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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
On Tuesday of Parshas Beshalach
48 Gedolei Hador will daven for you
Maran HaRav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a davening on behalf of Kupat Ha’ir donors on Tuesday of Parshas Beshalach 5780
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קו העפת יר
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Dear Readers,
L
ast week, a gentleman came over to me while I was visiting a school in the area. He told me that he was a loyal reader of TJH and had one question for me: “What are you going to do now that Joe Biden is becoming president?” I knew what he was referring to. TJH has been pro-Trump for the past few years, and with someone new in the White House – someone who President Trump has decidedly said is not supposed to be in the office – some may wonder how that would affect our magazine. But my response to him was quick and decisive. “We support the President of the United States,” I said. Regardless of who sits in that chair, regardless of the policies that they may institute, we respect of the Office of the President of the United States. Respect does not mean that we agree with everything the president does. In fact, that’s what’s wonderful about living in the United States: we are officially able to criticize and oppose American policies and leaders without concern for arrest or punishment or poison in our tea. Respect means understanding that that person who sits in the Oval Office – starting from Day 1 – represents the United States of America. That person’s success is, ultimately, the success of the
country in which we live. For the past few years, there have been multitudes of people who have walked around the U.S. chanting, “Not my president.” They didn’t elect Donald Trump as president, and so, they asserted, he wasn’t their president. Convoluted thinking, indeed. If you’re a citizen of the United States, you have to be able to accept that elections have to subscribe to certain rules, and yes, at times, you may lose – but you still need to accept those results. As Jews, we understand and know and believe that it is not the person sitting in the White House who shapes policy and charts our futures. We know that the One Above is the One who is pulling the strings and the One who does good for us always. The one thing that we are missing, though, at times, is clarity. And so, we ask Hashem to clearly show us the good that is coming our way during these uncertain times. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden was sworn in as President of the United States. For the next four years, he will be leading the United States of America. May he be the right shaliach to bring our nation prosperity, health, and peace in our times. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana
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Shabbos Zemanim
Weekly Weather | January 22 – January 28
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Friday, January 22 Parshas Bo Candle Lighting: 4:42 pm Shabbos Ends: 5:46 pm Rabbeinu Tam: 6:46 pm
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
8
COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll
8
Community Happenings
40
Not Just Another Seforim Store by Malky Lowinger
80
NEWS
20
Global
12
National
30
Odd-but-True Stories
34
Exposing Hezbollah’s Economy by Shammai Siskind 82
ISRAEL Israel News
24
My Israel Home
77
JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha
64
Renew Us in Days of Old by Rav Moshe Weinberger
66
Parsha Ponderings
68
Delving into the Daf
70
PEOPLE My Mother’s Life Lessons on Choosing Happiness by Rachayle Deutsch
72
Remembering Moreinu Harav Yehuda Kelemer, z”l by Dr. Rabin Rahmani
74
Howard I Rhine, a”h, by Judah Rhine
76
The IDF Medical Corps by Avi Heiligman
102
HEALTH & FITNESS An Easy Trick to Control Emotions by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn
88
The Rejected Dietary Guidelines by Cindy Weinberger MS, RD
90
Parenting Pearls
92
FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Chicken Fiesta Enchiladas
94
Dear Editor, I’ve written this letter in order to bring to light a serious issue in our community. During the past 3.5 months as the coordinator of Success Space for Women, a new project of the JCC of the Rockaway Peninsula, I have been made aware of a terrible gap in our care for each other. There are, in our communities, families with children led by a single parent (most often a mother) who have been neglected and abandoned by the leaders, many of the tzedakah funds as well as the vast web of chessed organizations serving the sick, etc. These families exist under the radar. They don’t have a rabbi to turn to for guidance and assistance. They don’t have anyone to advocate for them with school issues. They have no one checking in on them. These are children who, even if they’re not at risk now, are at greater risk of heading down a self-destructive path as they try to grow up and be accepted into a community that has neglected and rejected them. These families are INVISIBLE! No one knows if one of the children needs to get into a high school. Is there a bar mitzvah coming up? Do tefillin need to be arranged? Does the family have food for yom tov? Is the family current in their basic housing expenses? Is the parent employed? Is the parent experiencing difficulty with a child and do they require resources and connections to get help?
We need to help these families! We need to step up now in order to prevent bigger problems later on when they’re much, much harder to deal with! Feel free to reach out to me with more ideas, suggestions and plans. Esther Miller JCCRP Program Director Success Space for Women Esther@jccrp.org To The Editor: When I was a college student, the most impressive thing that I ever learned took place in a philosophy course. The professor told us that a philosopher by the name of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was well-known for saying that, at present, humankind is at the emotional, mental/psychological, and spiritual developmental level of a twelveyear-old child, but would one-day evolve into “adulthood.” When I look around and see how we now often mistreat each other in our country, this observation really “speaks’ to me. And I say that in realization that I, too, am one of the twelve-year-olds. With all of the heartaches and losses that each of us experiences in our lives, I want us to try to turn “to” each other rather than “on” each other. Sincerely, Stewart B. Epstein Rochester, NY Continued on page 10
LIFESTYLES Diving the Wreck of the Satil Missile Ship by Dr. Jeffrey Galler 78
92
Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 84 Your Money
108
Some Things are Hard to Face Unarmed by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 110 HUMOR Centerfold 62 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes
96
Democrats Were for Occupying Capitols Before They Were Against It by Marc A. Thiessen 100 Joe Biden is My President by Marc A. Thiessen CLASSIFIEDS
101 104
Did you watch the presidential inauguration this week?
17
%
YES
83
%
NO
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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Continued from page 8
Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home. Please send all correspondence to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.
Dear Editor, As the Trump era comes to a close, I want to say one thing: thank you, President Trump! MAGA started as a campaign and ended being a movement. The MAGA movement will continue beyond Donald Trump. President Trump made promises and boy, did he keep them! From a border wall to tax cuts for the middle class to moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem to defeating ISIS to ripping up the Iran deal to peace in the Middle East to constitutionalist judges and justices to criminal justice reform to the attack on PC culture, Trump did it all! Whether one liked his rhetoric or not, his rhetoric caused an environment of getting things done. Trump accomplished despite attacks daily. The media, the deep state, the Establishment, RINO’s, Democrats all had one thing in common: their hate for President Trump. From a Russian investigation that backfired to impeaching Trump twice for absolutely nothing. Despite the never-ending attacks, Trump persisted. Trump didn’t only accomplish policy; he also made Americans think differently. His policies of peace through strength and America First brought a new way of thinking on how to make peace in areas where peace never looked possible. Trump attacked PC culture because our focus on it held us back as a nation, while nations like China, Russia, and North Korea laughed at us. Trump’s domestic policy brought economic success like never before. Trump’s advancement with private companies to advance U.S. space policy and developing a vaccine in nine months were all hurdles that Trump overcame. Trump accomplished what was previously deemed impossible or controversial – that is why Trump stood out. Finally, Trump was the first politician in modern politics who stood up for the American people. Yes, it is sad that President Trump is leaving office, but at the same time, let us celebrate the legacy of Donald J. Trump and the new MAGA Republican party! Thank you, President Trump. Donny Simcha Guttman Your #1 Fan from Day 1
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
The Week In News
Conquering K2
A group of Nepalis successfully climbed K2, becoming the first to complete a winter ascent of the world’s second-highest mountain. Towering 8,611 meters above sea level, K2 is located on the China-Pakistan border and is widely viewed as the world’s most difficult mountain to climb. The routine subzero temperatures and gale-force winds makes ascending the peak exceedingly difficult and left it the last of world’s 14 tallest mountains to be climbed during the winter.
Until now. Two days of favorable weather conditions and teamwork between multiple climbing teams enabled the 10 Nepali Sherpas to summit the peak this past weekend, accomplishing what has never been done before. “What a journey. I’m humbled to say that as a team, we have summited the magnificent K2 in extreme winter conditions,” exulted team leader Nirmal “Nims” Purja. “We set out to make the impossible possible, and we are honored to be sharing this moment, not only with the Nepalese climbing community but with communities all across the world. “Mother nature always has bigger things to say, and standing on the summit, witness to the sheer force of her extremities, we are proud to have been a part of history for humankind and to show that collaboration, teamwork and a positive mental attitude can push limits to what we feel might be possible.” To achieve the feat, climbers braved difficult terrain and punishing weather conditions that included temperatures that reached -58 degrees Fahrenheit along with galeforce winds. The effort was nearly abandoned after a particularly harsh windstorm blew the team’s tents off
the mountainside earlier this month, forcing them to order an emergency shipment of outdoor gear. “Our team reached Camp 2 today and it was a wreckage site... We have lost everything,” Purja wrote at the time. “I am devastated to be breaking this news. Now, I have to reassess and replan everything.” K2 is only 200 meters shorter than Mount Everest. It has long been referred to as “the savage mountain,” a name that stuck after U.S. mountaineer George Bell said of his own attempt in 1953: “It is a savage mountain that tries to kill you.”
Trading Uighur for Vaccines?
Turkey is accused of deporting members of its Uighur minority to China in exchange for Beijing’s
COVID-19 vaccine. The allegations revolve around the unexplained hold-up in China’s vaccine shipments that coincided with the ratification of a new extradition treaty. Despite signing an agreement in November to provide Turkey with its Sinovac coronavirus, shipments of the drug have been delayed due to unclear reasons. While Turkey initially aimed to begin inoculating its population on December 11, 2020, the first vaccine shipment only landed in Ankara on December 30. But only days before the Sinovac doses arrived, Beijing ratified a 2017 agreement allowing Turkey to extradite those facing criminal charges in China. Coming only four days before China began delivering the promised vaccines, the timing of the extradition treaty has led to accusations that Beijing traded the Sinovac shipments for the deportation of Turkey’s Uighurs. Turkey is home to the world’s largest diaspora Uighur population, prompting fears that the aforementioned treaty will enable the ruling AKP party in Turkey to begin mass deportations. The Uighurs have suffered from relentless persecution at the hands of China’s Communist party, which
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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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views their Muslim faith as a national security threat. In recent years, China has forced millions of Uighur Muslims into slave labor at sprawling concentration camps after accusing them of arbitrary crimes. On Friday, a report compiled by a bipartisan U.S. Congressional commission accused China of committing “genocide” in its treatment of the Uighurs, finding evidence of “crimes against humanity” in the western Xinjiang region. The report also detailed China’s efforts to harass Uighurs living in the United States. Turkey’s 50,000 Uighur Mulsims had assumed until now that they were immune from Beijing’s wave of persecution. But now, the extradition treaty could potentially allow authorities to deport Uighur refugees at-will on trumped-up charges. “This extradition treaty will cause worry among Uighurs who have fled China and do not yet have Turkish citizenship,” noted World Uighur Congress spokesperson Dilxat Raxit.
Maersk Begs for SOS
One of the world’s largest shipping conglomerates wants the international community to put an end to Africa’s pervasive piracy problem. A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, a Danish-based transport giant, called for the world’s superpowers to use military force to safeguard international trade routes. Maersk says that western Africa’s burgeoning piracy problem is so severe that it may be forced to scrap its operations in the area completely. According to Maersk, the rising number of ships that have been hijacked by hostile elements off the Horn of Guinea has driven up insurance rates by more than 150%. With shippers forced to shell out “extraordinary” sums on premiums, along with the need for stationing security guards on its 15,000 vessels, trans-
porting goods in the region may soon become unprofitable. “It is unacceptable in this day and age that seafarers cannot perform their jobs of ensuring a vital supply chain for this region without having to worry about the risk of piracy,” said Maersk chief technical officer Aslak Ross. “The risk has reached a level where effective military capacity needs to be deployed.” While the phenomenon has always posed a threat to international shipping, the global economic collapse caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has pushed many Africans to piracy. According to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre, pirate attacks rose by 20% in 2020 to 195 – the highest since 2008 – while 135 crew members were kidnapped. In the past, ships were traditionally threatened near Nigeria’s coastal waters. Now, hostile activity has since spread to Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Togo and Cameroon. Overall, 95% of piracy incidents worldwide occurred in the Gulf of Guinea. West African pirates are also growing more sophisticated, targeting ships more than 60 nautical miles offshore for the first time. In July, a gang of pirates armed with grenade launchers took over a chemical tanker 195 miles offshore, kidnapping 13 crew members and holding them hostage for more than a month before fleeing. The incident marked the first time that pirates had succeeded in overpowering a vessel so far from shore, causing concern throughout an industry already struggling to deal with the phenomenon. Local governments have stepped up their maritime patrols in response, with Nigeria earmarking more than $200 million on new high-speed boats, drones, and helicopters to upgrade its navy. In recent months, Italy and Spain dispatched two frigates to the Gulf of Guinea as part of their commitment to safeguard merchant shipping. Even so, commercial transport companies say that more must be done. “The perpetrators of such incidents are perfectly aware there is almost no risk of being caught,” Munro Anderson from the British security firm Dryad Global said. “That is precisely the kind of incident an international naval coalition could mitigate.”
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Guatemala Stops Migrant Caravan
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Guatemalan police forcibly prevented a caravan of Honduran migrants from continuing on their journey towards the United States. The 7,000-person strong caravan had set off last week from Honduras to the United States in search of a better life. But upon reaching Honduran-Guatemalan border, they encountered thousands of policemen who deployed tear gas and other riot control means to stop them from proceeding. Initial reports said that the caravan made it to the south-eastern village of Vado Hondo before they were met by military roadblocks. The unexpected delay resulted in scuffles between migrants and authorities, leading police to forcefully intervene in order to prevent the situation from deteriorating. “Fortunately, the security forces established a contingency plan...and contained this battle,” said Guillermo Díaz, who heads Guatemala’s migration agency. He added that the military had erected dozens of checkpoints along the main routes leading into the country and vowed that the government would not capitulate. “It is impossible for them to continue their route. They could already try, and it was not possible to pass. People who have already passed have already been detained. We invite them to return to their place of origin,” said Díaz. Rampant economic devastation and violence in Central American countries such as Honduras have led to an increase in the number of migrants seeking to enter the United States. While the region has long suffered from some of the world’s highest poverty rates, matters worsened after two hurricanes ravaged large parts of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize in November. Adding to the migration wave is
the election of Joe Biden, who has vowed to reverse his predecessor’s strict immigration policies in the U.S. While President Trump constructed hundreds of miles of fencing on the Mexican border and reduced eligibility for asylum, Biden has proposed a massive immigration overhaul in the U.S. that would grant citizenship to as many as 11 million people.
EU Condemns Iran’s Nuke Component
The three most influential countries in the European Union published a joint statement voicing their “deep concern” over Iran’s newfound uranium enrichment drive. The statement came after the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced late last week that Tehran was developing uranium metal, a key component in producing nuclear weapons. In Saturday’s statement, England, Germany, and France pointed out that there is no possible civilian use for the substance and called into doubt Iran’s commitment to 2015’s nuclear deal. “We strongly urge Iran to halt this activity and return to compliance with its JCPOA commitments without further delay if it is serious about preserving the deal,” wrote the foreign ministers. “This action, which has no credible civil justification and carries very significant proliferation-related risks, is in clear violation of Iran’s commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and further hollows out the Agreement. “This is a serious negative development which undermines the joint commitment of JCPOA participants on 21 December to preserve the JCPOA,” continued the statement. “It also risks compromising the important opportunity for a return to diplomacy with the incoming U.S. Administration.” The UN’s nuclear watchdog reported last Wednesday that the Islamic Republic had commenced enriching uranium in what is a clear
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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breach of its commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Earlier this month, Iran told the IAEA that it upped enrichment to 20%, the highest possible step before reaching the 90% needed to make nuclear weapons. England, France, and Germany are signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a 2015 accord inked between Tehran and the six largest world powers. The agreement removed sanctions in exchange for Iran capping its uranium enrichment to 3.67%. The deal has since been on shaky ground ever since 2018, when former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal and reimposed sanctions. President Joe Biden has vowed repeatedly to reenter the JCPOA if Iran will begin keeping to the terms, calling it his “top foreign policy priority.”
China & WHO to Blame According to the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, China and the World
Health Organization (WHO) are partly to blame for the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The two entities could have acted more quickly and more forcefully to contain the spread. The Switzerland-based independent review panel noted, “What is clear to the panel is that public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January (2020),” the report said.
The first cases in Wuhan occurred between December 12 and December 29, 2019 according to city authorities. The cases weren’t reported to WHO until December 31. By the time Wuhan went under lock-
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down on January 23, 2020, the virus had already spread to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States. Several countries, including the U.S. and Australia, have accused Beijing of downplaying the outbreak’s severity during its early stages and preventing an effective response until it was too late. China has responded by admitting that there was room for improvement but asserting that it didn’t react poorly to the pandemic’s beginnings. “About this, I want to say that we should certainly try to do better. I think any country, including China, the U.S., the UK, Japan, and any other country, should try to do better, because I think there is always no best, only better, when it comes to public health issues,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. “But I think there is another point that needs attention here,” Hua said. She added that the idea that China should aim to work better is not the same as saying it is not doing well, adding that Western media has portrayed it that way. “The former means that we need to constantly reform ourselves, im-
prove ourselves, and constantly improve our ability to govern, aiming at the absolute perfection. I think this is precisely why China can continue to develop and make progress. The latter may be somewhat biased and carping,” Hua said. In addition to placing blame on China, the independent panel, cochaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, also criticized WHO for its delays in sounding the alarm and called for reforms to the UN agency. The WHO did not convene its emergency committee until January 22, 2020, despite hearing about the pandemic in December 2019. It then waited until January 30 before declaring an international emergency and only declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. By that time, there were already 118,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths worldwide. The international community needs to achieve a “global reset” on how it tackles pandemics, said the review panel, which is scheduled to present a final report at the World Health Assembly in May.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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China’s Dearth of Last Names
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Despite having the world’s largest population, China has the smallest pool of last names from all the countries in the world. According to a recent study by the Ministry of Public Security, China has only 6,000 surnames currently in use. The five most popular surnames are shared by 30% of China’s total population; 86% of the country’s 1.86 billion people share just 100 last names. The five most common surnames in China, in Mandarin, are Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu, and Chen. The lack of diversity is extremely irregular. By contrast, the U.S. has an estimated 6.3 million surnames that are rarely used more than once. Western Europe has 26.2 million surnames despite having a population considerably smaller than China’s. A key reason for the disparity is diversity. While Europe and the U.S. are characterized by an eclectic mix of ethnicities, China’s population is largely homogenous. Additionally, Mandarin words cannot be altered easily by switching letters. The small number of Chinese surnames is also the result of the Asian country’s modernization that has seen it shed its ancestral culture. Most Chinese surnames currently in use date back thousands of years and have evolved from a time in which last names were used to distinguish tribes. Over the years, Chinese tribes often changed their surnames en masse to show allegiance to a new ruler or fiefdom. Minorities were also forced to change their last names by nationalistic rulers, and family names were frequently altered to avoid revenge killings by their enemies. Another factor is the digitization of China’s government. Beijing’s computer network recognizes 32,000 letters, leaving out tens of thousands of less common characters. Those with the aforementioned letters in their last name needed to amend it to get by, resulting in the loss of tens of millions of ancient surnames. “The culture of surnames has
been passed down in our country for thousands of years, with a deep and broad influence,” wrote the Ministry of Public Security. “Throughout history, the surnames have developed and differentiated, forming more than 6,000 surnames in use today.”
More Mummy Finds
Egyptian authorities recently unveiled “astonishing” new archaeological finds that were unearthed at the Saqqara excavation site near the Giza pyramids. The remains include an ancient shrine and a funeral crypt belonging to Queen Nearit, the wife of King Teti during Egypt’s Sixth Dynasty. Adjoining it were three warehouses constructed out of mud that laborers tasked with constructing the tomb used to store tools. Particularly important were the 52 burial shafts located 20 feet underground. Inside the shafts were 50 sarcophagi, wooden coffins used to bury Egyptian royalty during the New Kingdom Period between the 16th and 11th century BC. “Inside the shafts, the mission discovered large numbers of archaeological artifacts and a large number of statues that represents deities such as the god Osiris and Ptah-SokerOsiris,” said the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities. “These coffins are wooden and anthropoid.… Many of the gods that were worshiped during this period were represented on the surface of the coffins, in addition to various excerpts from the Book of the Dead that help the deceased pass through the journey of the other world.” The discovery marks the first time archaeologists found coffins dating back 3,000 years in Saqqara and is likely to provide a goldmine of new information about the time period. The Saqqara necropolis served as the Egyptian capital of Memphis’ official burial site during the empire’s First Dynasty in 3150 BC and is the site of the country’s oldest pyramid.
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The excavations are being conducted by a team of archaeologists led by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass together with Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In November, a dig turned up 40 mummies and a trove of golden masks, amulets, and daggers.
Navalny Arrested Upon Return
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested and sentenced to 30 days imprisonment after returning home for the first time since being poisoned a few months ago. Navalny was taken into custody on Sunday upon landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, where he had arrived after spending five months recovering at a Berlin hospital. His flight had been diverted from its scheduled landing at Vnukovo airport after 20,000 of his supporters waited to greet him. After landing, Navalny was immediately arrested by Russian security officers and was brought to a nearby police station. He was sentenced to 30 days behind bars for violating his parole terms of a suspended sentence for embezzlement. Hundreds of Navalny’s supporters demonstrated outside the police station where he was being held, chanting “disgrace” and “Putin resign.” Navalny urged his supporters to continue pressuring the regime, saying in a video he released after the sentencing that massive rallies are what the Kremlin “fears the most.” “Don’t be scared,” Navalny assured. “Come out on the streets: not for me, but for yourselves and your future.” The dissident lawmaker is slated to appear before a judge on January 29 for a hearing on replacing his parole with a three-year prison sentence. Navalny denies all the charges and accuses President Vladimir Putin of orchestrating his legal troubles as a means of political persecution. Russia’s opposition media described the trial as a “kangaroo
court,” pointing out that only pro-regime journalists were admitted to the proceedings while Navalny’s defense lawyers were not informed ahead of time. A prominent Putin opponent, Navalny was poisoned in August with the Russian nerve agent Novichok. At first critically ill, Navalny spent the last five months recovering at a Berlin hospital. A slew of Western governments has accused Putin of being behind Navalny’s assassination attempt and has threatened to impose sanctions in response. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have condemned the poisoning and subsequent arrest and have called for Navalny’s release.
Drop in Executions in Saudi Arabia
New data show that Saudi Arabia carried out 27 executions in 2020, the lowest number since 2013 and a drop of 85% from 2019. The Saudi Human Rights Commission attributed the relatively few executions to the Kingdom’s new policy suspending the death penalty for narcotics-related offenses. The sentencing guidelines had been unveiled in 2018 but only went into effect last year. Saudi Arabia began relaxing its strict criminal code in recent years, suspending the execution of minors and abolishing flogging as a form of punishment. Last April, a royal order decreed that all prisoners who began their sentences while minors would have their cases reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and promised to begin phasing out the death penalty. Drug offenses, which were responsible for the majority of executions, were redefined as “tazir,” a misdemeanor with no minimum punishment. This allowed judges to deal with criminals more leniently, often levying fines or public service instead of the death penalty. “This is an indication that the
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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Kingdom and its judicial system are focusing more on rehabilitation and prevention rather than punishment,” noted commission president Awad Al-Awad. “The Kingdom is giving more non-violent criminals a second chance.” Gulf observers called the drop in executions another sign of Saudi Arabia’s attempt at modernization. Led by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), Riyadh has embarked on a series of reforms in an attempt to attract foreign investment as part of a broader strategy to wean the economy off of oil. These reforms have included allowing women to drive, dropping a ban on mixed gender seating at concerts, and allowing women to leave their homes without a male guardian. “The apparent progress being made in Saudi Arabia is clearly driven by a desire to clean up its international image,” said Maya Foa, who directs Saudi Arabia’s Reprieve criminal advocacy organization, adding, “If Mohammed bin Salman is serious about reform, Saudi Arabia should release the young men sentenced to death for childhood crimes and publish laws protecting vulnerable drug mules from execution.”
Travel Pass
Emirates and Etihad, two of the Middle East’s biggest airlines, announced this week that they would be among the first companies to test an application that allows pre-travel verification of coronavirus tests and vaccinations. The United Arab Emirates carriers have partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to be among “the first airlines” worldwide to trial the IATA Travel Pass, both airlines said in separate statements. According to IATA, the mobile app enables passengers to “create a ‘digital passport’ to verify their pre-travel test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination. “They will also be able to share the test and vaccination certificates with authorities and airlines to facilitate travel.”
Back in November, the association noted that in order to get travel up to pre-corona levels, systematic virus testing would be required. The initial implementation of the IATA Travel Pass in Dubai by Emirates is expected to begin in April. “Emirates customers traveling from Dubai will be able to share their Covid-19 test status directly with the airline even before reaching the airport through the app, which will then auto-populate the details on the check-in system,” it said in a statement. Etihad, based in the capital, said the initiative would “initially be offered to Etihad’s guests on selected flights from Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of 2021. “If successful, the pass will be extended to other destinations on the Etihad network,” it added.
Abbas Announces New PA Elections
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the PA to prepare for its first election since 2006. Abbas issued a presidential decree on Friday ordering elections for the PA’s three branches of government to be held in three stages. The initial round will see Palestinians elect members to the Palestinian Legislative Council and will take place on May 22. A presidential vote will then be held on July 31, while Palestinians will return to the ballot box on August 31 to choose delegates for the PA’s National Council. All Arab residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza will be eligible to participate in the election. “The president instructed the election committee and all state apparatuses of the state to launch a
democratic election process in all cities of the homeland,” read the decree, adding that Abbas expected full participation from Arabs “in all governorates of Palestine, including East Jerusalem.” With the majority of Jerusalem’s Arab residents holding Israeli citizenship, Israel has traditionally blocked them from voting in Palestinian parliamentary and presidential contests. However, authorities allowed voting to take place in 1996 and 2006 following pressure from the U.S. The elections would be the first since Hamas won a surprise victory in 2006 that deepened the rift between the Islamist political movement and the secular Fatah. Hamas’ shocking win led relations between the two political movements to fall apart, eventually deteriorating into an all-out civil war that saw the fundamentalist group take over Gaza. Hamas has ruled Gaza ever since, splitting the Palestinian Authority into two competing branches and complicating Israel’s attempts to reach a political settlement. Abbas has refrained from holding new elections to prevent a repeat of Fatah’s humiliating defeat 15 years ago. Hamas hailed the recent announcement, deeming new elections an opportunity to widen its electoral gains from 2006 and take over the Palestinian Authority completely. “We have worked in the past months to resolve all obstacles so that we can reach this day,” the terror group said in a statement. Hamas also called for fair and open elections in which “voters can express their will without restrictions or pressures.” It added, “It is necessary to expedite the holding of a comprehensive national dialogue in which all Palestinian factions participate without exception.” The contest between the two domestic rivals is expected to be tight, with a poll in December by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research giving Fatah as 4% lead over Hamas.
Sa’ar Hires Lincoln Project Gideon Sa’ar has hired the anti-Trump Lincoln Project to assist him in his effort to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power.
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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
Sa’ar is a veteran Likudnik who split from his longtime political home in December to found his New Hope party. The former Education and Interior Minister has vowed to end Netanyahu’s lengthy reign at the helm of the Jewish state and has described the prime minister as “the biggest threat to Israel’s future.”
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On Sunday, a Channel 12 report said that Sa’ar recruited Lincoln Project founders Steve Schmidt, Rick Wilson, Stuart Stevens, and Reed Galen to build his campaign’s messaging strategy. Sa’ar is said to have been impressed by the former GOPs’ work opposing Donald Trump and seeks to replicate it amongst right wingers turned off by Netanyahu. The ex-Republicans will visit Israel when it becomes legally possible and are slated to spend at least two weeks working from Sa’ar’s Tel Aviv headquarters. A New Hope spokesperson confirmed the report but refused to provide any additional details. The Lincoln Project was launched in 2019 by longtime Republican strategists who opposed Trump’s hold on the GOP. The founders included the party’s most renowned spin doctors, including former Steve Schmidt, who managed John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, and the husband of senior Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway. Contending that the GOP strayed from its longtime conservative principles, the Lincoln Project vowed to install Joe Biden in the White House and released a slew of biting ads mocking Trump. Yet the Lincoln Project failed in persuading Republicans to switch sides, with Trump’s vote sharing increasing by 3% in 2020 from 2016. The Lincoln Project has since enjoyed enormous popularity amongst Democrats, leading it to launch a full-fledged media group after the election. Since leaving the Likud in December, Sa’ar has repeatedly accused Netanyahu of betraying his right-wing principles in order to cement his hold on power. Upon announcing his departure from the Likud, Sa’ar alleged that the pre-
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ment that hopes for construction are scattered across various locales. Some of the housing units have yet to be built, while others were constructed illegally and received retroactive approval. Included in the approvals were 107 homes in Tal Menashe, the hometown of 52-year-old Esther Horgan who was bludgeoned to death by a Palestinian terrorist in late December while jogging. An additional 150 were earmarked for Havat Yair, a ru-
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ral farm near Petah Tikva, while 123 units were green lighted in Itamar, 152 in Shavei Shomron, 66 units in Oranit, and 24 in Karnei Shomron. The move was hailed by settler leaders and right-wing politicians, who deemed the retroactive approvals long overdue. Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan pointed out that many of the homes were built decades ago but remained without electricity and running water until Sunday’s “historic achievement.’ Despite the excitement by many Israelis over the development, the approvals were condemned by leftwing movements and the international community as something that would attribute to making it more difficult to establish a Palestinian state in the future. “By promoting hundreds of settlement units, Prime Minister Netanyahu is once again putting his personal political interests over those of the country,” said the Peace Now NGO. “Not only will this settlement activity erode the possibility for a conflict-ending resolution with the Palestinians in the long-term, but in the short-term, it needlessly sets Israel on a collision course with the incoming Biden administration.” The European Union said in a statement that all Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria is “contrary to international law and further undermines the prospects of a viable two-state solution.”
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East Jerusalem Arabs to Vote?
Shtayyeh tweeted. The request came after President Mahmoud Abbas announced that the PA would hold its first elections since 2006 for all three branches of government. According to a presidential decree issued by the Palestinian leader, the elections would occur on three different dates in May, July, and August. Despite Abbas’ order last Friday, many Palestinian experts doubt that elections will eventually occur. Predicting that it would likely result in the Hamas terror group taking over the PA, they said that the proposed return to the ballot box is a means for Abbas to ingratiate himself with the Biden administration. “Right now, there is an announcement of an election with a date, but there are no elections yet. It is currently under negotiation between Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas, because they have not reached agreements on a number of other issues and this is a good presentation for Biden,” said defense expert Ehud Ya’ari on Monday. Israel has traditionally prevented East Jerusalem’s Arabs from participating in PA elections, viewing them as Israeli citizens and not Palestinian subjects. An estimated half of those living in East Jerusalem hold Israeli citizenship while the rest are defined as residents who are entitled to apply for citizenship at their discretion. In the previous two PA elections in 2005 and 2006, Israel originally banned East Jerusalem residents from voting only to reverse the decision after international pressure. Allowing the capital’s Arab residents to participate is often cited as a key reason for Hamas’ shock victory, as the terror group enjoys widespread popularity in Jerusalem.
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The Palestinian Authority (PA) has requested that Israel permit East Jerusalem’s 500,000 Arab residents to vote in this summer’s PA elections. PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday that he passed the request to the Israeli government via the appropriate channels. “We will officially ask Israel to allow our people in Jerusalem to formally participate in the elections, whether as voters or as candidates,”
Jamal Furani is now able to see. The 78-year-old blind man from Haifa regained his sight after he was implanted with an artificial cornea developed by CorNeat Vision, the biomimetic implant firm said. It is the first such successful implant.
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The artificial cornea, which fits into the eye wall, was implanted earlier this month by Prof. Irit Bahar, director of the Ophthalmology Department at Rabin Medical Center in Israel. Upon removal of his bandages, Furani was able to read text and recognize family members. Furnai, who suffered from edema and other diseases, had a damaged cornea, causing a decade of vision loss and defining him as legally blind. CorNeat’s product, made out of
ing regain his sight the following day was electrifying and emotionally moving. There were a lot of tears in the room. This is an extremely important milestone for CorNeat Vision.” The implantation process is fairly simple and takes less than an hour.
second leading cause of blindness in most developing world countries. The World Health Organization estimates that some 2 million patients a year suffer from corneal blindness. “Unveiling this first implanted eye and being in that room, in that moment, was surreal,” said Dr. Gilad Litvin, CorNeat Vision’s co-founder, chief medical officer, and the inventor of the CorNeat KPro. “After years of hard work, seeing a colleague implant the CorNeat KPro with ease and witnessing a fellow human be-
After receiving a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, there is a six- to 12-fold increase in the amount of antibodies produced to defend against coronavirus, according to studies by Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Those who received the vaccine had more antibodies than people who were severely infected with the virus and recovered. “The results of the survey are in line with Pfizer’s experiment and even better than expected,” Prof. Gili Regev-Yochay, director of Sheba’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, said this week. “I expect that the survey results of the other employees participating will be similar. There is certainly reason for optimism.” Interestingly, two people in the study did not develop antibodies, including one who is immunocompromised, Regev-Yochay said. At last count, 7,106 Sheba employees have been vaccinated with the first dose, or approximately 80% of all staff. Of those, 4,484 received their second dose as of Monday. Although the study only involved 102 cases, others were being evaluated, Regev-Yochay said. The study is specifically looking at immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, which determine whether a patient has developed immunity. The study does not indicate how long the immunity will last or if a person who has antibodies can still carry the virus and infect others. However, Regev-Yochay said it appeared to her that people who have been vaccinated will not shed the virus, meaning they will not pass it on to others.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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A New Twitter Acct
Joe Biden will be forced to use a Twitter account with zero followers on his first day in office after the social media giant refused to gift him
President Donald Trump’s 88 million followers. Biden launched a new account under the @PresElectBiden handle on Saturday. The account becomes the official @POTUS (President of the United States) after he is sworn in on Wednesday, January 20 to become the 46th President of the United States. The president-elect gained 400,000 new followers within 12 hours to add to the 24 million followers on Biden’s personal Twitter account. His transition team also launched @FLOTUSBiden for Jill Biden and @SecondGentleman for Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden was forced to start from scratch after Twitter refused to
award him Trump’s followers in what marked a shift from past instances. While Trump had inherited Obama’s 13 million followers after entering the White House in 2017, the social media giant informed the Biden team in December that it would not continue this policy. “These institutional accounts will not automatically retain the followers from the prior administration,” said Twitter in a statement. A spokesperson added that “the company goal was to support the archiving and transition of accounts across administrations.” Twitter’s decision frustrated Biden’s transition team, which first pressured the social media giant to reverse the policy shift before going public with its concerns.
“They are advantaging President Trump’s first days of the administration over ours,” said Rob Flaherty, who directs Biden’s digital team. “If we don’t end the day with the 12 million followers that Donald Trump inherited from Barack Obama, then they have given us less than they gave Donald Trump, and that is a failure.”
WhatsApp Halts Privacy Change Popular messaging app WhatsApp walked back proposed changes to its privacy policies amid mounting criticism from users. The company announced that it
A Transfer of Power
O
n Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden became the 46th president of the United States. In his speech to the nation at the presidential inauguration, Biden announced that “democracy has prevailed” and called on Americans to unite and confront the challenges before them. “This is America’s day,” the 78-year-old said. “This is democracy’s day. A day in history and hope, of renewal and resolve.” Biden spoke for 21 minutes when he addressed the nation on the balcony of the U.S. Capitol. He had been sworn in minutes before by Chief Justice John Roberts. Instead of the usual throngs of people attending the presidential inauguration, the Mall was filled with American flags. National Guardsmen and police officers patrolled the nation’s capital. “Today, we celebrate the triumph, not of a candidate, but of a cause: the cause of democracy. The people – the will of the people – has
been heard,” Biden said. “We’ve learned again, that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.” Biden endeavored to strike a hopeful tone, pledging to be a “president for all Americans.” “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue,” he said, “rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal.” At the inauguration ceremony, Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president of the United States. She made history by being the first female to fill the role. She was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a trailblazer in her own right as the first Latina justice on the high court. Former President Trump skipped the inauguration, although former Vice President Pence and his wife did attend along with former Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton. Trump left to Florida earlier in the day. He spoke for nine minutes at Joint Base Andrews in suburban
Maryland after alighting Air Force One. “I wish the new administration great luck and great success. I think they’ll have great success,” Trump told a few hundred supporters gathered at the base outside Washington. “They have the foundation to do something really spectacular. “A goodbye. We love you,” he said. “We will be back in some form.” According to reports, Biden was set to sign 15 orders on his first day of office, including resetting the U.S.
relationship with the World Health Organization, rejoining the Paris climate accord, and reversing travel restrictions on several predominately Muslim countries. In concluding his address to the nation, Biden said, “Together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear, of unity, not division. “May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us. And the story that tells ages yet to come – that we answered the call of history. We met the moment.”
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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“We’ve heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update,” WhatsApp said. “This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook,” WhatsApp added, highlighting that users would be allowed to “gradually review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15.” WhatsApp also stressed that it does not share sensitive customer information across its other platforms. “We can’t see your private messages or hear your calls, and neither can Facebook,” the service said. “We don’t keep logs of who everyone is messaging or calling. We can’t see your shared location and neither can Facebook.” Since being purchased by Facebook, WhatsApp has provided its parent company with reams of data, including a history of customers’ financial transactions and information about their handset. But last week, WhatsApp began sending its users notices that it would begin sharing their data and gave them until February 8 to approve the changes. The notices resulted in the company’s 2 billion users to mistakenly
assume that the data sharing policy was new, leading to privacy fears and a consumer backlash. Competing app Signal was downloaded 8.8 million times within five days of the announcement, up 246,000% from before WhatsApp’s announcement. Telegram, a messaging app launched by Russian developers, said that downloads jumped by 5 million over the past week alone, hitting half a billion users for the first time in its history.
Accolades for Abraham Accords Team
The members of the Trump administration responsible for brokering the recent wave of peace agreements between Israel and four Arab countries were recently honored for their formidable efforts. Known collectively as the Abraham Accords in homage to the biblical ancestor shared by Jews and Muslims, the agreement saw Israel establish full diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. The breakthrough was overseen by a small coterie of Trump administration officials, including Jared Kushner, Avi Berkowitz, assistant to the president
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and Special Representative for International Negotiations, and communications chief Dan Scavino. Last week, the Pentagon honored the aforementioned group for the geopolitical triumph, presenting them the Department of Defense medal for distinguished service. The Defense Department’s highest civilian honor was presented in a White House ceremony attended by President Donald Trump. “Humbled and greatly honored to receive the department of defense medal for distinguished public service. Serving our country is a great source of pride to me,” wrote Scanino on his Facebook account. “It’s been a tremendous honor to serve the country and work on the Abraham Accords with Jared Kushner and the team,” said Berkowitz. On Friday, Kushner and Berkowitz were honored by Morocco in an Oval Office ceremony celebrating their role in orchestrating last month’s normalization agreement with Israel. The two were awarded the Grand Cordon du Wissam Al Alaoui medal by Ambassador Princess Lala Jourmala on behalf of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. President Trump was given the Order of Muhammad, the Kingdom’s highest
honor, along with a personal letter from the Monarch. The awards are a rare honor for the Trump administration for its role in overseeing the Abraham Accords. Despite engineering what many call the Middle East’s greatest diplomatic shift over the past century, Trump and his associates have largely failed to reap international acclaim.
Biden to Grant Citizenship to 11M
President Joe Biden will begin his term by focusing on granting citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants and passing a mammoth stimulus bill. The two aforementioned issues topped a memo released by Chief of Staff Ron Klain last Saturday that
outlined the Biden administration’s legislative effort. Writing that the U.S. is battling a series of “compounding crises” simultaneously, Klain said that the new president will advance his agenda via a flurry of Executive Orders along with a “robust” legislative effort. As per the memo, Biden will dedicate his first 100 days in office to solving “the COVID-19 crisis, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and a racial equity crisis.” Key to this effort is a proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus bill aiming to alleviate the widespread economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aid package will earmark $415 billion for battling the pandemic itself along with an additional $1 trillion in immediate aid to Americans. This includes sending another round of $1,400 checks to families that qualify in what would be the third such round of direct payments. Another $440 billion will go to small businesses in the form of economic aid and one-time grants. Weekly unemployment benefits will be extended until September and will increase from $300 to $400. Apart from the economic front, Biden will focus on granting immediate citizenship to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. The sweeping immigration reform bill will offer a path to citizenship to those currently residing in the U.S. without legal status and will likely be bitterly opposed by Republicans. Notably, the plan does not provide for increased border enforcement and would constitute the broadest immigration overhaul since the Immigration Reform and Control Act bestowed citizenship to 3 million people in 1986. “Of course, these actions are just the start of our work. Much more will need to be done to fight COVID-19, build our economy back better, combat systemic racism and inequality, and address the existential threat of the climate crisis,” Klain wrote. “But by February 1, America will be moving in the right direction on all four of these challenges – and more – thanks to President-elect Joe Biden’s leadership.”
Fox’s Seth Rich Settlement Fox News insisted that the seven-figure settlement it reached with Seth Rich’s family remain under
wraps until after the presidential election in November. Seth Rich was a Jewish staffer who worked for the Democratic National Committee. After he was gunned down in an affluent Washington neighborhood in 2016, a wave of theories linked him to the Wikileaks hack of the Clinton campaign.
The allegations, which contended that Rich was responsible for handing the incriminating files to the online whistleblower, were often promoted by Fox News’ on-air talent. Shortly after Rich was murdered, commentator Sean Hannity called the story “an explosive event” that “might expose the single biggest fraud, lies, perpetrated on the American people by the media and the Democrats in our history.” The generous airtime Fox hosts dedicated to the theory led Rich’s family to sue the broadcaster, resulting in a generous settlement this past October. A new article in the New York Times about the episode noted that Fox demanded that the settlement not be published until after Americans went to the polls on November 3, 2020. The condition was described as “non-negotiable” by Fox lawyers, who refused to provide an explanation for the unusual request.
Del Monte Dollar
A sticker from a bunch of bananas is making a twenty-dollar bill blow up in value. The banknote has a Del Monte sticker attached to it. The securi-
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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ty numbers of the bill and the U.S. Department of the Treasury seal are printed on top of the sticker in a slip-up that is officially called “an obstructed printing error with retained obstruction.” Now, the banana banknote is worth around $57,500. “Most obstructions fall off shortly after printing, leaving behind a blank area of paper lacking the design, but errors with objects that ‘stick’ to the note and enter circulation are very rare,” notes the website for a Texas dealer putting the note up for auction. “When this note was printed at the Fort Worth western currency facility, it went through the first and second printings normally before the Del Monte sticker found its way on to the surface,” the seller continued, describing the misprint as “one of the greatest paper money errors in history.” The bill was from the U.S. Treasury’s 1996 design series and was released into circulation in 2004. It was sold at auction in 2006 for more than $25,000. Two years earlier, though, the note was sold on eBay by a student who received it as part of an ATM withdrawal. The student sold the bill then for a mere $10,000. All U.S. banknotes produced since 1968 go through three print stages.
The colorful banana sticker, bearing the words “Ecuador Del Monte Quality” and the number #4011, would have been added after the first two stages, printing the front and back of the note, but before the final print that added the security logo and individual identification detail. Because of this, Heritage said, “most would conjecture that this error note was no accident and probably the result of some very bored or creative BEP employee.” Notaphilists – people who collect paper money – prize misprinted banknotes. Sounds like they’ll go bananas over this one.
Top Dog
This, quite frankly, could be the best job out there. Kraft Heinz is looking for the perfect team to drive its famous hot
dog-shaped Wienermobile across the country for a year. The ideal Hotdogger (yup, that’s what they’re called) is an “outgoing, creative, friendly, exuberant, college graduate who has an appetite for adventure and is willing to see the country through the windshield of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for one year,” according to the job description. Oh, and they probably should like hot dogs. The lucky crew will be traveling the country in the famous 27-foot orange and yellow vehicles and stopping at more than 200 events. They’ll also appear on local television and radio and do newspaper interviews, and they will create content for social media. Wienermobile events were canceled last March due to the pandemic but have since resumed. According to Oscar Meyer, six Wienermobiles are driving across the United States at any given time. Pass the mustard, please.
The Scream Machine
Feeling a bit frustrated? Need to let out some of your emotions? Introducing Just Scream! The hotline was created by elementary school teacher Chris Gollmar, who wanted to reduce tension for those needing to let off a bit of steam. People can call the hotline and scream for as long as they want before hanging up a bit more relaxed. “I wanted to find a prompt that people would respond to and screaming seemed to be a good fit!” Gollmar told CNN. He came up with the idea in September 2020 (hello, start of the school year!) and launched it right before Election Day. Gollmar has been involved with other “hotline” projects before. He has worked on participatory art projects that invite people to call a phone number and leave a voicemail for others to hear. This time, he said, he “thought it would be funny and unique to create a phone line just for screaming.” Where do all those screams go?
The calls are recorded and then put on the website that Gollmar created for this purpose. So far, Gollmar has received 70,000 recordings of screaming since the project launched. “Never in my life would I have expected so many people to actually pick up the phone, dial a number, and record themselves for the world to hear,” he said. “But we’re all screaming on the inside right now, so I guess I should have figured.” Need to scream at something – anything?! Better pick up the phone stat. The hotline will stop accepting calls on January 21. After that, Gollmar said he will pick a new project to work on. “I’ve always intended it to be a limited-term project – a reflection of this point in time when, in addition to all the stress of the pandemic, we’re also experiencing political turmoil in the United States,” he said. “I’ve started thinking about it like a time capsule, in a way.” Aaaaahhh!
Lost & Found
A copy of the world’s most expensive painting is now in safe hands. “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci was recovered by Italian police after it was stolen from a museum in Naples. The 16th century copy – which was likely painted by one of da Vinci’s students – was found in an apartment during a search by police in Naples. Although it is not known who created this particular “Salvator Mundi,” it is thought to have been painted towards the end of the 1510s by someone from the artist’s workshop. Numerous copies of the portrait were made during da Vinci’s lifetime by his students and assistants. The Museum of San Domenico Maggiore owns this painting. The museum asserts that, although it’s not clear who painted this copy, the “most convincing” theory of its artist is that it was created by da Vinci’s student Girolamo Alibrandi in Rome. The original “Salvator Mundi” made history in 2017 when it sold for
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
GUESTS OF HONOR
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telling me that an unauthorized, nonemployee individual was allegedly living within a secure part of the O’Hare airport terminal from October 19, 2020, to January 16, 2021, and was not detected? I want to understand you correctly.” When Singh was asked by airline employees for his ID on Saturday, he showed them an airport ID badge. That badge had actually belonged to an operations manager who had reported it missing on October 26. Singh had found the badge in the airport and said he was “scared to go home due to COVID.” Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts. This guy is in for a really bumpy ride home.
Professional Binge Watcher
$450.3 million at Christie’s in New York. Once dismissed as a copy, it sold in the UK for just £45 ($61) in the 1950s. It is widely thought that the record-breaking bid was made on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Home at O’Hare In a real-life enactment of a movie, Aditya Singh hid out for
three months in the secured area of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, until this week when he was taken in by police. The California man was arrested on Saturday after calling the airport his home for the past few months. He was charged with felony criminal trespass and misdemeanor theft. Singh landed in O’Hare on a flight from Los Angeles on October 19. He had lived in the airport’s security zone ever since, without detection.
Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz was amazed that the 36-year-old managed to live under the radar for so long.
“So if I understand you correctly,” she asked the prosecutor, “you’re
If you don’t do anything all day, and you have no aspirations to do anything, well, this is the perfect job for you. A casino review company, BonusFinder, is searching for a “Professional Binge Watcher.” They want their newest employee to rank shows and takeout pizzas. “We’re now on the hunt for the perfect candidate to inform us of the best bingeable Netflix shows and the best takeout pizza to help us all through these turbulent times,” the competition website says. The company previously ran competitions to pay people to test burgers, ice cream, candy and pumpkin pie. The winner of the search will receive $500 and will watch and review three television series on Netflix while testing and ranking takeout pizza. Their Netflix memberships and pizza and movie snacks will all be paid for. Those seeking the ambitious employment position may have to get off their couch and act fast. The application process ends on February 12. Dinner and a movie for free. What can be better?
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Around the
Community
These American history projects were made by Rabbi Doniel Bush’s seventh grade social studies students at Yeshiva Darchei Torah to experience early American colonial life through their research and creation of historically accurate miniature colonies
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
AROUND TOWN ANY M O R F YS O B L ER L H A T O E T H W N , E OP AMP C Y !! T N A O L , N O O R O SCH ES L K C I P E YOU LIK
HOW TO PLAY:
1 2 3
GO AROUND TOWN AND FIND THE LISTED ITEMS TA K E A P I C T U R E WITH EACH ITEM T H AT Y O U F I N D SEND AN EMAIL TO C M Y F U N S U M M E R @ G M A I L .CO M W I T H A L L P I C T U R E S AT TA C H E D TO BE ENTERED INTO THE RAFFLE
T MAGNE D CMY N A T E MAGN ANT ICKLE S TA U R ITH A P W R M A RE A O R A C F OF GAS U H WORT T MEN 1 U $ O N E A K TH A TA BER R LESS H MEM IPT FO TZALA A H A RECE A ITH AN URE W OLICEM A PICT CART ITH A P W PPING E R O U H T S A N I A PIC E F YO U URE O E P L AT DOG A PICT LICENS E T A KING A T L E WA T OF S N O E M AN OU ITH SO URE W LER A PICT STROL D IN A L I H C A FLAG ERICAN MADE AN AM T YO U A H T T C E RS A PROJ OT YO U LE AT ’ S N H O R C YC T T L O O M HO A F A SC URE O A PICT D R A H D AY C IPT A BIRT KLE T RECE N A R MY PIC U A T S E Y YUM L A R L T A E E K C G A R H U P PA OLDIN A K E TC YO U H H T I W URE A PICT
PLAY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A BRAND NEW BASKETBALL HO P!
S I G N U P T O D A Y T O G E T S P E C I A L E A R LY B I R D P R I C I N G R E G I S T E R O N L I N E AT C M Y F U N .C O M
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Around the Community
HALB first graders received their very own siddurim on Sunday
HAFTR Innovates Fundraising in the COVID Era
I
n lieu of an annual winter dinner this year, Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) and the incredible HAFTR PTA joined forces to hold The HAFTR Dinnerthon on Sunday, January 10. HAFTR’s Director of Development and Innovation Benny Gross, along with Ari Witkes, hosted the live, five-hour show, filled with amazing highlights of the school, as well as entertainment for the entire community. The Dinnerthon streamed live on January 10, but took weeks of work behind the scenes by the dedicated dinner committee of Mo Blinder, Ari Freundlich, Sharona Hoffman, Chani Jeter, Inna Kern, Dara Karhu, Malka Perl, and Evan Small, and event coordinators HAFTR’s Director of Marketing Shani Seewald and Benny Gross. “We wanted to do this telethon to show our support for all our incredible staff. I’m proud of the success we have had keeping our school open for in-person learning since August,” said Benny Gross. “We also wanted to help our families, who tuned in for over five hours, forget everything going on in the world and have some fun.” The HAFTR Dinnerthon honored and paid tribute to HAFTR’s Heroes: its staff, faculty, and administrators, and the incredible effort they have put forth since COVID began. HAFTR President Neil Wiener remarked, “Our extraordinary staff has exemplified the values of grit,
ingenuity, caring, unity, and service, as they’ve addressed one hurdle after another – clear evidence that HAFTR continues to lead the field in yeshiva innovation. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.” A lot of hard work behind the scenes made reopening the school in August a reality. HAFTR has invested significant amounts of time, funding, and resources to provide in-person learning and growth opportunities while keeping its students and staff safe. Being able to provide in-person learning is a gift the school does not take for granted. “This year has been an exercise in tireless efforts to ensure the health and safety of every one of our students and staff,” HAFTR Executive
Director Ari Solomon shared. “We all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to each and every staff member. To every administrator, teacher, maintenance worker, nurse, kitchen staff, and security guard. You have accomplished the unthinkable. To this, I say, yasher koach and thank you for being part of our HAFTR family.” Continuing to provide the HAFTR standard of academic excellence, with the level of COVID safety it has established in recent months, come at significant cost. The funds raised from the Dinnerthon will help offset the incredible volume of projects required to reopen and maintain HAFTR’s in-person learning during the current climate and ensure its ability to keep school open and operating at
the highest levels. “We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from the entire community during this campaign,” Ari Solomon said. “On behalf of the administration and the Board, we thank everyone who generously sponsored and contributed before and during the Dinnerthon and encourage anyone else to donate now.” The entire Board and administration of HAFTR extends its heartfelt gratitude to all the staff and faculty on this recognition of their extraordinary contributions to HAFTR and our community at large. The HAFTR Dinnerthon is available to view, and anyone interested in donating still has time to donate by visiting HAFTRdinnerthon.org.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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Around the Community
Awards Presented at Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Evening of Celebration Read more about all of the awardees at Darchei.org/honorees. Video presentations can be found at Darchei.org/Live PHOTOS BY BIG PRODUCTIONS
L-R: Elisha Brecher, cochairman, board of directors; Rav Moshe Bender, associate dean; Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, rosh yeshiva; Rav Yaakov Bender, rosh hayeshiva; guest of honor Dovy Freund; Lloyd Keilson, co-chairman, board of trustees; Ronald Lowinger, president; and Aron Solomon, co-chairman, board of directors.
Rav Shmuel Strickman, menahel of the lower elementary school, accepts a gift as part of the memorial tribute to his late wife, Mrs. Shoshana Strickman, a�h
Parents of the Year awardee Steven Stein
Avodas Hakodesh awardee Shlomo Katz
The National Leadership Award, presented to Mr. and Mrs. Stephani Serotta of Houston, was accepted by their son, Zacharya Serotta, and son-in-law, Moshe Berger
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
FAVORITE PEOPLE AWAY
YOU’RE ALL OUR FAVORITE!
Special E A R LY B I R D ENDS jAN,31
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Around the Community
Gesher students made edible flowerpots for Rosh Chodesh Shvat
Names, Not Numbers at HANC
The Pre-1A boys at Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion in Forest Hills were presented with their very first siddurim at the annual siddur celebration this week. They sang many beautiful songs that they had been working so hard on to prepare
Robotics Resumes at HAFTR
O
n January 14, the entire eighth grade at HANC Middle School listened to a presentation from Ms. Shoshana Soroka, editor of The Jewish Home. Ms. Soroka gave tips on how to talk and interview Holocaust survivors and listened intently as each student suggested certain types of questions to pose to survivors. During the presentation, Ms. Soroka went through the interview process and explained how there would be questions about before the war, during the war, and after the war. She talked about what
would happen if the survivor cries or is silent for a bit and gave tips on how to conduct the interview professionally and in an engaged manner. Two of the students, Elana Max and Elnatan Chasser, had the opportunity to role-play and took part in an actual “interview” with Ms. Soroka. It is important for students to have the opportunity to be involved in this important project to ensure that Holocaust survivors’ legacies live on and that the Holocaust is never forgotten.
T
he second annual CIJE VEX Robotics competition was held outside of HAFTR Middle School on Friday, January 15. Over 40 students from eight different cohorts competed successfully navigating COVID guidelines to complete a game-ready robot. This year’s chal-
lenge required students to maneuver risers into predetermined patterns, and students did a marvelous job. HAFTR Middle School is so proud of its robotics team and their hard work and success. Special thanks to the robotics faculty advisors Mrs. Gittel Grant and Rabbi Baruch Noy.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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Around the Community
YOSS Individualized Chumash Presentations
Styletto X
A
momentous celebration took place at Yeshiva of South Shore this past Sunday – Rabbi Henach Gewirtz’s first graders received their very first Chumash! Moreover, the class recently began their learning of Chumash Parshas Bereishis. (Programs for the other first grades will take place in the next few weeks.) During this period of COVID safety guidelines, the Yeshiva opted to have a short, intimate celebration with each individual family instead of a large gathering for all the children and parents. Individual talmidim came to Yeshiva together with their parents and grandparents at their designated time slot. While Simchas Torah music played in the background, each talmid sat with Rabbi Gewirtz and learned the first pasuk of Chumash. Parents and grandparents looked on with pride and gratitude as their son
and grandson received his personalized Chumash which he will use for the next few years until he makes a siyum on Sefer Bereishis. The atmosphere was one of Simchas Torah! Each boy also received a personalized flag and a beautifully packaged pekele with nosh that carried the spirit of Simchas Torah. A photographer was there to capture the moment for each family – their beaming child embracing their first Chumash and waving his flags. Boys were flanked by their rebbe, the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, the Mmnahel, Rabbi Avraham Robinson, proud parents, and grandparents – a photograph of one beautiful moment yet a memory for a lifetime. They will undoubtedly cherish this Chumash for many years to come, and we all hope that the words of the Torah will remain sweet in their mouths forever.
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
A Prestigious Honor
O
n Thursday, January 14, at Senator Kaminsky’s District Office in Rockville Centre, Senator Todd Kaminsky recognized Priva Halpert of Stella K. Abraham (SKA) High School for Girls with a proclamation for her nomination as a Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar.
Priva’s project was entitled, “Harnessing the Colorimetric Changes due to the Antenna Effect for Detection of Aliphatic Alcohols in 2-HP-BETA-Cyclodextrin Solutions.” Priva was one of 41 Long Island high school students selected for this prestigious honor.
HANC Competes in CIJE Teach Robotics Tournament
O
n January 12, HANC High School’s Engineering I class competed in the CIJE-Tech robotics tournament. Students worked on designing, assembling, programming and controlling a robot that had to complete certain tasks. The CIJE judges came to HANC and assembled a rink outdoors for our HANC robot to compete in. The scores from other yeshivas will be tabulated, and we look forward to seeing how our team placed
in this prestigious competition. Congratulations goes to the following students, Oriel Atias, Avi Baruch, Joseph Diamond, Judah Ehrenhaus, Ethan Floumanhaft, Isaac Goldschmiedt, Benyamin Kalati, David Khalili, Jacob Lenefsky, Jacob Peyser, Yaron Rahmani, and Shmueli Woznica, who put in countless hours preparing for this competition. Thank you to Professor Amrit Singh for all his efforts in leading and inspiring our engineering students.
Dr. Shawn Rux, Deputy Superintendent of District 29 in Queens, spoke to HALB’s 4th and 5th grade students this week about Martin Luther King’s message to youth
Let the Good Times Roll
T
he HANC High School Student Life team continues to create opportunities for students to bond. In honor of Rosh Chodesh Shevat, on January 14, each grade learned to make sushi from our student itamae (cooks in a Japanese kitchen). Each student received pre-packaged rice, sliced cucumber
and avocado, nori and a sushi mat prepared by Oma’s Sushi and Grill in West Hempstead. Learning how to make something new with friends is always a wonderful way to bond! Great thanks to HANC’s Student Life team for implementing this creative and delicious program for our students.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
In honor of completing Sefer Bereishis with Shnayim Mikra, the sixth grade students of the YOSS Mechina celebrated with an ice skating trip. The boys already started Sefer Shmos and can’t wait for the next celebration.
Brain Breaks at SHS
Children at the Friedberg JCC in Lynbrook enjoyed pajama day in honor of Parshas Bo
Healthy Habits at TAG
M
idterms week offers more than just exams to Shulamith High School students. To begin with, students were well prepared for their exams not only with typical reviews and review sheets, but each teacher offered an optional Q&A session the day before the final. This allowed students to clarify misunderstandings or have difficult concepts explained. What makes midterms especially special are the famous SHS Brain Breaks. Brain breaks are energizing bursts of activity that increase bloodflow in the brain. Studies show that the increase of oxygen in the brain due to brain breaks help students better retain information. The incredibly creative GO, President Ellyana Pilevsky, VP Adina Zelcer,
and Secretary Mindy Kail, led by Student Activities Coordinator Esty Munk, planned activities all week including make-your-own trail mix, a competitive competition of “Finish the Lyrics,” and even a session of dart throwing! On Monday, students wrote their midterm-related stresses on ceramic plates and then broke them in a popular activity called “Breakable Stress.” “I always look forward to brain breaks,” sophomore Chavi Feldman said, “the school always has great activities that enable me to have fun and relax after working so hard.” SHS morale was up even as finals week continued, with brain breaks to help release stress and increase the ability to study effectively.
Did you know? James and Dolley Madison started the tradition of a White House reception and inaugural ball in 1809. Tickets were $4, or about $85 in current prices.
T
he Ganger Early Childhood at Torah Academy for Girls began their Chodesh Shevat Talmidos B’rios program. The talmidos learned that our bodies are a present from Hashem, and we have to take care of this present by keeping ourselves healthy! All month, they will work on different healthy habits – eating healthy, exercising, getting enough sleep, and more. This week, each talmidah received a water bottle as a reminder to drink lots of water!
We are looking forward to everyone returning after winter break, healthy and refreshed.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
From Shema Yisrael to Kol HaTorah Kulah Introducing Mission: Siyum
S
huvu was founded by Moreinu Horav Avrohom Pam, zt”l, three decades ago on the simple belief: every immigrant Jew should have the schools and support to connect to their heritage and thrive in Eretz Yisroel. And that goal is being realized in Shuvu schools, kindergartens, and after-school programs every day. Students who arrived in Eretz Yisroel unfamiliar with even Shema Yisrael are learning Gemara with miforshim. Unaffiliated families are being inspired by their newly-educated children. Jewish children are learning Torah in earnest, nurtured by the warmest, most caring teachers in Israel. In 77 schools with over 15,000 students and their family members, Torah is being passed to the next generation with love and purity. Now, the Shuvu children of the past thirty years are taking on an incredible challenge for the first time – the completion of the whole Torah. Join us as we celebrate the culmination of three decades of success! Mission: Siyum will encompass the completion of the entire Torah in partnership with the children of Shuvu. Every part of Tanach and Shas will be learned by both an American partner and a Shuvu student, leading to a grand joint live siyum on March 14. One of our alumni, Karen Niazov, chose to learn Sefer Yonah. “His story resonates with me so much,” she explained. “I also felt lost until I finally came back to Hashem with teshuva!”
Another alumnus chose to learn 10 completely new blatt Gemara as a gift to Shuvu. “This is my Bikurim. I want to give back to Shuvu for everything they’ve taught me.” On January 13, Shuvu introduced this incredible project on Coach Menachem’s popular live weekly conference*. The program began with a moving bracha from Hagaon Horav Reuven Feinstein and powerful words of chizzuk from Charlie Harary. Later, Shuvu director Rabbi Chaim Michoel Gutterman shared the incredible impact of the program, which has already begun in Eretz Yisroel. “Every child received a Schottenstein Talmid Bavli,” he explained, “and in many of these homes, this is the first time that a Gemara is seen in the house.” Rabbi Mordechai Eisenberg, who is spearheading Mission: Siyum in the U.S., followed up by explaining how men, women and children can all get involved. “These are children who come from homes where Torah was lost in their family for generations. They’re back now, and they’re learning. You can partner with them and show your support by learning alongside them.” The learning program will kick off on January 31 with an exciting live virtual event featuring Joey Newcomb and other exciting guests. Join and choose a segment of Torah to learn – be part of this historic movement! To find out how you can get involved, go to missionsiyum.org.
Partners In Shidduchim
P
artners In Shidduchim, a leading global shidduch networking platform, presents Effective Communication When Dating, a free webinar for shadchanim, singles, and their advocates on Tuesday, January 26 at 9 PM EST. The program will feature noted experts Aleeza Ben-Shalom, author,
founder of Marriage Minded Mentor, dating coach, and Dr. Devora Samet, a clinical psychologist and social skills expert. “Partners In Shidduchim is committed to empowering the entire singles community and helping them navigate the often complex journey to the chuppah,” said Mrs. Baila
Yaniv, founder of Partners In Shidduchim. “Our educational webinar series will equip participants with the proper tools to feel confident and comfortable with their communication skills. Feeling self-assured and having a solid and healthy approach to dating is vital for anyone in a relationship.”
Partners in Shidduchim is endorsed by leading rabbonim. Previous webinars have drawn viewers from across North America. To learn more or to register for the January 26 event, visit www.partnersinshidduchim.com/events.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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An evening of tribute H O N O R I N G : guests of honor
ARI AND ROCHEL SIMA MUNK parents of the year
YOSSI AND LEORA HAMMER keser shem tov
CHAIM SHOLOM AND RIVKY LEIBOWITZ in memoriam
03 . 0 6 . 21
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MRS. REMA OLSHANSKY A”H
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
BYAM Kabbalas Chumashim The children at HANC ECC planted seeds and created their own edible, healthy trees for Tu B’Shvat. In addition, a tremendous assortment of dried fruit was supplied by the PTA for all of the children to sample. The children were totally amazed by all of these delicious delicacies!
T
he second graders at Bais Yaakov of Miriam had a very special celebration last week in honor of their Kabbalas Chumashim. The girls were able to hear from Rabbi Neuman, Mrs. Zytman and a special guest speaker. Rabbi Eliezer
Ament, rebbi in Yeshiva Darchei Torah, told the girls a fabulous story on the importance of their new Chumashim. They celebrated with special treats and dancing to mark this momentous occasion.
All Access Flag Football
Invention Convention
F
or those following sports, the Five Towns’ All Access Flag Football season is in full swing. Week 6 is in the books. Feintuch has been on a roll after starting out 0-3, winning its last two games including beating previously undefeated Believe and Achieve this past week 38 to 20. Ofman beat a young
and tough 3-3 Bistritzky team 26 to 6, staying undefeated and taking first place. Charlie won his 4th in a row by beating a short-handed Levinger team 27 to 6. And finally, the 2020 fall league champs win back-to-back games to go above .500 at 3-2 by beating the Ginzos in a convincing fashion 35 to 13.
T
he fifth grade at YOSS presented their unique creations at their Invention Convention this past Friday. The convention is a culmination project for their unit on engineering. The boys invented a practical item that would benefit people with everyday problems. Our budding engineers brainstormed, researched, planned and developed a prototype which they tested. Some
of the inventions were designed to help people have less pain when getting a vaccine (especially with the new Covid vaccine!). Other inventions included ways to better see in the dark, clean the house, and organize your life! Watch out Shark Tank, YOSS has some very innovative engineers waiting to show you their creations!
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
HAFTR Siddur Celebration
H
AFTR Lower School held its Gilad Kalter Chagigat Siddur on Sunday, January 10, where first grade students received their first siddurim at the unique celebration. Families, including grandparents, were welcomed to the hybrid drive-in show with snacks and
got to watch a pre-filmed segment of the students singing with great energy and enthusiasm on a projection truck, as well as a livestream. Students then stepped outside their cars to receive their siddurim from their teachers as well as special treats and take-home projects. Even students
in quarantine were able to take part in the celebration on the livestream, and the special HAFTR morot delivered their siddurim to their homes. HAFTR Lower School thanks this event’s sponsors for their generous support: Dana Kalter, Rachel and Jonathan Farber, Chani and
Jack Jeter, Adina and Daniel Bienstock, Rachel and Ari Ellenberg, Margery Friedman, Caryn and Avi Golombeck, Shelly and Anne Golombeck, Lauren and Jonathan Heller, Jordana and Sam Klein, and Lara and David Scheer.
CAHAL Mishnayos Demonstrations
A
s in many schools, fourth grade is a special milestone as the boys put their creative skills into use by making visual demonstrations of the cases they learned in Mishnayos Sukkos. The boys of the CAHAL fourth grade class at Yeshiva Darchei Torah were no exception as they built beauti-
ful models displaying their favorite examples. They truly love learning Mishnayos and take pride in being able to show off their knowledge in such a fun manner. Special thanks to Yeshiva Darchei Torah for including the CAHAL class in this special event.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Chag HaChumash
H
ANC Plainview second graders proudly celebrated their Chag HaChumash on Tuesday, January 19. The play itself was
pre-recorded, and the students really enjoyed watching themselves along with their families on Zoom. Everyone watched as the children each
received their Chumash from Morah Chaya Hecht and Rabbi Kalman Fogel live. After the program, the children went back to their classroom
to enjoy cupcakes and special goody bags. We wish them mazal tov as they begin a lifelong journey of Torah learning!
Celebrating the Completion of Nevi’im Achronim
A
n estimated 1,200 participants completed Nevi’im Achronim this week with the Orthodox Union Women’s Initiative’s Torat Imecha Nach Yomi series that launched one year ago. The two-part virtual siyum began on Tuesday, January 19. The group will finish the final chapter of Nevi’im Achronim on Friday, January 22 and begin the next part of the daily learning program with Sefer Tehillim on Motzei Shabbos, January 23. The virtual siyum, which recognizes the completion of this section, celebrated with a papercutting experiential art event from New Jersey-based artist Dena Levie focused around rebuilding Jerusalem, a major theme in Nevi’im Achronim. The following day, January 21, participants were invited to hear from Israeli educator Raphaella Tabak on “Connection and Continuity: From Mishkan to Bayit Shlishi,” for the second piece of the celebration. Following the completion of Malachi – the final book of Nevi’im Achronim – the Torat Imecha program will start Sefer Tehillim, beginning with a live shiur presented by Rabbanit Shani Taragin. The audio shiurim in this series, geared towards
Papercutting with the siyum participants
learners of all levels, will be given by a world-class roster of female educators and scholars, including: Aviva Feiner (Far Rockaway, NY); Elana Flaumenhaft (Queens, NY); Emma Katz (Chicago, IL); Rachel Kosowsky (Silver Spring, MD); Abby Lerner (Jerusalem, Israel); Sally Mishanieh (Brooklyn, NY); Peshi Neuburger (Bergenfield, NJ); Shifra Revah
(Los Angeles, CA); Shulamit Rubin (Brooklyn, NY); Rivka Segal (Jerusalem, Israel); Avigail Shaliachsiboo (Great Neck, NY); Adina Shmidman (Bala Cynwyd, PA); Keshet Starr (Teaneck, NJ); Esther Tokayer (Brooklyn, NY); Tzipora Weinberg (North Woodmere, NY); and Sara Malka Winter (Silver Spring, MD). “The success of the Women’s Ini-
tiative Torat Imecha program has been so rewarding to see. Despite their busy schedules, being able to bring together over 1,200 women of all backgrounds and create a robust network of learners is a phenomenal fete,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. “Sefer Tehillim is our source of comfort, connection, and inspiration,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer. “The new series serves as the perfect entry point for learners of all levels to join this program and gain insight into this timeless, sacred text.” “The Torat Imecha program has brought together so many women from around the world, and we’re excited to celebrate their accomplishments,” said OU Women’s Initiative Founding Director Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman. “We cannot wait to unveil the next part of this series and we invite those who are not yet part of the group to join us in learning together daily.” To subscribe to the Torat Imecha shiurum, and to listen to archived podcasts visit: https://www.ou.org/ women/nach.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
Around the Community
Makkos Mania at YOSS
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ast week, YOSS ECC explored the makkos in a hands-on and non-frightening way. Special editions this year were a new frog jumping sensory path and large arbeh (grasshoppers) found hanging off the rock-climbing wall.
While exploring the barad (hail) this year, some classes created large ice sculptures together. Did you know that if you freeze water in cups and bowls, you can use salt to meld the pieces together and create amazing sculptures?
Call our Confidential Hotline to discuss any issues about relationships or domestic abuse. We provide a listening ear to all. Our referrals help our callers gain access to helpful resources, including legal assistance, counseling, and safe shelters. For more information and to speak with a trained advocate, please visit www.shalomtaskforce.org.
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MLK Day at Shulamith
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n Monday, January 18, the students of Shulamith Middle Division participated in a special event to honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The day’s activities were organized by Ms. Laurie Stone Brofsky, Volunteer Services Manager, and Susan Sachs, Volunteer Projects Coordinator for The Marion and Aaron Gural JCC, in conjunction with Ms. Rachel Steiner, Director of Student Activities at Shulamith. To begin, Ms. Brofsky provided some information for students about the vital work of the JCC and UJA Federation, both dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the Jewish community and to strengthening bonds with the State of Israel. Ms. Steiner then introduced Mr. Michael Cohen, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Mr. Cohen articulately painted a picture of the need for all of us to practice the principles Dr. King espoused, fighting against racism and anti-Semitism and having empathy for others. He encouraged the student body to recognize that each act of kindness they do has a profound impact on the world around them. Mr. Cohen shared anecdotes from his own experiences during
many years of working together with leaders in the Jewish and African-American communities to foster unity through understanding. Mr. Cohen’s address was followed by a few words from Ms. Dalia Abbott, social worker and certified dietician for The S.H.O.P. (Sustenance Hope Opportunities Place), who described the difficult situation many Five Towns’ residents now find themselves in. The rise in food insecurity has been heartbreaking, and no one who reaches out for help is turned away. Ms. Abottt encouraged students to be aware of the needs of others and to volunteer at the JCC’s SHOP. The culmination of the day’s event gave students the chance to put volunteerism into action. Each student made a “Tee-riffic” Tote, turning tee shirts emblazoned with Dr. King’s words, “The time is always right to do what is right,” into tote bags. Grade 8 Chesed Heads, Raizy Bokow, Goldee Diamond, Basya Herman, and Leora Herrmann, took charge as student volunteers filled the bags with food items, producing close to 250 packages which were distributed by JCC volunteers to families all around the Five Towns!
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1.
TJH
*
Centerfold
Play on Words What do all these sentences have in common (no outside information necessary)? 1. Never odd or even. 2. Madam, I’m Adam. 3. Sit on a potato pan, Otis. 4. Go Hang a Salami, I’m a Lasagna Hog! 5. Was it a bat I saw? 6. Norma is as selfless as I am, Ron. 7. Lee had a heel. 8. So many dynamos. 9. “Reviled did I live,” said I, as evil I did deliver. 10. Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?
You Gotta be Kidding Me! Bubba and Jimbo were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up. A man walked by and asked what they were doing. “We’re supposed to find the height of the flagpole,” said Bubba, “but we don’t have a ladder.” The man took a wrench from his pocket, loosened a few bolts, and laid the pole down. Then he took a tape measure from his pocket, took a measurement, and announced, “Eighteen-feet, six-inches,” and walked away. Junior shook his head and laughed. “Wow, that guy is not smart. We asked for the height, and he gives us the length!”
11. “Do nine men interpret?” “Nine men,” I nod. 12. Ten animals slam in a net 13. Rise to vote, sir 15. Lived on Decaf, Faced no Devil 16. Cigar? Toss it in a can. It is so tragic 17. A man, a plan, a cat, a ham, a yak, a yam, a hat, a canal - Panama. 18. Live on time, emit no evil. 19. Now sir, a war is never even sir, a war is won. 20. Step on no pets. 21. A nut for a jar of tuna. Answer: They are all palindromes – these sentences are the same whether read correctly or backwards. Go ahead read them backwards, and you will see what I mean.
Riddle Me This? A man falls 150 feet without a parachute. He flips upside down six times and lands safely on the ground. How does he do this? Answer below
Answer to Riddle: He was riding on a roller coaster.
14. Was it a cat I saw?
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Weather Trivia 1. Ten inches of snow will melt down to how many inches of rain? a. 10 inches b. 7 inches c. 4 inches d. 1 inch 2. Some clouds produce a kind of halo effect around the sun or the moon. The halo is a result of refraction of light by the ice crystals in the clouds. Cirrostratus clouds produce this effect. How do you identify the cirrostratus cloud? a. Low-level and layered b. Mid-level and wispy c. High-level and puff y d. Sheet-like and high level 3. What exactly is a jet stream? a. The trail left by an airplane high in the sky b. A narrow and shallow stream of wind which is usually westerly, strong and concentrates in the upper troposphere of the sky c. Precipitation caused by extremely high winds in the upper atmosphere d. Condensation particles that are starting to form clouds 4. Tornado Alley is the name for which area of the United States? a. Brooklyn, especially on a Sunday while trying to get a parking spot on Avenue J.
b. Mid-Western United States, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Texas, T-5 c. The NorthEastern part of the U.S. d. The SouthEastern United States, including Georgia and areas of Tennessee. 5. When sustained winds are immediately expected to be over forty miles per hour for at least one hour in an area, what kind of advisory does the National Weather Service issue for that area? a. Strong Wind Advisory b. High Wind Alert c. High Wind Warning d. Wind Advisory 6. How is a blizzard defined? a. As your bedroom closet b. Constant wind gusts of 50 mph or more, AND visibility below 1/2 mile, AND more than 12 inches of snow must fall c. Constant winds or gusts of 35 mph or more, AND visibility below 1/4 mile with heavy snow and/or blowing snow, AND all of these things must last for at least 3 hours d. Heavy snow, hurricane force winds AND visibility under 1/8 of a mile
Answers 1. D- 1 inch of rain is equivalent to about 10 inches of snow. The difference comes from the air trapped in snow ice crystals and the density of the snow. This can be seen by simply filling a tall water glass with snow and watching it melt. The lighter and fluffier the snow, the faster it melts. 2. D-The cirrostratus cloud is a high-level, sheet-like cloud composed of ice crystals. They can cover the entire sky and be thousands of feet thick, but because they are quite transparent, we can easily see the moon or the sun through them. 3. B- A jet stream is a highspeed flow of air in the upper troposphere. It is like having rivers of air several hundred miles wide. This air generally moves from west to east, marking the boundary between two global air masses that have differences of temperature that are significant. 4. B 5. C 6. C Weather Report 5-6 Correct: “Now, with traffic and weather on the eights, we turn to (please insert your name)” 3-4 Correct: You are somewhere between a drizzle and a thunderstorm. Perhaps you could get a job at 1010 WINS. Dingalingadingalingdingalinga… You give us 22 minutes we give you the world. 1-2 Correct: Feeling foggy?
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Torah Thought
Parshas Bo By Rabbi Berel Wein
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ince every word of our holy Torah carries with it many layers of significance and importance, it is incumbent upon us to understand why this particular word, bo, is employed by the Torah to describe a certain situation. In the opinion of the commentators to the Torah, the word bo, which appears at the beginning of this week’s reading, contains a deeper
meaning than the simple translation meaning “to come.” The fact that the word is then followed by the Hebrew word “el” meaning not only “to” but perhaps more literally “into,” gives us insight into what the word bo in this context really means. It was not sufficient for Moshe merely to visit or come to the Pharaoh of Egypt to deliver the warnings from G-d regarding the plagues that
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were going to descend upon the Egyptian nation because of their refusal to free the Jewish people from bondage. Moshe could have delivered this information by proxy, by messenger, by letter or any of the other means that human beings used then to communicate one with another. Rather, it was necessary for Moshe to enter into the brain and feelings of Pharaoh, so to speak, that propels the entire narrative of this week’s reading and will lead to the great moment of freedom and emancipation for the Jewish people.
from triumphing. The Jewish people were fooled by the Pharaoh into volunteering for their own forced labor and eventual slavery. They did not recognize his call for patriotism as the true evil that lay behind his national the plan for them. The Jewish people were so willing to be recognized as good Egyptians that they volunteered to become their own worst enemy and submit themselves to centuries of slavery and servitude. Jewish people, for centuries, have often been unable to perceive that they themselves create the seeds of
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If one is unable to comprehend the depths of the personality of evil, one can never really combat evil in a practical and strong fashion.
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It is as though the L-rd, so to speak, wants Moshe to really understand the stubbornness and almost suicidal behavior of the Pharaoh and to appreciate that it is this intransigence itself that will be his undoing and the destruction of Egypt. It is as though the Torah is teaching us that if one is unable to comprehend the depths of the personality of evil, one can never really combat evil in a practical and strong fashion. It is this recognition of the evil lurking originally, though only in the background of events, that is the beginning of the process of preventing it
their own destruction. In the rush for acceptance and approbation by others, Jews are often blinded, willfully overlooking the evil arising around them. It is insufficient to come to the Pharaoh to argue one’s case. One must be able to come “into” Pharaoh and to see the true motivation that created this situation of sadness and servitude. This lesson, recorded for us in the Torah, forms a message that applies to all ages of Jewish existence and to all circumstances of political, social, and national life. Shabbat shalom.
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From the Fire Parshas Bo
Renew Us in Days of Old By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf
T
he first mitzvah Hashem gave the Jewish people was the mitzvah that the beis din sanctify the new moon every month. If this is our first mitzvah, it is no coincidence. It must be that it demonstrates that all of Yiddishkeit, on a national level and on the individual level, is dependent on this mitzvah. In addition, because it was given while we were still in Egypt, it must also be that mitzvah to sanctify the new month is also a prerequisite for leaving Egypt. We must understand why this is. In addition, Hashem told Moshe to command the Jewish people to fulfill another mitzvah as well (Shmos 13:2): the mitzvah to sanctify the firstborn. Strangely, though, Moshe began speaking to the Jewish people in the next pasuk but taught them a number of other matters, including the prohibition of chometz and the mitzvah of matzah, before finally teaching them the mitzvah to sanctify the firstborn several pesukim later (ibid. at 12-13). Why is this? The word for the new month, chodesh, is related to the word for renewal, hischadshus. The concept of the sanctification of the firstborn is also connected to the idea of something new. By studying several teachings related to newness and renewal, we can understand the answers to these questions. The Chofetz Chaim says that there was one mishna in Pirkei Avos (2:11) that he could not understand. Raban Yochanan ben Zakai recounted the praise of his top five students. He said that (i) Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenus was a sealed pit that did not lose a drop, (ii) the one who gave birth to Rabbi Yohoshua ben Chananya was fortunate, (iii) Rabbi Yossi Hakohein was pious, (iv) Rabbi Shimon Shimon ben Nesanel was G-d fearing, and (v)
Rabbi Eliezer ben Aroch was like an ever-strengthening wellspring. The Chofetz Chaim points out that all of the traits for which the students were praised were the result of a lifetime of work. But Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenus’s phenomenal memory was a blessing of birth. It is wonderful that he blessed in such a way, but why should he be praised for something that came naturally to him? A photographic memory is something that a person either has or does not have. But it is not comparable to being pious or sin-fearing! After pondering this question for a number of years, the Chofetz Chaim finally found the answer to his question when he witnessed a conversation between two elderly men. One of them was telling the other about an experience he had eighty years earlier, when he was only five years old. The Czar and his wife had passed through his town, and everyone gathered to watch their procession. He recounted every detail of the event to his friend. He told him about the color of the Czar’s shoes, his
clothing, what his wife was wearing, exactly what his beautiful carriage looked like, and many other details of the amazing experience. Listening to this conversation, the Chofetz Chaim realized that a person remembers every detail of something when it makes a profound impression on him. It must be that Raban Yochanan ben Zakai was not praising Rabbi Eliezer Ben Hurkenus for being born with a naturally powerful memory. Rather, he was praising him that he loved Torah so much that he was deeply affected by every word that entered his mind. He felt, when he learned every halacha, like he was a five-year-old child witnessing the Czar’s procession pass by. The key was that every word of Torah was new and exciting to him. That is an exalted level, worthy of praise. Everyone loves new things. If a person heard a joke forty years earlier, he waves it off as an old joke. My father used a hand signal that he brought with him from Hungary that he used when someone told an old joke. The gesture
consisted of holding his hand horizontally in front of his stomach, first holding his palm down toward the floor, and then up toward the ceiling. I once asked him what the gesture meant exactly. He said that when someone uses that gesture, they are saying, “When I was this high, that joke already had a beard down to here.” One of the most beautiful things about children is that everything they experience is new and fresh. A person can play “peek-a-boo” with a young child a hundred times, and he will squeal with glee every time he uncovers his face and says “boo!” The goal of life is to be more like that child. That is why we say in benching, “I was a child and now I am an elder.” We should have the wisdom of an elder along with the wonder and freshness of a child. The Gemara (Brachos 54a) teaches that when a person sees the Mediterranean Sea or other wonders of Creation, he should say a blessing praising Hashem for the beauty and awesomeness of His creation. However, if one sees the same sight less than thirty days from the last time he saw it, he should not make a blessing because he still feels the novelty and amazement of the experience from the last time he saw it and made the blessing. But if he sees the same wonder more than thirty days after the last time, then the feeling of amazement will have worn off such that when he sees it again, he will feel a new sense of wonder. He therefore may make the blessing again. We see from this that, for most new experiences, their novelty wears off after thirty days. I once heard, perhaps in the name of the Sfas Emes, that there is remarkable connection between the mitzvah to sanctify the new moon and the thirty-day expiration date on the
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novelty of a person’s experiences. He pointed out that the new moon occurs every twenty-nine and a half days, forty-four minutes, and 3.3 seconds, slightly under thirty days. It is beautiful. Hashem designed Creation in such a way that thirty days never goes by without a new moon. We are always in a state of renewal. We are meant to live in such a way that our Yiddishkeit never gets old. We constantly live less than thirty days from the last time of renewal. We must never allow the Torah we learn or the mitzvos we do to get stale and old. Creation was designed to help a Jew live in a state of awe and wonderment. The calendar of the nations of the world is measured by the year, whereas ours is measured by months. Even the word for year, shana, means to “repeat,” something which is old, while the word for month, chodesh, means newness and freshness. The numerical value of Pharaoh’s name is equal to the word for year, shana. His essence was repetition, oldness. Our Yiddish-
keit, on the other hand, must be like the moon, which doesn’t let thirty days pass without renewing itself. We must remain fresh, new, and warm. Moshe and Aharon left Pharaoh’s word of (Shmos 5:2) “I do not know Hashem,” that world of forgetfulness and oldness,
must dedicate times of newness, like the birth of a new child, to Hashem. He therefore teaches the Jewish people about several other mitzvos that relate to this. He first says, “Remember this day that you went out of Egypt!” We must not forget the profound effect this
We should have the wisdom of an elder along with the wonder and freshness of a child.
to the world of newness, the world of “this month shall be to you the first of the months” (ibid. at 12:2). That is why, when Hashem told Moshe to give the Jewish people the mitzvah to sanctify the firstborn, Moshe prefaced the mitzvah with several other mitzvos. The mitzvah to sanctify the firstborn means that one
experience had on us. It must remain with us to inspire and enliven our service of G-d. He tells us that we went out of Egypt in the month of spring, when the whole world is renewing itself. He teaches us the mitzvah to eat matzah and avoid chometz. Chometz means that something was left out too long, it is old. Matzah means that
something is new. The water and flour are mixed together, and it goes straight into the oven. It means that our Yiddishkeit must be fresh and warm like the matzah. This dichotomy between chometz and matza is the manifestation of our obligation to live a life of the freshness and warmth of matzah and not the stale oldness of chometz. May we merit to serve Hashem with newness and freshness, never letting it get old. By experiencing the wonder of our service of Hashem while in exile just like our grandparents experienced it when they left Egypt, may we merit to see the renewal of the world with the arrival of the final redemption in fulfillment of the Navi’s words (Micha 7:15), that “as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt I will show wonders.” Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.
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Parsha Ponderings Parshas Bo
Dismiss-iled By Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky
P
arshas Bo begins with Hashem telling Moshe about His plan for Egypt. As Hashem is telling Moshe about the plagues and punishments He will bring on the Egyptians, He says, “In order that you tell into the ears of your children and your children’s children how I made a mockery of Egypt...” Interestingly, the pasuk uses the words, “In order that you tell in the ears of your children.” Obviously, if your children would hear a message, it would be with their ears. Why then does the pasuk require, specifically over here, that “you shall tell them in their ears”? My mother told me a humorous but insightful story that took place two years ago, as she was teaching her fourth grade class in Talmud Torah Siach Yitzchok in Far Rockaway. As she was explaining the procedure for dismissal, she told the boys, “When the bell rings, it means that it’s time for dismissal. Everyone
should calmly collect their belongings and line up at the door. Then, we will all leave the building together.” As she scanned the room, she noticed how Moshe, the new boy in the class who had moved from
was scared for my life! We have to be scared of missiles here, too?” My grandfather, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, would explain that there are many levels of understand-
The same basic concept can be understood by a child and can be expounded upon as a thesis for a PhD.
Israel only a few weeks prior, had a terrified look on his face. He turned white and started to tremble. “Is everything OK, Moshe?” my mother asked him. “What happened? I’m just talking about what to do when it’s time for dismissal. What’s the problem?” Moshe, holding back tears, asked her in an unsteady voice, “Whenever there were missile attacks in Israel, I
ing. The same basic concept can be understood by a child and can be expounded upon as a thesis for a PhD. It only depends on the one explaining the concept his will to ensure that the message reaches the listener’s ears. Hashem is imparting an important lesson in chinuch. There are many fundamental and important concepts in Judaism. Some are extremely intricate and complex, and some are basic.
Yet every part of Torah, especially the story of Egypt and the birth of our Nation – with all its detail and drama – can be explained to a child as well. Hashem tells Moshe that this story must be told by fathers into the “ears” of their children. They must explain it to them palpably and on their level. They shouldn’t overshoot the target and miss the mark. When you talk so your children can listen, they will be all ears – and you will not be mis(sile)understood.
Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky is the Director of Advancement at Yeshiva of South Shore – Yeshiva Toras Chaim Beis Binyamin. He is currently compiling the Torah thoughts from his grandfather, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, into print, in Hebrew and English. If you have any stories or divrei Torah to share from his grandfather, or to subscribe to receive a weekly dvar Torah from Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky’s teachings, you can email him at skamenetzky@yoss.org.
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Delving into the Daf
Korban Pesach Conundrums By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow
T
here is a well-known line we recite in the beginning of the Haggadah in the paragraph of Ha Lachma Anya. “Anyone who wants, may come and eat; anyone who wants, may come and join in the Pesach.” Seemingly, this line is a throwback from when we had the Korban Pesach. In the times of the Beis Hamikdosh, we used to invite any interested parties to partake of the Korban Pesach. Nowadays, when we sadly no longer have the Korban Pesach, we still say the same text. However, this theory could not possibly be true. To partake of the Korban Pesach, you must have been one of its subscribers before it was slaughtered (Pesachim 61a). It is too late on Pesach night to decide that you want to partake of a particular Korban Pesach. The Korban Pesach was already sacrificed on Erev Pesach. Indeed, this actually explains a rather peculiar custom that developed in certain communities. The custom was not to have guests for any meal the first two days of Pesach. Furthermore, they altered the text of the aforementioned line to read, “Whoever wants can come but may not eat anything.” This actually could be a throwback from when we had the Korban Pesach. You couldn’t invite last minute guests to partake of the Korban Pesach. Therefore, even if someone came and visited, they could observe but not eat. The Bnei Yissaschar, however, explains the meaning of the text as it is recited by most of world Jewry. Indeed, he explains the flow of the first two sentences. We recite, “This is the poor man’s bread that our fathers ate in Egypt. Anyone who wants, may come and eat; anyone who wants, may come and join in the Pesach.”
The Bnei Yissaschar explains that we eat matzah before and after the meal at the seder. The matzah before the meal is to fulfill our biblical mitzvah of eating matzah. However, the matzah after the meal is eaten as a remembrance of the Korban Pesach. The Korban Pesach was not eaten when one was starving, but after some food was eaten. Therefore, we eat the afikomen as a remembrance of the Korban Pesach that was also not eaten on an empty stomach. (Contrary to popular belief, one should still be somewhat hungry when he eats the afikomen. If one eats the afikomen on a full stomach, he has not fulfilled the mitzvah in the choicest manner. Understandably, this fine point in halacha is hard to fulfill.) This then, suggests the Bnei Yissaschar, is the connection between the two statements. “We are eating poor man’s bread to fulfill the mitzvah of matzah of which anyone may come and join. We will also use the same matzah at the end of the meal to remember the Korban Pesach.” Im-
plied in that statement is that since we do not have an actual Korban Pesach, anyone can even join in the seder at this late point.
Whole Wheat or White Flour? One can offer a totally different interpretation of the first part of Ha Lachma Anya. Many hand matzah bakeries give the customer a choice of 100% whole wheat matzah and regular matzah. Regular matzah does have some bran, but not as much as the whole wheat version. Which matzah is preferable? It is clear that either option is acceptable to fulfill the mitzvah. The Nechamas Yosef suggests that perhaps the choice depends on what the matzah symbolizes. If it symbolizes the cheap bread that we ate as slaves, then certainly it should be minimally processed whole wheat. The Egyptians didn’t spend the time to sift the flour to make a better product. However, if the matzah symbolizes what we ate when we left Egypt, it should be made with the finest flour.
Before they left Egypt, the Jews were not in a rush when they prepared fine flour and dough. They had to leave in a hurry and did not have time for the dough to rise. However, there is no reason to assume they didn’t take the time to prepare fine well sifted flour before they made the dough. Therefore, to achieve this symbolism, we should use matzah made from fine, well-sifted white flour. This leads one as to a quandary as to which symbolism to choose: Slave food of whole wheat flour or “freedom matzah” made of fine flour. Whatever one chooses is fine. We recite, “This is the poor man’s bread that our fathers ate in Egypt.” Therefore, choosing whole wheat is fine. “Anyone who wants, may come and eat.” Since one serves his guest the best food, serving matzah made with finely sifted flour is also acceptable. What if one has no guests? “Anyone who wants to partake of the Pesach may do so.” This alludes to the other reason for eating matzah. After Hashem skipped over the Jewish houses, the Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim. Anyone who wants to symbolize the matzah that was eaten at that junction may do so. This permits finely sifted flour. As noted above, the Shulchan Aruch rules that one may fulfill the miztvah of matzah in the preferred manner with matzah that is either made with whole wheat flour or with finely sifted white flour.
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow is a rebbe at Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway. In addition, Rabbi Sebrow leads a daf yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hempstead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@gmail.com.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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JANUARY OCTOBER 21, 29,2021 2015||The TheJewish JewishHome Home
The Power of Positivity MY MOTHER’S LIFE LESSONS ON CHOOSING HAPPINESS BY RACHAYLE DEUTSCH
When
I asked my d au g h t e r s who the most positive person they knew was, they both answered immediately: Babie Toby, my mother, Toby Schwartz. Without the benefit of a higher education, psychology classes or any formal training, my mother simply figured out life’s secrets to success. She subtly developed guidelines over the years to living her life with integrity and joy. Although preaching was not her style, her easy wisdom was sought by all generations of our family as well as by relatives,
neighbors and friends. My mother taught by example, and we learned many valuable lessons from her gentle and beautiful approach to life.
The glass is half full. Actually, my mother used to say, “My glass isn’t half full. It’s overflowing.” And she truly meant it. She counted her blessings on a daily basis, never focusing on what she didn’t have but only on what she did have – and she felt so fortunate by all that she had. Although she did not have an easy childhood
or adulthood, my mother simply searched just a little harder to find the positive in a situation. She would tell you how grateful she was to wake up every morning to find that her mind was working. You could say she looked at life through rose colored glasses but in a very deliberate way. She felt that the key to true happiness was to focus only on the positive. Even after tremendous loss, she chose to trust in G-d’s plan for her. “In life, you always have a choice of how to look at things – even the challenges,” she would say. “It’s our
job to find the beauty.” Once, I suggested she was perhaps rewriting history when describing a bleak period in her life. She looked at me and smiled, “I didn’t forget what happened. I just chose to remember it differently and see how it was all for the best.”
Seeing the good in others. My mother not only looked at her own life in a positive light but always chose to see the positive in others. She didn’t stand on ceremony and wasn’t looking for honor or respect
The Jewish Jewish Home Home || OCTOBER JANUARY 29, 21, 2021 The 2015
from others. While many people naturally find flaws in others and their behavior, my mother thought everyone was interesting, had potential, and was special. She didn’t focus on their negatives. This is part of what made her so enjoyable to be around. Because she only saw the positive in people, she made other people feel good about themselves. She inspired others to smile even when things seemed difficult. It’s easy to focus on the negative and feel sorry for oneself, but she refused to be that person. Depression and negativity are contagious, but so are happiness and positivity. One just needs to decide what type of person they want to be. My mother simply loved making other people happy.
A sense of humor and an interest in the world. My mother had many reasons to be down, especially in later years as her body failed. But somehow, she managed to turn every situation around. With Hatzalah and increased doctor visits in her home regularly tending to her wounds and growing list of illnesses, what could have been a depressing situation was not. She managed to make everyone smile with her sense of humor. When asked how she was feeling, her frequent response was, “Mentally 39, physically 139. Unfortunately, my body has a mind of its own.” She made everyone laugh. Instead of cultivating their sympathy, medical staff would leave her apartment with smiles on their faces. As my mother’s physical world got smaller, she continued to expand her intellect and reach. She listened to I24 to keep abreast of what was happening in her beloved Eretz Yisroel, watched Jeopardy and classic old movies, read the newspapers regularly as well as the latest novels, and continued calling friends and relatives to touch base and see how they were faring. Every conversation with her ended with the other person feeling more upbeat, in highn er spirits, and with a more positive mindset.
Focusing on the right values. My mother was the least materialistic person I know. Although she was always thankful when receiving gifts, they didn’t hold any real value for her. It was family that meant everything to her. Getting together with her children and grandchildren for holidays, barbecues or any occasion brought true joy for her. Watching the family grow, seeing the cousins running around playing, observing her daughters interact with love and respect – those scenes are what gave value to her life. She understood that things are just that – fleeting and unimportant. “It’s your mitzvot that matter, that you take with you,” she would say. “The rest is meaningless.” And while she didn’t care about things for herself, she was always on the lookout for gifts and gadgets that would make other people happy and their lives easier. As soon as she found out there was something someone liked, she would keep a mental file and know what to get for that person. It was always about others.
Be the bridge. My mother loved connecting to people. She had a tremendous knack for keeping com-
She didn’t wait to be called or called back. She would reach out and check in and make sure to leave the lines of c om mu n ic at ion open on all sides. People loved hearing from her. She was a true matriarch of our family. Her cheerful voice and upbeat disposition along with her sound, gentle guidance made her a favorite of all who knew her. Whether you were a new friend or an old one, of her generation or decades younger, her wise words and kindness bridged all gaps.
Not a week after my daughters and I put “Babie’s Guidelines to a Successful Life” together, my mother, Toba Kayla bas Yitzchak Eliezer, peacefully passed away in her favorite recliner, surrounded by her beloved daughters. Within minutes, the phone calls, texts and emails began pouring in from those who knew her well as
“In life, you always have a choice of how to look at things – it’s our job to find the beauty.”
munication open with relatives and friends from all walks of life. Once she met you, she remembered you always. She loved playing Jewish geography and finding common acquaintances. She made friends wherever she went. My father had lost his immediate family in the Holocaust and came to this country without a mother or siblings. My mother took it upon herself to be that link who stayed close with every branch of the family – both hers and his.
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well as from those whose lives she touched briefly. Hundreds of messages filled our phones from people who knew her as a dress shop owner over forty years ago, those who remembered her from her Boro Park days, her stint in California, her years in the bungalow colony and her four years during the ‘70s in Israel. Everyone considered her to be their friend. Everyone felt the loss personally. One branch of the family confided to me that they secretly called my
mother The Sunshine Lady. “If you ever needed to feel good about yourself, to be cheered up, or just to know someone cared about you, you called Aunt Toby.” My mother passed from this world way too soon, but even in her passing, her perspective was posiw tive. She made it very clear to us that she was ready to go to her home on beautiful Har HaMenuchot and be reunited with her beloved husband, parents, and siblings. She was ready and was satisfied that her goals were accomplished. She left behind a beautiful, close-knit family, which was her biggest joy, and a genuine shem tov, which was her only true wish.
This article is the second in a series of articles that will be published in TJH in a lead-up to a community-wide initiative, “The Power of Positivity,” to be held on Motzei Shabbos, February 13 in 18 shuls across our community. Stay tuned for more information on this interactive workshop run by JWLC, the Jewish Women’s Leadership Council of the Five Towns, and sponsored by UJA Federation of New York.
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
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Remembering
Moreinu Harav Yehuda Kelemer, z”l By Dr. Rabin Rahmani
The author with HaRav Kelemer
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ords are not adequate. Many words have been said and much ink has been spilled since the untimely passing of Moreinu HaRav Yehuda Kelemer. Hespedim, speeches, tributes, and newspaper and magazine articles have depicted his greatness in Torah and unparalleled righteousness. Myriad stories have been told and retold of the generosity of his spirit, gentleness of his soul, strength of leadership and hidden wisdom; and yet, hard as we try, we know deep down that it’s not enough. We recognize that words and tears simply cannot suffice to capture, even in a minuscule way, the sense of loss that we feel and the void that has been left with his passing. Thus, far it be from me to attempt and encapsulate in any meaningful way the essence of Rav Kelemer and
what he meant to the world. My aim in the next few paragraphs is only to offer a somewhat unique perspective on the loss of our “roeh ne’eman,” trusted shepherd, who carried us Al Kanfei Nesharim for so many years. My family migrated en masse from Iran in the 1980s, part of a common thread in Jewish history: prominent citizens driven from their homeland of thousands of years dating back to the times of Mordechai and Esther by anti-Semitism and persecution. With no place to call home and few contacts, the first member to flee and seek asylum in United States settled in West Hempstead to be near a young rav he had met as a college student in Brookline, Massachusetts. In the ensuing years, many more family members with similar circumstances followed. As millions before
us, we came with nothing. No place to call home, scarce resources, no knowledge of the American culture or English language. But those facts notwithstanding, we knew that we would persevere. We had each other, and we had our new Rock, our leader, Rav Kelemer. From the very first day, he welcomed us and made us feel like we belonged. He was a fixture at every family simcha and was there to console us in times of sadness. One of his first public appearances after his horrific accident was at one of our family simchas, and I can still feel the sense of relief and jubilation among all hundreds present when he was called up for a bracha. The mere mention of his name to this day evokes a sense of awe, and I’ll never forget the palpable reverence we all felt when he walked
into any room. I was zocheh to hear him speak hundreds of times over the years at those events and was always mesmerized by the way he was able to instantly weave together gematrias, new chiddushim and unbelievably deep ideas individually tailored toward the baal simcha to enhance the occasion while being mekadesh Shem Shamayim. He had a unique talent of focusing on the individual, while never forgetting the sanctity of being a member of the greater whole – your family and the Jewish nation. He was particularly fond of repeating a story of my elderly grandmother, who a few months after arriving in New York, with no knowledge of the English language or sense of the area’s geography, had ran after her adult son onto the LIRR to bring him the lunch he had forgotten. To
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Rav Kelemer, that episode represented the epitome of the Jewish nation and its unbroken chain through the millennia: an unconditional love and sacrifice that will pursue the beloved regardless of the challenge of circumstance and with no regard for self. It was the same sensitivity and regard for every individual in the chain of Jewish history which prompted him to gently prod those who would try to silence children during his speeches. “Leave them, please,” he would say. “It’s the most beautiful sound.” I had the privilege of his mentorship for almost thirty years and every singular encounter left me with an indelible impression which would help to shape me personally and professionally for years to come. I remember many visits to his office at the Young Israel of West Hempstead and his home, sometimes after 1 a.m. He had thousands of seforim in rows, and I will never forget the sweet sound of his whisper as he would move bunches of books simultaneously to locate some obscure resource which only he would remember from many years before. I would only learn later that the whisper was him chronicling in his encyclopedic mind the index which he had committed to memory to find various sources. Years later, when he came to pay a shiva call for my father, a”h, I watched in amazement as many prominent rabbanim who were present surrounded him to glean from his wisdom and marveled at how he was able to continuously shift the conversation back to my father’s life while answering their questions. His astonishing brilliance in all areas of Torah and secular subjects was only matched by his exquisite sensitivity and uncanny ability to navigate through any difficult situation and somehow make all parties satisfied with the outcome. Before my wedding, when we were faced with the question of whether he would serve as Mesader Kiddushin or if we should bequeath the honor to my wife’s grandfather who was at the time a retired rabbi, he gently reminded me that despite my strong emotions to honor my rebbe, there’s no better way to start a marriage than vatranus, making compromises. A Mesader Kiddushin is, after all, “just an arranger.” As it turned out,
he made sure to proclaim unambiguously at the wedding that my wife’s grandfather was honored as the Mesader Kiddushin while deftly handling all the actual “arrangements.” Professionally, he was always able to meld eloquent and definitive guidance with the skillful bestowing of confidence and independence. Shortly after completing semicha, I was asked by a family member to serve as Mesader Kiddushin. I politely declined as I did not yet feel ready and knew that there simply cannot be a Rahmani wedding without Rav Kelemer serving as the rav. He strongly encouraged me to accept and assured me that he would be there to help
tern and could reach a conclusion, his response would remind me that no two situations were the same. He had the supernatural ability to decipher the distinctive characteristic of each case by asking questions regarding subtle circumstances which would lead to diametrically opposite conclusions in superficially similar situations. But his acumen for dealing with complicated medical and professional questions went beyond intellect, knowledge, and inquisitive critical thought. His paragon priority was ensuring that patients and family members would be cared for with empathy and sensitivity even at the cost of presenting detailed scientific facts.
He had a unique talent of focusing on the individual, while never forgetting the sanctity of being a member of the greater whole.
and hold my hand every step of the way. After much guidance and preparation, on the day of the wedding, he called to inform me that, due to unforeseen circumstances, he simply could not be present at the chuppah. I knew that Rav Kelemer was famous for being able to be present simultaneously in multiple places but this must have been an exception. It was seconds after the chuppah concluded successfully when he magically materialized that I understood why he had created the exception. Rav Kelemer was the ultimate resource to physicians and medical professionals when challenging situations arose. His mastery of medical halacha coupled with his unparalleled regard for the sanctity of life and sensitivity to the most minute details was world-famous. His opinions became the basis of policy for multiple boards and medical organizations. I cannot count the numerous times I called him as an ICU doctor at all hours of the night with literal life and death questions. When I thought that I had deciphered a pat-
“This is Olam Shel Chessed, not Olam Shel Emet,” he would often tell me. Yet, that principle had to be balanced with absolute transparency and accuracy when it could potentially lead to conflict. As a Transplant fellow at Mount Sinai Medical Center, we conducted weekly “organ meetings” to determine allocation for potential recipients. I once had the occasion to advocate for a patient who had traveled from Israel in search of a liver. I was aware of specific facts that made her a less than optimal candidate. I was certain that Rav Kelemer would agree that I should not disclose all details. This was “Olam Shel Chessed,” after all. His immediate response: all information must be presented accurately and completely, for her candidacy would indirectly affect other potential recipients who would be left without an organ. On another occasion, he asked me to assist him with an extremely intricate and sensitive situation related to a burial plot. Rav Kelemer had a specific opinion regarding the psak, but
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given the complexity of the situation decided to reach out to Rav Ovadyah Yosef, zt”l. We received a handwritten response concurring with Rav Kelemer which, in my mind, very much simplified the equation. However, as he read the letter, I noticed a sense of disappointment. “He (Rav Ovadyah) is missing a key factor of the situation. His response may have been different if he knew.” Olam Shel Chessed this may be, but when it comes to halacha, emet, absolute and unadulterated truth, took precedence. The world has unfortunately experienced tremendous loss in the last 10 months. We have lost friends, family members, rabbis, tzaddikim and leaders. In a lot of ways, we have lost our sense of normalcy. Yet, the loss of Rav Kelemer somehow feels different. While part of that feeling can undoubtedly be attributed to our individual encounters with Rav Kelemer, I believe there is more. Rav Kelemer’s most irreplaceable gift was his ability to infuse every interaction with the sense of being special and inspiring us to be better. My family had the privilege a few years ago to help publish Rav Shlomo Wahrman’s last sefer before his passing as a tribute to my father, “Sefer Kol Avinoam,” and Rav Kelemer was gracious enough to pen the preface. He wrote: There are very few individuals whose sweetness of character is palpable and whose pleasant charm holds a child captive. They live in a world of persuasion; not dictation. Their patience carries them through the years of childrearing; like the wings of the Biblical eagle carrying his progeny; surviving any assault. With the loss of Rav Kelemer, we have lost an “eagle” who personified all of the above. But most significantly, we have all lost a piece of ourselves. Yehi zichro baruch.
Rabin Rahmani MD, FACG is the director of Medical Education and Research in the division of gastroenterology at Maimonides Medical Center and is an assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He grew up in West Hempstead, NY, and currently lives in the Five Towns with his family.
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
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Howard I. Rhine, a”h Personal reflections from his brother, Judah By Judah Rhine
I
would like to dedicate this article to my brother who passed away last week, and share with you a glimpse and some insight into the legacy of Howard I. Rhine, Chaim Yisroel, a”h. Howard was 18 years older than me. He started Yeshiva University around the time I was born. Over the years, that age gap narrowed to develop into a special brother relationship. His sometimes-fatherly ways always came from a place of love. As my wife Carol accurately describes him, Howard was larger than life. He truly lived a full life. He was a devoted husband to Miriam, a loving father to Keith & Rina, Wendy & David, and Gregory & Lara, a wonderful grandfather and great-grandfather, caring brother to Mimi & Danny and myself & Carol, a dedicated son to our parents, Jessie, a”h, and Lester, a”h, and an all-around true family man. He was also a beloved uncle to our children Jessica & Stew, Jennifer & Dovi, Kevin & Kira and their families, and he never missed a family simcha. From my perspective, though, he was the best brother one could ever ask for. Growing up, Howard was always there for me, and when I married Carol and we started our family, he was always there for us. Through the ups and the downs, the good and difficult times, Howard always knew the right thing to say, the right way to guide, and the right thing to do. Howard possessed great athletic abilities and a love of sports. He was a star basketball player at the Yeshivah of Flatbush High School and was the captain of the Yeshivah University fencing team. Later on, he was an avid spectator and attended many of
Howard with his brother Judah
the games I coached throughout the years. You would know when Howard was in the stands loudly cheering on my teams. He was an exceptional swimmer and served as head of the waterfront in camp. He also taught me how to swim. It was an amazing experience to partner with Howard in the Flatbush Doubles Tennis League where most of the players were his age, and he took me under his wing. After a couple of average seasons, we finally won the championship, and we were both so excited to celebrate our success together. For the most part, we rooted for the same professional teams, the Knicks and the Mets; however, we parted ways when it came to the NFL, as he was a devoted Giants fan, while I was a J-E-T-S fan. We would often kibbitz each other throughout the years regarding their respective challenging and successful seasons. When I attended Yeshiva University, I commuted every day from Flatbush. I had the privilege to drive Howard to his office in Manhattan in the morning, (stopping to buy three large cups of black coffee for him) and pick him up at night on the way home. Both on the court and in the courtroom as a prominent attorney, he was a success. Howard was extremely bright and had a very sharp mind. He was a fierce competitor, truly a powerhouse, yet always showed respect for the other side. One of his great achievements was being one of the founders of the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA). This was an organization that was comprised of lawyers who volunteered their time and expertise for the defense of
Orthodox Jews facing discrimination in their workplace and other aspects of Jewish life. I remember going with my parents to hear Howard speak on several occasions in various venues about the importance of COLPA and raising awareness for its cause. Some years back, there was a commercial that ended, “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.” When Howard would walk into a room, you knew he was there even before he spoke. His presence was felt by all. He was a dynamic speaker with a true gift and unique style in expressing his beliefs passionately. And who could ever forget his charismatic smile and laugh? Howard’s legendary devotion to the State of Israel, especially the IDF, was exemplary. One of his most treasured projects was the IDF cards with the Prayer for the Chayalim that he directed and produced through the OU. He introduced Carol and me to the Yashar LaChayal organization, “Straight to the Soldiers.” From that meeting, we created the annual Yashar LaChayal Hoops for Heroes Yeshiva Day School Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments, with over 20 school teams and over 300 participating student athletes. During one of my visits to him in the hospital, I showed him the video of last year’s event and he was so happy and had tears of joy in his eyes. He took great pride and interest in many of our accomplishments, especially MVP. Learning Torah was a key ingredient in Howard’s life. When we were still living in Flatbush, before we moved to West Hempstead, Howard started a Gemara shiur on Shabbos afternoon with his friends and made sure to include me to be part of the shiur. Growing up and davening
together in the Young Israel of Flatbush, I fondly remember sitting in between him and my father. Howard and I both shared a disciplined commitment for davening with a minyan whenever and wherever we each happened to be at the time. During the week of shiva, I heard from many people from near and far, both young and old, describe their unique memories and experiences with Howard. Each time I heard something new about Howard that I was not aware of, I was extremely gratified and overwhelmed with pride as to the impact Howard had on so many lives. I spoke with many who were so distraught and affected by his passing and, at the same time, were trying to comfort me. Howard transcended generations and made lasting impressions on my friends as well. To most, he was Howie; to us, he was Howard. To everyone, he had a shem tov. Howard accomplished so much in his life, and yet he had so much more to give. He was a vibrant and incredible individual, and he made his mark on society as a leader and protector of Klal Yisroel. He was tough on the outside, yet soft on the inside; firm, principled and opinionated, yet loving, respectful and sincerely respected. There is a huge void. He was a giant. I shoulder the responsibility to continue to make him proud. I loved him and will miss him dearly. He was my mentor, advisor, confidante, role model, hero and advocate and so much more. I always looked up to him, admired him, and was so proud to be his brother. May Howard be a meilitz yosher for our family and for the global Jewish world.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
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My Israel Home
The Israel-Philippines Connection By Gedaliah Borvick
President Quezon with the Frieder brothers in 1940
Several Jewish refugees with Mr. and Mrs. Frieder in the Philippines, 1940
This article is dedicated in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls every year on January 27 – the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Jewish nation, which harkens back to pre-World War II. The Philippine Commonwealth was one of the very few governments – and the only nation in Asia – that came to the rescue of the beleaguered Jews in World War II. In 1939, the Philippine government attempted to issue over 10,000 visas to the Jews and set up Jewish refugee settlements in the country. However, due to resistance from the U.S. State Department and the fact that the war broke out a few months later, only 1,300 Jewish refugees were able to avail themselves of these precious visas. This act of kindness came about over a friendly game of poker. The Frieder brothers owned a cigar business in Cincinnati, Ohio, and set up a manufacturing plant in Manila. Well-connected, they would often play poker and enjoy cigars with President Manuel Quezon, U.S. high commissioner to the Philippines Paul McNutt, and American Colonel Dwight Eisenhower, who was Quezon’s military
H
aifa is a beautiful city located in northern Israel which offers its residents a rich quality of life. The country’s third largest city, Haifa is on the comeback trail after having fallen into a sixty-year decline following Israel’s independence in 1948. Accordingly, a number of clients have rediscovered Haifa and purchased apartments there, either for their own use or as investments. One of these clients sent me a photo of a property on Manila Street. The street name piqued my interest, as I wondered: what’s so special about the capital of the Philippines that a street in Haifa was named in its honor? I then discovered an extraordinary long-standing friendship between the Philippines and the
President Quezon welcoming Jewish refugees at a new hall that was built on his own property to house the refugees
advisor and a rising star in the U.S. military. Alarmed by the deteriorating situation for Jews in Germany, and aware that most countries were closing their doors to immigration, the Frieder brothers saw the writing on the wall. Encouraged by their successful involvement in the 1937 evacuation of 28 Jews from Shanghai to Manila, in which they formed the Jewish Refugee Committee in Manila to help the new arrivals get settled, the Frieders devised an immigration program to rescue thousands of Jews. Their fellow poker enthusiasts Quezon, McNutt and Eisenhower were highly principled individuals and were happy to cooperate. They helped cajole a reluctant President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and an openly hostile U.S. State Department to begrudgingly grant visas to Jews. Although the original plan was to rescue 10,000 Jews, the rapidly deteriorating situation in Europe and foot-dragging by American diplomats short-circuited the plan.
After the war, the Philippines continued its friendship with the Jewish nation. In 1947, the Philippines was the only Asian nation that voted in favor of the UN Partition Plan of Palestine and cast the decisive vote that created the State of Israel. Ten years later, in 1957, the Philippines established diplomatic relations with Israel. The Philippines’ kindness towards the Jewish refugees is but a small story of heroism in the larger saga of the Holocaust. However, it was a rare ray of light in a very dark and gloomy world and epitomized the message of altruism, morality, and hope in the face of global prejudice, indifference, and despair.
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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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Travel
Diving the Wreck of the Satil Missile Ship by Dr. Jeffrey Galler
A stingray glides along the ocean floor
I
have dived on many shipwrecks around the world, but nothing could have prepared me for the intense, emotional experience of diving on the Israeli missile ship, the Satil, which lies under the waters off the coast of Nahariya, in northern Israel. The groundwork for my adventure was laid in the summer of 1967, when five brand new missile ships, built in French shipbuilding facilities, floated silently in the harbor of Cherbourg, France. They had been bought and paid for by the Israel Navy but because of a French arms embargo could not be delivered to their new owners. Under cover of darkness, groups of Israelis, disguised as dockworkers, quietly boarded the empty ships. When the sun rose over Cherbourg, Frenchmen were surprised to find the ships gone, steaming east over the Mediterranean, on their way to Israel. Until the mid-1990s, the Satil and her four sister ships were used to de-
fend Israel’s coast. They became obsolete when newer, more powerful, hi-tech missile ships replaced them. Thirty years later, in 1997, an elite force of Israeli SEALS was dispatched on a secret mission in Lebanon. Details of the operation are still highly classified, but things went badly awry, and twelve Israeli commandos were killed. As a memorial to their fallen comrades, the navy decided to purposely sink the Satil off the coast of Nahariya and create a permanent, artificial reef in their honor.
The Invitation I was on assignment, writing articles about scuba diving on Israel’s Mediterranean coast for Skin Diver and Sport Diver magazines, when I met “David” (not his real name), a third-year student at the Hebrew University School of Dental Medicine. He offered to take me to a little-known
A shy octapus emerges to check out the scuvba diving tourists
dive site for a unique and memorable experience. The Israel Ministry of Tourism sent Itamar, a well-known underwater photographer, and Orlian, an underwater model, to join us on our adventure. We signed in, prepared our gear, and filled our air tanks at the Nahariya Dive Center. It was a quick and smooth ride in their 21-foot fiberglass boat to the wreck. With us in the boat were a tourist from Denmark, an exchange student from California, and three Israelis. One of the Israeli divers had actually served on the sunken ship and described it to us in detail. It had four engines, traveled at 30 knots, was 105 feet long, weighed 57 tons, had a crew of 35 sailors, and had been fitted with missile launchers and more conventional gun emplacements. The wreck was sitting upright on the sea floor, at 80 feet, with its highest point at 51
feet. It was perfectly intact, although all armaments had been removed and all hatches sealed shut, to avoid any danger to divers. Israeli soldiers have a macho reputation, but his voice cracked as he spoke emotionally about how proud he was to see his old ship serve as a fitting memorial to his comrades. The other two Israelis refused to tell me why, but hinted at a surprise waiting for me on the ship’s deck below. The surprise had to do with the unusual way in which the 12 dead soldiers were memorialized.
A Gray Ghost We descended the anchor line, and at 15 feet, the entire ship was perfectly visible as a barnacle-encrusted gray ghost on the sandy, grassy seabed. We swam to the middle of the starboard side and proceeded to the right, observing the flora and fauna that now called this artificial reef their home.
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As we made our way forward toward the bow, we passed a sedentary stingray with a two-foot wingspan. A group of a dozen triggerfish with characteristic thick lips floated by. Although triggerfish are not indigenous to the Mediterranean, local divers speculate that several species of Red Sea fish migrated to Israel’s Mediterranean coast through the Suez Canal. Without any natural predators there, the species thrives. A solitary gray mullet eyed us suspiciously as we swam by, and several wrasse darted around the green sea grass. Before reaching the bow, we ascended to the ship’s deck. The railings were aging rapidly, with the metal already rusted through in a few places. It was then that I stopped dead in my tracks and realized what they meant when they promised that I was in for a surprise. Twelve plain, empty chairs were arranged in a semi-circle around a commemorative plaque. On each chair
was written the name of a slain commando. It was as if the twelve friends had stopped in the middle of a casual conversation and had walked away for a few moments, never to return again. The scene evoked a strong emotional response in me. I watched,
batteries had been and saw a shy octopus, halfway out of a vertical pipe rising from the empty engine hatch. After 25 minutes, we began our ascent along the anchor line. During a three-minute safety stop at 15 feet, I took one last look at the wreck below,
It was then that I stopped dead in my tracks and realized what they meant when they promised that I was in for a surprise.
floating over the deck railing, as Itamar and Orlian took their photos. After a few moments, we resumed the dive. I peered through the open bridge windows, where the captain and crew stations were visible, electric cables still in place. Toward the rear of the ship, we could see where the missile and gun
its bow pointing straight east, toward the homes that the dead servicemen would never see again.
A Moment of Silence Usually, after surfacing, divers chat excitedly while removing gear and comparing experiences. Not after this dive. Everyone stowed their gear
silently, eyes averted. Yaer, the owner of the dive boat, asked us to observe a moment of silence before starting the boat’s engine. On the ride back, one of the Israeli divers, under the condition of anonymity, confided that he had been very close, militarily and socially, with the slain commander memorialized below. “The commander was a very kind, soft-spoken, nice man,” he reminisced. “We were shocked when we heard of his death.” One of the other local divers explained to me that Israel is a very small country, almost like one large family, and that everyone feels every casualty very acutely. It could have been the salt spray in the air, but everyone on the boat seemed to have very moist eyes.
Dr. Jeffrey Galler is certified as a Master Diver by the Professional Association of Dive Instructors.
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Seforim Forwarders Not Just Another Seforim Store BY MALKY LOWINGER
There’s a new shop in town, and it’s not quite like anything else you’ve ever experienced. Seforim Forwarders, located at 1011 Broadway in Woodmere, offers a unique variety of services. For starters, they offer shaimos l’genizah at the highest level of kashrus. They also sell a huge selection of seforim and Jewish books, including many hard-to-find items, at deep discounts. The shopping experience at Seforim Forwarders can best be described as a treasure hunt. Only the treasures can be purchased here at a fraction of their original cost. To anyone passionate about seforim or Jewish books, it’s sure to be a favorite destination. We spoke to Louie Taplin, the proprietor of Seforim Forwarders, to get the story behind the store.
Tell us a little bit about your background. I grew up in Lakewood, and I’ve literally been selling seforim almost my whole life. Seforim have been in my family for generations. My great-grandfather, R’ Moses Pollack, sold seforim on the Lower East Side. My grandfather, Rav Yisroel Taplin, wrote seforim. And my father, who’s a total seforim addict, has been in the business and serving the Lakewood community for twenty-seven years. I’ve been helping him with his business ever since I can remember. You currently have a thr iv ing, established store in Lakewood and one in Monsey, besides
the many pop-up shops you set up over the years in various communities. Why open a store in the Five Towns? Great question. As you know, we have stores in other locations and we’re baruch Hashem busy. But my dad had a lot of inventory sitting in storage – excellent merchandise that people would enjoy. About two years ago, I approached him with the idea to open a store here. We cer tainly aren’t strangers to the Five Towns. We’ve had a shaimos truck parked on Beach 9th street during the pre-Pesach season for the past twenty-plus years. We’ve been serving the local shuls and yeshivas as well as private community members. We’ve also done
occasional pop-up shops in this area where we’ve offered an eclectic mix of seforim and books. On a personal note, I’ve been doing a lot of shaimos pick-ups in this neighborhood, and I started getting to know the people and building relationships. So we’re certainly not new to the community and everyone knows us here. Is ther e s omething unique about the Five Towns community that made you decide to establish a store here? What I’ve learned over time is that clearly there are a lot of people in this community who are passionate about seforim. They are thrilled that we opened up in
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PHOTOS BY GABE SOLOMON
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the neighborhood. We have strong roots here, and there’s a huge level of trust. We feel that this community reflects the diversity of what we offer. In other neighborhoods, such as Lakewood, Monroe, and Williamsburg, there’s a more specific range of seforim that customers are looking for. Here in the Five Towns, it’s not one size fits all. It’s a community with diverse interests, and we try to accommodate everybody. We’ve also acquired a huge amount of seforim and books from the Five Towns community over the years, whether it’s from estates, families who are downsizing, or local bookstores and yeshivas. So, in a way, our coming here is an expression of hakoras hatov to this wonderful community. Let’s talk for a moment about your shaimos business. How does it work? Shaimos is way more complicated than people think. It’s not just a matter of burying books in the ground. There are major poskim who discuss the halachos in detail, and it’s not simple. The items have
to be bagged a certain way and they have to be placed in the ground with plastic so as to delay their decay. Also, you can’t bury shaimos just anywhere. Many states have strict laws and regulations about this for environmental reasons. That’s why shaimos often has to be shipped out of state. It’s a complex business, and I’m proud to say that my father is probably the most trusted shaimos collector in America today. His shaimos business is under the strict hashgacha of both the Satmar bais din of Williamsburg and Rav Shlomo Zalman Friedman of Lakewood. Are the shaimos and seforim businesses are connected? I’ll explain it this way. The motto behind our entire operation is that nothing should go to waste. Chances are there is somebody out there who could really use those seforim that you’re putting into shaimos. Our job is to browse through the hundreds of boxes and crates filled with seforim, retrieve the useful ones, and then resell them in one of
have received collections and libraries from places as far as Florida, Texas, Montreal, Toronto, and France. Most people love the idea that others can enjoy the seforim that they can’t use anymore. In a way, it’s like keeping a legacy alive. So you sell used or second hand seforim? That’s part of our business. But actually, about 70% of our inventory is brand new. We buy out the inventory of seforim stores, publishers, and wholesalers and sell the merchandise at a discount to the customer. Currently, we have a massive collection of about 100,000 seforim and books located on two floors sitting on our shelves right here in the Five Towns. It’s a very serious collection. What are some of the more popular seforim that you sell? Some customers come to us looking for hidden treasures, but plenty of others come for the basics. A Chumash, a siddur, a Navi, a Gemara, a Rambam, a Shulchan Aruch, a Shnayim
People come in looking for it here. Then there are the collectors. One of our customers is collecting halacha journals, and he asks me to look out for them. He’s already acquired a collection of several thousand pieces, and he says he enjoys reading them on Shabbos. Aside from that, we carry a large collection of history books, cookbooks, novels, biographies, and children’s books. There’s literally something for everyone at thirty to seventy percent off the list price.
market for thirty to forty dollars. We repair used Kovtzim and stock them, and then we sell them to grateful bochurim for about fourteen dollars.
You mentioned hidden treasures? Serious shoppers who are looking for antique seforim or rare manuscripts visit us often. About a month ago, I sold a sefer by Rav Avigdor Miller that was signed by him. It’s considered very valuable. My father once discovered a rare Kodshim Yerushalmi dating back hundreds of years. It was found in Seagate after Hurricane Sandy, and it’s supposed to be worth thousands. Some people come in here searching for hidden gems and unique seforim.
Has the pandemic affected your business? Actually, we’ve been busier than ever since the pandemic started. During the lockdown, our phones were ringing off the hook. Lots of people were sitting home with plenty of time on their hands so they started organizing the seforim in their homes. At the time, we were the only ones collecting shaimos, so they called us for pick-up. On the flip side, people were home and eager to learn a new sefer or read a good book. So that kept us quite busy.
“We feel that this community reflects the diversity of what we offer.” our stores. We are experts at salvaging and rehabilitating seforim that are ripped or torn. After so many years in the business, we recognize which seforim are usable, even if they aren’t new, and which ones are in demand. That’s why we offer a very eclectic and diverse mix of seforim and books that can satisfy every taste. People from all over the world call us when they want to get rid of used seforim, either as an estate sale or when they’re moving or maybe just because they decided to reorganize their house. We
Mikrah, Chovos Halevovos, Tanya, Pirkei Avos, Shmiras Haloshon, and Living Emunah are among the seforim that are constantly in demand. We also carry a selection single volumes. If someone is looking to complete a set of Mishnayos or Gemara because maybe he’s missing one volume, he will often find it here. There are other popular seforim. For example, I sell the Frankel Rambams as singles. They go like hotcakes. There’s a Maharal published by CIS that’s out of print.
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We encourage browsing, and they’ll spend some time here searching for treasures, eventually purchasing several other things besides what they came for. Another aspect of our business is rehabilitating old seforim. People will sometimes come in with a sefer that has a torn binding. We can repair it and tape it together properly. We also have a special system for removing the names and other markings on a sefer. So, for example, bochurim often shop by us for Kovtzim, which generally sell on the
What are your busiest seasons? There are four super busy seasons in the seforim business: the summer, bein hazmanim, Elul (back to school season), and erev yom tovim. But, frankly, learning is a year-round activity, and we are really busy all year long.
It sounds like you love what you do. is for sure a labor of love. Yes, there’s plenty of heavy lifting and shlepping of boxes involved. But the sense of satisfaction is tremendous. We’re getting paid to provide a service that helps people on both sides of the spectrum – those who are unloading excess seforim and those who wish to purchase holy books, but at a discount. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. Plus, I’m a people person. I love networking and connecting with people. I learn so much from my customers, many of whom come in to browse and start meaningful conversations. It’s a pleasure to connect with the wonderful people of this amazing community.
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EXPOSING
Hezbollah’s Economy BY SHAMMAI SISKIND
O
ne morning in late December, thousands of Lebanese citizens woke up to find their most sensitive personal details had been leaked to a public webpage. The massive data dump included bank account numbers and even personal addresses. From the tens of thousands of names exposed on the page, there was one commonality to all of them: every one of these individuals were clients of a particular Lebanese financial institution by the name of Al Qard Al Hassan (AQAH). AQAH is a very unique organization in Lebanon. Founded in the mid-1980s, Al Qard Al Hassan (which translates from the Arabic to “The Benevolent Loan”) is officially a charitable organization. It allows depositors to funnel money to various social causes and also offers interest-free loans in accordance with Islamic law. However, behind the innocuous-sounding name and inconspicuous-looking logo, Al Qard hides a dark secret. In actuality, AQAH is none other than the private bank of the Lebanese-based Shiite militant group Hezbollah. From its very inception nearly four decades ago, the Al Qard Al Hasan “Association” has been subordinate to, and under direct control of, Hezbollah’s Executive Council. Officially, AQAH’s purpose was to engage in quasi-banking activity, consisting primarily of providing loans and operating charitable community funds. The Association specialized in extending loans in relatively small amounts to members of the Shiite community, which form Hezbollah’s political support base. These loans, which were quickly and easily accessible, provided a much needed financial lifeline to impoverished swaths of the Shiite demographic. In this way, Al Qard played an important role in Hezbollah’s populist strategy of securing support for its political wing. But the charity work of AQAH, as valuable as it may have been for the organization, provided cover
for the more nefarious activities Hezbollah undertakes.
Follow the Money Running a militant enterprise is actually rather expensive. This is especially true of one like Hezbollah with interests that spread far from Lebanon’s borders and across the entire region and even the globe. Hezbollah has, since its earliest years, acted simultaneously as a Lebanese political faction, an armed paramilitary organization, an international smuggling ring orchestrator, and the Lebanese branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. These roles mean Hezbollah has its hands full with everything from major geopolitical episodes to illicit business dealings on a regular basis. Hezbollah was instrumental in crushing rebel armies during the Syrian civil war. It is constantly on the ready for the possibility of clashes with the IDF and frequently engages in low- to medium-level operations targeting Israel. Hezbollah’s black market businesses and drug dealing enterprises have a presence in both Western Europe and South America. Needless to say, this colorful spectrum of activities requires large amounts of capital to maintain. This is where an organization like Al Qard comes in handy. Whether it’s for its profits from bootlegging or donations from the Ayatollahs, Hezbollah needs a place through which it can funnel its money – and store it securely. Al Qard has, for all intents and purposes, all the capabilities of a regular bank. It can receive deposits, transfer money, and even deploy ATM machines for the convenience of its account holders. And since Al Qard has always remained under the direct control of Hezbollah leadership, it is a perfect place for the group’s funds to be kept. Even more importantly, Al Qard provides to its Hezbollah overlords the invaluable asset of complete concealment from government scrutiny. As it
is officially a charity, Al Qard is exempt from most, if not all, of the disclosure requirements and other regulations banks have to abide by in Lebanon. This has allowed AQAH to operate with total impunity in the country for years, all the while providing vital financial services to one of the world’s most dangerous militant groups.
Under the Radar No More The massive amounts of dark money regularly flowing though Al Qard remained a secret for a while. But, already in 2007, the U.S. State Department identified AQAH and its strategic role in Hezbollah’s activities. It was designated and sanctioned by the United States and other counties. Yet this did not prevent Al Qard from keeping its doors open. Al Qard was able to continue its operations for a few reasons. First and foremost was Hezbollah’s political clout in the country. Holding a large portion of the Lebanese parliament and controlling many important government agencies, taking down Al Qard (like any action against Hezbollah) is easier said than done. Second is the plausible deniability Al Qard was able to maintain. Weak scrutiny and exemption from serious oversight meant the Lebanese people or their policymakers were never able to see overwhelming conclusive proof of the Hezbollah-AQAH connection. Now, this has all changed. The cyber-attack executed last month on the Al Qard Association was beyond thorough. The hacking group that took responsibility, SpiderZ, gained access to seemingly all of the data belonging to the bank’s clientele. Hackers even wrested control of the security camera systems at individual branches of Al Qard – possibly throughout the entire country. Actual bank statements of thousands of Lebanese and internationals were posted online to the hackers’ website, a page supported by Sites.Google and still currently up and running. Scrolling through the site, one can observe, in neat categories, all of
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the bank’s most sensitive assets. Accounts linked to actual Hezbollah members value in the millions. Beyond the rank and file members of Hezbollah are the numerous business moguls that support Hezbollah’s business activities that hold accounts in the bank. Many of these individuals have long been suspected of links to the militant group, but little evidence has been available. Also posted to the site are the locations in which AQAH maintains foreign currency and other assets such as gold bars, with some of these facilities containing tens of millions of dollars in various valuables. This revelation in particular is very important in light of the current situation in Lebanon. For the past two years, the Lebanese people have been in the midst of the greatest economic crisis in the country’s history. The root causes of this collapse – primarily negligent monetary policy – have only had their effects accelerated by the COVID crisis. For months, with the entire country on the edge of total collapse, strict rules have been put in place regarding currency valuations and trade in foreign money. Its hoarding of dollars and other international notes mean that Al Qard (again, through its unique legal status) has managed to circumvent rules that are making life exceedingly harder for other citizens. In short, the expose showing Al Qard actively supporting a militant group and its billionaire business partners, along with skirting restrictions everyone else needs to live with, has, shall we say, tainted the organization’s image. The public backlash that has ensued in wake of the hack has been tremendous. After having their personal data dumped online, a large group of Al Qard clients formed a Facebook group with the goal of publicizing the episode and calling for action against the AQAH. “We affirm that our names and all our details mentioned in the regulations published by the pirates are correct,” reads a pinned post on the group’s page. “We, the customers of the Foundation and those affected by Al Qard, have established this page to express our tragedies suffered since the start of the economic collapse.” As more and more Lebanese have caught wind of this unprecedented scandal, there is no question Al
Qard as an organization will suffer tremendously – perhaps even collapse. This could come in one of two ways: either authorities will be forced to clamp down on the bank’s activities, or, the more likely scenario, a lack of public confidence in Al Qard will lead to a liquidity problem the bank will simply be unable to deal with. Already, reports from around the country are indicating bank runs on AQAH branches are becoming more and more common.
The Fallout Hezbollah has already been under tremendous strain for years. U.S. sanctions on Iran have meant the flow of funds from its main benefactor have been all but been cut off. This has meant the loss of tens of millions in annual funds which has already had real ef-
Hezbollah has, since its earliest years, acted simultaneously as a Lebanese political faction, an armed paramilitary organization, an international smuggling ring orchestrator, and the Lebanese branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. fects on Hezbollah’s ability to operate – especially in places like Syria. At home, Hezbollah has been facing increasing pressure to acquiesce to international demands for policy reform, demands that have become conditions for international aid being delivered to the teetering country. Now, with one of its key institutions under threat, Hezbollah may actually feel more emboldened to take drastic measures. It seems more than a bit noteworthy that the
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Al Qard incident has coincided with an increase in Hezbollah activity to its southern border. For at least two weeks now, the IDF’s Northern Command has been warning of increased threats of Hezbollah incursions. In late December, several suspects coming from the north approached the security fence between the two countries. One of them climbed over the barrier and walked several meters into Israeli territory before fleeing back to Lebanon. This followed another incident only months before when Israel thwarted an infiltration attempt by up to five Hezbollah gunmen, an event which is extremely rare on Israeli borders in recent times. According to the most recent assessment by an unnamed Israeli Northern Command high-up, “a resumption of aggression by the Shi’ite Lebanese terror group Hezbollah against targets in northern Israel is merely a matter of time.” Considering the escalation over the recent period, “there’s high probability that the northern border would see a resumption of full-blown hostilities. This requires us to prepare accordingly; the chances of a sudden escalation are on the increase.” What Israeli troops are sensing on the ground seems to be the result of a pattern long in the making. The Al Qard crisis is only the most recent incident, and perhaps one of the most devastating, in this trend. It is only logical to conclude Hezbollah feels the walls are closing in on it. In addition to being cut off from its long-time sources of cash and being under the gun from authorities at home, Hezbollah is now being pursued internationally, as more and more governments in the West are cracking down on the group’s activities. Months ago, Germany executed a nationwide raid on Hezbollah-linked entities. Even today, Hezbollah-connected individuals are being increasingly targeted even regionally, as occurred recently in Morocco with the arrest of a 57-year-old Hezbollah agent. The saber-rattling of Hezbollah leaders (including by its Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah) containing bombastic threats against the U.S. and Israel and bragging of the terror group’s improved missile arsenal only add weight to the theory that the group is, at the moment, feeling extremely desperate.
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Dating Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters
Dear Navidaters,
I was dating Dovid very seriously, and we were a few short weeks from getting engaged. Suddenly, he ended the relationship, without a conversation, because he believed his friends who were in similar situations appeared to be more excited than he was.
It’s been some time now and I have open-mindedly gone out with other guys, but I still have an intuition that we will end up together. I am aware that the way he handled the entire situation says a lot about him and his communication style, or lack thereof, but I wish there was some way to facilitate the conversation that should have happened before he decided the relationship was over. My rabbi has continuously reminded me that Dovid knows how to contact me if he wanted to reach out again and that it’s not my place to initiate. However, I fear that Dovid doesn’t have the tools within him to conjure up the courage and strength necessary to make the call because of his self-deception. I continue to daven and hope that if it’s part of Hashem’s plan it will happen. Any advice on how to proceed?
Thanks, Shira
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.
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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.
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hira, I am very troubled by your letter. You say outright that Dovid suffers from self-deception, poor communication, and lack of courage and strength. Yet you want to pursue a relationship with him and seem to want our advice on how to reach out to him as you “have an intuition” that we will end up together. Consider this: perhaps you are deceiving yourself and are not hearing what he is telling you. Maybe you lack courage and strength to face the fact that he is not interested in pursuing a future with you. You are right that he probably should have told you he is breaking up with you and held a conversation about it. Perhaps things were not progressing for him in the same way they were progressing for you. Maybe you were not a few short weeks from getting engaged. You need professional help. It’s a matter of understanding yourself, not psychoanalyzing the other person based on your intuition and you wanting to get engaged. Learn and explore healthy relationships, identity, and communication. Commit to sustained therapy while you daven for clarity in working out your own issues.
The Shadchan Michelle Mond
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hira, what you are experiencing is very normal, albeit very painful. It is heart-wrenching to go out with a guy, connect deeply, envision a future together, daven and daydream of rings and roses only to have the entire relationship reduced to ash, silence, and memories. The pain that goes along with a breakup is traumat-
ic, with serious lingering effects. My heart goes out to you. It is very hard to un-imagine a future together with someone once you have. This was a normal part of the dating process which was close to engagement and led in your case to a dead end. You say you have an intuition that you will end up together, and the thought that he might not have the courage to reintroduce the idea makes you worry. First, you must recognize the fault in this. You may have intuition but you do not have the foresight to know who you will, in fact, marry. Your intuition is coming from the feelings you had during a relationship that was unfortunately one-sided. Whether or not his reason for ending things was founded or appropriate, the bottom line is he ended it with you. The daydreams of a life with Dovid must end, though it will be very hard. It is a lot easier to imagine Dovid coming back than to imagine starting over with someone new. But for the sake of this new someone, it is what you must do. I remember dating a guy seriously before I met my husband. Things were going in a very quick direction towards engagement, and there was no reason to see any other outcome happen. As hashgacha and Hashem had planned, he was not the one. After a mental breakdown and a long discussion with R’ Shaya Ostrov, the boy and his therapist concluded that he was not “fit for dating material for at least another year.” It ended through his rav, and I never spoke to him again. I admit to having thoughts similar to yours, “OK, so I’ll wait a year until he’s ready, no big deal. I’m sure he’ll come back.” But as soon as I resigned myself to Hashem being my Shadchan and that relationship clearly not being the one, Hashem made a date with my husband appear. The rest, as they say, is history. Work on moving forward for the sake of your true bashert, and file Dovid’s memory in the cabinet labeled “Not Good Enough For You.” That is a much safer place to store his
memory than “The Right One Who Got Away.”
The Single Rivka Weinberg
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hira, your positive outlook and ability to turn to Hashem during this difficult time in your life is inspiring. I appreciate your use of the word “hope,” as many people confuse hope with expectation. There’s an increased level of emotional maturity in having high feelings of hope without allowing that to impact your expectation. With regard to your intuition, hold onto it. Keep in mind that intuition doesn’t force us to act, rather, it forces us to pay attention. You mentioned Dovid said his friends in similar situations “appeared” to be more excited than he was. In shidduchim, many people are infatuated, either because they aren’t aware of it or because it’s easier than facing the natural fears involved in dating. You and Dovid could’ve been in a healthy relationship that wasn’t built on fear, but because of the infatuated-filled environment he found himself in, he allowed that to cloud his judgment. Your rabbi has a great point – don’t reach out to Dovid. You want to be in a relationship with someone who is excited to be there, and you shouldn’t have to force that excitement upon him. You can continue to hope that he conjures up the courage to reach out, but you deserve more than to be dating someone who doesn’t have that strength. You sound like an incredible girl who has her head on straight and if Dovid doesn’t have the tools within him to realize what he’s missing out on, then maybe it’s not as shayach as you think. With these new realizations about Dovid’s communication style and what sounds to be an increased level of emotional intelligence, I wonder if
File Dovid’s memory in the cabinet labeled “Not Good Enough For You.” you would still be interested in dating him if he were to return. Whether he reaches out again or not, remember that Hashem specifically had you date Dovid at that time. I heard that the Rugachuger Rebbe, zy”a, would pay shadchanus to every individual who set him up because he believed each date was an opportunity to learn about himself and how relationships work. Take this time to learn from your relationship with Dovid and continue working on yourself to become the kli you need to be to accept your zivug at the right time. To the singles reading this – relationships are built on vulnerability, and as scary as that may sound, you need to step out of your comfort zone for that connectivity to take place. Although we are only hearing Shira’s narrative of the story, don’t be like Dovid. Don’t self-sabotage what sounds to be a healthy relationship because of what appears to be going on with others around you. Dovid, and all of those in his shoes, I encourage you to be honest and look deep within yourself. Did you really end the relationship because of the lack of excitement, or was it because you feared taking the next step? Are you currently telling stories convincing yourself you made the right decision? If it’s the latter, I strongly recommend you find the courage to speak with a rebbe or therapist to work through the fears preventing you from progressing in a relationship. Only then will you be able to reach out to Shira with integrity and allow yourself the joy of building the healthy and enduring relationship we all deserve.
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The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler ou are in love with someone who is not in love with you. Get over it. Move on with your life. You can spend the rest of your days feeling miserable and wallowing in self-pity, or you can accept reality. Note that throughout history, every culture has stories or myths about unrequited love. Remember poor Mother Leah, who’s love for Yaakov was never fully reciprocated, or, mighty Samson, who’s love for Delilah was rewarded with catastrophic betrayal.
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In Greek mythology, l’havdil, there is the story of Apollo and Daphne; Japan has its legend of the Bleeding Heart flower. In more modern times, German author von Goethe penned the story of the doomed, despondent lover in Sorrows of Young Werther, and French writer Victor Hugo wrote about the sad, one-sided love that Eponine had for Marius in Les Misérables. None of these stories have happy endings. It would be helpful for you to follow the advice of British poet Sir John Suckling, who wrote, Why So Pale and Wan Fair Lover? He was
admonishing a young man who was helplessly in love with a woman who didn’t care for him at all. He advised him to stop being miserable, and accept, instead, that his love would never come to fruition. He wrote: If of herself she will not love, Nothing can make her; The devil take her. And, Shira, please follow the advice of the more contemporary Gary Lewis, who sang in 1965: Forget him if he doesn’t love you Forget him if he doesn’t care… ‘Cause he can’t give you love which isn’t there. Instead of praying to Hashem for a love that isn’t meant to be, thank Hashem for ending your relation-
Pulling It All Together
what everyone deserves! The Navidaters It is now time to turn Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists your focus away from Dovid to yourself. I want you to sit quietly with the following questions for yoursaid that ear Shira, self, when you have some his friends approaching A breakup is a loss. It is the death quiet time: engagement are more excitof a relationship, an envisioned How did Dovid leaving me ed. You also mentioned that shared future, and the painful reality make me feel? Dovid may be deceiving himself. that you will not be seeing this person How do I feel when I think about You care very much for Dovid and any longer. what Dovid did? are hopeful that he will reach out, and Breakups are devastating. BreakWhat does my intuition tell me you have an intuition that you will be ups that happen suddenly and seemabout Dovid’s actions? together. Continue to follow your ingly “out of the blue” are shocking Do I want to be in a relationship rabbi’s advice and do not reach out to and traumatic. I am so sorry that with someone who would leave me Dovid. Dovid is not ready to be with you’re going through this. It hurts. out of the blue? you, or there is the good possibility And it can take quite some time to Would I want this for my best that he does not want to be with you. heal. We can’t stop normal feelings friend or sister? If he could be with you, or he wanted from transpiring… so whatever you’re What do I deserve? to be with you, he would make it hapfeeling is most likely what is unfortuHow do I want to be treated? pen. But he isn’t making it happen. nately par for the course. A broken What do I think a healthy relaI know this hurts so much. The silheart needs time to heal. tionship looks like? ver lining is that he told you this now, I am glad that you have confided in What would it mean to be in a before a wedding and a family. You your rabbi and that he has given you relationship with someone who once deserve to be with someone who is gothe right advice, which is not to reach left me out of the blue? ing to be so crazy about you! Someout to Dovid. It is easy to understand How might I feel about that? one who makes it clear that he feels why your thoughts naturally focus on We are going to shift your focus like the luckiest guy on earth! That is what Dovid might be thinking. Dovid
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Don’t self-sabotage what sounds to be a healthy relationship because of what appears to be going on with others around you. ship before you got engaged, or got married, or had children. It’s time for you to face reality and move on.
from Dovid to you. Dating and relationships are full heartache and pain until we find the one. Most of the time, we can write someone off and not think twice. But every now and then, we get our hearts broken. And anyone who has had a broken heart knows that ache. The sadness. The longing. The painful crying. Every relationship we have helps us evolve into the beautiful, whole people we were always meant to become. When someone leaves us out of the blue, it can take away our sense of safety and stability and can leave us dumbfounded and finding it hard to trust. It can also leave us trying to figure out how to get the person back. We find our safety and sense of control in the lessons we learn about ourselves and life from the relationship. Only you know if you’re ready to date. If you are focused on Dovid, and not yet yourself, you may not be ready to date and may want to consider taking some time off while you process your feelings, mourn the relationship, and truly move on…. Please believe that you will. Sincerely, Jennifer
Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516-224-7779, ext. 2. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.
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Dr. Deb
An Easy Trick to Control Emotions By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.
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n January 24, 1984, The New York Times bravely published a write-up of a forthcoming book sharing formerly hushed-up letters written by Sigmund Freud to Wilhelm Fleiss, “a Berlin nose and throat doctor with whom Freud carried on a … 15-year friendship” (according to the online, unredacted version of its original article, https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/24/science/freudsecret-documents-reveal-years-ofstrife.html). It appears that Freud did not easily or readily give up his original conclusion that “hysterical symptoms” came from childhood molestation. The French medical establishment vigorously opposed this theory and wanted to instead attribute hysterical symptoms of women to “fabrication and fantasy.” What was the truth? A researcher, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, was appointed project director of the Sigmund Freud Archives. This was a body of formerly unpublished letters that Freud had written to Fleiss and other people. These letters indicated that Freud not only thought – originally – that these hysterical women were telling the truth about their childhood abuse but that even
his own father was not a moral man. Freud apparently waivered in his conviction that abuse was the real cause of hysteria. The theory was presented to the Society for Psychiatry and Neurology on April 21, 1896, but two things happened to make him wonder if he wasn’t wrong: One, the frequency with which he encountered women (and some men, including his own brother) with hysteria was hard to swallow. Two, social pressure in the form of the outrage of the medical establishment. A year later he wrote Fleiss that he was starting to reject his theory, but later that year, he wrote again that his “confidence” in it was increasing. We now know, of course, that his original take was the correct one. According David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center: 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse; Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized; Children are most vulnerable to CSA between the ages of 7 and 13. Freud hid his own finding from himself because it was too disturbing to believe.
But Anna Freud, Sigmund’s daughter, completed what Freud started. As keeper of her father’s history, she was horrified by an earlier New York Times article in which Masson and others were interviewed. She promptly fired Masson, and 75,000 documents stored in the Freud archives became “prohibited” to the public and to researchers, “in some cases, into the 22nd century.” I certainly understand how embarrassing this material is. But…. Children are being hurt every day. Shouldn’t the truth have come out of the shadows way earlier? Remember I’ve been talking about parts and Self these last few weeks? Some of our more disturbing emotions are carried by parts. And if we don’t want to feel them, we push them away. That is just what Freud and Anna did. They pushed away disturbing emotions. Well, it is disturbing to think that children are injured every day by the people who are supposed to protect them. So one way to deal with that is to feel the anxiety of dealing with it and allow that anxiety to keep you up at night – but at the same time, to help the children who need it. Or help those children after they come to adulthood.
Another way to deal with that depression and anxiety is to convince yourself that the information you’re confronting can’t be true, so let’s rethink it, perhaps whitewashing it. That’s what Anna Freud and her father did.
We Do This Every Day Anna was embarrassed at the findings, and her father was perplexed by them. But a worse case scenario is when people who have our ear and our respect hide information from us because they are so attached to their position. Not only do they hide information but they create a smokescreen behind which to hide it. That smokescreen is the clever use of language. If they sound like they have a moral advantage, then we don’t question them. For example, the BDS movement sounds very noble. It wants to sound like there is a moral high ground to not doing business with Israel because Israel, so their narrative goes, mistreats the Palestinians. Many lives have been lost because of the BDS’s erroneous movement and the people who were gullible enough to accept its “moral” position.
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Similarly, “Black Lives Matter” sounds wonderful but leaves out the anti-Semitic thrust in its charter. And that, of course, is how the Nazis persuaded Germany and most of Europe to cooperate in their goal of eliminating Jews. After all, we were “swine.” Language can be the smokescreen to hide the other side of the question. It is for this reason that I never give a psychiatric diagnosis to clients unless they want insurance to reimburse them for laying out the payment. Then I collaborate with them to come up with a good fit to a diagnosis. The last impression I would ever want to give people working with me is that I have the power to place a diminishing label on them. But we do this all the time in our everyday communication. And we don’t even see it. I once had a friend, or someone whom I thought was a friend, who differed from me politically. She wanted to engage in a political conversation, and I kept dodging it. Finally, one day, she got me to disclose that I did not think employers should have to cover the cost of some of their employees’ medical needs. For this, she told me I was “not compassionate,” and our friendship ended. Just like that. By using that language, she convinced herself that her moral position was the high one. The language obscured all the many reasons that could pile up on the other side. No need to look there. When my son-in-law teases me about myself, I laugh. When it’s true (and done with affection), it’s funny. Ironically, later that week, another friend (to whom I had not brought up the above interaction) told me that I was one of the most compassionate people she knew. So what happened? How did my former friend manage to convince herself of something false? The answer is that we can’t ever prove that I am or am not compassionate. A million arguments could be made by a lineup of people on either side of that word. But the word itself keeps people from having those arguments or discussions. See, whether it’s diagnosing a client or labeling a friend, the person
with the label gets the moral high ground. And by default, the person labeled is diminished. That is the reason it is divisive. And that’s no good. This is why the Torah says in Parshas Behar, “Lo sonu ish es amito” (don’t aggrieve your countryman, meaning “don’t use words to hurt people”), and if we slip – which is really easy – then on Yom Kippur we beat our chests saying “tafalnu sheker” (we have falsely accused). You can surely hurt people with the truth – as was the case of Freud’s daughter. She was trying to prevent her father’s name and her family memory from being stained. But you hurt even more when the accusation is false.
is that he calls one of the parts the “firefighter.” This part is 100% kneejerk reactive. When an inflammatory word is thrown out there, the firefighter springs into action. That is exactly what we’ve seen the last several years in politics. I bring politics up here because the positions have crept into our homes. They’ve invaded our homes just as the politics of ancient times did when Jews were divided between siding with the Romans or the Greeks or our Torah leaders. And it all begins with words that are used as smokescreens to hide the side the users don’t want others to examine. I don’t watch the news; it’s usually too depressing. But on January 6, I
I am not sure which is sadder: the actual damage to this country from all this violence or the damage from using inflammatory language to cause divisiveness.
And the problem is that you will initially succeed when you label someone else as lower than low. You do end up convincing others – and yourself – that the person you’re labeling is unworthy of human respect. Hashem wants shalom, not divisiveness. That’s why the achdus in Migdal Bavel led Hashem to not kill off its builders in spite of their sin. So how do you avoid this happening? The answer is simple: Don’t use inflammatory language. That language starts up a forest fire. And the purpose of the forest fire is exactly to hide the other side of whatever issue is on the table. But that’s wrong. We are meant to exist with shalom, not divisiveness. Inflammatory language creates greater divisiveness and leads people to hurl their own epithets until the conflagration sweeps up everyone. In fact, something I hadn’t mentioned in explaining Richard Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems,
was naturally curious about the violence at the Capitol. I clicked over to MSNBC and was disturbed when the broadcaster said that President Trump “incited” the riots. A simple word. “Incited.” We are so used to hearing blame and accusation that we forget that newscasters have an obligation not to use inflammatory language. Psychologically, there were people who felt called upon to riot to “protect” the President. Their firefighter parts overtook them. But by using this word by a newscaster, it sounds like it must be truth. And it is disturbing. Too disturbing to put aside so that one’s Self can examine the entire question, both sides of the question. The riots were wrong. Five people died, and the country was thrown into fear. Eighty-two people were arrested out of a half million protesting peacefully. Ironically, Trump himself has been guilty of using cutting words on people he didn’t like, and you see where
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it got him. Just for fun, I did a search of this same newscaster from MSNBC, Chris Hayes, on the summer of riots all around our nation. Sure enough, I found only one video of his that even mentioned violence. There, he proudly stated that a Princeton University survey showed that the protests last summer were 93% non-violent! In other – unspoken – words, 7% of the people were violent. To get a statistical comparison, let’s do the math. One source said a half million people came to the Capitol to show solidarity, so 82/500,000 = 0.000164 or 0.0164% – that’s the percent of violent people at the Capitol. Compare this to the admittedly 7% of violent people over the summer riots. Who is being blamed and accused for the summer riots? No one. I am not sure which is sadder: The actual damage to this country from all this violence or the damage from using inflammatory language to cause divisiveness. But this much I will say: If you and your partner are used to living a life of arguments, there is no way out and no end when you throw inflammatory words at one another. The best and most successful couple arguments take place when each one recognizes “points” that the other makes regardless of their own perspective. John Gottman, eminent researcher on why marriages last, stated that couples will argue; that’s normal. But those that give five positive statements to one negative one in the middle of an argument are the couples that stick together – happily. Why do we throw up smokescreens which hide the truth and inflame emotions? Are we afraid that a reasoned discussion with all of the data on the table will be too weak? Do we need to bolster our “side” by making the other “side” into scoundrels? Don’t stay stuck in this sort of cycle.
Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.
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Health & F tness
The Rejected Dietary Guidelines Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN
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his January not only marked the start of a fresh, new, and hopefully calmer year, it is also the start of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated every five years. They are developed by the federal government and are created with evidence-based data to help Americans make healthy choices in their daily lives in order to help prevent chronic disease and enjoy a healthy diet. The guidelines have a wide impact on the population –from shaping school lunches to influencing what food companies produce, and, especially this year, what food distributions can include. We should all be following the dietary guidelines or at least trying our best to adhere to them. The recommended changes for the 2020-2025 guidelines were released in July and reviewed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services. These committees have the ultimate word in what changes can be made to the guidelines. One surprising change that did not get approved was significant cuts of sugar and alcohol consumption. The scientific committee that proposes the dietary guidelines is made up of 20 academics and doctors. This committee recommended that added sugars in the diet should be limited to 6% of daily calories, instead of 10% in the current guidelines. The association between added sugar consumption and the rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease is quite clear cut.
The committee also proposed to limit alcoholic beverage consumption to one drink per day, down from two drinks per day (for men – the previous guidelines already recommended only one drink per day for women). Alcohol consumption is also linked to health-related diseases. Alcohol intake can increase blood pressure, elevate triglycerides, damage the liver, and may increase the risk of several types of cancer. Plus, alcoholic
extent that stakeholders provided input about whether the science was being properly reviewed, we took that into consideration. We committed to issuing guidelines based on sound science in an open and transparent process. We believe that, at the end of the day, that’s what we did.” As a dietitian, I am somewhat disappointed by these rejections, as we are all well aware that poor diet is linked to the rising rates of obesi-
Now, more than ever, Americans should be health conscious and taking health recommendations seriously.
beverages are a source of calories, which may cause weight gain and thus indirectly increase the risk of other health conditions. Despite the recommendations, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services feel that “the new evidence is not substantial enough to support changes to quantitative recommendations for either added sugars or alcohol,” said Brandon Lipps, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services at the USDA, and therefore rejected the proposed changes. Some feel that the committee’s decision to reject the changes was a response to business groups. Mr. Lipps assured the public that “to the
ty and chronic illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 74% of adults are overweight or obese. About 40% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Aside from obesity being strongly linked to a higher risk of developing chronic illnesses, those who are overweight and obese are at-risk for complications from COVID-19. Now, more than ever, Americans should be health conscious and taking health recommendations seriously. Just because the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2020-2025 were not changed to lower the recommended amount of added sugar consumption, you can still attempt to
reduce your added sugar intake. The average American consumes more than 13% of daily calories from added sugars, while the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of daily calories. Added sugars are primarily found in sugar sweetened beverages, refined grain snacks, and desserts. Natural sugars in fruit are not added sugars and do not need to be limited for this reason. To help reduce your added sugar intake, enjoy sugary desserts in moderation and substitute sugary desserts for fresh fruit whenever possible – or for the best results, skip dessert altogether. Additionally, try to cut out sugar in your coffee or teas. Another way to reduce your added sugar consumption is to switch from sweetened yogurt with added fruit to plain low-fat yogurt. You can then add fresh fruit on your own for a nutritious, naturally sweet option. Try to go through the foods that you regularly eat and see in what areas you can cut down on the added sugars. Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@ gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @ EatBetterandFeelBetter.
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Parenting Pearls
Recognizing Parental Limitations By Sara Rayvych, MSEd
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here is a lot that goes into writing a weekly article for such a fine publication as TJH. Much time is spent writing, editing, and then editing some more. I try to look at each article from many different angles including accuracy and clarity. One of those angles is how will parents perceive the information. One of my concerns is that parents shouldn’t feel overwhelmed or inadequate when reading the various ideas presented. Parents are hardworking people who love their children and naturally want to do all they can for the little people in their life. It’s tempting to try to implement everything we see and hear or simply feel bad when we can’t add something to our parenting repertoire. I felt that striking this balance is a topic worthy of an article all its own. I also want to help avoid some of the potential guilt parents are experts at experiencing.
Continuous personal growth This is not to say that taking on new things or improving ourselves is a bad idea. I happen to think personal growth is important. It’s crucial to continuously grow not only as a person but as a parent as well. The more experienced we are, the more we can appreciate new techniques and implement new methods. We have 40 days on the Jewish calendar dedicated to self-reflection with a goal towards future improvement. We don’t fast and cry on Yom Kippur with the hopes that we can repeat the same sins again the next year! In many ways, I view parenting as a form of personal growth. I see parenting as not only raising my children but also raising myself. When I get up in the middle of the night to soothe a crying child, I am doing it to take care of that child’s needs, but I’m also learning to become a more
go, then that’s fabulous. If you can’t, then reevaluate. If you do the first option calmly, then please invite me for lunch. For example, it’s important to spend time with your child but do it in a way that works for you. If you like games, then play games; if you hate games, then don’t play games. Choose something you’ll enjoy and maintain. Don’t decide to play games, do a puzzle, shoot hoops and then bake cookies. Doing what you can and doing it with serenity and happiness is more important than taking on more with misery. giving and patient person. It takes a lot of self-control to smile at anybody at 3 a.m. You only build those muscles of personal growth by exercising them frequently – something kids make us do all the time! On many occasions, I’ve looked at parenting as another means for my own growth, and this has made it a bit easier to do the challenging job of parenting the way it needs to be done – with love and a smile. Personal growth, like everything in life, requires balance. I can’t tell you what your personal balance should be, as each person has their own. What I can say is that recognizing and respecting that balance is important. If we take on too much, we often end up with nothing. There are many stories of our tzaddikim that describe the tzaddik’s big goals for the upcoming year; often those goals seem humble, yet they chose a modest goal they knew they could keep. Real growth comes in baby steps. I’m not particularly an expert in this topic but everything I’ve written in this paragraph is pretty standard.
Nobody does it all Really, nobody does it all. I don’t do it all, and all well-balanced people I know aren’t doing it all. If you ask
those who are “doing it all,” they will tell you what they cut out so they can do what they are doing. I never expect anybody to take on everything I write in an article. As an example, if I write ten ways to make yom tov more special, you are not realistically expected to take on all ten or even five. It’s important to bear in mind that the ideas mentioned in such an article were likely developed over close to two decades of parenting during yom tov. Any given idea was probably implemented at some point during those decades – not all at once. You have to see what will make the biggest improvement for your family and what you can most realistically do at any given time. Balance is key. Let’s stay with the yom tov example for now. There are families that will make new dishes every year and the table is full of dish after dish that is fancier than the previous ones. I’ve also heard of people who will make yom tov special by making one new dish for the meal while everything else is familiar and easy. Many families try the first option and fail or are over-stressed. Other families try the second option, and the adults can come to the table without collapsing. If you can calmly do the first option and smile as you
Recognizing limitations It’s important that everyone acknowledges their own limitations. We all have the point beyond which we can’t do more; past that is the point we simply break. Too often, it’s tempting to take on one more task or do one more thing and that’s what pushes us past our breaking point. Limitations can be due to many factors: time, health, finances, stress or emotional factors. Any of these are valid points that should be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to take on something new. I personally feel this is important because sometimes taking on something extra can mean you lose what you already have. As an example, choosing to dedicate 20 minutes of one-on-one time with each child each evening is a beautiful idea. If it means you are not eating dinner or you’re feeling so overwhelmed that you can’t enjoy it, then you really haven’t gained that much. Spending time with a child and feeling resentful isn’t going to build that loving bond. Alternatively, you can give each child one 20-minute time slot in the week, a different child each evening or you could hold off until you have a little more time. If we take on too much,
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such as in the above example, we may lose more than we gain. Kids want many things, and those things tend to be expensive. This is on top of the many expenses we already have. It can be very hard to say “no” – both because we want to give them everything and because kids can be very persistent. It’s important to recognize what our budget can and can’t hold. As a side point, it’s also not emotionally healthy for a child to receive every expensive (or even inexpensive) item he/she wants, but that’s another topic. Emotional limitations are very real and shouldn’t be ignored just because nobody else can see them. To be honest, when we’re overwhelmed and stressed, others can tell so it’s not as invisible as we like to think. We are not doing any favors for our kids if we burn out. Yes, they may get what they want now, but ultimately everyone loses. Be very honest with yourself and recognize what your emotional lim-
itations are. That is a terrible breaking point to reach and nobody can give you back your sanity. An overstressed parent will yell, cry, or cease to function well. Up until now, I mentioned not taking on something new. Now I’d like to focus on what to do if you
helpful. Sometimes removing one or two things can make everything easier and create a calmer, more loving parent. Using the yom tov example mentioned above, I have switched to very simple menus when necessary. One yom tov was the “salad yom tov,” when almost every side was a sal-
Doing what you can and doing it with serenity and happiness is more important than taking on more with misery.
already have too much. Sometimes doing too much means you don’t do anything fully or do anything well. It can be helpful to take a step back and temporarily eliminate unnecessary distractions in our life. I’ve done it when necessary, and it can be really
ad. The menu was a surprising hit. I have often lessened my expectations for what I should be accomplishing, whether it was simpler or fewer mishloach manos, dropping more labor intensive kiddush/simcha items, or fewer pages of math on a given day
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(shhhhh, don’t tell). As I finished writing this article, I wondered if this was perhaps not a parenting topic. Then I remembered that this is a major topic of discussion at homeschooling conferences. The more a parent takes on, the greater their responsibility to guard that balance. Our lives are more hectic than ever, kids are taking turns quarantining, and we as parents need to constantly reevaluate our personal needs to be there both for others and for ourselves. By respecting our needs, we can be there for those who need us most. Additionally, we are teaching our children an important lesson in respecting their own needs as well.
Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.
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tchen PHOT O BY M
Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas
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In The K
Meat / Yields 8 servings
By Naomi Nachman
I’ve always loved Mexican food. It’s a real combination of flavors that have a little heat from jalape�os and the sweet taste of cilantro. I wanted to be able to make it myself at home. The key is using fresh ingredients such as garlic, limes, lemons, and herbs. I serve this with salsa and guacamole, and everyone is delighted. The filling is great alone, too. Just mix with rice.
Ingredients
Preparation
5. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until heated through.
b2 tablespoons canola oil b1 small onion, chopped b1 clove garlic, minced b2 chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces (or leftover chicken from the soup) b½ cup canned corn, rinsed and drained b½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained b1 diced jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed b1 cup salsa, divided b¼ cup mayonnaise b¼ cup chopped cilantro b1 teaspoon ground cumin
1.
6. Serve with guacamole and additional salsa, if desired.
b8 flour tortillas (6 inch) bGuacamole, for serving, optional bSalsa, for serving, optional
Heat oven to 350°F. Coat 1 (13x9-inch) baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add onions and garlic; cook until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add chicken; cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Add corn, beans, and jalapeno peppers; sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. 3. Add ¼ cup salsa, mayonnaise, cilantro, and cumin; mix well. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. 4.
Spoon about ₁ ⁄₃ cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-sides down, in prepared baking dish; top with remaining salsa.
Cook’s Tip: You can use up your leftover chicken in this recipe, adding the cut-up chicken to the pan after the onions and garlic have sautéed in Step 2. This recipe can also be made dairy by using soy cutlets, available at the local kosher supermarket. That way, you can use real cream cheese instead of the mayo; you can also add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese into the mixture of your dairy version. Recipe reprinted from Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman.
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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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”
I offered to donate 25% or £52.5 million [approximately $71.7 million] to the city of Newport in order to distribute to all local residents who live in Newport should I find and recover the Bitcoins. This would work out to approximately £175 ($239) per person for the entire city (316,000 population). Unfortunately, they refused the offer and won’t even have a face-to-face discussion with me on the matter. - British IT investor James Howells who threw away a hard drive in 2013 with approximately $275 million in bitcoin data on it, after he thought he had backed up all the information, talking to CNN about the landfill operator’s refusal to look for the hard drive
I mean, they put these rules in place. They’re not even following their own rules. I mean, how many people have gotten caught? “Don’t travel. Don’t leave the state.” Oh, here’s so-and-so on a vacation. Oh, here’s so-and-so at a salon. “Don’t eat out at a restaurant unless you’re wearing a mask and separate.” Oh, here’s a picture of the governor of California violating those rules. Oh, public schools are closed, but I can send my kids to a private school in person .- Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers on The Pat McAfee Show talking about politicians’ hypocrisy when it comes to Covid and why he made a large donation to the Barstool Sports’ fund to assist small businesses that have financially suffered due to strict lockdown measures
This is the most offensive thing I’ve ever heard. No one should ever question the loyalty or professionalism of the Texas National Guard. @TexasGuard I authorized more than 1,000 to go to DC. I’ll never do it again if they are disrespected like this. – Texas Governor Greg Abbott, after it was announced that the National Guards who are protecting Washington are being vetted for extremist views
Our election was hijacked. There is no question. Congress has a duty to #ProtectOurDemocracy & #FollowTheFacts. – Recently resurfaced tweet from 5/16/17, by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, not resulting in censure and not even containing a Twitter warning about false information
It’s really important to understand that Israel is a racist state, in that they would deny Palestinians like my grandmother access to a vaccine, that they don’t believe she’s an equal human being who deserves to live. - Jew-hater and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
I had a dream Trump was on trial for sedition. And outside the courthouse, a noose was hung from a makeshift scaffold. The noose was made of recycled Covid masks. - Tweet by actor Alec Baldwin, which was not censured by Twitter
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I would love to see his phone records, to see whether he was talking to Putin the day that the insurgents invaded our Capitol. But we all know that not just him, but his enablers, his accomplices, his cult members, have the same disregard for democracy. - Hillary Clinton, during a joint podcast interview with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
To your point who is he beholden to — as I’ve said over and over…as I pointed to him, with you Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin. - Pelosi’s response
Congressman Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida – who lost his legs, by the way, fighting for democracy abroad, although I don’t know ... about his commitment to it here in the United States. - CNN’s Jake Tapper talking about Congressman Mast, who lost both of his legs in an IED attack in Afghanistan while fighting for the U.S., after Congressman Mast angered Jake Tapper because he gave a speech opposing Trump’s impeachment
If the ceremony on the White House lawn means anything, these turkeys should be given a chance to live as turkeys should — but instead, they’re serving a life sentence without so much as the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. PETA is asking Virginia Tech to let us give these turkeys a chance to enjoy companionship, fresh air, and sunshine at a reputable sanctuary, as they deserve.
One of the other purposes of impeachment, in this case, is to make sure that President Trump is not able to run for federal office again, that he’s not able to seek the presidency. -Rep. Joaquin Castro, (D-TX) on ABC’s “This Week”
I got the vaccine down here. I probably wouldn’t have gotten it by now in New York. - Former New York State Democratic Party leader John Sullivan, who worked for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, telling the New York Post that he received the vaccine in Florida, which has been much more efficient at distributing the vaccine than New York
- PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna in a letter to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, where the turkeys that President Trump pardoned in 2018 are housed
Let’s not just give ordinary Americans a one-time $2,000 check. With our new majority and a worsening crisis, let’s meet the need: $2,000/month, every month, until this crisis is over. - Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)
MORE QUOTES
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The Republicans arguing against impeachment are looking to absolve Bin Laden because it might “inflame” Al Queda (The Base). That’s a chump’s way out. Truth and Justice will be the first seed of unity. Impeach. – Tweet by Hollywood actor Sean Penn, referring to 79 million Americans as terrorists
I wonder if you have thought through kind of how Republicans begin what someone on my team earlier today called deBaathification of the Republican Party? - MSNBC’s Joy Reid talking to a co-host, inferring that the Republican Party is similar to Saddam Hussein’s Baath party
Let’s not confuse 5,000 people with 74 million. – Bill Maher, HBO, who has an inclination towards logic, warning liberals that they are going too far by demonizing millions of peaceful Trump supporters
I am blessed with good health, so turning 99 is no different than turning 98. - Actress Betty White talking about her recent 99th birthday
Here’s a quote: “I just don’t even know why there aren’t more – why there aren’t uprisings all over the country and maybe there will be.” Or, “Sadly, the domestic enemies of our voting system and honoring our Constitution are right at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with their allies in Congress.” We were called “enemies” of the state. Those were all quotes from our speaker. Now, on our side, we didn’t take those to be impeachable because we didn’t believe she surely meant that. But by the Democrats taking this action, you’re telling me, “No, when we say those, we actually mean to incite violence.” That’s what this [impeachment] action is saying. - Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) during a congressional session, arguing against impeachment
This is also the last madness of Pompeo — Mr. Lies. - China’s foreign minister responding to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo’s assertion that Covid was started in and leaked from a Chinese lab
I think you need to watch Susan Rice very closely. She will be the shadow president. - Former acting DNI Ric Grenell, on Fox News
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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Political Crossfire
Democrats Were for Occupying Capitols Before They Were Against It By Marc A. Thiessen
“T
housands of protesters rushed to the…Capitol Wednesday night, forcing their way through doors, crawling through windows and jamming corridors.” That is how one newspaper described the storming of the Capitol – not the one in Washington last week, but the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, a decade ago. Back then, thousands of pro-union activists – many bused in from out of state – rampaged through the historic building in an effort to stop a vote on collective bargaining reform legislation. So, when I saw the images of a pro-Trump mob rampaging through the U.S. Capitol last week, my first thought was: What is Scott Walker thinking right now? “It’s like I’m having PTSD from a decade ago,” the former Republican governor of Wisconsin texted me. Most conservatives have condemned the right-wing mob that assaulted the U.S. Capitol. But 10 years ago, Democrats embraced the leftwing mob that occupied the state Capitol in Madison. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised the occupiers for an “impressive show of democracy in action” and tweeted as they assaulted the Capitol that she continued “to stand in solidarity” with the union activists. In other words, Democrats were for occupying capitols before they were against it. Walker and I co-wrote a book, “Unintimidated‚” in which we described the attack on the Capitol in Madison. “Standing on the capitol steps at dusk, [Secretary of Administration] Mike Huebsch watched as an army of thousands formed on State Street and began marching toward him,” we wrote. “Soon they had descended on the building, banging on the doors and windows, chanting, ‘Let us in! Let us
Protesters in Wisconsin's state Capitol on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
in!’ The small contingent of capitol police was quickly overwhelmed. Protesters ripped the hinges of an antique oak door at the State Street entrance and streamed inside. Mike watched in disbelief as the window to Democrat-
searching for the Republican senators who had dared to defy the will of the unions.” As the crowd scoured the building looking for the offending legislators, police sneaked them out through an
“It’s like I’m having PTSD from a decade ago.” ic Representative Cory Mason’s office opened right in front of him and protesters began crawling into the building. Once inside, they began unlocking doors and bathroom windows until a sea of thousands had flooded the capitol.” The police retreated in the face of the horde, giving up the first floor, then the second. “The protesters ran amok, chanting ‘This is our house!’ and ‘This is what democracy looks like!’” we wrote. “And they then began
underground tunnel to a government building across the street. But a Democratic representative posted on social media that the Republican senators were escaping through the tunnels, so when the senators came up into the lobby, the mob was there waiting for them. “The tall windows that framed the lobby were plastered with people yelling and banging on the glass,” we wrote. “They were trapped. The senators hid under a stairwell, out of view,
while the police ordered a city bus to pull up in front of the building. Officers then formed a human wall on the sidewalk, parting the sea of protesters and creating a pathway for the senators to reach the bus.” Once the senators were on board, “the mob on the street began punching the windows and shaking the vehicle…. The police told the senators and staff inside to keep their heads down in case a window shattered.” Thankfully, no one was killed. But during the course of the occupation, Walker received a steady stream of death threats against him and his wife, including one that promised to “gut her like a deer” and one threatening to kill his sons. Police found dozens of .22-caliber bullets scattered across the Capitol grounds. The occupiers drew chalk outlines of fake dead bodies etched with Walker’s name on the floor and carried signs that read “Death to tyrants,” “The only good Republican is a dead Republican” and one with picture of him in crosshairs with the words, “Don’t retreat, Reload.” I asked Walker this week what lessons we might take from the two occupations. “On the positive side,” he said, “the angry mobs did not deter elected officials from their responsibilities in either instance.” The Wisconsin legislature approved Walker’s bill in 2011, just as Congress reconvened to certify Joe Biden’s victory last week. The good news is that our democracy has once again proved itself resilient against mob rule. The bad news is that some on the right now emulate the left-wing mob Nancy Pelosi celebrated and conservatives rightfully condemned in Madison a decade ago. That will be among President Donald Trump’s most shameful legacies. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021 The The Jewish Jewish Home Home || OCTOBER OCTOBER 29, 29, 2015 2015
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Political Crossfire
Joe Biden is My President By Marc A. Thiessen
A
fter the 2016 election, violent protests erupted across the country and the cry went up on the left: Donald Trump is “not my president.” So, I want to say this is clearly as I possibly can: Joe Biden is my president. I didn’t vote for Biden. I opposed his candidacy and expect that I will oppose a great deal of what he does in office. But starting at noon on January 20, he is president of the United States – and that makes him my president. He deserves a chance to succeed, and we should all hope that he does. Democrats never gave Trump that chance. They declared themselves the “resistance” and launched a campaign of obstruction against virtually everything Trump tried to do. They challenged his legitimacy from day one and spent the first two years of his presidency pushing the now-disproved narrative that he had colluded with Russia to steal the election. When that failed, they tried to impeach him anyway. Trump was often his own worst enemy, but no president in my lifetime has faced such a relentless campaign aimed at his destruction. So, when Biden issued his call for unity during his victory speech, declaring that it was “time to put away the harsh rhetoric” and “stop treating our opponents as our enemy,” many on the right said: Oh, now you want unity? After four years of trying to annihilate Trump, now you want us to “lower the temperature” and “give each other a chance”? Thanks, but no thanks. Here’s the problem with that attitude: It was wrong when Democrats did it to Trump, and it would be wrong for conservatives to do the same to Biden today. Moreover, by his behavior since he lost the elec-
tion, Trump has ceded any moral high ground he may have once possessed. The assault on the Capitol he incited was a disgrace. Not only did the pro-Trump mob violate the inner sanctum of our democracy, but it also marked a turning point when
has been among the worst abdications of presidential responsibility I have witnessed in my lifetime. I vividly recall how, just days after Barack Obama’s election in 2008, President George W. Bush held a Cabinet meeting where he
It was wrong when Democrats did it to Trump, and it would be wrong for conservatives to do the same to Biden today.
some on the right became what we all once condemned. That is unacceptable. It needs to stop now. Watching the presidential transition (if one even dares to call it that) has been horrific. Trump’s refusal to accept the election results, welcome his successor to the White House, attend his inauguration, or preside over a peaceful transfer of power
gave us all clear marching orders: “Our job is to make sure the next president and his team can do the job and succeed. No one at this table should want them to fail,” he said. That directive applied to all who worked for him, from his secretary of defense all the way down to his chief speechwriter. So, I called Obama’s speechwriter, Jon Favreau,
and invited him to the White House. We had lunch in the Navy Mess. I introduced him to our team, walked him through our speechwriting process, and later invited his entire staff for a West Wing tour, where they took their first look at the Oval Office. On my last day in the West Wing, I left him a note with a box of White House cigars for his team to smoke on the “speechwriters’ balcony” in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. I did all this not because I supported Obama – I would have many hard things to say about him in the years ahead – but out of respect for the office he held. I remembered the feeling I had when I first arrived at the White House and opened my desk drawer to find the words “Get Out!” carved deep into the wood – a message of contempt left by the departing Clinton team. We conservatives are supposed to be better than that. Unfortunately, many on our side have been far worse in recent days. Biden has asked for us to “give each other a chance.” So, here is my pledge as he takes his oath of office: I’m going to treat President Biden in this column the same way I treated President Trump. I’m going to call balls and strikes. I will support him when he does the right thing, oppose him when he does the wrong thing. I expect that I will criticize Biden a lot more than I did Trump, because I will disagree with Biden more than I disagreed with Trump. But I will treat him fairly precisely because I was disgusted by how the left treated Donald Trump. And because Joe Biden is not my enemy – he is my president.
(c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group
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Forgotten Her es
The IDF Medical Corps By Avi Heiligman
A mobile hospital in 1973
T
wentieth-centur y combat medical units were a major improvement from the previous century’s. The medicine and better medical practices saved many more lives than in wars of the past. Combat medics and their support system, including the doctors and nurse working tirelessly at field hospitals, are a vital factor in the dramatic increase of lives saved from battlefield wounds. Israeli medical units trace their history to the years before the country was formed and have served with distinction for decades. In 1915, Dr. Erlanger, a Jewish doctor from Switzerland, took steps to establish a Jewish medical team, and a year later, with the help of the Jewish Legion (five battalions of Jewish soldiers in the British Army), it began to take shape. This first attempt to create an international Jewish medical service came apart in 1922 as both the Jewish Legion and MDA were dismantled in peacetime. The Haganah did maintain a medical branch, but it mainly ran in conjunction with civilian services. During the War of Independence, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion directed Lt. Col. Dr. Chaim Sheba to organize the IDF’s Medical Corps as a top-notch medical service. Dr. Sheba came from Austria-Hungry in 1932 and had been a doctor in the British
Army’s Jewish Brigade during World War II. He suggested that he take trained doctors and existing field hospitals and create an independent corps that was separate from civilian services. By the end of the 19481949 war, fifteen field hospitals had been established. Many of the men and women who worked in the corps during the war were from overseas. Dr. Ben Zion Aronson was a South African medical officer attached to
Medical crew evacuating an injured soldier during the Yom Kippur War
Combat medics with experience were recruited from a variety of backgrounds. Many women joined the IDF and by and large were sent to work in hospitals. Boston native Esther Shawmut Friedman, on the other hand, was a World War II veteran having served with the U.S. Navy WAVES. She had been a pharmacist’s mate serving in hospitals. After World War II, she actively recruited others to join the Jewish effort in
Altogether, they treated over 3,500 wounded soldiers during the 1967 war.
the Carmeli Brigade. He traveled down to recently-captured Eilat in a truck convoy with the mission to set up a field clinic. Within a few days, a truck driver came into the clinic with a severe wound to his leg. Arabs had ambushed him on his way down from Be’er Sheva. With the quick work of Dr. Aaronson, the bleeding stopped. Soon the wounded truck driver was on his way to a hospital and a few months later returned to active duty. These clinics were typical of regular army units and saved the lives of many wounded soldiers.
Eretz Yisrael and then joined the IDF in 1948. Her journey was fraught with danger. She had to jump off the ship when it was nearing the Israeli coast and was caught in a riptide before being rescued. Israeli forces at that time were fighting in the Battle of Be’er Sheva, and Esther was sent to join the 8th Armored Brigade as a combat medic. In 1949, now under the command of Colonel Dr. Avraham Atzmon, the Medical Corps grew into a first-rate unit that raised the levels of sanitation, clinics, hospital rooms, and
dental facilities and created a research team. In the years following the establishment of Israel, they helped thousands of immigrants with medical services as they made the transition into the country. In the years since the Israeli War of Independence, the IDF’s Medical Corps has been called on in many different situations. The corps was present during all of Israel’s wars and was called upon to perform in highrisk situations. During the 1956 Sinai Campaign, they were airdropped and then merged with regular front-line units. As the IDF went past its existing borders during the Six Day War, the Medical Corps was right with them and transported the wounded back to Israeli hospitals. Altogether, they treated over 3,500 wounded soldiers during the 1967 war, and many medics were commended for their bravery. The Medical Corps again was very active during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israel was subject to a surprise attack, and there were many casualties early in the war. The corps treated thousands of wounded on the battlefield and transported them safely to hospitals. In addition to treating the wounded during the Israeli wars and battles, the corps has been sent worldwide on humanitarian missions. In 1979, the Medical Corps sent teams
IDF field hospitals have been ranked number 1 in the world by the WHO
to Cambodia to help refugees on the Thailand border. Six years later, they were sent to Mexico City where two powerful earthquakes left thousands trapped and many more homeless and needing immediate assistance. The IDF’s team in Mexico came from the Medical Corps, and they were involved in many tasks including rescue efforts, medical assistance, and food distribution. The Medical Corps also came to aid of the Jewish community in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1994. A car bomb exploded when the vehicle drove into a Jewish community center. Many were killed, and hundreds were trapped under the rubble. The IDF sent a medical team to assist, and they helped rescue many of those trapped. In addition to the medical team, Israel sent Mossad agents as well as forensic scientists to investigate the bombing. The Medical Corps went to places like Rwanda in 1994, which was
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IDF medical corps personnel in the Golan Heights after the 1967 war
in the middle of a civil war, to help beleaguered citizens there. In 1999, they went to Albania to give medical help to refugees. Later that year, a powerful earthquake hit Turkey and 150 medical personnel were sent from Israel to assist in the humanitarian effort. IDF medical teams were dispatched to India, Haiti, and Japan to assist with the aftermath of powerful earthquakes. Israeli combat medics have a rigorous training program and are
from the elite combat medics in the world. From their humble beginnings in makeshift hospitals working with secondhand equipment, the IDF’s Medical Corps is now recognized worldwide for saving countless lives. Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.
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BAIS YAAKOV IN FAR ROCKAWAY seeking permanent substitute for Preschool and Elementary school. Please call 718-868-3232 ext 211
SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR Responsibility: Curriculum Designer Individual curriculum as needed Staff training Innovative, visionary Requirement: Masters Special Ed and Education Administration or SLP Backgroup Email Resume: specialedresume2018@gmail.com
Seeking full time OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred. Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org 5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply. Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com CAHAL is seeking AM, PM or FT Assistant Teachers for special ed classes in yeshivas in 5-Towns/ Far Rock. Send your resume to Shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666 for more information. CAHAL is seeking AM, PM or FT Assistant Teachers for special ed classes in yeshivas in 5-Towns/ Far Rock. Send your resume to Shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666 for more information.
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SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR Responsibility: Curriculum Designer Individual curriculum as needed Staff training Innovative, visionary Requirement: Masters Special Ed and Education Administration or SLP Backgroup Email Resume: specialedresume2018@gmail.com CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers, Title I Boro Park, Williamsburg and Flatbush Schools *College/Yeshiva Degree *Teaching experience required *Strong desire to help children learn *Small group instruction *Excellent organization skills Competitive salary. Send resume to: Fax: (212) 480-3691 ~ Email: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com
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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
HELP WANTED
MISC
5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA
Gemach Zichron Yehuda In memory of R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib ben R’ Yisroel Dov We have a library of books on the subjects of loss, aveilus, grief, & kaddish. We have sets of ArtScroll Mishnayos to assist with finishing Shisha Sidrei Mishna for Shloshim or yahrtzeit. Locations in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, & Lakewood. Email: zichronyehuda@yahoo.com
SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply. Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com “NEW FIVE TOWNS RESTAURANT IS LOOKING TO HIRE THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: Experienced grill man, Laffa maker, Dishwasher, Delivery guy Please email Ronazohar@hotmail.com
TABLE AND CHAIRS FOR SALE 160x52x32. Table. Wood. 12 Antique Wood/upholstered chairs. 15k for table 1200 per chair. Or best offer!!! Len Brenner. 516-840-6153. Brnrdntl@ aol.com.
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Cabinet Hinge Repair
646-661-1388 info@nadlercabinet.com
Hinges | Tracks | Drawers | Soft Close | Alignment
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Your
15
Money
Use Your Words By Allan Rolnick, CPA
I
t’s a common misconception that accounting and taxes are all about numbers. Looking at a balance sheet or a tax return, it’s an easy mistake to make. Just look at all those numbers in all those boxes! In reality, though, it’s not about numbers, and any competent 10-year-old can handle the math. Accounting and taxes are all about the rules we use to manage the numbers. And we express those rules in words. Which brings us to this week’s sad story about a lawyer, not an accountant, blowing it with the wrong words. A conservation easement is a gift of a partial interest in real estate (like mineral rights or development rights) to a qualified organization for conservation purposes. Peeling off those rights makes your property less valuable – so the IRS lets you deduct the value of those rights you donate. Conservation easements have been deductible since 1980. However, as with so many perfectly legitimate strategies, bad actors have abused the opportunity by inflating appraisals to claim fatter deductions. Naturally, the IRS is hot on their trail. They’ve taken special aim at “syndicated” conservation easements, where a group of
investors form a partnership to buy land, usually at a discounted value from conservation-minded sellers, then immediately convey interests to charity. Last year, in Railroad Holdings LLC v. Commissioner, the Tax Court dissected one particular deduction for $16 million. Buckle up, Gentle
mined under paragraph (g)(6)(ii) of this section) from a subsequent sale or exchange of the property are used by the donee organization in a manner consistent with the conservation purposes of the original contribution.” How do you do that? Easy: paragraph (g)(6)(ii) goes on to say, “the
That picky little word choice was enough for the Tax Court to nuke the $16 million deduction.
Reader, because following the words here may have you wishing you were back in freshman algebra class. Here’s the deal. Code §170(h)(5) (A) says easements have to be “protected in perpetuity” to be deductible. So, what happens if you sell the property down the road? Regs §1.170A-14(g)(6)(i) says you can still meet the perpetuity requirements if “all of the donee’s proceeds (deter-
donor must agree that the donation of the perpetual conservation restriction gives rise to a property right, immediately vested in the donee organization, with a fair market value that is at least equal to the proportionate value that the perpetual conservation restriction at the time of the gift, bears to the value of the property as a whole at that time.” In other words, if you sell the property, the donee has to
get at least that same “proportionate value” of the sale proceeds. Meaning, a ratio of the proceeds. How important is all of that in real life? In 2012, an LLC gave an easement on 452 acres of South Carolina land to the Southeast Regional Land Conservancy. The deed said if the land was sold, the conservancy would get a portion of the proceeds at least equal to the fair market value of the easement. Sounds reasonable, right? Except – uh, oh – that’s a number, not a ratio. That picky little word choice was enough for the Tax Court to nuke the $16 million deduction. We can be sure the attorney who drafted that provision is having serious words with his malpractice carrier. Here at our firm, we don’t just settle for numbers in boxes. We go above and beyond to set you up for the best possible results. That’s what makes us different, and we think you’ll like the savings!
Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
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DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE YOUR CHILD, YOUR CHOICE, THE CHANCE TO ACHIEVE
Registration opening for Pre-1A classes September 2021
CAHAL state certified teachers
THE COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAM
sensory Integration
language based instruction individualized core curriculum 4:1 student to teacher ratio integrated in local schools academic growth and success
FOR APPLICATIONS: (516) 295-3666 ~ SHIRA@CAHAL.ORG
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Life C ach
Some Things are Hard to Face Unarmed Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS
W
hat’s a person to do? When it comes to home décor, choices abound and we’re confronted with which way to go. Let’s take floor treatments, for example. Carpets can be so reassuring – such a good way to make sure there are no tender bruises or bumps for our little ones. Then again, floors are a lot easier to sweep, and we certainly don’t need to worry what in the world is hiding out in there. Everything on a floor is upfront and personal, as they say! Or how about what to do with the walls?! It’s easy enough to paint, assuming you can stand the reality that the paint you choose never actually resembles the sample you had loved in the store. Paint has no seams or themes to concern yourself with either. Yet, it may feel a lot less decorative and more boring. And should we talk beds? Bunkbeds are certainly space-saving and really exciting for kids. Yet, they’re a lot more nerve-racking for parents. Kind of makes the carpet choice thing a lot easier, though. Standard height beds, in the alternative, are way easier to make up in the mornings and a lot closer to terra firma and therefore tend to give parents way more peace of mind. But then again, with picking
beds, there is the size thing to tackle. Do we get twin, full, or queen – or if we’re feeling like we need lots space, should we go with the kingsize? And do we bother with desks in the kids’ rooms? Well, that depends: do they even bother with homework? How about closet design? Lots of hanging or lots of shelves? That depends, too. Is there a uniform in their school? If yes, then, actually, maybe we don’t even need to bother with a closet! Just a little area for the three navy pants or plaid skirts accompanied by their four plain tops, and you’re good to go! And then that kind of answers the mirror-or-no-mirror question, too. If there’s no different outfit to put on daily, who’s going to bother looking at themselves each day? They can just stare at any kid in school, and they’ll basically get a good idea of what they look like. So that kind of covers most of the upstairs. Though, the mom and dad’s room may require a separate conversation. Yet, very often, parents will put a lot of thought into this decor and in actuality only use this room to pass out in! So, let’s address the rest of the house first, instead. Dining rooms make me think of autumn. Leaves, leaves, leaves.
How big do we want the original table and how much bigger do we want it to get? That is always the first dining room challenge. The second is the size and comfort of the chairs. Which we usually swap out for those terrible little folding chairs whenever we have company anyway. So why do we lose sleep over this, I wonder?! Can we now talk couches? Somehow, we need them everywhere! The living room, den, playroom, breakfast area, basement, guest room, sunroom.... We apparently like to sit! There are endless reasons for sofas and endless choices. When we talk couches, it sounds like we are talking about anything but seating: Love or straight? Modern or old fashioned? Armless or without legs? Starting to see what I mean?! And then there’s the comfort, the fabric, and the style to figure out as well. And, of course, then there are the two most important rooms to figure out: kitchen and bathrooms. And to tell you the truth, there are people who specialize in both because they have so many of their own features to navigate. So, let’s put them on hold in terms of analysis, and just agree to recognize that
once the plumbing, electric, and fixtures are worked out there’s still a lot more design to design. So, when you feel like redoing or redecorating a room or a house, don’t think you’re the only one who gets overwhelmed by it all. There’s endless aesthetics and pragmatics of everything to decide all coming together at once. There’s way more of it to deal than there are even people in any family to use it – no matter how big your family. So, take it slow, give yourself a break. Remember there are pros and cons to everything! Now if that thought only calms you for a second, sit down on your “armed” or “armless” couch and let me help you “shoulder” the burden. I’ll give you an added bonus: if you’re really overwhelmed, here’s the scoop. The “SDS” sitting there weekly at the end of my name stands for Space Design Specialist. If you like, reach out to me, and I’ll give you that needed helping “hand!” No one should have to confront these endless choices “unarmed!”
Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-7052004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.
The Jewish Home | JANUARY 21, 2021
Please Join Aish Kodesh for a
Tu b'Shvat Tish
featuring a siyum HaShas l'ilui nishmas R' Mordechai Aryeh Yosef ben Chaim Moshe, z"l with divrei Torah from Rav Weinberger & music by Duvid'l Ziff with renowned violinst Asher Laub
Wednesday
JANUARY 27TH
8:00 PM
Livestream
For livestream and sponsorships visit aishkodesh.org/tubshvat
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JANUARY 21, 2021 | The Jewish Home
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