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July 22, 2026

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JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Dear Readers,

hen does summer officially start? There are, of course, varying opinions. Some people say it’s all about the date on the calendar – Memorial Day, June 21, July 4. Others opine that summer begins when the kids are out of school and homework is in the rearview mirror. Still others think that the summer season begins when all the luggage is on its way up to camp, the hugs and kisses and tears are finished being shared, and the kids are on their way upstate or on the buses to day camp. Regardless of when summer began, we are now in the thick of it. And maybe – just to throw in another opinion, since of course there are always many dayos when dealing with the frum community – we are just about to start summer, now that the Nine Days are coming to a close and swimming, barbecues, and laundry (!) can begin again. Many of us have plans for the summer. Before July, there are to-do lists in our heads of what we want to get done this year when things are a bit more relaxed. Maybe we can finally clean out those closets or go for daily bike rides or print out those photos books that you always said you would make. Or maybe we can actually get together with that friend we always say we should spend time with or go to that shiur or that exercise class. The funny thing about those summer to-do lists is that they have a way of turning summer into just another season of to-dos. We trade the obligations of carpools and homework for a dif-

ferent kind of pressure: the need to accomplish. Before we know it, we’re racing from project to project, crossing items off our lists, only to arrive at Labor Day wondering why we don’t feel any more refreshed than we did in June. Maybe we have the order backward. Maybe the goal of summer isn’t to fit relaxation in around everything else. Maybe relaxation is the goal, and everything else should fit around that. We don’t recharge by accident. It takes intention to sit on the deck with a good book instead of organizing another closet, to linger over an evening walk instead of rushing to the next errand, or to spend an unhurried afternoon with family without feeling guilty about everything still waiting to be done. Those moments aren’t distractions from summer—they are what the summer break is supposed to be. So if your to-do list gets shorter this season, wonderful. But if it doesn’t, that’s OK too. The closets will still be there in September. The photo books can wait another few weeks. Summer offers us something far more valuable than a checked-off list: the opportunity to slow down, reconnect with the people we love, and recharge our minds and souls. May we all merit to make the most of these precious weeks—not by doing more, but by truly embracing the gift of a reset. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana P.S. In the summer spirit, TJH is going on a mini vacation next week. Look for our next issue in stores on August 6.

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman, MANAGING EDITOR ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Shoshana Soroka, EDITOR

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Shabbos Zemanim

Weekly Weather | July 23 – July 29

Friday, July 24 Parshas Vaeschanan

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Candle Lighting: 7:59 pm Shabbos Ends: 9:05 pm Rabbeinu Tam: 9:30 pm

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

Community Happenings

NEWS

Global

National

That’s Odd

ISRAEL Israel News

Laughter by Barbara Deutsch

Before Israel Votes by Stephen M. Flatow

A “Unity” Committee Without Unity — or a Committee

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

When Everything Else is Stripped Away by Rav Moshe Weinberger

When the Broken Path Still Leads Home by Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

It Was the Best of Times by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

PEOPLE Rebbetzin Fay Sladowsky: Living a Life of Love and Giving

Inspiration Nation

Sinking German U-Boats by Avi Heiligman

112

HEALTH & FITNESS When Hands Wander by Shira Richman

Teens and Acne by Dr. Hylton Lightman

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Japanese Vegetable Pancakes

102

LIFESTYLES

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW

Parenting Pearls

Al, Going Up

The Renovation Roadmap by Neil Schwartz

Book Nook

100

Home Sweet Home by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

Dear Editor, I saw a comic in this week’s newspaper for an organization where the parents send their son all kinds of fancy food trays to camp. Upon calling his parents, he requested a simple handwritten note. The shocked parents did not even know where to get one. Respectfully, I found it not just a sad comic, but one which I was personally able to relate to. On my Birthright trip, I was recording the tour guide explaining the history of an ancient site in Jerusalem when he suddenly – and rightfully so – screamed in the middle, “Please put your phones away, unless you’re using them as cameras!” While advancements in technology has greatly improved communication and other helpful tools over the years, many can agree with me that screen time and certainly technology addiction have gotten severely out of hand. Everyone is glued to their phones, over-stressing about the next alert to emails, texts, WhatsApp, news, and so on. It has certainly created rude and anxious people, such as in the case I described with the tour guide. As helpful as technology can be, there are two additional key things I hate about it aside from ruining relationships and communication: 1. We went from having intelligent people to lazy, unintelligent individuals relying so much on artificial intelligence, it makes you wonder if society even has brains these days to begin with. 2. The world became so fast-paced with all that pinging, it stressed people

out, including myself. One of the reasons why I love Shabbos is because I can actually sit down to a meal with family and friends without technology distractions to a hot, warm, homemade meal and read a physical newspaper or book afterwards. When I have free time on a weekday, I specifically make it my business to read the newspaper at the library for extra relaxation; whatever news is in the paper is the news I learn about. I don’t need to know the latest news by the hour, and if anything is truly absolutely that urgent, I’ll almost always find out quickly. I was told that my French aunt continues to have a frequent “minhag” – she visits a café, not a fast-paced Starbucks or Dunkin, even when she visits the U.S. – to sit down to drink strong coffee with a book. Kol hakavod for taking the time to slow down in an increasingly faced-paced world! I’ve been reading articles lately that Gen Z is bringing back a slower nostalgia movement, having been stressed out from all of that technology. Physical journals, handwritten letters, and even old technology such as flip phones (not just for yeshiva bachurim anymore), digital and even film cameras, and CDs, are just a handful of items making a comeback as they – like me – yearn for a simpler lifestyle, while using as minimal technology as possible to form more personal connections. I was elated when libraries and printed materials, because of this, became popular again. I thus highly praise them. The Gemara has a famous teaching: One can learn more from their students than a teacher teaches them. Continued on page 14

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HUMOR Centerfold

Shmooze and Muse by Mordechai Schmutter

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

104

The 20-Somethings Running Ukraine’s War Machine

108

How Putin Turned Japan Into a Den of Spies

110

CLASSIFIEDS

113

Would you rather learn to skateboard or learn to surf?

55 30 15 %

Surfing

Skateboard

Neither

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Continued from page 12

This is indeed a powerful lesson from the pathetic, yet, highly insightful comic: It’s extremely important, now more than ever, to slow down and appreciate the minor things in life with our loved ones, away from technological distractions. The son’s request for a handwritten note is a simple, cheap, if not free, personal connection to family which cannot be replicated by any technology. Read that physical book or printed newspaper. Write that shopping list or recipe with pen and paper. Play board games with family and friends. Check the phone, computer, or tablet only during certain times. Your mind and body will for sure thank you. A Reader Dear Editor, There are two essential issues which confront our Constitution and are against what we, as Americans, stand for. 1) Election Integrity: Wherever you go nowadays, quite often you have to identify yourself, such as sporting events, conferences, boarding a plane, etc. Why can’t you show proof that you are entitled to vote? Latest polls taken reveal that about 80% of Americans have no problem to show a voter ID. This

becomes now essentially important, since so many foreign countries and unauthorized immigrants mingle in our elections. To secure accurate voting data, we need to get rid of presently used computerized vote tabulators with malicious software such as the one from Dominion and go back to our former manual system. You will go in a booth, manually click the names chosen, and pull the lever! Proof of citizenship and ONE Day Voting must become the new norm! To facilitate this, our lawmakers in Washington must sign the “Save America Act” into law. Almost all Socialist Democrats are refusing to do so. You may wonder why? 2) Birthright Citizenship: I think we are unique in the world in granting on U.S. soil-born children of foreign parents with no liaison to the United States automatically U.S. citizenship. A recent debate by the Supreme Court on this subject didn’t reveal any clear result. Mark Levin, a constitutional lawyer, argues that universal birthright citizenship is a historical misconception and lacks a constitutional foundation. The original intent of the 14th Amendment ensured that formerly enslaved Black Americans were guaranteed equal protection and citizenship. However, there was no say about children born in the United States

stemming from “None American Citizen parents.” Because of that shortcoming in our system, certain countries are creating their “Own American Citizen.” Especially wealthy Chinese nationals and Mexican drug cartels are taking advantage of it. Statistics are floating around showing that as many as 100,000 Chinese babies have been born each year in the U.S. over the last 13 years. When they reach a certain age, they are all eligible to vote in our country. Our legislative body needs to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to exclude those children. To continue to have a free country under our Constitution, we need to change and/or enforce our laws! Heinz Mayer Dear Editor, I wanted to thank Bassy Schwartz for articulating something many of us feel but rarely stop to examine. We live in a world that constantly encourages us to compare – our homes, our vacations, our simchos, even our children. Without realizing it, we can spend so much energy looking outward that we forget to look inward. What struck me most from the article this week was the reminder that true fulfillment doesn’t come from keeping up with everyone else but from understanding who we are and what Hashem wants from us. Our Torah teaches us that every person has a unique mission in this world. If we’re too busy chasing someone else’s version of success, we may overlook our own. If we’re so busy chasing what other people’s marriages, children, jobs, homes look like, we may forget to appreciate our own marriage, children, job, homes, etc. Perhaps the greatest luxury today isn’t owning more but having the clarity and confidence to live authentically. That is a message we can all benefit from hearing. Sincerely, Yael Davidov

Dear Editor, This has got to be one of the weirder dating columns you have ever featured – lip filler, really? This neighbor is just being nosy. She is gossiping about this girl under the guise of being a shadchan. Let the girl wear what she wants or get whatever cosmetic touch-ups she wants. If the boy she goes out with doesn’t like it, he can date someone else. Ilana R. Dear Editor, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman’s article, “What Are We Really Missing on Tisha B’Av?” gave me a perspective on the Churban that I had never fully considered. Like many people, I spend Tisha B’Av mourning the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, but I struggle to feel the depth of the loss because it happened so long ago. Rabbi Kleinman helped put into words what is truly missing, that we are not merely lacking a building, but we are mourning the lack of the open revelation of Hashem’s Shechinah in our lives. His practical suggestions were especially meaningful. He challenged us to spend just a few quiet minutes recognizing where Hashem’s Presence feels hidden and then to consciously seek His hand in our daily lives. These simple exercises will transform Tisha B’Av from a day of remembering history into a catalyst for personal growth. I was also moved by the reminder that even the smallest spiritual effort has eternal significance. In a generation that often feels overwhelmed by the enormity of galus, it is comforting to know that one sincere bracha, one repaired relationship, or one moment of recognizing Hashem’s hashgachah may help bring the Geulah closer. Thank you for publishing an article that not only deepened my understanding of Tisha B’Av but also gave me practical tools to carry its message with me throughout the year. Yoram Glick

Make your voice heard! Be part of TJH’s weekly poll. Email the editor to be included in the weekly poll at Editor@FiveTownsJewishHome.com

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

The Week In News

Hungarian Pres. Steps Down

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok’s time in office officially came to an end after he signed a constitutional amendment terminating his own presidency, a move that underscores the country’s dramatic political shift following April’s elections. The amendment, approved by Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s governing Tisza party, immediately removed Sulyok from office. The legislation argues that the president, who was elected in early 2024 by lawmakers from former Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party, had lost the confidence of the Hungarian public. Although Sulyok signed the amendment into law, he made it clear that he did so reluctantly. “I had no choice,” he said, explaining that the legislation complied with Hungary’s constitutional procedures. At the same time, the former Constitutional Court judge warned that the measure damages the country’s democratic institutions. “The seventeenth amendment to the Constitution has marked a watershed in Hungary’s constitutional democracy,” Sulyok said, arguing that removing public officials in this manner “sets a negative precedent” and weakens the rule of law, the separation of powers, and democratic values. The move is part of Magyar’s broader effort to dismantle what he describes as the political strongholds left behind by Orban, whose 16 years in power were criticized by opponents for weakening Hungary’s democratic institutions. Magyar’s Tisza party won a landslide victory in April, securing a two-thirds parliamentary majority that allows it to amend the constitution without opposition support. Former Prime Minister Viktor Orban sharply condemned the decision.

“Tyranny is no longer a threat but reality,” Orban wrote on Facebook. “If this could be done to the President, tomorrow, no one will be safe.” Following Sulyok’s departure, Parliament Speaker Agnes Forsthoffer will serve as interim president beginning on Monday until Parliament elects a new head of state. Under the amendment, the next president may serve until a new constitution takes effect or for a maximum term of five years. The constitutional changes also introduce a 12-year term limit for lawmakers and establish a mandatory retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges. The provision will require Constitutional Court President Peter Polt, a longtime Orban ally, to step down. Magyar hailed the reforms as a step toward restoring accountability, saying they would ensure “power can be constrained” and that the Hungarian state can once again serve its citizens.

Spain Captures World Cup Crown

After a month of unforgettable moments, packed stadiums, and billions of eyes fixed on North America, the 2026 FIFA World Cup came to a thrilling conclusion on Sunday as Spain defeated defending champion Argentina 1-0 in extra time to claim its second World Cup title. Ferran Torres became a national hero when he buried the game’s only goal in the 106th minute, ending one of the most tightly contested finals in recent memory. The championship match, played before a sellout crowd at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, featured two of soccer’s biggest storylines: Spain’s rising generation led by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Argentina’s veteran squad, likely playing Lionel Messi’s final World Cup match. While many expected an offensive showcase, both teams instead delivered a tactical chess match dominated by disciplined defending and outstanding goalkeeping. Spain controlled possession and repeatedly pressured Argentina’s defense throughout the afternoon, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez produced a series

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

of remarkable saves to keep the match scoreless. The breakthrough finally arrived deep into extra time, when Torres pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area and fired home the decisive goal. Argentina, reduced to ten men after Enzo Fernández received a red card, was unable to mount a late comeback. For Spain, the victory marks its first World Cup championship since 2010 and caps an extraordinary run that saw the team concede just one goal throughout the entire tournament. The triumph also cements Spain’s place atop the soccer world after its recent European Championship success.

U.S. Servicemember Dies in Iraq The Department of Defense on Monday identified two U.S. soldiers who were killed in Iranian strikes in Jordan. 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed as part of the Friday attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Gonzales, of Carrollton, Texas, died Friday, while Feehan, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died Saturday.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement on Saturday. The Pentagon’s statement says the two were killed “during an enemy attack.” Other American service members suffered injuries, including four who had to be medically evacuated to a hospital in Jordan but have since been discharged, U.S. Central Command said over the weekend.

The deaths, initially announced on Saturday, marked the first American casualties resulting from Iranian strikes since March. The Defense Department said on Sunday that another service member was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone. It added that the U.S. located unidentified remains in Jordan after a service member had been listed as missing in action. The rising casualty count comes amid

an escalating exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran during which both sides have sought to attack increasingly sensitive targets. The missile attack in Jordan also resulted in several injuries. The deaths bring the number of U.S. service members who have died in the nearly five-month war to 17. “We feel very badly, but you know those great people, those great patriots, were out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” President Trump told reporters on Sunday evening. Following the announcement of the servicemember killed in Iraq, the U.S. military carried out another round of strikes on Iran, for the ninth night in a row. Clashes between the two countries erupted this month over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and have spread to ships, power facilities and bridges across the Persian Gulf and Iran.

Ferry Capsizes in Guyana

A government ferry carrying 133 passengers and crew capsized over the weekend in Guyana with 67 people rescued. A massive search and rescue operation tried to find the dozens of people still missing. The MV Barima was sailing from the capital, Georgetown, along the North Atlantic coast to Port Kaituma, according to Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who is leading the government’s response. Phillips said the group that had been rescued included 41 men, 11 women and 15 children. He did not say whether authorities feared the missing passengers were dead or not. Helicopters, planes and fishing vessels are scanning a 1,000-square-mile area in search efforts. The MV Barima departed shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday and ran into trouble shortly before midnight, officials said. A distress call was received at 11:01 p.m., which prompted a search and rescue operation involving state and private boats. Authorities said the vessel, which makes weekly trips to the largely Indigenous communities near Venezuela, capsized near the Pomeroon River.

The vessel was fitted with 250 life jackets, two rigid life rafts and six inflatable life rafts. “It had to do with the tide,” Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said, explaining why the boat capsized.

U.K.’s New PM

On Monday, Andy Burnham became the United Kingdom’s prime minister, replacing outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On July 17, he succeeded Starmer as head of the Labour Party. While Burnham is expected to focus on diplomatic matters, he will have no choice but to contend with several international issues, including China, Russia, and the Middle East. Another challenge will be dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump. Initially, Starmer’s Trump playbook involved flattery and smiles, which worked out in Britain’s favor until March, when Trump blasted Starmer for not joining the war in Iran. Trump went as far as to declare Starmer “no Winston Churchill.” While flattery spared the U.K. from high tariffs, it didn’t spare Starmer from public backlash and low approval ratings. Nearly 70% of Britons do not like Trump, according to an Ipsos poll. Naturally, many U.K. citizens weren’t happy with their premier’s submissiveness to America’s president. Before becoming prime minister, Burnham was the mayor of Greater Manchester. With little foreign policy experience, Burnham is expected to subcontract much of his international to-do list to his foreign secretary, whom he has yet to select. Burnham will, in turn, focus his energy on the economy and government reforms. Burnham and Trump have had few interactions. Asked last month what he knew about Burnham, Trump said, “I don’t know anything… I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town.” Trump then said that he doesn’t intend to host Burnham at the White House in the near future, adding that he and Burnham are likely “of a different persuasion. He’s very liberal.”

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

On Monday, Burnham told the nation, “We will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem-solving than point scoring. And we will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more. And, in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again – reindustrializing Britain, using public procurement to back British industry.”

The Diplomacy Behind UAE’s AI

A former CIA operative played a key role in bridging an intense diplomatic divide between Washington and the United Arab Emirates, ultimately clearing a path for the Gulf state to secure American AI technology.

Former station chief Jonny Gannon was deployed to Abu Dhabi to spy on G42, a major state-backed AI company backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser. U.S. officials were worried that Beijing was using G42 as a means of stealing technology from the U.S., which treats AI as a way of maintaining its global dominance. Those concerns were further fueled by G42 CEO Peng Xiao’s ties to Chinese tech giants like Huawei and his leadership of a previous firm linked to controversial surveillance operations. In 2023, the U.S. Commerce Department weighed placing G42 on an export blacklist, which would have effectively barred it from accessing high-end Nvidia microchips. Instead, Gannon’s mission transitioned from a matter of intelligence to one of diplomacy. While spying, Gannon cultivated close relationships with Tahnoon and Xiao, signaling dealbreakers for the U.S., specifically Chinese connections, leading G42 to scrap its Chinese infrastructure — including $150 million worth of Huawei hardware — to comply with American security demands. Gannon’s intervention led to infighting within the Biden administration. Some officials, particularly ones concerned with Chinese competition, argued

that Gannon had “gone native” and was downplaying persistent risks to secure a deal. Others argued that blocking access to the UAE would risk pushing a key military ally away and potentially into Beijing’s orbit. The latter camp emerged victorious in the end, with the Biden administration implementing a strict regulatory framework allowing controlled chip exports in exchange for the UAE distancing itself from China. Subsequently, the Trump administration expanded chip access. In partnership with U.S. tech executives — including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang — G42 is establishing “Stargate UAE,” a major computing hub meant to boost the country as a global AI power. Meanwhile, Gannon left the CIA last year, though he frequently visits the UAE and has helped national security contractors secure consulting contracts with the Gulf state’s security services.

Bukele’s Wealth According to recent journalistic investigations, since coming to power in 2019, El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and his family’s wealth have grown tre-

mendously, as have the bank accounts of his allies. According to his asset declarations and filings, Bukele had a net worth of $964,546 in 2012. Now, his net worth is $4,466,478.

“Unlike previous oligarchies, Bukele did not come from highborn families, and they were not major business owners; in fact, his family ran several bankrupt companies. But once in power, he became a member of the elite and displaced the old millionaires to make room for new actors such as bitcoin entrepreneurs and artificial intelligence agencies,” said Héctor Dada, the former minister of economy. Twenty-one public officials saw their net worths skyrocket up to 713% since Bukele became president. Bukele’s press secretary, Ernest Sanabria, had $269,884 in 2019, which rose to over $2 million by 2026. Bukele’s

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

presidency has also reportedly lined the pockets of Chief of Staff Carolina Recinos, Secretary of Trade and Investment Miguel Kattan, Central Reserve Bank (BCR) President Douglas Rodriguez, and several pro-government lawmakers, including Jose Robles Sorto, Kaleb Navarro, and Suecy Callejas. Recinos’s wealth increased from $182,945 to $1.3 million over the span of Bukele’s presidency. Meanwhile, Rodriguez saw his net worth soar from $153,130 to $1.3 million. “What the Bukeles are doing mirrors exactly what previous elites did. They changed the rules as they pleased. They made laws to favor their own interests. They put relatives in key positions. They reelected themselves when it suited them,” noted Héctor Lindo, emeritus professor of history at Fordham University in New York. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pressured the president and his allies to disclose their assets, which have been kept secret for years.

successful ballistic missile tests, and the like, while admitting that he wasn’t able to finish the Defense Ministry’s organizational transformation “according to NATO standards and common sense,” move procurement to competitive tenders, or build a culture of accountability. On Facebook, Syrskyi thanked Fedorov for his contributions and expressed hope that the outgoing defense minister “continue to remain in the Ukrainian team.” In the interim, Zelensky has tapped Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara to take on Fedorov’s role. Col. Pavlo Yelizarov, the deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force, resigned in protest following Fedorov’s firing, asserting that the defense minister’s dismissal will lead to weaker Ukrainian air defenses.

Russian Elites Moving Money Abroad

method of evading the West and Russia. With Russia struggling economically due to its war with Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has been looking for other ways to revive his country’s economy and may consider pressuring wealthy individuals to contribute some of their wealth. Since last summer, worries about the stability of Russia’s banking sector have intensified after banking officials raised alarms over the amount of debt on their balance sheets and indicated that the situation was more serious than had been publicly disclosed. In May, the pro-Kremlin Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting warned that emerging indicators pointed to the possibility of a systemic banking crisis.

930 Dead from Ebola in Congo

The World Health Organization last week expressed concerns that 80% of new Ebola cases were emerging from unknown chains of transmission, a sign the outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response. Congo’s Health Ministry said in its latest update that 724 patients are currently in isolation and in hospitals and that it is intensifying response efforts in affected health zones. “Patient care and support capacities are consolidating, with 22 new recoveries recorded in 24 hours,” the ministry said.

Japanese Mayor Takes Maternity Leave

Zelensky Fires Defense Minister

Thousands of Ukrainians flooded the streets on Thursday to demonstrate against President Volodymyr Zelensky’s firing of popular defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Zelensky said Fedorov often clashed with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces. “I’m just showing that if the sides can’t resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it,” Zelensky told the press. Zelensky also fired his prime minister, replacing Yulia Svyrydenko with Serhii Koretskyi, who heads the state energy company Naftogaz. Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech expert who helped modernize Ukraine’s military, was appointed to the post six months ago. Fedorov has criticized Syrskyi’s more traditional approach to war. In a social media post, Fedorov noted his contributions to the military, including fiber-optic drones, reconnaissance systems, expanded drone procurement,

Over the past year, several members of Russia’s elite have transferred billions of dollars out of the country, amid economic and budgetary concerns and out of fear of confiscation. Some Russian billionaires have reportedly been investing in cryptocurrency and gold, as well as foreign property and private investment funds, particularly in the Gulf. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the West hasn’t been very welcoming to Russian billionaires, with many seeing their overseas assets frozen. Simultaneously, Russia has been targeting members of the elite with high-profile asset seizures. With Russia’s economy suffering a slowdown in 2025, Russian tycoons have struggled with less profit and fewer business opportunities. According to reports, tens of billions of dollars have left Russia so far in 2026. To move money out of the country, the tycoons must circumvent Western sanctions and fly under the Kremlin’s radar. Moving the money to Dubai or informal routes such as Armenia and Kazakhstan has become an increasingly popular

At least 930 people have died in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, the country’s Ministry of Health said on Monday, with 37 new deaths recorded in a 24-hour span Friday into Saturday, one of the highest totals. The deaths were recorded out of the 2,344 cases confirmed as of Saturday, the health ministry said. The Ebola outbreak that was declared in eastern Congo on May 15 is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Ebola is highly contagious and can be transmitted to people from wild animals. It spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit or blood and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. The disease is rare but severe and often fatal. The surge in deaths comes as safety fears have restricted the response in the worst-affected province of Ituri. A total of five provinces have been affected, all in the eastern region where rebel violence is rampant. At least 36 health workers infected with the virus have died.

The mayor of a small city in Japan has made history by becoming the country’s first sitting mayor to take maternity leave, highlighting both the progress and the ongoing challenges women face in Japanese politics. Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, a city of about 69,000 residents near Kyoto, officially began her maternity leave on Monday as she prepares for the birth of her first child in September. Kawata, who became Japan’s youngest female mayor when she was elected in 2023, said she always planned to have children while serving in office. However, she discovered that while city employees are guaranteed 16 weeks of maternity leave, no policy existed for a sitting mayor, prompting her administration to establish one. “I was very surprised myself to learn that I am the first mayor to take maternity leave,” Kawata said. “It made me realize that until now there simply haven’t been many young women, or women in general, who have become mayors.” Kawata said Japan must do more to support working parents, especially those in leadership positions, as the country struggles with one of the world’s lowest birth rates. “We need to build a society in which people, across all professions, including

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

among those in leadership roles, do not hesitate to have children,” she said. “Otherwise...continual population decline resulting from falling birth rates and the resulting economic deterioration are inevitable.” Although Kawata said most residents and city officials have been supportive, the widespread media attention also brought criticism on social media. Some commenters accused her of neglecting her duties by taking leave. Others questioned whether she should continue receiving her full salary while away from the office. Local resident Chie Fujita said she fully supports maternity leave but disagreed with the mayor receiving “100%” of her pay during her absence. Japan continues to lag behind many developed nations in gender equality, particularly in politics. While the country elected its first female prime minister last year, women remain significantly underrepresented in elected office, making Kawata’s decision a notable milestone for working mothers in public service.

Ontario Wildfires

Out-of-control wildfires in Ontario continued to force evacuations and affect major cities in Canada and the United States on Saturday as the province’s leader made his first visit near the devastated area. Speaking from a parking lot in Thunder Bay on Saturday, Premier Doug Ford said that 191 wildfires — seven more than Friday — were burning northwest of the city and that 73 were raging out of control. Ten communities have been evacuated, and 300 people have been rescued from campsites in 40 operations, Ford added. Roughly 1.7 million acres have burned in Ontario, data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center shows. In a short address, Ford said it was

critical that people in the area did not return to their campsites or homes, especially because water bombers did not drop fire suppression loads when they saw people in the bush from overhead. He said there were 155 fire crews at work and 80 water bombers and helicopters flying, with 40 additional aircraft ready to deploy. Ford has faced harsh criticism from his political opponents for budgeting 150 million Canadian dollars ($107 million) for the current wildfire season after spending CA$271 million last year. “It’s not time to politicize these emergencies,” Ford said. “It’s absolutely disgusting in my opinion that they want to politicize and play games when people’s lives are on the line,” he added, vowing there would be “no limit to spending.” Under Canada’s division of powers, most forest lands are owned and managed by provinces, which collect royalties for commercial tree cutting and, with some exceptions like national parks, are also responsible for firefighting. On a late flight to Thunder Bay from Toronto on Friday night, the pilot was forced to make three approaches on landing because of unsafe conditions from the thick smoke, earning loud applause from the passengers when the twin turboprop touched down at Thunder Bay Airport. At least one plane could not land in the smoke and was forced to return to Toronto. While Thunder Bay remains safe from flames — the closest fires are burning roughly 90 miles to the northwest — heavy smoke has seriously affected air quality. (© The New York Times)

India’s “Cockroach Movement” Marches

Thousands of supporters of India’s youth-led “Cockroach Movement” clashed with police in New Delhi on Monday after authorities blocked a planned march to Parliament, escalating one of the largest public protests Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced during his third term. The demonstrations began after a nationwide medical school entrance exam

paper leak in May forced more than two million students to retake the test. Since then, the movement has grown into a broader campaign against corruption, unemployment, and failures in India’s education system. Police denied permission for the march, citing overcrowding and security concerns around Parliament as lawmakers opened the monsoon session. Authorities deployed large numbers of police and paramilitary personnel around the protest site at Jantar Mantar. Television footage showed police using batons to disperse demonstrators gathered behind barricades. Protest organizers also claimed officers fired tear gas at protesters attempting to march, though Delhi Police denied using force, saying the situation was being handled “professionally.” Protesters chanted, “Dharmendra Pradhan quit” and “Narendra Modi quit,” calling for the resignations of the education minister and the prime minister. The movement gained renewed momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the protests last month and began a hunger strike on June 28, was taken to a hospital by authorities over the weekend. In a handwritten note released on Monday, Wangchuk said he would end his fast if the government accepted responsibility for repeated examination paper leaks or if lawmakers pledged to address the issue. Meanwhile, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the group spearheading the movement, met briefly with Health Minister J.P. Nadda in an effort to open negotiations. Following the meeting, chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the minister had promised to raise the protesters’ concerns with the government. The movement’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, was later detained by police, according to organizers. Supporters say the protests reflect growing frustration among young Indians facing high unemployment and repeated scandals involving competitive examinations. While India’s overall unemployment rate remains relatively low, unemployment among young adults is significantly higher, fueling widespread anger over what protesters describe as a lack of opportunity and accountability.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Jail for Genoa Bridge Collapse

An Italian court has sentenced former highway executive Giovanni Castellucci to 12 years in prison for his role in the 2018 collapse of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge, a disaster that killed 43 people and exposed serious concerns about Italy’s aging infrastructure. Castellucci served as chief executive of Autostrade per l’Italia, the company responsible for operating and maintaining the bridge at the time of the collapse on August 14, 2018. After a trial that lasted more than four years, the court convicted Castellucci of negligence and manslaughter. Prosecutors had sought a prison term of approximately 18 years. Castellucci’s attorney, Giovanni Paolo Accinni, said the former executive plans to appeal the ruling, calling the verdict “a serious mistake.” The case included 56 additional defendants, among them company officials and employees of Italy’s Transport Ministry. Thirty-one people were convicted on charges including negligence, manslaughter, and falsifying documents, receiving prison sentences ranging from just under two years to 12 years. Twenty-five others were acquitted. Under Italian law, both prosecutors and defendants have the right to appeal, and convictions are not considered final

until the appeals process is completed. The collapse of the nearly 3,600-foot bridge occurred during heavy rain, sending dozens of vehicles plunging approximately 150 feet into the valley below. The tragedy shocked Italy and prompted a nationwide review of bridges, tunnels, and other critical infrastructure, leading to inspections and, in some cases, closures of aging structures. Egle Possetti, who heads a committee representing families of those killed in the collapse, welcomed the court’s decision. “It marks the end of an important and decisive first step that sheds some light on the case,” she said, while acknowledging that the legal process is far from over. Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that Autostrade per l’Italia failed to carry out necessary maintenance to keep the bridge safe. Defense attorneys countered that the collapse resulted from flaws in the bridge’s original design rather than inadequate upkeep. The case remains one of Italy’s most significant corporate negligence trials in recent decades and continues to shape the country’s approach to infrastructure safety.

Colombia’s, Slovenia’s Embassies in Jerusalem With right-wing leaders running Colombia and Slovenia, both countries have begun warming up to Israel.

Last Wednesday, the incoming Colombian foreign minister, Omar Bola Escobar, met with Israeli FM Gideon Saar in Washington, D.C., pledging to restore Colombia’s diplomatic relations with Israel and move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. Colombian President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella later said that, under his government, Colombia would establish relations with Israel “like never before,” restoring ties after outgoing leftist, antisemitic President Gustavo Petro destroyed his country’s relationship with the Jewish state and recognized a “Palestinian state.”

Likewise, Slovenia — which, under the previous administration, recognized a “Palestinian state,” demanded Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision in 2025, and banned weapons sales to Israel — has reversed its position on Israel following the victory of incoming Prime Minister Janez Jansa’s right-wing coalition. Once elected, Jansa quickly announced that Slovenia’s recognition of “Palestine” would be annulled and said that his country’s embassy in Israel would move to Jerusalem, making Slovenia the first country in the European Union and the second country in Europe (after Kosovo) to establish its embassy in Jerusalem. Israel will, in turn, also open an embassy of its own in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Eight other countries have moved their embassies to Jerusalem: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Fiji, and Argentina.

Bringing Back Hadar Goldin’s Body

For over 10 years, a secretive Israeli military intelligence unit investigated

where the bodies of Lt. Hadar Goldin, a 23-year-old soldier who was killed on August 1, and Oron Shaul, another soldier who was killed and held captive a few days earlier, had been held in Gaza. The two were killed by Hamas during the 2014 Gaza war, according to a report released on Saturday. The unit, which was called “Bring Your Sons From Afar” (borrowing from the Book of Isaiah), was assembled by an unnamed 51-year-old reservist officer, who has only been identified as Col. Mem, in 2015. With two reserve officers, known by their initials Shin and Dalet, and many intelligence and operational specialists, Mem investigated the whereabouts of Goldin and told then-chief of IDF staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot that they suspected the fallen soldier’s body was being held by Hamas’s Rafah Brigade. “Pretty quickly we understood that our mission was to find a needle in a haystack,” Shin told Ynet. The unit briefly attempted to recruit a Palestinian agent, though Hamas found out and tried turning the individual into a double agent. Eventually, the team suspected that Hamas might move Goldin’s body to a hospital, a suspicion that was somewhat substantiated by suspicious footage. The unit believed that Goldin’s body was being held in a tunnel underneath a mosque in Rafah, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out a ground operation for fear of provoking Hamas. But after the October 7 massacre and the IDF’s May 2024 ground operation in Rafah, the operation to find Goldin restarted. Mem joined special forces searching for the tunnel entrance in which they believed Goldin’s body was being held. Soon, they found it: a multilevel underground system, of which soldiers in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit reportedly said they had “never seen anything like it before.” According to the military, the tunnel spanned more than 4.3 miles, ran about 82 feet deep, and contained around 80 separate rooms, including spaces that Hamas operatives used for shelter for long periods of time, as well as for weapons storage and to plan attacks. The troops searched the tunnel for months, but alas, Goldin’s body was not there. They then interrogated the director of the hospital where Goldin’s body was initially brought, but they failed to get information out of him. Three weeks after that, Israel pinpointed Goldin’s exact location, informed Hamas, and brought his remains home

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

nich massacre, in which 11 Israeli Olympic athletes were murdered. After Israel killed Mohammed Odeh, the fourth Hamas military wing chief promoted since October 7, in late May, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that the Jewish state was committed to eliminating “everyone who led the October 7 massacre.”

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

“They are all marked for death wherever they are,” he declared. In June, the IDF said it killed 13 more October 7 perpetrators, 15 Hamas commanders, and an additional 30 operatives. As of now, the IDF has killed five or more October 7 terrorists this month, as well as eight commanders and 21 operatives.

New Hamas Leader

on November 9, 2025. Goldin was the fifth-to-last hostage released.

Eliminating Every Oct. 7 Terrorist Late last month, the Israel Defense Forces eliminated Talal Abd al-Aal, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander who commanded PIJ terrorists who infil-

trated on October 7 and held and tortured former hostage Rom Braslavski and other hostages for two years. The IDF said that al-Aal “posed an immediate threat” to Israeli soldiers, a condition that allows the Jewish state to kill terrorists without breaking its ceasefire with Hamas. His elimination comes as part of an organized Israeli campaign to kill every terrorist who played a role in the October 7, 2023, massacre. More than 5,000 terrorists invaded

southern Israel on October 7 or held Israeli hostages captive. Of those, Israel has killed over 2,700, including 1,200 who were killed by Israel during the attack. Additionally, Israel has captured around 300 alleged perpetrators, who will be judged by special military tribunals and, if convicted of genocide, will be eligible for the death penalty. This operation, led by the Nili unit, is similar to the Mossad campaign to kill the terrorists responsible for the 1972 Mu-

The Hamas terror organization has elected Khalil al-Hayya as its new overall leader, replacing the group’s temporary leadership council and ushering in a new chapter as the organization continues to grapple with the aftermath of the war in Gaza. Hamas announced on Monday that al-Hayya defeated veteran Hamas official Khaled Mashaal in a secret internal election. A senior Hamas official said alHayya won by an “overwhelming majority,” although no vote totals or additional details were released. Al-Hayya has served as one of Hamas’s most senior political figures for years. He was a close deputy to former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, and has been part of the five-member leadership council that has governed the organization since Sinwar was killed in 2024. During the war, al-Hayya became one of Hamas’s most recognizable spokesmen

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

and served as the terror group’s chief negotiator during indirect ceasefire and hostage-release talks. Born in Gaza City in 1960, al-Hayya spent most of his life in the Gaza Strip before relocating to Qatar just days before the October 7 attack along with other senior Hamas officials. He remained there throughout the war. He survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha last year, though one of his sons was killed in the strike. Another son was later killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. According to Hamas officials, the organization’s political bureau is expected to meet in Istanbul in the coming days to restructure its leadership. The current five-member leadership council will reportedly be dissolved as al-Hayya formally assumes control. Al-Hayya is widely viewed as favoring continued close ties with Iran, in contrast to Mashaal, who has advocated stronger relations with Gulf Arab states and improved ties with the Palestinian Authority. He takes over Hamas at a critical moment. Gaza remains devastated after nearly three years of war, while negotiations over a longer-term ceasefire and the future governance of the territory remain stalled. Israel has repeatedly insisted that Hamas cannot play any role in governing Gaza after the war, while Hamas has refused demands to fully disarm. Al-Hayya now faces the challenge of leading the internationally designated terror organization as it seeks to preserve its influence amid continued military pressure from Israel and uncertainty over Gaza’s political future.

An Overhaul of the Rehab System

The Israeli government announced last week that it approved a sweeping overhaul of the rehabilitation system for wounded IDF soldiers and security personnel, adopting recommendations made by a public committee last month amid warnings that the existing system could collapse under the growing number of casualties since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre. The Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department will be turned into a national authority with expanded staffing, funding and independence, while cutting red tape, introducing artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, and expanding rehabilitation and mental health services. Every wounded veteran will be assigned a dedicated case manager to coordinate treatment and benefits, eligibility procedures will be streamlined, family members will receive expanded psychological support, and a new automated system will proactively update veterans’ benefits. “The plan we approved will provide them with a broad and comprehensive support system,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the overhaul. “Our wounded soldiers went into battle to defend the country, and we are fighting for

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them and for their rehabilitation. This is not only our moral duty – it is our national duty.” “Today’s government decision…fundamentally changes the way the State of Israel treats its wounded,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz. The decision came after the Defense Ministry warned earlier this month that its rehabilitation system was struggling to cope and could “collapse” with the unprecedented influx of casualties from the war. According to the ministry, more than 26,200 wounded IDF soldiers and security personnel have sought treatment since the war began in October 2023. Around 65 percent of them sought treatment for psychological conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and difficulties surrounding reintegration into civilian life. The total number of wounded veterans under the ministry’s care is expected to surpass 90,000 in 2026 and reach around 100,000 by 2028.

ICE Requiring Body Cameras

mands for greater transparency amid the administration’s broader mass deportation campaign. “The director of ICE put out instructions that whenever possible, that at least one body camera be worn,” Homan said, arguing that the technology primarily protects law enforcement. “They exonerate more law enforcement than they convict, and I want officers to wear body cameras because I want the American people to see what the officer saw when they took that action.” According to Homan, the cameras have already been purchased, and personnel training is underway for a comprehensive nationwide deployment. He contended that body-worn cameras offer a definitive perspective that bystander or surveillance footage cannot replicate. “You can have something with a cell phone camera across the street,” Homan said. “You can have city cameras that they can show you different things, but nothing’s going to match what the officer saw just before he took that action.” ICE originally launched a pilot program for body-worn cameras in 2024, deploying them to select teams in Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. However, a wider expansion had previously stalled due to federal funding disputes and partisan gridlock over immigration enforcement resources.

Beware of Lettuce

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will require its officers to utilize body-worn cameras during vehicle stops, a top administration official said on Sunday, following a pair of recent fatal shootings by federal agents. Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, spoke about the directive during an appearance on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, stating that ICE leadership has ordered at least one officer to record video during traffic operations as the agency accelerates a nationwide rollout of the technology. The policy shift follows the fatal shootings of a Colombian delivery driver in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13, and a Mexican national in Houston on July 7. Neither incident was captured on body camera, fueling public protests and de-

Federal health officials are investigating one of the largest foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years after a surge in cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that may be linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce. The illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite that infects the intestines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1,600 confirmed cases have been reported across dozens of states since May, with many additional illnesses still under investigation. Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia have reported the highest numbers of cases.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Investigators traced many of the illnesses to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states. The lettuce was supplied through California-based Taylor Farms and originated from a farm in central Mexico. As a precaution, Taco Bell removed the product from its restaurants, while Taylor Farms voluntarily withdrew Mexican-sourced iceberg lettuce from the U.S. market. However, the investigation took an unexpected turn this week when the Food and Drug Administration announced that an earlier laboratory test detecting Cyclospora on a lettuce sample was a false positive. Although the recall remains in effect, officials say they have not yet confirmed the exact source of the contamination, and the investigation is continuing. Symptoms of cyclosporiasis usually appear about a week after exposure and include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Without treatment, the illness can linger for weeks or even recur. While most healthy people recover, young children, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems may face more serious complications. Health officials advise consumers to pay close attention to recall notices and discard any affected lettuce products.

They also recommend washing fresh produce thoroughly, although experts note that rinsing alone may not completely remove the Cyclospora parasite. As investigators continue searching for the outbreak’s source, consumers are being urged to remain vigilant when purchasing and preparing fresh produce.

Iran Releases U.S. National

A U.S.-Iranian dual national who had been trapped in Iran since December 2024 was allowed to leave the country last week. Dena Karari had been held in Iran on “bogus charges of collaboration with a hostile state and espionage,” according to international human rights lawyer Jared Genser, who represents her. She was able

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to travel back to the United States last Wednesday. Trump announced the news in a post on Truth Social, saying the American had been “wrongfully detained,” without naming Karari. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” he wrote. Genser said in a post on X on Wednesday that her release “would not have happened but for the extraordinary and relentless efforts” of Trump. A report on Iranian state-run media appeared to downplay the significance of the release, saying the judiciary disputed that a “prisoner exchange” had taken place. Karari had not been held in prison or physically detained in Iran. Rather, she had been subject to a “coercive exit ban,” Genser said in a statement. Karari ran a nonprofit called the Children of Mehr Foundation, which helped impoverished children in Iran under an Office of Foreign Assets Control license issued by the U.S. Treasury. “She was interrogated dozens of times by Iran’s notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security,” Genser added, saying that his client “suffered enormous physical and psychological hardship.” Iran has a long history of taking hostages to use as political leverage, often on false charges. The Trump administration had intended to request the release of Americans held there as part of negotiations to end the war. A handful of Americans are believed to be held in Iranian custody. They include Kamran Hekmati, a Jewish Iranian American who worked in New York as a jeweler, and Reza Valizadeh, a dual national who worked as a reporter. The day before the U.S. and Israel started the war, Secretary of State Marco Rubio named Iran as a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention” and warned Americans not to travel to the country for any reason. “For decades, Iran has continued to cruelly detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of other nations, to use as political leverage against other states. This abhorrent practice must end,” he said at the time. Genser thanked the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, a group that advocates for American hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad, as well as Diane Foley, the mother of American journalist James Foley, who was killed by the Islamic State militant group in 2014, for helping secure Karari’s release. “In moments of celebration, it is crucial to remember that every victory is a

team effort and countless people known and unknown work relentlessly to make it happen,” he wrote on X.

Risk of Building Collapse

Since the late 1990s, Nathan Berman has made a name for himself by converting office buildings abandoned by companies into apartment buildings, addressing housing shortages. Since then, he and his company, MetroLoft, have taken on increasingly ambitious projects. But two weeks ago, Berman suffered a major setback during construction to turn a former Pfizer headquarters in Midtown Manhattan into 1,600 apartments. Two structural columns buckled after a new floor space was added, putting the building at risk of partial collapse and shutting down blocks of Midtown Manhattan. The project will be delayed for months, as the city investigates the incident. Berman insisted that the construction issue was unrelated to the conversion, as some have suggested, but might have been caused by inadequate reinforcement. But the incident may prompt the city to stop Berman’s projects, perhaps entirely, with officials now inspecting his other construction sites for safety concerns. Inspectors must determine whether Berman’s projects can be safely converted according to his speedy timetables. Berman, a 66-year-old who grew up in the Soviet Union, has built thousands of new housing units in his years in the industry. New York used to be the only place with office-to-residential conversions. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, offices around the country have shuttered due to remote and hybrid work, leaving office buildings empty. Condominium owners at 443 Greenwich, a warehouse that was converted to a luxury apartment building, have sued MetroLoft, alleging “life-threatening” construction defects, which Berman’s company has denied.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

repeatedly asked the company to disable automated staffing controls due to algorithmic errors. Sometimes the software moved workers away from understaffed areas. OND

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A Ban on Horses in Central Park?

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Non-compliance with the new technology has convinced Amazon that system-enforced guardrails are necessary to prevent “manual overrides and habits [that] erode even the best science.” But managers don’t seem to trust the artificial intelligence-based technology, which Amazon reportedly intended to use to make staffing decisions. While managers complain that the software fails to understand the intricacies of their warehouses, Amazon argues that the technol-

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ogy would work better if people didn’t interfere with it. In response to this report, Amazon rejected the purported scope of the technology’s deployment, claiming that the software was only tested in a few locations and functions exclusively in an advisory capacity, to assist rather than replace managers. The documents show that a number of managers exploited “loopholes” to override the software’s decisions, while others

A long-running debate over New York City’s iconic horse-drawn carriages is once again taking center stage, with city lawmakers expected to vote next month on legislation that would phase out the industry by June 2028. The proposal, now known as “Romanch’s Law,” follows the death of 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan, who was killed last month after a carriage horse named Samson became frightened and bolted through Central Park. Mahajan, who was visiting from India with his family, fell from the carriage during the incident. Speaking remotely from India during a packed City Council hearing, Romanch’s father, Deepak Mahajan, described the terrifying moments leading up to the accident. “I cannot properly describe to you the real true fear inside that carriage,” he said. “It was shaking. It was speeding. There was no one holding the reins, and we could do nothing but hold on to each other and scream.” The emotional testimony has strengthened support for ending the 160-yearold industry. City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who previously had not taken a firm position, announced that Mahajan’s death convinced her to support the ban.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Animal welfare advocates argued that horses should no longer be used to pull tourist carriages through one of the nation’s busiest urban parks. One actress, appearing before the council, said she was speaking because “the horse can’t say it,” adding that the animals “have the right to a G-d-given...life, just as we do.” Supporters also pointed to the recent death of a carriage horse named Dennis after it ingested toxic Japanese yew in Central Park. The proposal, however, has drawn fierce opposition from carriage drivers and stable workers, many of whom are immigrants who say the legislation would destroy both their livelihoods and a cherished New York tradition. “What about my members’ American dream?” asked John Chiarello, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents the industry. He argued that the horses receive excellent care, noting they are well-fed and receive weeks of rest each year. Chiarello also questioned why the city focuses on carriage horses while traffic accidents involving other vehicles continue to claim lives. Drivers insist that many of the horses enjoy working and warn that without jobs, some could ultimately face uncertain futures despite promises from animal-rights groups to place retired horses in sanctuaries. The City Council is expected to vote on the measure in August, setting the stage for what could be the end of one of Central Park’s most recognizable attractions.

The Fight Over DST The effort to make daylight saving time permanent is heading for what lawmakers say could be a difficult fight in the

U.S. Senate, despite passing the House of Representatives last week. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said President Donald Trump recently called him personally to ask for his support of the measure, which would eliminate the twice-a-year clock changes observed across most of the country since the 1960s.

Kennedy said he agreed to back the proposal but acknowledged that winning Senate approval will not be easy. “It’s going to be a dog fight,” he told reporters on Monday. The legislation would keep the nation on daylight saving time throughout the year, ending the practice of turning clocks back each November. States that do not currently observe daylight saving time would still have the option to remain on standard time. Senate Majority Leader John Thune recently said it remains unclear whether the bill can secure the 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles in the Senate. Lawmakers remain divided over the proposal. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said she understands the frustration many Americans feel with changing the clocks twice each year but also worries about the consequences of darker winter mornings. “I feel it every time we change the clocks,” Shaheen said, noting that permanent daylight saving time would mean

“putting kids on the bus in the elementary school when it’s still dark in the morning.” Supporters argue that ending the biannual time changes would improve public health by reducing sleep disruption, workplace injuries, and traffic accidents. They also say an extra hour of evening daylight during the winter could benefit businesses and encourage outdoor activity. Opponents counter that later winter sunrises would leave schoolchildren, commuters, construction workers, and others traveling before dawn. In some northern parts of the country, the sun would not rise until nearly 9 a.m. during the winter months. The United States previously experimented with year-round daylight saving time during World War II and again in 1974, but the latter effort was repealed after widespread public opposition.

Enjoy Your 5 Cups of Joe

Coffee lovers may finally have another reason to savor their morning cup. A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) says that drinking up to five cups of coffee a day is safe for most healthy adults and may even lower the risk of several heart-related conditions. Published Monday in the journal Circulation, the statement concludes that consuming about three to five 8-ounce cups of coffee daily—or roughly 400 milligrams of caffeine—is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. The findings help clarify a topic that has long produced conflicting research. “Not only is the lay public confused about this topic, but many clinicians out there don’t know how to guide their patients,” said Dr. Eugenia Gianos, a cardiologist at Northwell Health who was not involved in the report. “We could even be recommending soon that people have coffee.” The statement’s authors, including researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and George Washington

University, reviewed dozens of studies examining coffee’s effects on heart health. While many of the studies were observational, lead author Dr. Gregory Marcus of the University of California, San Francisco, said more rigorous clinical trials are increasingly pointing to potential cardiovascular benefits. Researchers believe caffeine may help in several ways. It can encourage physical activity, act as a mild diuretic, lower blood pressure, and block a substance linked to atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can increase the risk of stroke. Coffee also contains naturally occurring compounds called polyphenols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds may help explain why even decaffeinated coffee has been linked in some studies to lower rates of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Experts say the greatest benefits appear to come from drinking two to four cups of coffee each day. However, they caution that loading coffee with sugar, flavored syrups, or high-fat creamers can offset many of its health advantages. The report also warns against relying on energy drinks for caffeine, noting that their much higher caffeine levels have been linked to irregular heart rhythms and high blood pressure. Researchers recommend sticking with coffee rather than highly caffeinated energy beverages. As always, speak with your doctor before making any lifestyle changes.

Baby Vance

This week, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance welcomed their fourth child to the world, marking the first time in over 150 years a child’s been born to a sitting vice president. Usha gave birth to little Alec Neel, the couple’s third son, at Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland. “We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning,” Vance wrote. ”Usha and the baby are happy and healthy and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother.” The Vance family now has four children including Ewan, 9; Vivek, 6; and

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

earlier this month following allegations of misconduct, which Platner has denied. While Democrats praised Jackson’s organizational strength and deep union ties, some acknowledged he faces a different challenge than his predecessor. Platner energized many Democratic voters with his charismatic campaign style, and some supporters questioned whether Jackson can generate the same enthusiasm.

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Mirabel, 4. The vice president, 41, and Usha, 40, who have been married since 2014, announced they were expecting in January, a historical occurrence for a second family. The last time a sitting vice president and second lady welcomed a child was when Ulysses S. Grant’s Vice President Schuyler Colfax Jr. and his wife Ellen had their son Schuyler Colfax III — 156 years ago.

Jackson is Maine’s Main Dem. Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson is set to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate after a commanding performance in the party’s county delegate conventions, but he now faces the challenge of uniting a party still reeling from the sudden collapse of Gra-

ham Platner’s campaign. Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and former state Senate majority leader, captured more than three-quarters of the delegates over the weekend, effectively locking up the nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. His dominant showing prompted all four of his remaining rivals to withdraw from the race. Jackson entered the contest after Platner resigned as the Democratic nominee

Jackson addressed those concerns while campaigning in Sanford. “People should have an open mind,” he said. “If they haven’t heard a lot about me yet, or still have some questions, I’m trying to answer them for people.” Some Democrats also criticized the expedited delegate process used to replace Platner, arguing that it left little opportunity for undecided voters and excluded independents who had participated in the June primary. Despite those concerns, Jackson is already focusing on the general election, urging supporters of every Democratic candidate to unite behind his campaign. “Whether you supported me from the beginning, or are still deciding, or support another candidate, there is a place for you in this movement,” Jackson told supporters. “We’re not going to defeat Susan Collins by making this movement smaller.” Jackson’s supporters argue that his plainspoken style and working-class background could resonate with Maine voters. Often seen campaigning in a baseball cap and T-shirt, Jackson has embraced his image as an everyday Mainer. “They said a guy from Allagash couldn’t rise to the Maine Senate, and I did,” Jackson said. “Now they are going to say that a grassroots campaign powered by working people cannot defeat Susan Collins. But you know what? They are wrong again.” Jackson now turns his attention to Collins, who is seeking a sixth Senate term and remains one of the nation’s best-known incumbent senators.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Piggyback Tourism

Most tourists snap selfies at famous landmarks. Fletcher Crowley and Lachie Bennett are more likely to draw attention for another reason entirely: one friend carrying the other on his back. The 20-year-old Australians have become social media sensations through their account, Two Mates 1 Chair, documenting adventures that prove a wheelchair doesn’t have to stop someone from seeing the world. The unusual sight often catches people off guard. “People jump to conclusions. They think, ‘What are these hooligans doing?’” Bennett said. But these guys are not just playing around. Crowley has used a wheelchair since suffering a spinal cord injury at age 17 after a mountain biking accident left him paraplegic. While he has some sensation and movement in his legs, he cannot walk more than about 20 meters without becoming exhausted. Rather than letting the injury define him, Crowley focused on what was still possible. “This has happened. What are we doing now?” he recalled thinking. “I got straight into researching what you can do and all the adaptive sports, all the ways to travel, and all the different opportunities.” Those opportunities expanded after he met Bennett while recovering at a resort for people with spinal cord injuries. The pair quickly bonded over their shared love of travel, sports, and adventure. When the friends wanted to visit places that weren’t wheelchair accessible, Bennett simply carried Crowley.

Since then, they’ve piggybacked up the 268 steps to Hong Kong’s Big Buddha, climbed a lighthouse in South Africa, explored caves in Brazil, and tackled countless other destinations. Sometimes, curious onlookers assume they’re fooling around. “In Africa, we piggybacked up a lighthouse, and this lady goes, ‘Are you playing fun and games?’” Crowley said with a laugh. “And I was like, ‘No, I can’t walk.’” The duo recently completed a threemonth trip across four continents, discovering that many obstacles were easier to overcome than expected, especially with teamwork, creativity, and a good sense of humor. Their message has resonated with followers, particularly people with disabilities who say the pair inspired them to travel. “I think it’s a matter of trusting yourself, trusting your friends,” Crowley said. “Anywhere in the world you are, we’ve learnt, there’ll be someone who will help.” For Bennett, the journey is about more than adventure. “Life wouldn’t be as good without mates,” he said. “It’s so much more fulfilling if you can share a scream or a giggle with someone else.” Keep calm and carry on.

A Mile in Minutes

Britain’s Josh Kerr etched his name into track and field history on Saturday, breaking one of the sport’s most enduring records with a stunning performance at the London Diamond League. The 28-year-old clocked 3:42.66 in the men’s mile, surpassing the previous world record of 3:43.13 set by Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999. The mark had stood for 27 years, making it one of the oldest world records in middle-distance running. After crossing the finish line, Kerr

Did you know? Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body – second only to bone marrow.

threw his arms into the air before taking a celebratory lap around London Stadium as thousands of fans applauded the historic achievement. American Yared Nuguse finished second in 3:45.69, while Britain’s Jake Heyward placed third with a personal-best 3:46.73. Kerr said the electric atmosphere inside the stadium pushed him through the final stretch. “It was just me, my shoes and the track,” he told BBC Sport. “I was absolutely deaf in that last 110 meters.” Reflecting on the closing moments of the race, Kerr added, “I didn’t take my foot off the gas... I started to glide and I was like, ‘Oh wow, this feels incredible.’” The record-breaking run fulfilled a goal Kerr had publicly announced months ago, despite knowing the pressure that came with making such a bold prediction. “It’s very overwhelming with the amount of hype I created,” he said. “I am surrounded by amazing people and was able to stay consistent and put the work in.” Kerr said he hopes the performance cements his place among Britain’s greatest distance runners. “If I am to leave my mark on this sport as a British legend... I have to put in those performances,” he said. “The amount of work behind the scenes is incredible.” Before turning professional, Kerr starred at the University of New Mexico, where he won three NCAA championships and set the collegiate record in the 1,500 meters. Saturday’s remarkable run lowered Kerr’s personal-best mile time by nearly three seconds while erasing one of athletics’ longest-standing world records, marking a milestone achievement in the sport.

Nutty Art Some artists paint with oils. Others sculpt with marble. Wim T. Schippers? He spread his creativity — quite literally — with peanut butter. More than 800 pounds of peanut butter, enough to make approximately 15,000 sandwiches, has been smeared across the floor of a museum in the Netherlands as a tribute to the beloved Dutch artist who died last month at age 83. The sticky masterpiece, called Pindakaasvloer (“Peanut Butter Floor”), was first created by Schippers in 1969 and is now back on display at the Depot offshoot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam for a two-month exhibition. Visitors are encouraged to “follow the

smell” as the unmistakable aroma of peanut butter fills the museum halls. It may sound like a slippery idea for an art exhibit, but Schippers was known for exactly that kind of unconventional thinking. A beloved non-conformist, he challenged the traditional definition of art by creating works that were humorous, absurd, and designed to make people stop and wonder: “Wait…is that really art?”

“Isn’t it fantastic that we are all standing here looking at peanut butter?” Schippers once asked reporters while showing the work in 1997. The answer, apparently, was yes — and many visitors have found themselves stuck on the concept ever since. The installation was recreated according to Schippers’ detailed instructions, including one important rule: the peanut butter must be spread “as smoothly and boringly as possible.” Museum workers spent several days applying 40 buckets of the creamy spread across a 270-squarefoot hexagon, using drywall trowels instead of knives. Sometimes art really does require a good spread. The artwork has attracted its share of “toppings” over the years. In 1997, pranksters added slices of bread and bags of chocolate sprinkles, known in the Netherlands as hagelslag, turning the floor into what looked like the world’s largest open-faced sandwich. Schippers, however, wasn’t upset. He praised the additions as being done with “a sense of proportion and a skillful hand.” Not everyone is ready to dive into the delicious display. A warning sign at the entrance alerts visitors with peanut allergies that they may want to skip the exhibit. For those who do enter, the experience is certainly unforgettable — a reminder that art does not always have to be serious. Sometimes it can be sweet, silly, and just a little bit nutty. Pass the jelly, please.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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Community The Avnet Adventure: Making Every Moment Count

eek three at Avnet Country Day School featured another invigorating array of activities, adventures and opportunities to learn and grow. Campers across every division made the most of each day. As Malkie Behar, Associate Director, shared, “By the third week of camp, you really see the friendships getting stronger and campers embracing everything Avnet has to offer. Whether taking on a new challenge, competing as a team or learning something meaningful, they are making every day and every experience really count.” For the Tipot, hands-on fun was the highlight of the week. The youngest campers became chefs at Country Cooking, making and sampling their own piz-

zas. Pajama Day offered a chance to slow things down and relax with friends in their favorite bedtime gear. The Ma’ayanot Girls combined creativity, competition and plenty of summer fun. A trip to Graff Lab Studio gave campers the chance to express their artistic prowess, while an action-packed day at Endless Summer Volleyball brought out their team spirit in the sand. The G3 campers also enjoyed a special late-night swim and game show, complete with an ice cream sundae bar to end the evening on a sweet note. The Ma’ayanot Boys kept the energy high with a trip to Laser Bounce, where campers enjoyed unlimited games and laser tag. Back at camp, they created their own compasses during Orienteering and tested their knowledge with lively Torah

trivia. Sports leagues continued to bring out plenty of friendly competition and sportsmanship, while daily swimming offered the perfect way to cool off. The Agamim Girls reached new heights both on and off campus. Younger campers put their coordination to the test at Hapik indoor climbing gym, while the older girls headed to Casa de Spin to create dazzling designs on canvas. Back at Avnet, campers delighted in making their own pizzas in Culinary. The excitement was endless – from a thrilling G6 kickball game to an epic round of laser tag and a sleepy yet stylish “home fashion” display on Pajama Day. Over at the DRS Campus, the G’vaot and Harim Boys balanced an exciting week of camp fun with meaningful learning. As the Nine Days began, Chinuch

groups focused on lessons of bein adam l’chaveiro and acts of kindness, patience and respect. Tefillah took on added meaning as campers learned about our yearning for the arrival of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. The entire boys campus also headed to a Long Island Ducks game, where they cheered on the home team and enjoyed a memorable time together. Back on campus, the Friday Counselor Games kept everyone enthralled with an energetic match of European handball using a giant inflatable soccer ball in honor of the FIFA World Cup. Stay tuned for another week of Avnet’s memorable moments!

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

Sunday, July 26

6:00 PM ISR 11:00 AM EST

Israel Student Authority | ‫המינהל לסטודנטים עולים‬

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Flying High at Simcha Day Camp

his week, we were flying high at SDC! Between exhilarating trips to Adventureland Amusement Park, Laser Bounce, Launch, Activate, Strikeforce battling and bowling, it’s amazing that we found the time to do all the other fun activities that SDC is so famous for. Activities like breaking out MIDZ Olympic Day, Israel vs. USA –the winner being Israel, of course – pounding pans and pans of CHICKIES delicious poppers and foot-long subs at

our latest SDC Xtreme! Late-late-night, and a massive Nine Days water fight/ king dodgeball game/run through the hose gauntlet challenge, to playing baseball, basketball, football, kickball, hockey, soccer, volleyball, gaga and so much more on our beautiful, huge 9-acre campus! We rose to the challenge, ending the first session on a high, with so many campers letting out a contented sigh and begging for more! Stay tuned for next week’s meshugas!

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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Awesome Action and Amazing Adventures at Camp Areivim

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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Nassau County Executive Blakeman Tours Crown Heights

he Crown Heights Republican Committee (CHRC) welcomed Nassau County Executive and Republican New York gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman for a visit of the Crown Heights neighborhood this week. The candidate for New York governor met with local business owners and community members to discuss many of the issues affecting local residents. The tour was led by Yitzchok Rimler, who guided Blakeman through Kingston Avenue and introduced him to merchants and community members. Crown Heights community leaders, askanim, activists and local Anash that want the concerns of the Shchunah to be heard joined

in as well. Among those in attendance were elected officials and Republican leaders from across New York State, including State Senator Bill Weber, who represents the entire Jewish community of Rockland County; Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, whose district includes Midwood (Flatbush) and a large Jewish population in Southern Brooklyn; and New York State Comptroller candidate Joseph Hernandez. Throughout the visit, Blakeman spoke with store owners along Kingston Avenue about the rising cost of doing business in New York, the high state taxes and the financial pressures facing neighborhood businesses. He also met with Crown

Heights residents to hear firsthand about the challenges impacting their daily lives. Local CH activists put tefillin on Bruce

Blakeman, who is Jewish, and other Jewish politicians that were attending the event.

A Seat for Every Child: Bringing Kids of Divorce Back to Shul By Ava Schwartz

ith the Yomim Noraim approaching, many families look forward to shul as a place of connection and inspiration. Unfortunately, for single parents and their children, going to shul is often a pain point. Where will their children sit on the other side of the mechitza? Who will guide them? How will they relate to davening if they feel alone in a place meant for community? Children of divorced parents often display lower levels of religious engagement than their peers. There are many possible explanations, but one is remarkably prac-

tical: often, a child from a divorced home simply has no place in shul. This situation is especially difficult for mothers and their young sons: in a 2022 study of divorced, Orthodox women, conducted by the OU Center for Communal Research and Sister to Sister, 43% of the women indicated that they have their children every night. The absence of a father in the home makes it particularly challenging for women to provide their sons with the informal religious education that a male role model can. One mother shared that her son “doesn’t want to sit alone in shul but feels awkward when people he doesn’t have a relationship with offer.” In response to these challenges, the

OU developed Makom Kavuah, a shul mentor program to ensure that every child has a place in shul and a trusted adult to guide them. The shul mentors are handpicked, trained, and professionally supported so they can accompany and support boys and girls who would otherwise sit alone or simply stay home. The initiative was inspired in part by the story of Avi, when a brief encounter at five years old changed his life. He and his brother were playing outside their Flatbush home with their recently divorced mother when a chassidic man walked by and asked, “Who’s taking your sons to shul?” Before the mother could answer, the man offered to bring the boys himself and find someone for them to sit with. That Shabbos morning, the chassid seated Avi with Michael, a father of five. Michael showed Avi the place in the siddur, encouraged him to take short breaks when he needed to release energy, and afterward brought him to kiddush to make sure he had something to eat. From then on, Avi loved going to shul. (All names have been changed to protect privacy.) Over time, Michael became far more than a seatmate; he became a mentor. More than thirty years later, Avi still calls Michael to discuss major decisions and life challenges. There is no shortage of children like Avi in our communities, and Makom Kavuah ensures that each one can have the

same positive impact of a hand reaching out to help them, saying, I see you, you belong here just as much as any other kid. To protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of this vulnerable population, Makom Kavuah worked with Debbie Fox, a licensed social worker at the Magen Yeladim Institute, to develop comprehensive safety protocols for shul mentors, including a captain who oversees and checks in on each mentoring relationship. Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, managing director of communal engagement at the Orthodox Union and rabbi of Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, crafted guidance to help mentors strike the proper educational and spiritual balance. Finally, together they created a simple, step-by-step framework to help shul leadership implement the program. Makom Kavuah is the latest offering from Kol Echad, the OU’s umbrella initiative for singles, widows, divorcees, and their families. Through education, guidance, and practical tools, Kol Echad partners with Orthodox communities to translate their values into inclusive structures and practices, creating communities where single and divorced individuals, widows, widowers, and single parents and their children are recognized, respected, supported, and able to fully participate in Jewish communal life.

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n Monday evening, July 20, Bikur Cholim Farockaway + Five Towns hosted a special “Bloom Bar” event at the home of Esti Winter in Woodmere. The evening was designed to introduce women in the community to Bikur Cholim’s vital work and the many meaningful opportunities available to become involved as volunteers. Mrs. Rochel Breier shared inspiring words before leading an inspiring interactive flower-arranging workshop, where everyone learned how to create beautiful floral arrangements for a variety of occasions. Each attendee created arrangements that were delivered to residents at the Nautilus and the Premier Rehab Center, as well as to homebound and ill members of the community, bringing beauty, warmth, and kindness to those who need it most. In addition, every participant took home a floral arrangement of her own, along with a swag bag filled with Bikur Cholim-branded gifts and informational materials.

Throughout the evening, Bikur Cholim committee heads shared information about the organization’s wide range of services, including mental health support, assistance with medical bills, meal preparation and delivery, transportation

to medical appointments, home medical equipment lending, bat mitzvah volunteer opportunities, and many other programs that provide practical support and compassion to community members during times of illness and crisis.

Bikur Cholim extends its sincere appreciation to Esti Winter for graciously opening her home and helping make the evening a tremendous success and to Mrs. Rochel Breier for sharing her time and talent with the community. To learn more about Bikur Cholim and its many programs, visit bikurcholimfr5t.org.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

Bikur Cholim FR+5T Hosts Inspiring “Bloom Bar” Volunteer Event

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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Nonstop Minyanim and Ahavas Yisroel at Nikolsburg in Woodbourne

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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JEP’s Camp Nageela Dedicates the Gitelis Athletic Center in Memory of Rose Lubin

By Gabriel Solomon

hat began as a dream to improve Camp Nageela’s facilities has become a lasting tribute to one of its own. On July 14, JEP-Long Island’s Camp Nageela dedicated the new Gitelis Athletic Center, honoring the memory of former camper Rose Lubin, who was murdered in Jerusalem on November 6, 2023 while serving as a lone soldier in the Israel Border Police guarding Yerushalayim. The state-of-the-art indoor athletic center, featuring a full-size basketball court, volleyball and pickleball court within a climate-controlled facility, will serve thousands of campers for generations while ensuring that Rose’s remarkable life and legacy continue to inspire future campers. For those who knew Rose, the dedication represented far more than the opening of a new building. It was the culmination of a journey that began more than a decade earlier, when an 11-year-old Jewish girl from Atlanta arrived at Camp Nageela for the first time. Rose’s parents belonged to a synagogue in Atlanta, Georgia, whose rabbi was familiar with Camp Nageela and encouraged them to send their daughter. Like many Nageela campers, Rose attended public school and got her Jewish education informally. The rabbi who recommended the camp hoped she would experience what living a joyful Jewish life looked like. During the summer of 2013, Rose quickly found herself surrounded by other Jewish girls with backgrounds much like her own. She immediately formed friend-

ships and connected with the warm, caring counselors and staff, who welcomed every camper without judgment. That first summer proved transformative. Her parents enrolled her again the following year, and she continued returning each summer through 2017. Year after year, Camp Nageela became a place where Rose’s Jewish identity flourished. Camp Nageela, under the leadership of Rabbi Dovid and Basi Shenker, has long embraced a unique philosophy. Rather than focusing on rules or religious obligation, the camp invites children to experience Judaism by living it. Campers witness the excitement of preparing for Shabbat, the warmth of Shabbat evening, the beauty of reciting blessings before meals, the comfort of kissing the mezuzah, meaningful prayer, and the joy of celebrating Jewish life together. The frum staff — many of them Bais Yaakov and yeshiva students who volunteer as counselors — teach primarily through personal example, creating an atmosphere where Judaism is experienced as something joyful, meaningful, and deeply personal. For countless campers, those summers become life-changing experiences. For Rose, they helped shape the course of her life. As she matured, her commitment to Torah observance deepened, as did her love for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. While many teenagers dreamed of college or future careers, Rose dreamed of making aliyah and serving the Jewish people in Israel. She fulfilled that dream. Rose moved to Israel and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier. At only twenty years old, she often

expressed how grateful she was to be living the life she had always envisioned. On October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its brutal terrorist attack, Rose fought courageously in defense of Kibbutz residents, helping rescue civilians and save lives during one of Israel’s darkest days. Just a few weeks later, while serving on patrol in Jerusalem, she was murdered during a terrorist stabbing attack. The news devastated the Camp Nageela family. Every fallen Israeli soldier is mourned throughout the Jewish world, but for the Camp Nageela family, this loss was deeply personal. The murder of Sergeant Rose Lubin was not simply another headline or statistic from the war. Rose was one of their own. She had grown up within the Camp Nageela community, where her love for Judaism, the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel first took root and flourished. Those who watched her journey from camper to lone soldier understood that the values she embraced during those formative summers helped shape the remarkable young woman she became. In the months following her murder, Camp Nageela’s Executive Board sought a meaningful way to honor her memory. Plans for an indoor athletic center had existed for years but remained financially out of reach. The Board unanimously decided that the project should move forward and be dedicated in Rose’s memory. Through determined fundraising efforts, generous grants, and the support of devoted donors, construction began. As the project neared completion, another extraordinary act of generosity helped transform the vision into reality.

Surie and Shaya Gitelis, parents of Camp Nageela’s Director of Development, Chaim Gitelis, chose to make a significant charitable gift that enabled the athletic center to be completed with additional enhancements, creating an outstanding facility that campers will enjoy for many years. The dedication ceremony brought together campers, staff, members of the Executive Board, representatives of the Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, and Rose’s mother, Robin Lubin. Outside the building, Robin Lubin and Surie Gitelis jointly unveiled the dedication plaque before hundreds of campers entered the new athletic center for the ceremony. One of the most moving moments of the ceremony came when Rabbi Dovid Shenker addressed the campers. Having concluded shiva for his father, Chaim Boruch Shenker, of blessed memory, only that morning, Rabbi Shenker spoke with quiet emotion about both loss and faith. He reflected on the profound role his father played in the founding and growth of Camp Nageela. Chaim Boruch Shenker had encouraged his son to establish the organization from its earliest days, provided generous financial support, offered constant guidance and encouragement, and opened countless doors by introducing him to philanthropists and charitable supporters through his extensive business and professional relationships. The camp that has transformed thousands of Jewish lives stands, in no small measure, as part of his enduring legacy. Rabbi Shenker then shared the remarkable story behind the athletic center itself. Although the need for an indoor athletic facility had long been recognized,

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JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

Summer fun continues at the Special Children’s Center — open daily, even on Tisha B’Av! Call 516-200-2234 to sign up your child or get involved

there was no clear path to funding such an ambitious project. “I finally turned to Hashem,” Rabbi Shenker recalled. “I said, ‘These are Your children. They need a gym. Please help us build one so they can enjoy camp even more.’ A few days later, I received an email from a foundation asking whether we had any buildings that needed improvement because they wanted to help. I want you all to understand that Hashem loves you and the growth you are doing.” For many in attendance, his words served as a powerful reminder that Camp Nageela’s growth has always been sustained not only by generous supporters, but also by unwavering faith and trust in Divine providence. Robin Lubin then addressed the audience, sharing heartfelt memories of her daughter’s years at Camp Nageela. She spoke of how those summers helped shape Rose into the young woman she became, strengthening her Jewish identity, inspiring her commitment to Torah and mitzvot, and nurturing the love of Israel and the Jewish people that ultimately led her to make aliyah and serve as a lone soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. Perhaps the most emotional moment of the ceremony came when Robin told the campers that she sees every Camp Nageela child as an extension of Rose — as though they were her own children. Looking out across the room filled with smiling campers, she remarked that she feels Rose’s neshama is always present at Camp Nageela, and now especially within the walls of the athletic center dedicated in her memory. There were few dry eyes in the audience.

The Executive Board members were presented with basketballs signed by the campers, each covered with heartfelt messages of appreciation. The gifts served as a reminder that the true beneficiaries of the new athletic center are the thousands of children whose Jewish lives will continue to be enriched through Camp Nageela. The ceremony concluded with Board President Michael Schick taking the ceremonial first shot on the new basketball court. Moments later, the gym came alive with campers shooting baskets, dancing, laughing, and celebrating. It was a fitting ending. A building constructed in memory of a young woman who devoted her life to the Jewish people immediately became what she would have wanted most—a place filled with Jewish children, friendship, joy, and life. In dedicating the Gitelis Athletic Center in Rose Lubin’s memory, Camp Nageela has done more than memorialize a fallen hero. It has ensured that every basket scored, every game played, and every child inspired within its walls will carry forward the legacy of a young woman whose own Jewish journey began at Camp Nageela and whose life became a testament to faith, courage, and unwavering devotion to the Jewish people. Gabriel Solomon is a contributing writer for this publication and serves on the Executive Board of JEP-Long Island and Camp Nageela. For more information about Camp Nageela or dedication opportunities, please contact Gabriel at gabe@gabrielsolomon.com.

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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Lights, Camera, Action at Machaneh Hakayitz

Be My Guest Mid-Summer Thoughts By Chaya Feldstein

omehow summer passes by too fast, for most. Generally, it symbolizes the long-awaited outdoor freedom, especially after the cold, snowy winter we experienced this last year. No homework, lighter schedules with longer days. With all this beauty, and other type busyness, it can be easy to forget reference to time. A long overdue thank you to L.S. for the letter regarding the Be My Guest feature updates. The writer so eloquently described the feeling of being alone and that is precisely the goal: to bring awareness that can cultivate a shift in perspective

for our Mi Kamcha Yisrael community to recognize those through no fault of their own have to face bare walls most often. The editor suggested a forum of practicality for a guests/host committee to be set in place, and it is something we do have. All are invited and encouraged to join for further discussion. Please email bemyguestforshabbos@gmail.com. In the meantime, when you will see these words in print, the Three Weeks mourning period will have ended, and vacation Bein Hazemanim celebration is in the air. The vibe is a breath of fresh outdoors, music, barbecue, concerts, wedding season resumed...and yet, if you see this article, our Home collectively

still is sadly incomplete. And for many among us, their reality is filled with much longing to build a home or repair what has been lost to them. They are not necessarily looking forward to the Shabbos Nachamu weekend vacation. They question and seek that nechama? That query is without voice, just desperation and can only be noticed by attuning to their hidden tears, unspoken words and a high dose of true empathy. The consistency and treasure box of small kindnesses is so often overlooked. A coffee shop outing, walk, mid-week dinner, day trip, local concert, shopping, etc. These are some tidbits of ideas in how to reach out, particularly when its vacation

time. This kind of three-week period will lead to another type; the awesome and joyous Elul, end of year leading to a new beginning. Wouldn’t you want to be that link that brings joy, that found the time which emanates from the heart, to consider another? Bottom line, Be My Guest in four words: Think of Someone Else! How our Father will radiate with pleasure, “These are My children, they include others even while on vacation. They think of others always. They demonstrate true genuine caring and time to bring them home.” B’mhaira b’yameinu Amen!

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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The Best Part of Camp Can’t Be Scheduled

By Evan Leibowitz, Hillel Day Camp Director

eople often ask me what makes Hillel Day Camp so special. Is it our facilities? Our incredible staff? Our wide variety of activities? Our trips? Our swimming program? The answer is yes—but it’s also something much bigger. At Hillel, we don’t simply plan a schedule. We create experiences. When parents receive our calendar, they see theme days, sports clinics, special events, and activities. But what they don’t always realize is that those few words printed on a calendar are just the beginning. A surprise appearance by a juggler on stilts isn’t listed anywhere. It’s simply one of those magical moments that appears out of nowhere, leaving hundreds of campers staring in amazement.

“Pajama Day” isn’t just about wearing comfortable clothes. It becomes an opportunity for campers to cuddle puppies, laugh with friends, and create memories they’ll excitedly share around the dinner table that night. When our calendar says “Sports Clinic,” we don’t just hand campers a basketball or soccer ball and tell them to play. We bring in Rabbi Mordechai Harris, who works alongside our outstanding coaches and adult sports staff to teach campers proper techniques, sports-specific drills, and the skills that help them improve while building confidence and teamwork. Even our Junior Olympics is designed to be more than friendly competition. Every camper proudly receives a brandnew Hillel team shirt, instantly creating a sense of belonging and pride before the first event even begins. Throughout the day, campers cheer for one another, celebrate successes, encourage teammates,

and learn that being part of something bigger than yourself is often more rewarding than winning. Those moments don’t happen by accident. Long before camp begins, our leadership team and staff spend countless hours asking one simple question: “How can we make this even better?” I constantly challenge our staff to think beyond the activity itself and to see camp through our campers’ eyes. Not to just ask whether an activity is fun—but ask themself what will make it so memorable that twenty years from now the camper will still be talking about it. Those are the moments we’re trying to create every single day. That philosophy influences everything we do. Whether it’s an unexpected surprise during lunch, a spontaneous dance party, a counselor who stays after an activity to help a camper master a new skill, or a

special keepsake that reminds campers of an incredible day, our goal is always the same: create moments that matter. The truth is, many years from now, our campers probably won’t remember exactly what happened on the third Tuesday in July. But they’ll remember how camp made them feel. They’ll remember laughing until their stomach hurt. They’ll remember the counselor who believed in them. They’ll remember the glow party, the puppy cuddles, the team shirt they proudly wore, the surprise entertainer who seemed larger than life, and the feeling that every day held the possibility of something extraordinary. At Hillel Day Camp, we believe that the greatest memories are often created in moments that no one expected. That’s why, around here, it’s never just another day at camp.

Arkia Steps Up New York-Tel Aviv Service

rkia is expanding its New YorkTel Aviv service ahead of the peak summer travel period, adding capacity and introducing upgraded aircraft as demand for the route continues to climb. During August and September, the

airline will increase its service to JFKBen Gurion Airport on Mondays and Wednesdays. The flights will be operated on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 345 seats in Economy and Premium. Wi-Fi will be available for purchase on board.

The route will receive a further upgrade beginning September 11, 2026, with an Airbus A330-300. The new aircraft includes 46 Business Class seats and 203 Economy seats, offering passengers a more spacious and comfortable flight experience. An English-speaking Israeli

crew will be present on every flight. With more seats, upgraded aircraft and an enhanced premium offering, Arkia is aiming to make its flagship U.S. route a stronger and more attractive option for travelers.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Around the Community

Non-Stop Fun and Friendships at CMY

Around the Community

Part 19: Good Advice and a Changed World: A Siddur for Our Time

he format of Rabbi Zlotowitz’s Five Megillos and 6-volume Bereishis/Genesis had earned high praise and broad acceptance. Rabbis Zlotowitz and Scherman decided that the next major project would be the Siddur, and the format would follow the successful precedent: a multi-volume edition with an original translation and a very detailed commentary culled from the broad range of Torah literature. It worked for Bereishis, why wouldn’t it work for the Siddur? It was obvious, wasn’t it? It was to us, but Shmuel (Steve) Blitz, our very practical, pragmatic director of sales, was skeptical. He felt that such a Siddur would be appreciated by several thousand people, but it would not be “davenable.” No one would use a 3 or 4 or 5-volume Siddur. What the public needed, he insisted was a 1-volume “shul Siddur,” the sort that only ArtScroll could produce. Baruch Hashem, we were willing to listen. The goal would be an understandable translation and a commentary that would have two purposes: to explain the meaning, of course, but also to be inspirational and draw the user closer to faith and recognition that he is speaking to Hashem. And, of course, the Siddur would have an ArtScroll trademark Overview to lead the reader into the proper mood and goal of his tefillah. But its most transformative feature was its instructions as well as its section on laws: clear, practical guidance that unlocked Jewish prayer and practice, teaching people when to stand, sit, bow, and respond in shul while explaining enough of the why to let anyone learn privately and at their own pace—and participate with confidence instead of avoiding shul out of awkwardness, dependence, or ignorance. Unfortunately, R’ Zlotowitz’s increasingly heavy responsibilities in leading ArtScroll made it impossible for him to undertake the Siddur, so the privilege of working on the ArtScroll Siddur fell to R’ Scherman. R’ Zlotowitz read every word, and his comments and suggestions were crucial to the success of the final product. Most people cannot fully appreciate how much thought goes into designing a Siddur that is truly comfortable and intuitive to use. To us, however, R’ Shea Brander’s

The original ArtScroll Siddur

brilliance in this area was immediately evident and proved invaluable, as did the wealth of insightful suggestions he contributed throughout the process. R’ Avie Gold, another genius on our staff, read and improved the text. The Ashkenaz Siddur was published in 1984; the Sefard version came out a year later. The public response was phenomenal. People exclaimed that this was what they had been waiting for, and the ArtScroll Siddur became the standard English-language Siddur translation-commentary. There is hardly a shul in the English-speaking world where the ArtScroll Siddur is not present and used in abundance. Forty years later, it remains the siddur of choice, with well over a million copies in print. Over the years, we have received many letters and in-person expressions of gratitude from newly-observant men and women who say that exposure to the Artscroll Siddur changed their lives and helped make them baalei teshuvah. One woman wrote that she, at the time not observant, was in a college class with only one other Jew, an Orthodox young woman. Naturally, they became friends, and the Orthodox girl gave her an ArtScroll Siddur. She never stopped using it, even as the pages were well-worn; that siddur changed her life, and she wouldn’t part from it. Few publications have so profoundly influenced contemporary Jewish life, illuminating the path to tefillah for beginners and veterans alike. UP NEXT: From Siddur to Machzor

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

50 Years of ArtScroll

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

1. *

TJH

Centerfold

The Things Parents Say on Visiting Day What Parents say

What they really Mean

“You look amazing!”

Your t-shirt has something growing on it, your shorts are ripped, your friend really does not know how to give haircuts, and the ketchup stain on your chin looks like it’s been squatting for a while.

“We’re so proud of you.”

In the past six weeks that you have been away, you have not caused any trouble at home.

“We brought just a few things.”

We brought you another whole pallet from Bingo but since we don’t want to spoil you, we will tell you that it’s just a few things.

“How’s your bunk?”

I really don’t care how your bunk is; deal with it. I am not asking the camp director to switch you out unless Kim Jong Un is sleeping on the top bunkbed.

“Your counselor seems wonderful.”

I made sure to have a very quick superficial conversation with him.

“Are you having fun?”

I spent $7,000 plus who-knows-how-much getting you ready for camp— you better say yes!

“Do you miss home?”

Please say yes...just a little.

“The house is so quiet without you.”

And, that is really, really difficult. We just can’t handle the house being quiet.

“Your siblings miss you.”

They took your room within 24 hours.

“Let’s take one quick family picture.”

Let’s have a 87-picture photo shoot while everyone is trying to get around us.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Yankel says, “That’s very nice.”

Yankel joins a bungalow colony for the first time.

“What’s that?” asks Yankel.

The first day he meets his neighbor Moishe who says,

“Never tell anybody your business,” says Moishe,

“Welcome! Around here, if you need anything, just ask.”

“because by tomorrow, they’ll improve it.”

Moishe adds, “Just remember one thing...”

1. In which year did Fialkoff’s Pizza open? a. 1973 b. 1984 c. 1992 d. 1997 2. What color are the benches in Lucky Dip? a. Brown b. Orange c. Yellow d. Green 3. Which Catskill Mountains food is “famous”? a. Lucky Dip’s snow cones b. Munchie’s hot dogs c. Woodbourne Pizza Shop’s zeppolis d. Mom’s Knishes 4. Why were the Catskills nicknamed the “Borscht Belt”? a. The mountains were shaped like a bowl. b. The region was famous for beet farming. c. The area’s Jewish resorts

made borscht a signature dish. d. A railroad line called the Borscht Belt ran through the mountains. 5. What is the name of the once famous strip-mall in Monticello (which still has some walls standing…and maybe even a Van Heusen sign)? a. Monticello Commons b. The Concord Square c. Apollo Mall d. The Country Mile 6. What do locals call White Lake (by that, I mean people who went to bungalow colonies in the area)? a. Whitestock Lake b. Neversink Lake c. Kauneonga Lake d. Swan Lake 7. Resorts World Catskills Casino was built on the site of which famous Catskills hotel? a. The Concord b. Grossinger’s

Riddle Me This There are four bungalows in a cul-de-sac. They are all different colors— red, white, blue and glass. Scott’s bungalow is somewhere to the left of the white one, and the third one along is blue.

c. The Nevele d. Kutsher’s 8. Who says, “The Quickway Diner is the place to be” (no, it’s not kosher)? a. Everyone in the country b. Anyone who can see c. Joe Mackey d. Take it from Teek, take it from Vee Answers: 1-A 2-B 3-D 4-C 5-C 6-C 7-A 8-D Wisdom Key: 7-8 correct: You are a 365 days a year upstate guy! 3-6 correct: Not bad, but not exactly an every summer person though. 0-2 correct: Is your country even in the bungalows?

Unger owns a red bungalow and Tennenbaum does not live at either end, but lives somewhere to the right of the green bungalow. Rosen lives in the fourth bungalow. The first bungalow is not red. Based on these clues, figure out the order of the bungalows, left to right, and who lives in each one.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

Catskill Mountains Trivia

Answer: From left to right: Scott lives in the green bungalow. Unger lives in the red one. Tennenbaum lives in the blue one. Rosen lives in the white one.

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Torah Thought

Parshas Va’eschanan By Rabbi Berel Wein z”l

he ability to somehow subsume one’s own personal disappointments and even tragedies into the general picture of positive Jewish life and mission is vividly illustrated in Moshe’s response to G-d’s refusal to allow him to enter into the Land of Israel. Moshe does not accept the decree in a stoic, “what is the use” manner, but he instead uses it to impress upon the Jewish people the special good fortune that they possess in being able to enter and inhabit the Land of Israel. Perhaps only someone who has been denied a special favor, gift or talent can truly appreciate the uniqueness of someone who possesses that favor, gift or talent. (For instance, I appreciate and love to hear great chazanim and baalei tefilla though I cannot carry a tune. But I digress.) Jews who currently can visit and, even more importantly, can dwell in our ancient homeland are pretty much blasé about the whole matter. We have become so comfortable and accustomed

to this gift granted to us that we are even willing to forego it, and some Jews even have the temerity to vilify it and claim that gift and opportunity was and is a “mistake!” Moshe certainly would not have thought so. He breaks down the heaven-

terly, he uses the experience to encourage his people and steel them for the task and mission that life in the Land of Israel always and automatically entails. The Jewish soul’s desire to live in the Land of Israel, a desire not diminished by thousands of years of exile and sep-

That is the reality of the message of this Shabbos Nachamu – that comfort, consolation and triumph eventually awaits us.

ly gates of prayer, so to speak, in order to gain entry into the Land of Israel. He is willing to forego his lofty office and enter the land just as plain Mr. Moshe but all to no avail. But instead of bewailing his fate bit-

aration, is an extension of the attitude and spirit of Moshe himself. All defeats in Jewish life, no matter how expensive and devastating they may be, are still in the long run only temporary setbacks. That is the reality of the message of

this Shabbos Nachamu – that comfort, consolation and triumph eventually awaits us. Perhaps it is this knowledge of G-d’s commitment to our survival and success that allows Moshe to move past his own personal disappointments and defeats. Moshe sees the future and spans the generations and is aware of the eternity of Israel and its never-ending attachment to the Land of Israel. And he knows that the eventual destiny of the people of Israel is inextricably bound up with the Land of Israel. And, in the midst of his tears over his own unfulfilled hopes and wishes, he states words of encouragement and steadfast blessing to his beloved people. It is part of the character greatness of Moshe that the people he serves always take precedence over his own personal pursuits and desires. As such, he is the model of what a Jewish religious leader should be. Even though there has never been another Moshe, his example still instructs and guides us. Shabbat shalom.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

From the Fire

Parshas Va’eschanan When Everything Else is Stripped Away By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

his week, I was thinking about a beautiful Midrash on the parshah (Sifri, Devarim 36). In it, Chazal say, “The Jewish people are so precious that the Torah surrounded them with mitzvos: tefillin on their heads, tefillin on their arms, mezuzos on their doors, and tzitzis on their garments. Regarding them Dovid said, ‘Seven in a day I praise You for Your righteous statutes’ (Tehillim 119:164).” The pasuk quoted by the Midrash refers to the fact that Dovid HaMelech was inspired to praise Hashem seven times a day for the seven mitzvos that surround His children as a sign of how precious they are to Him: four tzitzis on their garments, tefillin on their heads and arms, and a mezuzah on their doors. The Midrash then continues with a

well-known story about Dovid HaMelech, “He entered the bathhouse and saw himself naked. He said, ‘Woe that I am naked of mitzvos!’ He then gazed at the sign of the covenant on his flesh and began to arrange his praise [after leaving the mikvah], as the pasuk (Tehillim 12:1) says, ‘For the conductor, on the eighth, a song of Dovid,’” a hint at bris milah, which is done on a baby’s eighth day of life. What exactly happened to Dovid HaMelech in the mikvah? What was the nature of the epiphany he had there? He certainly wasn’t embarrassed by the fact that the other people in the mikvah “caught” him without his tefillin and tzitzis on. First, that is the nature of the place and what everyone would expect. Second, as he was the king of the Jew-

ish people, when he entered the mikvah, everyone else certainly left as soon as he arrived! Besides the fact that Hashem told us to, why do we wear tefillin and tzitzis and put mezuzos on our doors? We bind tefillin on our heads and our arms to remind us to bind our minds and actions to Hashem’s will. Wearing tzitzis reminds us, wherever we go, of the mitzvos. And the mezuzah reminds us, before we leave the house, to remember Hashem’s will in all the choices we make as we journey out into the world. They stand as reminders to awaken our minds to remember our connection to Hashem and His will – “seven in a day I praise You.” But Dovid HaMelech was bothered by the question: What happens if all of

the reminders that keep my actions and thoughts in the right place are removed? What is left of me? Do I still have a connection with Hashem? Is it all external? Do I have an essential connection with G-d? How have all of these reminders affected my essence, if at all? Perhaps this question is what caused Dovid to cry out, “Woe that I am naked of mitzvos!” It is so easy for us to allow Yiddishkeit to be reduced to one long string of reminders and signs without any change in the nature of who we are, what we want, or the nature of our consciousness. One’s entire Jewish life may only be defined by one’s rebbe, morah, family, shul, yeshiva, and the checklist of Jewish activities one engages in on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis. These signs of Hashem’s love sur-

ter you: circumcise for yourselves every male” (Bereishis 17:10). This hidden sign of “My covenant” is the symbol of the relationship between the Jewish people and Hashem because it is invisible. It cannot serve to jog the memory. It only exists as part of our essence. That was his comfort and the subject a new chapter of Tehillim. What does it mean to be so connected to mitzvos that one feels connected even

by stripping him of all of his clothing and throwing him into a lime pit. This was a particularly gruesome death because lime acts like acid, burning the flesh. When the Nazis threw this Jew into the pit to die, with everyone else looking on helplessly, he cried out: “Master of the World! I stand here naked before you.” And because it was Sukkos at the time, he continued:

What happens if all of the reminders that keep my actions and thoughts in the right place are removed?

when he is stripped of everything in this world, both physical and spiritual? I once read about a Gerer chassid who was interred in one of the concentration camps. Because he had violated some Nazi rule or other, he was decreed to die. But to amuse themselves and torment the other Jews, they decided to kill this Jew

“You commanded me to take an esrog, But I have no esrog. You say that the esrog corresponds to the heart, and I do have a heart. You told me to take a lulav and that a lulav corresponds to the spine. I have no lulav, but I do have a spine. You commanded me to take hadassim corresponding to the eyes and aravos corre-

sponding to the lips. I have no haddasim or aravos, but I do have eyes and lips. And let the cloud rising up from the crematoria be my sukkah! Please, Master of the World, I ask that you take back my heart, spine, eyes, and lips back up to You and consider it as if I have fulfilled all of my obligations to You!” Each of us is surrounded by a myriad of mitzvos and positive Jewish role models, environments, and lessons. But if they remain as external reminders which, if removed, would leave us naked of mitzvos, then they will not have ever fulfilled their purpose. Let us merit not to be satisfied with the externals marks of Yiddishkeit alone. May we succeed in driving these reminders of our relationship with Hashem deep into our minds and hearts so that when we enter our version of Dovid HaMelech’s mikvah, we too will rejoice in our own internalization of our covenant with Hashem.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congreagation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

round us on all sides and are wonderful. But does the way we rely on them make us into empty shells? What are we without them? Have they changed us on the inside? How does one act when he is naked of mitzvos? When all the reminders are somewhere else and something pops up on the screen on a person’s phone, even unintentionally, what does he do? What is left when he is stripped of every external reminder and motivator to keep him or her on the straight and narrow? Is he still connected to Hashem and his Yiddishkeit? Perhaps Dovid HaMelech’s fear at that moment in the mikvah was about what happens when one takes away all of his external badges of Divine service, when he was truly naked of mitzvos, disconnected from everything outside of himself. He was worried whether, after removing all of the “means” in his life, whether the “ends” had become part of his essence. What was his epiphany? He realized that the part of him which was always covered, which was most private, the part of him so internal that it was part of his very flesh, had never left him. “This is My covenant which you shall observe, between Me, you, and your children af-

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Think. Feel.Grow.

When the Broken Path Still Leads Home By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

othing in life is an accident. In Parshas Va’eschanan, we read about the Arei Miklat, the cities of refuge for those who unintentionally killed (Devarim 4:41–49). This parsha usually falls out immediately following Tishah B’Av and, consequently, shortly before Elul. At face value, the Arei Miklat, Tishah B’Av, and Elul do not seem to share a thematic connection. The Ir Miklat is a city of refuge — a safe haven — for one who unwittingly murders. Tishah B’Av is a day of sadness and destruction, as Klal Yisrael mourns the loss of the Beis Hamikdash and the tragedies that have occurred throughout Jewish History. Elul is the month of teshuvah. What links these three topics together? In order to understand their deep underlying connection, let us delve into each of these three topics.

Tishah B’Av: The Death of the World On Tishah B’Av, we go through a process of aveilus (mourning), similar to the process of mourning a loved one. This seems to be an excessive response to the loss of a building — the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple). However, the destruction of the Temple itself was merely the physical expression of a much deeper tragedy. As we have previously discussed, the Beis Hamikdash was the makom (locus) of connection between Hashem and this physical world. The Beis Hamikdash was destroyed as a result of the disconnect that we, Klal Yisrael, created between us and Hashem, between us and our fellow man, and between us and ourselves. We lost sight of the spiritual root of this world, shattering the connection between us and Hashem. As the Nefesh Hachaim explains, once this was broken,

the physical vessel that represented this connection i.e., the Beis Hamikdash, was reduced to an empty shell that could easily be destroyed. (Nefesh Hachaim 1:4) The concept of death is the disconnect between a spiritual life-force and its physical vessel. The death of a person is the process of one’s soul separating from their body. (Death is a stage of life, not the end of life.) When the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, the world died. The soul of the world, i.e., Hashem, left its body, its vessel — the physical world — resulting in a cosmic spiritual chasm and a shattered reality. (True, Hashem is still manifest in this world, but only infinitesimally compared to the connection that once was.) We mourn on Tishah B’Av not just for the destruction of a building but for the death of the world itself. And we yearn for the day when Hashem will once again be fully and clearly manifest in this

world, revealing the spiritual essence of this physical reality. Based on this idea, it is now clear why Klal Yisrael was sent into galus as a result of the churban Beis Hamikdash. A person who murders another intentionally is executed as punishment. (This is middah k’neged middah, measure for measure: The murderer removed his victim’s soul from the physical world, so he is punished likewise. An accidental murderer, on the other hand, is not executed but exiled. This is also middah k’neged middah, but due to the unintentional nature of the act, the punishment is less severe. Instead of the killer losing his existence in the physical world, he loses his physical “place” in the world, his makom. He is forced to leave his home and live in exile. Interestingly, the word for place (makom) is deeply connected to the word for existence (kiyum). Hashem gives

Elul: Returning Home This is why Elul directly follows Tishah B’Av. Tishah B’Av is the time of breakdown, exile, and death. Elul is the time of rejuvenation, redirection, and rebirth. As we transition from Tishah B’Av toward Elul, we pause, stop the negative momentum, and begin building anew. The low of Tishah B’Av becomes the impetus for growth throughout the month of Elul, and in this way, it becomes a yeridah l’tzorech Aliyah, a breakdown for the sake of ascension. Elul, in the deepest sense, represents our journey back home to our proper makom, back to our unbreakable bond with Hashem. The goal of Rosh Hashana is to fully and wholeheartedly anoint and embrace Hashem as our King. This can only happen after a month spent bridging the gap that we created between us. Elul is our voyage back home as we reconnect Hashem to this world, the Soul of the world to its proper place. The literal meaning of the word “teshuvah” is “return,” and that is our goal at this time. We yearn to return the world to its proper, higher state, to return the Jewish people back to our elevated status, and for each and every one of us to return to our higher, true selves.

Our Struggle The process of return is a joyous one, but it is also a challenging one. We often feel as though we are fighting an uphill battle, and we struggle to maintain mo-

mentum and continue gaining ground. Every year as we approach Elul, there is an underlying sense of dread as we prepare ourselves for another year of “New Year’s resolutions,” writing down the same list of goals, only to be forgotten two weeks later. For many, this is the unspoken dread of Elul — the feeling of despair and loneliness as we grapple to rebuild ourselves and what feels like a broken connection with Hashem. This is why Hashem created the Ir Miklat.

A Place for Those Without a Place An Ir Miklat is a place for those without a place. When one loses his physical makom, he feels lost, abandoned, hopeless. At exactly this moment, he is given a

referred to as the “Makom of the world,” the place of the world (Midrash Tehillim 90; Rashi, Avos, chap. 2). We exist within Hashem, so to speak; He is our makom. However, there are times in our lives when we feel distant from Hashem and when we question whether or not Hashem truly cares for us, loves us, or believes in us. It is specifically at these times that we refer to Hashem as “Makom.” For example, in a house of mourning, it is customary to tell the mourner, “HaMakom yenachem, the Place will comfort you.” This is because at this specific time, the mourner (avel) feels most distant from both their loved one and from Hashem. We therefore remind the mourner that not only is Hashem still your Makom, but He is also still the Makom of your loved

We must remember that this is only a waystation, and that we must arise and journey back to our true makom, to our true destination.

sense of hope. He may have lost his place, but there is still a place for him to go in the interim until he can return home. This is what the Ir Miklat represents: hope for the hopeless, home for the homeless, stability for the unstable.

Hashem as the Makom of the World There is an additional spiritual idea here that reveals the ultimate depth of this concept. Many people think that before Hashem created the world, there was nothing. On the contrary, until Hashem created the world, there was everything; there was only Hashem Himself. As the Arizal, Ramchal, and others explain, Hashem created the world by making a makom, a space, within Himself. Just as everything in the physical world requires space to exist, existence itself required a space to exist. If you have a cup completely filled with metal, you cannot pour any water into it. Only if there is a space in the cup, if there is room for the water, can you pour water into the cup. Before Hashem created the world, there was no space for us to exist, as all of existence was occupied by Hashem. To create the physical world, Hashem made space within Himself for us to exist. This is why Hashem is

one. This helps the mourner feel close to Hashem and reminds him that the meis (dead relative) is still here, in existence, within Hashem, simply in a more spiritual dimension. This is the idea of an Ir Miklat. When one loses their physical makom, they feel completely abandoned. We not only provide him with a different physical makom, but we also ensure that he realizes that he will always have an existential, spiritual Makom — Hashem!

Elul as Our Makom This is the purpose of Elul. Tishah B’Av reminds us of how broken we can become, of the genuine difficulty and challenge of life. But there will always be an Elul, an Ir Miklat, a Makom. This connection between Elul and the Ir Miklat is alluded to in the Torah. The very first time the Torah mentions the Ir Miklat is in Parshas Mishpatim, with the words: “ V’haElokim einah l’yado, v’samti lecha makom, If G-d brought it about [meaning that the murder was unintentional], I will make a place for you…” (Shemos 21:13). The roshei teivos (first letters) of these words is Elul! Elul is our Ir Miklat, reminding us that we will always have a place to stay

until the chaos subsides. But even while in the midst of that chaos, we must remember that this is only a waystation, and that we must arise and journey back to our true makom, to our true destination. Elul is our shelter amidst the storm, a lighthouse in the dark. It helps protect us from the darkness, but it also helps guide us back to our true destination. When we pass by the month of Elul, Hashem covers every tree with white flags. Elul is Hashem’s way of saying, “There will always be a place for you.” In response, we must embrace that place and begin rebuilding from there toward our true destination. This is the first step of teshuvah: recognizing that we are not where we need to be, but that through constant effort and the help of Hashem, we can get there; we can return to our true makom, and we can ascend to a true Rosh Hashanah. The foundation for this is our interim makom, our Ir Miklat, Elul — the place for those without a place. This allows us to gain our footing, create clarity and purpose, and begin our journey back home. May we all be inspired to pause, find our footing, and use this Elul to purposefully journey back to our true Makom, Hashem.

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is an international speaker, bestselling author, business coach, the CEO of SMA, and a TED Talk Speaker. His online content reaches millions of people every month, and he lectures internationally on topics of Torah thought, psychology, leadership, and business – uniquely blending many areas of Torah and wisdom together. His bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Torah thought. After receiving his BA from Yeshiva University and Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, Rabbi Reichman received a Masters degree in Philosophy and Religion from the University of Chicago. As part of his Masters Degree at the University of Chicago, Rabbi Reichman received an Ivy Plus Scholarship to Harvard where he spent a year studying Religious Philosophy and Literature as an Ivy Scholar. Additionally, he received a Masters degree in Educational Psychology from Azrieli Graduate School and a Masters degree in Jewish Thought from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School. As a business and leadership coach, Rabbi Reichman provides a unique 1-on-1 coaching program where he helps high-achievers, coaches, and business owners achieve their financial and personal goals. To learn more or to get in contact with Rabbi Reichman, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

existence to the world (kiyum) by creating a place for the world (makom). When one takes away their fellow man’s existence in the physical world (kiyum), they also take away their place within it (makom).) When the Jewish people “killed” the world, we were sent into exile. We lost our home, our makom — Eretz Yisrael. According to some opinions, this was in fact an act of mercy on the part of Hashem, as the Jewish people should have been executed for murdering the world, for having severed its soul from its body. Instead, though, we were merely exiled, maintaining the ability to correct our mistake and return home. This serves as a beautiful explanation of the Midrash that states that instead of destroying the Jewish people, Hashem took his wrath out on the wood and stones of the Beis Hamikdash (Eichah Rabbah 4:14). Hashem destroyed the Beis Hamikdash, but He did not destroy us, giving us the chance to rebuild anew. Our exile, in a sense, is a gift, as it allows us to rebuild the connection between us and Hashem and return home once more.

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times By Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

aseches Taanis teaches us that when the month of Av begins, we have to reduce the amount of simcha that we experience. Mi’she’nichnas Av, m’maatin b’simchah. The Gemara then cites a memra from Rav Yehudah the son of Rav Shmuel bar Shilas. Just as when the month of Av begins, we reduce our level of simcha, so too, when the month of Adar starts, we must increase our simcha and joy. These two months are polar opposites. Av is the month of sadness, and Adar is the month of happiness. Rav Pappa then advises that if one has a legal matter with a non-Jew that is set to come before a court of law, he should try to schedule it during Adar and should avoid having it take place during Av. Our mazal is weak in Av, while in Adar it is strong. Our mazal may vary throughout the year, and there are therefore times that are opportune to appear in judgment, and there are times that are not suitable to do so. Let us endeavor to explore how far we take this concept practically, and in what instances we implement this idea that some months or dates are auspicious times and others are ominous.

Reduce Simcha — Until When? Until when does this halacha to reduce simcha in the month of Av remain in effect? Is it only until after Tishah B’Av, or does it remain in effect for the entirety of the month? The Magen Avraham writes that one should avoid going to court with a non-Jew for the duration of Av, “ad rosh chodesh Elul, until Rosh Chodesh Elul.” He apparently understands that the entire month is included in the halacha of m’maatin b’simchah. The Zohar HaKadosh teaches us that the concept of Av being an “ominous” month is not a result only of the Churban HaBayis that transpired, as there are other reasons as well. Yaakov Avinu and his twin brother Eisav divided the year, with each claiming certain months as his own. Yaakov took two months, Nissan and Iyar, and he incorporated them in the “secret” of Sivan. Eisav took the months of Tammuz and Av. Elul, however, he was not able to obtain. The Zohar adds that even the month of Av was not successfully acquired by Eisav in its entirety. He was able to take only nine days of the month. The rest of the month, however, never became his.

The Chayei Adam may be taking this Zohar into account when he disagrees with the Magen Avraham and rules that if someone has a court case with a non-Jew, it is best to try to postpone it until the end of the month, although this is not absolutely required. At the very least, it should be delayed until after Tishah B’Av. The Mishnah Berurah rules similarly as well. It is acceptable to postpone a court case until after Tishah B’Av, although ideally it is best to postpone until the entire month has passed. The Magen Avraham thus seems to posit that our mazal is bad the entire month of Av, whereas the Chayei Adam and Mishnah Berurah are of the opinion that after Tishah B’Av passes, our mazal improves. The Chasam Sofer points out that the Magen Avraham’s opinion reflects the fact that he equates Adar and Av. The entire month of Adar is joyous, as the pasuk states, “And the month that had been turned about for them from one of sorrow to gladness and from mourning to festival” (Esther 9:22). Therefore, when the month of Av is established as a time of misfortune, it too applies to the month in its entirety. However, the Chasam Sofer adds, this comparison is flawed. We cannot equate Adar and Av. The entirety of Adar is joyous, as the days that precede Purim are days of simcha in anticipation of Purim, and the days following continue to be days of happiness because they are sandwiched between Purim and Pesach. They are elevated to days of joy, being surrounded by the embrace of Purim and Pesach. This is not applicable to the month of Av. Granted, the days leading up to the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash are days of mourning, when m’maatin b’simcha is wholly appropriate. However, once Tishah B’Av passes, the rest of the month should not be subjected to the same reduction in simcha as the first nine days were. Furthermore, Maseches Taanis teaches us that there was no greater holiday for the Jewish people than the fifteenth day of Av. Certainly from the fifteenth day of Av, the requirement of sadness should no longer be applicable. The Chasam Sofer then presents an idea that the month known as Av is actually composed of two separate months. There is Av, the sad month, which encompasses the first nine days, and then we have Menachem Av, which encompasses the remainder of the month. (Note, according to the Chasam Sofer, because Menachem Av begins on the tenth of the month, the correct way to refer to the

month when we are mevorchim hachodesh is simply Av, and not Menachem Av, which has not yet begun. But see Aruch HaShulchan.)

The Best of Times and the Worst of Times This is a very intriguing concept. There are times in life when our mazal is considered good and strong, and there are times when our mazal is considered weak. There are times when pursuing various opportunities is a good idea, and there are times when it is smarter to hold off. Maseches Taanis queries the source that the Second Beis HaMikdash was destroyed on Tishah B’Av. There is no textual or historical source for this fact, so how do we know it to be true? The Gemara explains that since the First Beis HaMikdash was destroyed on the ninth of Av, we can be certain that the same was true for the second. We employ the principle “a meritorious matter is brought about on an auspicious day, and a deleterious matter on an inauspicious day.” This works to further establish the concept we are studying. There are times that are auspicious, and there are times that are ominous. Tishah B’Av is a day on which bad things cluster — because it is inherently a bad day. It attracts suffering and pain; it is a magnet for disaster.

Yahrtzeit: a Time for Teshuvah Nowadays, there is a prevalent custom to bring “tikkun,” liquor and pastries, to shul on the morning of a yahrtzeit. Rav Moshe Feinstein cites this practice as proof to support the accepted halacha that one is permitted to eat in a shul, even when there is no specific mitzvah being fulfilled. Rav Moshe offers that there is no mitzvah to have food on a yahrtzeit; thus, the fact that it is universally accepted to eat at a tikkun in the shul is a clear indication that optional eating is permitted there. The original minhag, brought in the Shulchan Aruch, was to fast on the yahrtzeit of one’s parents. The Levush discusses the reason for this minhag: A child fasts on the date of his parent’s passing as a component of teshuva. Since this is the date on which his parent died, it has bad mazal for him and he must repent. It is a day that requires extra protection, as it is a time of sakanah, danger, for him and his family. The Levush mentions that this fast day is always observed on the yom hamisah, the anniversary of the day

Mazal Tov! It’s Your Birthday! On the other hand, there are days on the calendar that are predisposed for success and good mazal. On the day that Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah ascended to the nesius, he grew eighteen rows of white hair. When mentioning this miraculous phenomenon, the Gemara employs the phrase “ha’hu yomah, on that day.” What day was it? The Ben Yehodaya posits that the Gemara uses this expression to explain why Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was privy to this supernatural occurrence. He merited the miracle because it was that specific day: his birthday. On one’s birthday, a person is designated to have strong mazal, and it is an auspicious time when one can achieve successes otherwise not possible. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah merited a miracle because it was his birthday. Rav Tzadok HaKohen authored a sefer of chiddushim that were revealed to him in his dreams. One such pearl was about the significance of a person’s birthday. He writes, “One’s mazal is strongest on his birthday, and it is the day on which he has nothing to fear.” Even though Chazal teach that tzaddikim tend to pass away on their birthday, that does not contravene this principle. For tzaddikim, Rav Tzadok writes, their petirah is not ominous. Their neshamos ascend to great spiritual heights, leaving their physical cloak behind. The departure of the soul is an occurrence of good mazal, as it is the time when the neshamah begins to bask in the glow of the Shechinah. For reshaim, death is a time of great misfortune, as it begins their process of punishment in the Next World. The wicked do not have to fear death on their birthday, which is a time when their mazal is strong. Again, we see that throughout the year and throughout one’s life, there are good times and there are bad times.

Yield to a Rasha With Good Mazal Maseches Megillah advises that if one observes a rasha enjoying prosperity, success, and happiness, one should not engage in a dispute with him. It seems to be a time that has been ordained for this unworthy person to succeed, and it is quite likely that he will triumph over whoever challenges him. Were he to be taken to court, even if he were in reality the guilty party, he would emerge victorious from beis din. He will enjoy watching the downfall of his adversaries. However undeserving the person may be, if it is a time when he is clearly enjoying siyata diShmaya, it will pervade all areas of his life, and all his dealings will be infused with success. The Gemara then challenges this idea with a quote from Rav Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (and several others), stating that one should challenge and instigate against a rasha. The Gemara differentiates between physical, material matters on the one hand, and spiritual affairs on the other. When it comes to matters of this world, it is best to not

challenge a rasha in his moment of success. In matters of ruchniyus, however, one can always challenge a rasha. A second approach the Gemara offers is that only a tzaddik gamur, a complete tzaddik, may challenge a rasha. He will triumph if he does so; however, one who is not completely righteous should avoid such an encounter. The Gemara then offers a third explanation. Not only are we permitted, but in fact we should challenge a rasha, showing our displeasure toward one who commits aveiros. However, this practice is shelved when we witness a rasha triumphing and succeeding. In this unique setting, when a sinful person is being blessed with victories and achievements, it would be best not to challenge him at all. For now is his time in the sun. Heaven is smiling down on him, and it would not be wise to go up against him when his mazal is strong. Amazingly, the Magen Avraham collects and codifies numerous hanhagos tovos, practices of proper conduct, that are appropriate to adopt, and he definitively cites the third answer of the Gemara in Megillah as halacha. That is, don’t challenge a rasha at the time of his success. Once again, this concept is brought to the fore: There are times in life when, regardless of one’s conduct, a person’s mazal can be strong, and he can be successful in all he attempts to do.

Don’t Push It Maseches Berachos states, “If one forces the moment and attempts to take advantage of an undeserved opportunity, the moment forces him and he is pushed aside. If one yields to the moment and relinquishes an opportunity that presents itself, the moment yields to him.” Avshalom is brought as an example. He wanted to be king; had he waited patiently, it might have happened naturally. However, he tried to take the throne prematurely, by force, and he was not successful. The Gemara also contrasts Rabbah and Rav Yosef. Rabbah’s sharp, deep, and analytical thinking earned him the title “Oker Harim, Uprooter of Mountains.” Rav Yosef was called “Sinai,” since he had a vast breadth of information at his fingertips and he was very erudite. When discussing which is a more valuable trait, the Gemara concludes that Sinai is superior to Oker Harim. Having more knowledge supersedes being analytical.1 When the position of Rosh Yeshiva became vacant, Rav Yosef, the Sinai, was the first choice as a replacement. However, he deferred to Rabbah. He had learned from the astrologers that he, Rav Yosef, would hold the position of Rosh Yeshivah for only two years, after which he would pass away. Rabbah then served as Rosh Yeshiva for twenty years, and Rav Yosef followed after him for two years. By deferring his deanship, he lived twenty additional years. Had he insisted on being Rosh Yeshiva before Rabbah, he would have passed away twenty years previously. Yielding earned him another twenty years of life.

Strike While the Mazal Is Hot A Tale of Two Brothers Niflaim Maasecha, a collection of stories that are found in the various writings of the Ben Ish Chai, cites the Sefer Benayahu (on Berachos 64a), which illustrates that this principle has practical implications, even in the world of finance.

A wealthy man passed away, and his two sons inherited his fortune. Each son received an extremely sizable sum. They each invested in various ventures. After a few years, their investments proved unsuccessful, and they began to lose significant sums of money. Things continued in this fashion, and each son eventually lost the vast majority of his fortune. One brother decided to diversify his portfolio, thinking that this move would provide him with some degree of financial security and he would stop losing money. He moved his remaining funds into different arenas and various markets. Unfortunately, he continued to lose money. Regardless of what he invested in, nothing proved successful. Eventually he lost it all. He then borrowed funds from friends and financial institutions, hoping to recoup his losses, but it was not meant to be. He sank further and further into debt. After losing the bulk of his fortune, his brother recognized that it was not the right time for him to be in business. He realized that all his ventures were failing and felt that at this time any endeavor he would embark upon would have the same outcome. He therefore decided to hold onto the small percentage that remained of his original inheritance, and he stopped investing. He buried his remaining funds, vowing to not touch them at all until the time was right. He sold his home, his furniture, and his wife’s jewelry. He liquidated anything he could. He then took a job that did not pay much, but from which he was able to provide for his family. For about five years, he had a steady, albeit modest, income. One day, while at work, a wealthy customer mentioned a stock that was worth investing in. On his way home that evening, he chanced upon a ring that was valued at several thousand dollars. He sold the ring and purchased a fur coat for his wife from a used clothing store. Upon arriving home, he found a diamond in an inner pocket of the coat; he subsequently sold the diamond for a small fortune. Having several positive occurrences happen in so short a time, he reasoned that his mazal had begun to change. He accessed the money he had put away years before and began to invest it. This time he was phenomenally successful. He was able to grow the money he had hidden into a much larger fortune. The Ben Ish Chai cites this story as an example of the contrast between someone pushing forward when his mazal is not optimal and someone who bides his time and waits until his mazal shifts in his favor. Continuing to push when one’s mazal is weak will only serve to dig a deeper hole. Ideally, one should wait for the opportune moment, when he sees that his mazal has improved. This is not only sound advice, but it is also brought l’halacha. As mentioned, the Magen Avraham rules precisely as the Gemara does: Kol ha’docheik es ha’sha’ah, sha’ah dochakto. V’chol ha’nidcheh mipnei ha’sha’ah, sha’ah nidchas mipanav. Interestingly, Rabbi Akiva Eiger references this Magen Avraham in his notes to Maseches Berachos. According to halacha, one is advised to wait for an opportune time before embarking on a venture. A Tale of Two Crops In Maseches Rosh Hashanah, we learn that Hash-

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

the parent died. As the taanis is a component of teshuva, it must be observed on the day that the family has bad mazal, which is the day of the passing. Therefore, even on the first yahrtzeit, the avel fasts on the anniversary of the day his parent died, even if it is not the day of the burial. The yahrtzeit of a parent is thus seen to be a day on which a person and his family have bad mazal.

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

em judges the world at different times of the year. Tevuah, grain, is judged on the Yom Tov of Pesach. The Gemara explains that on Pesach, Hashem decides on the success of the crops of grain that are yet to be planted. Anything that is already planted was decided upon during the previous Pesach. Abaye advises that if the crops that one has planted are growing well, then he should hurriedly plant additional produce before Pesach. This will allow him to take advantage of what clearly was a positive and productive verdict from the prior Pesach. The fact that his crops are growing robustly indicates that the prior Pesach they received a favorable din from the Ribbono Shel Olam, and he would be wise to take advantage of that ruling. Waiting until Pesach before planting again means that his next harvest will be subject to the next judgment, and that may not be as favorable. The lesson is to plant more while one’s mazal is good and strong. A Tale of a Successful King When David HaMelech ascended the throne, Chiram sent him raw materials to be used in the construction of his palace. Chiram also sent craftsmen who assisted with the actual building. As the Navi states: King Hiram of Tyre sent a delegation to David, with cedarwood, and carpenters and masons of wallstones; and they built a palace for David. David realized that Hashem had established him as king over Israel and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel (II Shmuel 5:11-12). Upon realizing that Hashem was solidifying his kingship and demonstrating support for his reign, David expanded his family by marrying more wives and fathering more children: David took additional concubines and wives from Yerushalayim after his coming from Chevron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. These are the names of those born to him in Yerushalayim: Shammua, Shovav, Nosson, and Shlomo … (ibid. vv. 13-14). The Ralbag presents the to’eles, the practical implications, of the Navi recording this information. David understood that Hashem was smiling down on him. His mazal was good and strong. He immediately harnessed this wave of good mazal. The Navi is teaching us that if a person notices that he is having success, and that things are going well for him, he should take advantage of the moment. While his mazal is strong, he should embark on additional endeavors and ride the wave of success. David realized that at that time his mazal was strong, and he thought that perhaps the children who had already been born were not suitable to be the heir to his throne. He decided that since his mazal was promising now, he would have a better chance of producing a fitting successor. He therefore fathered more children in the hope that a son born of this strong mazal would be worthy to be the next king of Klal Yisrael. And, sure enough, this is when Shlomo HaMelech was born. The Ralbag is advising that the Navi is teaching us this same lesson: Branch out while the moment is opportune. Pursue more projects and ventures while one’s mazal is strong. Take advantage of good times.

The Malach HaMaves Can Get It Wrong Maseches Chagigah tells us that Rav Yosef was moved to tears when he would read this pasuk: “And some perish without justice” (Mishlei 13:23). Sometimes the Malach HaMaves can take a person away from this world even when it is not yet his time. The Gemara relates an anecdote with Rav Bibi bar Abaye, who would routinely be visited by the Malach HaMaves. One time, he witnessed the Malach HaMaves dispatch his messengers to bring Miriam the hair-weaver, since it was her time to pass away. The assistant erred, and brought Miriam the school teacher. When his subordinate offered to return the wrong Miriam, the Malach HaMaves advised him, “Once you have already brought her here, let her be counted among the deceased.” Rav Bibi expressed wonderment: If it was not her time to die, how was the Malach HaMaves’s messenger able to take her neshama?

If a person notices that he is having success, and that things are going well for him, he should take advantage of the moment.

He was told that when he visited Miriam the teacher, she was in the process of lighting her oven. A hot ember had fallen onto her foot, burning her. Her mazal was therefore weakened, and her neshama was able to be taken. Again, we see that at a time when one’s mazal is weakened, it can be a lightning rod for disaster to occur.

Ein Mazal L’Yisrael There is a well-known principle that ein mazal l’Yisrael, Klal Yisrael is not subject to mazal. While at first glance this seems to be at odds with our discussion, it is important to understand this belief as it is explained by Tosafos. Mazal does, in fact, apply to Bnei Yisrael, but we are able to alter and at times break the mazal, albeit with difficulty, through what is regarded as a zechus gadol, a great merit. Ein mazal l’Yisrael means that we are not absolutely locked into the destiny governed by our mazal. When someone’s mazal is not good and things are not going well, there are merits he can acquire and employ to turn things around. The Chasam Sofer reveals an example of what would be considered a zechus gadol that a person can earn and that can alter his outcomes for the good. The Chasam Sofer references a pasuk in Tehillim: “It is He Who makes your borders peaceful, and with the cream of the wheat He sates you” (Tehillim 147:14). Many people have boundaries in life. They are willing and ready to do the right thing, but only up to a certain point. “That, I can’t do.” There is a boundary which they are not willing to cross. David HaMelech is describing someone who will in-

sist on doing things the right way, but not if it will cause machlokes. If following his way, however correct it may be, will result in a fight or in an argument of some sort, then he is not willing to insist on his opinion. Ha’sam gevulchah shalom, those who make shalom the border of their dictates, but for the sake of peace they will bend their will, cheilev chitim yasbi’echa, that is a great merit with which they can increase their parnassah. This middah of shalom, of avoiding machlokes, striving to maintain and uphold the peace, is a powerful zechus that can alter someone’s mazal for the better.

A Principle to Live By The legitimacy of this principle is very apparent. There are times, like the month of Adar and like one’s birthday, that are destined for good mazal. There are other times, such as the month of Av or the yahrtzeit of one’s parents, that are not so good. Each individual also has time periods in their lives when they can appreciate their mazal swinging one way or the other, and it seems that this awareness can be a factor in making decisions. Rabbeinu Tam refers to these different times as yimei ahava, days of love and affection, and yimei sinah, days of dislike. There are times when everything seems to be going your way, exactly as you want them to, without even exerting much effort. There are other times when nothing seems to work out, no matter how hard you try. This is the verdict of life. Ups and downs. Good months and bad months. Times when one’s mazal is strong, and times when it is not strong. The key is to recognize that everyone has these times in their lives, and that they are cyclical. The Ribbono Shel Olam is our Av HaRachaman, Merciful Father, and one can rest assured that even while things may be challenging, in the future Hashem will shower him with good times that are successful and happy. This time of the year, known as the Bein HaMetzarim, is a time that is mesugal for puraniyus. This phenomenon is referred to as in her month they [the difficulties] will find her (Yirmiyah 2:24). As the Abarbanel writes, bad things find a way to happen to us during this month. But it is only for nine days; it is a relatively short period of time. After Tishah B’Av, things turn around for us, as we begin the month of Menachem Av. By employing the middah of shalom, we can aspire to change even the mazal of these nine days into days that portend happy and joyous mazal for all of Klal Yisrael. There are those who opine that since nowadays we have texts for all sources, having knowledge is not as critical, and being an analytical, deep thinker would be considered more valuable. Maran Ovadia Yosef disagrees; he held that even nowadays the attribute of Sinai is greater. 1

This article has been printed from The Darkness and the Dawn by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, published by Artscroll. Rabbi Daniel Glatstein is the Mara D’asra of Kehilas Tiferes Mordechai in Cedarhurst, NY, and author of numerous seforim in Lashon Hakodesh and in English for ArtScroll. He is an international lecturer and maggid shiur. His thousands of recorded shiurim are available on Torahanytime.com, podcast, his website rabbidg.com, and other venues.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

School of

Thought

Laughter By Barbara Deutsch

spent many summers working in sleepaway camps Seneca Lake and Morasha. The Three Weeks always presented challenges to programming. When Tammuz followed by Av came “early,” it would impact July. When they turned up in August, the second month campers felt cheated. The difficulty in programming stemmed from a desire to create a program that would impart the feeling of loss and mourning over the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, while the sun was shining and the off-limits pool/lake shimmered so temptingly. How does one share deep sadness and loss sensitively with children? How do you help kids process and understand grief in a manner that will resonate without frightening? There has never been a dearth of Jewish pain from which to call upon. During modern times, the Holocaust and most recently October 7, present examples of catastrophic events that have given educators opportunity to forge connection and understanding of past difficulties. There are many who love to read any and all fact and fiction about the Holocaust. Not I nor my daughter Meredith, an avid reader of almost anything else. Though Bob and I are both a part of the still not really understood “Second Generation,” we have a very small presence in the compendium of available Holocaust research. Both of our childhoods were impacted and molded by our parents’ experiences. My Polish parents (greatly guided by the attitude of my war-damaged father) chose to survive. Bob’s Hungarian parents (Anyu) chose to “Live!” Anyu decided early on that she would not allow her ghetto and Auschwitz experiences to shadow how she would conduct her life. Edith – daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, and friend – was brilliant, beautiful, charming and strong. Edith was the driving force in the family’s jewelry business; no

one could design a necklace or string a strand of pearls as well as she was able to. Edith was a fabulous cook and hostess; she played a competitive game of Mah Jong and won most hands. All who had the privilege to interact with Edith, many of whom called her Anyu, respected and loved her. Despite the horrors of her early years, Edith’s long life was filled with laughter. In her one woman show, Shards of Laughter, the superb Australian actress and playwright Gabrielle Lev pieces together her family’s Holocaust history from the fragmented stories and mysterious references she heard as a child. With remarkable precision and emotional depth, Lev embodies voices across generations, revealing the inner worlds of women who survived, remembered, and rebuilt. As I sat enthralled by Lev’s incredible performance, silent tears washed my face. I was transported back to the Deutsch family’s happiest times celebrating around Anyu’s immaculately set table in both Brooklyn and Florida. Her specialties included chicken paprikash, shlishkes, nokedlie, dobosh, “balintzes,” with or without cranberry sauce. Her delicious recipes have been passed to our kids who have perfected them to their own family’s pallets. I remember a long-ago day when Edith and her survivor buddies made a special childhood favorite, gesztenyepüré, a rich dessert of sweetened chestnut puree mixed with rum (a lot) and topped with whipped cream. As they huddled together speaking their preferred Hungarian, their voices got louder and their laughter more raucous. Despite more than 70 years of living in America, Anyu never lost her heavy Hungarian accent, retiring to Miami and living in the Mimosa, the “Hungarian Building” (the Meemosa), where the language heard was Hungarian. It was spoken everywhere, in the halls, at the pool, on the elevator. This Hungarian-speaking community brought any need to fit in as an English-speaking American to a halt.

Gabriella Lev brilliantly mastered every language nuance in English, Hebrew, and, of course, Hungarian. Lev’s accents were spot on. A whole generation of survivors aged out and are gone; their tilting accents only to be heard in a theater. One of the many stories Lev shared was about an aunt who was one of the three out of five surviving sisters. Her extraordinary beauty kept them all alive. One muddy rainy day, one of the sisters, along with seven other beautiful women, were called to the home of the Nazi commander. The supervising Kapo ordered the women to lie across the path leading up to the Commander’s house; it was crucial for the Commander’s highly polished shoes to remain immaculate. The Commander kept his shoes unblemished by walking on the path of beautiful women. The deep humiliation felt by the women lying on the disgusting ground broke them. Yet, they continued to maintain their dignity. Instead of crying, they burst into a fit of giggles over the absurdity of their situation. I was transfixed by the story. I marveled at the women’s ability to laugh despite their dire circumstances. They survived. October 7 abruptly jolted us back to understanding our reality. The rise of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment has given everyone a rude awakening. We can no longer pretend that the Holocaust changed the world’s attitude about us. The hostages are slowly emerging to share their stories of survival. The common thread: staying positive. Every day they tried to find a reason to laugh. This helped them through the darkest days.

Unfortunately, camp programmers don’t have to dig deep to make connections to despair; all you need is a phone. As we enter the Nine Days and continue to mourn our losses, we must find it within ourselves to appreciate and embrace the positives in each day. Given the task of connecting and remembering, camps in general and Morasha, in particular, do a great job. A special memory of mine happened every Tisha B’av in Morasha. Machon boys, a particularly delightful group of 17-year-old mischief makers, were tasked with holding lit torches while lining the sides of the path leading to the gym. The younger campers would file by holding pillows and blankets for the long night of listening to Eichah. As I walked behind the campers, I noticed a boy crying. When I walked over to him to see if he was okay, he said, “I remember being a camper and walking up this path watching as the torches lit up the road. I remember a feeling of awe as I looked at the Machonics holding the torches; now it is my turn to be the one carrying the torch!” Jews with traditions building legacy. The play, Shards of Laughter, helped me retrieve the memory of Anyu and her friend’s laughter as they cooked together; the gesztenyepüré tasted awful. Wishing everyone a meaningful fast. Praying that this will be the last one.

Barbara Deutsch is the former associate principal at HANC, middle school principal at Kushner, and Dean of Students at Yeshiva of Flatbush. A not-retired educator, she is still trying to figure out life in Israel.

Israel Today Who Are Israelis Really Voting For? By Stephen M. Flatow

Part Two of a series explaining Israel’s political system before Israelis go to the polls

n the first installment of this series, we learned that Israel is unlike the United States in one fundamental respect: the entire country is a single electoral district. Israelis do not elect members of the Knesset from local constituencies. Instead, they vote for political parties. That naturally raises the next question. If Israelis are voting for parties rather than individual candidates, who decides who actually serves in the Knesset? The answer is the party list. Before an election, every political party submits an ordered list of candidates. The order matters enormously. If a party ultimately wins 25 seats, the first 25 candidates on its list generally enter the Knesset. Candidate number 26 does not. To Americans, this can seem odd. We are accustomed to campaigns centered on individuals. We vote for a particular candidate, not for a list prepared in advance. In Israel, however, a voter is making two decisions at once. First, which party

best represents his or her views. Second, whether that party deserves enough support to send as many of its candidates as possible to the Knesset. How do candidates reach the list? The answer depends on the party. Some parties hold primaries in which party members vote on the order of candidates. Others rely primarily on the party leader. Still others use committees or a combination of methods. As a result, internal party politics often begins months before Israelis ever cast a ballot. Candidates compete vigorously – not only against rival parties, but also against fellow party members seeking a higher place on the list. A difference of just a few positions can determine whether someone serves in the Knesset or remains on the sidelines. Then comes another uniquely Israeli concept: the electoral threshold. Israel does not award seats to every party that receives votes. Instead, a party must receive a minimum percentage of the nationwide vote to qualify for representation in the Knesset. Today, that threshold is 3.25 percent. If a party falls

below it, the result is dramatic. It receives no seats. Thousands of votes may have been cast for that party, but none translate into representation in the Knesset. That reality shapes Israeli politics in important ways. Small parties frequently debate whether to run independently or join forces with like-minded allies. Party leaders sometimes merge lists before an election to avoid splitting votes. In other cases, candidates abandon one party for another they believe has a better chance of clearing the threshold. American elections have strategic voting as well. But in Israel, the threshold makes those calculations especially important. Some voters support the party they most admire. Others ask a different question: Will my preferred party actually make it into the Knesset? That concern can influence voting in the final days of a campaign, especially when polls show a party hovering just above or just below the threshold. This also explains why Israeli polls receive so much attention. They are not simply measuring which

party is ahead. They may determine whether an entire political movement enters the Knesset – or disappears from it altogether. In the coming weeks, you will undoubtedly read headlines reporting that one party has gained two seats while another has lost three. Remember that these are projections based on national vote totals, not victories in individual districts. The next time you read about a party “crossing the threshold” or occupying a “realistic spot” on a party list, you’ll understand that these are not technical details. They are central to how Israeli democracy functions. Next time, we’ll examine one of the biggest surprises for American observers: Israelis do not directly elect their prime minister. In fact, the leader of the largest party may never become prime minister at all.

Stephen M. Flatow is an attorney, author and longtime writer on Israel and Jewish affairs who divides his time between Jerusalem and New Jersey.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

Before Israel Votes

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Israel Today

A “Unity” Committee Without Unity — or a Committee By Rabbi Pesach Lerner

walked into the meeting room of the Jewish Agency’s Unity of the Jewish People Committee — a committee on which I sit — and was handed an official statement, already written, already finalized, ready to be voted on. I had never seen it. I was never asked for input. There had been no discussion, no draft circulated, no deliberation of any kind. A committee whose very name invokes the unity of the Jewish people had prepared a statement on that unity while excluding a member of the committee who represents a different voice. That statement committed the Jewish Agency for Israel to actively work in support of pluralism, to enhance the egalitarian platform at the Kotel, to oppose any change in the Law of Return, and to oppose anything “that undermines Jewish pluralism and weakens the Jewish People.” The Jewish Agency for Israel is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world, serving as the primary link between the State of Israel and Jewish communities globally. It is responsible for facilitating Aliyah, managing global shlichut programs, and strengthen-

ing Jewish identity. The organization is funded by global philanthropic efforts, including the Jewish Federations of North America, KKL/JNF, Keren HaYesod, and the Israeli government. This took place at the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors meetings in Tel Aviv, June 28-30, 2026. I have attended many such gatherings as a representative of Eretz HaKodesh, the slate in the World Zionist Congress that speaks for Torah Jewry. I have learned to expect disagreement. What I do not accept — what no one should accept — is a process designed to manufacture the appearance of consensus. A fait accompli is not deliberation. When the statement was distributed, I raised my hand. I deliberately did not argue content. I argued process. Who wrote this? When did the committee see it? What is the purpose of a committee if its members are handed conclusions? I asked that the item be tabled until the full committee could review it and provide input — the way responsible institutions conduct business. To his credit, World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel

supported the request to table. The chair declined, offering instead to “coordinate further discussion” after the vote. A discussion after the vote is not a discussion; it is a courtesy call. The vote proceeded: seven in favor, two against. Even Natan Sharansky, the former Jewish Agency chairman and a longtime advocate for the egalitarian section at the Kotel, was overheard acknowledging that if the committee had never discussed the statement and had not seen it before the meeting, then the objection was correct, and it was wrong to vote on it. Hours later, at the closing plenary of the entire Board of Governors, the same statement was brought to the full body. The attendees had not seen it. It was not on the board portal. No copies were distributed. It was not even loaded on the screen when the chair began reading it aloud. I rose again, repeated my concerns, and moved to table the statement until the next meeting so that the governing body of the Jewish Agency could actually govern. The chair called the vote anyway. Perhaps 30-40 hands out of some 200 Board and committee members and invited guests

went up in favor — the others likely had no idea what the vote was even about — and the chair was prepared to end the matter there, without even calling for opposing votes, until I insisted the voting process be completed. Votes against came from myself, from Gael Grunewald of the WZO, a member of the Mizrachi faction, who told me plainly that if the committee had only seen the text that afternoon he would vote against on process alone; and from Charles Kaufman of B’nai B’rith, for the same procedural reasons. Afterward, numerous board and committee members approached me — including people who disagree with everything Eretz HaKodesh stands for. Their message was consistent: I disagree with you, but you were respectful, and the process failed. Thank you for being here. It is time someone challenged the system. Some had even been told I had received the statement weeks earlier; when they learned that was untrue, their response was immediate — then it was wrong to call for a vote. Who speaks for Diaspora Jewry? The episode is not an isolated proce-

team

propaganda

ican organization founded by Lone Soldiers and their parents, we brought this issue to the attention of the President of Israel, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, senior IDF officers, the Minister of Aliyah and Klita, and the chairmen of the Jewish Agency, WZO, and KKL. At this Board of Governors meeting, the Jewish Agency announced the creation of a new department: Lone Soldiers of the Diaspora, with its own director, staff, and budget. That is what a seat at the table accomplishes. It is the same reason my counsel to the Global Jewish Connection Committee — which is mapping every Jewish community of 2,000 or more worldwide for emergency preparedness — was welcomed. I told them: work with Chabad, who are

SKIP THE TOO-EARLY GOODBYES AND LONG DRIVE HOME. DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY, THEN CRASH HERE FOR WHATEVER’S LEF T OF IT.

A discussion after the vote is not a discussion; it is a courtesy call.

there too, and placed on the record a simple fact: there are members of this Board of Governors, and hundreds of thousands of Jews across the Diaspora — if not far more — who want conversion according to halacha and who want the status quo at the Kotel preserved. The Jewish Agency does not speak for all of Diaspora Jewry when it speaks against them. No one else in the room said it. Someone had to.

What Engagement Achieves There will be those who ask: why sit in these rooms at all? First, there are many important things that the Jewish Agency does. Second, the voice of the Torah community must be heard. And the same Board of Governors meeting provided another answer. For the past year, I and others have pressed the National Institutions on a painful and neglected problem: Lone Soldiers who complete their IDF service and return to their countries of origin receive no assistance — none — from the State of Israel, the IDF, the Jewish Agency, the WZO, or KKL. After the recent war, which is still ongoing, nearly every soldier carries wounds, physical or emotional; so many soldiers require medical or mental health attention. Gedolei Yisrael on both sides of the Atlantic have said clearly that a wounded Jewish soldier must be helped as if he were our own child. Working with NEVUT, an Amer-

present nearly everywhere and are too often the target of attacks; and do not overlook the Torah communities, who are also often targeted, and whose Hatzalah, Shomrim, gemachs, and crisis-response networks are frequently the best-prepared resources any community has.

On Notice Unity is not achieved by drafting statements behind closed doors and calling snap votes before the room has read the text. Unity is achieved the way Jews have always achieved it — by sitting together, arguing honestly, and respecting the process. A “Unity of the Jewish People Committee” that bypasses its own members is neither unity nor a committee. Eretz HaKodesh will keep showing up. We will keep raising our hands. We were, at times, a lone voice — but the institutions are now on notice that Torah Jewry is present, can be helpful, and is part of the Jewish people. And they now realize that we are watching and that we will not be spoken for by others. Judging by how many people sought me out afterward, we are not nearly as alone as the vote count suggests.

Rabbi Pesach Lerner is Chairman of Eretz HaKodesh, a slate representing Torah Jewry in the World Zionist Congress, and serves on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

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JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

dural lapse. It reflects a deeper assumption that runs through the National Institutions: that “Diaspora Jewry” holds one set of views and that the institutions may speak in its name accordingly. Earlier in the same conference, at the Government Relations Committee, senior staff — who throughout the year review Knesset legislation — presented bills addressing conversion according to halacha and the status quo at the Kotel, and announced, as a matter of course, that the Jewish Agency would work to challenge them. (I later learned that the only Knesset bills that seem to interest them are those addressing halachic conversion and the protection of Kedushas HaKotel. No other Knesset bill, regardless of topic, draws their attention.) I raised my hand

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Rebbetzin Fay Sladowsky Rabbi and Rebbetzin Sladowsky

Living a Life of Love and Giving By MiriaM LieBerMann

arrived at the home of Rebbetzin Fay Sladowsky on a sunny, summer morning. Soon after I arrived, the mailman made his appearance. Fay greeted him by name. “Hi Andy! How about a bottle of cold water?” “My mother used to offer drinks to all the service providers,” Fay informs me. “So I do too. My youngest daughter in Teaneck actually leaves out snacks, not just water. And during that terribly painful time, following October 7, she strategically placed a sign that said, ‘Help yourself to a drink or snack and please say a prayer for the hostages.’” It’s obvious that Fay stems from a home of caring and giving and passed on these beautiful traits to her children. What a beautiful legacy to bequeath to one’s progeny. Rebbetzin Sladowsky, nee’ Gelman, was born in Brooklyn and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut. Her father had emigrated from Russia in the early 1900s when he was 17 years old and settled in Waterbury where family members had settled earlier on. He married and began his married life in Waterbury. Waterbury at the time had two Orthodox shuls, with one rabbi serving both shuls. When a new rabbi was needed, R’ Gelman headed the search committee and was very proud to bring in a young Rabbi Mordechai Gifter. The Gifter and Gelman families were neighbors and became close friends. Fay had many friends during her childhood years, but none were Shomer Shabbos. “Many of my friends came from European backgrounds, so there was knowledge, but sadly, minimal observance.”

Today, that’s difficult to imagine. Her Shabbosos were a bit lonely. As a result, Shabbos was when she cultivated her love for reading. Says Fay, “I did attend a Talmud Torah program in the afternoons, five days a week, as did many of my friends, but I always felt the lack of a proper Jewish education. Our children, thankfully, all enjoyed a great Jewish education and had wonderful, appropriate friends. That is very satisfying to me. When one of my daughters reported to me recently that she had met up with her old school friends, after having left school quite a while ago, I was exceedingly happy because I did not have that when I was younger. My children are still in touch with friends from those days and that gives me much pleasure. We always lived in areas where our children were able to enjoy a good Jewish education along with active, wonderful youth groups. This was a priority for us.” Despite the lack of more appropriate friends, she did have a happy childhood. Fay quotes her mother, “Look at our children, at our family. We are so rich. Maybe one day we’ll have some money, too!” Her father was an accountant, known for his impeccable honesty and integrity. His practice was completely Shomer Shabbos, a novelty at the time. Family connections were greatly treasured. The family would often drive to New York to visit with cousins, some of whom Fay is still in touch with today. Included among these cousins are Chabad relatives whom Mr. Gelman had helped bring to this country following World War II, living on the lower East Side. Fay recalls visiting the World’s Fair in 1939, held in

Flushing Meadows, in Queens. “I was quite young then. We saw weird looking items, things that looked like they were from outer space! [Please note that the theme of the fair was, The World of Tomorrow.] We were told that one day, these items would become commonplace! And what were these items? Microwaves and computers!” As a young girl, Fay studied classical and operatic music. She took voice lessons and would perform professionally for various local organizations, happy to be able to use her G-d-given talents. “My parents realized that I had to broaden my religious horizons, so when I turned 17, I made plans to leave home and move to Crown Heights. Prior to the move, I arranged for a job as an assistant teacher in Ramaz. Working with top-notch early education educators, this turned out to be a wonderful learning experience, a terrific apprenticeship. I learnt quite a bit on the job. I was aiming for a career in early childhood education, so this was ideal. During those years, in the early ‘50s, I earned the princely salary of $500 for the entire year! In order to pay the rent – I was staying with a wonderful, elderly widow whom I actually called ‘Ma’ – I took an additional position as a Sunday School teacher in Brownsville.” Absolutely thrilled to be living within a vibrant, religious Jewish community, Fay took advantage of all that Crown Heights had to offer and connected with many other likeminded young women. “I was like a child in a candy store, so thrilled to finally have frum friends! And thrilled to finally be able to have kosher white bread!”

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

At a Sladowsky family Chanukah celebration

Fay attended Brooklyn College at night. At one point, she was also attending Herzliya Teachers College. Shortly after Fay began teaching at Ramaz, she met the owners of the PineView Hotel located in the Catskills, upstate New York. She was offered a job running the early childhood day camp, which she accepted. This was a fortuitous move, as this was where Fay met a young waiter who would become her future husband! Those years, young men would take summer jobs as waiters and kitchen staff and the young women would take jobs as day camp counselors. Among them were quite a few yeshiva boys, some of whom later became prominent rabbanim and community personalities. There was no shidduch crisis then! Between the Pioneer Hotel, the Pineview and Grossingers, there were many shidduchim that emerged from those summer holidays. Rabbi Yitschok Sladowsky and his eishes chayil married in 1955. After studying in RIETS, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and receiving semicha from the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, he became the founding rabbi of the Forest Park Jewish Center, located near Forest Hills, a position he held until he retired, almost 50 years later. Additionally, Rabbi Sladowsky assumed the role of executive vice president of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, a position he held for close to 36 years. When he joined, the Vaad had 10 members. The greatly esteemed Rabbi Sladowsky elevated the role of the Vaad, inviting all local rabbanim to join together as one. By the time he retired, there were 90 active members in the Vaad. The Vaad is responsible for kashrus, the chevra Kadisha,

and a beis din. Unifying the community rabbanim, it has become an effective and much needed advocate for the greater Jewish community, while being a source of great kiddush Hashem. During these exceedingly busy years, Rabbi Sladowsky and his rebbetzin raised a family of six children, ka”h, of whom they were justifiably very proud. The family lived in a three-bedroom apartment. Fay had chosen to be a stay-at-home mom, super busy with her responsibilities as a mother and homemaker, as well as the involved rebbetzin of a flourishing shul. As her parents aged, she realized they could no longer live on their own in Waterbury. The rabbi and his choshuve rebbetzin then moved into a more spacious home where they had plenty of room for her parents and their active children and where they could comfortably host their many guests. The Forest Park Jewish Center had a very mixed crowd, which presented the Sladowskys with many opportunities for kiruv. Additionally, Rabbi Sladowsky had taught for 11 years in YU. His specialty was working with those who had come from a less intense school or even from public school, whose families were not religious at the time, helping them bridge the gap in order to tackle the more serious yeshiva studies. Fay observes, “There are many families today who are our spiritual children, living here in America, as well as in Israel.” Fay obviously derives much nachas from these families and speaks of them with great affection and tenderness. The family hosted many guests on Shabbosos and

Yomim Tovim. Meeting with so many young people, the rebbetzin found herself involved in numerous shidduchim, together with her close friends, Ruth Schoenfeld and Esther Grunblatt, also rebbetzins in the Queens community. They would host single events, encouraging the young people to engage, connect and move ahead to build their own families and homes. Rebbetzin Sladowsky was involved with the Sisterhood and became a mentor and role model for many. Fay was a chartered member of the Queens Chevra Kadisha. She would drive for Bikur Cholim and developed many close relationships over the years. Once her children had grown up and were all in school full time, Fay resumed her original career, returning to early childhood education, teaching in Queens. She also taught in a local Talmud Torah. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, providing her with many more spiritual children! As busy as the years were, the summers were strictly family time! And this was a fun, active family! The Sladowskys twice traveled cross-country, packing up the entire family into a station wagon, visiting various national parks along the way. They spent two weeks on the road, till they finally arrived in California, where they spent time with close family. On the way, they stopped by Yellowstone National Park where they witnessed Old Faithful erupting! They visited the Grand Canyon. It was all great family fun and presented terrific bonding opportunities. At night, they would stay in motels where the children could stretch out a bit and hopefully go for a swim. Those days there was no MapQuest. No Waze. No Google Maps. Rather, they used Triptik. This service is still available today. One

“I was like a child in a candy store, so thrilled to finally have frum friends! And thrilled to finally be able to have kosher white bread!”

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

had the privilege of being the Sladowskys’ neighbor for several years. i visited the rebbetzin one sunny, winter afternoon. it was close to Chanukah. i was debating whether i should host my family or not. Lately, i had found the hosting to be quite overwhelming. i entered Fay’s home and immediately she began sharing with me the gifts that she had prepared for all her progeny, boxes lining the hallway. “Chanukah is my absolutely favorite holiday,” stated Fay emphatically. That’s when she hosts her family for their regular annual reunion, a Chanukah brunch, an event that all eagerly anticipate throughout the year. She prepares the gifts and the latkes. Her children do the rest. Fay added, “The house is not big, and the family, ka”h, has grown quite a bit. in preparation for the gala Chanukah gathering, we move the living room furniture into the garage and folding tables are brought in in order to accommodate the family. a good time is had by all.” Well, i decided there and then that if Fay could still host her family, certainly so could i! Thank you, dear Fay, for the inspiration! Just recently, Fay hosted five adult grandchildren for Shabbos. Hosting her progeny brings her tremendous joy. Bonding with adult grandchildren is the ultimate! These days, Fay is, ka”h, busy with her beautiful, blossoming family. Brissim, bar and bas mitzvahs, weddings, sheva brochos, etc., relishing each and every simcha. i inquire, “How do you maintain close connections with your progeny?” a question that many grapple with. “Love. it’s all about love.” Our dear rebbetzin Fay Sladowsky, may you continue to inspire us till 120! May you be blessed with the best of health and stamina, along with much joy and nachas from your ka”h beautiful family!

for its basic goodness!” can contact the AAA, American A while back, the rebbetzin Automobile Association, TripTik had a letter printed in The Wall Travel, and arrange to create a Street Journal, bemoaning the customized booklet containing fact that Memorial Day has lost all the necessary maps, with notes of tourist attractions its significance. An American along the way. flag is proudly displayed on her front porch. In 1974-5, Rabbi SladowsAfter the tragic events of ky was gifted with a Sabbatical year. The family packed up, sent 9/11, Fay volunteered down at off a lift, and moved to YerushaGround Zero. She initially went Rebbetzin Sladowsky’s letter printed layim for the year, settling in during the December/January in the Wall Street Journal Kiryat Shmuel, neighboring Reholiday season to relieve some chavia. The children attended Isof the workers so that they could raeli schools. The parents joined celebrate with their families. Fay Mishmar Ha’ezrachi, the volunteer civilian guard. They then continued on through May. She would serve food to walked their assigned streets, armed with rifles, on their the workers, who were doing very grim work, searching weekly shifts, helping to safeguard the security and safe- valiantly through the rubble to find the remains of the ty of the community. victims. She worked in a large tent, with filtered air, rathFay volunteered in the emergency room in Shaarei er than out in the open. However, it was not a healthful Tzedek and in an Amit nursery school, while her hus- environment, sadly, to the detriment of so many of the band spent a great deal of time in the local Bais Medrash, workers and volunteers. learning with his chavrusa, Rabbi Shaya Lebor, a dear The rebbetzin would see the ID tags and note the friend, rabbi of the Young Israel of Woodmere, who was names of those who lined up to receive the food items. similarly enjoying his Sabbatical year in Yerushalayim. When she recognized an obviously Jewish name, she Esther Friedman, the oldest child, shares details of would advise them that kosher meals are available too. that pivotal year. She would offer them all vegetables, among the healthier “My parents had an open house. We had loads of options. When they would politely reject the veggies, in visitors every Shabbos. Shalosh Seudos particularly her own inimitable style, she would respond, “How can was packed. Yeshiva boys, seminary girls, friends vis- you say no to a Jewish mother?” iting from the U.S., everyone landed up in our home. The zemiros were beautiful; the ambience warm and The Rebbetzin and her esteemed husband had been inviting. My parents were very generous, hosting non- strongly involved not only with their own shul and comstop. This was the place to be! Our mother set up home munity members, but also with the greater Jewish comfor our family, ran the household, tending to our needs, munity. Standing tall in their living room is an impreshosting many guests – quite amazing. Our parents really sive, modern Havdala set that was presented to them by connected well with younger people. In fact, my mother AMIT Women, with the following inscribed: Guardians of actually became the confidant for a number of my friends the Children Award, Presented to Fay and Rabbi Yitzchak who were spending their seminary year in Yerushalayim. Sladowsky for their significant achievements…. It was their home away from home. It was an incredible, Adjacent stands a magnificent Kos Eliyahu, with most memorable year for us all.” the following inscription, dedicated to the SladowsAdds Fay, “This was a marvelous year. A dream come kys by Congregation Shaaray Tefilla: In admiration of true!” five decades of communal leadership as a Rebbe and community Rav. And in gratitude for the scholarship, Upon his retirement, Rabbi Sladowsky and his wife inspiration and dedication you have demonstrated to relocated to Lawrence, where they have two daughters our kehilla through your shiurim, drashos, wisdom and living close by with their families. Three other daughters warm friendship. May Hashem always shower blessare living with their families over the bridge, in New Jer- ings of nachas and bracha upon you and your beautiful sey. Unfortunately, on her own now, after her husband’s mishpacha. passing several years ago, Fay tries to stay as indepenRabbi Sladowsky, z”l, and his eishes chayil, may she dent as possible. be healthy and well till 120, certainly played a major “My children have their own busy lives. I know they role within our community for over half a century! And worry about me. And I know they’re always there for me if Fay, b”H, still has her unique role to play, iy”H, for many necessary. I am there for them. And I worry about them.” years, inspiring us all to remain active, involved and enFay is very patriotic. “I have always loved this country gaged as we continue to journey along.

In her own inimitable style, she would respond, “How can you say no to a Jewish mother?”

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

nspiration Nation

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

R’ Asher Resnick Turning Pain Into Purpose By Eliyahu RosEnBERg

“O

ne thing I can tell you is that Olam HaBa is very real to me,” Rabbi Asher Resnick says. “Like I tell people, there hasn’t been a single day, in the more than 20 years since my daughter passed away, that I haven’t thought of her multiple times. That is a literal statement.” When Rabbi Asher Resnick, a baal teshuva-turned-Aish HaTorah educator, started teaching a course called “Bad Things to Good People” in his San

Francisco home, he never imagined that the class’s topics would be directly relevant to his life. And yet, as he wrapped up the course’s first part (the logical reasons why good people suffer) and began preparing for part two (the emotional component), he and his wife received the most devastating phone call of their lives. It was from the doctor, informing the couple that their two-year-old daughter had leukemia. He remembers standing by the pay

In His Words… Rabbi Weinberg used to say, ‘There are no real atheists. Everyone believes in g-d.’ There’s always a choice. if you’re alive, there’s a choice. so, the first thing to realize is, of course, you can’t control the pain, but you can choose how you deal with it. Don’t see yourself as a victim. look at the world: things that were unknown concepts in the world, like ‘love your neighbor,’ ‘everyone’s created in g-d’s image,’ ‘tzedakah,’ ‘universal education,’ everyone has rights, and everyone has dignity…these are ideas that we take for granted, and we gave them to the world. so yes, we’ve been through a lot, but thank g-d i’m part of the nation carrying this message into the world.

phones in the hospital (this was years ago, before cell phones), describing the chilling juxtaposition between the course and his daughter’s diagnosis to his Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Noach Weinberg. Rabbi Resnick, then in his mid-30s, began wondering if it was inappropriate for him to teach the course, considering his life had been, up to that point, fairly painless. But Rabbi Weinberg dismissed his concerns. “No, that’s not right,” Rabbi Weinberg told him. “You’re going to be teaching people Jewish principles. People need to know them, and there’s nothing wrong with you teaching them.” “It’s interesting, he didn’t give me an explanation for the juxtaposition,” Rabbi Resnick notes. “So, I thought about it a lot over the years. And one of the things I came to was: this was something that has to be articulated. No one sets out to be an expert in life’s challenges; no one wants to be that. But when it’s thrust upon you, then you have to say to yourself, ‘Now that that happened, how do I take this very traumatic situation and try to do something positive with it?’” Years ago, Rabbi Zev Leff noted, “When trauma happens, people ask, ‘Why? Lamma?’ But you could also ask, ‘Le-mah? For what?’” You could either ask for explanations, or you could do something. Rabbi Resnick chose the latter. *

While his daughter Rivkah beat leukemia at age two, cancer returned just months before her bat mitzvah. She was 14½ years old when she passed away.

Rabbi Resnick remembers holding his daughter’s hand in the ICU in the last week of her life, talking to her. She couldn’t speak, but the doctors said she could hear. So, in those final days, Rabbi Resnick spoke to his daughter about how much Hashem loves her. “That was the message I was giving to my daughter: ‘G-d loves you. It’s all for the best.’ And I must have said that over and over again, especially when she was in the ICU,” he recalls. “I would hold her hand. I sat next to her. ‘G-d loves you, it’s all for the best.’” In answering the famous question, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” that’s the first thing we have to understand, Rabbi Resnick says: that Hashem loves us, no matter what. According to Rabbi Resnick, there are several reasons why good people go through yissurim. The first explanation is presented by Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski, who perished in the Holocaust: in the times of the Nevi’im, prophecy existed to give us clarity. If we were supposed to do X but we were instead doing Y, the prophets were there to let us know. “What about today?” Rabbi Grodzinski asks. “We have no prophets today. Don’t we need clarity today? If anything, we probably need it more!” The answer: “There is a new type of prophecy today, and it’s called challenges and difficulties.” So, one function of yissurim could be to send us messages. Yissurim, Rabbi Resnick briefly shares, could also serve as a kapparah (a spiritual cleansing) or as a nisayon, a test or a situation meant to bring out our

bi Resnick shares. In Judaism, there’s a concept of “kamus” and “eichus,” quantity and quality. “Her life wasn’t long, but the quality was amazing. She impacted so many people, and specifically through the trauma, she impacted many, many people, and she grew through it,” Rabbi Resnick says. “So, there’s a feeling of satisfaction, a special feeling of: we had a really amazing daughter. So, of course, it’s painful not having her, but to see that she lived a life that was so meaningful and so rich… that helps.” *

“In the early days of Aish HaTorah, there was a Holocaust survivor whose son came to Israel, started learning in Aish HaTorah, and was becoming observant, much to the dismay of his father, the Holocaust survivor, who was raised religious and, after the Holocaust, had abandoned things,” Rabbi Asher Resnick recounts. So, the student’s sister flew to Eretz Yisrael to retrieve her brother. But before she knew it, she began learning, too. Furious, the Holocaust survivor hopped on a plane to the Holy Land, intent on “rescuing” his children. He immediately headed to Aish HaTorah. Standing outside the Beis Medrash, the man began screaming his lungs out, cursing Hashem and Judaism. “I was in the camps! My parents, all these people who were so religious — look at what happened to them?” he cried out, his voice stricken with pain. “Where was G-d then?!” As the man yelled, the students sat in their seats, frozen. They had no idea what to do, what to say to a man with numbers tattooed to his arm, a survivor so clearly suffering. What do you tell a person who thinks that G-d has abandoned them? Finally, one of the students walked out of the study hall and approached the man.

“I want to ask you a question,” the student told the Holocaust survivor. “If you had to go back right now to the camps, either as a prisoner (as you were) or as one of the guards, what would you choose?” He didn’t need to think about that one. Instantly, the man answered, “I’d go back as a prisoner. I would never be one of the guards.” “And that was a big change for him,” Rabbi Resnick explains. “Because he realized that as awful as it was, it could have been worse. He could have been one of the evil-doers. “To me, this captures Jewish history, and it also captures what happened on October 7. “You know, in ancient battles, one of the most honored positions was the man who carried the flag of the country into the battle. And who were the enemies shooting at? That guy. And that’s us. We’re carrying G-d’s banner into the world. So, they shoot at us, and it can be very painful, very awful. On October 7 and, of course, many times in Jewish history, it was horrible,” he continues. “But would we ever want to be anything other than the ones carrying G-d’s message in the world? That’s how I look at October 7. It was horrendous, it was terrible, but thank G-d I’m part of an accomplished people,” Rabbi Resnick declares. “Look at the world: things that were unknown concepts in the world, like ‘love your neighbor,’ ‘everyone’s created in G-d’s image,’ ‘tzedakah,’ ‘universal education,’ everyone has rights, and everyone has dignity…these are ideas that we take for granted, and we gave them to the world. So yes, we’ve been through a lot, but thank G-d, I’m part of the nation carrying this message into the world.” As Rabbi Resnick explains in his book, Pain is a Reality, Suffering is a Choice, the difference between pain and suffering is purpose. Without purpose, people suffer. Devarim (8:5) says, “You should know in your heart that just like

a man gives yissurim to his son, so too Hashem your L-rd gives you yissurim,” which means that just as a parent might cause painful or uncomfortable feelings for the child’s benefit, Hashem too brings us pain for our own good. So, what are yissurim? Pain with purpose. “Sometimes pain enters our lives, and we can’t control it, like with our daughter. She was two years old when she got leukemia. There’s nothing we could have done differently. So, it enters our lives. That’s reality. That pain is reality. But suffering is a choice,” he says. “While we can’t control the pain in our lives, we can always control how we relate to the pain.” The key word, Rabbi Resnick says, is “choice.” While many people feel like victims of circumstances and consider themselves powerless, Rabbi Resnick says that this isn’t so. “Obviously, you have to know the details — I don’t want to be callous. But in general, the first step is to realize that it’s a choice. There’s always a choice. If you’re alive, there’s a choice,” Rabbi Resnick declares. “When we got the diagnosis for our daughter at age two, we could have fallen apart. But I think, because we dealt with it how we dealt with it, we grew from it. And we were able to help other people with it.” The second thing, as Rabbi Resnick touches upon in the story about the Holocaust survivor, is to see the good in everything. In other words, to be samayach b’chelko — happy with your situation. “Your blessings and your challenges were given to you for a reason. I believe in G-d, so I see that the situation with my daughter was orchestrated,” Rabbi Resnick declares. “I wouldn’t have chosen it, but now that G-d chose it, I can say for sure that there are many people over the years that I’ve been able to help, and now particularly through my book, that I would not have been able to help in the way I did if not for the trauma with my daughter.”

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

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

potential, among other purposes. “Like I mentioned before, the starting point has to be that G-d loves me — that what I have is not a gift. We think to ourselves that what we have is ours: my children, my money, my body. But it’s not,” Rabbi Resnick declares. “Judaism says it’s all a deposit. It’s all from G-d. Use it properly. Everyone hopes they’ll have whatever they have until 120 years, but it doesn’t always work out that way. “So, when it comes to difficulties, we have to remember the verse in Iyov, which tells us, ‘Hashem natan, v’Hashem lakach,’ G-d gave, and G-d took. We never have anything taken that wasn’t given to us initially. So, the bottom line is, whatever I have is a blessing, and I should appreciate it, and when it’s taken from me earlier than I would like, I have to be thankful that I had it until now.” During Rivkah’s shiva, a guest shared an analogy that resonated with Rabbi Resnick: losing a child is like an amputation. If a person loses a limb, chas v’shalom, they can still be happy. They can laugh, they can smile, they can live a full life. But no matter what, they’ll never forget that they lost a limb. “So, my wife and I enjoy life. We enjoy our children and grandchildren. And I’m very fortunate, as a teacher in Aish HaTorah, to have the ability to impact people. My life is filled with blessings, but I never, ever forget that my daughter is not here,” he shares. “If G-d forbid, someone loses a limb, it takes a while to get used to that. But you get used to it. I’m used to not having that limb. It’s not easier; it’s just — that’s my reality now. But it’s strange, still. Now, all of her younger siblings are married. All my kids are moving through life, which is wonderful to see. But then, thinking about, of course, how our daughter never got married, and of course, she never would.” Though her life wasn’t long, it was full, Rab-

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

Dear Navidaters, My family and I are avid readers of your column, and I would appreciate your perspective on a recent experience I had. I recently contacted a shadchan about a man’s posted resume in a shidduchim group specifically for women ages 37- 47 and sent my profile. His first response was that my pro-

file was “unusable” because it didn’t prominently include my age, height and marital status. I respectfully explained that I chose to emphasize middot, character and shared values first. The conversation quickly escalated, and I was accused of being dishonest, violating halacha and not being fit for dating. I understand that different shadchanim have different standards, and I have no objection to someone suggesting changes to my profile. What hurt was the way it was communicated. As someone who has been navigating the shidduch world for many years, I found the language unnecessarily harsh and discouraging. Being told that my profile was “unusable” felt demeaning, especially when a simple conversation could have clarified why I presented it the way I did. Had the shadchan picked up the phone to better understand my perspective instead of making assumptions, I believe the entire interaction could have been very different. My question is this: even when a shadchan believes a profile should be changed, shouldn’t that feedback be delivered with sensitivity and derech eretz? Shouldn’t kindness, empathy and taking the time to understand another person be just as important as the technical details of a profile when serving as Hashem’s shaliach? Finally, what advice would you give to singles who experience this type of interaction? Should they simply move on, or is there an appropriate and respectful way to provide feedback in the hope that future singles are treated with more kindness? Thank you for your time and consideration. I greatly appreciate any guidance you can offer. Eliana*

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

The Panel

Looking forward! Michelle, the “Shadchan”

The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. liana, the way you are asking this query reflects very positively on you. You are asking in a respectful, sensitive way how a single can react sensitively and respectfully to a shadchan who has not been respectful and sensitive. And by bringing this experience to this page, you are seeking to heighten respect and sensitivity on the part of people who are suggesting shidduchim, whether they are professionals or dabblers. And therefore, a script could read something like this. Repeating the hurtful words of an insensitive matchmaker slowly and softly avoids later being accused of anger. It also buys the single a little time. Then saying softly something like: I was hoping to be heard and for a conversation about why I have handled my resume this way. I was not expecting a to-do list and a lecture. I am assuming you are suggesting matches as part of your help people and do a mitzvah. The way one does a mitzvah is also important. Doing a mitzvah with sensitivity and respect is part of it. And this experience did not feel very positive nor sensitive. (Notice the non-accusatory tone. But this will hit home.) Can we arrange a time for a conversation that will go both ways? Then give a choice of availability. Do not leave the shadchan with the option to avoid you. Tuesday at six and Wednesday at nine work for me. Which one works for you? And keep offering times to talk and not letting the person avoid a future conversation. Making your point effectively without rancor and accusations will be helpful to

you and to others. Sometimes, matchmakers are so beleaguered with requests and resumes that it gives them a false sense of power as well a sense of pressure. Hence they tell you what to do. And fitting people into boxes makes it easier to make suggestions. That does not excuse lack of sensitivity and respect. Stick with people who try to get to know you and are good listeners. But keep on raising awareness at the same time.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond ear Eliana, I am so glad you and your family love the column! It is great to know that families and communities are coming together to discuss the important issues that arise through these pages. I am disturbed by the way you were treated and am glad you wrote in about this issue. If anything, I hope it serves as good food for thought to all of our readers. I have written many times on these pages that anyone with three specific qualities can be an amazing shadchan. These three qualities are: 1) emotional intelligence; 2) great intuition; and 3) awesome social skills. In my personal opinion, these three qualities are essential when deciding to start setting people up. Unfortunately, there are many singles I have met throughout the years whom, like you, have been extremely hurt by insensitive “shadchanim.” This shadchan should have spoken to you in a much nicer, kinder way. I have personally heard many stories, specifically

surrounding male shadchanim, that there is a serious lack of kindness and sensitivity when dealing with singles and their feelings. I am mentioning this specifically so you can take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. In regard to the issue of the resume itself, I do believe that these pieces of information are crucial for a resume. These are basic facts that singles have listed on their resume. As you know, in shidduchim, the last thing a single wants to do is raise red flags by leaving crucial information out. My advice to you would be the following. Include all basic info on your resume so as not to appear as if you are hiding anything. When dealing with shadchanim in general, understand that not everybody who sets people up will be the right shaliach for you. You will encounter many people in life, whether in a professional or personal setting, who are unkind and lack proper social skills. Unfortunately, even those masking their “help” under the guise of a mitzvah can end up hurting people tremendously. Right now, you can move forward and recognize that this man’s social issues are exactly that –his issues. There are many other shadchanim you can be in touch with moving forward. With this letter, you have already helped many people understand the importance of kindness and sensitivity surrounding shidduchim, yashar koach!

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler hat happened to you is very regrettable. Let’s discuss two issues here. Issue #1 – Yes, that shadchan was rude That is undeniable, unacceptable, and not debatable. But, at your stage in life, you probably have already discovered that some people are not very nice or not very easy to deal with. Do you honestly believe that if I would write, “Attention all shadchanim who are rude: please be more polite and understanding,” it will change how they interact with others?

You’re asking someone who doesn’t know much about you to advocate for you, but you’ve left out the very information they need to make the introduction.

Or do you honestly believe that if you would write a heartfelt letter to that shadchan, explaining that he hurt your feelings and was insensitive to your needs, he will have an epiphany and think, “Wow! She’s so right! Perhaps I should call her and apologize”? More likely, the response would be, “We are volunteers with full time jobs and families. We don’t have the energy and time to call every person and beg for information and clarification. If you want our help, you need to make it easier for us to help you!” You cannot convince other folks to change their attitude. However, you can control how you react to someone else’s bad attitude. Please take the following advice to heart: “If someone is rude, or treats you poorly, don’t take it personally. It says nothing about you, but a lot about them. Maintain your dignity, stay kind, and plant seeds of change in them.” (Dr. Wini Curley, PhD.) Issue #2 – But was he right? I don’t want to further hurt your feelings, but that shadchan was essentially correct when he said that your profile was missing essential information. Imagine him calling a prospective match, and having the following conversation: Shadchan – Hello. A young lady read your resume and would like to go out with you.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

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

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Young man – Great! How old is she? Shadchan – I don’t know. But she wrote that she has excellent middos. Young man – Oh. Does she have children? Shadchan – I don’t know. But she wrote that she has excellent middos. Young man – Oh. Has she ever been married before? Shadchan – I don’t know. But she wrote that she has excellent middos. Young man – Oh. I’m sensitive about my height. How tall is she? Shadchan – I don’t know. But she wrote that she has excellent middos. Young man – Wow! She sounds wonderful! I’d love to go out with her. You’re asking someone who doesn’t know much about you to advocate for you, but you’ve left out the very information they need to make the introduction. If the situation were reversed, and a shadchan called you about a man but couldn’t answer any of those basic questions, would

you feel comfortable saying yes to the suggestion? Your middos, character, and shared values are ultimately what will make someone want to marry you. But before anyone has the opportunity to appreciate those qualities, they first need enough practical information to determine whether a first date makes sense.

Reader’s Response Elianna Sharvit @kallahreadywitheli ear Eliana, I can only imagine how you felt after that interaction, especially given that it was unexpected on your end. To answer your first two questions: yes and yes. If someone truly wants to help someone and guide them to make a change, even one as small as updating

their resume format, it should be done with clear, appropriate, and direct communication. Not every person is capable of kindness, empathy and may be extremely short on time, but basic derech eretz and courtesy can be expected. My advice for any single who encounters a shadchan that behaves inappropriately would be to steer clear. I do not think it will be productive or useful to think your feedback will fundamentally change the methods or behaviors of an experienced or professional shadchan. Just because someone is a shadchan doesn’t mean they have to be YOUR shadchan. Last, and I know you didn’t ask this, but I’d strongly urge you to reach out to another shadchan that you trust and get guidance as to the best and most useful format for your resume. While his particular mode of communication sounds out of proportion, I have to agree that age, height and marital status are typi-

Part of navigating the shidduch world, and really life, is learning what feedback belongs to us and what doesn’t.

cal heading material on a resume. If this is the norm in your circles or among the shadchans you interact with, perhaps his “feedback” (if we can call if that) can ultimately help you! While I’m sorry it was communicated in this way, I’d caution you against “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” – maybe consider if the content of his criticism is worth addressing.

The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

ear Eliana, I’m sorry this happened to you. And I want to separate two things here, because I think both can be true at the same time. The shadchan may have had a point. And the way he spoke to you may have been completely inappropriate. I actually do understand why a shadchan would want your age, height and marital status clearly stated on a resume. Shadchanim are often looking through many resumes, and those basic facts matter in determining whether a particular shidduch is relevant. I also understand why you chose to lead with middot, character and values. You were trying to say: This is who I am. Start here. But a shidduch resume is ultimately a practical document. Putting your age or marital status prominently on it doesn’t mean those things define you. It just makes the information accessible. So, I might actually take that piece of the feedback. The rest? No. There is a way to speak to people. Telling you, “This resume doesn’t work for me. I need age, height and marital status clearly listed in order to work with it” would have communicated exactly the same information. Calling your profile “unusable,” accusing you of dishonesty, bringing halacha into it in an accusatory way, and telling you that you aren’t fit to date? Based on what you’ve described, I don’t see how any of that was necessary or helpful. And I think there is something particularly important here when we are talking about people who have been dating for a long time. By the time someone is dating in her late thirties, forties and beyond, she has likely heard a lot.

Change your picture. Change your resume. Be more open. Don’t be too open. Give him another chance. Why did you give him another chance? Maybe you’re too picky. Maybe you’re not putting yourself out there enough. It’s a lot. And I don’t say that because singles need to be handled with kid gloves or protected from honest feedback. Quite the opposite. I think honest feedback can be incredibly valuable. But honesty and cruelty are not the same thing. You can tell someone something she doesn’t want to hear and still leave her dignity intact. That, to me, is the issue here. You asked whether a shadchan, as Hashem’s shaliach, has a responsibility to communicate with sensitivity and derech eretz. Yes. Of course. But I would take it even further. I don’t think this is only a responsibility of shadchanim. It’s a responsibility of people. I also want to gently push back on one thing you wrote. You said that if the shadchan had picked up the phone and tried to understand your perspective, perhaps this would have gone differently. Maybe. But I’m not sure a shadchan realistically can have a conversation about every resume and every decision someone makes in creating one. I don’t think he necessarily owed you a phone call. He did owe you basic respect. Those are different things. And I think that distinction is important because otherwise we can get caught up

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

in wishing someone had understood us better, listened longer, asked more questions, or seen our intentions more clearly. Sometimes, they won’t. Sometimes, people will misunderstand us. Sometimes, people will be abrupt. Sometimes, someone will form an opinion of us that feels completely unfair. Part of navigating the shidduch world, and really life, is learning what feedback belongs to us and what doesn’t. So here is what I would suggest. Look at your resume again when you are no longer upset. Ask yourself honestly: Is there anything useful here? Would making my age, height and marital status clearer make it easier for people to help me? If the answer is yes, change it. Not because this shadchan was right about you. Because maybe he was right about the resume. We are allowed to receive good information from people who delivered it badly.

And then leave the rest. As far as giving him feedback, you certainly can. I would keep it very short. Something along the lines of: “I appreciate the practical feedback about my resume and will give it consideration. I do want to share that I found some of the language used toward me unnecessarily personal and harsh. I think constructive feedback can be given directly while still preserving someone’s dignity, particularly in an area as sensitive as shidduchim.” And then I would be done. You don’t need him to agree. You don’t need him to apologize. You don’t need to prove that you weren’t being dishonest. Say what you need to say, if you feel you need to say it, and move forward. Eliana, one shadchan’s reaction to your resume is just that: one shadchan’s reaction to your resume. Take what is useful. Leave what isn’t. And keep dating. Jennifer

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

Pulling It All Together

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Shmooze & Muse

Not Another Lounge By Mordechai Schmutter

hen people talk about overhauling the shidduch system, they don’t talk enough about changing where couples go on dates. Where are you going? Bowling? You’re trying to judge if you can spend the rest of your life with this person. What are you going to be able to see from how they bowl? Are you trying to make sure he doesn’t get too competitive? A lot of people are able to not get too competitive in bowling. It’s just a game, and the game isn’t even the main point of the evening. If he gets too competitive in bowling on a date, no one should marry him. What is he thinking? “If I beat her, she’ll like me more”? “I’m trying to see if the other person can have fun.” By going bowling?! Okay, so sometimes you go to a restaurant. That makes sense, especially since once you get married, a lot of the time you spend with each other will be while you’re eating. So you can actually see things, like how loud they chew and how long it takes them to notice that they have food on their face. Or how long they will let you keep a piece of food on your face before they point it out to you, because that’s a

big thing you want in a wife. But you can’t just go to restaurants. It gets expensive. Because who knows how long you’ll be on the market? Especially the way you eat. Talk about competitive. And a lot of people go to a lounge. Which is the weirdest thing, because I’ve only ever been to a lounge on dates, but never before or since. I’m surprised that hotels even let people just sit in the lounges who aren’t paying for rooms. You can’t just walk in and use the pool. But mostly you do silly outings. Like mini golf. What can you tell from mini golf? The only thing you can tell from mini golf is that if there are just two of you and you’re stuck behind a family of six, you can see what the other person does about it. You don’t have that with bowling. Bowling isn’t set up in a way that all the lanes get increasingly harder as you move across the room, and there are only two of you, and you’re stuck behind another group to your right, and you’re like, “Can we play through? We’ll be quick.” But neither of these are all that useful. You want to see if you should marry this person; wouldn’t it be better to go places where you can find out things that

might actually help for a marriage, like can she find the keys in an emergency? “Well, how do we see that?” I don’t know, maybe go to an escape room. And before people wonder: if you haven’t been to an escape room, there are cameras. Everywhere. And the door is not actually locked. But you have to pretend that it is, unless you need to use the facilities in middle. Or put more change in the meter. Most of an escape room is about finding various keys in places that you would never think to look and a lot of trying to figure out what the guy was thinking of the day he set up the room. And anyway, they say that marriage is all about teamwork. How much teamwork is involved in most of these date activities? Most of the games you play, you’re playing against each other! Mini golf, bowling, air hockey… What activity are you doing where you’re a team? Besides escape rooms. Are you playing a game against another couple, who doesn’t want to be seen with you either? But here’s an activity that’s good for a shidduch date: babysitting. Find some family you know who needs a babysitter that night, and then that couple gets to

go on a date night. They get to go bowling. And meanwhile, you and your perspective shidduch have to take care of all their kids. And you get to see how you would divvy up responsibilities, how they are around kids, and so on. See, it’s always so hard to find a good babysitter, because every potential sitter is always busy. Hello?! In the shidduch world, “busy” means dating! Just find a busy girl and a busy guy, and there you go! “Yeah, but then people will see us. And they’re going to talk.” Who? Every married couple you’re going to do this for has been there. They’re not going to say anything. The last thing they want is to tell their friends and lose two babysitters. “Yeah, but the kids haven’t been there. And they’re going to ask questions: ‘Are you guys getting mawwied?’” So okay, don’t babysit. There are other jobs, too. Get your name out there, and say, “We’re looking for outings. Specifically, sometime next week, preferably in the Monsey area.” And then people can say, “Hey, you guys want to come paint our garage? See if you can work together?” I think we can solve the shidduch

5. Reorganizing a house 6. Miscellaneous errands Note that some of these can only be done in broad daylight. And the girl can tell a lot from the choice of activities. For example, if the guy picks painting a garage, he clearly wants a girl who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. She could also see whether he thinks to tell her beforehand, “We’re painting. Don’t wear anything nice. Don’t even wear anything that you want to wear again.” And if it works out, you can invite these people to the chasunah! “We can’t come. We don’t have a babysitter.” Or they can find another dating couple and keep the chain going! And it doesn’t have to be people you know at all. There can be an app. The app can say locations and things like, “I accidentally caught a skunk in my possum trap.” “That’s not a 3-hour activity,” you’re saying. Well, you can make it one! “Wear the worst thing you own!” you have to tell her. “Also, I’m coming in a pickup truck.”

It could be any service, like, “Hey, take my kids to an amusement park.” “We need kitchen staff for our simcha.” You probably need more than two people for that. But you could hire a few couples. That way, if it doesn’t work out as intended, you can mix and match and people can find their bashert a lot quicker. It could be anything. You can hire a dating couple to make you dinner one night. They could see how each other cooks, whether they treif up your kitchen… Or how about this: run a store together for an hour! The pizza shop guy wants to go home and eat something with his family that is not pizza. You guys come in, and you run the pizza shop. The whole town can see you! Not your town. Maybe her town. But if she gets embarrassed, now you know something about her – that’s she’s embarrassed by you! This does not always mean you won’t get married. And if you’re thinking, “Do you know how many marriages will never happen if we do this?” Number one, sometimes a shared experience can bring you closer together. And number two, maybe these people shouldn’t get married. Would you

rather they have the shared difficult experience after they get married when they first sit down to put together their own furniture? And then they’ll say, “Well, that was a horrible experience. I’m so glad that instead of doing that, we went to the zoo.” Everyone’s okay at the zoo. I have brothers-in-law that I can’t have a conversation with; we still go to the zoo together twice a year. Basically, the couple needs to go through a possibly stressful, real-life situation, so they can each see what the other person will do. Everyone’s always like, “Marry a mensch.” How do you tell if the person is a mensch? Do you ask them at the lounge? Do you figure out how to turn the conversation? Or should you just put yourself through some actual, real-life scenarios? See if he’ll still show up to finish their deck if you guys break up! That’ll do it.

Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a humor columnist for Hamodia and other magazines. He has also published eight books and does stand-up comedy. He can be contacted at mschmutter@gmail.com.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

crisis, the babysitter crisis, the contractor crisis, and then you take the money you guys make together and go to a restaurant. Or you don’t make any money, and it’s a win-win regardless. Raid their fridge! It can be part of the deal. The two of you can eat chicken nuggets with the kids. But you know what? The boy saves money, and the people who hire the couple save money, because even if they pay something, it’s way less than they’d pay a professional… Instead of driving by Home Depot and looking for an immigrant, they can drive by the yeshiva and look for a guy in a suit. Pick him up, and he’s like, “Okay, but can we swing by the girl’s house?” And if it doesn’t work out, they can call another couple later on and say, “So listen, we need a couple to paint the second half of our garage. The first couple didn’t work out.” So it has to be jobs that can be done in one day. This is really a great idea. And there are a ton of jobs you can do this with: 1. Putting together furniture 2. Cleaning gutters 3. Yardwork 4. Putting together a swing set

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Parenting Pearls

When Hands Wander A 5-Minute Strategy to Help Children Navigate their Environment Safely and Respectfully By Shira Richman, MA, BCBA, LBA

out of sensory needs and a natural gravitation towards touching different textures. Others are impulsive and reach before they have time to think. Some simply develop routines that become automatic through repetition. Children learn through watching and repeating, and when two behaviors happen together often enough, they can become linked, even if one was never meant to be part of the task. This is especially common in children who learn strongly through imitation, pick up patterns quickly or rely on repetition to build skills. The encouraging news is that automatic behaviors can also be changed. With repeated practice, children can learn a new pattern that becomes just as automatic as the old one.

oes your child: • Touch objects while walking past them? • Pick up items without thinking as they move through a space? • Handle other people’s belongings, or even unsafe items like scissors or kitchen tools, without realizing it? If so, you’re not alone. This is a common pattern, especially for children who are highly sensory, struggle with impulse control, or tend to be more self-directed. While these behaviors can be frustrating or even unsafe, they are also very teachable. With targeted practice and consistency, children can learn to move through their environment more safely and respectfully.

Understanding the Behavior Think about it this way. If your child is asked to walk to the kitchen but stops to touch every chair, runs their fingers across the counter, or picks up anything they pass, they aren’t necessarily refusing to follow directions. In fact, they often complete the original task – they make it to the kitchen. The challenge is that several extra behaviors have become attached to the task along the way. Those extra behaviors can create real problems. Touching a hot pan, picking up sharp scissors, grabbing another child’s belongings, or handling merchandise in a store can create safety concerns and make everyday outings much more difficult. Fortunately, these extra behaviors can be separated from the original task through practice. In this situation, the target behavior is simple: walking from one place (Point A) to another (Point B). The goal is not just to get from Point A to Point B, but to do it safely and respectfully, without touching or taking items along the way, doing this with-

out the extra behaviors that may occur (touching, grabbing, swinging hands into objects, or picking things up) as these extra behaviors interfere with the skill we are actually trying to teach. Cory was working on following simple instructions. The teacher gave a clear direction: “Stand up.” Cory stood up. Cory followed the instruction perfectly each time. The skill seemed mastered. But something caught my attention. Every time Cory stood up, he rubbed his nose. “Does he have a cold?” I asked. “Not that I know of,” the teacher replied. We tried again. “Stand up.” Cory stood up and rubbed his nose again. At first glance, Cory was doing exactly what he had been asked to do. But in reality, he was completing two behaviors: The target behavior: standing up. The confounding (extra) behavior: rubbing his nose. Later, I figured out why. When Cory first learned the skill, his teacher hap-

pened to have a cold and frequently rubbed her own nose while teaching. Without realizing it, she had modeled both behaviors, and Cory copied both. Over time, those two actions became linked in his muscle memory. Just like Cory, who did have an autism diagnosis, many other children often also connect extra behaviors to a task without realizing it. In our case: The target behavior: walking from Point A to Point B. The confounding behavior: touching, grabbing, or taking items along the way. A confounding behavior is an extra behavior that becomes attached to a task, even though it isn’t necessary to complete it. Sometimes, these extra behaviors can interfere with learning, make a skill less efficient, or create safety concerns.

Understanding the Why Some children touch random items

A Simple Strategy: Stop, Rewind, Let’s Try That Again To break this connection, children need repeated opportunities to practice the correct behavior by itself. In order to accomplish this, use this simple phrase: “Stop. Rewind. Let’s try that again.”

How It Works When you notice the extra behavior, implement these 5 steps: 1. Pause calmly. 2. Say, “Stop. Rewind. Let’s try that again.” 3. Return to the starting point (Point A). 4. Model (with a bit of exaggeration, if necessary) what you want it to look like, for example: walking with hands down and to yourself. 5. Practice together as your child walks to Point B. Repeat these steps as needed, making sure to remain calm and support-

Practice Builds New Patterns There is nothing more powerful than practicing this skill in the moment, but you can also be proactive by looking for

public spaces and that less supervision is required.

5 Reasons Why This Skill Matters This strategy is about much more than walking from one place to another. Children who learn this skill are: 1. Safer around potentially dangerous objects 2. More respectful of other people’s belongings 3. Better prepared for school and public spaces

With repeated practice, children can learn a new pattern that becomes just as automatic as the old one.

opportunities to practice when everyone is calm rather than waiting until a problem occurs: Practice walking past toys without touching them. Practice walking through the living room without touching decorations. Practice walking past kitchen counters with hands at your sides, moving slowly and with body awareness. The more opportunities you find to practice, the easier it will get for your child, the less resistance you will face, and the more aware your child will become of this expectation and be able to generalize it to new situations. Remember to reinforce success with praise.

Generalization: Stepping Back Over Time Generalization doesn’t happen overnight. It develops through many successful experiences across different environments. As your child becomes successful in one environment, gradually begin practicing in others. Start at home, then practice at a grandparent’s house, in the grocery store, at the library, or on the playground. The more opportunities your child has to practice the skill in different settings, the more likely it is to become part of everyday life. As you begin to get accustomed to using this strategy and are no longer constantly reminding or commenting to your child from across the room, you’ll likely notice that your child is safer in

4. Developing greater body awareness and self-control 5. Increasing social awareness that will help in future inclusion settings throughout the community With patience, repetition, and positive reinforcement, children can learn that getting from Point A to Point B isn’t just about arriving at the destination, it’s about doing so safely, respectfully, and with expanded awareness and independence. Sometimes, all it takes is a pause, a rewind, and the chance to try again.

Shira Richman, MA, BCBA, LBA is the proud owner of 5 Minute ABA an d d e v e l op e r of 5 Mi nu te A B A/ MadgeBadge Parenting App. She has spent over 20 years consulting with Directors of Special Education across New York, providing support and training to teachers, psychologists and principals regarding Behavior Plan and IEP Goal development, establishing aide-fading protocols, and increasing mainstreaming and inclusion opportunities. She conducts district-wide and individualized staff and parent trainings, and is the author of Raising a Child with Autism: A Guide to Applied Behavior Analysis for Parents and Encouraging Appropriate Behavior for Children on the Autism Spectrum: Frequently Asked Questions. For more parenting strategies and neurodiversity tips, or to contact Shira Richman, download mobile iOS App: 5MinuteABA/MadgeBadge Parenting App

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

ive. The goal isn’t to correct harshly or punish mistakes. The goal is to help your child build a new pattern through practice. It may take several attempts at first that may be accompanied by some frustration, and that’s perfectly okay. Repeat these steps as needed. New expectations are not always easy, even when they are achievable.

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Parenting Pearls

Nachamu Nachamu Ami By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

he Three Weeks followed by the Nine Days is a time period of ever-increasing mourning and intensity. Much of our everyday routine is subtly changed to give us a sense of our nation’s terrible loss. While the original events we mourn occurred so many years ago, the pain and vacuum created still affects each of us today. Nachamu, nachamu ami. After the sadness of these days, we are greeted by a Shabbos of nechama, when Hashem reassures us of His continuous love for us and provides us with hope for the future. We feel the pain, and we feel the comfort, yearning for the day when Hashem says dai l’tzaroseinu (enough to our suffering). We have the suffering we experienced as a nation, but we also have personal pain in our everyday lives. Often more difficult than our own feelings is watching our precious child suffer. We all have our own personal needs for comfort, and children are no different. Providing comfort to a child is more than one article can cover. At a time when Hashem is comforting us, this is simply a few thoughts on comforting a child. I also want to stress that this article is only discussing the everyday issues that come up in our daily lives. Serious problems and major traumas should be addressed with the guidance of a professional.

Sources of Comfort Parents and the home environment they create are the primary source of comfort and stability for a child. In this crazy and often wild world they find themselves in, it’s good to know there is one place that is safe and secure. Many of the suggestions below are so simple it feels a little silly to write them out in an article, but it’s often the basics that can be overlooked and are so important they may be missed. We may not appreciate just how much comfort we provide by being available and just listening to a child. They need to share their concerns and fears with someone, and parental ears are the best. Knowing they’re not alone, and how much

their loving adult cares, is very meaningful for a child. Rather than put down their feelings, we can validate and acknowledge their emotions. Validation doesn’t mean we necessarily agree that it’s a crisis when their friend doesn’t want to have a playdate; it means we acknowledge that our child is experiencing their current emotion. Hugs are comforting. A loving hug is one of the most primary, elemental forms of comfort. Often words can’t have the impact that a hug can provide. The younger children are, the more they may need physical comfort over verbal. At times, a child may require a hug or other form of physical affection to soothe them before they can address the issue using words. We can help children label their feelings. They may be “hurt” they weren’t picked, “frustrated” it didn’t work or “upset” they missed out. They can also learn to label happier emotions, slowly learning how to understand the many moods they will experience. Giving a name to an emotion provides context and a way to classify and understand it. It also makes feelings less scary when we have a way to explain and name them.

It’s OK to Not Be OK As parents, it pains us to see our children suffering. It’s normal and healthy for us to want to rush in and comfort them.

“It’s OK!” “Don’t worry!” “It’s not so bad.” “Don’t cry!” These phrases are so quick to come, but they’re not only deceitful, they force a child to suppress their feelings. These phrases are deceiving because they’re not true. Maybe it’s not OK. Maybe it is kind of bad. It’s impossible for anyone to tell another person whether or not they are feeling something. As adults, we often can’t appreciate the strength of a child’s feelings, as well as the increased depths of their confusion from immaturity. These phrases also encourage children to deny their feelings or think of their feelings as invalid. They may feel foolish for worrying when an adult says not to or like a baby for being brought to tears. We want to permit them to experience, understand and move through their feelings, not suppress or ignore them. As believing Torah Jews we know there is a Loving Ruler to the world, and nothing happens accidentally. Whether or not we understand it, there is a divine plan designed with wisdom and compassion. It’s a very high madreigah to never worry or feel pain just because we know Hashem is in charge. If this were an appropriate expectation from a five-year-old, then that would speak very poorly for all of us adults who still worry over things. It’s unfair to expect children to be on this level.

A lot of times it seems that what worries or pains a child is rather petty. They were given a broken cookie. Their favorite socks are in the wash when they need to wear them today. The other child doesn’t want to play with them. Yanky got a bigger piece of cake than them. When compared to adult concerns, children’s issues are rather simple. They’re not trying to pay a mortgage, afford health insurance or make sure every form is filled out in triplicate before being submitted. They are not responsible for any of their own basic needs. They have the time to worry about a potato chip bag because they don’t need to make Shabbos. As minor as their concerns are to us, they are very real to a child. Adults’ concerns are for adults, and children are meant to deal with their own everyday issues. This is a part of growing up and attaining adult maturity. Just like children begin learning addition by adding single digit numbers, they learn to handle big issues from practicing on smaller ones. Parents, too, don’t always need to feel their best. We can acknowledge being upset, disappointed or any other negative emotion. Like trying to force down the lid on a boiling pot of water, suppressing our own emotions often exacerbates the issue rather than improves it. It also sets a good example for children when parents are able to address their own feelings in an emotionally healthy way. May we experience the true nechama that only One can provide, on an individual level and united as a nation. May we soon hear enough to our suffering. Nachamu nachamu ami.

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

Health & F tness

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

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

act: The majority of teens (75-80%) have acne lesions at some point. For teens, acne isn’t just about skin breakouts on the face, neck, shoulders, upper back and chest. It’s a frustrating, emotional challenge that can affect their confidence, social lives and self-esteem. You, the parent, may watch this and think that with time it will be over. In reality, our teens need the right medical care, emotional support, and a dose of patience to manage their acne. Acne is a medical condition caused by plugged oil glands. During puberty, increased hormone levels stimulate the fat glands in the skin to produce more sebum, an oily secretion that lubricates and protects the skin. This excess sebum, along with cast-off skin cells and other debris, blocks skin follicles. There’s a normal skin bacteria called C. acnes which thrives on this extra oil, multiplying and causing redness and irritation. Heredity plays an important role. (Please. No finger pointing or fighting here.) Let’s dispel some of the myths surrounding acne. Foods like chocolates, candy and fried foods do not cause acne per se (whether they’re healthy – well, everything in moderation). However, a healthy diet benefits the skin. Acne is neither a hygiene issue nor

caused by insufficient face-washing. Washing your face more than twice daily will not take care of acne and may exacerbate the skin because it can dry it out, stripping it of its protective layers. Never use a scrub cloth and don’t over-scrub your face. Rather, use a facial cleanser that contains salicylic acid and/or benzoyl peroxide. Speak to your pediatrician or dermatologist for recommendations. About makeup – most are okay and do not cause acne or clogged pores. Look for non-comedogenic preparations which will not cause or worsen acne. Studies show that stress does not directly cause acne. However, there is a link between stress and worse acne, with studies showing teenagers have worse acne during stressful school periods. There are 4 main types of acne bumps. 1. Whiteheads/closed comedones are plugged oil glands that are closed and bulge from the skin’s surface. 2. Blackheads/closed comedones are plugged oil glands that are open, and the oil turns black when exposed to air. 1 and 2 are also known as “zits.” 3. Pimples are red bumps that form when extra oil and C. acne bacteria clog a pore more deeply. These can be red bumps (which can be painful) or pus-filled bumps. 4. Pustules can result from bacteria

creating pus, turning a red bump into a pustule. There are things that can worsen acne, such as hair products, headbands (acne is localized here), stress, menstruation (you’re not imagining things, girls), picking and popping (resist, resist, resist), and not getting enough sleep.

Treating Acne Different medicines and medicine regimens and combinations can be used to improve acne. It takes at least two months after starting treatment to see improvement (hence the comment early on about patience). Acne recurrences are not uncommon. Don’t give up too soon. Over-the-counter treatments (OTC): Benzoyl peroxide is in many OTC acne-fighting products that can be used anywhere on the body. Start with a lower strength (3.5-5%), washing once per day. Since benzoyl peroxide can bleach fabrics, use an old towel and make sure the skin is completely dry before applying. Hydrocolloid pimple patches are small stickers that cover and protect pimples while absorbing oil and bacteria. Some patches contain medications which can be irritating if used with other medications. Doctor-prescribed treatments: This requires a discussion with your doctor. Antibiotics can kill C. acnes bacte-

ria and fight inflammation. Topical retinoids (adapalene, tretinoin, tazarotene) work to unplug the pores by removing the outermost layer of skin, improving acne. Skin dryness can be a side effect. The “Five-Dot” method for applying retinoid medicine: Use a small “pea-size” amount of medication. Apply it in five dots on different parts of the face. Then rub the medication over the entire face, not just the pimples you see (of course, avoid the eye area). This way, you are preventing new pimples from developing. There are also hormonal treatments, as well as Isotretinoin, for severe acne which can lead to scars. This requires close monitoring and can be arduous. This is a huge commitment which must be talked out with your doctor. Sun protection is always important as is never neglecting your teen’s mental health. Treating the emotional part is as important as treating the physical part. As always, daven. Dr. Hylton Lightman MD DCH(SA) FAAP is a board-certified pediatrician and the Medical Director of Suffolk Health Five Towns. He adores his patients and tolerates their parents. His life’s mission is to deliver quality health care to babies, children, teenagers and young adults so they bring their children and grandchildren (and great-grandchildren) to him. He loves what he does.

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

AI, Going

Up?

The Handoff By Dov Pavel

like sports, but I don’t follow any of it closely anymore. This ignorance presented me with a problem in the workplace. I could not keep up with the pre-meeting banter or the “water cooler” chat. In an attempt to address this, a few years ago, I asked a friend who excels in this space to write me a daily sports update — a big-picture briefing across a broad range of sports, including major events in esoteric sports. He wrote one or two, and they were great — we even gave the newsletter a name, “The Morning Bro” — but getting someone to do this daily seemed unreasonable — until AI arrived.

Claude Cowork Vs. Chat Most casual users of AI happen inside a conversation. You type a question, AI responds, you decide what to do with the response. Useful, but it has its limitations, a ceiling if you will. You still need to be the one saving the file, opening the next application, checking back later to see if anything changed, etc. Claude’s Cowork removes that limitation. You provide Claude with a task and a place to work, then set it free. It plans the steps, does the work, and comes back with a finished product, not a description of how you might do it yourself. Chat tells you how. Cowork does it for you

Scheduling To set one up, open Cowork and click “Scheduled” in the sidebar and select “New task.” You fill in a name, a description, the prompt telling Claude exactly what to do, and schedule how often it should run: hourly, daily, weekly, weekdays only, or on demand. The one setting worth understanding is the working folder, because it decides where the task actually runs. Point it at a folder on your computer, and the task runs locally, which means your machine needs to be on when it is scheduled. Leave that setting empty, or point it at a Cowork Project instead of a local folder, and the task runs remotely on Anthropic’s

servers, which means it fires on schedule whether your laptop is open, asleep, or off entirely. That single choice is the difference between “runs whenever my computer happens to be on” and “runs no matter what.” Every scheduled run has the same access as a manual Cowork session: your files, connected apps like Gmail or Google Drive, any plugins you have set up. If your computer happens to be asleep when a local task is due, Cowork catches it up automatically the next time you open the app, so nothing silently disappears. And before anything consequential happens, deleting a file, sending something out, Cowork pauses and shows you the plan first, including on your phone if that is where you happen to be.

My Working Example: The Morning Bro Here are my instructions for the Daily Morning Bro: “Write a fully factual and informative Sports update that is a

the post and places it in a designated folder I created. I do not open Claude, write anything, or press send. The task fires on schedule, writes the piece and as a final step in the Cowork instructions, Claude publishes the article on my Substack (an online publishing platform) by using the MCP connectors described in Article 3. This is the same pattern from Article 6: build the context once, then let the system reuse it instead of re-explaining yourself every time. Morning Bro is that idea running on autopilot, publishing daily whether or not I remember to think about it. If you want to see what the output actually looks like, Morning Bro is live on Substack at MorningBro.Substack.com.

String enough of them together, and you are managing a small staff, except this one never shows up late, never takes a vacation, and never lingers at the water cooler on someone else’s clock.

2-minute read. It should focus on providing small talk around sports and be more than just scores. Sports can be broad and capturing major events across esoteric sports is important. For must-watch moments, include a YouTube link…” I built a scheduled task called Morning Bro. Every morning at 7am whether I am at my desk or sleeping, it pulls current sports news across leagues and writes a short, factual two-minute update It writes

While you are there, signup for the GoiningUpWithAI.Substack,com so you receive this article automatically as well.

The Decisions Still Come to You You choose what Cowork can touch, and it only reads or writes files in folders you have actually granted it access to. It pauses before consequential actions and shows you the plan first. Nothing ships without your approval when a judgment

call is required. Start with something you would not mind experimenting on before handing off anything with real stakes attached.

The View From Here Cowork is the floor where AI stops waiting for your next message and starts finishing work while you are somewhere else entirely. Build your first agent. Get it running, watch it do the job correctly a few times, then ask yourself what else you keep meaning to get to. Build the next one. A recurring report. A folder that organizes itself. A weekly summary that used to eat your Friday afternoon. Each one is small on its own. String enough of them together, and you are managing a small staff, except this one never shows up late, never takes a vacation, and never lingers at the water cooler on someone else’s clock. That is the actual endpoint of all this: not a single clever automation, but a growing team of…well…coworkers quietly handling the parts of your week you never enjoyed doing yourself. Pick one task. Hand it off. See what comes back, then go build the next one. Before you know it, you will need a new PC to handle your growing agentic staff. See you in two weeks. Have a topic you’d like me to cover? I would genuinely love to hear from you.

Dov is a partner at Bond-Bridge Consultants, a firm dedicated to helping small businesses navigate and implement AI solutions. He writes about AI with a focus on practical application for everyday users and organizations. He can be reached at Dov@ Bond-Bridge.com. Previous columns are available at GoingUpWithAI.Substack.com.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Home Sweet Home

The Renovation Roadmap Clarify Your Goals (Before You Call Anyone)

PHoTo CredIT Alex KrAuSS

By Neil Schwartz, RA CPHD LEED AP

he first and most important step in the renovation process has nothing to do with contractors, architects, designers, or budgets. It’s about getting clear on what you actually want—and why. It’s 6:30 erev Shabbos, and you’re finally finished cooking. You’re taking everything out of the oven, moving things to the hot plate. Whoosh—you feel a kid zip by. Before you know it, you’ve slipped on water and everything crashed to the floor, with you under the pile. You’ve told them a million times to be careful coming in from the yard. That’s it. You’re done. “We need a bigger kitchen.” It’s been four years crammed into a house that never quite fit. But the raise you needed just came through. Baruch Hashem—it’s time to finally make this work.

So you pick up the phone. That’s exactly the right move, but the focus of that first conversation can drive an entire project in ways you might not anticipate. It helps to take a beat first and think through what you actually want to accomplish, so the right professionals get involved and the project ends up solving the right problems. Two recent project inquiries come to mind that illustrate why this matters. The first: a walkthrough with a couple and their in-laws who had just closed on a house. They “needed” a kitchen renovation and a small extension to add a room. Certain factions were firmly in the kitchen camp, but it became clear quickly that what the new homeowners actually needed most was the extra space, and that had to take precedence over an outdated kitchen.

The second: we’ve gone through these same questions with clients before they purchased a house, and in one case it became clear that the house in question could never actually give them what they needed. That conversation saved them from a costly mistake, and the search continued. The earlier these questions get asked, the better every decision that follows.

Start with Why, Not What Before that first call, the most useful thing you can do is spend some honest time with the question of why you want to renovate. Not just the immediate frustration that brought you to pick up the phone but the longer story behind it. What problem are you actually trying to solve?

What will make you happy in the long run? The answers matter more than most people realize because they determine what kind of project you actually need. A renovation driven by daily frustration with how a space functions looks very different from one driven by a desire to have a nicer home with modern amenities. And a project motivated by a growing family can look very different still if the desire to finally have the home you’ve always pictured is also part of the equation. These aren’t just philosophical distinctions; they translate directly into decisions about scope, budget, timeline, and which professionals to involve. It’s also worth knowing that you don’t need a fully formed vision before you make that call. Most people don’t

A Note for Couples Answer these questions separately, then compare. The differences in your answers are often as telling as the answers themselves. It’s remarkably common for two people who’ve lived in the same house for years to discover, in a first meeting, that they’ve been operating on entirely different assumptions about what they’re looking to achieve. one wants to optimize for resale in five years. The other is thinking about this as a forever home. one wants to gut the kitchen. The other loves the kitchen and wants to focus on the primary suite. None of these are irreconcilable, but they’re much better discovered early. When they’re out in the open, it’s usually possible to find a compromise or, at the very least, understand the root of the disagreement so you can move forward with a plan everyone can support.

What to Think About Before You Call None of this requires a formal process. The goal is simply to arrive at that first conversation with a clearer sense of where you stand. A few questions worth sitting with: • Why do you want to renovate? Not just the frustration that finally pushed you to pick up the phone, but the longer story behind it. Are you solving a functional problem? Preparing for a life change? Building the home you’ve always pictured? The answer shapes everything that follows. • What do you hate about your home? Not just what you want to change, but what genuinely frustrates you every day—the layout that makes no sense, the bathroom that hasn’t been touched since 1987, the lack of storage, the darkness. Be specific. • What do you love about it? Just as important. The bones, the light in a

particular room, the outdoor space, the character. Knowing what’s worth preserving shapes the project as much as knowing what needs to go. • What do you wish this home had? A proper home office. A mudroom. A kitchen that connects to the living space. A primary suite that feels like a retreat. Getting this on paper—and distinguishing must-haves from niceto-haves—gives your design team a fixed point to work from and gives you a tool for making decisions when tradeoffs come up, as they always do. • Is this a forever home, or are you planning to sell? A renovation optimized for resale looks quite different from one optimized for how your family actually lives. Knowing which you’re doing—and being honest about it—shapes everything downstream. • Is there anything coming in the next five to ten years that should factor in now? A growing family, aging parents, a change in how you work. These things are cheaper to plan for upfront than to retrofit later. • Do you have somewhere to live during construction? It sounds premature at this stage, but it’s not. The answer affects timing, phasing, and sometimes scope in ways that are useful to know early. You don’t need answers to all of these before you call. You need enough to start. A good building professional will help you get the rest of the way there— but the conversation goes much further when you’ve done a little thinking first. If you’re interested in the checklist we use when clients first reach out, you can find it at: www.tnbarchitecture.com/ projectgoals

Next in the series: How to Assemble the Right Team to Set Your Project Up for Success

Neil Schwartz founded TNB Architecture + Interiors, which specializes in custom residential and hospitality work. Passive House certified and LEED AP, with more than two decades in the field and licenses across multiple states, he believes that craft, livability, and client vision have to work together from the very first conversation — and that a well-built home should be beautiful, comfortable, and built to last. Find TNB on Instagram @tnbarchitecture or get in touch at neil@tnbarchitecture.com.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

have one, and that’s fine. What you need is enough clarity to have a productive first conversation. one or two driving factors is enough. The rest gets worked out—it’s part of the conversation. Good design begins with an accurate picture of the life it’s meant to serve. The clearer that picture is before the drawing starts, the better the outcome tends to be. If you’re making this decision with a spouse or partner, that picture needs to be shared, which is why there’s one more step worth taking before that first call.

1 ROOM AVAILABLE

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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Book

Marked

Coming Home to Sefer Shmuel By Raffi Crouse

Reviewing: “The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel: Samuel,” edited by David Arnovitz Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2021. Hardcover, 505 pages. ISBN-13: 978-965-7766-23-1

here is a line at the end of Birkat HaMazon that children can sing before they can read, the one where half the table switches from magdil to migdol on Shabbos. Ask around your own table where in Tanach it comes from and watch how few people know. On weekdays, we are quoting Tehillim. But migdol, the Shabbos version, comes from the great song David sings near the end of Sefer Shmuel, and the two forms of the word are a famous variation between that song and the nearly identical psalm; a commentator on the siddur was already discussing the custom of switching almost seven hundred years ago. I have all of this from a short article in The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel: Samuel, filed under its Halakha category, which closes with a photograph of the very page in the Koren Birkon, so you can see the verse sitting at the end of every meal you have ever finished. We live closer to Sefer Shmuel than to almost anything else in Tanach, and mostly without noticing. The haftara of the first day of Rosh Hashana is Chana at Shilo, the whispered prayer from which the tradition learned how the silent Amida should be davened. Whenever Shabbos falls on erev Rosh Chodesh, the haftara is Yonatan, David and the arrow signal. The last line of Birkat HaMazon is David’s. And the sefer itself is the pivot on which the whole national story turns, the sefer in which scattered tribes become a kingdom with a capital, in which Shaul is crowned and comes undone, and in which the most humanly complicated family in all of Tanach rises and breaks. Most of us

were handed these stories in elementary school and never went back. This volume was built for the going back. It even opens by teaching you how to use it, a few illustrated pages the editors call “How to read this book,” and the lesson is not a gimmick; there has simply never been a page quite like this one. The Hebrew runs with its vowels and trop beside a new English translation, and around the text sit short, signed articles,

veyor matched it to the site whose Arabic name had quietly preserved the Hebrew one, and the spade confirmed them all. That hill is forty minutes from Jerusalem. David hides from Shaul at Ein Gedi, and the text mentions, almost in passing, that the search ran through the crags of the wild goats; the volume answers with a photograph of an ibex drinking from Nachal David, the same trail your family has hiked, the same animals the text noticed

It may be the only serious sefer I know that can be passed around a Shabbos table and genuinely used by four people at once.

color-coded by discipline: archaeology, geography, language, halakha. The editors say outright that the volume can be opened anywhere, that every article stands on its own, and they are right; it may be the only serious sefer I know that can be passed around a Shabbos table and genuinely used by four people at once. What the browsing yields is the repeated discovery that details we skim were reporting all along. Chana stands at Shilo, and Shilo turns out never to have been lost: a fourth-century historian recorded its distance from Shechem, Ishtori HaParhi, the fourteenth-century geographer of the Land of Israel, knew exactly where it was, a nineteenth-century sur-

three thousand years ago. And the Machar Chodesh haftara acquires scenery: an article explains that kings across the ancient Near East presided over feasts for the new month, and that because no one could be certain exactly when the moon would appear, the festivals ran two days, which is why the story’s tension stretches across a second night of an empty seat at the king’s table. That is the difference between this volume and every other edition of Shmuel on the shelf, and it deserves saying with respect: the editions we grew up with tell you what the words mean. This one shows you what the words saw. The volume is just as illuminating

on the hard parts of the sefer as on the charming ones. The section on David’s capture of Jerusalem carries a full-spread essay laying out the fiercest argument in biblical archaeology over how large David’s kingdom really was, and it presents both sides without pretending the matter is settled. That honesty runs through the project. When the introduction takes up the hardest question of all – who wrote Sefer Shmuel – it works from inside the tradition, Gemara first, the classical commentators next, and only then allows the archaeology to speak. The tradition goes first; the excavations respond. Which is also the key to shelving it correctly. This is not a peirush, and it does not pretend to be; it brings no classical commentary to the page, and it will not replace the Mikraot Gedolot or the Da’at Mikra your children’s Navi teachers assign. It is the volume you open alongside them, the one that supplies what no commentator before this century could: the roads, the ruins, the languages of the surrounding nations, the photographs. Shmuel joins the five Chumash volumes and a Haggada already in print, in a series planned at eighteen that will one day span all of Tanach, with a volume on the return from Bavel in preparation. Elul is closer than it looks, and with it Chana’s haftara on Rosh Hashana morning, a year of Navi homework, and dozens of meals ending in David’s words. This is the volume for all of it, and for the moment at the end of Birkat HaMazon when someone switches to migdol and you finally get to tell them where it comes from.

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JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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In The K tchen

Japanese Vegetable Pancakes aka Okonomiyaki By Naomi Nachman

I a m visiting my parents in Australia, and my mu m and I love cooking together. I had asked her for a parve recipe for the Nine Days, and she suggested we make this new recipe she had recently tried that she had seen in a local magazine. I absolutely loved this recipe, and I knew had to share it with our readers.

Ingredients

Preparation

• 8 Cremini mushrooms, sliced

• 2 baby bok choy, sliced

should have about 3 cups of vegetables before adding in everything else.)

• 1 onion, diced

2. Working in batches, slightly wet your hands and form 2-inch patties.

• 1 cup Chinese cabbage (or your favorite preferred cabbage) • 2 large scallions, chopped • 3-4 cloves crushed garlic

Mix all ingredients together. Adjust and taste seasonings to your liking. (You

3. Fry on medium high heat till brown on each side. 4. Serve with spicy mayonnaise.

• 1 tsp toasted or roasted sesame oil • 1 tbsp soy sauce • 2 eggs • ½ cup self-rising flour • 1 tsp kosher salt

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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JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

If they put that in our platform — no aid for Israel — and officially become the anti-Israel party, then yeah, that’s a red line for me. Democrats, we’ve always should support Israel. That’s our special ally, you know? In the only democracy in the entire region, that’s Israel. So I’m always proud to stand with Israel. - Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) telling NBC News that if the Democrats become officially anti-Israel, he will leave the party

I am a Progressive Democrat… This stuff is going too far. - CNN commentator Van Jones talking about the communist takeover of the Democrat Party by the Democrat Socialists

I am happy that the young people are fighting for affordability, a Medicare for all, all the good things I’ve been waiting my whole life to see a youth movement do what it’s doing, but it’s being hijacked by people who are putting in nutty ideas, supporting terrorists, nutty ideas, saying that we don’t need cops in prisons; we can’t deport anybody, even if they [commit violent crimes]. Who said this? Chevalier. - ibid.

There was a shockwave through this party when Mamdani, who everybody’s excited about, stabbed in the back Espaillat, who was the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, beloved by everybody, who backed Mamdani. Mamdani said, “I will back you.” Then he turns around, stabs him in the back and backed Chevalier, who has no credentials except she’s known for having celebrated October 7th murders of Israelis on October 8 and never apologized. - ibid.

To lessen the strain on Vermont’s power grid, customers are being asked to cut down on the use of air conditioners. Bernie Sanders agreed…but he thought that they said “hair conditioners.” - Greg Gutfeld, Fox

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MAGA is the closest thing to the modern version of the Nazi Party. This is America’s version. It’s the closest thing, without the Holocaust and all that stuff. - Former CNN host-turned-podcaster Don Lemon

Sleep out on the street a couple weeks and tell me you’re not using something to stay sane… or use meth so you don’t go to sleep to protect yourself. - L.A. Mayor Karen Bass defending homeless people in L.A doing drugs in public

Joe Biden is coming out with a book. The book was written by a ghostwriter: Joe Biden. - Jimmy Fallon

Thank you, Father, for the privilege of removing this tattoo from my body. Thank you, Father, for the privilege of being free and happy. Thank you, Father, for the privilege of being a Jew. - Rom Braslavski, who was released from Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025, sharing a video of himself having a tattoo removed and posting a moving message

During my darkest days in Gaza, in the peak heat of August and September, the terrorist forced me to wear a jacket so no one would see my tattoo if anyone entered the place where I was being held. This tattoo is what gave me away as a Jew. It’s absurd, because a true Jew isn’t supposed to have tattoos on his body. - ibid.

Today, nearly six months after G-d, in His miracles and wonders, decided to release me from captivity and end my suffering, I feel strong and stable enough. I decided to take it upon myself to remove this tattoo with direct laser treatments and endure the pain. - ibid.

It is for one purpose only—to serve and dedicate myself to G-d. I am willing to endure pain on my body, over and over, and would do anything to please my Father in Heaven. - ibid.

Thank you, Father, for the captivity in Gaza, for the suffering, and for every hardship You brought into my life. This is what Judaism looks like. Blessed are You...Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season—it is gone! - ibid.

The life expectancy of a Russian recruit currently arriving on the battlefield in Ukraine is estimated at 20 to 30 minutes. - CIA Director John Ratcliffe at a defense and innovation conference

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– Tom Shillue, Fox

The Atlantic wrote an article “The Return of the Democratic Manly Man.” In it, they profile their latest savior, an Ohio Dem running to flip a Republican House seat, with the last name that screams masculinity: Brian Korndexter. – ibid.

Haven’t we seen this a dozen times before— every year, it’s the same pattern. The Dems say we have a man problem, then they search for a candidate that’s gruff, curses, and has a beard, like Rasheeda Talib. - ibid.

Vang’s actions 20 years ago were awful, but so were the violent protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and those folks received presidential pardons. - The Minnesota Star Tribune lauding Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pardoning an illegal immigrant who was convicted of committing a horrific crime against a 10-year-old girl

Just weeks ago, a foreign child [convict] was freed to once again endanger America’s children after receiving a pardon from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Tue Lue Vang admitted to committing heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota. He attempted to pay his victim for her silence and dismissed his acts of child abuse as a “minor thing.” Just days before he was scheduled to be deported, the Minnesota Governor pardoned him, setting him free to endanger American families once again. That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States. Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again. - Sec. of State Marco Rubio

Did that make us any safer? Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day? - Walz’s dystopian response to Rubio

Look, it’s very simple — we’re being gassed. We are being systematically gassed here in Ohio. We have a very short summer, we’re in peak summer right now, you can’t go outside, it’s absolutely horrifying. - Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio)

You wake up in the morning, you see air quality index that says hazardous, stay indoors. And like you said, this isn’t the first time, it’s not the second time, it’s the third time this has happened, and we’re not going to put up with it. This is totally avoidable. And it’s not due to climate change. It’s due to leadership change in Canada that’s caused this problem. - ibid.

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

A Chinese woman in Las Vegas pled guilty to marrying at least 14 men at the same time. When asked if she knew what she did wrong, she responded: I do.

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The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Political Crossfire

The 20-Somethings Running Ukraine’s War Machine By Constant Meheut

Mykhailo Rudominski, left, with his combat radio

his spring, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry employee was reviewing Denmark’s military aid commitments when she found a problem buried in the fine print. Thousands of artillery shells earmarked for Ukraine were the wrong kind — short-range ammunition that would not enable guns to strike deep behind Russian lines. Skipping the usual bureaucratic process, the staffer worked the phones around the clock, pushing Danish officials to modify the aid package, according to her boss, Oleksii Antoniuk, deputy head of the Defense Ministry’s cooperation department. Within weeks, she had secured 15,000 long-range shells. “If not for her, this wouldn’t have happened,” Antoniuk said. “These shells really could mean a thousand Russians dead. That’s literally her contribution to the war effort.” The staffer, whose identity cannot be disclosed for security reasons, is not a veteran military procurement specialist. She’s in her early 20s, fresh out of university. Antoniuk is barely older, just 24. They embody a generational shift sweeping through Ukraine’s defense sec-

tor, where young men and women, many of them younger than 30, are gradually displacing a Soviet-era old guard and establishing themselves as a driving force behind their country’s war effort. The shift runs through every link in Ukraine’s war machine. Twenty-something engineers design sophisticated drones. Young entrepreneurs turn those prototypes into production lines, some using their Western educations to attract foreign funding. At the Defense Ministry, recent graduates cut red tape to speed weapons to the front. On Thursday, those same young people took to the streets to protest the ouster of Ukraine’s defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, laying bare the generational divide running through the country’s war effort. Fedorov, 35, had pushed to reform weapons procurement and wage a tech-driven war, winning strong support among young Ukrainians but angering part of the military and defense industry establishment that pressed for his dismissal. The rise of a younger generation has been driven in part by military necessity. Unable to match Russia in manpower and firepower, Ukraine has bet on out-innovat-

ing its larger adversary. That has opened the door to a new generation steeped in startup culture and new technologies — a change nowhere more evident than in Kyiv’s embrace of drone warfare. “This level of innovation, and the way it’s been integrated into Ukraine’s fight, wouldn’t be possible without these young people,” said Per Holst, the deputy defense attache at the Danish Embassy in Kyiv, who oversaw the delivery of longrange artillery shells. Over time, defense has eclipsed information technology as the biggest draw for Ukraine’s young talents. Part of the appeal is how much the two fields overlap, with similarly rapid changes. Another is that defense work offers a role in the national fight for survival but without the dangers of military service, and some of the jobs exempt men from conscription. “Humanity will survive without apps,” said Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former Ukrainian defense minister and now a security analyst. “But by working for defense, you’re saving your country. It’s a totally different meaning.” Mykhailo Rudominski’s path into defense began with a call from a friend, a

soldier helping defend Kyiv from Russia’s invasion in 2022. Ukrainian troops had a problem, his friend said. Lacking expensive military radios, they relied on cheap commercial models that Russian forces could easily jam and intercept. Rudominski, 26, had launched hardware startups before the war. Could he help? The two friends set out to build an alternative system that could withstand Russian interference while being simple to use and affordable enough to buy by the thousands. Himera, a company developing electronic warfare-resistant radios, was born. Rudominski followed the startup playbook, but in a war zone, with soldiers as beta testers. He took prototypes to the front, gathered feedback and refined his products. The harder challenge was selling his radios to the army. Procurement officials trusted legacy defense firms, not a newcomer with a novel idea. “I got a lot of nos,” Rudominski said. But eventually, he got his products into the hands of special forces units, helping build credibility. Today, more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers use Hi-

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bantering with startup founders. Artem Moroz, 29, who oversees Brave1’s investor relations, recalled his surprise when he joined Brave1 in 2024 and found colleagues speaking the language of Silicon Valley. “It didn’t look like a government project,” he said. “It looked like a big tech company.” When Fedorov became Ukraine’s defense minister earlier this year, he brought the generational shift into an old-guard bureaucracy largely led by Soviet-educated generals and bureaucrats. Now the ministry’s corridors are filled with young people like Antoniuk, whose

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

mera’s technology, which has proved so effective that the U.S. Air Force has tested it as a potential acquisition. Young people experimenting with drones ran into the same skepticism. Early in the war, Ukrainian officials focused on procuring the artillery, missiles, tanks and jets that had dominated warfare for decades. “The government didn’t see drones as real arms,” said Kateryna Mykhalko, 25, who worked for a drone startup in the war’s first year, then launched Technological Forces of Ukraine, a lobbying group for drone manufacturers. It began with five members in 2023 and has grown to more

What he looks for, he said, is fluency in foreign languages, sharp analytical skills and, above all, a capacity to adapt on the fly.

than 100 companies today as Ukraine has become a global drone powerhouse. The rise of youth in a sector this strategic was not universally welcomed. Last year, Oleksiy Honcharenko, a lawmaker, questioned Mykhalko’s ability to lead an arms industry group at her age. “Can we look at her resume?” he asked in a Facebook post. “Beautiful — yes. I see the photo shoots. But where’s the professionalism?” The criticism backfired, with politicians and civil-society figures rallying to her defense. Mykhalko has since expanded her work beyond Ukraine, taking the helm of New Age Defense, which represents Europe’s leading drone manufacturers. Many credit Fedorov, the freshly dismissed defense minister, with accelerating the generational shift. He first served as Ukraine’s digital transformation minister, pushing beyond his official portfolio to champion defense entrepreneurs. His signature creation is Brave1, a government platform that funds defense startups and helps turn prototypes into battle-tested products. In three years, it has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and venture capital to companies, including Himera. A recent Brave1 gathering in Kyiv felt more like a tech conference than a traditional defense exhibition. Young engineers in T-shirts crowded around small stands showcasing the latest drones as techno music blasted through the venue. Upstairs, two hosts in their 30s taped a live podcast,

employee found the mistake in Denmark’s aid commitments, and who steers Ukraine’s defense cooperation with foreign partners. To do so, he has assembled a team of country managers, some younger than he is. What he looks for, he said, is fluency in foreign languages, sharp analytical skills and, above all, a capacity to adapt on the fly. “You have a lot of these qualities in young people,” he said. Most of the people hired by Antoniuk, a Yale University graduate, are also Western-educated and could have remained abroad, building safer, more lucrative careers. But with war raging at home, he said, only one path felt compelling: “Come back to Ukraine and help win this war.” The question now is whether this generation will keep rising or face the same resistance from an old guard that ended Fedorov’s tenure as defense minister. On Thursday, Rudominski and Mykhalko joined the protest in Kyiv against Fedorov’s dismissal, standing amid a crowd of young people holding cardboard signs expressing their discontent. Yeo Bondar, 21, held a sign reading, “This reshuffle is a step toward defeat.” She said Ukraine’s successful embrace of drone warfare had been driven by young people like Fedorov. “We’re not excited to go back to the way the war was run previously,” she said. “People want to move forward, and Fedorov was the symbol of moving forward.” © The New York Times

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Political Crossfire

How Putin Turned Japan Into a Den of Spies By Jane Bradley, Michael Schwirtz and Adam Goldman

oon after troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Western leaders expelled hundreds of Russian spies from their capitals and blacklisted companies with ties to the Kremlin. The coordinated effort was intended to make it harder for the Kremlin to collect intelligence and buy equipment like microchips, transmitters and the machinery used to make weapons. Since then, officials say, dozens of those banished spies have turned up in an unexpected place: Japan. The country’s weak espionage laws and flourishing high-tech industry have made it a crucial piece of the Russian war effort. About 90% of Russian missiles and drones contain Japanese components, according to Ukrainian government estimates. At the heart of the operation in Tokyo is a secretive Russian military intelligence unit known as the 20th Directorate, whose role has never been publicly disclosed. Posing as diplomats or businesspeople, its officers work to buy or

steal battlefield technology and smuggle it into Russia, according to current and former officials at five Western intelligence agencies. The man overseeing the 20th Directorate’s operation in Tokyo maintains a cover identity as an employee of the Russian state airline Aeroflot, according to current officials from four of those intelligence agencies. He plays a crucial role in supplying Russia’s war machine. The toll of this effort is clear in the nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities and in the slog of the battlefield. Four years into a war that has killed hundreds of thousands and wiped whole cities off the map, Russia persists in part, officials say, because of its continued access to technologies like those it acquires from Japan. After a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile destroyed a residential tower block in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and killed at least 24 people in May, investigators sifted through the debris. They found that the missile had been guided by Japanese components that have been widely

banned from export to Russia, according to a Ukrainian assessment. Using confidential government documents, corporate records and interviews with dozens of intelligence and government officials across three continents, The New York Times began piecing together how the 20th Directorate operates and the crucial role the Tokyo station plays in supporting the war that Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging on Ukraine. Most of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose intelligence publicly. Ukrainian officials have presented Japan with evidence that its technology is being used in Russian attacks, according to documents and interviews. But the Japanese government, despite vocal support for Ukraine, has been slow to act. Japan has long been known as a spy paradise, in part because of post-World War II constraints, designed by the war’s victors, that keep the country’s intelligence services weak. Japan does not

even have a foreign intelligence agency. Officials say that they recognize the espionage threat and are working to remove decades-old restrictions on intelligence gathering. “We have a sense of crisis about this situation,” said Akihisa Shiozaki, a lawmaker in the governing Liberal Democratic Party and a former lawyer who prosecuted industrial espionage cases. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to detailed questions about espionage but said that the government had worked with Western allies to ban the export of military-related items to Russia. “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an outrageous act that shakes the very foundations of the international order,” the ministry said in an written statement. Nevertheless, Russian spies appear to be operating right under the noses of the Japanese authorities. Aeroflot’s office in Tokyo is a 10-minute walk from the headquarters of the National Police Agency, which investi-

A Spy Arrives in Tokyo Russia was in dire need of high-tech components when Filchenkov, 49, took up his post in Tokyo in February 2024. The war in Ukraine was shifting from World War I-style artillery battles to drone warfare, and the Ukrainians were gaining a technological edge. To stay in the fight, Russia needed to augment its conventional might with new technology. China could help, but for the military’s most advanced weaponry, there was no replacement for the hightech gear, machine tools and other components that many companies were suddenly prohibited from selling to Russia. Enter Filchenkov, a veteran officer with Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. With one tour in Japan under his belt, intelligence officials said, he had the expertise to find the necessary gear and move it to Russia. Filchenkov began developing relationships with logistics companies that ship goods from Japan to Russia, according to business records and interviews. Western officials have warned Japan that relationships like these help GRU officers buy sensitive technology under false pretenses and send it to Russia, sometimes using bogus shipping records. This, current and former intelligence officials say, is where the 20th Directorate excels. While the unit’s history is unclear, the officials said that it predated the war in Ukraine. Since that fight began, they said, it has been central to the Kremlin’s effort to obtain military technology. GRU spies have used Aeroflot jobs as cover since the Soviet era as they hunted for Western technology. The entrance to Aeroflot’s Tokyo office looks like a prison door, with a narrow slit of window and a doorbell. A middle-aged woman with straw-colored hair and a Russian Orthodox cross around her neck answered the door earlier this year. She appeared surprised to have visitors. Filchenkov, the woman said, was not there. She could not say when he would return. Aeroflot is not specifically blacklisted by Japan, but it has effectively been grounded because it cannot obtain nec-

essary parts and services there. Aeroflot’s official partners, however, remain active. One of them, Proco Air, advertises itself as a “bridge between Japan and Russia.” Proco rents cargo space on airlines that fly to countries where Aeroflot operates, like Sri Lanka or Uzbekistan. Aeroflot picks up the cargo there and flies it to Russia. There is nothing illegal or even unusual about this. Plenty of goods are still allowed to flow to Russia, and partnerships like this allow that to happen. Western intelligence officials say such arrangements are also essential to the 20th Directorate’s operations. Japan is the world’s largest exporter of the sensitive dual-use technology that the Kremlin is seeking, shipping records show. Smugglers do not need to get that equipment to Russia directly; they just need to get it somewhere that’s willing to sell to Russia. The largest destination for Japan’s sensitive technology, for example, is Vietnam, which in turn is the largest exporter of sensitive technology to Russia. Proco Air sits in Tokyo’s industrial port neighborhood, a 20-minute drive from Aeroflot’s office. Filchenkov was not there, either, but the company’s owner, Takehiko Miki, and his wife were willing to talk. Miki, who is Japanese, said he met Filchenkov around 2018 but did not begin working with him in earnest until Filchenkov returned to Tokyo six years later. Miki’s wife described their Russian business partner as an unsmiling man who only showed the “business side” of his face. Last year, Takehiko Miki contacted an associate based in China whom Filchenkov had introduced him to, according to two people with direct knowledge of the episode. Miki specifically asked for help shipping items that he acknowledged were prohibited from being sent to Russia, the people said. In the interview and follow-up communications, Miki denied knowing that Filchenkov had ties to Russian intelligence. He also strongly denied ever seeking help to transport prohibited items to Russia. Proco Air ships only authorized goods, he said, “mostly medical equipment and a few cosmetics.” As proof, he asked his wife to fetch a copy of a recent air bill. Before handing it over, Takehiko Miki tried to black out the names of the companies involved with a pen. The document backed up his assertion. It showed a March 12 shipment of medical

equipment to Russia, via Sri Lanka. But the redaction did not work, and the document showed that Miki was doing business with a company with ties to the Kremlin. The document clearly identified the recipient as R-Pharm, a Moscow pharmaceutical company. R-Pharm is not under sanctions but its founder, Aleksei Repik, has been sanctioned by Australia, Britain and Canada (though not Japan) over his extensive ties to Putin. Repik has repeatedly appeared beside Putin and recounted efforts to support the war, including a May 2025 meeting in which he described mobilizing Russian businesses to “provide unprecedented support to the front.” “I think it is now important to express on the part of all Russian businesspeople our huge thanks to our defenders of the fatherland,” Repik said last year. Proco Air has not been charged with any wrongdoing, and Miki said Japanese authorities had never contacted him about his shipments. He said he had never “knowingly facilitated transportation to any sanctioned person.”

Diplomatic Warnings Foreign governments have repeatedly warned Japan that its technology was being smuggled to Russia. In one month, April 2025, Ukraine sent at least eight formal diplomatic letters to the Japanese Foreign Ministry on the topic. The messages detailed evidence of Japanese components in Russian weapons and military equipment that had been recovered from civilian attacks. They sent roughly eight more diplomatic notes over the year, one Ukrainian official said. The letters provided lists and photos of dozens of recovered Japanese-made components including circuit boards, transmitters and semiconductors. Times reporters reviewed one of those letters, which said that Japanese components had been found in ballistic missiles. “I hope you take this information into account when considering further restrictions against Russia, or strengthening the export control on transfers of sensitive goods and technology to third countries,” read the letter to officials at the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Ukraine provided Japan with lists of recovered components that had been manufactured by some of Japan’s biggest companies: Nippon Electric Corp., Panasonic, Toshiba and others. There was no evidence in those documents that the companies knowingly sold their products to Russia, as opposed to being shipped to other countries and resold.

All companies denied wrongdoing and said they were committed to complying with Japan’s economic sanctions and trade restrictions. Nippon said the electric components that Ukraine had identified were old and had not been sold by the company in years. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it had issued warnings to companies and industry groups about sanction evasion efforts. It has also blacklisted dozens of overseas entities it suspects of helping Russia circumvent export bans. Western officials beyond Ukraine have warned the Japanese government about Russian intelligence efforts to procure its technology. They also provided Japanese authorities with information about the network of companies, including Proco, that intelligence officials suspected of helping spies ship sanctioned goods to Russia, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Although they have not acted against Filchenkov, Japanese officials have hardly been unsympathetic to Ukraine’s cause. On the day Putin launched the invasion, Japan joined the United States and European Union in imposing sanctions. It later broke with post-World War II precedent and began sending military aid like bulletproof vests and helmets to Ukraine. Under Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, the country has embarked on an ambitious program to bolster intelligence capabilities, in part to better prevent illegal exports and thwart spies. In January, the Tokyo police announced that they had uncovered a Russian intelligence officer who posed as a Ukrainian and tried to steal trade secrets from a Japanese worker. In the absence of espionage legislation, police brought a case against the worker for violating competition laws. The spy had left Japan long before the charges were brought. When Times reporters returned to the Aeroflot office a second time, Filchenkov was again not available. Messages to his Telegram and email accounts went unanswered. On a third drop-in, the woman who answered the door agreed to call him. The office was stuffed with large filing cabinets, each topped with a model Aeroflot jet. The venetian blinds were down. The woman appeared to be the only one there. After a brief phone conversation in Russian, she returned. Filchenkov, she said, did not want to talk. © The New York Times

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gates espionage. Western intelligence officials say that it is there, in the airline office, on the 22nd floor, that the 20th Directorate’s man in Tokyo runs his deadly operation. His name is Maksim Vladimirovich Filchenkov.

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Forgotten Her es

Sinking German U-Boats By Avi Heiligman

A German U-boat

n the opening months of American involvement in World War II, the German Kriegsmarine (Navy) sent longrange U-boats to attack Allied shipping off the Atlantic coast. The United States was woefully unprepared for this onslaught, lacking sufficient escort ships and adequate air cover for its merchant vessels, which often traveled alone. Finally, by mid-1942, proper defensive measures began to take shape, forcing German Admiral Karl Donitz to shift tactics. While hundreds of Allied merchant ships were sunk during this brutal campaign, there were a few notable American successes including the story of a Jewish sailor credited with sinking a U-boat off Cape Hatteras. The two primary ways to combat U-boats were air patrols and ships like destroyers designed to take on underwater threats. When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, they had 171 destroyers with 101 of them being deployed in the Atlantic. The USS Roper (DD-147) was a Wickes class destroyer and was one of 72 World War I-era destroyers in the U.S. Navy in late 1941. Although she was an older ship, the Roper was equipped with new radar. Since the outbreak of war in Europe, she had been assigned to patrol different areas, and after Pearl Harbor, she came back to Norfolk. After an escort run to England, she was assigned to patrol the East Coast of the United States and was one of the ships to rescue survivors from the passenger ship City of New York.

Bill Tepuni

On the night of April 13-14, 1942, the Roper, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Hamilton Howe, picked up a radar signal in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. The area was a hot spot for U-boats as it was a popular shipping lane with few adequate escort ships capable of taking on a German submarine. The radar signal came from the U-85, which tried to make a run for it while surfaced. The destroyer wanted to be absolutely sure that this was an enemy ship, and confirmation came when the U-85 sent a torpedo that just missed the Roper. The destroyer then shined its searchlight on the U-boat whose sailors were now observed rushing to their deck gun after firing, and missing, with their last two torpedoes. The Roper’s 3-inch guns began firing but had little success in finding their target. Then, Coxswain Harry Heyman’s No. 5 gun crew fired the decisive shot. Harry Heyman was a Jewish sailor from Steelton, Pennsylvania, who had only recently taken command of the No.5 gun. Heyman was credited with “spotting the shots” that scored a direct hit on the U-85’s conning tower near the waterline, breaching the pressure hull. The U-boat sank stern first, and the Roper was given credit for the first sinking of a U-boat by American naval forces during the Battle of the Atlantic. For his actions during the battle, Heyman was awarded the Silver Star and was given a citation by the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox.

The USS Roper

The distinction of sinking the first U-boat by an American crew is held by Ensign William “Bill” Tepuni and his crewmen. On March 1, 1942, six weeks before the Roper sank U-85, Tepuni, along with co-pilot Ensign A.P. Spencer, Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class T. S. Hawley and Aviation Radioman Second Class L. E. Griffin, were on a routine patrol mission. They were flying a Lockheed Hudson PBO1 with Patrol Squadron 82 (VP-82) when they spotted a submarine off the coast of Newfoundland. It was the U-656, and Tepuni quickly attacked the vessel as it rapidly submerged. The Hudson attacked with depth charges, and the submarine sank within five minutes. This was the first confirmed U-boat sinking by the United States, which provided a morale boost for the American public. Two weeks later, another Lockheed Hudson from VP-82 sank the U-503 not too far from the site of the first sinking. Tepuni was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions on March 1. Sadly, he was killed in March 1945 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire while leading a bombing attack on a Japanese midget submarine in the Philippines. Whenever possible, the United States Army Air Forces (it took until 1947 for the Air Force to become an independent branch of the military) sent planes on patrol to look for U-boats. On July 7, 1942, an A-29 Hudson (a variant of the Lockheed Hudson PBO-1) piloted by 2nd Lieutenant

Harry Kane of the 396th Bombardment Group spotted the U-701 off Cape Hatteras. The plane then performed a low-level attack and dropped three depth charges that scored direct hits. The U-boat soon sank, and Kane was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions. This was the first U-boat sunk by the Army Air Forces during the war and showed the effectiveness of increased air patrols over the Atlantic seaboard. After months of U-boats devastating Allied shipping in the Atlantic, critical countermeasures were implemented. A convoy system was established with no merchant ships allowed to travel alone, and blackouts were mandated for coastal cities so that German crews couldn’t use shore lights to pinpoint targets. Additionally, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was established, utilizing a variety of aircraft to spot and help eliminate the U-boat threat. In a very short period of time, the number of merchant vessels sunk by U-boats dropped dramatically. The Battle of the Atlantic lasted until the end of the war, and the service members who fought back against the U-boat menace left behind a legacy of victory that must never be forgotten.

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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INWOOD CO-OPS/CONDOS WOODMERE CO-OP

WOODMERE

Move-in condition high ranch in central Woodmere location. Fully renovated in 2018. Kosher eat-in kitchen, 5 beds, 3 baths. $7500/mo

CEDARHURST

Beautifully renovated and spacious rental. 6 beds, 3.5 baths. Huge fenced-in yard. Central location, close to all. $7895/ mo

PRICE IMPROVED

LAWRENCE

261 Central Ave 1st Floor, Large Entry Foyer, Open Concept Kitchen. Large LR/DR Overlooking the Courtyard $229K

LAWRENCE

240 Central Avenue Spacious 1 Bdrm 1 Bth Apt in Well Maintained Elevator Bldg with Terrace Overlooking Garden, Near All $229K

FAR ROCKAWAY

Welcome tos/h thiscol bi-level offering a bright open This spacious , in thehome prestigious village of woodsburgh, concept for modern living. Thesetting, main floor features sits on 1/2 layout acre property in a. most serene with beautiful waterviews, magnificent sunsets . Flr and banquet fdnr with , a sun filledand living room, dining room kitchen COMMERCIAL RENTAL! NEW! 9 ,Room Drbdrm officesuite Suite, Located breakfast rm, main level den /fpl master with his seamless flow for everyday living and entertaining. This inand theher Heart of Cedarhurst, room, Reception closets and bth + 4Spacious bdrms , waiting new bths, newly renovated home 3+2 bedrooms, including a home office Area andoffers Exam Rooms, alllaundry on Mainrm, Floor. Close to of Public finished basement with playrm, lots storage, or additional bedroom, plus a den/ playroom ideal for Transportation many special details thruout $1.9M+ $6,000 activities. 5 BEDROOMS 2 BATH $1.135 M

156 B 9th St Mint 2BR, 2 BTH Beachfront Condo PRICE ADJUSTMENT! This modern, well maintained with Wraparound Terrace, Magnificent professional medical building is ideal for doctors, Sunrise & Sunset dentists, chiropractors or a combination of professional $589K practices. Built in Apt 2004, single-Mint, story,Corner Class-A 29 Woodmere Blvd 2B this Renovated, 1 Bdrm property offersSpacious flexibleEat space designed for efficient with 9ft Ceilings. In Kitchen, 2 Sinks, Granite flow and comfortable work areas. Situated on a level Counter tops and S.S. Appliances.Large Lvgrm/Dnr and Largelot, the building features a large private parking lot with 18 Bdrm/BR with Lots of Windows dedicated$299K spaces. Call for details !! REDUCED

WOODMERE

Beautiful brick center hall colonial in prestigious Academy Area. 4 beds, 3 full baths. CAC. Great block! $8,000/ mo

LAWRENCE

Legal 2-family home on oversized 8600 sq ft lot. Multi-vehicle parking. Great location, close to many shuls & shopping. Asking $1.499M $1.299M

JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com • text 443-929-4003

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com • text 443-929-4003

HELP WANTED

MISC.

YESHIVA OF GREAT NECK Boys Yeshiva High School. seeking qualified Algebra instructor to provide small group tutoring for two separate student groups. Position involves two afternoon periods daily, in a structured environment. Exceptional Compensation. E-mail recruitment@yeshivaofgreatneck.org

BROOKLYN BASED

UPSCALE EVENING & Ready-to-Wear Boutique opening on Central Ave seeks fashion-forward, friendly sales associates with retail experience. Full-time & Part-time. Text/WhatsApp 718-310-8550.

SHMIRAS HALASHON

MDS REGIONAL NURSE 5 Towns area Nursing Home management office seeking a Regional/Corporate level MDS Nurse to work in our office. Must be an RN. Regional experience preferred. 2-3 years MDS experience with good computer skills required. Position is Full Time but Part Time can be considered. Great Shomer Shabbos environment with some remote options as well. Email: officejob2019@gmail.com

Building maintenance company seeks outside accounts manager Please email resume to ap@dependableplastic.com

YESHIVA OF GREAT NECK Boys Yeshiva High School. seeking qualified high school science teacher to instruct three periods of core sciences, in supportive and structured environment. Hours begin after 3:00 pm. Strong content knowledge and teacher experience required. Competitive Compensation. E-mail recruitment@ yeshivaofgreatneck.org

JOIN THE ZAREINU TEAM! Our small, special education classes are in yeshivas and Bais Yaakov’s in Far Rockaway and the Five Towns. For the 2026-2027 school year, Zareinu is seeking: PM Special Education Secular Studies Teachers for middle school boys class AM Rebbe Assistants for boys classes P/T or F/T Assistants for boys classes Highly competitive salary and caring, supportive administration. Send resume to info@zareinu.org / or call Rabbi Lepolstat at 516-993-2142 for further information.

Text 516-303-3868 with a time slot of your choice to be careful on lashon hara. Be a part of the 1,000 people for klal yisroel!

BEIS HAMEDRASH CONG. Chasdei Uvois Oshpitzin Talmidei chachomim are willing to learn mishnayos, say kaddish and be the shliach tzibbur to daven for the umid on the yartzeit yom hashanah of your parents or close relatives or loved ones To arrange please call Rabbi Miller 917-445-6220

We put the “Pro” in

Property!

FAR ROCKAWAY

WOODMERE

2 family luxury townhouses on the beach, private balconies, access to private beach and dock. Ayelet (516)993-9561 STARTING AT $1.15M

2br/2bth spacious condo with private porch, easy access to the shoreline. Chava Rina (929)352-3858 $529K

Fully renovated & beautifully redesigned home 5 spacious bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. Raizie (917) 903-1778 $2.999M

HEWLETT NECK

CEDARHURST

LAWRENCE

Exceptional custom Colonial featuring 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths on a 30,056 sf lot. Avigail (516)316-3452 $4.15M

8 bedroom, 6.5 bath, Newly designed custom home, on a 6,000sqft lot Bryna (516)322-4831, Chana (516)449-9692 $2.99M

Side hall colonial- 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, overlooking a picturesque rear yard Tamar (917)902-0613 $1.699M

Welcome to this perfect resort like home, 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms on a 25,047sqft lot. Avigail (516)316-3452 $2.9M

Move-in-ready completed new construction features 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, on a 6,000sf lot. Avigail (516)316-3452 $2.39M

Beautifully renovated expanded split featuring 4-bedroom, 2full and 2 Half Baths. Miri (646)515-8813 $7,500/M

Spacious five-bedroom, three-bath Colonial in sought-after District 15 in Woodsburgh. Sarah (347)524-9147 $1.775M

Magnificent waterfront property in prime Hewlett Neck. offers rare privacy and sweeping open views, Avigail (516)316-3452 $3.299M

Beautifully renovated 5 bedroom, 3 full bath splanch in an unbeatable location. Miri (646)515-8813 $1.625M

Newly constructed Commercial Building. 4/5 offices per suite includes a breakroom, private bathroom and parking. Raizie (917) 903-1778

Beautiful sun-drenched split-level, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths Nestled on a quiet, tree-lined block. Chana (516)449-9692 $1.499M

Commercial Storfront in the heart of Cedarhurst. Moshe (516)455-5364 $7,500/M

HALLANDALE BEACH

MIAMI-MiMo District

additional units available

The Olympus- 2 bedroom, 2 baths, Kayla (347) 729-9863 Chana (516)449-9692 $274K

4 bedrooms, 2 baths, Moshe (443) 630-2006 $985K

2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, Chaim (516) 262-2144 $225K

LAWRENCE

NORTH WOODMERE

CEDARHURST

Don Miller

Tamar Miller

Hollywood, Florida (954) 300-3142 MillerRealtySouth.com

WOODMERE

HEWLETT NECK

WOODMERE

CEDARHURST

NORTH WOODMERE

CEDARHURST

DEERFIELD BEACH

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JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

27 Frost Lane Lawrence, NY 11559 (516) 374-4100 www.ftmr.com

FR- SALTMEADOW TOWNHOMES

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The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

Life C ach

Home Sweet Home By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

any of us are mourning for a house. The house we lost, the house we want, the house we need, certainly the house we can’t afford. Even, the house we dreamed of, or longed for, or grew up in. And very often, it’s the house we need to fix up or worse, the one that’s getting completely destroyed. Now, stop for a minute — and feel G-d’s pain. No house anymore! It’s been a long time since He’s had his own place. Sure, He can dwell in each of us. But how nice is it to have a place to host the people you love?! That’s what’s going on here. We are mourning that place we could be hosted. The wrecking ball hit many years back, and we are still waiting for the builder to show up. And many of us know what that’s like. Once they take a break, it can be forever till the contractors return. And there’s

usually no way to incentivize them. We just need to get lucky! But guess what the good news is? In the present situation, we can play a part in getting things back on track.

Though, to be honest, we do need to accumulate building blocks. And they can get pretty heavy. But they are actually accumulated in action steps:

The wrecking ball hit many years back, and we are still waiting for the builder to show up.

I’m not saying we need to grab shovels or tractors or pay the cost of a floor plan. Our part is way less burdensome, in some ways. We need to be proactive, and yes, it might even entail time and money. But it’s way more behavioral than it is physical. We need to step up our game.

Learning, doing, giving, and growing. Yet, the payoff is huge. A house for all seasons. A house that fits everyone – miraculously. A house fit for a king. That actually houses a King. And a house that would be in a very

coveted spot. This house would be on a hugely valuable piece of real estate. We can actually get this house to merely show up. Fully built! Like it was dropped from the sky! “Houwse” that for miraculous?! We may not be trained as builders, but we are wired as them. So, let’s each of us plan to create a new brick to help bring the house that we can all share to our homeland. Mourning has broken! Let’s bring a new Morning. A brighter, lighter one. With the addition of a home “holy” built for all of us!

Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certifie d relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail.com.

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JULY 22, 2026 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | JULY 22, 2026

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