Spewing hate on the Day of Reckoning

By Malka Eisenberg

Iran’s threats to destroy Israel loom large and loud to two rabbis, one local and one in California, both who have taken to heart the lessons of Hitler’s pre Holocaust threats and his carrying them out.

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By Malka Eisenberg

To implement a heightened alert around Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, two related campaigns to increase security in Nassau County were announced by government and police offi cials last Friday.

Local religious leaders joined Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, New York State Assemblyman David McDonough, and Police Commissioner Thomas Dale at Temple B’nai Sholom in Rockville Centre to announce increased police patrols and the inauguration of Nassau County’s “See Some-thing, Say Something” program. A third safety campaign provided responses for an “active shooter” incident.

Offi cers working their posts are given the schedules of every temple, synagogue or site where and when services take place, ex-plained Inspector Kenneth Lack, Command-ing Offi cer of the Public Information Offi ce of the Nassau County Police Department. As part of the “park, walk and talk” program, said Lack, “from time to time the offi cers

HAFTR teams up with JCC Consistent with the new year, HAFTR Middle School ran a pre-Rosh Ha-shana food drive to help out the local JCC food pantry. Under the supervi-sion of Director of Student Activities, Rabbi Yitzie Klapper, the students were encouraged to bring in as much non-perishable food as possible. All of the food will be donated directly to those in need, so that someone’s fi nancial diffi culty doesn’t become an impediment to their enjoyment of the holiday. The students learned the valuable lesson of chesed and caring for others especially before the yom tovim. HAFTR Middle School would like to thank the local 5 Towns JCC for helping to arrange the food pickup and distribution. Shana Tova U’Metukah!

County and police on heightened alert for holidays

Photo by Penny Frondelli

Steven Skrynecki, Chief of Department, Nassau County Police Department; Assemblyman David McDonough; ThomasDale, Nassau County Police Commissioner; Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz; County Executive Mangano; Rabbi Anchelle Perl,Chabad Mineola; Rabbi Levi Gurkov, Chabad of Oceanside; Rabbi Howard Diamond, Temple B’nai Sholom of Rockville Cen-tre; Jack Friedman, Temple Board Chairman, Temple B’nai Sholom of Rockville Centre; Dr. Victor Politi, Deputy CountyExecutive for Public Safety; Tom Krumpter, First Deputy Police Commissioner.Continued on page 3

Continued on page 3

By Mark Meyer Appel

I am a life long Democrat and a religious Jew. I have upon occasion, voted for Republicans or Independents, but in the

main, I have stayed loyal to the party of FDR, Harry Truman, JFK, LBJ and Bill Clin-ton. I have done so out of a profound belief that Democrats best personify all the values that we, as a people, have come to stand for throughout the Diaspora, and since the founding of the State of Israel.

My parents were survivors of the Shoah. They came to America with their shattered lives and lost families, met, married and gave birth to my sister and myself. As soon as they arrived they became Democrats, be-cause that is where immigrants, refugees and survivors found a welcoming political home in post war America. There never was a day when they did not bless this country for giv-ing them the freedom to practice their re-ligion without fear. For most of my life the thought of being anything but a Democrat was as anathema to me as converting to an-other religion.

The two seemed to belong together. Jews became Democrats because there was no other moral choice. Democrats believed in what Maimonides taught, “Anticipate char-ity by preventing poverty“ and “Give a man a fi sh and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fi sh and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Despite the horrors of pogroms, world wars and anti Semitism that never seemed to die, we still believed “All the evils that men cause to each other because of certain de-sires, or opinions or religious principles, are rooted in ignorance. [All hatred would come to an end] when the earth was fl ooded with the knowledge of G-d.” And we believed that the Democratic Party believed this also. It made perfect sense…to be a good Jew and a good Democrat were hand in glove with one another.

We fought on the battlefi eld of civil rights and social justice as good Jews and good Democrats. In our minds the Democratic party had come to stand for “Tikkun olam.” Their goal, like ours, was also a just society

in which humanity could “repair the world.“We also believed that the other guys were

the enemy of all of the above, that they were anti-Semites, that they were the people who established all the quotas in the colleges and country clubs and charities, that they hated immigrants.

Israel became the focus of much of our political energy. The very fact that it was there was proof that the world could be re-paired. It also was proof that Jews were not only smart, but that we were tough and in the course of time, “Eretz Yisrael” became that place that we as a people had lost over 2500 years ago…a national home. Since the fall of the Kingdom of Judah and the absorp-tion of Judea and Israel into Roman provinc-es, Jews had no home. The survival of Israel became more than a cause to American Jews. It became part of who we are.

For all of my adult life, my faith and my culture and my identity as an American in-cluded the secure knowledge that Israel ex-isted and was the ally and strongest friend of all Americans. That has not changed for me nor will it ever change, but it has changed for the Democratic Party.

The administration of President Barack Obama has not had the same kind of rela-tionship with Israel that other Presidents of both parties have enjoyed. We are beyond the point of pretending that the extreme left, who now run the party since Obama’s elec-tion, are our friends. They are not, and the pathetic voice vote to amend their platform over G-d and Jerusalem is the fi nal evidence. There was no three quarters yea vote sup-porting these changes and the whole world knows it. Further, a plank in the platform condemning Hamas as a terrorist organiza-tion that cannot be recognized until it dis-avows the use of terror and accepts that Is-rael has a right to exist was not restored to the platform. Nor was the language restored, stating it was the policy of the Democratic Party that there was no suicidal “right of re-turn” for all descendants of Palestinians who left after partition to return to the State of Is-rael, to reclaim the land that supposedly had been “stolen” from them. This is a policy that

would mean the end of the State of Israel as a Jewish state and the entire world knows this.

The fact that this situation occurred in the wake of an already tense situation between Israel and this administration regarding the profound nature of the existential threat of a nuclear Iran, simply magnifi ed that despi-cable voice vote, and added yet another rea-son not to reelect this President or trust the leadership of this party.

It also should be remembered that this administration refuses to accept the reality of the Israeli “Red Line” with regard to Iran. The government of Bibi Netanyahu has made it abundantly clear that Iran having the ca-pacity for nuclear weapons is unacceptable and a mortal threat to the nation. The Unit-ed States, on the other hand, has as its “Red Line,” Iran simply having a nuclear weapon. This is a gap that is as big as the Grand Can-yon when your very existence is at stake.

The Obama administration has also made it extremely clear that it will not commit to multi-lateral actions to prevent Iran from reaching nuclear weapon capacity. At the end of August in London, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey stated unequivocally that, “the United States would not have Israel’s back if it unilaterally attacked Iran.“ He added that such an attack would “clearly delay but prob-ably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program” and speaking personally stated, “I don’t want to be complicit if they [Israel] choose to do it.”

No one can convince me that General Dempsey said all of the above without the explicit approval of President Barack Obama. The President certainly did not disavow it. These statements also occurred within a larg-er context. Simultaneously, the Jewish Daily forward reported that, “U.S. military offi cials admit that an upcoming joint U.S.-Israel mili-tary exercise has been downsized, but deny that it is because of mistrust of Israel.”

Time Magazine reported August 31 thatAustere Challenge 12, the ballistic missilesexercise scheduled for the end of October,was greatly downsized, with Washingtoncutting by more than two-thirds - to about1,500 - the number of U.S. troops participat-ing, and reducing the number and quality ofmissile interception systems to be used.

“Basically what the Americans are saying is, ‘We don’t trust you,’” as Time quoted an unnamed senior Israeli military offi cial. All of the above was happening asthe Iranians were being publicly disrespectedat their 120 Non-Aligned Nation summit in Tehran. The new President of Egypt, Mo-hammed Morsi, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon took advantage of the interna-tional press attention their attendance had created and which had given Ahmadinejadand the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a diplomatictriumph in the face of American led econom-ic sanctions. Each refused to back the bloody regime in Syria, and denounced threats ofgenocide in the region while also calling onIran to adhere to UN resolutions. Moon lateralso brought up Iran’s horrid human rightsrecord. Morsi, in an even bigger insult, be-gan his remarks with praise for the “succes-sors” of the Prophet which in Shia Iran istantamount to blasphemy since they onlyrecognize the “descendents” of the Prophet.

All of this important because American sanctions that General Dempsey so admires are not working. The summit was a diplo-matic coup for Iran until Morsi and Moonhumiliated them. What does the U.S. do to capitalize on this? It sends a clear signal to Iran that contrary to what Obama says…theU.S. does not have Israel’s back with regardsto a preemptive strike. It leaves a larger,more dangerous message hanging in mid air: does this President and this Democratic Party

Inside

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Democrats and Jews and Jewish Democrats

Continued on page 11

OPINION

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Francis X. BeckerRepublican Candidate for United States Congress

Warm wishes to you and your family for a healthy, happy and sweet new year.

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Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean and Founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, recently released a letter quoting Iran’s Aya-tollah Ali Khamenei calling Israel “a true can-cer tumor on this region that should be cut off” and Iran’s President Ahmadinejad saying that “Anyone who loves freedom and justice must strive for the annihilation of the Zion-ist regime.” Hier stressed that Israel doesn’t need to be lectured about the horrors of war, fi ghting six wars for her survival, and that this is no new threat, but upping the ante, with Iran on the verge of attaining nuclear weapons to threaten Israel and the entire world. But the world urges Israel to wait, Hier stressed, as they waited with Hitler, not listening to Churchill’s warnings in the 1930s that could have avoided World War II and the Holocaust.

Rabbi Hier pointed an accusa-tory fi nger at the UN, that Ban Ki Moon and 120 nations attended the non-aligned nations meeting in Iran, just as the world didn’t boy-cott but attended the 1936 Olym-pics. “The lessons of the past carry no weight with world leaders,” said Hier, in a phone interview.

“The U.S. can afford to wait,” he stressed,

“Iran won’t attack the U.S. Israel can’t wait.” He said that “Israel can’t afford to bet the house on American intelligence,” question-ing its effectiveness in Iraq. “Netanyahu is forced to face the issue,” continued Hier. They “can’t reason with the Ayatollah, he’s not going to stop. So far, they are unfazed by sanctions. Netanyahu has to do what’s good for the Jews and Israel.”

He pointed out that America still won’t allow military hardware or jets into Cuba; “would anyone tolerate arming Cuba,” he asked, since it is on the U.S. border. He said that Netanyahu should say, “’I’m going to do

what America does and not what America says.’ Israel is entitled to safe borders.” Hier emphasized that constituents should write to members of Congress to help them “understand the precarious situ-ation. What would the U.S. do if drug cartels would fi re missiles at the U.S.? Congress should support Israel’s right to do what America does and not what America says. Israel has to protect her citizens.”

Hier stated in his pre Rosh Ha-shana letter that, “The leaders of the Western world should…tell Iran, in

plain language, ‘give up your nuclear weap-ons program or we will join Israel in wiping out your nuclear capacity.’ And don’t expect

anything from the United Nations. It’s sav-ing a prominent place at the po-dium of the General Assembly this month for none other than Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadine-jad.” Ahmadinejad is scheduled to speak at the UN on September 26th, Yom Kippur.

“There is no doubt that Ahma-dinejad is a real existential threat,” said Rabbi Zev Friedman, Rosh Mesivta of Rambam Mesivta, in Lawrence, and Shalhevet High School for Girls in North Wood-mere. Both schools are known for their activism in a multitude of Jewish causes and success in rallying in front of Nazis’ homes in the U.S., leading to their ultimate deportations. “He made his designs clear; there is no reason to doubt his intentions,” continued Rabbi Fried-man. “Hitler did what he said he was going to do. We have to take Hitler incarnate at his word. It is not realistic to convince him to abandon his desire to wipe Israel off the map. It’s clear that Iran wants to set up an Islamic regime in Israel and eradicate the Jewish people.

“Rallies should be organized outside the White House,” continued Rabbi Friedman, “and a serious campaign should be directed at members of Congress. Some in Congress

are very outspoken in support of Netanyahu’sposition, that there should be a red line be-yond which Iran should not cross, althoughthere are many others who don’t feel thatway. We should lobby so that they recognizethat a threat to Israel is a threat to the entirefree world. We plan to get students involved

in calling and writing members ofCongress. We feel that the voices of the community should be heard inWashington and we would work toorganize a rally there.”

“The media says it’s acceptablerhetoric,” stressed Hier, about Ah-madinejad’s threats, that it’s “hy-perbole, and to give it a pass, but that’s what Hitler wrote after WWI,‘I’m against emotional pogroms,

beating up Jews on street cor-ners.’ In September 1919, Hitlerwrote that he ‘favors intellectualanti-Semitism which requires a

ruthless government to get rid of the Jewsentirely.’ When people heard his rhetoric,they said that it was acceptable chatter by ademagogue. By 1941, the murders began in Belvic. In 22 years he implemented every sin-gle thing in that letter, he implemented thefi nal solution to get rid of the Jews.”

“The Jews paid a dear price when theworld accepted as legitimate the chatter of ademagogue, that it’s a way of speaking and he doesn’t have the power to implement it,” he cautioned, his voice hoarse with emotion.“It’s the exact same language,” he warned. “We’ve been down the road before.”

park and get out of their cars and talk to the rabbis and congregants, to introduce them-selves and deal with any possible issues or situations. We don’t know what’s normal, we rely on the congregants, on the community to help us do our jobs to keep everyone safe.”

“All religious leaders should know that the Nassau County Police Department will take any and all threats to public safety seri-ously as nothing is more important than the safety of our residents,” said Mangano.

The “See Something, Say Something” campaign was started by the MTA, is used in New York City and was adopted nationally, said Lack. “If you see something suspicious, an unattended bag, package, backpack in a high density area such as stadiums, trains, shopping malls, where people congregate, contact the police. Call 911 for unattended bags or suspicious packages. In an era of bombs, they would bring the bomb squad.” They will be distributing 2000 posters with the message throughout Nassau County at 711s, train stations, transit hubs, shopping malls, on NICE buses and on certain routes, and on the large advertising areas at bus stops. Lack urged that if you fi nd a suspi-cious object, “stay away from it, call 911 and direct offi cers to the object. They will evalu-ate the situation and if it meets the criteria of a suspicious object, they will evacuate the area to 300 feet, the minimum safe distance. If it’s a public safety hazard they will call in the bomb squad and either use a remote con-trol robot or a guy in a bomb suit approaches on foot and takes the package and puts it in a bomb proof container, a large steel ball, 12 feet in diameter on a trailer with a hatch on top like on a ship or submarine. They put the device inside and bring it to a safe place in Nassau County and explode it there.”

Lack noted that there are 12 people in the bomb squad and that all bomb techni-cians are specially trained at a school run by the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) in

Huntsville, Alabama. All United States bomb squads have the same training, he said, so if they are needed for regional response teams for a national crisis they are all “using the same play book, trained in the same tech-nique. If they have to combine two squads they can work seamlessly together.”

“Residents can help be the eyes and ears for the police department,” said Man-gano. “Don’t assume a package, bag or box was left somewhere by accident. If you see anything suspicious, report it. Let the police know. Dial 911.”

In the fourth briefi ng of its kind, United

States Congressman Peter King joined County Executive Mangano at the Applied Science Foundation for Homeland Security in Beth-page to brief over 100 various members of clergy and security personnel from Nassau County on how to respond to an “active shoot-er.” Three other similar demonstrations were held previously for public and private school administrators. “An active shooter,” said Lack, “continues to shoot, as opposed to someone who comes in and takes hostages. We form a fi ve man team in diamond formation and enter the institution to engage the shooter to stop the violence using whatever means necessary.”

People caught in an “active shooter” at-tack should react “much like being in a fi re,”stressed Lack. “Get out of the building, getaway from the violence. Secrete yourself.Get away from the danger. If you can’t getout of the building, fi nd cover that a bulletcan’t go through like a brick wall, or hide un-der a desk so the shooter can’t see you. Obvi-ously it won’t stop a bullet. It’s preferred thatyou get out of the building.”

“If you are unsure about something,” saidMangano, “or your gut tells you something may not be right, call our Nassau County Po-lice Department tip line at 516 573-7720.”

Preparation by promoting security awareness Continued from page 1

Photo by Penny Frondelli

County Executive Ed Mangano, Rabbi Dr. Barry Dov Schwartz, Chaplain of the NCPD and Rabbi Anchelle Perl of Chabad of Mineola

Continued from page 1

Rabbi Marvin Hier

Rabbi Zev Friedman

Two rabbis confront Iran’s threats

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This has been a particularly awful week for President Obama and his foreign policy, especially in the Middle East. Early in the week there was the public split with Israel’s Netanyahu about drawing a “red line” that Iran’s nuke program must not pass, high-lighted by a spat between the Israeli Prime Minister and the U.S. Ambassador, and the President’s choice of a campaign appearance on Lettermen over an emergency meeting with Netanyahu.

On Tuesday, the report broke that for the last year and a half, Barack Obama has at-tended less than four out of every ten intelli-

gence briefi ngs during his presidency, a per-centage that has sunk lower in the past year. The president gets hard copies of the report and claims to read it judiciously every day, but most of the time he skips the opportunity to probe, ask, questions and consult. In a July report, we learned that he hadn’t attended his daily economic briefi ng since April 2011.

On 9/11 all hell be-gan to break loose with attacks on the U.S. Em-bassy in Cairo, and the

U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which was followed the day after by the horrible death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Those two attacks were followed by a wave of violence against U.S. interests in the Middle East.

According to the administration, the rea-son for all the violence is an Anti-Islam video on You-Tube created by a Coptic Christian liv-ing in the U.S.

There is much evidence that this attack was planned well in advance. According to a report in the UK Independent, the United States State Department had credible infor-mation two days before our embassies in Lib-ya and Egypt were attacked that American missions may be targeted. Those warnings were not passed along to the foreign staffs. In fact, a senior Obama Administration offi -cial said on Sunday that no marines were in Libya at the time of the Benghazi attack.

President of the Libyan National Con-gress, Mohammed al-Megaryef, appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation and said that his government has learned the attack was not the result of a spontaneous outburst of anger

over a U.S.-made anti-Islam movie;“It was planned, defi nitely, it was planned

by foreigners, by people who entered the country a few months ago. And they were planning this criminal act since their arrival.”

Congressman Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said, “Let’s point out, this wasn’t a video that caused this. It’s a fi ght, a struggle in the Arab world between the Islamists and the forces of mod-eration.” He pointed out that one does not bring rocket launchers (which were present in the Libyan embassy attack) to a spontane-ous riot.

Indeed, elements of al Qaeda have been seen in the Libyan attacks as well as anti-U.S. protests in Tunisia and the Sudan, saying the action was revenge for the killing of one of their leaders via an American drone.

Osama bin Laden once said ‘When people see the strong horse and the weak horse, people like the strong horse.”

Under Barack Obama, the United States has become the weak horse in the Arab/Mus-lim world. The Islamist radicals have seen the United States as disengaging from that part of the world. We have totally left Iraq, and announced we are leaving Afghanistan without a victory; that was after the Presi-dent refused to bring troops to a level our generals said they needed for victory.

By putting the priority on Muslim identity, as he did in the Cairo speech and elsewhere, Obama helped empower Islamism over na-tionalism and democratic choices.

Barack Obama repeated the mistake Jimmy Carter made in Iran, forgetting that all democratic revolutions are not good. Hit-ler took power in an election, Iran became radical via an election, and the tyrant Robert Mugabwe took over Zimbabwe in a Carter-pushed election, also.

Under Obama’s weak policy, the Arab Spring was an opportunity for American-hating radicals to take over. Imagine what would have happened if, instead of pres-suring Egypt’s leadership to quit (and in some cases give up and even join the revo-lution), the President allowed/encouraged a slow transition. What if instead of pushing Mubarak to leave, he forced him into some reforms, or after he was ousted, having the military enact reforms rather than calling for elections. The radical Islamist Muslim Broth-erhood would not be running the show.

When he joined the battle against Muam-mar Qadhafi , Obama handed power over to radical forces, not consciously or intention-ally, but there was no vetting of the opposi-tion forces.

When protests spread over Iran after the election was stolen by the present regime, Obama said nothing, making no movement to oppose the Islamist regime running that country, another action seen as weakness.

Obama has rewarded the increasingly Is-lamist regime in Turkey, ignoring that gov-ernment’s agenda of transforming Turkey, while disproving the opposition’s argument that radical policies at home and abroad might damage the country’s standing in Washington.

Perhaps where the President has shown the greatest Middle East weakness is his dis-tancing itself from Israel. Leaving this Presi-dent’s passive-aggressive policy regarding Israel and the peace process on the sidelines for a moment, his handling of Iran’s nucle-ar program has been interpreted as weak throughout the Arab world (much of which fears a nuclear Iran as much as does Israel).

The end of August saw a fl urry of activity starting with a UN report revealing that Iran doubled the number of uranium enrichment machines it has in an underground bunker, showing that Tehran continued to defy West-ern pressure to stop its atomic work.

That same week the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs, Martin Dempsey, told a crowd in London that he does not want to be “com-plicit” if Israel chose to strike Iran’s nuclear program, positing that a premature attack would dissolve the international pressure on the Islamic Republic, The Guardian reported. Dempsey said an attack would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear pro-gram,” but added that the “international co-alition” pressuring Iran “could be undone if it was attacked prematurely.”

The State Department also got into the act of pulling the rug out from under Israel. One paper reported the Obama administration was trying to make a deal with the Iranians that if “you don’t attack us, we won’t help Israel attack you.”

The United States has indirectly informed Iran, via two European nations, that it would not back an Israeli strike against the coun-try’s nuclear facilities, as long as Tehran re-frains from attacking American interests in the Persian Gulf, Israeli paper Yedioth Ahro-noth reported last week.

The Obama administration has said they oppose a unilateral Israeli strike because of their belief that diplomacy and sanctions still need time to work; an Israeli attack could destabilize the entire Middle East, an Israeli attack would only delay Iranian nukes for a short time, yada, yada, yada.

Truth be told, Israel doesn’t want to strike

Iran, either. They do want the Obama ad-ministration to keep its promise to prevent the Iranians from creating nuclear weapons,something the administration should desire, also. Iran may be pointing the fi rst nuclear missile at Israel, but the second one will beaimed at the U.S. or our citizens overseas.

What Israel is looking for from the United States is a line in the sand. Continuing theadministration’s weak stance, this week, Sec-retary of State Hillary Clinton told Bloom-berg Radio that “we’re not setting deadlines” for Iran to halt its program.

But as Bibi told CNN on Sunday, I think it’s important to place a red line

before Iran, and I think that actually reducesthe chance of a military confl ict because, ifthey know there’s a point, a stage in the en-richment or other nuclear activities that theycannot cross because they’ll face consequenc-es, I think they’ll actually not cross it.

And that’s been proved time and again.President Kennedy put a red line before theSoviets in the Cuban missile crisis. He wascriticized for it, but it actually pushed backthe world from confl ict and maybe purchaseddecades of peace.

There wasn’t such a red line before Sad-dam Hussein, before the Gulf War when heinvaded Kuwait; maybe that war could havebeen avoided.

And I think that Iran, too, has received some clear red lines on a number of issues, and they backed off from them. So, I think, as Iran gets closer and closer to the comple-tion of its nuclear program, I think it’s im-portant to place a red line before them, andthat’s something that I think we should dis-cuss with the United States.

Hilary’s response to setting a red line, as well as the Administration’s statements re-garding the embassy attacks which blame/excuse the violence on an intolerant anti-Muslim video on You Tube, has not been lost on Israel or Iran or the Islamist elements in the Middle East. It refl ects another exampleof this administration’s abandonment of our friends and showing weakness to world lead-ers. The Obama version of America is the“weak horse” and the Muslim world is gravi-tating to the strong horse.

Jeff Dunetz is the Editor/Publisher of thepolitical blog “The Lid” (www.jeffdunetz.com).Jeff contributes to some of the largest politi-cal sites on the internet including American Thinker, Big Government, Big Journalism, NewsReal and Pajama’s Media, and has beena guest on national radio shows including G.Gordon Liddy, Tammy Bruce and Glenn Beck. Jeff lives in Long Island.

THE JEWISH STARIndependent and original reporting from the Orthodox communities of Long Island and New York City

All opinions expressed are solely those of The Jewish Star’s editorial staff or contributing writers

Publisher and Editor Karen C. Green Assistant Editor Malka Eisenberg Account Executives Helene Parsons Charles Slamowitz Contributors Miriam Bradman Abrahams Rabbi Avi Billet Jeff Dunetz Jeff Ratz Juda Engelmayer Rabbi Binny Freedman Alan Jay Gerber Rabbi Noam Himelstein Judy Joszef Editorial Designers Kristen Edelman Alyson Goodman Photo Editor Christina Daly

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POLITICO TO GO

Jeff Dunetz

Is America becoming the weak horse?

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Perhaps it was Rabbi Shmuel Hain who said it best:

“We can now fully appreciate the unique theme of the days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and how they function as a bridge between the two. The focus of these days is not on the ultimate goal of wiping clean one’s slate of sins; if that were the case, we would be permitted to use any method or device to realize that objective. Instead of be-ing goal-oriented, these days are to be viewed as an opportunity to undergo the process of transforming one’s religious personality. Fol-

lowing on the heels of Rosh Hashana when the shofar’s call awak-ens us to change our ways and to repent, the days of Repentance are intended to facilitate this process of change. These days are not merely a grace period to add merits before we request, and hope-fully receive, atone-ment on Yom Kippur. Rather, the inspiration

and anxiety experienced on Rosh Hashana should be channeled towards comprehen-sively evaluating one’s character and carving out a new, revitalized religious persona. The climax of this process is Yom Kippur, when we can justifi ably beseech G-d to grant atone-ment for our sins after having carried out this transformation of self. In a word, the empha-sis of Aseret Yemei Teshiva is not forgiveness,

but the process of repentance.”The focus of this week’s essay will be a

series of brief reviews of several works, for your spiritual and personal enrichment. While reading this, please keep Rabbi Hain’s teachings in mind.

First and foremost is the recognition that the primary book for this holiday is the machzor, the prayer book for this sacred day.

This year we witnessed the publication of the Koren Yom Kippur Machzor with trans-lation and commentary by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, whose previous liturgical works have been the focus of numerous reviews.

Also, and most note worthy, within this work is an extensive translation and com-mentary of the Mishne Mesechet Yoma, This 186 page work of towering scholarship was written and compiled by Rabbi David Fuchs, a musmach of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and a product of the learning and teachings of Yeshivat Har Etzion. Since completing his studies at Har Etzion, Rabbi Fuchs became editor of Hebrew liturgical texts at Koren, eventually working on the projected mishna series for the machzorim for all the Jewish holidays. It is this writer’s wish to witness, in the very near future, the development of a whole new series of The Koren Mishna with English translation and commentary by Rab-bi David Fuchs, as a logical Israeli successor to the Kahati series of the previous century.

The text translation of the mishna was written by Jessica Sacks, one of Israel’s most skilled translator’s of Jewish liturgy, into a most readable and comprehensible English, something that has long been overdue for

English fl uent learners of Talmudic studies.

Also in this work, is a 65 page introduction to the machzor by Rabbi Sacks, that eloquently touches upon almost every major theme of Yom Kippur.

AND THERE IS MORE…….Two excellent and eloquent

supplemental works also have appeared new for this year.

First we have “Twerski on Machzor: Yom Kippur” [Artscroll, 2012] by Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski and “The Yom Kippur Prayers” by Rabbi Yitzchok Sender. Both contain a se-ries of extra readings, observations, and com-mentary on both the themes and liturgy of the day. Dr. Twerski’s work can be purchased at most bookstores, and Rabbi Sender’s work can be obtained from the Sh’or Yoshuv Insti-tute in Lawrence, N.Y. [516-239-9002].

A new anthology, “We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism” [Jewish Lights, 2012], also appeared with a rather ideologi-cally eclectic collection of essays refl ecting the theologies of numerous American spiritual leaders focusing upon four basic themes. They are sin and confession in Judaism, the Yom Kippur liturgy of confession, Ashamnu and al chet as prayer book editors see them, and in-terpretations for today of this liturgy. You may not fi nd many of these observations agree-able, but their take is interesting nevertheless.

Finally, a more home based work has just

appeared, authored by Rabbi Richard Borahof Hewlett, entitled, “Yad on the Yad: 14 Anal-yses of Maimonides’ Laws of Repentance.”

Focusing on his take of the Rambam’sHilchot Teshuva, Rabbi Borah contrasts in detail Rambam’s views on this timely topictogether with the rich insights of Rabbi Jo-seph B. Soloveitchik, as well as others.

This tightly written work is cere-bral and challenging. I highly recommend this book for one-self as a special spiritual treatfor this time of the year.

Also, Rabbi Borah, a mus-mach of Rabbi Yisrael Chait, has a blog entitled, “Rambamand the Rav on the Parsha” thatis worthy of note. He can bereached at: rambamrav@gmail.com

ONE FINAL OBSERVATION……Our liturgy is made most memo-

rable, especially at this time of year, through the music and song utilized

throughout the holiday observance. Sometime ago, an interesting article was broughtto my attention, written by Rabbi Levi Coo-per of Jerusalem’s Pardes Institute entitled“The Cantorial Performance,” published byThe Lookstein Center. It can be found in their journal, Jewish Educational Leadership.

This article warrants your attention inas-much as it describes in a rather detailed man-ner the role that Jewish liturgical music, spe-cifi cally chazanus, plays in our religious faith and related culture. Many of the personalitiescited in this essay might be familiar to many of you, and many might not be. However,if youare daring enough and have the time, I urgeyou to check it out.

In the meantime, may I extend to all my dear readers a Gmar Chatima Tova, and aneasy and meaningful fast.

Alan Jay Gerber

The Kosher Bookworm

Yom Kippur readings for your inspiration

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Y om Kippur. Doesn’t matter how much you eat or drink right before the fast be-gins. As soon as you get home from Kol

Nidrei chances are you’re going to be dying of thirst, and in the morning you’ll be craving that cup of joe (along with a danish or donut, in my case).

As a little girl growing up in Boro Park, I remember wanting to fast the entire Yom Kip-pur. My mother said I could fast till breakfast. I insisted I could make it through the entire

fast. I did make it till 15 minutes after we got home from Kol Nidrei. What can I say? I was a good eater.

We would do kapa-ros with eighteen cents wrapped up in a nap-kin waving it over our heads. As a young girl, living across the street from the Bobover Yeshi-va and shul, I remem-ber being traumatized as I watched kaparos involving the live chick-

ens. Although I was assured the chickens were not being mistreated, I used to wish the chick-ens could be set free. Little did I know, back then, that my husband had the same soft spot for chickens, as did I. One day, when he was four, his mom took him to the chicken market in Brooklyn to pick out a chicken for dinner. Jerry stood there, watching the chickens be-ing shechted, and then their bodies still run-ning around afterward without their heads. His mother explained that they were dead and

not feeling anything. “Mom,” he said, “they’re running around without heads, I am not let-ting them do that to my chicken.” So there they were, Jerry, his mom and brother in the carriage, walking home with a live chicken in a box. Hey, if he couldn’t have a dog or a horse as a pet, a chicken was the next best thing. Jerry was sure he was going to win a horse a few months earlier. He was eating Kellogg’s Corn Flakes when he noticed, on the back of the box, a contest form to fi ll out to win a horse. Knowing his mom wouldn’t want a horse in the house, he had his neighbor fi ll out the form and send it in. Now all he had to do, was wait for the postman to deliver it. He was sure he would win. A week later when his family was packing to go to the bungalow colony for the summer he panicked. If he wasn’t home, what would happen when his horse was delivered? They lived in an apart-ment house, and the mailboxes were tiny. The horse would never fi t. His dad would be at work all day during the week, so no one would be home to take the horse. He couldn’t bear the though of the postman returning the horse back to Kellogg’s. He ran over to his neighbors Rosie and Leon and asked, when his horse was delivered, if they could take it into their apartment and keep it there until the end of the summer when he returned. Unfortunately, Jerry returned home and alas, Leon told him that he didn’t win the horse. He was heartbroken. Leon felt awful for Jerry and bought him a fi sh tank with a fi lter and some fi sh to take the place of the horse he hadn’t won. The tank arrived Erev Yom Kip-per and when Jerry saw the bubbles (fi ltration system) could be adjusted, he made sure to

turn it on high so that the fi sh would be ok while they went to Kol NIdrei. When they ar-rived home the tank was bubbling beautifully, however the bubbles launched the fi sh right onto the living room fl oor.

Jerry was going to care for “Chicken” as he called him, much better than the fi sh. Chicken made himself right at home in the Joszef resi-dence. He did everything with Jerry, sat on the handlebar of his tricycle when he rode it, sat next to him while he watched cartoons, sat on his lap when he ate and marched around the house as if he owned it. Only problem was that although the entire house was covered in newspapers, he still managed to make all over the place. Jerry pleaded with Chicken to stop or his mom was going to have to take him back to the market, but he didn’t listen and one day, when Jerry came home from a play date at his cousin’s house, Chicken was gone. His mom explained that Chicken was now with other chickens having fun. Thankfully for Jerry, at four years of age he didn’t associate roasted chicken with his pal Chicken, so as he ate his chicken dinner that night he had happy thoughts of chicken and his pals watching TV and riding on tricycles in a safe “shecht free” environment.

Whether you do kaparos with a live chick-en or with tzedakah, may you all have a G’mar Tov, and an easy and meaningful fast.

And when it’s all over, enjoy this delicious kugel.

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In a blender, blend the ricotta cheese, sugar and eggs

Pour the blended mixture in a large mix-ing bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, andvanilla pudding until well blended. Stir innoodles.

Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishcoated with Pam.

Bake, covered, at 350 F for 60 minutes oruntil center is set. Can be made ahead of time and warmed up before serving.

Judy Joszef can be reached at judy.soiree@gmail.com

Who’s in the kitchen

Asking forgiveness for all the chicken dinners this year

Judy Joszef

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have Israel’s back at all, such as in the event of an Iranian attack?

There are other reasons besides Israel that force me to the painful conclusion that I cannot support this President for re-election or remain in this party with far too many anti-Israel factions that are frankly a thinly disguised veneer for outright anti-Semitism. Democrats no longer want to teach men to fi sh so they can feed themselves. They es-pouse public charity by decree rather than by voluntary means. They have a clear and sometimes vicious animus toward G-d and all those who believe in G-d. They are no lon-ger liberal in the classical sense. They don’t believe our unalienable rights come from G-d or nature as our founders believed and instead believe that our rights come from government. They don’t want equal oppor-tunity; they want equal results. They don’t understand or believe in capitalism, which is

the freest system with all its imperfections,ever known to man.

This party of my father and mother, thisparty I have loved so much because it ac-cepted us when we were truly “Your hud-dled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,” thisparty of dreamers who did great things to make us a great and good people, is gone for me. The sad fact is it is gone not becauseI have changed, but because it has changedand changed so dramatically that it has allbut disappeared.

As an American and a Jew, I now go in search of a new political mishpocha and I welcome all with a good heart and an openmind to join me. After all A nahr bleibt a nahr − A fool remains a fool if he stays where he is not wanted.

Mark Meyer Appel is president of the Voiceof Justice, a non profi t organization that advo-cates for children and families.

One of the earlier verses in the parsha describes the encouragement Moshe gave to Yehoshua in the last days be-

fore passing the baton of leadership to him.“Moses summoned Joshua, and in the

presence of all Israel, said to him, ‘Be strong and brave, since you will be the one to bring this nation to the land that G-d swore to their fathers that He would give it to them. You will be the one to parcel it out to them.”

[Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s translation – Living To-rah]

Rabbi Kaplan’s translation is gener-ally a loose one, as he moves Hebrew phrases around in the English in order to create a more fl owing narrative. Any translator knows something is lost in the change from one lan-guage to the next. The challenge is to stay as true to the original as

one can, while making it an appealing read to your target audience.

In this particular case, while I believe Rabbi Kaplan’s interpretation is accurate in the sentiment, the inaccuracy of the order of the translation removes the possibility of un-derstanding how the teaching shared by the Slonimer Rebbe in his Nesivos Shalom fi ts in the text. A literal translation of the begin-ning of the verse will sound more like, “And Moshe said to him, before the eyes of all of Israel, ‘Be strong and brave…’”

In his class Hassidic style of reassigning modifi ers, the Nesivos Shalom suggests that we view Moshe’s quote as beginning after the words “to him.”

Yehoshua was faced with a personal di-lemma. He was the same Yehoshua he had always been. “Yehoshua bin Nun, the young man, would not leave from the tent.” (Shmot 33:11) He was studious, dedicated to his teacher, and not interested in attention. He did not crave the limelight. He learned from his teacher to be humble and to know his place.

And so the Nesivos Shalom suggests, Moshe was telling him, “You are the leader now, whether you like it or not. G-d chose you! So at least when you are ‘before the eyes of all of Israel, be strong and brave.’ Be the king! Be the leader! Hide your reservations and your feelings of insecurity when you are in front of the people. You are their leader.”

If Yehoshua wanted to cry himself to sleep at night, he could do that in the privacy of hisown bedroom. But as a leader, he must pres-ent a face of leadership at all times.

Some people have either worked on or are blessed with a tremendous amount of confi -dence. The confi dence may be well deserved or earned. And sometimes the confi dencetranslates into getting too much undeservedattention.

On the other hand, there are some people who are quite capable but are quite reserved or insecure about their abilities, or feel thatif they do one thing incorrectly, it will ruineverything and they’ll never get a secondchance.

A healthy balance uses both traits. It isvery important to make mistakes, as long asone learns from them. It is very important to showcase one’s talents, when one has talentsworth showcasing – even if you personallydon’t put much stock in them. There are ath-letes who hate watching sports, and actorswho can’t stand to watch theater or fi lm. Butthey do what they do because they are goodat it. And if they don’t put on the right face when they do it, they might not continue toenjoy the success they enjoy.

Part of the task is to, as Nike puts it, “Justdo it.” The other part of the task is to put ona good face, and to be confi dent in what youare doing.

No one can solve my personal devils anddistractions except me. This is true for everyperson who carries emotional baggage.

Moshe was saying to Yehoshua, “G-d will help you with your personal issues. Don’t wear your emotions on your sleeve for all ofIsrael to see. You may only exhibit leadershipqualities before them. And then, if you needto, collapse on your bed in private at the endof the day.”

This is particularly a challenge for parentswho are looked up to by their children. For those who struggle with bills, debt, fi nancialuncertainty, or whatever else, putting a up agood front for one’s children is a diffi cult as-signment. Stress can be quite defl ating, andit can bring down those who are incapableof coping.

As we make our commitments to Teshuva in this time period, may we also pray thatG-d can give us the strength to pull it all to-gether, hold it all together, and always put agood face forward as we interact with those who look to us as their models and leaders.

Be Brave and Strong! The best is yet tocome.

Parshat Vayelech

Putting up a good face

Rabbi Avi Billet

Kol Nidrei in a Russian prison camp

By Rabbi Eugene, z”l, and Dr. Annette Labovitz

Reproduced from Time For My Soul: A Trea-sury of Jewish Stories for Our Holy Days

American Jews take religious freedom for granted. On the other side of the world, in Soviet Russia, religious freedom is denied to two and a half million of our brethren. Let me tell you a story that took place in Moscow, during Simchas Torah, 1967, to illustrate how some Jews struggled for religious freedom.

Simchas Torah, celebrating the conclusion of the Torah reading cycle and the resump-tion of a new Torah reading cycle, is a time of great joy in Moscow. Joy permeates the air as young Jews, unafraid of the Communist re-gime, emerge from every corner of the city to identify with their people, to sing, to dance, to rejoice.

Torrential rains poured down upon the heads of the dancers who gathered in front of Moscow’s Choral Synagogue on Arkhipova Street to celebrate Simchas Torah. It seemed that the more intense the rain, the more in-tense the dancing. Yet, one middle-aged man was dancing with even more gusto than the other dancers. His face sparkled with ecstasy.

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the chassidic folksinger, scholar, and storyteller, was vis-iting the Soviet Union at the time. He ap-proached the middle-aged man and asked: “My friend, do you dance with such enthu-siastic fervor every year on Simchas Torah?”

The man was not afraid to talk to Shlomo, even though Shlomo was dressed in typical religious garb—yarmelke, tzitzis, and a Ma-gen David.

He answered: “My name is Josef. Many years ago I was incarcerated in a Siberian la-bor camp, serving a life sentence at hard la-bor. I never believed I would be released. I have so much to celebrate. Let me tell you my story.”

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, always the good listener, gently led Josef away from the danc-ers so he could concentrate, because the fer-vor of the Simchas Torah dancers had made it impossible to hear.

“This is what happened,” Josef began.“I was incarcerated because I am a Jew.

I knew the charges were false, but I had no defense. I spent almost ten years in a Sibe-rian labor camp. For most of those long, cold bitter years, I had no contact with any other Jews. Then, one day, I heard that an-other Jew had been incarcerated in a cell on the other side of the same prison camp. I decided to seek him out, despite personal danger. I desperately wanted to see another Jew, to talk to another Jew, to say “Shalom Aleichem” to another Jew before I died in that forsaken wasteland.

I made plans to sneak to the other side of the prison camp. I knew that what I planned to do was against prison camp rules, but I did not care. I had to see another Jew. When I found him, I tiptoed over to him.

He was walking in the courtyard where the prisoners exercised, and I fell into step beside him. I whispered: ‘Shalom Aleichem, landsman (my friend and neighbor).’

He turned his head slightly and whispered: ‘Not now! We are not permitted to talk. The soldiers on the ramparts can shoot us at any minute. They know we are Jews. They will not hesitate to shoot if we break the rules!’

I ignored my fellow Jew’s plea and contin-ued to whisper to him. ‘Do you know what tonight is?’

‘How am I supposed to know what tonight is?’ he demanded.

‘Tonight is Yom Kippur, the holiest day in

the Jewish calendar year,’ I continued.‘So what!’ he exclaimed, his whisper grow-

ing louder and more agitated. ‘What good does being Jewish do for us? Where has it gotten us? So what if tonight is Yom Kippur! I’ve been in one prison camp after another. I just don’t care anymore.’

I persisted. ‘Listen, I’ve been in this prison camp for almost ten years. All this time, I’ve searched for another Jew. Knowing that to-night is the holiest night in the Jewish calen-dar year, we must share this night together in some way. Let’s sing Kol Nidrei together. Do you remember how the melody is chanted?’

Tears fi lled my friend’s eyes. He whis-pered, ‘I used to sing Kol Nidrei with my father in the synagogue as a young boy. I haven’t heard it chanted since then.’

I begged him to join me in singing. He began to hum the melody softly. He hesitated with the words. Finally, he recalled them.

As he sang, his voice grew louder and more distinct. We did not notice the commo-tion in the watchtower, for we were so ab-sorbed in what we were doing.

It seemed that the guards were aiming to shoot us for disturbing the peace. Then we heard shouting. The captain was ordering the guards to halt.

‘Let them be,’ he ordered.He descended from the watchtower and

walked over to us.We trembled when we saw him stand-

ing beside us. He aimed his gun but held it steady. Then he demanded gruffl y: ‘What are you two Jews doing?’

I answered as politely as I could. ‘We are singing a song.’

‘Then sing more,’ the captain commanded.‘Please don’t disgrace us by making us sing

more. We know you will shoot us. Do it now. Get it over with!’ I pleaded.

The captain’s voice suddenly became more amicable.

‘I am not going to shoot you,’ he said. ‘Please continue to sing that melody. I want to hear it.’

We resumed singing.As we sang, we saw tears fi ll the captain’s

eyes and roll down his cheeks.When we fi nished, the captain spoke.‘As you began to sing,’ he said, ‘I had a

vague recollection of hearing that melody before. Suddenly, memories of going to the synagogue with my father swept over me. I pictured myself as a little boy, huddled under-neath my father’s tallis. When I was twelve years old, I was forcibly conscripted into the Tzar’s army. I had no connection with my family for years. I was promoted in the army until I reached the rank of captain and have made a career of serving my country. Now I realize that I am still a Jew, although it has been at least forty fi ve years since I had any-thing to do with my people. Tonight I under-stand that I am still part of the Jewish people.’

Spontaneously, the three of us began chanting Kol Nidrei again. Our eyes over-fl owed with tears. I do not know if I will ever experience such a holy moment again.

After we fi nished, the captain promised that he would do everything in his power to hasten our release from the Siberian labor camp. It took time; the waiting was intermi-nable. I even doubted the captain’s sincerity. We waited the better part of a year. Then, a few weeks ago, orders for our release were received. I came here to Moscow to celebrate Simchas Torah with my people. Bless me that next year I will be free like you. Bless me that next year I will be able to dance in the streets of Jerusalem on Simchas Torah.”

Democrats and JewsContinued from page 2

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Sept 22nd,Once again this year Rav Moshe Weinberger

will be giving his shiur on Inyanei Teshuva on Motsai Shabbos Shuva, September 22/ 6 Tishrei, at 9:15 p.m. The shiur will take place in the Main Shul at Aish Kodesh with Audio hookup for men and women in the Aish Kodesh social hall.

Rav Weinberger’s Shiur will be available on teleconference at (626) 677-3000, pin 183654#.

If you would like to participate in sponsoring or dedicating this Drasha, please contact Elliot Blumenthal at elliot.blumenthal@yahoo.com.

Sept 23rd,The Chofetz Chaim Torah Center invites the entire community to join in the celebration of a Hachnasat Sefer Torah.

Completion of the Sefer Torah will be at the home of Alan and Rena Mosak, 264 Grove Avenue at 1 pm with the procession at 2 pm to the Chofetz Chaim Torah Center. The Torah is being presented to the Beit Knesset by Dr. Jacob Mosak and family in memory of his beloved wife, parents, daughter and granddaughter z”l.

Harav Shlomo Carlbach, the esteemed Mashgiach,

is widely recognized as one of our genera-tion’s foremost “Baalei Machshava.” This is not a fundraiser, and there is no admission charge.

He will deliver a shiur to our community at the Lawrence home of Mr. and Mrs. Tanchum Portnoy 149 Lakeside Drive 8 PM Maariv followed by Shiur

Sept 27th, Rally at Israeli Consulate

42nd Street and 2nd Av-enue, 12:30 - 2 p.mStand with Israel against a nuclear Iran. Be with us to blow the Shofar and let the world hear that we stand with Israel. For more information call (914) 653-6502 or email standwithisraelnyc@gmail.com. Or contact AFSI 212 828-2424, afsi@rcn.com.

Oct 4th,Chol Hamoed Cruises! **SUKKAH ON BOARD**

Amazing Cruises from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn to the Statue of Liberty via the Ver-razano Bridge and beaches.

Date & Time: Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 02:00 pmAdditional Information: Clown, balloon & magic show Location: 2100 Emmons Ave, Pier 7 (end of Ocean

Avenue almost opposite Loehmans) Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn , NY 11235

Additional Information: SUKKAH ON BOARD! Drinks and refreshments available. Price $30.00 Children $20.00 Reservations strongly recommended! Please call: 347.470.5770 Leave a message,

or you can use the r.s.v.p page www.NYKosher-Cruises.com and we will call you.

Group and private charters available. Email: succoscruise5770@gmail.com Join our Facebook group ‘New York Kosher

Cruises’ to see more photos of our past trips! Proceeds benefi t Crown Heights Yeshivos.

Oct 10th,Free Mercy medical center presentation on breast cancer at Freeport library

Rockville Centre, NY – Mercy Medical Center invites the community to a free lecture entitled What Would You Like To Know About Breast Can-cer? to be presented at the Freeport Memorial Library on Wednesday, October 10th at 3:00 p.m.

The hour-long presentation will be given by Dr. Dana Monaco a board certifi ed surgeon spe-cializing in breast cancer procedures, with nearly three decades of experience.

Dr. Monaco received her medical degree from SUNY/Health Science Center at Brook School of Medicine, where she also did her post-graduate training. She subsequently served as a visiting surgeon in the breast service at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and has been on the medical staff at Mercy since 1993.

Her presentation will include the latest infor-mation on breast cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment, including minimally invasive and reconstructive surgical techniques.

There is no charge for attending the pre-sentation, and although advance registration is recommended it is not required to attend.

The Freeport Memorial Library is located at 144 Merrick Road. For registration, travel direc-tions and information, call the Library Reference Desk at 516-379-3274 ext. 505 or by e-mail at: frreference@freeportlibrary.info

HAFTR is proud to announce that Rabbi Dovid Kupchik, Menahel at HAFTR Middle School, will also be serving as the senior Rabbi in HAFTR’s Lower School. Rabbi Kupchik, now in his 13th year at HAFTR, has coordinated and initiated many successful Judaic studies curricular and co-curricular programs which range from introducing a mishna and gem-orrahskill based curriculum, to enhancing and enriching the Bar/Bat mitzvah prepara-tions. While continuing to work with Dr. Rochelle Brand, Principal of the Middle School, Rabbi Kupchik will also be working with Ms. Joy Hammer, HAFTR Lower School Principal, and Rabbi Stuart Olshan, Director of Judaic studies in the Lower School, in areas such as vertical integration of the Limudei Kodesh curriculum, the Siddur and Chumash pro-grams for the fi rst and second graders and welcoming new parents to the school. HAFTR Lower School is very excited to open its doors to Rabbi Kupchik.

ON THE

CalendarSubmit your shul or organization’s events or shiurim to jscalendar@thejewishstar.com.

Deadline is Wednesday of the week prior to publication.

Letter to the editorObama is No Friend of Israeli Security or American Honor

The NY Times published an op ed on 9/5 by Saban stating why he thought Jews should vote for Obama. Below is the op ed I submitted in response, but was not printed.

To the Editor:Saban’s lengthy (900 word) Op-Ed por-

traying President Obama as a faithful friend of Israel omitted important facts, and distorted others. Below is my submission as a timely Op-Ed response, providing the other side of the argument.

I am a radiologist in Long Island. I was the co-chair of VIPAC (Virtual Israel Political Action Committee) for many years, and am the author of the novel Bar Mitzvah Lessons, published by Aleph Type and Design.

Martin Elsant, MD There are so many examples of Obama’s

animosity to Israel and Judaism that it is hard to pick just one.

There was the open microphone with Sar-kozy where the American and French Presi-dents were heard trading insults of Israel’s Prime Minister. There was the March 1, 2011 White House meeting where President Obama lectured the assembled Jewish leaders that: “ You must speak to your Israeli friends and

relatives and search your souls to determine how badly do you really want peace.” http://www.zoa.org/sitedocuments/oped_view.asp?opedID=2179 There was Senator/Candi-date Obama’s July 2008 Berlin speech where he listed places all around the globe that had suffered from terrorist attacks and somehow Israel did not make it on to his list. And, of course, there is Obama’s current snub of Is-rael’s Prime Minister who is still being refused a face to face meeting about the threat of an Iranian nuclear holocaust. But I will consider in detail just one instance, perhaps the most perfi dious.

On May 19, 2011, President Obama de-livered his Middle East policy speech at the State Department, and said the following: “The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutu-ally agreed swaps. “

There are three things wrong with Presi-dent Obama’s position. First, the 1967 lines put Israel at a terrible strategic and military disadvantage. Second, the historical and Bib-lical heartland of Israel, including the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, are beyond the 1967 lines. Third, and the one that most closely approaches complete betrayal of the Jewish State, is that President Obama’s posi-

tion on this matter fundamentally contradicts the executive letter President George W. Bush gave to Israel’s Prime Minister Sharon on April 14, 2004.

The context and contents of that April 14, 2004 letter have to be reviewed carefully to understand how profoundly President Obama betrayed Israel with his Middle East speech. The fi rst item to note, in terms of context, is that President Bush sent his letter to Prime Minister Sharon in response to a letter Sharon had sent Bush on that same day.

Prime Minister Sharon had written to President Bush: “I attach for your review the main principles of the Disengagement Plan... According to this plan, the State of Israel in-tends to relocate military installations and Is-raeli villages and towns in the Gaza Strip, as well as other military installations and a small number of villages in Samaria.

In response, President Bush wrote the fol-lowing: “We welcome the disengagement plan you have prepared... The United States appreciates the risks such an undertaking rep-resents. I therefore want to reassure you on several points...

“Third... The United States is strongly com-mitted to Israel’s security and well being as a Jewish state. It seems clear that an agreed, just, fair, and realistic framework for a solu-tion to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any fi nal status agreement will need to be found through the establishment of a Palestin-

ian state, and the settling of Palestinian refu-gees there, rather than in Israel..... In light ofnew realities on the ground, including alreadyexisting major Israeli population centers, it isunrealistic to expect that the outcome of fi nal-status negotiations will be a full and completereturn to the armistice lines of 1949. (techni-cal term for the June 1967 lines) ... .”

There clearly was a quid pro quo here.Prime Minister Sharon agreed to make riskyconcessions --withdrawing from Gaza andabandoning several villages in Samaria -- inexchange for a list of reassurances from Presi-dent Bush. These American reassurances in-cluded the following two points: a) that anyresettlement of Palestinian refugees occuroutside of Israel. And b) that major Israelipopulation centers beyond the 1967 lines be-come part of Israel, without requiring Israel to“swap” any of its own land. (See: Bush Erasesthe Clinton Parameters - Dore Gold .)

lsrael did its part, even though this meantforcing thousands of its citizens from theirhomes, destroying factories, farms, syna-gogues and cemeteries. The United Statesthen became fully obligated to stand by thereassurances it had offered Israel. That is whyall the criteria for a classic double-cross weremet when President Obama, with Israel’s con-cessions safely in his pocket, withdrew thosereassurances.

Continued on page 13

Having an event?Submit your shul or organization’s events or

shiurim to jscalendar@thejewishstar.com.

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Chayim and Yaakov were childhood friends; they were close throughout high school and their army service. At some point, though, their friendship dissolved. As years passed by, Chayim knew that he was responsible, but he couldn`t bring himself to face Yaa-kov and deal with it ...

Don`t wait until it`s too late ...

Rabbi Noam Himelstein studied in Yeshivat Har Etzion and served in the Tanks Corps of theIDF. He has taught in yeshiva high schools, post-high school women’s seminaries, and headed the Torah MiTzion Kollel in Melbourne, Australia. He currently teaches at Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusa-lem, and lives with his wife and six children in Neve Daniel, Gush Etzion.

By Rabbi Noam Himelstein

T he Rosh Hashanah davening is always a cause for pause. Every year during “Un-etaneh Tokef” we hear the phrase, “How

many will be born, and how many will die,” and we think abstractly about the weight of this phrase. Some years, though, we hear the same phrase wailed emotionally by the same chazzan as last year in exactly the same way, and it breaks our hearts because the esoteric has become actualized and we have seen the difference a year makes. For some, the loss of a neighbor or an acquaintance is not a rea-son to refl ect; for many, on the other hand, the nearer loss strikes to one’s own person, the more poignant its effects. Many think of themselves or their nearest family during the “Unetaneh Tokef” and are moved by imagin-ing a life without; sometimes, just the poten-tial of their absence is enough to bring us to tears and propel our heartfelt t’shuva (repen-tance). The sad truth remains, however, year after year: though we cry and feel the weight of judgment during the Yomim Nora’im

(Days of Awe), many of us falter and fall back into bad habits on the 11th or 12th of Tishrei and all of our atonement falls by the wayside like a forgotten New Year’s resolution.

It is for this reason, I believe, that the Rabbis famously debated the virtues and drawbacks of man’s creation. It is recorded in the Talmud, Eruvin 13B, in three lines of text that are easily

overlooked: “Our Rabbis teach: for two and a half years there was a debate between the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel [about man’s creation]…They fi nally took a vote and decided it was better for man not to have been created than to have been cre-ated.” Imagining the ferocity of this debate that waged for two and a half years among the two premier scholarly bodies of ancient Israel provides for some fascinating legends; and each year, as I observe my freshly-inked atonement crack and crumble under the pressures of daily living, I imagine that fact being used among the scholars of the House

of Shammai as evidence for the fault of man’s creation. The teaching ends on a curious note, though. Recognizing that, despite our fl aws, humankind continues to exist, each of us is challenged to “Yi’pashpesh b’maasav… y’mashmesh b’maasav” “Refl ect on our past deeds…[or]…contemplate our future ac-tions.” Each time I pass these lines, I am re-visited by similar feelings that I feel during “Unetaneh Tokef.”

The realities of life’s brevity and our mor-tal fragility are concepts I face daily in my work with the Chevra Kadisha. Often, despite the practiced nature of our work preparing bodies for burial according to Jewish tradi-tion, I am driven to my knees by the sheer immensity of our task. But recently, as I’ve watched a long-time friend’s family deal with the sudden impact of his falling into a coma and watching children no older than my own say mourners’ kaddish for their father, my knees have lacked the strength to take me to my point of peace. This year, during Musaf, when the chazzan sang “V’anachnu Korim,” “And we kneel…” during Aleynu, my eyes watered as my face touched the ground. How, my mind screamed, how can we kneel and thank G-d when our friends and loved ones are near death?! It is little consolation to be told, “yi’pashpesh b’maasav…” “Refl ect upon your past deeds.”

There is a Chassidic tale told of a tzaddik who was visited by an angel and given the “gift” of knowing when his time of death was near. After careful deliberation, the Chassid chose to remain—like the rest of us—un-aware of when his life would end. The angel, shocked by this refusal, asked, “Why would you not want to know when your time of death will come?” The Chassid replied that if he knew when his death was near, he’d for-get to focus on his life. The Talmud offers two options for man, whose existence was a mis-take: we can ruminate on past ills or cogitate on our future achievements. Each of us has only one life; therefore, none of us should ignore opportunities that will make for an exceptional one. Seizing the day and making for ourselves the kinds of lives we would like to be remembered for, being “y’mashmesh b’maasav,” is the method through which both man’s creation and our own existences can be made meaningful.

‘To Be or Not to Be’ is not only Hamlet’s Question

Dr. Jeffrey Ratz

This act of treachery by President Obama was bad enough, from a moral standpoint. But there is another deeper, darker dimension to President Obama’s deception.

The reassurances President Bush offered Prime Minister Sharon were formally en-dorsed by both houses of Congress. On June 22, 2004, the Senate and the House of Rep-resentatives passed a concurrent resolution stating that Congress “strongly endorse[s] the principles articulated by President Bush in his letter dated April 14, 2004, to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.”

Further, M. Halberstam, a professor of in-ternational law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, who served as counselor on international law in the U.S. Department of State, Offi ce of the Legal Adviser, points out the following: although presidential letters are not full-fl edged treaties, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled multiple times over the last 70 years that executive agreements have binding legal consequences and share some aspects of formal treaties. (US support for ‘67 lines would break ... JPost - Opinion - Op-Eds)

Now we can clearly understand the dis-mal depths of President Obama’s perfi dy. Our president is not only betraying Israel. He is also betraying America.

When Obama says there must be “mutu-ally agreed land swaps” before Israel gains sovereignty over Jewish cities in Judea and Samaria, he is violating the Bush letter. When Obama omits explicitly insisting on settlement of Palestinian refugees outside of Israel’s bor-ders, he is violating the Bush letter. And when Obama is violating the Bush letter, he is not just abandoning Israel. He is sullying Ameri-can honor and violating American law and custom.

America is morally and legally bound to the establishment of Israeli sovereignty over Jewish population centers beyond the 1967 lines without land swaps. America is commit-ted to the resettlement of Palestinian refugees outside of Israel’s borders so they don’t de-stroy the Jewish character of the Jewish state. President Obama’s May 19th speech, denying the former and ignoring the latter, makes him no friend of Israel’s security or American hon-or. That is why I am voting for Romney/Ryan this November.

Letter to the editor....Continued from page 12

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One of the great challenges in life, is knowing when to lead and when to follow.

In the Israeli army, command-ers are trained to lead by example. Many attribute this concept to the battle for Latrun in 1948.

Latrun sits on a hilltop com-manding the entrance to the valley leading to Jerusalem.

In 1948, when Israel was fi ght-ing its War of Independence, the British handed control of this for-tress to the Jordanian Legion, and Israel faced the impossibility of tak-ing this fortress from below.

To compound this situation, most of the Israeli men fi ghting in this battle were refugees fresh off the boats from the DP camps and

the horrors of Europe. They were barely s o l d i e r s ; when they arrived,they were asked to volunteer, taught how to hold a rifl e, shoot a few bullets, and sent to the front lines.

M a n y could not even speak the same language as their com-manders, let

alone function as a cohesive unit, and soon found themselves com-pletely overwhelmed, under the expert guns of the British-trained Jordanian Legion.

So what do you do if you are an offi cer charged with taking such a hilltop, commanding men who do not understand what you are say-ing, and have no idea of what you want from them? You lead by ex-ample. And so, somewhere beneath the fortress of Latrun, overlooking the ancient battlegrounds of Josh-ua and David, a single anonymous offi cer, overcome with emotion and frustration, no longer able to watch his new recruits being cut to pieces by the Jordanian gunners, rose and cried out: “Acharai!” “After me!

And as one, these men with no military training and no army expe-rience whatsoever, followed their offi cer up that hill.

Much more important than the battle itself, this philosophy of of-fi cers leading by example, became one of the backbones of offi cer training in the Israeli Army. But there is a terrible price for this phi-losophy, and the Lebanon war is a good case in point.

The Arabs follow the Russian fi xed-earth doctrine, believing a fi xed and prepared position is the best defense, even against a mobile enemy. As such they had taken the turrets off a number of T-62 main battle tanks, and set them in the earth on the sides of the mountain roads in central Lebanon. Offering a much smaller target to approach-ing armor, they were also situated just around every bend in the road, and their guns were already load-ed and targeted on the exact spot an enemy tank coming up the hill would appear. And because every

Israeli armored column was always led by at least a company com-mander, we lost a disproportion-ately high number of commanders in those mountains. Eventually, the army decided that platoon com-manders (Lieutenants) would lead these columns instead of Company Commanders (captains).

I recall vividly the extensive de-bates that accompanied this deci-sion: How could our men respect and follow us if we weren’t willing to lead? Yet, this principle was get-ting a lot of commanders killed….

When do we need to lead by example, and when do we need to take a step back and follow others?

This week, in the portion of Vayelech, Moshe is preparing his fi nal farewell to the Jewish people, and as part of this painful process, he must ensure that leadership is passed on to the next generation:

“And Moshe summoned Yehosh-ua and said to him: be strong and of courage, for you shall bring this people in to the land that Hashem swore to their fathers to give to them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.” (Devarim (Deuterono-my) 31:7)

How painful this moment must have been for Moshe; not only will he himself never enter the land he has spent forty years in the desert trying to reach; not only will he have to bid farewell to his people who will now leave him behind, but he is actually invested with charg-ing his successor to take his place.

Interestingly, G-d Himself re-peats this charge almost word for word some 15 verses later (31:23):

“And (G-d) commanded Ye-hoshua the son of Nun and said: be strong and of courage, for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land that I swore to them and I will be with you.”

Why is G-d charging Yehoshua with his mission again if Moshe has already given him this exact speech? Rav Yochanan notes in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 8a) that there is a peculiar difference between these two verses:“ ‘Ki atah’ tavo,’ u’le’halan k’tiv: ‘Ki atah tavi.

“ “For you will come (tavo’) and later (v. 23) it says you will bring (tavi). Said Rav Yochanan: Moshe said to Yehoshua: you and the el-ders of the generation (together). But G-d said to him (Yehoshua) (if need be) take a stick and hit them (the elders?) on the head. There can be only one speaker (leader) for a generation, and not two speakers for a generation.”

Rav Yochanan seems to suggest that G-d is charging Yehoshuah with a mission and role that is al-most antithetical to Moshe’s!

Moshe seems to be suggesting that Yehoshua will not be alone in his leadership role; he will have the elders as his partners. Somehow, they will lead the people together. But G-d wants Yehoshua to be sole-ly in charge, even to the point of literally knocking some sense into these elders if necessary!

The Torah Temimah (Rav Ba-ruch Epstein d. 1940 in the Pinsk Ghetto) suggests that these are not two antithetical missions between which we must choose, but rather two different roles Yehoshua must now assume, that exist side by side.

There are times we need to learn to work together, as a team or even committee. But then there aremoments when someone needs to take charge. And assuming eitherof these roles when the other iscalled for can be disastrous.

The elders express that there is sanctity in every human being, and that if Hashem (G-d) createdthis person, then I am not just be-ing nice by hearing his opinion, it isactually imperative that his opinion be included, because without anyone of us, something is missing inall of us. Know, says Moshe, thatyou must be a part of the people,and not just above them, for that is where true leadership lies.

Moshe is telling Yehoshua to focus and remember, especially ina time of war and conquest, thatwhat you become is as important aswhat you are doing, and to keep in mind that the conquest of the landis a means to achieving an end

G-d, on the other hand, is speak-ing to Yehoshua as the vehicle to achieve that goal. As they are aboutto enter the land and that period ofwar and conquest, it is a time whensomeone has to take command, something Yehoshua has already demonstrated, in the battle with Amalek (Shemot- Exodus 16).

And in this moment, as theycross the Jordan and enter the bat-tlefi eld, one person has to lead.

This is not just a history lesson, but something we struggle with all the time. Sometimes we need to besharing our goals, and be sure we are accomplishing them together,while sometimes we fi nd ourselvesin situations where someone needs to step up and get it done.

Friendship, marriage, parenting,and even business partnerships allrise and fall with the level of shareddreams and like-minded goals.

And yet, lives are most often not saved by committee, nor are warsmeant to be waged in boardrooms;and when your unit comes underfi re, you don’t always have timeto wait for all the men in the unitto agree with the course of action.Someone has to make a decision and everyone else has to followalong, and many of the great proj-ects that one sees accomplished inthe world often occur because oneindividual steps up to a need andleads the way.

Indeed, our fi rst signifi cant meeting with Yehoshua is whenMoshe tasks him with leading the Jewish people into battle againstAmalek, at which point Moshe, with all of his spiritual support up on the mountain, steps aside to letYehoshua run the show.

All of which brings us back toMoshe and Yehoshua here in Vay-elech. Moshe is not just passing on a position of leadership; he is hand-ing over a dream. And the chal-lenge of fulfi lling that dream, willperhaps lie in Yehoshua’s, and forthat matter every one of us, fi ndingthe ability to share that dream intandem with the rest of the Jewishpeople and even the world, while at the same time, knowing when wehave to be willing to move forwardon our own to live up to our own unique role in making that dreama reality.

FROM THE HEART OF JERUSALEM

Rabbi Binny Freedman

Leading by exampleA few years ago, I had the

privilege of attending my brother’s “White Coat Cere-

mony” at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine one day between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This rite of passage for any fi rst year medical student involves a short white coat being placed on

each student by a senior member of the faculty, and it is a sign that someone who was previously an overachiev-ing college student with little practical medical knowl-edge is now on his or her way to becoming

a medical practitioner. As the faculty speakers repeated often throughout the ceremony, it is a sign of great responsibility. As I was watching this ritual unfold, I began thinking of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, who per-forms the holy service once a year on Yom Kippur. He, too, goes through a white coat ceremony of sorts (lehavdil), as he alternates throughout the day between spe-cial clothes made of gold fabric and clothes that were pure white, both of which were placed on him by others. Moreover, like medical students who have no real authority or knowledge, for the week before Yom Kippur, the High Priest was required to per-form the same menial tasks in the Temple as an initiate.

Why make the Kohen Gadol go through this process? Don’t we have confi dence that the Ko-hen Gadol would know what to do on Yom Kippur? Perhaps we can suggest that everything about the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur is designed to make the Kohen eminently aware of his mortality. He wore white clothes, reminiscent of burial shrouds, and he separated from his fam-ily for a week beforehand. And throughout the service of the day, one misstep could be lethal. In order for the Kohen Gadol to be the agent of atonement for the Jewish people--all of who have their lives hanging in the bal-ance--he had to experience the imminence of his own mortality as well.

On Yom Kippur, we wear white, to evoke the same image that the Kohen Gadol’s clothes did--one of purity on one hand and mortality on the other. We refrain from eating, to evoke a world in which the physical is not relevant. And we do this to remind ourselves of our mortal-

ity and impermanence. Each of us, on an individual, communal or national level, is aware of how quickly change can occur, and has occurred, in the past year. That emotional highlight of the High Holiday service, the Unetaneh Tokef prayer, highlights how fl eeting and ephemeral our lives can be. In the past year, loved ones have taken ill or passed, some of them at a young age and in the prime of their lives. People close to us or we ourselves have experienced economic or person-al hardships. For others, the op-posite may be true, as this was a year full of blessing and promise in personal, professional or fi nan-cial realms. This awareness of the fl eeting, impermanent nature of our existence may sound fright-ening and depressing, but it need not be. Quite the opposite--it can be exceptionally uplifting. This is the message of the “White Coat Ceremony.” When faced with the stark reality of his mortality, the Kohen Gadol saw himself with piercing honesty, and was liberated from the burden of all other concerns; personal slights, monetary disputes, social status concerns all stopped weighing on him, even though he understood them well.

The Kohen Gadol gained atonement through the clarity that his Yom Kippur brush with mortality brought to his life, both on Yom Kippur and afterward. Our challenge is to view our mor-tality on Yom Kippur not with self-pity and depression, but with renewed clarity and resolve, re-alizing what is important in our lives. Three years ago, Citi ran an ad campaign entitled “Live Rich-ly” that brought home this point, with slogans like “Some of the most exciting growth charts are on the pantry door,” and “Con-trary to popular belief, you are not what you drive.” While these may be trite, they are true as well. Yom Kippur is when we can remember that it is not our worth that defi nes us, but our word; that it is not our fi nances or va-cations that defi ne us, but rather our families and our values. That our schedules are more mean-ingful when they are defi ned by G-dly commitments, and not the other way around, and when we realize that the relentless race for prestige or possessions is futile and soul crushing.

May this Yom Kippur provide us with the same clarity as it did the Kohen Gadol, and may we enter the new year with renewed purpose and resolve.

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky is Rab-bi of the Irving Place Minyan in Woodmere.

A White Coat Ceremony

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

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By Dr. Michael J. Salamon Avir d’yisroel machkim – The very air of

Israel brings us to wisdom. We have devel-oped a tradition to send our children away to Israel, usually for a year of intensive study after they complete high school. Despite the fact that many of these students are in their late teens or older, sending a child off to Is-rael for a year is often a leap of faith for par-ents, because it is typically the fi rst time that these children are so far away for such an extended period. Some parents make a point of visiting their children in Israel over the chagim but many do not. Many children have had the experience of being away from home before, having gone to sleep away camp for a month or two every summer for many years. Sleep away camp however, is different, there are several visiting days interspersed and while in camp, the children are allegedly in a protected environment. In camp the objec-tives are socialization, friendship and fun. While important, these are not the primary goals for the year away in Israel. When we entrust our children to the schools in Israel, we are sending them to people, often strang-ers, with the primary goals of helping them grow in learning, maturing in character and gaining in wisdom.

Parents have expressed many fears about the process of the year, or two, away. These include how well the child will adjust to the new schedule, will there be too much or too little academic work, will there be the right food to eat, will they feel comfortable mak-ing new friends, what the dorm situation is, will they be exposed to some bad people or threatening situations, and will there be suf-fi cient supervision? Perhaps the biggest con-cern I have heard from parents is if the child will “fl ip out.” Parents spend a great deal of time and energy on these concerns. They make plans to visit during winter break and bring their child home for Pesach. Children tend to handle most of the issues fairly well, knowing that they are going through a pro-cess that has become a tradition and gener-ally express fewer fears than their parents.

There is one issue, though, that many children and parents have a diffi cult time with – homesickness. Leaving behind the comfort and familiarity of home and sense of family support is not always easy. The sense of melancholy that comes from longing for family can be overwhelming for some peo-ple. Feelings of anxiety, isolation and loneli-ness are very common. In fact, the technical term for homesickness is separation anxiety and it can occur as a reaction to meeting new people or being in a new or different situa-tion. Homesickness is most likely to strike a child in Israel between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot. This is the fi rst time that a child is away from their family for a major holiday and the transition from known family tradi-tions to the unknown or unclear expectations of yeshiva or seminary may seem just a bit

overwhelming. Veterans of the Israel year will tell you that most students are homesick on and off from Sukkot until about Chanukah time when they fi nally settle into the routine.

It is important to understand that being homesick is not the same as being depressed. The anxiety that is homesickness actually al-lows for emotional growth. Confronting fears is the only way to deal with them and those who overcome their fears have a great sense of accomplishment. Overcoming homesick-ness indicates that the student has developed the ability to learn how to handle new situ-ations which in turn leads to a more mature sense of independence. This newfound ma-turity that comes with independence will be with the child for the rest of their lives. With this in mind, I suggest that parents follow a few, but vital steps to help both themselves and their child grow through the experience.

There are no hard and fast rules for how often to communicate with your child in Is-rael or the best way to do so. For some chil-dren once a week is suffi cient, others will need two or three times a week. You know your child better than anyone. If you and your child have always communicated fre-quently you may want to continue that pat-tern even while they are away. The more signifi cant aspect is what is contained in the communications. Many children will develop the sense of being homesick but will not ex-press it. You may hear it in your child’s voice when you speak to her, but if you want to help this type of child through it, do not fo-cus on their anxiety. Talk about the program they are in, if they met new people and how they like their teachers. Change the focus of your conversations to the day-to-day aspects of the program.

Children who have a sense of separation anxiety that they openly express may simply be looking for a little boost of confi dence. Here, too, a good technique for the parent is to not focus too much on the concerns and tell the child that you know it may seem a bit hard but “we all have faith in you and you will do fi ne.”

Children with signifi cant anxiety may do best if directed to speak with the mashgiach ruchani or counselor at the seminary or ye-shiva. All of the schools in Israel that cater to foreigners have experience with this phe-nomenon and they should be able to assist the student through their diffi culties. Still, the parent should focus on confi dence build-ing for the child.

For most children, homesickness is mild. For all children, overcoming homesickness is an important step in emotional maturation. Encourage your child, add to their confi -dence and build their sense of self, and they will grow in maturity and wisdom.

Dr. Michael J. Salamon is the founder and Director of ADC Psychological Services in Hewlett, NY and the author of - The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cure and, most recently, Abuse in the Jewish Community.

My Homesick Child in Israel

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