 1700 +/- sq’
available for $1,950. Hi traffic location front street and rear parking lot parking,
front & rear entrance Village Plaza Realty * Sonja 516-840-5124
REAL ESTATE FOR RENTINWOOD 2 Bedroom Apt. for rent Sheridan blvd /Solomon Av. with private parking call for info
212-470-3856 Yochi @ WinZone Realty
AVAILABLE FOR RENT JUNE 20152nd Floor, LVRoom, DRoom,
2 BDRoom, 1 Bathroom, Free HeatLaundry Room Hookups
Reads Lane Era Close to [email protected]
Cedarhurst Apartment Share Available for Frum Female
2 bedroom apartment in lovely area, 2nd floor of house
Shomer Shabbat, kosher & pet friendly $800 monthly + security
Please call: (917) 330-5470
HELP WANTEDGENERAL STUDIES, JH MATH AND
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR SEPT. ‘15. M-Th afternoons. 5 Towns area boys’ school.
Email [email protected]
Weekend Direct Support ProfessionalsSeeking compassionate, energetic and
responsible individuals to enhance and uplift the Shabbos atmosphere in residences for women with developmental disabilities in
Brooklyn or Long Island. Good communication and writing skills required. Valid driver’s license
required for most positions.
Please contact OHEL Bais Ezra 718-686-3102 or go to
www.ohelfamily.org/careers to apply today!
Growing Sephardic Brooklyn Girls Elementary School
Seeks for the upcoming school year:• A dynamic and creative grade 5 Limudei
Kodesh Morah For an Ivrit b’Ivrit class• General Studies teachers who are Certified for
Pre-1A, Grades 2 and 5• Minimum 2 years experience required
• Excellent Salary, BenefitsEmail resume: [email protected]
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
Continues on next page
HELP WANTED
OFFICESAPARTMENT RENTALSFAR ROCKAWAY CEDARHURST TOP LOCATIONS
Stunning renovation completed. Gorgeous cntr hall. 5 lrg bds. Mstr suite w/ sitting rm. Gourmet Kosher Kitchen with Great Rm.LR w/ Frplc, huge custom DR. 4 full bths &full bsmnt. Call Sherri 516-297-7995
4 Houses. Brnd New Construction. 4 rs. 5BR, 3 full bths + 2 half bths. EIK, LR/DR, den area off kit. Lndry on 2nd r. Full bsmnt w/ half bath. 4th oorhas prvte brs and bth. Prvte drvwy. Call Chaya Moller for a showing. 516-506-3347$625K
Charming, updated home on oversized lot. Granite EIK, SS appl,hrdwd rs, n. bsmnt w/ wine cellar. Lrg shop/office permitted on premises. Many possibilities. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 $589K
#1 Far Rockaway and 5 Towns Rental Specialists
56 MURIEL
LAWRENCEYoung, legal, 2 family semi-detached, 3 over 4 bdrms.5 full bths. 1st r is a duplex w/ a huge eat in kitchen w/radiant heat. Large mstr bdrm with bath. W/D hookup inboth apts. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 $699K
PLAINVIEW
Build your dream house facing the ocean in Belle Harboron very desirable block. Places of worship close by.Call Kathy (917) 306-1610
BELLE HARBOR FAR ROCKAWAY
Looking to hire agents for ourNEW Central Avenue retail office!
322 FELTER
HEWLETT
May 3
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SALARIED SALES POSITION - ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS
Fidelity Payment, a nationwide electronic payment technology co. is hiring limited number of regional account execs with
sales exper.Base salary (up to $1000 weekly) + lifetime
residuals.Fidelity provides businesses with; credit card processing, online payments, check services,
POS systems, invoicing, accounting integration, Gift programs, ATM machines Etc.
Full training + support.Apply @ www.fidelitypayment.com/salescareer
Office assistants/Customer service FULL TIME help needed food company in Brooklyn:Phone calls, new projects, filing, collection,
sales supportRequirements:
- Exceptional communication skills- Meticulous work
- Top notch organizational skills- comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Quick books)
- Able to handle working with deadlines Please send resume to : [email protected]
Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island in the Far Rockaway/5 Towns area
seeks qualified, experienced and dynamic general studies elementary and junior high
school teachers (ela, math, sc and ss) for various yet limited openings.
Please email resume to [email protected]
Seeking substitute Special Education teacher for 3rd-4th grade Boy’s class, afternoons,
in local yeshiva Starting in May through the end of school
For more information, contact Shira at 516-295-3666
E-mail resume to [email protected] or fax to 516-295-2899
Looking for a
FULL TIME RESIDENCE MANAGER to work in a residence with men with
developmental disabilities.Responsibilities include supervising all
aspects of client care, programming, staffing, and facilities management.
Bachelor’s and experience working in this field required.
Contact OHEL Bais Ezra 718-686-3102 or email your resume to
[email protected] to apply
Looking for a registered nurse to work part time (3 hrs/wk) with adults who have
developmental disabilitiesStrong health assessment skills needed
Current NYS RN license and a minimum of 2 years of post graduate hospital experience
required Contact OHEL Bais Ezra 718-686-3102
or email your resume [email protected] to apply
SPECIAL EDUCATION ENGLISH TEACHER for 12th grade H.S. yeshiva boys class
Daily, afternoon hoursE-mail resume to
[email protected] or fax it to 516 295-2899For more information,
contact Naomi Nadata at 516-295-3666
OFFICE ASSISTANTS/CUSTOMER SERVICE FULL TIME help needed food company in Brooklyn: phone calls ,new projects, filing,
collection,sales supportRequirements:
- Exceptional communication skills- Meticulous work
- top notch organizational skills- comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Quick books)
- Able to handle working with deadlinesPlease send resume to : [email protected]
Business oriented? Go-getter? Come grow with us!
CATAPULT LEARNINGTeachers for Title I in Boro Park and
Williamsburg Chassidic boys schools*College/Yeshiva Degree Required
*Strong desire to help children learn*Excellent organizational skills
*Small group instruction*Competitive salary
Email resume: [email protected]
Fax# (718) 381-3493
MISC.A Non-Profit is looking to give away
2 lots in South Carolina1 lot has a small house
Just pay a small transfer fee to take over718-974-9428
Donate Your Car, Truck or VanHelp ill children
Get a tax deduction for up to $1500 Gift cerfiticates for shopping and merchandise
Fast pick up 718-974-9428
Looking for donation of car or minivan in good running condition.
Tax exempt receipt available for full market value.
Please call 347-342-8196
LOST: yellow gold watch with diamonds and rubies around 10 years ago, about June 5,
2005 in Reads Lane/New McNeil Avenue in Far Rockaway. 917-776-3636.
YNM/5towns Sheital Gemach is in desperate need of wig donations .
Anyone who has wigs/falls they no longer need- There are many women who you can
make very happy . Tizku l’mitzvos! Please contact 347-408-8354 for details.
BAYSWATER JEWISH LIBRARY IS NOW OPEN
A wide selection of both the latest and classic novels, Biographies, Short stories, Holocaust,
self-help, cookbooks, And more!OPEN MONDAYS FROM 6:30-7:30 PM
AND FRIDAYS FROM 2:00-3:00 PM$25 yearly membership (718) 327-0604
TJH ClassifiedsHELP WANTED HELP WANTEDHELP WANTED
Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Misc. Ads here.
Weekly Classified Ads
Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words
1 Week ........ $20 $10
2 Weeks ...... $35 $17.50
4 Weeks ...... $60 $30
EMAIL ADS TO: [email protected] valid credit card info.
Deadline:Mondays 5:00pmPublishes on Thursdays
TJH Classifieds
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1913 Cornaga Ave. • Far Rockaway • T. 718.471.7555 • F. 718.471.9102 • E. [email protected]
FREE PARKING • FREE DELIVERY • FRIENDLY SERVICE • CURB SIDE SERVICE
Sale valid 4/30/15 - 05/06/15. Cash & Carry only. We reserve the right to limit quanitities on sale items. Not responsible for typographical errors. While supplies last. No rain checks.
ORDERS CAN BE EMAILED, FAXED, OR CALLED IN
Store hours: Sun 8-8 • Mon. - Tue. 7-8 • Wed. 7-10 • Thu. 7-11 • Fri. 7-1 1/2 Hours Before Shabbos
Grocery Section Fruits & Veg.
Bakery
$3.99
Beigels
Roll Cake15oz
$3.99
Beigels
Seven Layer Cake15oz
$1.99
Glicks
Ketchup32oz
$1.99
Jack & Jill Cookies
$.79
Gefen
Tomato Sauce15oz
$1.29
Liebers
Mushrooms8oz
2/$3
Tirosh
Cookies
$1.99
Glicks
Apple Juice64oz
2/$1
Levs
Sour Candy RipsAssorted3.52oz
$2.99
Liebers
Apple Sauce50oz
2/$1
Kedem
Tea BiscuitsVanilla & Plain
$3.49
J&J
Cottage Cheese16oz
$.99
Liebers
Wafers6pk
$.69
Gefen
Salt26oz
$.99
Liebers
Thin Corn Cakes/ Rice Cakes3oz
$.79
Liebers
Whole Corn
$.99
Liebers
Chic Peas15oz
$.99
Liebers
Ice Poppers8pk
2/$3
Liebers
Aleph Beis & Abc Cookies12oz
$1.99
Glicks
Cherry Pie FillingReg/Lite
$2.99
Glicks
Olive Oil Cooking Spray5oz
$1.29
Glicks
Pie Crust
2/$3
Gedilla
Lollypops12oz
$2.99
Tofutti
Cuties Ice Cream
$.99Lb
Gala
Apples
$.99Lb
5x6
Tomatoes
$.89Lb
Large
Zucchini
$1.69Lb
Red
Grapes
$1.99Lb
Yellow Holland
Peppers
$2.99
Red Delicious
Apples3lb Bag
Deli
$1.99 Lb.
Cucumber Salad
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Quantities may vary according to store location • No rainchecks • Not responsible for typographical errors
THECLOSEOUTCONNECTION
CCUPSCALE CLOSEOUTS
UP
SCA
LE
ale
Sale
SU
PSCA
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ale
Sale
Sonon
Vase/PitcherGlass
onon
99$7.
Umbrella and Raincoats
Kids
Chair
Extra Wide
99$6.
Clogs
Zero Gravity
Reg. $18.00
HelmetsBicycle
99$3.
99$3.
Reg.$9.00
Fan
6” Clip on
Electric
99$8.
Reg.$15.00
99$39.
Reg.$79.00
Reg.$10.00
Reg.$18.00
Visit us at our other locations
4518 13th Ave.Brooklyn, NY
718.854.2595
50 Court St.Brooklyn, NY
718.625.6677
1091 River Ave.Lakewood, NJ732.364.8822
STORE
HOURS:
516.218.2211
134 Washington Ave.CEDARHUST, NY 11516
Next door to CVS, in the Gourmet Glatt parking lot
M.-W. 10:00-8:00
Th. 10:00-9:00
F. 10:00-4:00
S. 10:00-7:00
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W O M E N ’ S F A S H I O NR E D E F I N E D
top skirts dresses evening wear casual wear jewelry accessories
419 CENTRAL AVE, CEDARHURST, NY 11516 S: 11-5 / M, T, TH: 10-6 W: 10-7 / F: 10-1 516.812.8424
Making waves. Fame style.
Introducing a new line of bathing suits, cover-ups, beach bags and more. It’s your one stop shop as you gear up for those balmy beach days. Now featuring the complete AquaShow
collection, available upstairs at Fame.
qu show
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