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VISIT US ON THE WEB! WWW.THEBJH.COM Vol. 12 Issue #27 | August 20-26, 2026 | ‫ י״ג אלול תשפ״ו‬- ‫ז׳‬

Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Hatorah Siyum Hashanah

A Summer Of Connection With Let’s Connect

As the Old Files Open, One Family Confronts Another’s Dark Nazi Past

Common Cents: Walking The Dog And Managing Risk

The Back-To-School Jitters are Back:

New teachers. New classrooms. New worries. Here’s how to help your family start the school year with an A+ in mental health.

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Jewish C arin g N etwo rk An d Tikva H o use I nvites Th e C o m m un ity To An Elul Ch iz uk S hi ur

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Adversity and Opp ortunity A message for Elul, A message for Life. Sunday, August 30 • 8:00pm

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Greater Washington Minyanim

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JEWISH THOUGHT

FEATURE As the Old Files Open, One Family Confronts Another’s Dark Nazi Past

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT To Raise A Laugh

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Notable Quotes

Kids Coloring Contest

LIFESTYLES Inspiration Nation

Mental Health Corner

My Israel Home

Political Crossfire

Dating

Common Cents

Health & Fitness

Parenting Pearls

In The Kitchen

My dear family friend, Rabbi Tzvi Hefter, someone whom I have always looked up to and deeply admired, recently told me about a remarkable Wednesday night shiur at The Chofetz Chaim Adath Bnei Israel Congregation (the Adas). As he described the special chaburah that gathers each week to experience serious, in-depth Torah learning, I felt compelled to bring it to the attention of our readers. The shiur is delivered by Harav Dovid Rosenbaum, shlita, whom I have personally known for many years. Although I never had the privilege of being a talmid in his shiur, I have always valued my interactions with him and admired the brilliance and clarity of his Torah. In a city blessed with so many mosdos and opportunities for growth, this longstanding shiur at Adas is one of Baltimore’s hidden gems. Its roots stretch back more than 40 years, when Moreinu Harav Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky, zt”l, began delivering a weekly shiur for baalei batim at Adas, first on Rogers Avenue and later on Park Heights Avenue. For those who attended, Wednesday night was not simply another shiur on the calendar. It was a highlight of the week. After Rav Kulefsky’s petira 26 years ago, his son-in-law, Harav Rosenbaum, assumed the role of maggid shiur. In doing so, he continued not only a weekly learning program, but a precious chain of serious limud haTorah that has enriched generations of Baltimore bnei Torah. There is something especially meaningful about a shiur created for baalei batim who still yearn for the depth and excitement of the beis medrash. Life after yeshiva becomes busy. There are families to support, responsibilities to shoulder, and countless demands competing for our attention. Even when we maintain regular sedarim, we may begin to believe that the

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intense give-and-take of a true iyun shiur belongs to an earlier chapter of life. This Wednesday night chaburah reminds us otherwise. Rabbi Rosenbaum encourages participants to ask, answer, challenge, and contribute. Lomdim of different ages and backgrounds come together to explore masechtos they may never have had the opportunity to learn b’iyun during their yeshiva years. Perhaps that is what makes this shiur so special. It offers more than knowledge. It rekindles a feeling. It brings a person back to the pleasure of wrestling with a difficult sugya, hearing a penetrating question, discovering a new approach, and experiencing the satisfaction when the pieces finally come together. Over the years, the chaburah has completed numerous masechtos b’iyun and is currently exploring the fascinating world of Maseches Temurah. For Rabbi Rosenbaum’s hundreds of former talmidim, it is an opportunity to reconnect with a beloved rebbe and rediscover the enjoyment they once experienced in his shiur. For others, it is an invitation to discover that experience for the first time. We often speak about the importance of making time for Torah, but perhaps the deeper challenge is allowing Torah to once again capture our minds and energize our week. Baltimore possesses many treasures, yet treasures only enrich us when we take the time to uncover them. The shiur takes place every Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m. at Adas, located at 5915 Park Heights Avenue, at the corner of Menlo Drive. Whether you are a former talmid, an experienced lamdan, or simply someone longing for a taste of pilpula d’Oraisa, perhaps this hidden gem is waiting for you.

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The Baltimore Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. All opinions expressed by the journalists, contributors and/or advertisers printed and/or quoted herein are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, Internet or another medium. The Baltimore Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The BJH contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Hatorah Siyum Hashanah By: BJLife Newsroom

he Nearly 230 people gathered on Thursday, June 18, for Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Hatorah’s annual Siyum Hashanah dinner. Parents, grandparents, Kollel families, Bochurim, and the Hanhala came together to celebrate a year of growth and achievement with true kavod hatorah. The dinner marked the end of the zman in Baltimore, before the Yeshiva moved to its summer campus to finish the zman. The evening began with a light reception catered by Platinum Events. Parents greeted the Hanhala, heard about the hatzlacha of the talmidim, and met the Kollel chavrusas who learned with their sons during the year. The Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbi Dovid Hoffman and Rabbi Moshe Aharon Rosenbaum, welcomed the crowd. They spoke about the hasmada and hard work of the Bochurim and Kollel. Special thanks were also given to the N’shei Ohr Hatorah—the wives and families whose support helps the Hanhala and Kollel throughout the year. Three Bochurim made a siyum on Meseches Bava Kamma, representing the limudim of all the bochurim. Chaim Pelishev, Reuven Segan-Kohanim, and Michoel Newmark shared the hadran and kaddish.

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The Dovid Spira Band then led joyful music and dancing that filled the room with the spirit of Simchas Torah. The ahavas hatorah and pride in all that had been accomplished could be felt by everyone. Guest speaker Rabbi Yisroel Meir Lebovits praised the bochurim and shared warm words of chizuk about celebrating the past while looking toward the future. To close the program, the Rebbeim presented each bochur with a sefer. Every Kollel yungerman also received a sefer and a special gift for his neshei chayil. R’ Mordechai Pollock and R’ Noam Levy received special recognition for the steady help and guidance they gave as Roshei Chabura during afternoon seder.

Families came from Toronto, Montreal, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Brooklyn, Lakewood, and Baltimore. Whether they traveled from near or

far, everyone left proud of the year’s accomplishments and inspired by the continued growth of every Kollel yungerman and bochur at Ohr Hatorah.

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The Final Two Weeks Of The Summer 2026 Regular Season Of Charm City Ballers Presented By Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer Featured Playoff Clinching Performances And A Dramatic Final Game!

he Orshan Legal Group 49 Diamond Auto 47 Orshan Legal Edges Out Diamond Auto To Clinch #1 Seed Mordy Reches scored 20 points and Orshan Legal Group held Diamond Auto Leasing star Eitan Hariri to a season low 8 points as Orshan Legal won their 7th straight game to clinch the #1 seed. Orshan Legal overcame an

0-3 start to the season with a stunning turnaround and a long winning streak to give them the playoff pole position. Avromi Gartenhaus had 14 points and 7 rebounds in the win, with both he and Reches knocking down 4 3s apiece. Reches also grabbed 6 rebounds in the win, while Yoseph Orshan had 6 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists. Eli Kohen added 7 points.

Diamond Auto limps into the playoffs with this loss. They were led by 19 points (including 5 3s) from Aharon Schmell, who also grabbed 8 rebounds. Yitzy Hyatt had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and led the game with 6 assists while Yoey Schacht added 6 points. Hariri still impacted the game in a big way, snagging 11 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Fired UP Promotions 53 King David Nursing & Rehab 48 Fired Up Beats King David, Locks Up Playoff Spot Avi Goldstein had 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists as he led Fired Up Promotions to a playoff berth with a 53-48 win over King David Nursing & Rehab.

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After an early run by Fired Up to start the game up 14-7, King David closed the gap and the game was within two possessions for the entire second half. Yisroel Luchansky led King David with 23 points while also grabbing 5 rebounds. Elazar Freedman had 12 points and 6 rebounds while Menachem Blackman scored 11 points and grabbed 9 boards in the loss, which sets up a must win game for King David against M&S Enterprise in the season’s final game. Fired Up got contributions from sub Avraham Abba Freedman (10 points and 5 rebounds) and Abie Hyatt (8 and 5). They go into their last regular season game with only playoff seeding on the line. Fired Up Promotions 52 Advanced Security Lock & Key 51 Fired Up Rallies As Advanced Security Blows Another Lead Fired Up Promotions rallied from a 9 point second half deficit to edge out Advanced Security Lock & Key and lock up the #2 seed. Abie Hyatt hit a go ahead 3 with under 2 minutes remaining and neither team could score from there to provide the final margin of 52-51.

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Avi Goldstein led the way for Fired Up with 22 points, 21 rebounds, and 6 assists to finish off a season where he finished 2nd in scoring and 1st in both rebounds and assists.

Avner Shotz scored 12 points on 5-8 shooting while Abie Hyatt added 11 points and 4 rebounds. Yeshayahu Schwartz grabbed 9 rebounds while Aharon Schnur snagged 6 in the win. Heshey Green returned from injury with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 assists but wasn’t able to will his team to victory, as Advanced had a familiar game script with a blown second half lead. Avi Yudkowsky scored 10 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists while sub Yosef Radparvar added 10 points as well. Noach Schwartz had 5 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. King David Nursing & Rehab 56 M&S Enterprise 52 King David Clinches Playoff Spot With Dramatic Win The final game of the Charm City Ballers 2026 regular season lived up to the hype as it took overtime to decide who would snag the final playoff spot. Yisroel Luchansky had the tying bucket in regulation and scored 6 of his game high 34 points in overtime as King David Nursing & Rehab finished off the season sweep of M&S Enterprise with the dramatic win after trailing for almost all of regulation. Luchansky also had 11 rebounds and 2 assists as he willed his team to victory. He had 8 of his King David’s 14 first half points, as they trailed by 11 at the break after only scoring 3 points in the game’s first 13 minutes. Menachem Blackman hit a pair of 3s to triple their score, but they weren’t able to close the gap before halftime before gradually scraping back throughout the second half. Blackman finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Elazar Freedman added 10 boards. M&S Enterprise was missing several starters and was led by sub Mordy Reches, who had 29 points and 13 rebounds and dominated parts of the game. Meir Parry had a strong game with 18 points and 12 rebounds but will be left rueing a missed putback in the final seconds of regulation that would have given his team the lead back. King David will face Orshan Legal Group in the playoffs next week.

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Rally In Annapolis

t was an exciting experience for me to travel to Annapolis this past Monday (August 3) and take part in a rally outside the Maryland State House. Over the past few months, the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) of Maryland has announced major funding cuts and policy changes that will severely impact our special needs community. This rally, targeting the Maryland General Assembly during their special legislative session, was part of a larger attempt to let our lawmakers know just how much these cuts and procedure changes will adversely affect those who rely on the DDA funding. Menucha has been receiving significant funding from the DDA in the past, and that funding is now in jeopardy. Mrs. Rochel Schnur has been strongly and tirelessly advocating for our special needs community, working together with wonderful organizations such as CCSDM (Concerned Citizens of Self Directions Maryland). This rally was organized by

the CCSDM, and Mrs. Schnur swung into action to ensure that the Jewish community would be represented in the appeal to our legislators.

speech “I have been moved to tears... by the strength, the courage, the fear, the pain, and.. the unity that has been displayed here today.”

That is how I found myself standing right outside the Maryland State House, together with two of Menucha’s program participants and a dedicated staff member, joining over 100 people in making our voice be heard. It was an honor for me to be there, representing Menucha, and as a quite visibly Jewish person, having a part in representing the Jewish community at large.

In terms of unity, it was also extremely heartwarming to see how the different Jewish organizations collaborate together! It was encouraging to look across the yard and see Rabbi Ariel Sadwin from the Agudah, speaking with the legislators, using his experience and relationships to further this cause. Mr. Barry Nabozny, who has been instrumental with bringing Yachad’s JUF program to Baltimore, gave an extremely powerful, stirring speech, speaking “As a father... of a son with disabilities...”. His ringing words resonated across the square, and resonated deeply with all those present. Mrs. Schnur, who helped facilitate the rally, was standing nearby, interacting with the leaders of CCSDM. Mrs. Meira Burkom (Agudah - Yahalom) has been in close contact with Menucha, advocating and providing valuable assistance throughout this process.

A few legislators spoke at the rally, calling for open dialogue with the DDA and for the government to address the important concerns raised. One of the speakers, Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready (GOP), remarked at the special legislative session “That is what we should be addressing...” referring to the rally right outside the State House (Maryland Matters). For me, the rally was emotional. As I said in the beginning of my

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Discover the Minchas Chinuch’s fascinating exposition of the 39 Melachos of Shabbos. This clear, comprehensive elucidation is enhanced with detailed notes and explanations, subject headers highlighting each sugya’s structure and theme, and introductory paragraphs clarify the Minchas Chinuch’s analyses, making this edition valuable to everyone—beginner to talmid chacham.

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A Summer Of Connection With Let’s Connect

t has been a full and memorable summer for Let’s Connect Baltimore, with programs that brought women together in very different ways, yet always with the same goal: creating opportunities for genuine connection, shared experiences, learning and friendship. The summer began on a creative note with Summer Connections: Ceramic Painting at the JCC, led by Paula Flax Siskind. Women gathered for an evening of painting, conversation and creativity, choosing their pieces, experimenting with color and simply enjoying the chance to sit around a table together. It was relaxed and informal, and set the tone for the summer ahead: sometimes connection happens while learning something new, and sometimes it grows naturally while sitting together with a paintbrush in hand. The evening also featured a meaningful dvar Torah from Esther Badian, who spoke about the gift of creativity and the deeper purpose of artistic talent. She explained that the wisdom of art is not really in a person’s hands, but in the heart. The hands simply express what is already inside, reminding participants that creativity can be a reflection of inner beauty, thought and emotion brought gently into the world.

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Our next gathering, Be Aware. Be Prepared., presented by Esti Rossberg, focused on situational awareness and personal safety. Women came away with practical strategies for being more aware of their sur-

roundings, trusting their instincts and responding with greater confidence in potentially unsafe situations. During the Three Weeks, the focus moved inward with From Galus to Geula, a two-part series filled with extraordinary personal stories of emunah, Jewish identity and the remarkable paths that can lead a person and a family forward. Leah Schiermeyer spoke with warmth, sincerity and emotional honesty as she shared her remarkable journey from a deeply religious christian upbringing to a life grounded in the truth of Yiddishkeit. She described the gradual search she and her husband undertook together, the questions and discoveries that changed the course of their lives, and the tremendous sensitivity with which they navigated those changes while raising their family. Throughout her story, Leah pointed to the hashgacha pratis that guided them from one step to the next, as well as her deep hakaras hatov to the many people who welcomed, taught and supported them along the way. Her story, also told in her book A Simple Twist of Faith, was a moving reminder of the courage it takes to keep searching, the humility to continue learning and the faith to follow truth wherever it leads. The second evening featured Penina Lewis, who transported the audience back to her parents’ beginnings in Yemen. Her father, orphaned at just six years old, was secretly transport-

ed out of danger under the threat of Yemen’s Orphans’ Decree, traveling at night hidden in crates strapped to donkeys until reaching Aden. Years later, he and Penina’s mother made the arduous journey to Eretz Yisrael, carrying with them very little materially, but an extraordinary commitment to Torah and emunah.

Stacy Spiegelman, who generously shared their time and expertise. Pam explored the connection between diet and healthy skin and shared recipes for natural cleansers and facial masks that can be made at home, while Stacy helped women understand face shapes and the sheitel styles that best complement individual features.

Their arrival in Israel brought tremendous challenges, including the heartbreaking disappearance of two of their children during the era of the Yaldei Teiman. Yet Penina described parents who refused to allow suffering or bitterness to define their lives. Their guiding words were “Haboteach BaHashem chesed yesovevenu,” one who trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by kindness. Penina’s powerful account of their faith, resilience and lifelong commitment to helping others culminated with kinos from her family’s Yemenite siddur and the timeless words, “Hashiveinu Hashem eilecha v’nashuva, chadeish yameinu k’kedem.”

A lively question-and-answer session followed, and the evening included a special essential-oils skincare package donated by Leiba Gornbein, won by Yael Topas. We are also grateful to Miriam Sidell, Raizy Eskin, Joanne Phillips and Yael Topas for helping with registration and greeting our guests, and to Welcome Connections committee members Chaya Sara Cohn, Joyce Litzman and Michal Donowitz, who were recognized that evening for their work helping women feel welcomed and connected.

August brought another change of pace with The Beauty Edit, an evening devoted to practical information about skincare, personal style and feeling your best. Sara Scheller opened the evening with a beautiful Dvar Torah, followed by presentations from Pam Kanter and

This past week, the summer fun continued with Game Night: Good Games. Good Company. on Tuesday, August 18 at the JCC. Women gathered around the tables for Rummikub, Mahjong, Bananagrams, Scrabble and more. It is a simple idea with a very Let’s Connect purpose: an easy evening to laugh, play, meet someone new and spend time with friends.

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JCNSL By MDSC Week 3: The Playoff Picture Takes Shape

Eli Weiss supplied the exclamation point, driving in four runs, including two on an inside-the-park homer.

At this stage, every inning matters as teams jockey for postseason position and the opportunity to ultimately hoist the coveted Premier Financial Trophy. Some teams used Week 3 to officially punch their postseason tickets, others strengthened their position, and a few are suddenly fighting for their playoff lives.

The Rosen Team 11, Web Interactive Technologies 7 After jumping ahead 3-0, The Rosen Team watched WIT answer with four straight runs before responding with a five-run explosion of its own. Ponczak again starred on the mound, while Mordy “The Protégé” Purec continued his tremendous season with multiple extra-base hits and several spectacular diving catches in center field.

Meanwhile, perhaps the biggest story of the week was the resurgence of YL Waitering. After beginning the season with four consecutive losses, the perennial contender suddenly found its footing—and its offense—in a big way. With the finish line rapidly approaching, Week 3 provided plenty of drama. YL Waitering 7, MDSC 3 After a frustrating 0-4 start, YL Waitering finally broke through with a complete team effort, knocking off MDSC, 7-3. Akiva Furman led the charge, going 3-for-4 while putting on a defensive clinic at shortstop. Yaakov Furman was perfect at the plate at 3-for-3, while Moshe Lerner added two hits and an RBI.

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followed by a throw to double off a runner and kill a rally.

ith only one week of the JCNSL regular season remaining, the Tripping Kosher playoff picture is beginning to come into focus..

The game’s biggest blow came courtesy of Avrumi Friedman, who cleared the bases with a massive threerun triple to break things open. Meir Dek added an RBI and played outstanding defense in the outfield, while Yoni Levin somehow battled through a broken finger while continuing to look like a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder. Reigning World Series MVP Mayer Goldsmith was dominant on the mound, Tzvi Pearlman drove in a key run while expertly handling things behind the plate, Avi “Machado” Feldman vacuumed up everything at third, and Eli Weiss locked things down at second. Clothier 4, Web Interactive Technologies (WIT) 3 Just when it looked like Clothier was headed for its third consecutive loss, the bats awakened.

Trailing WIT entering the seventh inning, Clothier rallied for three runs to pull out a dramatic 4-3 victory. Sol Kuhnreich drew a walk andMeir Glazer singled before an infield hit by Aiton “M-52” Marizan turned into a comedy of WIT errors, allowing both runners to score and tie the game. Dani Hyatt then delivered the clutch go-ahead hit. Kuhnreich and the Clothier defense took care of the rest, shutting WIT down in the bottom of the seventh and securing a much-needed comeback victory. Klaff Sports Physical Therapy 11, Tov Pizza 7 Something had to give when Klaff Sports PT faced undefeated Tov Pizza—and it was KSPT that ultimately handed Tov its first loss of the season. After an early defensive battle, Klaff broke through in the fourth, scoring four runs to build a 7-1 advantage. Benji “Young Gun” Friedman and Moshe “The Captain” Burr provided the fireworks with clutch RBI triples. Tov responded like an undefeated team, storming back with six unanswered runs to tie the game. But Klaff had one more rally waiting. Shaya “Smooth” Swiatycki,

“Z-Man” Zevo, and Uriel “U-Train” Young delivered key hits in the sixth as KSPT pulled away for the victory. The Rosen Team 8, CREZLY 6 Brian “The Fluttering Ace” Ponczak continued his outstanding season on the mound as The Rosen Team controlled the action from the outset against CREZLY. Timely hitting throughout the lineup combined with steady defense behind Ponczak, allowing The Rosen Team to stay in front and earn an 8-6 victory. YL Waitering 20, Tov Pizza 5 After earning its first victory, YL erupted offensively against Tov Pizza, cruising to a 20-5 win. Akiva Furman was unstoppable, finishing a perfect 5-for-5 with two RBIs while wreaking havoc on the basepaths. Moshe Lerner collected four hits and two RBIs, Meir Dek went 3-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs, and Avi Feldman added three hits and an RBI. Mayer Goldsmith drove in three runs and somehow made a spectacular catch on the mound on a ball that nearly took his face off. Avrumi Friedman added three RBIs, while Yaakov Furman drove in two and turned in the defensive play of the game—a sliding outfield catch

Baruch “Generalissimo” Glazer set the table offensively, Sammy “Wemby” Carter contributed all over the diamond, and Moe “Speed Demon” Krohn, Avraham “007” Szajowitz, Yechiel “Shrek” Schreck, Eli “Gold Glove” Silver, and Max “Mad Max” Reitberger all made key contributions. Clothier 7, CREZLY 4 Patience proved pivotal, as Ozzie Marizan drew three of Clothier’s seven walks and Zev Charner added two more. Meir Glazer contributed a pair of hits, while Kuhnreich drove in two runs and delivered another strong pitching performance. An early CREZLY baserunning mistake helped Clothier turn a double play, while Charner made several terrific catches in his first start in center field. Klaff Sports Physical Therapy 13, MDSC 5 Klaff Sports PT wasted no time against MDSC, exploding for five first-inning runs and two more in the second to grab a 7-0 advantage. MDSC battled back impressively, cutting the deficit to 7-5 and suddenly making things interesting. Then Mordy “The Spark” Klein lived up to his nickname. Klein led off with a huge hit that ignited an offensive avalanche, with hit after hit following before Uriel Young capped the rally with a smoked double. Klaff took control from there and rolled to victory.

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The Week In News

China Mourns Former Premier China lowered its national flag on Tuesday as the country bid farewell to former Premier Zhu Rongji, who died last week at age 97. His funeral ceremony and cremation were held under tight security in Beijing as citizens reflected on the legacy of one of the country’s most forceful economic reformers. President Xi Jinping and the other six members of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee attended the ceremony at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, where they stood in silence and bowed three times before Zhu’s cremation, according to state media. Former President Hu Jintao also sent a condolence wreath. Zhu served as China’s vice premier from 1991 to 1998 and premier from 1998 to 2003, playing a central role in the country’s economic transformation

shacharis

ers blame his reforms for the loss of their livelihoods. “I know that quite a considerable number of ordinary people in China like me,” Zhu said in 2001. “But there are also some who hate me to the core. How could one possibly make everyone love him?” His death sparked an outpouring of memories online, although Chinese authorities closely monitored public expressions of grief. The government has historically treated the deaths of popular former leaders cautiously, concerned that large public gatherings can sometimes develop into political protests. The deaths of former Premier Zhou Enlai in 1976 and former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang in 1989 both preceded major periods of public unrest.

Afghanistan 5 Years Later Just over five years ago, on August 15, 2021, after the United States and NATO troops suddenly withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban capitalized on the chaos, retaking control of the country. Now, according to the Taliban, many residents of Kabul claim they feel safer than they did five years ago. According to

Molvi Hayatullah Mahajar Farahi, deputy minister in the Taliban for broadcasting at the Ministry of Information and Culture, the government has brought Afghans security, stabilized the currency, improved infrastructure, and created jobs by forming industrial parks. Farahi dismissed a U.N. report about terrorism in Afghanistan as “merely enemy propaganda, spread to portray the country as unstable.” Farahi also claimed that the Taliban was engaged with around 40 countries, despite it only having formal ties with Russia. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has fulfilled all the requirements necessary for official recognition. It is now up to the international community and others to step forward and take the appropriate action,” he said. Notably, Farahi declined to discuss the way girls are treated in Afghanistan and their exclusion from the education system. Just before regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban said it would give women access to education, employment, and public participation. However, the group quickly reneged on its promises, banning girls beyond sixth grade from going to school, including those pursuing

Greater Washington Weekday Minyanim Guide

6:15 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

M-F

Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah

T, W, F

6:20 am Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah OLNEY

M, Th

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac

T, W, F

8:00 am YGW (High School; School-Contingent)

S-F

Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac

S S

6:25 am Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua M-F

7:05 am Kesher Israel

M, Th

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sfardi)

6:30 am Beth Sholom Congregation

M-F

7:15 am Kemp Mill Synagogue

M, Th

8:05 am Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville

M, Th

Beit Halevi (Sfardi)

M, T

T, W, F

8:15 am Ohr Hatorah

Chabad of Silver Spring

M-F

Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah OLNEY

T, W, F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

YGW

M, Th

6:35 am Ohr Hatorah

M, Th

6:40 am YGW

S, T, W, F

Magen David Sephardic Congregation 6:45 am Beit Halevi (Sfardi)

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during the 1990s. Known for his blunt style, Zhu worked to bring inflation under control, strengthen China’s tax and banking systems, and overhaul state-owned companies. His reforms resulted in millions of workers losing their jobs as the government shut down or restructured unprofitable enterprises. The changes also helped prepare China for entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001, a milestone that accelerated the country’s integration into the global economy. Zhu was known for speaking his mind. “My defining trait – my guiding principle – is independent thinking,” he said in 1988, when he was mayor of Shanghai. “I believe I should say what I truly think.” His willingness to challenge others sometimes came at a personal cost. Zhu said his Communist Party membership was revoked in the late 1950s after he delivered a three-minute speech considered politically inappropriate. His membership was not restored for nearly two decades. His legacy remains deeply divisive. Supporters credit him with laying important foundations for China’s economic growth, while some former state work-

M-Th S, T, W, F

Kemp Mill Synagogue

M, Th

Ohr Hatorah

T, W, F

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

M, Th

6:50 am Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah

M, Th

Silver Spring Jewish Center

M-F

Chabad of Upper Montgomery County

M-F

6:55 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

T, W, F

7:00 am Kemp Mill Synagogue

T, W, F

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua S Silver Spring Jewish Center BETHESDA Magen David Sephardic Congregation [S] 11215 Woodglen Dr, North Bethesda, MD 20852 GAITHERSBURG Chabad of Upper Montgomery County [Ari] 11520 Darnestown Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 OLNEY Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah (OSTT) 18320 Georgia Ave, Olney, MD 20832

Kesher Israel Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue Ohr Hatorah 7:30 am Chabad of DC

M-F

Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville

S, T, W, F

Kehilat Pardes / Berman Hebrew Academy

S-F

Silver Spring Jewish Center

M-F

Chabad of Potomac

M-F

JROC

M-F

Kemp Mill Synagogue

T, W, F

8:30 am Chabad of DC

Chabad of Potomac

S S

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

JROC Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue Silver Spring Jewish Center

Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sfardi)

M-F

YGW (Summer Only)

S-F

7:45 am YGW (Yeshiva Session Only)

S-F

8:45 am Young Israel Shomrai Emunah

S-F

8:00 am Beth Sholom Congregation

9:00 am Chabad of Silver Spring

Kemp Mill Synagogue

Kesher Israel

Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah OLNEY

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua M-F

Southeast Hebrew Cong., Knesset Yehoshua S Chabad of Upper Montgomery County

Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah

POTOMAC Beth Sholom Congregation 11825 Seven Locks Rd. Potomac, MD 20854 Chabad of Potomac [Ari] 11621 Seven Locks Rd, Potomac, MD 20854 Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac 11618 Seven Locks Rd, Potomac, MD 20854

ROCKVILLE Kehilat Pardes / Berman Hebrew Academy 13300 Arctic Ave, Rockville, MD 20853 JROC 11304 Old Georgetown Rd, Rockville, MD 20852 Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville Ring House TV Room

For edits or additions email ads@baltimorejewishhome.com

mincha

S S

mincha/maariv

Before Shkiah (15-18 minutes), S-TH Beit Halevi (Sfardi) Beth Sholom Congregation Chabad of Potomac Chabad of Silver Spring Chabad of Upper Montgomery County Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville (20 min before, S-F) JROC Kemp Mill Synagogue Kesher Israel Magen David Sephardic Congregation Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue Ohr Hatorah Silver Spring Jewish Center Southeast Hebrew Congregation Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah Young Israel Ezras Israel of Potomac Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Asheknaz) Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Sefarhadi)

maariv 8:45 pm YGW 9:15 pm Silver Spring Jewish Center 9:30 pm YGW 9:45 pm Ohr Hatorah 10:00 pm YGW

2:00 pm Silver Spring Jewish Center 2:10 pm YGW

S-F

2:45 pm YGW 3:00 pm YGW Middle School

S-Th

SILVER SPRING Beit Halevi [Sefardic] 1009 North Belgrade Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20902 Chabad of Silver Spring [Ari] 519 Lamberton Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20902 Kemp Mill Synagogue 11910 Kemp Mill Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20902 Ohr Hatorah 1009 Kersey Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20902 Silver Spring Jewish Center 1401 Arcola Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902

Southeast Hebrew Congregation, Knesset Yehoshua 10900 Lockwood Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20901 Woodside Synagogue/Ahavas Torah 9001 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Yeshiva Gedola of Greater Washington (YGW) 1216 Arcola Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902 Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (YISE) [Ashk + S] 1132 Arcola Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902

M-Th School Days M-Th School Days

S-Th S-Th S-Th S-Th S-Th

WASHINGTON Chabad of DC [Ari] 2110 Leroy Pl. NW, Washington, DC 20008 Kesher Israel 2801 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20007 Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah/The National Synagogue 1600 Jonquil St NW, Washington, DC 20012

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higher education. Additionally, women were barred from entering gyms, public baths, and parks, as well as from playing sports and traveling long distances without a male guardian. According to the United Nations, while Afghanistan has become more stable in the past five years, lasting stability can’t be achieved until the Taliban stops mistreating women. “Half a decade after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan has systematically dismantled the rights of half its population, making it a global outlier with no parallel in the modern world,” the U.N.’s agency on women’s rights said. “In the past year alone, this exclusion of women and girls from education, employment, public life, justice systems and healthcare has only intensified, entrenching what remains the world’s most severe women’s rights crisis.”

Iran Plans to Continue War The memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran in mid-June was widely considered overly generous in Tehran’s favor, offering the country billions of dollars in frozen funds and a potential $300 billion lifeline. Yet, while Iran initially agreed to the MOU, its hardline leaders planned all along to escalate the war. Iran used the pause in fighting to prepare for more fighting, communicating its plans with allies in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. “We took full advantage of the ceasefire period,” Revolutionary Guard spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi declared. “We enhanced our capabilities, accelerated our missile production rate and improved missile accuracy.” Now, Iran is reportedly mulling a ground invasion into its small Gulf neighbor, Kuwait, which is very concerning to U.S.-allied countries in the Middle East. Tehran’s goal is not to defeat the U.S. militarily, obviously, but to cause just enough pain to deter the United States and Israel from launching further attacks. While Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged the government to negotiate in order to save Iran’s ailing economy, the country is standing strong despite its massive military and economic setbacks. It is quickly rebuilding its infrastructure and regaining access to missile bases, according to reports. Iran has threatened to retaliate

against U.S. attacks on its energy facilities by destroying similar sites in Gulf states, to whom Tehran has sent comprehensive lists of targets. During a quiet time in the war, Iran struck Jordan with five ballistic missiles in a surprise attack that targeted American troops. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has also overseen the Revolutionary Guard’s internal reshuffling. The Revolutionary Guard has been planning pre-emptive strikes and is mulling cutting internet off from the Persian Gulf, encouraging political unrest in Kuwait, Bahrain, and other countries with Shia communities, and launching a ground invasion in Kuwait. According to some figures in Iranian politics, the Revolutionary Guard might attack Kuwait through southern Iraq if the U.S. threatens Iranian territories such as Kharg Island. In early May, Kuwait caught six Revolutionary Guard troops attempting to enter a Kuwaiti island using a rented fishing boat. Mehdi Mohammadi, a strategic adviser to chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has warned that the ongoing quiet is merely the calm before the storm and that Iran is motivated by a “generational project for blood vengeance” for the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “The Iranian nation still has much unfinished business with Trump,” said Mohammadi, an Iranian negotiator. “Iran is prepared for the great confrontation.”

Ebola in DRC is Deadliest

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 2,325 people, government data showed on Sunday, surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak to become the deadliest in the country’s history. Congo’s public health institute said in its latest report that confirmed cases had risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours. The outbreak, Congo’s 17th, was al-

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The Week In News ready the biggest in the country’s history in terms of number of cases, a gruesome milestone reached in late July. The latest government data shows that the total number of deaths has surpassed the 2,299 deaths recorded in Congo’s 20182020 outbreak, which was previously the country’s worst on record. Three months after it was formally announced, the outbreak is now dwarfed only by West Africa’s 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in which 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths were recorded across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization. It took nearly five months from the declaration of ‌that outbreak to hit 1,000 deaths, whereas Congo’s current outbreak hit 2,000 deaths in less than three months. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments. The outbreak has gained momentum since it was declared on May 15, as weak health infrastructure, community resistance and instability hinder the effort to identify and respond to cases. The proportion of people dying from the outbreak after a confirmed infection,

known as the case fatality ratio, has risen from about 20% in early June to 46%, according to government data, meaning nearly one in every two confirmed cases is now fatal. “Normally, as an outbreak progresses, the case fatality ratio should fall as contact tracing improves and patients are identified and treated earlier,” said Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist recently deployed to Democratic Republic of Congo with Medecins Sans Frontieres. “Instead, we’re still seeing many cases detected very late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with many identified only after they die in the community.” The outbreak earlier spread to neighboring Uganda, but authorities there managed to limit deaths to two and confirmed cases to 20 before declaring an end to the outbreak in that country last month. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, living or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding before becoming fatal.

Khmer Rouge Torture Prison Survivor Dies Bou Meng, a Cambodian artist who survived one of the Khmer Rouge’s most notorious torture centers and later became an important witness to the atrocities committed there, died last week at 85. Meng was among only a handful of known adults to survive S-21, also known as Tuol Sleng, a former high school in Phnom Penh that the Khmer Rouge regime transformed into a prison and interrogation center. An estimated 14,000 to 20,000 people were imprisoned there between 1975 and 1979, with most ultimately tortured and killed. Meng and his wife were arrested and brought to S-21 in 1977. The couple was separated upon arrival, and Meng never saw his wife again. His children also died during the Khmer Rouge period. Meng endured weeks of interrogation and torture. He was beaten and subjected to electric shocks while being accused of working for foreign intelligence agencies. In his testimony, he described the prison as a place of unimaginable suffering. “I saw about 20 men with long hair, looking very sick and emaciated. The cell was like hell on earth,” Meng told a tribunal in 2009. His survival came down, in part, to his artistic ability. Prison commander Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, ordered Meng to paint portraits of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot and other officials. His skills made him useful to the regime at a time when usefulness could mean the difference between life and death. “If I could not draw well, they would have killed me. Many other people died,” Meng later said. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, Meng eventually became an advocate for remembering the victims and seeking justice. In 2009, he testified before a United Nations-backed tribunal against Duch, helping document the crimes committed at S-21. His testimony contributed to findings of murder, extermination, imprisonment, torture and other crimes against humanity. For a time, Meng himself was mistakenly reported to have died. After learning of the reports years later, he returned to Phnom Penh and declared that he was

still alive. “The story said I was already dead, so I came back to show that I am still alive,” he said. “I want to tell the world about the crimes of the Khmer Rouge.” In his later years, Meng continued sharing his story with visitors and researchers. His death marks the passing of one of the last living witnesses who could personally describe the horrors of S-21.

A Mafia Museum Heist?

Four paintings by Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were lifted off a museum’s walls on Saturday in a heist that has raised eyebrows and concerns. The thieves entered Messina’s Accascina Regional Museum in Italy on Saturday evening, while the city was celebrating a religious festival that brought thousands into the streets. The burglary only came to light some two hours later when tourists found two Antonello paintings, apparently discarded by the thieves, leaning against the museum railings. Renato Schifani, the president of Sicily, issued a statement to say the museum’s video surveillance system and alarm had been working normally, adding that an internal investigation was underway to see if any museum staff had been involved. Enzo Caruso, Messina’s councilor for culture, said it was difficult to understand how thieves could have removed the works in a matter of minutes without detailed knowledge of the museum’s layout. “It’s a very, very strange affair,” Caruso said. He noted that the stolen Antonello works are so famous that selling them even on the black market would be virtually impossible, raising the possibility that they could be used as bargaining chips or collateral in criminal dealings. “The Mafia? It’s possible they might try to blackmail the state itself in order to return them. These are the kinds of dy-

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The Week In News namics that ordinary people never get to see,” he said. He said another possibility was that the paintings could be used as guarantees or currency within the criminal underworld. Caruso questioned how well prepared the thieves had been, pointing to the fact that two paintings had been left in the street. “Perhaps they did not anticipate how heavy they would be. These are wooden panels ... stealing them is not as easy as stealing a canvas that can be cut from its frame,” he said. He noted a professional art thief would normally take greater care handling works worth tens of millions of euros, saying no attempt had been made to protect the paintings. Italy’s squad of art police are heading to Messina to take on the case, just three days after helping to retrieve paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse and Paul Cezanne stolen earlier this year from a museum near Parma.

Russians Pull Billions From Banks Russians are withdrawing billions of dollars from the country’s banks as intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks and growing concerns over the economy fuel fears that the government could eventually restrict access to deposits. Nearly $3.4 billion, or 286.4 billion rubles, was withdrawn during the first two weeks of August, according to Russian Central Bank data. That followed roughly $7.3 billion in withdrawals in July and more than $4.5 billion in June. The withdrawals have raised concerns about liquidity in Russia’s banking system, which is already under pressure from rising bad debts and heavy lending to the defense industry. “Drones are flying. Things are burning down. Nervousness is growing,” said a former senior Russian finance official. “People’s everyday wisdom may be kicking in that they need to have cash under their pillow and not somewhere in banks where it may never be returned.” Taras Skvortsov, a senior executive at Sberbank, Russia’s largest retail bank, said the amount of money leaving the banking system this year could

approach twice the amount withdrawn during the first year of Russia’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine. Alexandra Prokopenko, a former adviser to the Russian Central Bank, said the withdrawals reflect a growing lack of confidence in the financial system. “It means people have no trust in the Russian banking system or in the Russian financial system,” she said. She added that while she considers the government nationalizing deposits unlikely, she would not rule out authorities eventually imposing limits on withdrawals. The financial pressure is also affecting the government’s ability to fund the war. Russia has increasingly relied on issuing government bonds to help cover a widening budget deficit, but banks facing liquidity problems have less money available to purchase the debt. The Finance Ministry postponed planned bond issues last month. At the same time, Russia’s economy is slowing. Gross domestic product grew just 0.3% during the first half of 2026, down from 1.2% during the same period last year. Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries have added to the pressure, contributing to fuel shortages and higher prices. The country’s budget deficit reached 6.46 trillion rubles, or about $76 billion, during the first seven months of the year—already well above the government’s full-year forecast of 3.8 trillion rubles. The Kremlin has also expanded its seizure of private assets. Russian prosecutors say the state took control of $51.5 billion in assets last year alone. For now, higher global oil prices have provided Moscow with some relief. Russian oil and gas revenue rose 60% in July from a year earlier, although revenue for the first seven months of the year remained below 2025 levels. Meanwhile, businesses and wealthy Russians are increasingly seeking ways to move money abroad. “Everyone who can is trying to move money out of the country, but it’s getting more and more difficult to do so,” one Moscow business executive said. Some are reportedly opening brokerage accounts in neighboring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, using them as channels to move funds

beyond the reach of Russian authorities. As the war continues to strain the economy, even some prominent Russian officials have publicly warned against allowing military spending to cripple civilian economic activity. “If there’s no economy of peaceful life itself, there will be no taxes, no income for the population,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said recently. “And to kill life, to kill the civilian economy, is to kill the country itself.”

Hebrew U and Weizmann are Top Two of Israel’s research universities — the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science — are among the top 100 universities in the world, according to the 2026 Shanghai Ranking, which were released over the weekend. Technion-Israel Institute of Technology fell out of the top 100. The Hebrew University was ranked 89th in the world, a slight fall from 88th place last year, and Weizmann came in at 71st — the same position it held last year. Three other Israeli universities were on the list, although they didn’t manage to get to the top 100: the Technion, ranked 97th last year, fell into the 101-150 range (no exact number given); Tel Aviv University was at 151-200; and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was at 401500. The Academic Ranking of World Universities, compiled annually by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy in Shanghai, China, is considered an accurate ranking of academic excellence. Around 2,500 universities worldwide are considered, and they are ranked based on several indicators, especially the number of faculty and alumni who have received international prizes and the volume and quality of their publications in peer-reviewed journals. The top 10 spots were held by universities from the United States and the UK: Harvard University was number one, followed by Stanford, MIT, University of Cambridge, UC Berkeley, Princeton, Uni-

versity of Oxford, Columbia, University of Chicago and Caltech.

Eli Cohen Tops Likud Primary Energy Minister Eli Cohen emerged as the top vote-getter in Likud’s primary, according to final results released on Tuesday after all ballots were counted. Cohen was followed by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Transportation Minister Miri Regev and coalition whip Ofir Katz. The results will be used to determine much of Likud’s slate for the next Knesset, alongside several positions reserved for candidates selected directly by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Likud said Netanyahu was “very satisfied” with the results and predicted the party would secure a “big victory” in the October 27 election. The party also framed the election as a choice between the current government and what it described as a potential leftwing coalition led by opposition figures Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan and Avigdor Liberman, together with Arab parties. Eisenkot, leader of the newly established Yashar party and a leading rival to Netanyahu, sharply criticized the results. “No festive message or ‘victory’ parties will hide the fact that the Likud list for the 26th Knesset is, in practice, the October 7 list,” Eisenkot said, referring to the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. He accused the Likud lawmakers of having “blindly led Israel to the worst disaster since the founding of the state” and said they were not capable of uniting the country or leading it to victory. Yashar is not holding a primary. Eisenkot is selecting his party’s candidates himself. The Likud primary was held on Monday at 501 polling stations nationwide. Of the party’s roughly 140,000 members, 75,177 cast ballots, representing a turnout of 53.5%. That was down from approximately 58% in the party’s 2022 primary. Following the vote, several veteran Likud lawmakers appear unlikely to return to the Knesset. Among those at risk are ministers Ze’ev Elkin, May Golan, Idit Silman and Avi Dichter, as well as MKs Hanoch Milwidsky, Keti Shitrit, Ariel Kallner, Amit Halevi, Avichai Boaron and Nissim Vaturi. The competition was especially tight

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The U.S.-backed Board of Peace is considering changing its proposed framework for disarming Hamas after Israel rejected a plan that would have linked the terror group’s weapons hando-

territory it controls before Israel makes any withdrawal. Once the Board of Peace verifies that Gaza has been fully demilitarized, Israeli troops would then pull back all the way to the Gaza perimeter. The approach could address Israel’s demand for complete disarmament before an Israeli withdrawal, but it creates a new obstacle: Hamas would have to approve the revised framework after months of negotiations over the phased plan. Arab diplomats involved in mediation have warned that the effort could become increasingly difficult as Israel approaches its October 27 Knesset election. Netanyahu is widely expected to avoid major concessions in the weeks leading up to the vote. A Board of Peace official said on Monday that Netanyahu and Kushner had agreed “that there will be no IDF redeployment from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed and all of Gaza is demilitarized.” The wording appeared to suggest that Israel’s position had been accepted, but the source said the key phrase was “from Gaza.” Under the original proposal, Israel was not expected to fully leave the Strip;

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Yehuda Katz’s Remains Finally Home

This week, the remains of Israeli soldier Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, who went missing in the First Lebanon War’s

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it would instead reposition its forces closer to the border as individual areas were demilitarized. The Board of Peace has not formally abandoned its phased framework, and negotiations remain ongoing. Meanwhile, questions also remain over the location of the Yellow Line, which marks the area of Israeli military deployment. The source disputed claims that Israel had moved its troops to a newer line farther from Gaza’s coast.

Gaza Disarmament Plan May Shift

vers to phased Israeli troop withdrawals, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Under the original proposal, approved by Hamas on July 30, the roughly 47% of Gaza still controlled by the terror group would be divided into five sectors. Hamas would surrender its weapons and destroy tunnels in each sector, with the Board of Peace verifying the disarmament before Israeli forces pulled back from that area. The IDF would not have been required to leave Gaza entirely. Instead, troops would move from the existing Yellow Line toward a Red Line closer to the Israel-Gaza border, as outlined in U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected that arrangement, insisting that Israel will not withdraw troops until Hamas has been completely disarmed. The disagreement remained unresolved during Monday’s meeting in Jerusalem between Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, a senior Trump adviser. A different proposal now under consideration would require Hamas to surrender all of its weapons across the

AUGUST 20-27, 2026

because Likud is polling at roughly 22 to 24 seats, significantly fewer than the 32 seats the party currently holds. Netanyahu has control over eight reserved positions among the top 30 places on the slate, while another slot is reserved for Defense Minister Israel Katz. Netanyahu has already selected Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Likud Central Committee chairman Haim Katz and political newcomer Oren Dobronsky for three of his reserved slots, though their exact placements have not all been finalized. The final slate is expected to take shape in the coming weeks as Netanyahu fills the remaining reserved positions and Likud prepares for what is shaping up to be a closely contested election.

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The Week In News battle of Sultan Yacoub in 1982, were returned to Israel. The battle, 44 years ago, was a skirmish between the Israel Defense Forces and the Syrian army in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. It claimed the lives of 21 Israeli servicemen and injured more than 30. Katz, a tank soldier, went missing during the battle, along with Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel and Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman. Baumel’s remains were recovered with Russian assistance and returned to Israel in 2019, and Feldman’s remains were recovered by Mossad agents in May 2025. Katz’s bones were located and brought to Israel for burial in a joint operation led by the Military Intelligence Directorate, in coordination with the Mossad spy agency. No details were given on where they were found. The operation was based on intelligence obtained in recent months, according to the military. The IDF said that the finding was made possible due to a “series of intelligence and operational activities that continued for more than four decades, since he fell in battle.” Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF an-

nounced that Katz’s belongings were brought back to Israel and given to his family for inspection. His bones were confirmed to be his after they were brought to be tested to a lab in Israel. The military said Katz’s family was updated over the years regarding the ongoing efforts to locate his remains and return them to Israel. “Upon completion of the mission, the family was informed of the return of their loved one. Unfortunately, Yehuda’s parents, Sarah and Yosef Katz, did not live to receive the news,” the army said. In a statement, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, “The return of Yehuda Katz, the last fallen soldier from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, is a significant moment for the IDF and for the State of Israel. Decades have passed, but our duty toward our fallen has not changed. We will leave none of our people behind,” Zamir added. “All those missing from the battle have been returned to Israel. This is a special day for me, both as chief of the general staff and as a soldier of the Armored Corps,” Zamir said. “From the day I enlisted in the Armored Corps, I

was raised on the legacy of that battle and on the moral commitment to bring all of our missing home. An entire nation stands united with you and shares in your emotion today.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Missing Persons Directorate for their “determined and courageous work” to return Katz’s remains. President Isaac Herzog said that he kept a photo of Katz in his office, serving as “a daily reminder of our holy duty to return our sons home and not leave anyone behind.” “Today I’m thinking in particular of his sister, Prichya, and the whole family,” the president said, in this “painful and emotional moment,” adding, “the State of Israel didn’t forget him and will never forget its children.”

Families Return to Ganim On Thursday, Jewish families moved back into Ganim, a community in Judea and Samaria that was evac-

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uated in 2005 during Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, and three other communities in northern Judea and Samaria. This return follows the March 2023 government decision to repeal the legislation that forced the evacuations and banned Israelis from returning to their abandoned homes. “Twenty-one years after the terrible sin of the expulsion from [Gaza’s] Gush Katif and northern Samaria, we are finally erasing the disgrace of the expulsion from northern Samaria,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Before Thursday, around two dozen prefabricated homes were built, and space was cleared on the hillside for future construction. Ganim’s reestablishment was celebrated on Thursday with a ceremony that drew around a hundred people, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. “The era of evacuations is over. From here, we only build,” Dagan declared. “Here, this is the Land of Israel. Here, we are staying forever,” said Katz during the ceremony.

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The Week In News Twenty-two communities in Judea and Samaria, including Homesh and Sa-Nur, were approved by the security cabinet in May 2025. The establishment of 19 more, including Ganim and Kadim, was approved in December. In April, Israelis returned to Sa-Nur. In March, they repopulated Homesh. Around 38% of Jewish Israelis are in favor of Israel “annexing” Judea and Samaria in its entirety, 35% support dividing the territory up, and 22% are in favor of turning Arab-majority land into territory for a Palestinian state, according to a survey released lats Thursday by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI). Another 14% support Jordan annexing the territory. Around 22% of Jewish Israelis said they support moving the Arab population from Judea and Samaria to other countries.

Norway Govt. Org. Met With Hamas According to internal Hamas documents, the Norwegian Center

for Conflict Resolution (NOREF), an organization founded, funded, and largely controlled by the government of Norway, secretly met with Hamas on May 15, 2021, to brainstorm ways of improving the terrorist organization’s relationship with the European Union, of which Norway is not a member. Norway’s foreign ministry appoints members of NOREF’s board. According to the declassified documents, NOREF’s deputy head Marte Heian-Engdal and Middle East Department chief Frida Nome met with Bassem Naim and Abdullah Walid, two Hamas foreign relations officials, and continued discussing the issue through the following year. During the May 2021 meeting, Naim told the NOREF officials that one of Hamas’s top priorities was “opening channels of communication with the international community.” Nome inquired about Hamas’s current communications with Europe and asked how NOREF could help. In response, Naim claimed that “there are several European countries that have communications with Hamas,

and they are trying to keep these communications secret and undeclared,” adding that Hamas’s friendship with Norway “is a great and historic one, and there is mutual respect between the two peoples.” Naim, who was later targeted in a failed Israeli strike in Qatar, added that Norway’s deputy foreign minister Raymond Johansen was the only European official who met with Hamas’s then-prime minister Ismail Haniyeh following the terror group’s victory in the 2006 elections. Ziad Abu Mustafa, a NOREF adviser on Gaza, suggested exploiting the “negative reality” in Palestinian-controlled areas to “push toward changing the European position” on Hamas. Norway mediated the secret talks that led to the controversial Oslo Accords in 1993. However, the country’s relationship with Israel has soured since it recognized a “Palestinian state” in 2024. In 2022, NOREF reportedly spearheaded a project aimed at “achieving political and social reconciliation” between different Palestinian groups, including Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Unlike most European countries, Norway does not recognize Hamas as a terror group. On October 27, 2023, before Israel’s ground campaign in Gaza started, Norway supported a United Nations resolution for an immediate ceasefire in the enclave.

Reservoirs are Drying Up

Lakes Powell and Mead, the nation’s largest reservoirs, are drying up, sending a Colorado River system

that provides water and electricity for millions of people into a state of crisis with no end in sight. Water levels in Lake Powell, along the Utah-Arizona border, fell to a record low on Saturday. Lake Mead, the larger of the two and farthest downstream on the Colorado River, dropped to its lowest recorded point a week earlier. The combined reservoir system, an essential water source for cities and farms across Arizona, Nevada and Southern California, has not held so little water since 1957, before Lake Powell was filled. That was long before three decades of drought, the worst dry spell for the Southwest in at least 1,200 years, scientists said. Federal and state officials and communities across the region have taken emergency steps to try to head off catastrophe. They shifted water from a smaller reservoir to try to save Powell and have called for water conservation, though those requests are mostly voluntary so far. The water shortage could have dire implications for growing Sun Belt cities such as Phoenix, for key industries including agriculture and data centers, and for hydroelectric dams that power millions of homes across the Southwest. The shrinking reservoirs are the immediate result of record-low snowpack this winter, which was erased by record heat in the spring. Melted snowpack creates most of the Colorado’s flow during the dry summer months. But as the Southwestern climate has grown hotter and drier, the river’s flow has become smaller and less reliable. “We expected to be in a very unpleasant place, and that’s where we find ourselves,” said Kathryn Sorensen, the director of research at the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University. “Mother Nature is in charge of this system.” At the same time, a booming population in the Southwest and intensive agriculture mean that the region is consuming far more water than the river can now provide. The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farmland across parts of seven states. About two dozen native tribes and two Mexican states also hold rights to the river’s water. (© The New York Times)

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Miriam’s Library To Celebrate Launch with Chol Hamoed Joey Newcomb Concert This Chol Hamoed, Baltimore families will have something new to celebrate. Miriam’s Library, a new educational and community center being created in Pikesville in memory of Mrs. Miriam Mintz, will celebrate its launch with a community concert featuring popular Jewish singer Joey Newcomb and his band. The concert will take place on Wednesday, September 30 at Goucher College, with close to 1,000 children, families and community members expected to come together for an energetic Chol Hamoed evening.

developed as a welcoming place where children can learn, create and discover their strengths. Programming will include art, 3D printing, music, creative workshops, tutoring, homework help, literacy support and other hands-on educational activities. Following the Yomim Tovim, Miriam’s Library is scheduled to begin piloting its first after-school programming, giving local children an early opportunity to experience the vision that is being built.

Located at 201 Milford Mill Road in Pikesville, Miriam’s Library is being

The goal is to create the kind of place children are excited to come to

after school, with opportunities that go beyond the traditional classroom and give every child a chance to find something they enjoy, develop new skills and build confidence.

Joey Newcomb, known for his upbeat music and ability to connect with audiences of all ages, will headline the evening together with his ensemble.

Miriam’s Library was created in memory of Mrs. Miriam Mintz, whose warmth, kindness and belief in others continue to inspire the project.

Organizers hope the atmosphere will reflect what Miriam’s Library itself is meant to become: joyful, energetic, creative and centered around children and families.

Over the past year, the initiative has grown from an idea into a major community undertaking. Thousands of donors have participated in bringing the vision to life, a permanent building has been acquired in the heart of Pikesville, and plans are moving forward for expanded educational and community programming.

With close to 1,000 people expected at Goucher College and the first after-school pilot scheduled to begin just after the Yomim Tovim, this Chol Hamoed celebration will mark more than the launch of a new program. It will mark the beginning of Miriam’s Library becoming a living part of the Baltimore community.

The Chol Hamoed concert is intended to give the broader Baltimore community an opportunity to celebrate that beginning.

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The concert will also mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Miriam’s Library.

The pilot will allow Miriam’s Library to begin working directly with children and families, test different activities and programs, learn what works best, and continue expanding from there.

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IT’S US FEELING THE SQUEEZE The temperature keeps rising. The rhetoric is hotter. The extremes are louder. The left keeps moving left. The right keeps pulling right. And somewhere between the two? Us.

Help ensure that Klal Yisroel won’t pushed to the margins. charidy.com/WeDo

Not with rage. Not by surrendering our dignity. But the way Klal Yisroel always has: L’doron. L’tefillah. U’l’maaseh.

AUGUST 20-27, 2026

But being squeezed does not mean being silenced. We didn’t come this far by shrinking into the margins. When our yeshivos are threatened, WE DEFEND THEM. When our freedoms are challenged, WE STAND FIRM. When our needs are ignored, WE MAKE THEM HEARD. When families need support, WE FIGHT FOR IT.

THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME

It’s an old story. When societies fracture and politics turns angry, fringes become mainstream. The center collapses. And somehow, the Jew is in the middle. Antisemitism is more brazen. Instead of more security, more scrutiny. Precisely when our needs grow, our voice gets marginalized.

Meeting after meeting. Call after call. Doing what needs to be done.

Klal Yisroel cannot disappear from the conversation. And The Agudah cannot stop showing up. SO WE DON’T.

WE KEEP DOING SEPTEMBER 7-8 CHARIDY.COM/WEDO Help us to continue to do for the Klal. Please donate generously to your state or community campaign. Agudath Israel of America 1 State Street Plaza 16th Floor New York, NY 10004/ 970-578-7664

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And when a door stays closed? We knock again. Until, b’siyata d’Shmaya, something moves.

Sunday Sunday Elul 3

Elul 10

Tishrei 3

Elul 25

Elul 18

Elul 11

Elul 4

Monday

Elul 5

Elul 12

Tishrei 4

Elul 26

Elul 19

Let's Connect! Evening of Music see page 20

Tuesday

Tishrei 6

Next BJH Issue

Elul 28

Next BJH Issue

Elul 21

Next BJH Issue

Elul 14

Shofar Training

Elul 7

at Shomrei Thursday Thursday

Rosh Hashana Issue

2026 Job Fair

7:35 PM

Elul 8

‫פרשת כי תצא‬

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Elul 16

8:35 PM

Elul 9

7:25 PM

Elul 15

‫פרשת כי תבוא‬

Elul 23

Elul 22

7:14 PM

Elul 29 ‫ערב ראש השנה‬

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Tishrei 7

6:52 PM

Tishrei 1

7:49 PM

Tishrei 8

8:00 PM

‫ראש השנה‬

‫פרשת האזינו‬

‫וילך‬-‫ פרשת נצבים‬8:12 PM

Friday

Elul/Tishrei

Saturday

2026 August/September

Tishrei 5

Elul 27

Elul 20

Elul 13

Elul 6

Wednesday

COMMUNITY CALENDAR 17

‫צום גדליה‬

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Elul 17

Tishrei 2

Elul 24

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AUGUST 20-27, 2026

13 ‫ראש השנה‬

Next BJH Issue

Zmanim are courtesy of MyZmanim and are for the 21209 area. Shabbos ends with the emergence of 3 stars, some wait 72 minutes.

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Baltimore Weekday Minyanim Guide

Shacharis

Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah: EVERY 15 MINUTES

M, TH

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M-F M, TH M-F M-F M, TH

7:30 AM Agudah of Greenspring S Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] S Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore S-F Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh S Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] S Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation S Chabad of Park Heights S Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh S-F Darchei Tzedek S Kedushas Yisrael S-F Khal Bais Nosson S Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina) S-F Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F 7:45 AM Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation Talmudical Academy Darchei Tzedek Mesivta Kesser Torah Mesivta Shaarei Chaim Yeshivas Torah Simcha (school days only) 7:50 AM Derech Chaim Ner Tamid Ohel Moshe 8:00 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park Beth Abraham Chabad Israeli Center Darchei Tzedek Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek Kehillas Meor HaTorah Ohr Yisroel Pikesville Jewish Congregation Shearith Israel Congregation Shomrei Emunah Congregation The Shul at the Lubavitch Center Tiferes Yisroel Tzeirei Anash Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah

M-F S-F M-F S-F S-F S-F S S M-F S-F S S M-F S S S S S S S-F S S S S-F

8:15 AM Kehilath B'nai Torah S Kol Torah S 8:20 AM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S-F Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S-F 8:30 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore S-F Chabad Israeli Center S Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S-F Ohel Moshe S Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh S 9:00 AM Aish Kodesh S Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim S Beth Tfiloh Congregation S Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation S Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah S Shomrei Emunah Congregation S-F Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S-F

Mincha

Mincha Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah Gedolah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/Tzemach Tzedek 1:45 PM Ohel Moshe M-Th Yeshivas Torah Simcha (school days only) 1 South Street, 27th Floor. 1:50 PM Wealcatch Insurance - 37 Walker Ave 2nd floor 2:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F) Big Al @ The Knish Shop Party Room

Mincha/Maariv Plag

Ohel Yaakov Shomrei Emunah Congregation Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

Mincha/Maariv Before Shkiah Aish Kodesh Agudath Israel of Baltimore Agudah of Greenspring Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim Beth Abraham Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation Darchei Tzedek Derech Chaim Kehillas Meor HaTorah Kehilath B’nai Torah Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek Machzikei Torah (Sternhill’s), 5:00pm Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah Ner Tamid Ohel Moshe Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] Ohr Yisroel Pikesville Jewish Congregation Shearith Israel Congregation Shomrei Emunah Congregation Shomrei Mishmeres Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel The Shul at the Lubavitch Center Tiferes Yisroel

Maariv Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah: EVERY 15 MINUTES 8:00 PM, 8:15 PM, 8:30 PM, 8:45 PM, 9:00 PM, 9:15 PM, 9:30 PM, 9:45 PM, 10:00 PM, 10:15 PM, 10:30 PM, 10:45 PM, 11:00 PM, 11:15 PM, 11:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:10 PM 8:15 PM 8:30 PM 8:45 PM

Agudath Israel of Baltimore Kol Torah

Khal Ahavas Yisroel/Tzemach Tzedek Agudath Israel of Baltimore Darchei Tzedek Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Mechina) Ohr Yisroel

8:50 PM Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Etz Chaim Building) 8:55 PM Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh 9:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Arugas Habosem Shomrei Emunah Congregation Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim

9:15 PM Kehilas Bnei Yeshiva 9:20 PM Kol Torah 9:30 PM Agudah of Greenspring Agudath Israel of Baltimore Kedushas Yisrael

9:40 PM Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] 9:45 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim Kollel Erev Birchas Yitzchok (Luries) Kollel of Greenspring Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah

9:50 PM Aish Kodesh Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh Ohel Moshe

10:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Darchei Tzedek Kehilath B'nai Torah Kehillas Shaarei Avodah Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek Ohr Yisrael Shearith Israel Congregation Shomrei Emunah Congregation

10:05 PM Kol Torah 10:10 PM Ner Israel Rabbinical College 10:15 PM Derech Chaim Khal Bais Nosson

10:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore 11:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Agudah of Greenspring - 6107 Greenspring Ave Agudath Israel of Baltimore - 6200 Park Heights Ave Ahavat Shalom - 3009 Northbrook Rd Aish Kodesh - 6207 Ivymount Rd Arugas HaBosem - 3509 Clarks Ln Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park- 6800 Sylvale Ct Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim - 3120 Clarks Ln Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore - 6823 Old Pimlico Rd Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh - 6618 Deancroft Rd Beit Yaakov - 3615 Seven Mile Ln Beth Abraham - 6208 Wallis Ave Beth Tfiloh Congregation - 3300 Old Court Rd Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation - 6602 Park Heights Ave Chabad Israeli Center - 7807 Seven Mile Ln Chabad of Park Heights - 3402 Clarks Ln Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh - 3800 Labyrinth Rd Darchei Tzedek - 3201 Seven Mile Ln Derech Chaim - 6603 Pimlico Road Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue 6611 Greenspring Ave. Kedushas Yisrael - 6004 Park Heights Ave Kehilath B’nai Torah - 6301 Green Meadow Pkwy Kehilas Bnei Yeshiva - 6700 Cross Country Blvd Kehillas Meor HaTorah - 6539 Pebble Brooke Rd Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek - 6811 Park Heights Ave Khal Bais Nosson - 2901 Taney Rd Kol Torah - 2929 Fallstaff Rd Kollel of Greenspring - 6504 Greenspring Ave. Machzikei Torah - 6216 Biltmore Ave Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah - 6500 Baythorne Rd Mesivta Kesser Torah - 8400 Park Heights Ave Mesivta Shaarei Chaim - 5415 Greenspring Ave Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah - 7000 Rockland Hills Dr Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber One South Street, 27th Floor Ner Israel Rabbinical College - 400 Mt Wilson Ln Ner Tamid - 6214 Pimlico Road Ohel Moshe - 2808 Smith Ave Ohel Yakov - 3200 Glen Ave Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] - 6813 Park Heights Ave Ohr Yisroel - 2429 Lightfoot Dr Pikesville Jewish Congregation - 7644 Carla Rd Shearith Israel Congregation - 5835 Park Heights Ave Shomrei Emunah Congregation - 6221 Greenspring Ave Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh - 2821 W Strathmore Ave Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim - 7504 Seven Mile Ln Talmudical Academy - 4445 Old Court Rd The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel - 5915 Park Heights Ave The Shul at the Lubavitch Center - 6701 Old Pimlico Rd Tiferes Yisroel - 6201 Park Heights Ave Tzeirei Anash - 6706 Cross County Blvd Wealcatch Insurance - 37 Walker Ave 2nd floor Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah - 6819 Williamson Ave

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7:05 AM Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's)

Tzeirei Anash 7:20 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore Beth Tfiloh Congregation Kol Torah Shomrei Emunah Congregation

Kol Torah Market Maven Reischer Minyan - 23 Walker Ave 2nd Floor 10055 Red Run Blvd Suite 295 2:15 PM Pikesville Beis Medrash - 15 Walker Ave 2:30 PM Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh Tov Pizza Mincha Minyan Ner Israel Rabbinical College Mesivta Shaarei Chaim (Community Kollel) Shearith Israel Congregation 2:45 PM Kollel of Greenspring Shearith Israel Congregation (S-Th) 3:00 PM Bais Haknesses Ohr HaChaim Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah 3:05 PM Kedushas Yisrael 3:15 PM Hat Box 3:30 PM Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah 4:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-Th) Mercaz Torah U'Tefillah 4:30 PM Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah 5:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F) Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah 5:30 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-Th) Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah 6:00 PM Agudath Israel of Baltimore (S-F) Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah Shearith Israel Congregation (S-Th) 6:30 PM Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah 10 Min Before ShkiAh Chabad Israeli Center 14 Min Before ShkiAh Kol Torah

Maariv continued

AUGUST 20-27, 2026

Beit Yaakov [Sefaradi] M-F Mercaz Torah U’Tefillah S-F Ohel Yakov S-F Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S-F 6:00 AM Shomrei Emunah Congregation M-F 6:10 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, Th 6:15 AM Kol Torah M, TH Shearith Israel Congregation M, TH M, TH 6:20 AM Agudah of Greenspring Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's) S-F Bais Dovid-Bais Medrash of Summit Park M-F Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M-F Kehilath B'nai Torah M, TH Pikesville Jewish Congregation M, TH Shomrei Emunah Congregation S, M, TH 6:30 AM Agudah of Greenspring T, W, F Chabad of Park Heights M-F Darchei Tzedek M-F Kehilath B'nai Torah T, W, F Khal Bais Nosson M-F Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek M-F Kol Torah T, W, F Ohr Yisroel M-F Pikesville Jewish Congregation T, W, F Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F 6:35 AM Aish Kodesh (downstairs Minyan) M, TH Ohel Moshe M, TH 6:40 AM Aish Kodesh (downstairs Minyan) T, W, F Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation M, TH Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M-F 6:45 AM The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel M, Th B”H and Mesivta of Baltimore (Dirshu Minyan) S-F Beth Abraham M, TH Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue M-F Kehilas Bnei Yeshiva M-F Ner Tamid M-F Ohel Moshe T, W, F Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim M-F 6:50 AM Agudath Israel of Baltimore M, TH Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] M, TH Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh M, TH Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation T, W, F Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh M, TH Derech Chaim M-F Kol Torah M-F Ohel Moshe S Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] M, TH Shomrei Emunah Congregation M, TH The Shul at the Lubavitch Center M, TH 6:55 AM Beth Abraham T, W, F Kol Torah M, TH The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel T, W, F 7:00 AM Aish Kodesh (upstairs Minyan) M-F Agudath Israel of Baltimore S, T, W, F Ahavat Shalom [Sefaradi] T, W, F Arugas HaBosem (Rabbi Taub's) S Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh T, W, F Community Kollel Tiferes Moshe Aryeh T, W, F Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue S Khal Ahavas Yisroel/ Tzemach Tzedek S Kol Torah T, W, F Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah M-F Ohr Hamizrach [Sefaradi] S, T, W, F Shearith Israel Congregation S, M, TH Shomrei Emunah Congregation T, W, F Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh M-F The Shul at the Lubavitch Center T, W, F Tiferes Yisroel M-F Neitz

Mincha

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M-F: 6:15 AM, S-F: 6:30 AM, 6:45 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:15 AM, 7:30 AM, 7:45 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:15 AM, 8:30 AM, 8:45 AM, 9:00AM, 9:15AM, 9:30AM, 9:45AM, 10:00AM

7:15 AM Kedushas Yisrael S Kol Torah S Machzikei Torah (Sternhill's) S, T, W, F Ner Israel Rabbinical College S-F Shearith Israel Congregation T, W, F Shomrei Emunah Congregation S Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim S The Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel S

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Torah Thought

The Path To Greatness By Rabbi Zvi Teichman

e are one third of the way through Elul.

Have we changed yet? We are each at various stages of our journey in life. How different does each Elul seem in terms of our growth and spiritual accomplishments vis a vis the previous years? Are we discovering that the more things change, the more things seem to stay the same? Our portion begins with a sad tale of seemingly endless travails. A soldier’s eye catches a glimpse of a beautiful captive woman, sensing a strong desire to take her as his wife. After waiting the requisite amount of time where the woman is to remain disheveled and unattractive, and yet not waning in his craving for her, she converts, and he marries her.

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Despite his hopes for a happy marriage, the Torah reports he ends up hating her, despite her having provided him with a firstborn son. At the age of thirteen this child displays aberrant behavior, ignoring his parents many attempts to direct him on the right path. He goes on to commit a string of crimes — none deserving capital punishment — within a period of three months and is brought by his frustrated parents to the High Court in Jerusalem and sentenced to death by stoning. He is punished so harshly, despite not having committed a sin warranting the death penalty, so that he may die while he is innocent, and not let him die when [he will inevitably be]

guilty of capital crimes. (‫)כל הנ"ל ברש"י כא י ד"ה ולקחת‬ Can you imagine the disappointment of this erstwhile loyal soldier who started off life with so much hope for his future happy life — married, meriting a son, raising him to success in life, only to falter from love to hate; from hope to failure in raising a well-behaved child; a tragic ending with a father observing his child’s execution? Perhaps the Torah is referring to a sinister individual, who wasn’t nobly seeking a worthy wife but merely looking for an excuse to marry a beautiful gentile woman, with the Torah teaching us that evil intentions will only create more problems. The Holy Ishbitzer, in his inimitable way, tells us otherwise. Certainly, the Torah was ‘not written for idiots’, as the Talmudic adage goes. The fact that the Torah describes our soldier being drawn to this woman with the term, ‫ — וחשקת בה‬and you desired her, indicates an inner drive for purposeful connection, often used in the context of a spiritual connection. (‫)המגיד מדובנא‬ I may add that the permission to take a captive woman is only during a ‫ — מלחמת רשות‬an optional war. To qualify to fight in an optional war one must pass muster before the officers who weed out all those who are ‘fainthearted because of the sins in their hands’. So, we are clearly speaking about a G-d fearing soldier, whose intentions are not suspected. When he realizes she has not lived up to his religious expectations of her he remains disappointed, yet hopeful

that the son she begat him will fulfill his aspirations to raise a child loyal to G-d’s will. This will give him solace over his failed marriage and all the promise it held for him. When this son begins to wander from the path, engaging in problematic behavior, his deepest angst returns, painfully pondering all those years of pained loss and extinguished hopes. When they put to death this wayward son — by first stoning and then hanging him from the gallows — the father is crestfallen and ready to give up. To address this poor man’s dejection the Torah instructs, ‘you may not allow his body to remain on the gallows overnight, but you must bury it on the same day… since a person who has been hanged is a ‘degradation to G-d’, with Rashi adding: in Whose image Man is created, for the Jews are G-d’s children. (‫)דברים כא כג ורש"י שם‬ With this the father will gain peace of mind and be comforted for certainly G-d found good in this child, for were he to have been utterly worthless, G-d would not have directed he be taken down. There was some inherent good within these events that needed to be clarified, and it was not for nought that this father initially was drawn by ‘desire’ to this child’s mother. (‫)מי השלוח כי תצא‬ The Ishbitzer concludes by pointing out that the portion immediately following this tale is that which discusses the obligation to return lost items. No one is ever pushed away. Everyone must travel their path taking the essence of good that is within each one of us and seek its application in the myriads of circumstances of life that come our way.

The kernel of pure desire that sought to find its expression in the captive women, ultimately displayed itself in the errant child, who is even at the gallows recognized for the good he possessed, treasured as G-d’s beloved child in His image. We each make choices that lead us on the path unique to our tikkun — rectification. No one may ever judge another by their success nor by their plight. What may seem like failure is in the eyes of G-d our greatest accomplishment and purpose in life. The Ishbitzer says that one can never truly know whether one being drawn in one direction that seems contrary to the will of G-d is G-d driven. He brings proof from the episode of Yehuda and Tamar, where Yehuda was seemingly divinely drawn unwillingly to Tamar disguised as a harlot. Of course, we can never know whether we are engaged in acts that are compelled or by choice, but one thing is for sure, regardless, we must keep on trying to cleave to G-d in finding our destination. He is constantly recalibrating the program to bring us closer to Him until He recovers all His beloved lost souls. May we revel in this remarkable relationship we have with the Almighty, never sinking in despair. You never know. Your resilience in failure may be that which G-d is seeking from you! There are no failures, only detours that will bring us back onto the road to greatness. You may reach the author at: Ravzt@ohelmoshebaltimore.com

Parshas Ki Seitzei is filled with a whopping 74 commandments, ranging from sending away the mother bird, to putting a rail on your roof, and so much more. The parsha begins with the discussion of war as well as the case of the Ben Sorer uMoreh (rebellious son). The end of the parsha tells us about the importance of remembering Amalek.

Torah parks S Inspiration. Everywhere.

Parshas Ki Seitzei

Quotable Quote

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“Before you can find G-d, you must lose yourself”

Imagine that you were contracted to build the Bais HaMikdash. Ok, now stop imagining, and read the Baal HaTurim in this week’s Parshah. On the words, ‫כי‬ ‫( תבנה בית חדש‬When you build a new house), the Baal HaTurim explains that the building of a new house is a reference to the Bais HaMikdash.

GEMATRIA

The gematria of ‫כי תצא למלחמה על‬ ‫ אויביך‬is 823, which so happens to be the exact same as the gematria of ‫ מלחמת היצר‬- the battle with our Yetzer Hara, which is, of course, the battle that is alluded to in this very verse!

Explaining to the reader his thoughts about his new book, Horeb, Rav Hirsch zt”l writes an incredible thing (see Foreward, there): “I shall also be happy if it [the book] contains...but a small contribution to the joyous upbuilding of the HOly of Holies in Israel. To have contributed even one stone to the mighty structure, to have have contributed one drop of oil to the lamp of the Sanctuary – who would not find in this his abundant reward!”

If we would just reframe the actions that we do in our Avodas Hashem and realize that with every small step we take, we are helping to build the Bais HaMikdash, that would be incredibly valuable.

We can build the Bais HaMikdash in our days through the very days themselves. Every day, when a person serves Hashem, according to his deeds, he builds Yerushalayim and the Bais HaMikdash.

Did You Know?! The Torah tells us to make a “guardrail” - a maakeh - on the roof of your home. The Shelah says this is a reference to pride, that is must be guarded. We must place restrictions on our pride. Indeed, a reminder to live with humility.

Points to Ponder The Torah tells us the reward for Shiluach Hakein (sending away the mother bird) is longevity. What is the connection? What is the middah knegged middah?

Scan the QR code to view Torah classes from R’ Ori Strum on Torah Anytime!

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This Elul, let us get back on track and stay true to our contract. Become a builder, today!

His shiurim and other Jewish content can be found on Torah Anytime and Meaningful Minute. He may be reached at rabbistrumo@gmail.com

The Rebbe of Ropshitz (Zera Kodesh, Ki Seitzei) teaches us: ‫כי תבנה בית חדש‬ ‫ובנה אותה בקרוב בימינו בנין‬...‫ועשית מעקה‬ ‫ובמה בונה אותה בימינו ע”י הימים שלנו‬...‫עולם‬ ‫שבכל יום שכאדם עובד אותו י”ת הכל לפי מעשיו‬ ‫בונה את ירושלים ובית המקדש‬.

One stone to the mighty structure. One drop of oil to the lamp of the Sanctuary.

Valuable for our selves. Valuable for our family. Valuable for our community. Valuable for Klal Yisroel. And valuable for the entire universe.

Rabbi Ori Strum is the author of “Ready. Set. Grow.” “Dove Tales,” “Karpas: The Big Dipper,“ and “VEYIDGU: The Upstream Jew.”

Thoughts in Chassidus

But notice what the Torah says. “When YOU build a new house.” On some level, we are being told quite plain and simply that we are each responsible to build the Bais HaMikdash. But how? How can we build the holiest structure on Planet Earth?

-Baal Shem Tov

Pesukim - 110 Words - 1582 Letters - 5856 Mitzvos - 74

AUGUST 20-27, 2026

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QUICK VORT

PARSHA STATS

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PARSHA OVERVIEW

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AUGUST 20-27, 2026

As the Old Files Open, One Family Confronts Another’s Dark Nazi Past By Nina Siegal

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udith Zilversmit, a journalist in Amsterdam, was checking her Instagram in October 2023 when she noticed a new message. A woman she did not know said she had information about Zilversmit’s family. “For several months now, I’ve had a knot in my stomach,” the message read. “I would like to share something with you, but I am so afraid of writing something wrong. Two years ago, I discovered in an old newspaper article that my grandmother, who lived at home until I was 18, had a dark past. She betrayed your father and the rest of the family, among others.” The writer identified herself as Ingeborg Boelen, a Belgian woman who lived near the Dutch border. She talked of how she had obtained her “sweet grandma’s” criminal file from a Belgian judicial archive and that it included the details of her grandmother’s collaboration with the Nazis during World War II. She invited Zilversmit to contact her if she wanted more information. Zilversmit, 49, remembers being so startled that she swiped the message off her screen. Who was this stranger reaching out about the wartime betrayal of her family? What did she know? What did she want?

Who Gets to Tell the Story? Zilversmit was not the only person interested in reviewing Boelen’s materials. When Boelen realized what was in the documents, she had asked a historian to read them because the historian had published a book that touched on some of the same figures. The Dutch historian, Marie-Cécile van Hintum, had decided to write a book, with the tentative title “The Betrayal of the Zilversmit Family.” Van Hintum has asserted she came up with the title first; Zilversmit said Röst came up with it independently for the podcast. Van Hintum, a well-regarded author who specializes in World War II topics, co-authored two books edited by Dutch historian Ad van Liempt. He described her as “a very talented writer and a very good and serious researcher.” Her 2019 book, “Lokerman,” focused on a Dutch resistance leader from the southern Netherlands, in the region where Boelen lives. Zilversmit said van Hintum reached out to her, and they met at a local cafe, then at Zilversmit’s home, where they discussed their backgrounds and looked at Zilversmit’s family photos together. Months later, van Hintum biked over to Zilversmit’s mother’s house in a leafy district of Amsterdam. The two women and Zilversmit’s mother, 80, sat in the living room with Röst, going through her father’s and grandfather’s boxes. There were letters, newspaper clippings, a yellow Jewish star, documents stamped with swastikas, and lists of looted property. Zilversmit agreed to let the historian take the boxes as research for her book. “I thought we would work together, each on our own separate projects,” Zilversmit said. She said she assumed van Hintum would write a book focusing on Boelen’s grandmother and she would tell a personal story in her podcast. Van Hintum declined to give an interview to The New York Times until after her book is published (no date has been set). But Zilversmit and Röst recorded their conversations with her and allowed the Times to hear the tapes. During the conversation, some of which was included in the podcast, van Hintum said the material was fascinating

but much more than she had anticipated or could carry off on a bicycle. She called a friend with a car to pick her up. While they waited, Zilversmit mentioned that she looked forward to hearing from van Hintum if she discovered something exciting in the boxes. Van Hintum paused. “I don’t know what you expect,” she said. “What you’re expecting from me. I can’t contribute much in terms of content. So it depends on the focus of your podcast.” Van Hintum explained that she was on a tight schedule with her book and could not simultaneously do research for the podcast. The collegial tone of the conversation quickly evaporated. “You can probably tell what would be interesting for us,” Zilversmit said. “If you come across something interesting, you could just say, ‘Hey, look at this letter ...’ That would be enough for us.” Van Hintum repeated her concerns about her book and said she didn’t have enough time to “report to you about what I come across.” Zilversmit took offense. “I find it strange that I’m giving you all this information, all this stuff,” she said, “and you won’t share with me what you find. That’s crazy.” “I’m going to share it,” van Hintum replied. “But in my book.” Zilversmit described in her podcast what happened next. “I looked at the table,” she narrated, “at these boxes that were so carefully preserved by my grandfather and then by my father.” She continued, “I understand what’s she’s saying, but I can’t comprehend it. She would rather keep anything that she finds for her own research. She’s not going to do any work for us.” “I’m sure you can imagine how I feel,” van Hintum said in the recording. “Actually, I can’t,” Zilversmit replied. “It is my family, my material, and you want to hold onto it so you can have success for your book. I find that very unpleasant.” The argument escalated. The podcaster, Röst, turned off the recording device. When van Hintum’s ride arrived, she walked out, leaving the boxes on the table.

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Months after the Instagram message, Zilversmit decided as a journalist that there might be value in sharing her family history and her interactions with a collaborator’s granddaughter. Others might be grappling with similar encounters. She discussed it with Annet Röst, who makes podcasts for Dutch newspapers including Het Parool, where Zilversmit then worked. They decided to make a podcast that would end up being six parts — “The Betrayal of the Zilversmit Family.” It would focus not just on the past, but on events of the present as well. To prepare, Zilversmit began her own research, scouring her mother’s cellar for boxes with her grandfather’s and father’s files and talking to relatives, historians and other experts. Boelen had already filled her in on some basics about her grandmother, Maria-Elisabeth Stratermans-Coenegrachts, the informant, who went by Betsy. There was other material online. Boelen’s grandmother and her husband, Lambert, had run a cafe in Vroenhoven, on the Belgian side of the Dutch-Belgian border. But her grandmother had also worked as an undercover informant for a leading German Gestapo agent, Richard Nitsch. She infiltrated resistance groups, turned in their members and caught at least one Jewish family in her net — the Zilversmits. Tried and convicted after the war, Stratermans-Coenegrachts was sentenced to life in prison, but gained clemency and was released in 1951. Boelen had gone to some lengths to learn about her grandmother. In Belgium, those seeking such records from judicial archives must petition the state to see them. Usually, they need to prove a direct familial link to the accused collaborator, or approval from a family member — with a few exceptions for researchers and the like.

A photo in a newspaper of Maria Elisabeth Betsy, the Nazi collaborator

AUGUST 20-27, 2026

Hidden History

Such restrictions are designed to protect the families of collaborators, who after the war had been vilified, their heads sometimes shaved, their clothes torn off. But descendants of the Holocaust victims must request permission from the collaborator’s family members. In her Instagram note to Zilversmit, Boelen effused about what she had found in the files. “I also have the voluminous testimonies of your grandparents, M. Zilversmit and Th. Lebenstein, your aunt Helga, and those to whom she entrusted items, Hazelet, Kraay, Franssen, etc.” She added encouragingly, “Should you wish to know more, you are always welcome.”

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“My first reaction was, ‘What am I supposed to do with this?’” Zilversmit said in an interview. Zilversmit already knew the broad outlines of her family’s Holocaust history. Her father, Hans, who died in 2014, told her that as a child, he, his parents and his sister had fled to Belgium when Germany invaded Holland in 1940. They were hiding in a town near the border in 1943 when someone betrayed the family. The Gestapo showed up suddenly at their hiding place. The family tried to escape by climbing onto the roof and dropping into the yard. Hans, then 14, and his parents got away. His sister, Helga, 19, was captured and, like some 1 million other Jews across Europe, sent to Auschwitz. Did Zilversmit need to know more precise details about who, exactly, had betrayed them? She wasn’t sure. These sorts of questions have become increasingly relevant as some European governments create access to enormous, once-sealed archives related to the postwar judicial trials of accused and suspected Nazi collaborators. For many, the trauma of the Holocaust has lived beneath the surface of daily life for decades, too painful to confront. But now second- and third-generation family members are getting access to archives of collaboration. In some cases, it’s opening old wounds. In Zilversmit’s case it is also inflicting new ones, as her renewed curiosity about her family’s past has erupted into a dispute over who has the right to tell their story, and how.

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Across the Border Van Hintum has argued that Zilversmit’s podcast, which streamed in the Netherlands last year, mischaracterized her as “someone who does not want to share and cooperate and who wants to run off with her family archive.” “I shared my initial research results with Judith in confidence, long before she came up with the idea of making a podcast,” she said in a statement she sent in May to members of a panel in Amsterdam that invited Zilversmit to speak about intergenerational feelings of World War II trauma and shame. “My information and book outline titled ‘The Betrayal of the Zilversmit Family’ played a crucial role in her plan for a podcast,” van Hintum said in her statement. Zilversmit, who disagrees with that contention, still had another avenue to learn more about her family’s history — Boelen. After the initial Instagram message, Zilversmit said she and Boelen continued to chat online, and that Boelen kept promising Zilversmit could “come with all your questions,” and look at the judicial dossier. Before visiting Boelen in Belgium, Zilversmit spoke with Esti Cohen at Jewish Social Work in the Netherlands, which helps descendants of Holocaust victims with research and with the processing of difficult histories. She advised Zilversmit to set appropriate expectations. “Sometimes people want to have some kind of acknowledgment from the Jewish side that they have also suffered, or that they also have trans-generational trauma,” Cohen said in an interview. “While that may be true, most of the Jewish people from the second or third generation are not ready to give that. We see here that it’s too painful.” Boelen declined to speak with the Times until van Hintum’s book is published. But Zilversmit and Röst recorded their conversations with her during their visit. At Boelen’s home, a spacious, three-story house, she served Zilversmit and Röst an enormous lunch — egg salad, fish, salads and other dishes that she had been preparing for days. While they ate, Boelen talked nonstop about her family, her childhood and her health, which she said wasn’t good. After lunch, she led them upstairs to a library full of books, where they continued talking. Zilversmit asked Boelen about looking at the archival material she had received from the government. Boelen balked. “Oh, yeah, I’m going to keep that closed for now,” she said, according to the recording. She explained that she had promised van Hintum that she would not let Zilversmit see it until the historian was finished with her book. “I hope that the trust between you returns,” Boelen said. Zilversmit said her project would not interfere with van Hintum’s book, that she only wanted to tell her own family story. Boelen said at one point that perhaps the argument between the historian and the journalist boiled down to who should make them public first. “The two things can exist completely side by side,” Zilversmit replied. But Boelen would not budge. When the conversation was over, Boelen took the women upstairs to the attic and showed them paintings she had made. Zilversmit was surprised — some depicted scenes from a book that Zilversmit’s aunt, Helga, had written about her experience in surviving the Holocaust. The memoir, “Through the Eye of the Needle,” published in 2006, describes the terror of the family’s betray-

al: Helga’s mother jumping from the roof, hitting an electrical pole and plunging the neighborhood into darkness. Her father hiding behind a chimney. Helga falling to the ground, hurt and captured. Her brother, Hans, able to escape and climb on a passing train. Imprisoned for time in a military barracks, Helga was later sent to the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, where, healthy and young, she was picked to make hand grenades and to move the baby carriages of murdered children. Some of the carriages held teddy bears and milk bottles. Judith Zilversmit with family documents and photos at her home “We still heard their screams,” she wrote. One Boelen painting showed in the podcast and said some of the recordings had been the carriages in flames. Another the gates of Auschwitz. “partly covert.” Hans was depicted running for the train, Helga at her typeOn the tapes, there is no discussion of whether van writer. “I found it completely surrealistic, to find that there Hintum consents to being in the podcast. But Zilversmit says the historian was fully aware she was being taped, were pictures of my family, here in a Belgian attic,” Zilveras van Hintum spoke into the microphone and introsmit said in an interview. duced herself. Röst has a photo of what she said was their meeting in Zilversmit’s apartment and the recording equipment is visible in front of van Hintum. At De Balie, the discussion in the theater began with Zilversmit’s podcast began streaming last November. Zilversmit discussing her podcast with the moderator, The episodes drew more than 500,000 listeners, which Ianthe Mosselman. She outlined her concerns over acranks as very popular in the Netherlands, a country of cess to her family’s records and spoke of her surprise at 18 million people. seeing “hundreds” of paintings of her family members Zilversmit told her listeners that her family’s greatest in Boelen’s house. betrayal was initiated by Boelen’s grandmother. But she Suddenly someone began shouting from the audisaid she thought they had been mistreated again. She ence. It was Boelen. She wanted to correct something could not make sense of van Hintum’s unwillingness to Zilversmit had said. share information with her. And why would Boelen reach Tension filled the room. Mosselman asked Boelen to out to offer access to the records only to withhold them? reserve her comments and questions for the end of the Yes, she said in an interview, she might be able to discussion. access the records herself through a researcher — and Roughly an hour later, Boelen was given the opportustill might — but that wasn’t the point. nity to speak from the audience. She said she thought the In May, Zilversmit was invited to participate in the panel on intergenerational trauma and shame. The dis- podcast was well done and effective in creating drama cussion, “Descendants: Dealing with a loaded family and drawing in listeners. “But there are things where I think that, well, this past,” was held at De Balie, a prominent Amsterdam is no longer an objective representation of realities,” cultural venue that hosts lectures and debates. Boelen said, “but a subjective work that you have creatBefore the event, van Hintum wrote to De Balie, to Zilversmit and to other members of the panel to express ed, and in some parts that no longer corresponds with her feelings. Zilversmit and the organization shared cop- reality at all.” There weren’t hundreds of paintings, she added, just ies with the Times. 30 or so. They weren’t about the Zilversmit family, just Van Hintum said she felt that she had shown respect images from Helga’s book. She went on for a bit, and then for Zilversmit as a descendant of Holocaust victims and the moderator stepped back in. did not think she had been treated fairly. “You have, of course, your story, and Judith has her “It is, of course, not a question that Judith has a right story,” Mosselman said. “It will never be one story, and to her family’s war history,” she wrote. “However, she maybe these two stories can never really come together.” seems to think that she is also automatically the owner Zilversmit, onstage, took stock. of many hours of research work by someone else — in “Maybe it’s what Esti Cohen said in the podcast,” she this case, mine.” “Against my will and without my permission,” she offered. “Maybe the time is just not yet ripe in this generation, for this kind of conversation. Maybe in the next continued, “I play a significant role in her podcast that is damaging to my reputation as a researcher and as a generation.” human being.” She disputed that she had given her permission to be © The New York Times

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nspiration Nation

Moshe Luck

The U.S. Marine Who Found Hashem By Eliyahu RosEnBERg

t was the first time he ever defied his parents. At 18 years old, Moshe Luck wanted leadership skills — the confidence and expertise to go out into the world and make a difference. Despite his parents’ initial objections, young Moshe

opted to travel down a time-tested, honorable path in his journey for self-discipline: enlisting in the army. Moshe’s philosophy was simple: “If you’re going to do something, you’ve got to go all out.” That’s why he chose the Marines.

In His Words… it’s more than just doing mitzvos. it’s more than just knowledge. it’s who you are as a person. Judaism challenges you to reflect on yourself, on your character.

if we all want Moshiach now, to have peace in this world, we need to have peace with ourselves. and how we do that is how we treat each other; we have to

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love each other.

Being Jewish is having a relationship with hashem. Being Jewish is more than just going to shul three times a day, doing this and doing that, being tznius. it’s about what’s inside.

It was simultaneously the best and hardest experience of his life. As he puts it, “I didn’t know what I signed up for.” Moshe remembers the day boot camp started, sitting awkwardly in a van with 15 other people on Parris Island, staring out at the recruit depot’s towering brick walls and large silver doors. Inscribed above the doors was the phrase, “Through these portals pass prospects for America’s finest fighting force – United States Marines.” Suddenly, the van doors flung open, like a jump scare in a horror movie, and the recruits were rushed out of the vehicle by an angry drill sergeant, ordered to stand in a single-file line. It was a long, oftentimes uncomfortable 13 weeks. “There’s no privacy. As a matter of fact, not to scare anybody, but there are no doors in the bathroom stalls,” Moshe notes. “So, you’re using the bathroom, and people can just walk around and start talking to you while you do your business!” And then, of course, there’s the grueling training. Enough pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups to reduce the average person’s body to Jell-O. Hardest of all — especially for Moshe, who wasn’t physically conditioned— was having to run a mile and a half in 13 minutes. But then, after training came the fun part, the meat and potatoes, if you will, of the service. For nearly six years, he served. “My first duty station was Okinawa, Japan. That was pretty fun. It was nice.

Basically, we were patrolling the Pacific area with the Navy, and we did training with Australians. Also, I had the opportunity to go to Korea and the Philippines,” Moshe shares. “And those were awesome experiences, where I got to travel the world and go to different countries. I signed up to become a Marine security guard. From Okinawa, I went up to Damascus, Syria, which was interesting. The Arab Spring protests in 2010 happened after I had left, but Syria was my first duty station. And then Brazil was my second. And I spent a month in Uruguay. “And then, my last post was actually in Jerusalem, in Israel. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way, because it was a great way to end my Marine Corps career. For me, it was an opportunity to really experience Judaism in Israel.” His experience in the Holy Land left him hungry for more spirituality, paving the way to his Orthodox conversion. * * * Moshe Luck’s parents were not your average Christians. At first, they were Seventh-day Adventists, which are basically Christians who, like Jews, treat Saturday as their Sabbath and observe dietary laws, abstaining, for example, from pork. But one morning, as 13-yearold Moshe prepared for church, his parents announced that they would instead be visiting a different house of worship: a “synagogue.” First, they tried Messianic Judaism (which is ironically a Christian sect, not a Jewish one). Then, they began gravitating

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This article is based on a podcast, “Inspiration For the Nation,” hosted by Yaakov Langer. To catch more of this conversation, you can it on LivingLchaim.com YouTube.com/LivingLchaim Thiswatch article is based on a podcast,or“Inspiration For the Nation,” or listenby wherever listen podcasts search for “Inspiration hosted Yaakov you Langer. Totocatch more(just of this conversation, you For Nation”) or call our free hotline: 605-477-2100 canThe watch it on LivingLchaim.com or YouTube.com/LivingLchaim or listen wherever you listen to podcasts (just search for “Inspiration For The Nation”) or call our free hotline: 605-477-2100

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On the shore, he cried and spoke to G-d about his challenges — about how overwhelming it sometimes felt to be tested by On he cried spoke todissoG-d the the Beisshore, Din, about howand cognitively about — about overnant ithis feltchallenges to feel Jewish but tohow know you whelming it sometimes felthe tohad be tested by aren’t. And as he wept, an “aha the Beis Din, about how cognitively dissomoment.” nant it felt to feelthat Jewish to know He realized his but main job inyou his aren’t. as he wept, he had an hala“aha geirus And journey isn’t to memorize moment.” chos or to be perfectly observant, but to He realized his main his simply trust inthat Hashem. It’s job not in about geirus isn’tfrom to memorize halaseekingjourney validation the Beis Din or chos or to behe perfectly observant, to community, realized; it’s aboutbut buildsimply trust in Hashem. It’s not about ing a relationship with G-d. seeking validation from the Beis my Dinshul or “I remember one time telling community, he realized; it’s about buildafter Shacharis an idea: if you can masing a relationship ter yourself, your with soul, G-d. then you can lead “I remember one time telling shul your family and community,” hemy shares. after Shacharis an idea: if you can mas“But if you can’t control yourself, it’s just ter yourself, your soul, then you can lead a balagan.” your family and community,” he shares. If you can’t help yourself, you can’t “But if you can’t control yourself, it’s just help anyone. a balagan.” Baruch Hashem, Moshe recently got If you can’t help yourself, you can’t married to his wife, Elisheva, who grew help anyone. up Reform and embarked on her own Baruch Hashem, Moshe recently got journey to frumkeit. married to his wife, Elisheva, who grew “You always want to be with someone up Reform and embarked on her own who has the same values as you,” Elisheva journey to frumkeit. remarks. “And one of the values that we “You always want to be with someone agree on is that we always put Hashem who has the same values as you,” Elisheva first. Second us,ofwhich is ourthat family. remarks. “Andisone the values we And then, third is our country.” agree on is that we always put Hashem Another share that a Jew first. Secondvalue is us,they which is is our family. is a Jew, regardless of what they look like And then, third is our country.” or how they behave. Every Jew is part of Another value they share is that a Jew our family, and every Jew is a child of is a Jew, regardless of what they look like G-d. Asthey Moshe notes,Every how Jew can we expect or how behave. is part of to have peace in the world — freedom our family, and every Jew is a childand of redemption — when don’t peace G-d. As Moshe notes,we how can have we expect amongst ourselves; when — wefreedom focus onand our to have peace in the world tiny differences instead of our countless redemption — when we don’t have peace similarities? amongst ourselves; when we focus on our all about how we treat tinyUltimately, differencesit’s instead of our countless one another. As Moshe puts it, “We have similarities? to love each other.” Ultimately, it’s all about how we treat one another. As Moshe puts it, “We have to love each other.”

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towards authentic Jewish communities, experimenting with Orthodoxy before settling on a Conservative congregation. towards authentic Jewish communities, Later, Moshe’s father underwent a Conexperimenting with Orthodoxy before servative conversion, while his mother settling on a Conservative congregation. converted to Reform Judaism. Later, Moshe’s underwent a Con“I had a bar father mitzvah when I was 17. servativethat conversion, while his mother Through time, I was learning Heconverted to Reform Judaism. brew, obviously learning for my aliyah, had a up bartomitzvah when I was 17. to be“Icalled the Torah, and to give time, I was “And learning HeaThrough sermon,”that he remembers. I hadn’t brew,a obviously learning forI my aliyah, done conversion yet, and know now to be called up to the Torah, and toJewgive that I wasn’t halachically considered a sermon,” he remembers. “And I hadn’t ish, but for me, I took it upon myself as if a conversion yet, and I know now Idone was Jewish.” that I wasn’t halachically Moshe Luck, now 40,considered was born Jewand ish, but for me, I took it upon myself as if raised in Florida. The son of Haitian imI was Jewish.” migrants, Moshe learned perseverance Moshe Luck, now 40, was born and and grit from his parents. He credits raised in Florida. The son of Haitian imthem for his determination, for teaching migrants, Moshe learned perseverance him to always put in his all, to never do and grit from his parents. He credits things halfway. With the grit he inherthem for his determination, for teaching ited from his parents, he served in the him to always put in his all, to never do Marines, and with that same tenacity, he things halfway. With the grit he inherlater pursued an Orthodox conversion. A ited from his parents, he served in the few years ago, after his Catholic grandfaMarines, and with that same tenacity, he ther passed away, Moshe started thinking later pursued an Orthodox conversion. A about his own religious status and how few years ago, after his Catholic grandfahe’d want his children to not only be Jewther passed away, Moshe started thinking ish but to have a father whose Jewishness about his own religious status and how ishe’d unquestionable. want his children to not only be JewI was in thewhose conversion proish“While but to have a father Jewishness cess, it was more than just making sure is unquestionable. that “While food is Ikosher. while I prowas was in For the me, conversion going through it, I wanted to be closer cess, it was more than just making sure to Hashem,” “I used the that food is Moshe kosher.declares. For me, while I was month of Elul to do a lot of self-reflecting going through it, I wanted to be closer and soul-searching. It was really to Hashem,” Moshe declares. “I usedthen the that I realized that it’s more than just month of Elul to do a lot of self-reflecting doing mitzvos. It’s more just knowland soul-searching. It than was really then edge. who you areit’s as amore person. Judathat IIt’s realized that than just ism challenges to reflect yourself, doing mitzvos. you It’s more thanon just knowlon yourIt’s character.” edge. who you are as a person. Judaday in the of Elul, Moshe ismOne challenges youmonth to reflect on yourself, visited ocean early in the morning. on yourthe character.” One day in the month of Elul, Moshe visited the ocean early in the morning.

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Mental Health Corner

Schmoozing With Your Child By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman You have reached that milestone in life. Your child is starting to grow up and little by little they are becoming more independent. He or she now has parts of their life that you know very little about. How exactly are they doing in school? Who really are their friends? What do they enjoy? What are their hopes and dreams? Whenever

you try to engage them in conversation, they are not too responsive. Is this normal? Does it have to be this way? The basic answer is that, yes, this is normal, but it does not have to be this way. There is a way to have a meaningful relationship with your child and to get to know your child better. There

The notion may seem absurd. Why should I need to cultivate conversations with the child that I love to pieces and that I would do anything for? Shouldn’t he or she naturally want to confide in the individuals who brought them into this world and who lovingly care for them and provide them with all of their needs? Maybe that is the way it should be, but it isn’t. In addition to all that you are doing for your child, if you want your child to want to have meaningful conversations with you and to confide in you, there are certain steps that you need to take.

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First of all, starting from a young age, if your child initiates a conversation with you, stop everything that you are doing and give them your undivided attention. For example, it is after midnight on Thursday night and you just finished baking the potato kugel for Shabbos. You are exhausted and you want to crawl into your bed and catch some sleep before your three-year-old wakes up at 6 AM. Your fourteen-yearold son for some odd reason out of the blue initiates a conversation with you. Time to change your plans! Stay up and schmooze with him over some fresh, warm kugel. You are planting the seeds that will blossom as your son will start viewing you as a trustworthy confidant. Secondly, regardless of the number of children in your household, ensure that each child has dedicated one-onone time with you. For example, if once a week you drive your child to an afterschool program, resist the temptation to talk on the phone (even handsfree) or listen to a Jewish podcast. Just talk with your child. Ask them how things are going. Let the conversation unfold organically, wherever it may lead. Also, do not forget to be vulnerable with your child. Open up about your own life experiences. When your child confides in you about challenges they

are facing, don’t shy away from sharing your own comparable struggles. Another essential aspect of fostering conversations is mastering the art of asking open-ended questions, or inquiries that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”. Here are a few examples: If you were in charge, how would you design the ideal school? What activities do you wish we would participate in more frequently? List three things that are indispensable to you. What set of rules do we impose that your friends’ households don’t? What is your favorite season of the year and why? Also, remember to avoid the lecturing tone during conversations with your child. Of course, there is a time and place for parents to clearly communicate their standards and expectations. But, if you are trying to also be able to have conversations with your child, steer clear of pontificating at the same time. Finally, be genuine and really listen. You cannot fake curiosity. During a conversation with your child, you must be fully present, listen attentively, and express a genuine interest in what they are sharing with you. Your child will easily detect feigned interest and then your conversation will likely be counterproductive. Cultivating conversations with your child is like planting an orchard. You may not see immediate results, but with patience, attention, and care, your relationship with your child will bloom into a beautiful and thriving bond. Your child will feel safe, heard, and valued, and will naturally want to confide in you. So, be intentional with your words, actions, and time, and watch as your relationship with your child blooms into a bountiful and fragrant orchard of love and trust. This is a service of Relief Resources. Relief is an organization that provides mental health referrals, education, and support to the frum community. Rabbi Yisrael Slansky is director of the Baltimore branch of Relief. He can be contacted at 410-448-8356 or at yslansky@reliefhelp.org

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To Raise a Laugh Blessed Art

here’s a lot of depressing news these days, so maybe we should focus on something lighter, like Art News. That should cheer us up, right?

And it is. There’s one installation there that’s just a few hundred pitchforks dangling from the ceiling, tines down, and you get to stand underneath and pray that they’re attached to the gallery better than the pedestals were.

Our first story today comes from L.A., where a young woman and her friend were enjoying an art gallery, when they came across an installation consisting of a grid of 60 pedestals, with each pedestal displaying some type of crown. And before you say, “This sounds like something that belongs in a history museum,” I should inform you that these were not real crowns; they were more like those crowns that your kindergartners come home with on Rosh Chodesh.

And before you say, “These young people and their selfies,” I should point out that last July, a 91-year-old woman in Germany ruined a piece of artwork as well. She came into an art museum as part of a senior tour group, and amidst the chaos of people asking for discounts, she came across a piece by, according to the article I read, “avant-garde artist Arthur Køpcke”. (I honestly don’t know whether to pronounce the ø. Does the line through it mean that I døn’t? Also, what’s avant-garde? Isn’t that what you yell before you start fighting with swords?

So the girl decided to take a selfie. Some people are so inspired by the things around them, they feel the need to take pictures of themselves. Even though their friend is right there with a camera. And I guess the girl wanted the crowns in the shot too, because she decided to get down in front of one of the pedestals to take the picture. But as she was getting down, she lost her balance and bumped into the pedestal, and it fell over, and it bumped into another pedestal, which fell over, until an entire row of pedestals was on the floor. The damage was valued at $200,000, because when you create something that has no practical use, you get to charge whatever you want for it.

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By Mordechai Schmutter

This was a little bit everyone’s fault. You shouldn’t be taking a selfie so close to artwork, but you also shouldn’t be setting up your art installation like a set of dominoes. I would have thought they were bolted down somehow. Everyone knows you don’t put expensive art like that on a tiny table that can easily get knocked over. Whose fault is that? I’m not talking halachically. I know that when I set the table with glassware, I make sure it’s nowhere near the end of the table, and my glassware is valued at like ten dollars. Or maybe it’s the media’s fault. After all, a newspaper review of the gallery a month earlier said, “It’s a great place to take a selfie.”

“Avant-garde!”) Apparently, Køpcke designed a series in 1965 titled “Reading/Work Pieces”, which are a bunch of random scraps of paper glued to a bigger piece of paper. For example, there’s a drawing of a hand, a picture clipped out of a newspaper, a mock-up of a checkerboard, a slip of paper that says, “Insert words”, and a partially-done crossword puzzle. The idea of his pieces is that museums don’t get to decide what is and isn’t art. Who gets to determine that? Maybe every museum is an art museum. You go to a museum where some guy stuck a bunch of bones he found into cool dinosaur shapes, that is totally art. So this woman comes across the piece, and says, “Alright,” and she reaches into her bag, takes out a pen, and fills in the rest of the crossword puzzle. Because maybe the museum doesn’t get to decide what’s art, but this woman decided, “This isn’t art. This is an unfinished crossword puzzle.” Then she took a selfie with it. Okay, she didn’t take a selfie. What selfies are to young people, doing crossword puzzles is to older people. Everyone’s grandmother is awesome at crossword puzzles, because they’ve been around for a while and they know all the words.

She didn’t even use a pencil. She used a ballpoint pen. When asked about it, the woman basically said, “I’m not even sorry. It said, “Insert words.” What was I supposed to do?” I’m frankly surprised that in a country full of Germans, no one’s OCD made them finish the puzzle sooner. So again, everyone’s at fault here. The museum is at fault for calling this art, and for writing “Insert words,” and for not putting a disclaimer next to it that said, “Don’t actually insert words”. And the woman is at fault for not wondering why, in 50 years, no one had inserted words. Also, they probably should have put glass over it or something. The museum ultimately decided to fix the piece without pressing charges, and the woman responded by suing them. According to her lawyer, she now holds half the copyright to the “collaborative” artwork, and the museum destroyed her work by fixing the piece. They should write in to the Choshen Mishpat Institute. So what does this mean? Does this mean you can walk into any art museum with a Sharpie? It would definitely be more fun. But maybe there’s a difference between adding and defacing. Like if you go over to that picture of the couple during the Great Depression holding a pitchfork in front of a house and you give the couple moustaches, that’s defacing. But if you put an entire kugel on the tip of that pitchfork, that’s adding. Point is, this woman is even worse than the selfie girl. I bet the selfie girl is kicking herself for not thinking of suing. And while she’s kicking herself, she’s knocking things over. Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a humor columnist for Hamodia and other magazines. He has also published eight books anddoesstand-upcomedy.Youcancontacthimat MSchmutter@gmail.com.

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Living Kiddush Hashem A Shocking Message From A Personal Trainer

“What did you say?” he asked. “Baruch Hashem,” the trainer repeated. “It’s not your life. It’s only a scratch. Why are you getting so upset?” The man’s curiosity was immediately piqued. “Where did you learn to speak like that?” The trainer explained that he worked at Michael Cohen’s gym as a personal trainer.

By Rabbi Shraga Freedman

or more than 30 years, Michael Cohen has worked as a personal trainer. Over the years, he built a successful training business and employed a number of trainers who worked alongside him. One of Michael’s trainers had been working for him for about five years. He was not Jewish and was also an ex-Marine—a strong, imposing man whom Michael described as “built like a tank.” He was a wonderful person and an excellent trainer. One day, the trainer sent Michael a message. He had been driving through Williamsburg when he got into a minor fender bender with another driver. The other driver happened to be a religious Jewish man. The Jewish man got out of his car and immediately began yelling.

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The Jewish man was stunned.

“Watch where you’re going! You dented my car!” He continued shouting and raising his voice. The trainer later told Michael that he had almost lost his temper. As an ex-Marine, the man’s yelling triggered him and had brought him right back to his military days. He felt himself becoming extremely angry and was tempted to respond aggressively.

“I’m not Jewish, but I’ve learned a lot from the people who come into this gym. Everything happens because of Hashem. That’s how they talk. “They come in and I ask them, ‘How’s business?’ “They say, ‘Baruch Hashem, it’s good.’

And just like that, all 17 men became his clients. The trainer had learned emunah from the Jewish clients at the gym, and when the moment came, he reminded another Jew how a Torah Jew is meant to respond. Incredibly, he was rewarded almost immediately, with 17 new clients. The way we respond when things go wrong, the words we use, and the attitude we display can teach someone else about emunah, even when we have no idea that anyone is paying attention. A simple “Baruch Hashem” is a Kiddush Hashem. New! Living Kiddush Hashem: From the Inside Out (ArtScroll)

“Someone gets stuck at work late, and instead of complaining, he says, ‘Baruch Hashem, I had work.’

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“Everything that happens, they recognize that it comes from Hashem. So why get upset?”

A wonderful addition to your Shabbos table and an invaluable resource for classrooms, shiurim, and personal growth.

But then something stopped him.

The Jewish man was amazed.

He remembered what he had learned from the people at Michael’s gym.

He had not expected a non-Jewish personal trainer to teach him a lesson in emunah.

He looked at the Jewish man and calmly said, “What are you so worried about? It’s a scratch. It’s a little dent. Baruch Hashem, it’s not your life.”

The trainer agreed.

The man thought for a moment. “I’m part of a group of 17 Jewish guys,” he said. “We’re looking for a personal trainer. Would you train us?”

Rabbi Shraga Freedman,Director of Living Kiddush Hashem Foundation. Email LivingKiddushHashem@gmail. com for a free file of amazing stories and a hebrew sefer Mekadshei Shemecha. Visit LivingKiddushHashem.org for more resources.

A Minyan in a Garage By Gedaliah Borvick

the Al-mighty, we make our requests in the plural. We approach Him as members of a larger community, asking Him to provide for both our personal needs and the needs of the entire Jewish people. The month of Elul, which begins the process of teshuva, has arrived. The Sages explain that the word Elul is an acronym for the verse in Shir HaShirim, “Ani l’Dodi v’Dodi li – I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me.” While this pasuk describes the loving relationship between G-d and the Jewish people, perhaps it can also remind us of the love we must show one another. By caring for our fellow Jews, we emulate the Al-mighty’s love for all His children. As I left that tiny office behind the garage, I thought that the setting itself also carried a message. Sometimes, in our little country, the most inspiring moments happen when and where you least expect them.

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

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n Tu B’Av, the holiday of matchmaking, I was walking down a small Jerusalem alley lined with automobile repair shops when I was invited to join a Mincha service. Curious, and always up for a “chavaya,” I accepted the invitation. The prayers took place in a tiny office behind one of the garages. The room was barely large enough to hold a minyan. For a few minutes, this cramped workspace was transformed into a shul. The minyan included mechanics, replete with the mandatory oil-stained hands and grime beneath their fingernails. Some men had flowing beards and black velvet yarmulkes, others were clean-shaven and wore yarmulkes of different sizes and colors, while a few borrowed one for the service. Jews from diverse backgrounds stood together in quiet, sincere prayer. Once the prayers began, those outward differences no longer mattered. I was honored to join this inspiring service, as the respect and acceptance among the participants represented the essence of what we should aspire to on the holiday of love. Watching this cross-section of people pray together also made me think about the language of our prayers. Even when we stand before G-d in the Amidah, in an intimate encounter with

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A Yedidim volunteer helping a stranded motorist in Jerusalem. (Yedidim)

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My Israel Home

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1. *

TJH

Centerfold

Signs You Listen to Too Much Talk Radio You’ve screamed “EXACTLY!” at a person who has no idea you exist. You start conversations with, “A caller from Staten Island made a very good point this morning…” You know how to fix the economy, the school system, the Mets, and international relations—all before 9 A.M.

You know the regular callers by name. “Oh no. Not Steve from Queens again.” You hear someone say, “Long-time listener, first-time caller” and immediately sit up straighter. Your commute takes 45 minutes, but emotionally it takes three hours. You’ve arrived somewhere angry and can’t remember exactly what you’re angry about.

You’ve sat in your driveway for 12 minutes because you had to hear what the next caller was going to say.

You’ve said, “This guy is an idiot,” and then continued listening to him for another two hours.

You’ve yelled at a caller to “GET TO THE POINT!” while sitting alone in your car.

You’ve seriously considered calling in because everyone else is missing the obvious point.

You’ve missed your exit because the host said, “When we come back, I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen!”

You finally call the station after listening for 15 years—and spend your entire time on hold rehearsing, “Long-time listener, first-time caller.”

Riddle Me This Three radios, A, B, and C, are tuned to three different stations: news, sports, and music. - Radio A is not playing music. - Radio B is not playing news. - The sports station is not on Radio A. - Radio C is not playing sports. Which radio is tuned to which station? Answer to riddle: Answer: A = News, B = Sports, C = Music.

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In honor of National Radio Day on August 20, let’s see what you know about this almost-extinct form of entertainment 1. In what year was the radio invented? a. 1883 b. 1895 c. 1908 d. 1922

3. What does the “FM” in FM radio stand for? a. Frequency Modulation b. Free Modulation c. Fixed Megahertz d. Frequency Measurement 4. What was Paul Harvey’s famous tagline? a. “Stay tuned, America.”

5. Until a judge in 2015 ruled that Warner Music did not own the copyright for “Happy Birthday,” approximately how much did they make per year on royalites off of the song? a. $40,000 b. $340,000 c. $790,000 d. $2,000,000 6. How many minutes does it take to get all of the news in the world from 1010 WINS? a. 7 b. 22 c. 33 d. 45

Good old Yankel is out driving when a man on his radio suddenly announces: “Beware of a dangerous car driving against the general direction of travel!” Yankel mumbles to himself, “One? There are several hundred of them!”

Answers: 1-B 2-D 3-A 4-C 5-D 6-B 7-D Wisdom Key: 6-7 correct: Boy, do you know the rest of the story. 3-5 correct: You’re not tuned in for all 22 minutes, but not bad. 0-2 correct: You’re like 880 – almost extinct.

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You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

7. According to Pew Research, what percentage of Americans still listen to radio at least once a week? a. 56% b. 62% c. 74% d. 82%

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2. In 2008, Rush Limbaugh signed an eight-year radio contract reportedly worth more than how much? a. $80 million b. $150 million c. $250 million d. $400 million

b. “Until tomorrow…keep listening.” c. “And now you know...the rest of the story.” d. “From coast to coast, that’s today’s news.”

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Radio Trivia

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

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If he could get out of that thing now, tonight, he would. My own words haunt me. So in February, I talked to the president. Just him and me. I said, this is the biggest gamble you have ever taken in your entire life messing around with these people. They’re irrational. They are like the militants in Japan in World War II, in Germany in World War II. They’re not going to surrender. It’s going to be exceedingly difficult. And you can’t count on the Persians to overthrow them. My words haunt me because it’s exactly how it came down. - Conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly

We’re way too early to even be thinking about that. - President Trump when asked about endorsing J.D. Vance as the 2028 Republican presidential candidate

“Legacy” is not a word I recognize. Statues are torn down; buildings with people’s names on them erode. The world is in constant change. The only legacy I recognize is doing good. I’m human, with my terrible faults, but I’m an admirer of good deeds. - Jewish actor William Shatner in a recent interview

I found out that she likes her children more than she likes Trump. I’m very concerned about that.

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– President Trump talking about White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt leaving her post to raise her children

A large pre-historic shark tooth was found along the Jersey shore. You can tell that the shark was from New York because it was found along with a giant neck chain. - Kat Timpf, Fox News

Someone said that the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britian. - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

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Israel dominates the daily news in this 2026 midterm election year—almost always in a boring, fatiguing, negative light. Tens of thousands of innocents may be slaughtered, ethnically cleansed, butchered, and tortured by the world’s dictators, yet an overwhelming and obsessive abhorrence is reserved for tiny, democratic Israel. - Victore Davis Hanson, American Greatness

- ibid.

In terms of protest, scream publicly in Tel Aviv, “I no longer believe in the Jewish faith, and I hate the current government of Israel”—and there is little chance of being arrested. Chant the same publicly in any Muslim country in the Middle East—“I no longer believe in Islam, and I hate our current government”—and the loud critic would be either jailed or beaten by a street mob or worse. – ibid.

Our prediction right now, our range of outcomes are anywhere from Republicans holding the majority by just three seats to Democrats holding it by 11.

Starting next month, Barack Obama will host a podcast about books that impressed him. Episode one? The first book that Michelle ever tore in half. - Greg Gutfeld

A Mississippi company will take wheelchair-bound young people alligator hunting this season. Or as the alligators call it, “Meals on Wheels.”

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As far as tolerance goes, in the entire region, only in Israel is it legal to criticize political or religious figures. Only there can one choose to adopt an [alternative] lifestyle. Only there can an apostate renounce one’s religion or urge others to do the same. And only there can Christians establish a new church almost anywhere they choose.

- Greg Gutfeld

Karoline Leavitt Prepared For Motherhood After Spending Last Two Years Answering Millions Of Stupid Questions. - Headline in the Babylon Bee

- Amy Walter of the “Cook Political Report,” which is a premier forecaster of elections, discussing the likely outcome of the 2026 midterm elections

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Massachusetts was once known as the Cradle of Liberty for its role in the American Revolution. Now, it has forsaken the cradle and turned the womb into a death chamber. Thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, residents can kill unborn children up to the moment of birth. They call it lateterm abortion. Infanticide is a more accurate description. - From a Washington Times editorial about Massachusetts’s new abortion law which allows killing a baby until birth

I didn’t believe this law was real – abort up to birth. Why not wait until they are in kindergarten and get them while they are napping? - Greg Gutfeld

Most of what we saw were crimes of poverty – people who are stealing things like toothpaste, people who were stealing things like, you know, soap. And that means if you’re stealing those things, you need them. And we are choosing to protect billion-dollar companies, like CVS and Walgreens, over the people who are struggling to get by. So I would say that the true crime is that there is such incredible wealth disparity in this city that there are people who can be thrown in jail simply for having a biological need. - New York State Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher

This is just another step to the amoral bottom. We may already be there. The applauding women [at the bill’s signing] are like Mullahs celebrating public executions. - ibid.

They will pull out all of the stops to defend a death row killer or a drunk illegal that runs over a teen, but an inconvenient child? That kid is doomed before his first day on earth. - ibid.

I might make it to 115. I’m hanging in there. - 102-year-old Glenn Ward of Virginia after celebrating his birthday by going out for hot wings

We have gone from rare and tragic to “if you don’t like your baby, you can kill your baby.” – Ibid.

A recent video of Michigan Democratic senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed shows that he wanted to cancel the 4th of July fireworks…or at least move it to Sept. 11th.

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– Greg Gutfeld

The internet was amused over Abdul El-Sayed’s “Blues Clues” parody video. Except for the part where he stones Dora the Explorer to death for traveling alone. – ibid.

Abdul El-Sayed is under fire for a blog post in which he links football to toxic masculinity… He prefers the traditional Muslim sport-synchronized honor killings. – ibid.

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Political Crossfire

I’m Begging You: Never Write With AI By Bret Stephens

articulation, the rigor of grammar, the tests of intelligibility and coherence, the inspection of others. In doing so, it also enjoins us to be clear, logical and accurate — and accountable. People may easily forgive a word said in anger but not so easily one written in anger, precisely because the fact that it was written tells us that it was considered. The considered word matters. It has staying power and moral weight. We use the expression “I want that in writing” not only so there’s no mistaking the exact words that have been agreed upon but also as proof that the words are meaningful in the first place.

as significant and personal as a wedding speech and the boring and frequently exhausting tasks of writing, say, routine office memos. But the intellectual muscle that’s exercised in everyday writing is the same one used for the writing that matters. We become better writers by the constant effort that mundane writing demands. We become better thinkers by investing into that writing a degree of attention we’d never give it if we relinquished

As it becomes ubiquitous, it undermines not only our individual ability to write but also a society’s collective ability to reason, a culture’s inner capacity to create and everyone’s reason to care.

the task to AI. We become more creative when we learn how to put a personal stamp even on routine things, making them unmistakably our own. These skills are now evaporating. A recent examination using AI-detection technology of 100 doctoral dissertations found that 56% of them contained “more than negligible” AI-generated writing and 19% had “more than 50% AI-generated text.” Anecdotal stories from college professors have a finger-in-the-dike feeling with regard to their efforts to hold back the flood

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But what happens when the words aren’t considered because they were written by (or with the help of) a machine? Words become hollow. Imagine the father of the bride turning to AI to help him write his daughter’s wedding toast: What the AI can supply in eloquence it subtracts in effort and authenticity. Now imagine that the daughter learns that the speech was written by AI: Wouldn’t she be right to be disappointed, if not insulted? Many would argue there’s a big difference between using AI for something

of AI-generated student papers. It’s easy to treat the problem as one of mere cheating. But cheating doesn’t capture the real scope of the AI threat, which isn’t merely to academic integrity or personal betterment but also to democratic self-governance. The link between broad-based literacy and the rise of democracy is well known: People who can read and write for themselves have, historically, also been good at choosing and advocating for themselves. What happens when the process goes into reverse? When people lack the patience to absorb arguments more than a few pages or sentences long? When they lack the ability to contradict those arguments because they’ve never honed, through daily practice, the most essential skill for clear thinking? We’re already getting a taste of what this world looks like in President Donald Trump’s social media posts and the sway they clearly exert over tens of millions of Americans. But that’s a reflection of where the country was a decade ago, in the pre-AI age. How much farther down the road are we now, with our even more diminished capacity to read, write and think? The next time you’re tempted to just adopt an automated response for a text message or an email, don’t. Type out a response that’s your own. Think of it as an act of free will. Or a vote against Trump. What takes you a few additional seconds is an act of resistance against an ever-dumber world.

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his column isn’t so much an argument as it is a plea: Don’t use artificial intelligence to help you write. Never let AI do your writing for you. Don’t use it for school papers, work briefs, letters to your in-laws, speeches at your company gathering or emails (however perfunctory) to your colleagues or friends. Don’t let it organize your notes. Don’t let it suggest an opening sentence, a segue or a closing paragraph. Don’t ask it to write a first draft and pretend that editing that draft somehow makes it your own. It doesn’t. Do none of these things not because they are unethical. Writing with AI is unethical when it’s a deception: when you pass off words, ideas and information as your own when they aren’t. An acknowledgment can largely address the problem. Do none of these things, either, because you might be able to learn to write better than an AI can. Pretty soon, if not already, you won’t, just as you can’t outrun a car or outplay a chess app. The problem with writing with AI is that it’s mentally enfeebling — an escalator toward a result when you really need to make a daily habit of taking the stairs. As it becomes ubiquitous, it undermines not only our individual ability to write but also a society’s collective ability to reason, a culture’s inner capacity to create and everyone’s reason to care. We’re already reckoning with the well-documented decline of reading; AI is accelerating the decline of writing, ushering us further into what The Atlantic’s Rose Horowitch calls our “post-literate age.” What, uniquely, does writing do? It compels thought. It compels thinking in ways that silent contemplation or spoken language rarely can. It compels us to subject our thinking to the effort of

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Dating Dialogue

What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

I’m dating a wonderful girl, but something about her family has me concerned. Her sister is married to a man whose behavior has been described to me as controlling and verbally abusive. He frequently insults my girlfriend, speaks disrespectfully to her parents, and screams at his wife in front of the entire family. Yet her parents don’t confront him because they are afraid of damaging their daughter’s shalom

bayis. When my girlfriend or her siblings want to address the situation or stand up for themselves, their mother tells them they need to be mevater and keep the peace. Everything I know about this situation came directly from my girlfriend and was independently confirmed by her brother, so I know I’m not relying on rumors or community gossip. I understand that I am not marrying this man, and my focus is on my girlfriend. I have a lot of respect for her and how she has handled a difficult family situation. At the same time, family is very important to both of us, and she has expressed to me how much she values family relationships. What concerns me most isn’t only his behavior; it’s that the family seems to have accepted it as the norm. My parents and I are concerned about what this says about the family’s values, boundaries, and approach to conflict. As my relationship becomes more

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serious, I’m wondering how much weight I should give this when considering marriage. Thank you for your guidance, David*

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

The Panel

Looking forward! Michelle, the “Shadchan”

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

his is a serious question that should be given a lot of weight. Your relationship with your current girlfriend

will have to be strong enough to withstand boundaries and limitations you will have to set up with her family if you proceed to marriage. The two of you will have to be united and support each other so that you can deal with pressure and conflicts that may result in your making your own yom tov, restricting how much time you spend with the abu-

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

avid, this is such a difficult position to be in. You’re dating a great girl whom you see a future with, but her fam-

Being mevater and being asked to tolerate repeated mistreatment and possible abuse are not the same thing.

ily seems to be enabling abusive behavior from her brother-in-law. This must be terribly difficult to witness. It also must be very difficult to experience firsthand the verbal abuse directed at the girl you’re dating when you are around them. You are understandably questioning your future with this girl because of it.

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The Rebbetzin

sive brother-in-law and his family and the family as a whole. You will not want your children to experience this and see this kind of relationship as normal. Dysfunctionality in a family system will be very hard to manage for a new couple. Discuss with the young woman you are dating, and if you feel you want to go further, get skilled help to discuss scenarios and strengthen yourselves as a group. Most people would run the other way. I would agree.

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Dear Readers, We want to offer YOU an opportunity to be part of the discussion! Please email us at MichelleMondShadchan@gmail.com, subject line “reader’s response,” if you would like to participate in the new “A Reader’s Response” columnist spot. We will send you a question and publish your answer in an upcoming Navidaters edition. If you have a question you would like the Navidaters to answer, please reach out to this email as well.

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I do wonder if her family feels trapped into accepting this horrible reality out of necessity. Maybe the family feels that the only way to keep their daughter close is to keep their mouths shut. Regardless of the reasoning, it is terribly toxic, and I understand your hesitation. I don’t think you should leave the relationship because of this, but you need to come up with a game plan. Have a discussion with her about creating boundaries to keep yourselves at a healthy distance. Discuss the many obstacles that may come with this family dynamic and how you intend to navigate them in a healthy way. These are important conversations to have before moving forward. As an aside, I personally believe you need to have a very serious discussion with the girl you’re dating about getting her sister help. She should definitely try to stage an intervention to help her sister. Only she knows who her parents will listen to. She needs to figure out the best

way to navigate this situation in order to help her sister. Enabling it by ignoring his malicious behavior to “keep the peace” is ultimately hurting her sister tremendously. Someone has to stand up to this and try to help her. I hope you are able to help in this regard!

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

ow! What a sad situation for your girlfriend and for her family. My heart goes out to them. The question now is, how does all of this drama affect you? Let’s consider three separate issues here.

Issue #1 – Your wonderful girlfriend You already think very highly of your

girlfriend. But I hope you appreciate the incredible compassion and maturity she is demonstrating during an extraordinarily difficult family situation. She is trying to respect her parents, support her sister, cope with an unpleasant brotherin-law, and, at the same time, pursue a meaningful relationship with you. Please have enormous empathy and compassion for what she is going through. She sounds absolutely amazing. Nothing that you have learned about her brother-in-law should be held against her. She didn’t choose him. Her sister did.

Issue #2 – Your future family dynamics You are right to consider how a difficult brother-in-law can affect your marital happiness and your future relationships with your girlfriend’s family. At this point, however, it is impossible to predict how things will evolve with her sister and her husband. Still, the reality is that there is no such thing as marrying into a perfect family. Some families struggle with health problems. Others struggle with finances, with religious differences, difficult personalities, strained relationships, or poor behavior. But, when you love and marry someone who shares your values, goals, and aspirations, you inevitably accept the whole package. And, together with your life partner, you decide how to handle present and future complications. For example, in a situation like yours, young couples, together, learn how to make practical adjustments in order to minimize exposure to toxic people, gently defuse confrontations, and avoid reacting inappropriately to someone else’s inappropriate behavior.

Issue #3 – Your actions right now Please avoid the temptation to step up and “fix” the family dynamics. You really do not have any idea how complicated this family dynamic probably is, what conversations have happened behind closed doors, what boundaries the parents have tried to set, or what they’re balancing to protect their daughter’s marriage.

When you love and marry someone who shares your values, goals, and aspirations, you inevitably accept the whole package.

I’d be careful not to assume the family’s lack of PUBLIC confrontation means they have poor values or unhealthy boundaries. Yes, it’s hard to watch helplessly when people that you love are hurting. But remember that you do not have to rescue your girlfriend’s family. Instead, love her, treat her with kindness and respect, and build a peaceful, bayis ne’eman together.

Reader’s Response Baruch Glazer, LCSW Founder - Turning Point Therapy

ear David, You ask an important question, and I think it’s worth separating two issues that can easily become intertwined. The first is the behavior of your future brother-in-law. From what you’ve described, it sounds deeply concerning. If someone routinely insults family members, belittles his wife, and creates an atmosphere of fear, that isn’t simply a “strong personality.” It’s understandable that this would trouble you. The second question—and perhaps the more important one—is how your girlfriend and her family respond to it. Every family faces difficult people. One toxic relative does not automatically define an entire family. What often matters more is whether the family rec-

support. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve chosen the ideal approach, but it may come from fear rather than agreement with his behavior. Rather than asking, “What does this say about her family?” I’d encourage you to ask, “What does this say about the woman I’m considering marrying?” How does she think about what’s happening? Does she recognize it as unhealthy? Is she able to set respectful boundaries? Does she believe that being

your role to be when you witness her brother-in-law mistreating her, or one day, potentially, your child? Imagine you’re married and sitting at a family meal and he insults your wife in front of you. What does she want you to do? What would her family expect you to do? Would you be expected to remain quiet because responding might make things more difficult for her sister? And how would that feel for you? What if he speaks disrespectfully to you? What happens someday if he directs that behavior toward one of your children? These aren’t far-fetched questions. They are things to think about because this is already an established dynamic in a family you may be joining. There may not be one perfect answer. Perhaps there are situations where your girlfriend would want you to let something go. Perhaps there are others where the two of you would decide together that a line has been crossed and you need to leave, speak up or create some distance. What matters is that you talk about it now. I also understand why your parents

are concerned. Family matters and the dynamics of an extended family can absolutely affect a marriage. You are marrying her. But you are also contemplating a lifetime that will include people she loves and relationships that matter deeply to her. So yes, David, I think this deserves weight. Not because I think you should judge your girlfriend by her brother-in-law’s behavior. And not because I think her parents’ response necessarily tells you something terrible about their values. They may be doing the best they know how to do in a situation in which every option feels painful. But their solution right now appears to require other members of the family to absorb behavior that hurts them. If you become part of this family, it is reasonable to want to understand whether you will be expected to absorb it, too. And it is worth talking with the woman you may marry about what the two of you will do when keeping the peace for one person comes at the expense of peace for everyone else.

Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

ear David, I understand your concern. Of course you aren’t marrying your girlfriend’s brother-in-law. But if you marry your girlfriend, this man will presumably be part of your extended family. You may be sitting across from him at Shabbos tables, seeing him at simchas and spending yom tov together. So I don’t think you need to convince yourself that what you’re seeing shouldn’t matter to you. These situations are incredibly delicate and complicated. I can only imagine how torn your girlfriend’s parents may feel. They have a daughter in what sounds like a very difficult marriage. They may be terrified that confronting their son-in-law will make things harder for her behind closed doors, create more distance between her and the family, or somehow threaten her shalom bayis. I have a lot of compassion for the position they are in. And at the same time, there is another reality here that deserves attention.

When a family accommodates one person’s bad behavior in an effort to protect one child or keep one situation comfortable, very often, the other children wind up paying the price. Your girlfriend is being insulted. Her parents are being spoken to disrespectfully. Her siblings are being told not to respond. Everyone is being asked to be mevater because there is one relationship in the family that feels too precarious to disturb. That is a complicated family system. Being mevater can be a beautiful middah. It can mean choosing the relationship over being right, letting go of the small stuff and making room for another person. But being mevater and being asked to tolerate repeated mistreatment and possible abuse are not the same thing. And that is where I think your concern becomes very practical. What does your girlfriend expect

All the best, Jennifer

Jennifer Mann, LCSW, is a therapist and certified life coach in private practice in Cedarhurst, NY and via telehealth. She works with individuals, couples, and families, and is a part-time school social worker at Bnos Malka Academy. Her work centers on anxiety, relationships, life transitions, and narcissistic abuse. She integrates attachment-based therapy, cognitive behavioral approaches, and relational work, grounded in the belief that healing and growth emerge through honest, attuned, and meaningful human connection. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 718-908-0512.

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family? These conversations aren’t signs of mistrust—they’re part of discerning compatibility. Ultimately, I wouldn’t ignore this situation, but I also wouldn’t let one family member determine your decision. Pay close attention to your girlfriend’s character, judgment, and ability to build a healthy marriage despite a difficult family dynamic. Those qualities are far more predictive of your future together than the presence of a toxic brother-in-law.

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mevater has limits, or does she see enduring mistreatment as the expectation? Those answers will tell you far more about your future marriage than the behavior of someone you aren’t marrying. If family is important to both of you, it’s also appropriate to have practical conversations. What would holidays look like? How would you handle disrespect directed toward you, your wife, or eventually your children? How involved do you envision being with her extended

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ognizes the behavior as unhealthy, sets appropriate boundaries when they can, and refuses to normalize it. At the same time, it’s worth trying to understand the position her parents are in. They may genuinely fear that confronting their son-in-law could isolate their daughter or make her marriage even more difficult. Parents sometimes feel trapped between protecting one child and preserving a relationship that allows them to remain a source of

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Common

By Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST

Walking The Dog And Managing Risk Why Your Time Horizon Matters More Than the Market’s Mood One morning before school, my son and I were walking a dog that we were dogsitting for a friend. It wasn’t a particularly profound moment at the time. We were simply trying to burn off some energy before the school day began. The dog was excited to be outside and immediately began doing what dogs do best – zigging, zagging, sniffing, pulling, stopping, and generally showing tremendous enthusiasm for almost everything except walking in a straight line. As we made our way down the sidewalk, I found myself laughing at how inefficient the whole process looked. The dog would spot something interesting and dart ten feet to the left. A few moments later, it would catch a scent and pull five feet to the right. Sometimes it seemed determined to investigate every tree, mailbox, and patch of grass in the neighborhood. Yet despite all of this wandering, something interesting was happening. The dog was moving all over the place, but my son was steadily progressing down the street toward the destination. The dog was focused on whatever caught its attention at that moment, but my son and I were focused on where they were ultimately trying to go. As I watched this play out, it occurred to me that investing in the stock market often looks remarkably similar. In many ways, the dog represents the stock market in the short term, and the human holding the leash represents the stock market in the long term.

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Cents

The short-term market is constantly getting distracted. One day it’s worried about interest rates. The next day it’s excited about artificial intelligence. A week later it’s concerned about inflation. Then it’s celebrating a strong earnings report. Then it’s panicking over a geopolitical headline. Like the dog, the market is constantly reacting to whatever happens to be directly in front of it. Some of those distractions are important, but most of the time it is just noise that doesn’t really change the growth trajectory of corporate earnings. This is why stock prices often appear chaotic over short periods. They can rise sharply, fall unexpectedly, or move sideways for months at a time. To an investor who checks their portfolio every day, the experience can feel like watching that dog bounce back and forth across the sidewalk. The movements, volatility, and distrac-

tions are all real, but those short-term movements are not the entire story. Over long periods, the stock market has reflected something much more fundamental than daily headlines. It reflects millions of businesses competing to earn profits, create products, serve customers, and increase shareholder value. Every day, business owners wake up trying to improve their companies. They look for ways to increase revenue, lower costs, develop new products, and gain market share. Some succeed. Some fail. But collectively, the economy tends to move forward because human beings are constantly finding new ways to solve problems and create value. That is the person holding the leash. Steady. Purposeful. Moving toward a destination. The challenge for investors is that the dog is often much easier to notice than the person. When markets decline, investors naturally focus on the immediate movement. Fear becomes amplified. News coverage becomes more dramatic. Every twist and turn feels significant because it is happening in real time. Yet when we zoom out, many of those movements become almost invisible. Consider two investors. The first investor is saving for a home down payment that will be needed within the next two years. The second investor is saving for retirement that is still twenty-five years away. Although both investors participate in the financial markets, their relationships with market volatility should be very different. For the investor who needs the money in two years, the dog’s behavior matters quite a bit. A significant market decline immediately before the funds are needed could materially impact the ability to achieve the goal. This investor has a short leash and a short destination. Stability and preservation of capital become increasingly important. For the investor who will not need the money for twenty-five years, however, the dog’s behavior is often little more than background noise. A temporary decline next month may feel uncomfortable, but it does very little to change the long-term destination. In fact, future contributions may even benefit from

lower prices. The long-term investor has the luxury of focusing less on where the dog is sniffing today and more on where the person is heading over the next several decades. This distinction is one of the most important concepts in investing, yet it is frequently overlooked. People often ask whether now is a good time to invest, but what they are really asking is whether the dog is about to move left or right. The more important question is whether the person is still heading in the right direction. For investors with long time horizons, history suggests that the answer has generally been yes, and this is why financial planning should always begin with the goal, not the investment. A family saving for a Bar Mitzvah in three years should not invest the same way as a young professional saving for retirement in thirty years. A couple planning to purchase a home next year should not have the same portfolio as grandparents investing for future generations. The longer the time horizon, the more flexibility an investor typically has to tolerate the market’s short-term wanderings. The shorter the time horizon, the more important it becomes to protect against those temporary detours. In other words, successful investing is often less about predicting the next move of the dog and more about understanding how far away your destination is. As my son and I finished our walk that morning, I realized that nobody watching from a distance would have described the dog as walking efficiently. The path was messy. It was unpredictable. At times, it looked almost random.

Yet despite all of the zigging and zagging, we arrived exactly where we intended to go. The same can often be said about investing. The daily movements can appear chaotic. Headlines can create anxiety. Market volatility can feel uncomfortable. But for investors who understand their goals, maintain an appropriate time horizon, and stay disciplined through the inevitable distractions, the long-term journey often matters far more than the short-term detours. Invest accordingly! The information contained herein is intended to be used for educational purposes only and is not exhaustive. Diversification and/or any strategy that may be discussed does not guarantee against investment losses but are intended to help manage risk and return. If applicable, historical discussions and/ or opinions are not predictive of future events. The content is presented in good faith and has been drawn from sources believed to be reliable. The content is not intended to be legal, tax or financial advice. Please consult a legal, tax or financial professional for information specific to your individual situation. Subscribe to Common Cents digitally on LinkedIn. The decision to start saving and investing is yours, but the “how” can be hard. Email commoncents@northbrookfinancial. com to schedule a financial planning consultation with our team. Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST is Co-Founder of Northbrook Financial, a Financial Planning, Tax, and Investment Management Firm. He has developed and continues to teach a popular Financial Literacy course for high school students.

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Health & F tness

The Back-To-School Jitters are Back New teachers. New classrooms. New worries. Here’s how to help your family start the school year with an A+ in mental health.

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AUGUST 20-27, 2026

By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP

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ou are reading the topic correctly. I wrote about this not even six weeks ago. Why am I addressing this topic again so soon? Because the issue is real, and our children and their families need help. Let’s launch the school year properly to assure a win-win for all. The backpacks are ready. A dozen boxes of stylish, and apparently essential, new shoes are barricading the front door. School supplies have taken over the dining room table. Somewhere in the house, a child has already decided that the entire school year is ruined based on an unconfirmed class list. Meanwhile, Mom is trying to remember who needs what for the first day, Dad is studying the tuition bill as though there may have been a mathematical error, and everyone is just a little more on edge than they were two weeks ago. Welcome to back-to-school season. And along with the fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils comes something else: anxiety. Lots of it. The kids are worried about new teachers, friends, and homework. Par-

ents are worried about whether their children will succeed, adjust and be happy (not to mention carpools, schedules and getting everyone out the door on time). Did we mention the tuition bill already? Exactly. The truth is back-to-school anxiety is a family affair. But as a pediatrician, I want parents to understand that a little anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Starting something new should give us some butterflies. Our job isn’t to make every butterfly disappear. It’s to teach our children that they can feel nervous, walk through those school doors anyway, and discover: I can handle this. So as another school year begins, how do we help them get there? It Starts With Us Parents Children have remarkable radar. We sometimes think they’re not listening. Trust me, they’re listening. If you’re constantly discussing how difficult this year’s teacher might be, whether your child can handle the workload, whether the class placement was a disaster or how nervous you are about

the upcoming year, don’t be surprised when your child becomes nervous too. This doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t have concerns. Of course we do. It means we need to be conscious of where and how we express them. And if you struggle significantly with anxiety yourself, address it. Evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be helpful. One of the best things you can do for an anxious child is learn to manage your own anxiety. We also need to be careful about how we ask children about their worries. Instead of leading with, “Are you nervous about your new teacher?” or “Are you scared you won’t have friends in your class?” try: “How are you feeling about school starting?” or “Is there anything you’re not looking forward to?” You might discover that the thing you’ve been worrying about for three weeks hasn’t even crossed your child’s mind. Let’s not give them any ideas. When they do express a fear, don’t rush to dismiss it. “I’m scared nobody will sit with me at lunch” may sound easily solvable to us, but to a child, it is

the world. Acknowledge the feeling, then help put it into perspective. The message is simple: I hear you. I understand you. We’re going to figure this out.

Don’t Let Anxiety Make the Decisions This is where parenting an anxious child gets harder. Your child doesn’t want to ride the bus, enter the classroom, or attend an activity because it makes them anxious. Our instinct is to make the discomfort disappear by letting them avoid it. And it works beautifully … for about five minutes. Everyone feels relieved. But the child may also have learned: That was dangerous. I couldn’t handle it. Escaping saved me. Avoidance can reinforce anxiety. Our job is not to throw children into the deep end and tell them to swim. It is to calmly help them face age-appropriate fears, sometimes gradually and step by step. In CBT, this process is called exposure, and it can be an important component of effective anxiety treatment.

65 tinction between ordinary back-to-school butterflies and anxiety that requires professional attention. Most September nervousness settles as children become comfortable with their teachers, classmates

idence-based treatment such as CBT. Parents should be involved too, because we need the tools to coach our children through difficult moments rather than unknowingly reinforcing avoidance.

Success is a child who gradually learns that uncomfortable feelings don’t have to control what happens next.

Early, effective intervention can make an enormous difference.

The Grade That Really Matters As parents, we want a lot from a new school year. We want good teachers and rebbeim. Good friends. Good grades. Growth in Torah, middos and knowledge. We want our children to come home happy. We should want them to succeed. But success isn’t a child who never feels anxious.

Dr. Hylton Lightman MD DCH(SA) FAAP is a board-certified pediatrician and the Medical Director of Suffolk Health Five Towns. He adores his patients and tolerates their parents. His life’s mission is to deliver quality health care to babies, children, teenagers and young adults so they bring their children and grandchildren (and great-grandchildren) to him. He loves what he does.

AUGUST 20-27, 2026

and routines. But if anxiety is causing significant distress or interfering with normal functioning—persistent sleep problems, physical complaints around school, school refusal, withdrawal from friends or activities, or a world that seems to be getting smaller because of fear—don’t simply wait and hope it disappears. Speak with your pediatrician, your gateway to your child’s health and development. If appropriate, your pediatrician can help you find an experienced child anxiety professional who uses ev-

Success is a child who gradually learns that uncomfortable feelings don’t have to control what happens next. It’s the child who walks toward the classroom even with butterflies in his stomach. The child who raises her hand even though she’s afraid of giving the wrong answer. The child who discovers, one small experience at a time, I can do hard things. Perhaps that’s an A+ worth pursuing. So pack the knapsack. Sharpen the pencils. Find the missing shoe. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. And parents, try not to stare at the tuition bill for too long. It’s going to be a wonderful year. As always, daven.

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We’re helping children discover something for themselves: I was scared. I did it anyway. And I was okay. That is why we also need to rethink what we celebrate. We’re very good at asking children about results. “What did you get on the test?” “How many did you get right?” “What grade did you get?” But with an anxious child, there may be another accomplishment worth celebrating: bravery. “I know you were nervous about going into that classroom today, and you did it.” “I know speaking in front of the class was difficult for you. I’m proud that you tried.” “You didn’t know anyone at the activity, but you went in anyway.” That’s success. Little by little, children can learn to recognize what triggers their anxiety, understand what’s happening in their bodies, calm themselves, examine catastrophic thoughts and replace them with more realistic ones. Most importantly, they can learn that being nervous doesn’t mean they have to stop. Of course, there is an important dis-

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Parenting Pearls

Parenting Imperfectly

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By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

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lul is in the air, and The King is in the field. It’s an intense time that comes once a year as we lead up to the yomim noraim. It only becomes even more busy with back-to-school shopping, transitioning out of summer and preparing the kids for school. With so many things to do – and they are all time-sensitive – it’s easy to lose sight of the many spiritual focuses we should have now. Among the many ways we can improve ourselves, bettering our parenting techniques is no less important. Parenting by rote is ineffective – and often foolish. Sadly, we’re often too busy parenting to focus on improving our parenting. It’s ironic but also the reality for many adults. Whether it’s correcting previous parenting errors, or simply wanting to do better, we can – and should – always improve ourselves.

Parenting Imperfectly Last week’s article focused on the mistakes kids make, but adults make mistakes, too. We will make mistakes

in our personal lives and throughout our interpersonal interactions. We’re only human, and we only know what we know. Just like children, we learn as we grow and, hopefully, improve from the life lessons learned in the school of hard knocks. Parenting is mostly learned by experience. Hopefully we have been surrounded by people who are good examples to teach us, and there are books, articles and other ways to fill in the gaps, but ultimately we learn by experience. Those other parents who served as role models are not us, nor do they have our particular child. Those books were written generally for parents and children – not for us or our particular child. It’s impossible for anything to fully prepare us for parenting. As terrifying as it is, we learn as we go. I don’t like using the term “guinea pigs,” but it’s sadly accurate. This means that we are bound to make mistakes in our parenting. I certainly don’t mention this necessity for mistakes lightly, but I try to be truthful

and accurate when discussing parenting. The question isn’t “will we make mistakes?” but “what do we do when we do make mistakes?” Most mistakes are relatively mild and correctable without lasting damage. Hashem designed the world in a way that imperfect parents will raise imperfect (but adorable and precious) children. It’s these everyday errors that I’m referencing in this article. For more severe situations, please reach out to a professional for assistance. As parents, we’re fully invested in these young people, and we take to heart all of our actions and how our children will be affected as a result. This is normal and healthy, but it can lead to some complicated emotions. When working with families, I’ve noticed a tendency for remorse to lead to greater feelings of failure and inadequacy rather than hope for bettering oneself. Practically speaking, they mentally beat themselves up and feel unmotivated to correct their behavior instead of being moved to propel towards improvement.

They may feel so hopeless and upset that thinking of their mistakes just makes them feel worse, resulting in a negative cycle of self-hate. The result is not an improved parent but one that is less functional than before the negative cycle started. Being aware of this tendency can help parents avoid the pitfalls while improving themselves. It’s my humble opinion that parents should not stay too long in this negative cycle but should try to move towards more effective means. What happened in the past can’t be undone, but changes we make now can improve the future. Parents should periodically take stock of their parenting, and I think this is one of the most powerful ways parents can better their techniques and effectiveness. When we act in the moment – which we often are forced to do – we can’t always make the best decisions. We’re under pressure and feeling stressed, neither of which leads to ideal responses. It’s when we’re somewhat calmer and able to take a fuller view of the

67 ment, picking realistic goals is more effective than grandiose ideas that never materialize, and choosing manageable goals will ultimately get us further than undefinable improvements. Some mistakes are very big, and some mistakes can’t be addressed alone. There are many professionals who can guide parents towards making better choices for themselves and their chil-

Prioritizing the Day It’s a busy z’man, and there may not be enough time to get everything done. It’s painful, but it’s also the most realistic way of viewing the situation. Even if there would be time for everything on the to-do list, more will be added, and the kids will interrupt with some new crisis. Inevitably, parents will need to sleep at some point.

We’re often too busy parenting to focus on improving our parenting.

Usually, not everything on the list needs to get done, and prioritizing is often the best way to make sure that what needs to get done is actually accomplished. Focus on what is necessary and leave the preferences for later. Please do not skip sleep or meals. Your functioning and parenting will only be that much less efficient and may lead to

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, holds a master’s degree in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 15 years. Sara provides personalized parent mentoring services, addressing a variety of general and specific parenting concerns. She can be contacted at Sara.Rayvych@gmail.com with comments, questions or for private consultations.

AUGUST 20-27, 2026

dren. Parents should not be afraid to seek guidance. Parents would be rather surprised by the many situations professionals have already dealt with. While I can’t speak for everyone, I know for myself that rather than look down upon someone needing assistance, I have respect for what it takes to make those positive changes.

less getting done rather than more. Trying to take time for your own physical and emotional health will ultimately improve your ability to get through your list, and thinking clearly will make every moment more effective. As parents, taking time for introspection and rethinking our parenting approach is not a luxury but a basic necessity. This time of year – in all its craziness – may be the ideal time to set aside some moments to see how to better our parenting along with our other middos. In all the to-do, we can easily forget that people matter most. In between buying crayons and notebooks, we should try to remember to hug those sweet little ones we’re buying all this stuff for. When our children know how much we love them, all parenting is better.

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situation when we can analyze if we are getting the ideal results and what changes should be made. Rather than continuously doing the same actions resulting in the same sometimes poor results, we can plan an approach that meets our child’s needs while respecting their development. More than just having a better response, this introspection and planning permit us to think proactively and prevent many of the situations we’re forced to address at the last minute. We’re often so focused on having an appropriate method of discipline – which is certainly important – that we often forget how many of these situations could have been avoided with a little forethought. For example, a child breaks something expensive and the parent gets upset at the child which may result in an inappropriate response. When evaluating their parenting, the adult may find a more effective response, such as being firm without losing control. Further introspection might lead the parent to think proactively and decide to keep expensive items out of their young child’s reach. As with all areas of self-improve-

Mr. & Mrs. Moshe Meth on the birth of a daughter Mr. & Mrs. Meir Kraines on the birth of a son

Rabbi & Mrs. Tzvi Hirsch Shapiro on the birth of a daughter Rabbi & Mrs. Efraim Stein on the birth of a son Mr. & Mrs. Shloime Rabinowitz on the birth of a son Mr. & Mrs. Aharon Schnur on the birth of a daughter Mr. & Mrs. Sruly Schonfeld on the birth of a daughter Want to see your simcha here? Email mazeltov@baltimorejewishhome.com or text 443-675-6507 to submit your simcha!

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Rabbi & Mrs. Binyamin Zedner on the birth of a son

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Racheli Kupferstein, 5

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In The K tchen

Simanim Ceviche Pareve / Yields 8 servings

By Naomi Nachman

Ceviche isn’t considered raw, as it is cured with citrus juices. The acid serve it with assorted chilies in place of the fruit. This recipe is using all the ingredients for simanim for Rosh Hashana in this twist. Ingredients

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“cooks” the protein. The dish originates from South America. There, they

• 1 lb. fish, such as salmon or tuna • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice • ¼ cup fresh lime juice • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped • 2 Tablespoons olive oil • ½ teaspoon kosher salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • ¼ cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped • 1 green apple, diced • ½ cup pomegranate seeds • ½ cup shredded carrots • 1 leek, white part only, finely diced • 1 Tablespoon silan • Tostados or tortilla chips, for serving, optional

Cut fish into small cubes. In a glass bowl, combine fish with lemon juice, lime juice, jalapeño, oil, salt, pepper, cilantro, apple, pomegranate, and carrots. Cover and refrigerate; marinate for 2-4 hours. Taste; adjust seasoning, if necessary. 2. Serve with tostados or tortilla chips, optional.

Ingredients • 1 lb. salmon • ½ teaspoon kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 2 Tablespoons olive oil • Juice of ½ lemon

Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Place salmon on prepared baking sheet. 3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oil, and lemon juice. 4. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Continue with Step 1, above.

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.

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Preparation

Variation: Cooked fish option

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