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THE JEWISH-AMERICAN Warrior Bringing the light of to those who serve

Tishrei 5782 6 A General’s View of 14 Healing with Horses Fall 2021 the US Army’s Jewish 24 Treasure in the Basement Community The Jewish-American Warrior A Word from the Endorser Published bi-monthly by The Aleph Institute Dear Reader, 9540 Collins Avenue Rosh Hashanah is known by other names in our Torah, among which are Yom Surfside, Florida 33154 Hadin — the day of Judgement, Yom Hazikaron — the day of Remembrance and Tel: (305) 864-5553 Yom Teruah — the day of sounding the Shofar. Each of these names join in pro- Fax: (305) 864-5675 viding us with a beautiful and inspiring lesson for the New Year. They help us www.aleph-institute.org to formulate powerful and what should be enduring resolutions for the coming year. Copyright © 2021 Yom HaZikaron summons us to reflect on the deeds of the past year. Yom Teruah The Aleph Institute calls us to wake up and to contemplate the new year’s potential and Yom Hadin All rights reserved reminds us that all actions have their consequences, good or bad; while the genius of the takes us one step further. The word Shanah, as in Editor in Chief Rosh Hashanah, although normally translated “year,” can have two other mean- Menachem Katz ings. Shanah can also mean change or repetition. As we reflect on the deeds of the year nearly gone by we can decide to repeat them if good, or if bad and unac- Editor ceptable to change and abandon them. Rabbi Elie Estrin The Almighty endowed us with a precious gift, the gift of free choice, ideally Send inquiries, subscription informed by Torah values. The paths we follow, the choices we make are all up inquiries and address changes to us. to: [email protected] K’siva V’Chasima Tovah May you and yours be inscribed in The Book of Life for a happy, healthy and pros- Opinions expressed in the Jewish- American Warrior do not necessarily perous New Year. reflect opinions or policies of The Aleph Institute. Rabbi Sanford L. Dresin Chaplain (COL) USA Ret Director of Military Programs - Endorser A Message from the Rebbe

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah I extend my prayerful wishes to my brethren, every and Jewess in the midst of our people , the time hallowed traditional bless- ing of “Shono toivo umesuko”—a good and sweet year. The Jewish-American Warrior Published bi-monthly by The celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson year, has been ordained by our Torah to take place on the therewith to illuminate his entire being and to guide him The Aleph Institute anniversary of the Creation, but not on the first day of Cre- in his daily living to a life inspired by Torah and Mitzvot. 9540 Collins Avenue ation. It has been made to coincide with the sixth day of Surfside, Florida 33154 Creation, the day when Man was created. On Rosh Hashanah man stands not only before the Divine Tel: (305) 864-5553 The significance of this day, and of this event, is not in the Judgment, but also before his own. Fax: (305) 864-5675 fact that a new creature was added to Creation, a creature The verdict of his own judgment, with regard to the future, www.aleph-institute.org one plane higher than the rest of the animal kingdom, as must be: that he takes upon himself to fulfill his duty, that the animal is superior to plant, and plant to mineral. is, to work for the fulfillment—in himself and in his sur- Copyright © 2021 The significance lies in the fact that the new creature— roundings—of the call: The Aleph Institute Man—was essentially different from the others. “Come, let us worship, bow down and kneel before G‑d our All rights reserved For it was man who recognized the Creator in and through Maker,” a call for absolute submission to G‑d first sounded Creation, and, what is more, brought about the elevation by the first man, Adam, on the day of his creation, on the Editor in Chief of the entire Creation to that recognition and thus to the first Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Menachem Katz fulfillment of its Divine design and purpose. Since such This can be attained only through a life inspired and recognition and appreciation of the Creator is the ulti- guided by the Torah. Editor mate purpose of the Creation. Rabbi Elie Estrin And that he must once and for all abandon the opposite One of the main distinguishing features which set Man road, which can only lead to destruction and doom. apart from all other creatures, is the free choice of action Send inquiries, subscription Let no one think: who am I and what am I to have such tre- which the Creator bestowed upon him. inquiries and address changes mendous powers of building or destruction. Man can use this special Divine gift in two opposing to: [email protected] For we have seen—to our sorrow—what even a small directions: he may, G‑d forbid, choose the way leading to quantity of matter can do in the way of destruction Opinions expressed in the Jewish- self-destruction and the destruction of everything around through the release of atomic energy. If such power is con- American Warrior do not necessarily him; or, he can choose the right way of life, which would reflect opinions or policies of The cealed in a small quantity of matter—for destructiveness, elevate him and the Creation with him to the highest pos- Aleph Institute. in denial of the design and purpose of Creation, how much sible perfection. greater, is the creative power entrusted to every individ- And to help us recognize and choose the right path, we ual to work in harmony with the Divine purpose, for in this were given the Torah, which is Divine and eternal, hence case one is also given special abilities and opportunities its teachings are valid for all times and in all places. by Divine Providence to attain the goal for which we have It is not possible for man to make his choice unaided, been created: the realization of a world in which “Each merely by virtue of his intellect, for the human intellect creature shall recognize that Thou didst create him, and is limited. The intellect can only serve to discover and every breathing soul shall declare: ‘G‑d, the G‑d of Israel, bring forth that inner absolute intuition and faith in things is King, and His reign is supreme over all.’” which lie beyond and above the realm of the intellect; the With the blessing of Kesiva vachasima toiva. faith and intuition which are the heritage of every Jew, From the Rebbe’s Rosh Hashanah Message for 5715 (1955)

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 3 Latest Updates From Aleph

• The 2022 Aleph Military Conference will discussions, short Torah videos from chaplains, take place at the new and expanded Shul Zoom class opportunities, and friendship! of Bal Harbour, from February 9-13. Don’t miss this chance to spend several days with other in uniform, including more • With our partnership with JNet, we can Jewish military chaplains than you knew find you a Torah study partner, for the existed! LOI will be released soon. Email subject and at a time of your choosing! Go [email protected] to pre-register. to www.JNet.org for more information.

• Congratulations Ch, Maj Elie Estrin (USAFR) • Do you and your family have a letter in on his promotion! Ch Estrin also gets a a Torah scroll? Participate in the Healing mazal tov on the release of his new book, Hearts Torah for just $1.00 per letter. This “of Medicine, Miracles and Mindsets,” special is one that brings very special released by Mosaica Press. That book is blessings along with! Go to https://hhflorida. about his remarkable experience with com/torah/ for more information. You can also his son with complex congenital cardiac have your children purchase a letter for that disease, and the lessons learned. A must amount in the International Jewish Children’s read! Go to www.MedicineMiraclesMindsets. Torah! Go to www.kidstorah.org for more com for more information. information about this beautiful project.

• We would like to keep Jewish chaplains and • We are always looking for article Lay Leaders aware of all the Jews in their AOR. contributions, no matter the rank, Please provide us with your latest PCS moves no matter the branch! Tell us about as soon as they occur, so we can make sure you your military experiences and Jewish are kept in touch with the Jewish community reflections. Please email submissions nearest you, and make sure you do not miss to [email protected]. an issue of the Jewish-American Warrior. • Enjoy the content? Get more Jewish • Is there just a small Jewish community military content on a regular basis! We near you? Looking for more fellow Jews post articles, information, stories and to interact with? Join the Jewish Service links several times a week. “Like” our Member Whatsapp or Signal groups! Send a Facebook page @JewishAmericanWarrior! text message with your name to Rabbi Estrin, at 206-267-8764 and join our group, for

4 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR Latest Updates A General’s View of the US Army’s Jewish Community

by MG Jeff Jacobs, USAR, Ret

AS A SECOND-GENERATION Jewish American viding Passover care packages, prayer books, soldier, I’ve been a part of the Army Jewish and other Jewish essentials. Aleph was at the community my whole life. I was tutored for forefront of convincing the Army to change its my bar mitzvah by an Army rabbi (and, true to policy to allow beards for religious reasons. form, the Army issued short-notice orders to But some of the changes I’ve seen in the Army my dad a few months before my bar mitzvah, Jewish community concern me (and my ob- so my mom threw away the printed invitations, servations here are limited to the Army). And we moved, and I had to learn a new haftarah). when I say “in the Army Jewish community,” On various deployments, I’ve led services in a the key word is “community.” The efforts by tent in Haiti and attended them in the old city many organizations and individuals to better of , in a bullet-riddled in care for Jewish soldiers are laudable, but most Sarajevo, and in Saddam Hussein’s palace. All of these efforts are focused on individuals. On in all, I spent 18 years as a Jewish “Army brat,” the flip side, I’ve seen a subtle but steady de- four years as a Jewish cadet at West Point, and cline of the Army Jewish community as a whole 35 years as a Jewish Army . I’ve contin- and of individual Jewish communities on Army ued to be active in the Army Jewish commu- installations. I’d like to focus my observations nity my since my retirement seven years ago. on these issues, for as we know, kehillah— As you might expect, I’ve seen the Army Jewish community—is the fundamental organization- community change in the over six decades I’ve al structure of Jewish life. been a member of it. Many of these changes are I’ll cite three examples. First, as a Jewish mili- for the better. Not all that long ago, the Jewish tary child, I received the foundation of my Welfare Board was the only organization de- Jewish education on Army posts—and there voted to caring for Jewish soldiers. Today, was a Jewish chaplain assigned to every post I there are several more organizations that join lived on as a child, with the exception of one of JWB in supporting Jewish servicemembers the smallest posts in the Army (and even there, and their families by, among other things, pro- a Jewish chaplain assigned to the post as a

6 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR student at the Army’s Command and General mandatory, and Jewish cadets attend Friday Staff College nonetheless assumed the role of evening services in the only synagogue (as op- the post Jewish chaplain). Religious education posed to a military chapel) on a United States programs for Jewish children were at one time Army installation. ubiquitous throughout the Army, just as they Similarly, in the early days of my career, Friday are in civilian Jewish communities, usually su- evening services were conducted on every pervised by the chaplain and staffed by Jewish Army post. Even basic trainees were afforded soldiers and their spouses. the opportunity to attend services— That paradigm is largely gone. Army posts even if it meant transporting them to an off- with education programs for Jewish children post synagogue. On many training installations are now the exception rather than the rule. today, however, Shabbat services are no more. Jewish Army families are often left to fend for Training schedules for basic training mandate themselves when it comes to educating their religious services for Sundays, so that’s when kids Jewishly—and remember that many Army Jewish services are conducted. I’ve had an in- posts are not located in or near major civilian stallation chaplain tell me, point blank, that he Jewish communities. felt no need to institute Jewish services on his Likewise, I’m increasingly concerned about the post on Shabbat. viability of Shabbat services on some Army installations. I fear that, as a community, we’re regressing. In historical terms, it wasn’t all that long ago (at least from my perspective!) that chapel was mandatory for cadets at West Point, and Jewish cadets were forced to choose between attending either Protestant or Catholic services on Sunday morn- ings. There were no Jewish services. That eventually changed, but chapel was still mandatory and was still on Sunday mornings; Jewish cadets still were denied the opportunity to attend Shab- bat services. That eventually changed, too; Jewish cadets, even during initial training for incoming cadets, were afforded the opportunity to attend Shabbat services, albeit, in my day, in a chem- istry lab. Chapel is no longer

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 7 Finally, there is the overarching issue of where Army Chaplain School—instructs chaplains the Army Jewish community fits into the larger to offer public prayers in their own religious Army religious community. I worry that many traditions (and that chaplain also complained would like to make that larger community less about Christians being persecuted for ex- pluralistic and inclusive, and more Christian. pressing their religion publicly—forgive me Take, for example, the issue of public prayer, for noting here the irony of a member of the usually an invocation or benediction at a cere- Christian clergy complaining to a Jew about re- mony. Until recently, the Army stressed, espe- ligious persecution). cially to its chaplains, that such prayers should As much as I’m delighted by the good changes be inclusive and nonsectarian. Throughout the I’ve seen in the Army Jewish community, I’m majority of my career, if I voiced my objection concerned about the not-so-good changes. to an Army chaplain who offered an overtly Some of these changes are rightly attribut- Christian prayer, the chaplain’s response was able to societal transformation and to the de- almost always an apology, and often a “thank mographic evolution of the American Jewish you” for reminding them that there were Jews community. But that doesn’t make them any (and other non-Christians) in the Army. less worrisome to me. Today, however, such an objection to many a Those societal and demographic changes, I be- Christian chaplain is as likely to met with in- lieve, are largely responsible for producing a dignation and defensiveness as with an apol- Christian chaplain corps in the Army today— that is, the overwhelming majority of Army chaplains—that is much less familiar with Ju- daism, and therefore much less attuned to the “The two things spiritual needs of the Army Jewish communi- ties that those chaplains are there to support, that define me as than the forebears of those chaplains were. I a person are being read an anecdote not long ago in a Jewish vet- erans’ publication that described a Christian a Jew and being an Navy chaplain directing a nonobservant Jewish servicemember to arrange and conduct a Pass- American soldier.” over Seder for the Jewish soldiers aboard the chaplain’s ship. That chaplain participated in the Seder because he knew Hebrew and the Jewish sailor did not. Those days are, for the ogy. As a senior commander, I had an informal most part, past—and not just the part about policy that public prayers at mandatory events the Christian chaplain knowing Hebrew, but could be offered within my command only by also the part about the Christian chaplain chaplains, because I trusted chaplains to un- knowing about the Seder and ensuring, on his derstand the importance of pluralism and in- own initiative, that Jewish personnel had a clusiveness. Were I a commander today, I would Seder to attend. I don’t know the answer to this no longer have that implicit trust. Indeed, I re- question, but I wonder how many Jewish basic cently had a conversation with a very senior trainees on Army posts without a Jewish chap- and influential Army chaplain, who expressed lain were denied the opportunity to partici- to me that overtly Christian prayers are just pate in any High Holiday experience last year fine, that no one can tell a chaplain how to because of the combination of the pandemic pray, and that the Army Chaplain School—the and installation chaplains who were not fa-

8 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR miliar enough with to understand the tion we once did (not exactly an apples-to- significance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. apples comparison, I realize, but nonetheless Positive changes aside, these other changes, true). in my view, are not okay. We as the military For all the positive change that I’ve seen, I be- Jewish community should not accept them in lieve that we, the military Jewish community, silence; the leaders of the Army’s Jewish com- have some work to do. But that said, I still feel munity and of the Army’s Jewish communities, the same way now as I did about 12 years ago, chaplains and others alike, need to address when I was privileged to be the speaker for the them head on. Similarly, outside organizations 25th anniversary celebration of the dedication need to understand this dynamic and get in- of the West Point Jewish chapel. I said then volved when feasible and appropriate. Those that the two things that define me as a person organizations might consider using their influ- are being a Jew and being an American soldier. ence to focus externally as well as internally, I’m still proud to call myself a Jewish American with the aim of raising the profile of the Army soldier. n

Jewish community within the larger Army reli- Maj. Gen. Jeffrey A. Jacobs, US Army (Ret.), graduated from gious community, and, importantly, within the West Point in 1979 and served for 35 years in all three com- civilian Jewish community. ponents of the United States Army as an and civil What’s more, I wonder whether these chang- affairs officer. He serves as the Jewish lay leader at Fort Jack- es—societal, demographic, and otherwise— son, South Carolina and as a vice president and member of have affected and will continue to affect - ef the board of directors of the West Point Jewish Chapel Fund. forts to recruit and retain Jewish soldiers. Yes, He is also the ba’al korei and occasional shaliach tzibbur for we Jews proudly serve as American soldiers, Beth Shalom Synagogue in Columbia, South Carolina. as we have for the entire 246 years of the US Army’s history—but not nearly in the propor-

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 9 Jews in American

NAME: LCDR Edward Feldman, USN TIMEFRAME: Vietnam War

Edward Feldman was born on February 26, 1941 into an already accomplished military family; of his two uncles in the military, one had earned 2 bronze stars, and a cousin had received the Distinguished Flying Cross on two separate occasions. With plenty of famil- ial inspiration around him, Feldman dreamed of being an Infantry Marine. Instead, Feldman pursued a career in medicine. He received his B.S. from Columbia University in 1962, and once he graduated from medical school he joined the U.S. Navy Reserves, and was assigned as a Marine Corps doctor. Feldman deployed to Vietnam, where he was a Navy surgeon in combat zones. Then-Lieutenant Feldman would receive a Silver Star for an unbelievable act of cool and heroism while in a combat zone. Feldman arrived at the Khe Sanh Combat Base on January 3, 1968, eighteen days before the beginning of the Khe Sanh Siege. On Janu- ary 21, 1968, the battle began. Feldman had just finished settling into an underground bunker, when within a matter of minutes he received his first patient, while the post came under attack from Vietnamese forces. His patient was a young private who had been struck with an explosive piece of mortar shell. Feldman and his peers believed they only had about 45 minutes before the shell set off in the private’s abdomen, put- ting the rest of the post in danger. LT Feldman’s Silver Star citation reads: “Quickly assessing the situation, Lieutenant Feldman directed the erection of a sandbag barricade around the patient over which he would attempt to operate and summoned

10 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR an ordnance expert to identify the object and assist in removing the sus- pected explosive device from the injured man. Disregarding his own safety, Lieutenant Feldman removed his helmet and armored vest and exposed him- self to the danger of a possible explosion as he began to operate. Displaying exceptional professional ability while performing the delicate surgery under flashlights, he succeeded in removing the live round from the Marine and di- rected an assistant to carry it outside for disposal. By his courage, exceptional professionalism and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk, Lieuten- ant Feldman undoubtedly saved the life of a Marine and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.” Lieutenant Feldman also took control over medical procedures while in a different active combat zone. In September 1968, as a triage officer at the Marine medical facility in Quang Tri, he was medevaced to the scene of a vi- cious firefight. As he began administering aid, Feldman realized that all the unit’s officers and senior NCOs were either wounded or killed in action. He immediately took command, reorganizing the remaining troops and vehicles into a defensive perimeter, inside which he began to evaluate and treat the injured. He called for the evacuation of the wounded and dead, and refused to be evacuated himself, staying with his men throughout the night until the Army replaced him the next day. He was later awarded a Bronze Star for Valor for this action. His courageous actions and fearless leadership throughout his military career earned him multiple awards and decorations, including the Silver Star; Bronze Star with Combat V. Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry; Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon; Presidential Unit Citation: Vietnamese Campaign Ribbon with 3 battle stars; Vietnamese Service Ribbon; and Navy Unit Citation. Edward Feldman remains the only Osteopath to be awarded a Silver Star for heroism. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Medi- cal Corps before retiring. In his post-military career, he taught at New Jersey Medical School and Western University in Pomona, CA, and was the nation- al surgeon of the Jewish War Veterans for a period of time. Feldman passed away on October 3, 2017 at the age of 76. He is buried at the Miramar National Cemetery. With thanks to the National Museum for Jewish American Military History for the information in this article.

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 11 Samuel & Me by CPT Lindsay Gabow, USA

“WHY DON’T YOU GET OUT OF HERE, Jew bastard?” The eighteen-year-old sailor realized he was alone in the galley as the belligerent NCO advanced on him. He reacted quickly, instinctively. Grabbing a kitchen knife from the table, he threw the makeshift weapon at his shipmate, narrowly missing him. Amid the din of a few glass plates shattering, the NCO grudgingly backed away. Maybe he was rabidly antisemitic. Maybe he just wanted to fight. In any case, the sailor, one of the few wearing dog tags inscribed with the letter “H” for Hebrew, had an older friend on the ship. This friend, a tall Polish petty officer, confronted the sailor’s aggressor. “You touch the kid, I throw you overboard.” The sailor was not threatened again. The year was 1945, and the destroyer escort ship sailed near Guam. The sailor’s name was Samuel Gabow. He was my grandfather. 68 years and two generations later, my grandfather sat across from his second-oldest grandchild on his wood deck in Rockland, New York. Unlike the World War Two West Pacific, Rockland contains a vibrant Jewish population. While my grandfather was not especially observant, I suspect he and my grandmother wanted to raise their three sons in a place that felt familiar. His granddaughter, a beneficiary of this decision, was devouring perhaps the best bagel with lox in the Tri-State area. Samuel, whose appetite over time shifted from food to liquor, nursed his signature beverage - Grey Goose on the rocks. “Are you ready?” He asked. The question stood alone, but his granddaughter understood immediately. “I think so. I’ve been breaking in the combat boots.” The following week, she would start Cadet Basic Training, otherwise known as Beast Barracks, at West Point. Despite her sanguine response, she did not feel ready at all. Aside from the occasional bagel and lox, she had spent the sliver of the summer vacation she had battling self-destructive thoughts. You don’t belong at West Point. You’re not going to last through Beast. You’re just an insular suburban kid who can barely handle a kitchen knife - you really think you’ll figure out a firearm? Samuel reached over and squeezed his granddaughter’s hand. “You are going to be just fine.” Of course, she could not fool him. He knew her better than anyone else. I wonder, now, if he understood just how much influence he wielded over the most important decisions

12 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR I’ve made in my life thus far. To my knowledge, Dead Sea. I remember meeting one of the U.S. my grandfather valued only two things - his Army’s very few Orthodox Jewish Chaplains, family and his military service. Sort of a mis- who, by sheer happenstance, was assigned to anthrope, Samuel had a lot of love to give, but my first unit. Despite my decidedly unortho- to a vanishingly small group of people. By his dox lifestyle, Chaplain Mendy Stern and his late 80s, through a combination of death and beautiful family embraced me as their own. estrangement, Samuel cared only for his bride, I am deeply indebted to these fearless Jewish his sons, and a few grandchildren. figures in uniform. They have shaped me as an And how I desperately wanted to make him Officer and a Jew. The aforementioned discom- proud. I practically lived for it. I clung to every fort aside, I attribute my now strong sense of word of every tragic story he shared of his an- Jewish identity to the military. Compared to cestors. captures Jewish collec- most American institutions, the military re- tive conscience like nothing else. We were no mains a bastion of religion. While Protestant exception. Samuel’s father, a young Russian Christianity dominates the Chaplain Corps immigrant named Louis Gabovitz, lost his sur- - and, to a lesser extent, the Armed Forces name and his respiratory health between the generally - the military goes uniquely great xenophobic Ellis Island lengths for most recog- officials and mustard gas nized religions. Over the on the Western Front. past nine years, I have His wife’s family decided always enjoyed the abil- to stick it out in ; ity to explore my Jewish surely the Nazis were just faith. Had I pursued a ci- a phase. Their fate was a vilian path at age eigh- barrage of bullets on Yom teen instead, I wonder if Kippur of 1942. At least my Jewishness would be they went quickly. a focal point in my life. To be in the same organi- A Jewish boy from Brook- zation that defeated Nazi lyn, my grandfather did and liberated Dachau! The thought not face the same reception in the military. He stirs me even nine years later, a Captain re- bore the burden of antisemitism so I did not peatedly chastened by the Army’s blunt force have to. of reality. Indeed, my Army experience has not My grandfather passed away on September been effortless. Many of my seemingly hyper- 15th, 2019. I often listen to a single voicemail bolic concerns before Beast Barracks material- I saved, for fear of forgetting his touchingly la- ized. They still do. I sometimes liken my Army bored voice. career to an ill-fitting pair of pants. It often “Lindsay, it’s Grandpa. I was just calling to doesn’t feel quite right. check up on you. But I know you’re busy. You But distinct moments of belonging punctu- don’t have to call back right now. God love you; ate this muted discomfort. I recall visiting the we love you.” Jewish Chapel during Beast. The second time I God love you. This was the first and only time had frequented a synagogue in my life (after a I heard my grandfather use that expression. I cousin’s Bar Mitzvah), Jewish Chaplain’s Time cling to it stubbornly, a reminder of his faith. provided the only reprieve in an otherwise un- Unassuming, unpretentious, yet unwavering - pleasant experience. I remember the Military just like him. n Birthright Israel trip in 2013, standing in awe before the Western Wall and floating in the

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 13 Healing with Horses CH (CPT) Michael Harari’s innovative work with soldiers and animals

14 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR WHEN CH (CPT) MICHAEL HARARI JOINED the Army in 2017, he never imagined that horses would become part of his military service. He had worked with horses for many years lead- ing up to that point, helping teens learn to ride at the Jewish Boy Scout summer program he founded and teaching his own children to ride and care for horses. But with the support of a two star general and the aid of several prestigious equine organizations, CH Harari has found himself working with horses once again—this time to benefit soldiers. This new equine adventure started three years ago when CH Harari purchased a quarter horse named Rebel from a woman looking to downsize. The Harari children immediately experienced the positive effects of caring for a horse. But for CH Harari’s wife, Mishi, those effects were not immediate. “In the beginning I was terrified to go near Rebel,” she says. “But when I started taking care of him, I realized that he’s really very gentle.” Mishi de- scribes Rebel as huge but sweet, and extremely intuitive. “The internal transformation I had was amazing. When my husband was away on a deployment, I found that I had a desire to go see Rebel on a particularly difficult day, just to be with him and get emotional sup- port. It is funny because I’m not an animal person by nature. But that’s the effect horses have.” With his gentle nature, Rebel offers sensory support as well as a calm, soothing presence. Whenever the family visits, Rebel kicks and bucks his head at the sight of their car. He greets them with a powerful snort, and then lowers his head to each child’s level when they move to pet or brush his chestnut brown fur. Four-year-old Avraham Harari even rides Rebel bareback, turning and twisting to match his movements to the horse. Seeing the incredible support that Rebel provides his family, CH Harari started thinking about how much his soldiers would benefit from horses—whether those suffering from trauma and dealing with anger, guilt, anxiety, sleeplessness, or simply a hard day. He felt that the calming, intuitive presence of a horse could alleviate their stresses and even im- prove their overall health. After inviting soldiers to hang out with Rebel and other horses, CH Harari studied the way soldiers interacted with the horses and how the horses responded. Seeing connections form, CH Harari was compelled to learn more about how horses help people heal and elicit other powerful emotions. In one instance, he observed how a horse walked away from a soldier who was speaking in a disingenuous way, but shockingly, came back to the soldier

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 15 when she began speaking more sincerely for a day,’” Iannucci explains. “This is a pro- after being called out by an instructor. gram where you rebuild the narrative of “Horses are able to pick up on who we are,” who you are now and reconnect through Mishi Harari explains. “If we’re acting fake, the horse. Participants take an active role they know it. If we’re acting honest and in the process, which takes a lot of cour- open and real, they know it as well.” age.” After purchasing Rebel, CH Harari con- When they returned home to Fort Riley, CH nected with Rick Iannucci of Horses for Harari started pairing soldiers in his battal- Heroes in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Horses ion with horses at a local ranch. Seeing the for Heroes is a nonprofit that works with tremendous positive effect the horses had post -9/11 veterans who suffer from PTSD, on soldiers, CH Harari’s command team anxiety, and stress, and sustained injuries then sent him to the Air Force Academy’s or combat trauma. At this program, veter- Remount program. The Remount Founda- ans learn to recuperate and reintegrate, tion, a nonprofit run by volunteers and using their senses and self-discovery with fueled by donations, focuses on experien- the help of Rick’s horses. Iannucci and CH tial learning, turning equine behaviors into Harari began a correspondence that lasted metaphors for life that help soldiers rein- over several years until they finally met in tegrate to their communities. By studying person at Rick’s ranch this past year. the horses’ behavior and how they deal “Getting to know Rick was a critical part of with stress, soldiers learn to mimic those my initiative,” CH Harari explains. “When I behaviors for incredible healing results. brought up the idea of bringing active duty The OK Corral Series was brought aboard soldiers to the ranch to help them develop to run the clinic, and CH Harari was trained skills to deal with their stress and trauma, and certified in equine assisted learning. Rick quickly got on board.” Since his trip to the Air Force Academy, CH CH Harari felt that equine therapy would Harari continues to use equine therapy be a perfect fit for the Victory Wellness within his battalion. With the support of program at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he is Major General Sims and others, he is cur- stationed with the Iron Rangers 1-16 In- rently working on expanding the program fantry. Major General Douglas Sims, com- to the division level. He intends to launch manding general of the 1st ID, had created a satellite of the Remount program at Fort the Victory Wellness program as a monthly Riley soon. event to promote soldiers’ wellbeing, and If you ask CH Harari about his work with engage in competitive games, workshops, horses and the way they provide direction cookouts, and more. The instructions are through life’s challenges, he’ll laugh as he simple: to have fun. CH Harari added horses says, “I am not a professional equine thera- to the mix, where they became an immedi- pist, but my horse is!” n ate hit. With the support of his command team, CH Harari took a small group of sol- diers to Rick’s ranch in New Mexico for a weekend of down-home cowboy wellness. “This isn’t ‘come ride a horse and feel good

16 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR Navigating the Field Lessons from a Junior Field Artillery Officer

ALEPH TEAMED UP WITH CH, CAPT DOVID to escape. He responded, “We escaped all the GROSSMAN, USAF AUXILIARY, TO INTERVIEW time,” adding, “I personally escaped about 70 VETERAN MARC ERLICHMAN, WHO SERVED AS times, and it was because we drew straws.” A FIELD ARTILLERY OFFICER IN THE US ARMY Because it was the end of the war and the Ger- FROM 1983-1991. mans were losing, when my father was shot down they weren’t initially put in prison camps. WARRIOR: Tell us about your background. The Germans marched them through northern What was life like when you were growing up? Italy into Germany. The soldiers were weak CAPT. MARC ERLICHMAN (ME): My parents ad- and starving. The officers drew straws every opted me in the Cleveland area. We moved to day as to who would “escape.” They would run Niles, Illinois when I was three and settled in into the fields and “hide,” making the Germans Skokie, Illinois when I was seven. I had a stable chase them. When they caught the soldiers, home and a very suburban, normal life. My dad they would beat them and then pull them back was a World War II vet and POW. He had been into line. It was a delay tactic. They knew they shot down over Italy out of a B24 Liberator at weren’t going to get anywhere, but it allowed the end of the war. I grew up understanding everyone else to rest. what World War II was and we had a lot of dis- This was the last three months of the war, so cussions about it. he was a captive for just under 90 days. He WARRIOR: Do you have any stories from your later did a video interview about his experi- father that you’d like to share? ences, available through the county of Naples, ME: He was very proud of his service. We Florida. watched war movies together. When Great WARRIOR: That is fascinating. So what drew Escape came out I asked my dad if he ever tried you to the military?

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 17 ME: I was very athletic, played football, a little However, the order in which you are commis- basketball, and swam throughout high school. sioned will always follow you in the military, I attended Northern Michigan University on including promotions and duty assignments. half a scholarship that turned into an ROTC West Point is at the top of this list and North- scholarship. My dad was very supportive—it ern Michigan is at the bottom. By the time we was actually his idea. got to pick they said, “You can pick one non- I hadn’t intended to join the military. My dad combat arms, but the other four options have had some financial trouble in my first year of to be combat arms.” The last thing I selected college. His business was embezzled by his was field artillery and that’s what I ended up friend and business partner. I had to do some- with. It wasn’t much of a choice. thing extreme if I wanted to stay in college. I WARRIOR: So although you were initially moti- had always enjoyed reading about the Battle vated by financial reasons, you were fully com- of Midway and the Pacific so I was interested in mitted and made the best of your duty posi- the Navy. But Northern Michigan doesn’t have tion. Can you tell us about your service? a Naval ROTC, so I ended up joining the Army ME: I started out in Germany and spent my first ROTC. two years in Mainz attached to the 4-69 Armor. The way the officer corps works is you are as- I was their fire support officer, basically the signed a duty position out of ROTC. You get to only artillery guy there. I got to go out and play pick the branch of the Army you want to go into. with million-dollar “toys.” Then I worked with

18 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR 155 Howitzers and later in a radar battery. nate the Field Artillery section of the Division Within three years I had worked with armor, ar- plan. But I was also in charge of writing battle tillery, and radar. It was a very fast-paced and plans for course of action number two and all fun world. counter attacks. Colonel Hugh Shelton, who For my next duty assignment I joined the 101st ended up being Clinton’s chief-of-staff for the Airborne as it was the closest to Chicago. I had military, was General Peay’s second-in-com- really missed the Chicago Bears and wanted to mand of the 101st Airborne. He always wanted catch a game or two. Plus who doesn’t want to something a little different from course of join the 101st Airborne? Then I did air assault action number one, something reaction based, school and different jobs in the 101st: I was with more force in reserve so he could pull the Fire Support Officer for the- 1 101st AVN from somewhere if he needed. I heard that, so BN when the new Apaches came in. I also went I always added something that would give him to Panama with the more flexibility. 101st for jungle It was not much warfare training of a change from with the 2nd and what Major Mixon 320th Field Artil- expertly pre- lery and No Slack pared, but course Battalion. of action two won as the primary WARRIOR: Was course of action there a particular five out of the mentor that really seven times we made an impact for presented. Major you beyond your Mixon was very military career, in- gracious about cluding the way it as he was all you currently do about getting the business? job done, but we ME: My favorite joked a lot about officer was Major my winning. Benjamin Mixon. He WARRIOR: Can took us to Desert you give another Storm as the head example of how of G3 plans. That you improved guy was the most things for your honest, hardwork- unit? ing, family man—focused on his job, and so professional. For Desert Storm, our job was to ME: I had another commander with the radar write the order of battle for the entire 101st company where I was the XO (Executive Of- Airborne. Mixon was an infantry officer, so his ficer). Our readiness rating was terrible. The secondn -i -command, the Executive Officer of radars were notorious for not working. A the unit, was also infantry. They were always normal readiness rating for a unit needs to writing course of action number one, which be 80% or more to be considered functional. was how they expected the order of battle to We were in the 30s and 40s—the radars were go, and their best guess. My job was to coordi- always broken, which meant we could not

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 19 deploy. My job was maintenance, so the com- ture and take a directional approach. When I mander asked me to fix the readiness rating. came into my pharmaceutical career as a man- With radars, you’re working with a Warrant ager, I would also talk about goals that were Officer who’s in charge of each radar battery. three to six months away. I look at things dif- Warrant officers, although knowledgeable, are ferently and am not always willing to go with notorious for not playing well with others and the norm. I am often the devil’s advocate in the getting the enlisted ranks to do their work. group, and some people in the corporate world The Warrant Officers would complain about do not tolerate that at all. the aspects they did in their prior career, such WARRIOR: That’s tough. It sounds like that for- as maintenance or logistics, and often at- ward planning you’re so good at is still a big tacked the enlisted for doing a poor job. The part of your work ethic. complaints were valid, but these guys felt they ME: Yes, but sometimes being practical and didn’t have the authority to fix it. I gathered unemotional can be a problem. The way I the four warrant officers and said, “I’m put- think in business can get me into trouble. Ev- ting you guys in charge of fixing the areas of eryone thinks you’re negative when you point your expertise. We are changing everything.” out, “Yes, if you do A that’s great, but A has Two agreed right away and the other two came all of these issues. You can do B, B has issues on board later. Within three months we went but they’re different from non-functional to issues. What do you functional. want to know about In a specific radar unit, “Sometimes being A and B?” And they’re if one vehicle went like, “We’re just doing down, the entire unit practical and unemotional A.” They don’t want to was down. I said, “If know what the issues we want to keep our can be a problem.” are. readiness rating, we WARRIOR: I’ve found have to switch vehicles to keep them going.” with veterans that the time they spend in ser- This caused a big argument, but it kept our vice becomes a framework for the rest of their readiness rating up. We had a better focus on lives, and those who haven’t served don’t un- tracking parts. We learned what to do to stay derstand. ready. That was the change we brought to this ME: That’s true. Here’s a prime example when I unit. The unit eventually won an award for best left service. It was right after Desert Storm and “small unit maintenance” in 1987. I had just passed two interviews at a certain WARRIOR: How did that particular mindset company. Everything was going great. The next play out into your civilian career? step was to meet the vice president. When I ME: Sometimes good, sometimes bad. There came in he said, “I understand that you’re prior was a strange dichotomy that when I was in the military.” He continued, “I have a problem military I wasn’t military enough. Now that I’m with that because I can’t understand why you out of the military I’m often perceived as being people would do what you did.” Then he pulled too military. up that week’s newspaper, which talked about Another interesting element is that because M-1 tanks burying Iraqis alive in trenches as I was working with G3 plans, we were always they were both shooting each other. planning things that were three months to a I remember wondering if this was a test. I said year out. It suited me because I think big pic- to him, “Before I answer, are you sure this is the

20 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR road you want to go down?” He was very clear use the Apaches and new Hellfire missiles. that he did not understand how somebody One day I asked if they had ever tested the G/ with a military background could be a trainer VLDD (pronounced GLID, Ground Vehicle Laser for him. I said, “Well sir, in war when some- Locator Designator) with the Hellfire missile. body is shooting at you, you kill them in the My question went all the way up the chain with most expeditious manner possible. I don’t care everyone responding, “I don’t know.” So here if it’s running them over or blowing them up.” we had this billion-dollar deployment, and Then I walked out. As I left the secretary said, nobody knew whether the forward observer “That was quick.” I replied, “Well apparently he could connect with the laser designator on the hates the military.” And he said, “Yeah, we kind Hellfire! of thought that might happen.” This caused so much concern that we did a test Now the opposite situation occurred a week or firing. A bunch of dignitaries came out to see two later when I interviewed at a pharmaceuti- it. I was on a huge stage in front of all these cal company. The front side of my resume was four stars and producers of the helicopters and written in simple English, and on the back I had Hellfires. On the hill I had two field artillery listed all the and military jargon. The units with G/ interviewer was VLDDs, a regular looking at the mili- and a backup. tary side, so I said, We had two “Excuse me sir, I Apache helicop- noticed that you’re ters and a chase reading the jargon plane if it went side of my resume. very wrong. Ev- Were you prior erybody was service?” And he freaked out went, “Shut up about what 101st.” I was like, would happen. “Oh shoot, you’re In the end it 82nd Airborne all worked out aren’t you?” He perfectly. Then hired me the next everyone shook day. So you get re- hands and went actions like that as down to the well. impact area. It was a great result from my one WARRIOR: In your experience, how did the dif- question. This is the type of question that ferent military services work together? many civilians don’t like, but LTC Garrett was ME: There’s a lot of coordination that goes on very appreciative. between services, but there’s a lot that never WARRIOR: What did you enjoy most about happens. It’s confusing, especially with new working with LTC Garrett? technology. I was the Fire Support Officer for ME: I remember riding in a Black Hawk heli- the 101 Aviation when we got the new Apach- copter at night, doing some war planning. I es. As the artillery officer attached to an avia- was monitoring four different radios at the tion unit, I was the only artillery guy, and I had same time. I had Company in one, Battalion in one E6 with me. We went down to Fort Hood another, Air Force in the third, and Artillery in for a six-month deployment to learn how to

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 21 the fourth. I adjusted the volumes so I could tary. First they started off with black individu- tell the differences. In my right ear I heard one als. The military by then was heavily integrat- thing, in my left ear I heard another thing. LTC ed, and we came back with a quick no. Then the Garrett looked at me in shock and asked, “How Saudis pushed us about women. In 1991 it was are you doing all this?!” I said, “Well this is what still fairly new to have women in the military. I learned as a FIST chief (Fire Support Team) in They were mostly in support roles. That took 4-69 Armor when we had four radios and you a couple days but the military said no, we’re had to listen to all of them, and now I’m just going to deploy as is. getting airsick at night doing the same thing!” I believe the Saudis’ ultimate motive was It was really impressive to work with that guy. against Jews, a request we heard all the way Not all of my officer evaluation reports were down. I did the research and found out that good, but most were decent. Command- ers normally write a paragraph about what somebody does for them, and it’s very flowery language. Lt. Col. Garrett wrote one sentence: “If I go to war, Captain Erlichman comes with me.” He was the commander of 1-101 AVN BN during Desert Storm. I really appreciated him and he was a great com- mander to work for. WARRIOR: That’s so interesting. Did your Jewishness ever come into play on deploy- ment? only about .03 percent of the deployable force ME: Yes, I have an interesting story from the G3 was Jewish. The Army’s response took a while, planning cell I was part of. I remember a brief- because you could make up those numbers and ing in the 101st Airborne before we went over it wouldn’t impact readiness. What they ended to Desert Storm, which was a discussion about up doing was a compromise. The chaplains did how many Jewish people were in the military not wear a cross or ten commandment pin but then. We had heard the news that Kuwait had instead got a general star on their sleeves. We invaded. Bush, Cheney, and Powell were talk- agreed not to hold services and made addi- ing to the Saudis about sending troops into tional concessions. But we didn’t change our Saudi Arabia and staging there, saying you force structure. guys are next. We offered to get rid of the in- cursion, but the Saudis challenged the US a lot. WARRIOR: Were you ever singled out for being They tried to ban certain members of our mili- Jewish?

22 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR ME: Yes. I was transferred to the 2nd out of were black and Mexican; did you know I was 320th as their Executive Officer S1. The outgo- Jewish?” They said no. ing commander, Lt. Col. Fullenkamp, asked that So many times I was subjected to racist com- I arrive three months before he left so he could ments about Jews from people who had no write me an officer evaluation. He was very ag- idea I was Jewish. I told my officer friends, “I gressive about my start date. But he gave me a know prejudice more than you ever will, be- top-lock OER, although I really did nothing for cause I sat there and listened to people in Ger- the first three months; I was just learning the many talk about Jews, I listened to people in job. college who didn’t know I was Jewish and then The reason he did that was because he knew stopped talking to me in our second year, and the next commander coming in was prejudiced. so on.” WARRIOR: It’s true, people don’t see us coming. So if the military was your passion, what ulti- mately caused you to leave? ME: Nineteen days before Desert Storm kicked off our first child was born. That’s a tough deal when you’re overseas for seven months and you come back and meet your eight-month- old kid. My next duty station was going to be in Korea for two years without my family. That was when I made the choice to leave. Around 80% of the officers I knew were either divorced or on their second marriage. More often than not, family and the military does not work, and there’s no way to sugarcoat that. I knew that going in, so when I began looking for a spouse I knew I needed someone capable and independent. You can’t make household decisions or pay the bills when you’re gone. You also have to ensure that they are signed on everything. He didn’t like Jews, blacks, or Mexicans. Appar- In fact, after I proposed to my wife I found out ently the Division commanders knew this and I was going to Fort Hood for six months. I told protected me with one OER before I reported Rachel that we needed to get married right to him. Lt. Col. Fullenkamp was very gracious, away so she would have access to everything and a Colonel Lawson was also a mentor to me. on post as a full spouse. I wasn’t going to leave I know he was in on that discussion too. her in limbo without all the benefits of being a The three senior officers were myself, a Mexi- military spouse. can officer, and a black West Point officer. We WARRIOR: That was smart planning. Thank should have had battery commands, but we you for sharing your story, Captain Erlichman. didn’t. As their friend I would tease them: “You ME: My pleasure. n guys don’t understand prejudice.” When they protested, I’d go, “I don’t know if you noticed, but when you came in the room I knew you

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 23 Treasure in the Basement An Air Guard officer uncovers her roots in Jewish military history

CAPT. SONDRA MENDELSOHN, a critical care doctor with the PA Air National Guard, never gave much thought to the old burlap bag with faded Red Cross markings in her basement. She certainly never dreamed that her great-grandfather’s bag was itself of historical interest; let alone that it contained a treasure trove of museum- worthy documents. But when she and her husband, WO2 Andrew Swerdlow (PA ARNG), were going through their belongings in preparation for a move, they came across the old bag - a family heirloom of sorts, inherited from her grandmother - they thought it would be nice to figure out what to do with it. She knew the bag had letters from her great-grandmother, Chana, to her great-grandfather, David. Further examination of the bag re- vealed documents and a picture showing that David had served in the of the during . Upon her husband’s suggestion, Sondra shared the pictures with a Whatsapp group called Jewish Military Troops in the hopes of getting some basic translation of the letters. The material indeed elic- ited robust interest, as well as some quick off-the-cuff translations. And then a deployed Army LT spoke up: “Those should be in a museum for preservation.” Moments later, CSM Sam Yudin (CA ARNG), president of the Jewish American Military Historical Society (JAMHS), was tagged, and the little family moving project was granted wings. CSM Yudin knew immediately that the material was of value, but he was even more impressed when he received the entire archive. “There were only 10,000 sol- diers who served in the Jewish Legion, 5,000 of which were American volunteers,” says Yudin. “Letters from soldiers serving in that era are scarce, let alone an entire collection of 60-80 letters!” Mendelsohn and her

24 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR family gave permission for the JAMHS to study the collection. “We were sort of nervous at first to trust Sam with this entire collection of things that can’t be replaced,” Sondra admits, “But he was so enthusiastic about doing it that it inspired me to take a blind leap to send them across the country.” For Yudin, this was an exciting opportunity, right in line with the purpose of his organization. “JAMHS has a mission to research, preserve and educate people regarding Jewish American military history,” Yudin says. “We partner with both the private sector and non-profits to bring innovative ways to interact with this history; using an adaptive, open-source, and collaborative way of doing business. It’s very exciting to be able to get our hands on these letters and unlock some mysteries from that time period of history.” Yudin immediately got to work, drawing in historians and archivists from the California State Guard, as well as translation assistance from several military members: Chaplains Shaul Rappeport (USAF), Elie Estrin (USAFR) and Yitz Rosenberg (USCGA), as well as Amn Shmuel Roth (USAF). The letters are slowly being preserved, item- ized and digitally transcribed, using the best practices known, which makes it a slow, intensive process. As the letters are being translated, information from the letters have been cross-checked with the history of the Jewish Legion. Five battalions of the British military made up the Jewish Legion; the 39th Battalion of which was built on mostly American volunteers, including David Mendelsohn. The knowledge of this history enables the team to reveal where Mendelsohn served, and who he served with - for example, Mendelsohn may well have done his basic training in a camp in Nova Scotia alongside future Israeli Prime Minister David Ben- Gurion and the legendary Ze’ev Jabotinsky. After his training, Mendelsohn most probably went to England, Palestine, and was later posted to guard pris- oners of war in Egypt as a member of the ; B Co, 39th Battalion of the Jewish Legion in 1919. This fact of history cast light on the story behind one interesting family heirloom: a snake, embroidered with sequins, spelling out the words: “Turkish Prisoners 1919.” Chana Mendelsohn mentions the gift of the snake from her soon-to-be husband, in a letter reading:

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 25 “Today is a holiday for me; not because tience already! My little brother asked it is after the 9 Days when we could them if they hadn’t seen something not eat any meat, rather, because it strange? Only then my father noticed had already been nearly 3 weeks that it; he liked it very much.” I had not received any letters from After this letter was translated and you; but from early in the morn- sent around to Sondra’s extended ing until now, I have received four family, her cousins responded in letters and a package, in which shock - they still had the snake, you sent me a present, for which which had lain untouched in their I thank you very much. I had to go mother’s suitcase for close to 30 to the Pennsylvania Post Office years! and open it there and show what More is yet to be revealed as the it is. But when I opened it, I was team works on translating and scared to look at it, because gen- preserving the letters one by erally, I do not like snakes. one. For Captain Mendelson, it’s But when I took it out of the box all part of a bigger picture; one and really contemplated how that she is very pleased to play pretty it is in its detailed handi- a part in. “I feel really proud that work, it greatly appealed to me. I my great-grandfather served; es- showed it to my mother and brother, pecially considering that he was just and they were fascinated by it. a recent immigrant, and I am excited My father was sleeping, and I hung it that I can continue to serve in the up on the gas lamp to see if he would same military that he did. Ultimately, be frightened by it when he woke up, given the rise in antisemitism in this seeing a snake on the gas lamp. But country, this shows that we’ve been my older brother later came in, and here, and we’ve been serving. This is my father was already up and was our country too.” n walking around the house, and he had You can follow the progress of the MENDELSOHN not noticed it right away. I lost my pa- LETTERS COLLECTION on the JewishMilitary.com website.

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TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 29 Responding to Surfside

It’s not a good day when your town be- ask all of you and your communities to mention comes synonymous with a disaster. The small us in prayer on this Shabbos; by saying Tehillim but bustling town of Surfside is still reeling chapter 121 in the merit of those who have yet with the shock and pain resulting from the to be found, Tehillim chapter 23 in honor of the Champlain Towers collapse. families who are suffering terribly, and, on an occasion after Shabbos, Keil Molei Rachamim Surfside has been the headquarters of the in memory of the deceased. Your prayers will Aleph Institute ever since its inception, in certainly arouse Heavenly mercy as we ask 1981. Rabbi Sholom Lipskar, Aleph’s Found- Hashem to end this bitter exile and bring con- er, has been the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s repre- solation to us all, with the coming of Moshiach sentative to the area, and is a singular figure speedily.” responsible for the incredible growth of Ju- daism in the town - exploding beyond the Aleph’s in-house headquarters staff has also “no Jews allowed” laws in the area to the been available to the survivors and families vibrant community it is today. As the senior over the weeks. Rabbi Mendy Katz, outreach rabbinic figure in the area, Rabbi Lipskar was director, and Ch, Capt Elie Estrin, military per- on-site almost immediately, and has kept sonnel liaison, both spent time with families, his presence active almost indefatigably - encouraging, comforting and supporting. despite being in his late 70’s. Rabbi Lipskar Local Jewish military members and veterans has served as a trusted counselor for private stepped up in a huge way - both with physical individuals as well as government officials effort as well as with a spiritual project. Former dealing with the disaster, organizer of aid SPC Chaim Hertzel was onsite as a volunteer and support for the survivors, and tragically, medic, while former 35th U.S. Army Culinary has been called upon to break the news of Arts Competition gold winner SPC Danny Ar- loss to many families, as well as officiate at shadnia helped build and provide a kosher funerals. food center at the community center, spend- Rabbi Lipskar asked his Aleph military chap- ing up to 18 hours a day cooking for survivors lains to keep his community in mind for and first responders. Navy doc LCDR Zev Neu- prayer, with a letter reading: “With the trag- wirth (USNR) likewise arrived at the Champlain edy of the Champlain Towers still unfolding Towers in the early hours after the collapse, just down the street from our headquarters ready to assist first responders and relatives of in Surfside, its impact is being felt through- the missing in any way he could. out our community. I would therefore like to “You have an overwhelming desire to jump

30 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR in on hands and knees and start picking up The writing of the Sefer Torah was initiated on concrete,” he told Tabletmag.com, “to jump July 6, 2021. The scribe will be reciting all the on the pile and find any sign of life.” But the names of the lost and missing victims of the only thing he could do was say baruch dayan tragedy daily upon as he continues writing the haemes, blessed is the true Judge. He wrote Torah. The completed Torah will be kept in The prescriptions for those whose medications Shul of Bal Harbour, where it will be routinely were now stuck inside the ruins and treated used at The Shul, but also used wherever Hat- survivors who hadn’t realized they’d suf- zalah volunteers would be deployed for large- fered a serious injury until hours later, after scale emergencies. the adrenaline spike of the initial disaster It is the fervent wish of all that the families wore off. find consolation from their devastating losses, But his firsthand view of the tragedy led and may our community never know tragedy him to a project very close to his heart: the again. n commissioning of a Torah scroll written Although there will be no official financial solicita- tions, the Neuwirth family invites those wanting to contribute towards this special Torah to do so by emailing [email protected].

in memory of the victims. LCDR Neuwirth noted that the namesake dedication on the Torah will be his own mother, Devorie Neu- wirth, who wrote the Response & Dispatch- ing Protocols for the worldwide volunteer Jewish first-response organization Hatzalah. She also served as a Hatzalah emergency dis- patcher for many years. Hatzalah has been on-site at the building collapse, implement- ing an advanced forward medical treatment facility at the site, while providing around- the-clock emergency medical care to all re- covery personnel and support towards the ongoing recovery efforts.

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 31 5 Things We Wish Every Non-Jewish Chaplain Knew

The US military is blessed with outstanding of the same faith tradition as you, their chap- chaplains, who will go above and beyond in lain. To do that, you need to clearly explain to their efforts to make sure that all service mem- the Jewish SM that your job is to support every bers in their command have their religious member, regardless of your own and his or her needs accommodated, in keeping with the free faith group. It is likely you will need to over- exercise of religion clause of the US Constitu- come a certain degree of misunderstanding of tion. Still, gaps in knowledge of minority reli- your motives, for fear of proselytization. We gious needs often results in those needs not hope the next items on our list will help you being met, by no fault of the chaplain’s. We overcome such fears. But in any case, please be aim to bridge that gap regarding Judaism and aware of one other issue: we often seek com- Jewish Service Members (SM) with this essay, monality in order to create bonds with those a sister-article to a previous one (5 Things We from different backgrounds. However, while Wish Every Jewish SM well- meaning, equat- Knew, Jewish-American ing your religion’s ob- Warrior, Purim 2020). servances to Judaism Here are 5 interrelated often creates a level points, knowledge of of distrust, especially which will help non- considering our next Jewish chaplains effec- point. tively assist Jewish SMs 2. JUDAISM: A DIFFER- within their AOR. ENT TRACK, A DIFFER- 1. BE AWARE OF THE RE- ENT TACK LIGIOUS SYMBOL YOU Judaism is very differ- WEAR ent in ritual and struc- As non-overt minorities, ture than most other most American Jews do not wear their religion religions. For example, the center of many reli- on their sleeves, or their heads. But we chap- gions is “salvation through belief ”. In contrast, lains wear our religion proudly on our chests daily life for an observant Jew is regulated by for all to see, and that has an impact, for better the commandments, which result in obser- or, unfortunately, occasionally for worse. Per- vance and ritual. All Judaic to-dos and do-nots haps you’ve met a Jewish SM or two who po- are called Mitzvot, translated as “command- litely brushed you off. The reason is probably ments”. Belief, community and prayer are but that you are being judged based on your reli- aspects of Jewish service. gious symbol: as one of the few non-Christians Surprisingly, this gives you unique opportuni- in the room or unit, they may think that they ties to help, as there are many instances where really don’t need you. the SM may need your involvement to ensure But as a chaplain, you understand that one of s/he can fulfill his/her individual religious ob- our essential responsibilities is to make sure ligations in military circumstances. Your sen- all SMs and their families have their religious sitivity towards those needs will make all the needs accommodated, whether or not they are

32 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR difference. but rather, “What kinds of Jewish observanc- Still, there is obvious value in communal ser- es do you identify with?” Their response will vice. As a low- density faith in the military, inform you of the types of support and assis- creating Jewish communities can sometimes tance they will need. prove to be near impossible. But there is one You can expect a majority of your Jewish SMs leeway that makes it easier to do so: Judaism to respond with a vanilla, “Well, I’m not very does not require an ordained rabbi or chaplain observant.” But when gently pressed, you will to lead services. Chaplains should seek out probably learn that they do have a few holi- the Jewish lay leader (DFGL) for their installa- days that they endeavor to celebrate (most tions. If none exists, you should facilitate the commonly, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Chanu- approval of one, with the help of the senior kah and Passover), and will, in fact, need your installation chaplain and a Jewish endorsing assistance at some point to do so - whether agency such as our own Aleph Institute. that means getting time off from duty, obtain- 3. DENOMINATION VERSUS OBSERVANCE ing religious materials or permission to light candles in the barracks. When a chaplain first meets a Jewish SM, typi- cally one of the first questions asked is, “What 4. THE JEWISH CALENDAR: SHABBAT AND Jewish denomination do you identify with?” In HOLIDAYS general, we prefer the term “movement” over You might be surprised to see a Jewish SM the term “denomination”, as the terms are not glance at September and exclaim in utter ex- as hard and fast as they are in Christianity. But asperation, “The holidays are in the middle of from a chaplain’s religious- accommodation the week this year!” No one emotionally reacts standpoint, whatever answer given does not to a calendar the way a Jewish person does. provide tremendous insight. We’ll try to explain that and a few other oddi- Here’s why: a Jew will typically answer this ties here: question based on the synagogue he or she The Jewish calendar works by a lunar cycle kept belonged to growing up, regardless of whether in check with the solar calendar (unlike the it matches the level of their familial or person- Muslim calendar), making sure all holidays fall al religious standards. I’ve met Jews who for- out in the natural seasons (unlike Ramadan). mally identify as Reform, yet their observance That’s why Chanukah (spell it however you matches Orthodox practice; while other Jews I want) is sometimes celebrated a month before know do quite the opposite, and yet others, ev- Christmas, or even after. It also means that a erything in between. To give a parallel exam- holiday can begin on any day of the week. A re- ple from the Christian world: it would be fairly ligiously observant Jew is not permitted to do ridiculous for someone to identify as a Catho- any work that is not involved with the saving lic, keep Sabbath like a Seventh Day Adven- of lives on the two opening and closing days of tist, attend Baptist services and have a family the holidays of Passover and Sukkot, as well as pastor who is Anglican. But the rough “equiva- on the holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur lent” in Judaism would be quite common for and Shavuot. When those days fall out during American Jews. the work week, someone’s boss is probably In the military, the only thing that is impor- going to be annoyed. Hence the above-men- tant is what - if any - accommodations will be tioned frustration. needed to facilitate this individual’s practice , including the weekly Sab- of their religion. Therefore the most pertinent bath, start at sundown, and end after nightfall. question is not what denomination they are, So the Jewish Sabbath starts Friday afternoon,

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 33 depending on whatever time sunset occurs, that proclaim this product has Kosher supervi- and ends Saturday night, 25 hours later. (On sors who visit the plants to make sure all the some installations, Sabbath services occur at ingredients of the product and the assembly a fixed time throughout the year for unifor- lines remain unsullied by non-kosher foods or mity, but that is a separate conversation.) This ingredients. You can find a list of kosher super- means that the work limitations we mentioned vision symbols here: http://www.crcweb.org/ begin, during winter and in extreme locations, agency_list.php very early - even during Friday’s work day. “Kosher for Passover” is a completely dif- The holidays of Chanukah and Purim do not ferent beast. Jews are mandated to eat only have work restrictions, but they do have spe- Kosher for Passover foods from the morning cific religiously mandated rituals that need to prior to Passover, and throughout all 8 days be performed during either daytime or night- of the holidays. Kosher for Passover foods are time. strictly non-leavened. No leavened products All of this can be dealt with, and chances are may come in contact with the food, even if it is that you, as the chaplain, are going to be in- strictly Kosher. volved at some point. But again, the accommo- In training situations, especially in Basic, extra dation needs depend on the individual SM’s effort needs to be made to assist trainees to observance, not their affiliation. get food in accordance with their Kosher diet. 5. KOSHER: JEWISH DIETARY NEEDS We are aware of all too many young trainees who have had a very difficult time ensuring “Kosher” is a generic term to refer to any food Kosher food was made available to them. Even that is itself permitted by Jewish law, has been after graduation, there may be issues: if your prepared only with other such foods, and in SM is junior enlisted, he or she might need utensils in which only such foods have been permission for separate rations or to have a prepared. (It has nothing to do with a Rabbi small food-prep station or microwave in the blessing the food.) All raw fruits and vegeta- barracks. Both regular Kosher and Kosher for bles are kosher. eAY 17: cnthlr tuPlrVitink & AlrnifiAAnink Passover MREs exist, and need to be requested Most Exchanges have some kosher food in from the DLA with enough time to get them permission by the issuing agency. To protect the kosher consumer, and its own reputa- tion, the agency will make sure that any unauthorized products sold displaying their to your Service Member. Whether or not your kosher symbol are immediately recalled and withdrawn from the marketplace. Jewish SM keeps strict kosher or some aspect

Pronounced: O-u Pronounced: O-K of it, consideration of their dietary needs will The union of Orthodox OK Kosher Certification certainly be greatly appreciated. Jewish Congregations 391 Troy Avenue 11 Broadway Brooklyn, NY 11213 “Spirituality” is one of the military’s Pillars of New York, NY 10004 718-756-7500 212-563-4000 www.OK.org Resilience. We chaplains feed that spiritual- www.Ou.org ity in accordance with the needs of each indi-

Pronounced: Star-K Pronounced: Chof-K vidual Service Member. We hope these 5 keys Star-K Kosher Certification KOF-K Kosher Supervision 122 Slade Avenue, Suite 300 201 The Plaza will assist you to do so, helping ensure that Baltimore, MD 21208 Teaneck, NJ 07666 the Jewish Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Ma- 410 - 484 - 4110 201-837- 0500 www.Star-K.org www.Kof-K.org rines under your responsibility have all their religious needs met, leaving them fit to fight. If a packaged item has any of the kosher symbols above, you can buy it with confidence. If the logo looks different from the “big four,” find out who is behind the Obviously, we at the Aleph Institute will do all stock,symbol. You as can a try significant looking it up online, amountcalling your local of Orthodoxfood inRabbi, the or try US calling any of the certification agencies above for information. we can to help you in this most vital work. We market has Kosher supervision. You’ve proba- are proud to be your partners. n bly seen the OU or OK 159symbols, as well as many others, without identifying them as symbols

34 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR Mil-Spouse: The Waiting Game by Bassy Pekar

Military life is really just waiting, Will it be from Okinawa to the States? While commanders are debating. Or is it Europe that’s in our fates? The Big Blue is contemplating, And we are just waiting. We don’t have any locations or dates; We don’t know what it is that awaits. We’re two-thirds of the way through - Just a year till PCS number two! So, while neighbors are moving, So, what does one do And friends are sadly leaving, When it’s no longer exciting and new? Summer is starting... And we are just waiting. No lists to create ; No plans to await; Will we finally have kosher food to eat? No known TDYs in his fate... Cheese and chicken and all sorts of meat?! And no approaching PCS date. Will we have a real winter without all this heat? Will we drive on the left or right side of the street? The challenge of a new home is fading. Questions of our next base are shaping. Wherever our next home will be, We know there is something looming, We will wait to find out eagerly - Yet, unable to plan, we just sit here waiting Whether it’s in the mountains, desert, or sea, A new adventure is awaiting my family and me. We’re in that in-between phase, And with the military and its ways, So, while we are waiting, It’ll be a while till we know our next base We are sure to keep exploring. When we have a new adventure to face. And through all this wondering, We will enjoy this island... waiting.

35 TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 35 Off the Bookshelf: Reclaiming the Self by Rabbi Dovber Pinson

BOOK REVIEW BY SGT. AARON FESTINGER, USAR

I REMEMBER THE EXACT MOMENT when I from more advanced friends), but also the bulk became interested in chassidut and , of which were better on a theoretical level because it was the moment when I began to than on a practical one. The Pathway of Tes- take the study of the spiritual dimension of life huva stands out in that it is designed with daily seriously. I was in Fort Bragg going for a Sunday reading and practice in mind, and is both very run on one of the trails, zoning out while the authentic and relatable in its approach. Rather trees blurred past me. I’ve always been an ana- than overwhelming the reader with esoteric lytical guy, mathematically inclined and with theoretical concepts it provides a reading as a tendency to view the world through a mate- meditation experience that invites the reader rialistic determinism lens. That’s a great lens to become aware of his or her automatic un- for scientific work, but you miss a lot of what’s conscious tendencies, thereby enabling them important in life when it’s your only point of to take control of themselves more fully. The reference. What changed for me that moment, focus of the book is on teshuvah, not in the with my mind cleared by the runner’s high, was usual sense of repentance, but in the sense of that the lens slipped for a moment and I saw the a continual process of returning one’s self to world in a completely different way. The spiri- a state of perfection. In short, the path of te- tual aspects of life, like my personal tenden- shuvah is the path of self-mastery and attun- cies in my relationships with G-d and others, ement with the divine. The book is organized suddenly came into sharp clarity while the into 28 chapters and is meant to be read in 28 gross physicalities of things grew somewhat daily sittings for one lunar month of medita- fuzzy. It was as if I had only ever seen those tion and exploration of the self. Topics of the aspects of life as the underside of a rug and in chapters include various aspects of the human that moment someone turned the rug over and spirit: patience, desire, depression, motiva- I glimpsed the top of it. I realized then that the tion, inspiration, and reaching out to the divine spiritual side of things, that which is most im- presence. It’s a high-quality book, printed on portant in all of our lives, is also the most ne- good paper with designs in color ink and with glected part of life in the modern world. I then placeholder ribbons. Personally, I found the resolved to begin exploring this area, with the chapters to be a bit long for squeezing into my intent of becoming a better person in my deal- daily schedule and I did most of my reading on ings with others, and to improve my intuitive Shabbat and Yomim Tovim, usually before dav- grasp of myself, other people, and even poli- ening with a sizeable glass of bourbon. I very tics and world events. much enjoyed this book and I intend to reread I have read quite a few books on Kabballah it, and explore more of Rabbi Dovber Pinson’s and chassidut since then, most of which were books in the future. quite excellent (thanks to recommendations *Bourbon not included

36 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR B”H

aleph INSTITUTE

Joseph and Sterna Gutnick Rabbi Sanford L. Dresin NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS Chaplain (COL), USA - Ret Director of Military Programs Direct line: (302) 494-7080 • E-mail: [email protected] Chairman / Founder Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar President Lloyd S. Rubin 1 September, 2021 Executive Director Rabbi Aaron Lipskar Vice President Ryan Shapiro Secretary Joy Fishman MEMORANDUM FOR: JEWISH SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR Treasurer Boruch Duchman LEADERSHIP

Board of Directors Robert Danial FROM: Rabbi Sanford L. Dresin, Chaplain (COL) USA Ret, Endorser Boruch Duchman Joy Fishman Stephen Fiske SUBJECT: FY 22 Jewish Religious Holiday Observances and Obligations Russel Galbut Reuven Herssein Daniel Holtz a. Title 42, United States Code § 2000bb- 1 (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) Alberto Kamhazi b. Attorney General Memorandum on Religious Liberty, 6 October 2017 Sonny Kahn c. Department of Defense Instruction 1300.17 (Accommodation of Religious Rabbi Aaron Lipskar Rabbi Sholom Lipskar Practices Within the Military Services), February 10, 2009, incorporating changes Morris Mandel effective September 20, 2020 Lloyd Rubin David Schottenstein Ryan Shapiro 1. Purpose: To provide an overview of the Jewish Holidays in 2021-22, the granting Eric Stein of excused absences and travel time for participation in religious activities, and ensure Sylvia Urlich units accommodate Service Members and civilians who desire to observe these Director of Operations holidays. Moshe N. Barouk

Director of Advocacy Rabbi Zvi Boyarsky 2. Background: Judaism uses a lunar-solar calendar. The weekly Sabbath and all Director of Family Programs holidays begin at sunset on the preceding day and conclude at nightfall on the day of Rabbi Shua Brook the holiday. Each worship service is unique, obligatory, and one is not substituted for Director of Military Programs another. Rabbi Sanford L. Dresin Director of Outreach The following Jewish holidays are observed during FY 2021-22: Programs Rabbi Menachem M. Katz 7-8 September 2021, Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year Chief Financial Officer Yosie Lipskar 16 September 2021, Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement 21-22 September 2021, Sukkot – Festival of Booths September 2021, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 28-29 א א א Operation: Enduring Traditions 27 November - 6 December, Chanukah Military Programs 18 March, Purim Spark of Light Prison Program 16-23 April, Passover 5-6 June, Shavuot - Pentecost F.E.E.L.S Family Program

THE SHUL AT THE ALEPH INSTITUTE, 9540 COLLINS AVENUE, SURFSIDE, FL 33154, TEL (305) 864-5553 • WWW.ALEPH-INSTITUTE.ORG • TAX ID: 59-2291627

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 37 3. High Holy Days: The Jewish High Holy Days are days of religious obligation including worship services and fellowship for all Jewish personnel.

a. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah: 7-8 September 2021

(1) The two days of the holiday are days of obligation involving work and travel restriction.

(2) Traditional observance of the holiday includes communal worship and sounding a Ram’s horn.

b. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, 16 September 2021

(3) The holiday is the most solemn day of the Jewish year. This is a day of obligation involving work and travel restriction.

(4) Traditional observance of the holiday includes fasting and refraining from luxury.

c. The Festival of Booths, Sukkot: 21-27 September 2021

(1) The first two days of the holiday are days of obligation involving work and travel restriction.

(2) Traditional observance of the holiday includes shaking the Four Species (palm branch, citron, willow and myrtle) together, and eating all meals in a temporary booth - known as a Sukkah.

d. Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah: 28-29 September 2021

(1) The two days of the holiday are days of obligation involving work and travel restriction.

(2) Traditional observance of the holiday includes praying, reading from the Torah and eating a festive meal.

4. Chanukah: Chanukah is an eight-day festival commemorating the victory of the Hasmonean Jews over the Syrian-Greek empire and the subsequent rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

a. Chanukah: 27 November - 6 December 2021

(1) While there are no travel restrictions on this holiday, the holiday incorporates the traditional requirements to light a Menorah candelabra, adding one flame each evening of the holiday.

5. Purim: 18 March 2022. Purim is a one-day festival commemorating the salvation of the Jewish people from Persian genocide, as recounted in the Biblical Book of Esther.

a. Purim: 18 March 2022

THE SHUL AT THE ALEPH INSTITUTE, 9540 COLLINS AVENUE, SURFSIDE, FL 33154, TEL (305) 864-5553 • WWW.ALEPH-INSTITUTE.ORG • TAX ID: 59-2291627

38 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR (1) While there are no travel restrictions on this holiday, the holiday incorporates several traditional requirements, including the reading of the Book of Esther, a festive meal, and the distribution of food gifts and charity.

6. Passover: Passover is a week-long religious observance commemorating the Israelite Exodus from Egypt.

b. Passover: 16 - 23 April 2022

(1) The first two days and last two days of the Passover are days of obligation involving work and travel restriction.

(2) Passover dietary laws which restrict both consumption and possession of leavened food, “Chametz”, apply throughout all eight days. Kosher-for-Passover Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs) are available and can be requested through unit supply channels.

(3) Traditional observance of the Passover holiday includes a ritual Seder meal on each of the first two nights of the holiday.

7. Shavuot: Shavuot is a two-day holiday commemorating the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.

a. Pentecost, Shavuot: 5 - 6 June 2022

(1) The two days of the holiday are days of obligation involving work and travel restriction.

(2) Traditional observance of the holiday includes communal praying and reading of the Torah and festive meals.

8. Excused Absences: Passes, leave or excused absences may be authorized. Incorporate adequate travel time, such that personnel may arrive before the holiday commences and that travel and work should not resume until after the holiday concludes, which is one hour after sunset on the day of the holiday.

9. Any questions may be addressed to Rabbi Sanford Dresin, [email protected].

Sincerely,

Rabbi Sanford L. Dresin Chaplain (COL) USA Ret Director of Military Programs - Endorser

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 THE SHUL AT THE ALEPH INSTITUTE, 9540 COLLINS AVENUE, SURFSIDE, FL 33154, TEL (305) 864-5553 • WWW.ALEPH-INSTITUTE.ORG • TAX ID: 59-2291627 39 High Holiday Calendar

Date Holiday Work* Activity

No Eve of Rosh Light Candles***; Blessings 2 & 7 at 18 minutes before sunset. Eat special Rosh September 6, 2021 (after Hashanah Hashanah foods including apple and honey with special prayer sunset) 1st Day of Rosh September 7, 2021 No Light Candles; Blessings 2 & 7 after nightfall** Hashanah

2nd Day of Rosh Sounding of Shofar and Tashlich Prayers. September 8, 2021 No Hashanah Rosh Hashana ends at nightfall

September 9, 2021 Fast of Gedaliah Yes Fast ends after nightfall.

No Eve of Yom Kapparot Service in the morning, Festive Meal. Light Candles; Blessings 4 & 7 at September 15, 2021 (after Kippur 18 minutes before sunset. Fast begins several minutes before sunset. sunset) Yizkor Memorial Prayers. September 16, 2021 Yom Kippur No Yom Kippur ends after nightfall No Light Candles***; Blessings 6 & 7 at 18 minutes before sunset. Begin eating in September 20, 2021 1st Eve of Sukkot (after Sukkah after dark; say blessing 8 at each meal eaten in the Sukkah. sunset)

September 21, 2021 1st Day of Sukkot No Light Candles**; Blessings 6 & 7 after nightfall.

2nd Day of Begin shaking the Lulav & Etrog set every day of Sukkot after saying blessing 9. September 22, 2021 No Sukkot At the first shaking say also blessing 7. Yom Tov ends after nightfall

Hoshaana Rabbah No September 27, 2021 (after Light Candles***; Blessings 6 & 7 at 18 minutes before sunset. Hakafot. Eve of Shemini sunset) Atzeret

Shemini Atzeret Yizkor memorial prayers in Morning Prayers. Light candles**; Blessings 6 & 7 September 28, 2021 No Eve of Simchat after nightfall. Hakafot. Torah

September 29, 2021 Simchat Torah No Hakafot. Yom Tov ends after nightfall

Candle-Lighting Blessings Begin all blessings with: Bo-ruch A-toh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam . . . 1. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Shabbos V’shel Yom Ha -zi-ka-ron 2. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Yom Ha -zi-ka-ron 3. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Shabbos Ko -desh 4. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be -mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Yom Ha-kee-purim 5. ...A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be -mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Shabbos V’shel Yom Tov 6. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be -mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Yom Tov 7. …She-heh-che-yoh-nu Vi-ki-ye-mo-nu Ve -he-ge-o-nu Liz- man Ha-zeh 8. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be -mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Lay-shev Ba-su-kah 9. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Al Ne-tee-las Lu-lav 10. …A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Shabbos V’shel Yom Ha-kee-purim *Do not light after sunset. **Do not light before the time indicated. Light only from pre-existing flame. ***Whenever one lights after sunset, only light from pre-existing flame. Note: On Friday night, one may not light after sunset. A pre- existing flame is a flame burning continuously since the onset of the festival, such as a pilot light, gas or 24-hour candle flame. If there is NO existing flame available, one may ask a non-Jew to light a candle and then you may take from that flame.

40 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR Your Tishrei 5782 High Holiday Guide

AN OVERVIEW ROSH HASHANAH The first month of the Jewish year is full of mo- » WHAT mentous and meaningful days of celebration. Beginning with the High Holidays, in this month It is the birthday of the universe, the day G‑d we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of created Adam and Eve, and it’s celebrated as Repentance, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat the head of the Jewish year. Torah. Each one is filled with its own meaningful customs and rituals. Some are serious, awesome » WHEN days set aside for reflection and soul-searching. Rosh Hashanah 2021 will begin in the evening Some are joyous days full of happy and cheerful of Monday, September 6 and ends in the eve- celebration. ning of Wednesday, September 8 But all of these days, throughout the month of » HOW Tishrei, are opportunities to connect, to be in- spired, and to become more fulfilled and in tune Candle lighting in the evenings, festive meals with our true inner selves. Tishrei is considered with sweet delicacies during the night and day, the “head” of the year, and the reservoir from prayer services that include the sounding of which we draw our strength and inspiration the ram’s horn (shofar) on both mornings, and throughout the year ahead. desisting from work. Why Rosh Hashanah Is Important? The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, actually means “Head of the Year.” Just like the head controls

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 41 “Let it be a sweet new year!”

the body, our actions on Rosh Hasha- The shofar blowing contains a Candles As with every major nah have a tremendous impact on the series of three types of blasts: Jewish holiday, women and rest of the year tekiah, a long sob-like blast; she- girls light candles on each As we read in the Rosh Hashanah varim, a series of three short evening of Rosh Hashanah and prayers, each year on this day “all in- wails; and teruah, at least nine recite the appropriate bless- habitants of the world pass before G‑d piercing staccato bursts. ings. On the second night, make like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed The blowing of the shofar rep- sure to use an existing flame in the heavenly court “who shall live, resents the trumpet blast that is and think about a new fruit that and who shall die ... who shall be im- sounded at a king’s coronation. Its you will be eating (or garment poverished and who shall be enriched; plaintive cry also serves as a call that you are wearing) while you who shall fall and who shall rise.” to repentance. The shofar itself say the Shehechiyanu blessing. Click here for candle lighting It is a day of prayer, a time to ask the recalls the Binding of Isaac, an times in your area and here for Almighty to grant us a year of peace, event that occurred on Rosh Ha- the blessings. prosperity and blessing. But it is also shanah in which a ram took Isaac’s place as an offering to G‑d.) a joyous day when we proclaim G‑d » FEAST King of the Universe. The Kabbalists OTHER ROSH HASHANAH OB- Many traditions on Rosh Ha- teach that the continued existence of SERVANCES shanah relate to food. We dip the universe depends on G‑d’s desire a slice of apple in honey to for a world, a desire that is renewed » GREETINGS ask G-d for a sweet new year. when we accept His kingship anew On the first night of Rosh Hasha- A head of a fish, ram, or other each year on Rosh Hashanah. nah, wish a male, “Leshanah tovah kosher animal, often served, » FIRST PRIORITY tikatev vetichatem;” for a female symbolizing our desire to be say,“Leshanah tovah tikatevee veti- at the “head of the class” this Hear the Shofar. The central obser- chatemee” (“May you be inscribed year. A pomegranate is eaten, vance of Rosh Hashanah is the sound- and sealed for a good year”). At symbolizing our wish to have ing of the shofar, the ram’s horn, on other times, wish them a “Gemar a year full of mitzvot and good both days of the holiday (except if the chatimah tovah” (“A good inscrip- deeds as a pomegranate is first day is Shabbat, in which case we tion and sealing [in the Book of filled with luscious seeds. blow the shofar only on the second Life]”). day).

42 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR “May all our sins be forgiven!”

TZOM GEDALIAH Prior to Rosh Hashanah 3339, Geda- As it is written in Zechariah liah received word that a certain Ish- 8:19, Tzom Gedaliah is one of » WHAT mael ben Netaniah, jealous of his po- the four fasts that will be con- sition of power and dissatisfied with verted to joy and feasting with Tzom Gedaliah is a dawn-to-dusk fast his tactical alliance with the Babylo- the arrival of Moshiach. May it observed on the day after Rosh Ha- nians, was planning to kill him and happen soon. shanah (if that day is Shabbat, it is ob- usurp the leadership for himself. But served on Sunday) to commemorate the trusting Gedaliah refused to be- the tragic death of Gedaliah, governor lieve that Ishmael would act treach- of . YOM KIPPUR erously, and restrained those who » WHEN wanted to kill Ishmael. » WHAT On Rosh Hashanah, Ishmael came to Tzom Gedaliah falls out in 2021 on Yom Kippur is the holiest day Gedaliah with ten men, ostensibly Thursday, September 9. of the year, when we are clos- to celebrate the holiday with him. est to G‑d and to the essence » HISTORICAL BACKGROUND While they were eating together, Ish- of our souls. Yom Kippur means mael and his men got up and killed “Day of Atonement,” as the After the Babylonians destroyed the Gedaliah, as well as all the other verse states, “For on this day Holy Temple in Jerusalem and exiled Jewish men and Babylonian soldiers He will forgive you, to purify many Jews in 3338 (423 BCE), they who were present. you, that you be cleansed from appointed Gedaliah ben Achikam as all your sins before G‑d.” governor of the remaining Jews in the This treachery was followed by more Holy Land. bloodshed. It also caused the Jews to flee to Egypt, effectively ending the » WHEN Jews who had taken refuge in the sur- prospects of Jewish settlement in The 10th day of Tishrei (in rounding lands of Ammon, and the Holy Land until the return of the 2021, from several minutes Edom heard of his appointment and Babylonian exiles in the year 3390 before sunset on Wednesday, returned to Judea to join his group— (371 BCE). Thus, the Babylonian exile Sep 15 until after nightfall on the last remnant of the once-mighty was absolute, and Judea was left Thursday, Sep 16). Judea. Under his wise and pious lead- bereft of her children. ership, they tilled, planted and culti- vated, coaxing the ravaged land back to health.

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 43 » HOW fused with an undercurrent of joy; it preceded by Kiddush and include is the joy of being immersed in the challah dipped in honey. For nearly 26 hours we “afflict our spirituality of the day and expresses souls”: we abstain from food and The intermediate days are quasi confidence that G‑d will accept our drink, do not wash or apply lo- holidays, known as Chol Hamoed. repentance, forgive our sins, and tions or creams, and do not wear We dwell in the sukkah and take seal our verdict for a year of life, leather footwear. Instead, we the Four Kinds every day of Sukkot health and happiness spend the day focused on prayer, (except for Shabbat, when we do meditation and asking G-d for not take the Four Kinds). forgiveness. SUKKOT » HOW » OBSERVANCES For seven days and nights, we Shabbat and holidays are ushered » WHAT eat all our meals in the sukkah in with candle lighting. Like Shab- Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holi- and otherwise regard it as our bat, no work is to be done on Yom day that comes five days after Yom home. Located under the open Kippur, from the time the sun sets Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the gath- sky, the sukkah is made up of at on the ninth of Tishrei until the ering of the harvest and commemo- least three walls and a roof of stars come out in the evening of rates the miraculous protection G‑d unprocessed natural vegetation, the next day. provided for the children of Israel typically bamboo, pine boughs when they left Egypt. We celebrate or palm branches. The goal is to On Yom Kippur, we afflict our- Sukkot by dwelling in a foliage- spend as much time as possible selves by avoiding the following covered booth (known as a sukkah) in the sukkah, some people even actions: and by taking the “Four Kinds” (arba sleep in the sukkah. • Eating or drinking (in case of minim), four special species of veg- Another Sukkot observance is the need, see here and consult a etation. taking of the Four Kinds: an etrog medical professional and a rabbi) (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three » WHEN • Wearing leather shoes hadassim (myrtle twigs) and two • Applying lotions or creams Sukkot 2021 begins in the evening of aravot (willow twigs). On each day Monday, September 20 and ends in • Washing or bathing of the festival (except Shabbat), the evening of Monday, September we take the Four Kinds, recite a Although Yom Kippur is the most 27. The first two days of the holiday blessing over them, bring them solemn day of the year, it is suf- (one day in Israel) are yom tov, when together and wave them in all six work is forbidden, candles are lit in directions: right, left, forward, up, the evening, and festive meals are down and backward. The sages of

44 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR the tell us that the Four Kinds sukkah on the eighth day but not the represent the various personalities ninth). that comprise the community of Israel, The highlight of this holiday is the whose intrinsic unity we emphasize boisterous singing and dancing in the on Sukkot. synagogue, as the Torah scrolls are pa- raded in circles around the bimah. SHEMINI ATZERET & » WHEN SIMCHAT TORAH From evening on Monday September 27, until nightfall on Wednesday Sep- » WHAT tember 29. Even more joy. The Torah tells us that » FINAL NOTE after the seven days of Sukkot, we should celebrate an eighth day. In the By the time Simchat Torah is over, we diaspora, this eighth day is doubled, have experienced a spiritual roller making two days of yom tov. On the coaster, from the solemn introspec- final day, it is customary to conclude tion of the High Holidays to the giddy and then immediately begin the joy of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Now annual cycle of Torah reading, making it is time to convert the roller coaster this day Simchat Torah (“Torah Cel- into a locomotive, making sure that ebration”). the inspiration of the holiday season propels us to greater growth, learning Although the eighth day follows and devotion in the year ahead n Sukkot, it is actually an independent holiday in many respects (we no longer take the Four Kinds or dwell in the sukkah). Diaspora Jews eat in the sukkah, but without saying the ac- companying blessing (there are some who eat just some of their meals in the

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 45 Familyand Relationships TWELVE WAYS TO BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM By Yaakov Lieder Self-esteem is a very importnt ingredient for a successful and happy life. A person can be blessed with intelligence and talent but if he or she lacks self-esteem, this can be an obstacle in achieving success in a job, a relationship and in virtually every area of life. The early years of a child’s life are the foundation for a positive self-esteem. As parents, we cannot control everything our child sees, hears or thinks, which will be contributing to his or her self-image. But there is still much that we could do. We have the child at the earliest years of his life; G‑d has given us a special gift—a new human being with a “clean slate.” During those early years, what goes into the child’s mind is very impressionable. Parents are therefore provided with a unique, never-to-be-repeated opportunity to set up a “self-esteem bank account” in which the child will store many positive things about him or herself. In the years and decades to come, this “bank account” will balance out negative experiences, which are unavoidable.

46 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR So how do we endow our child’s bank account? the child gets offended by a hurtful comment How can we, as parents, build up our child’s made by a friend or a teacher, say to the child, self-esteem? The following are some sugges- “Yes, you were offended by what that person tions: said” or “you were offended by the fact that 1. Show love and affection to your child. All the other person doesn’t like you.” Only after our dealings with our children, starting from the child feels that his feelings have been vali- infancy, should be done with a lot of affection dated will he be open to you bolstering his and love. A baby who was dealt with love and self-esteem by pointing out the people who affection will get a subconscious feeling that do like him, and the positive things that others s/he is worthy and important enough to be have said about him. loved. 7. Be proud of your child. On a regular basis, we 2. Compliment your child. Give your child com- must remember to tell the child how fortunate pliments as often as possible, whenever they and how proud we are to be her parents. do something right. Say, “I am very proud of 8. Talk positively about your child in the pres- you. You are very special. I like the way you ence of important people in his life, such as have done it.” grandparents, teachers, friends etc. 3. Make your compliments credible. It is im- 9. Never compare your child to others, saying, portant, however, that the compliments be “why aren’t you like Johnny?” When such com- credible. Exaggerated compliments like, “You parisons are made by others, reassure your are the best in the world. You are the nicest child that she is special and unique in her own person that ever lived” can actually be coun- way.” terproductive. The child will develop an in- 10. Make sure that others dealing with your flated ego, and that can affect his relationship child know your child’s strengths. At the begin- with friends, which in the long run will have a ning of the school year, speak with your child’s negative effect on his or her self-esteem. teachers and tell them what your child’s spe- 4. Set goals for your child. The goal should be cial strengths are and about the areas in which something attainable—to get dressed by her- he or she excels, so that the teacher will have self, to get a certain mark on his next test. Set a positive outlook towards them and will con- goals that are suited for the child’s age and ca- tinue to build on those strengths. pabilities (setting a goal which is unattainable 11. Tell the child on a regular basis that you will have a negative effect). As the child works will love them unconditionally. When they toward the goal, coach her along and compli- fail, or do the wrong thing, remember to say to ment her success each step along the way. them, “You are special to me, I will always love Once the child reaches the goal, compliment you, no matter what!” her achievement and reinforce her self-image 12. Tend to your own self-esteem. You need as an achiever. to see yourself in a positive light. Parents who 5. Criticize the action, not the person. When lack self-esteem will have difficulties bring- the child does something negative, say to the ing up a child with a high self-esteem. A good child, “You are such a good and special child, positive parent is a parent who knows that he you should not be engaging in such an activ- or she is not perfect but values him or herself, ity,” instead of saying, “you are a bad child.” while always trying to grow and improve. n 6. Validate your child’s feelings. When your child suffers a blow to his self-esteem, it’s im- portant to validate his feelings. For example, if

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 47 set of instructions—is written. He tells you ² WHAT DIVORCE what to do if you ruin the recipe. TEACHES ABOUT It’s as though G‑d says to you, “This is the person I have selected for you. This is the MARRIAGE person I want you to be married to. You can’t? By Manis Friedman It hurts too much? Then don’t. Leave. But when you do, please shut the door behind you.” Why does G‑d tell you how to get divorced, if He believes in marriage? So He not only tells us we may get divorced, He tells us how. “Here is the divine command- Not only does He believe in marriage, He be- ment for how to get in, and here is another lieves that you should be married, and He divine commandment for how to get out.” wants you to be married to the person you are married to. G ‑d talks to us that way because He’s married to us. Why, then, does He allow you to get divorced? Not only allows it, but tells you how to do it? Like everything else that exists in this world, marriage is a reflection of what exists in the As with all G‑d’s instructions in the Torah, get- spiritual world. There is an absolute marriage ting divorced is a mitzvah, a divine command- that exists between G‑d and us. ment. In fact, His instructions on divorce are very explicit. But why? Marriage requires that something which you take seriously and strictly upon yourself, you Because, having said what His instructions for are very lenient and accommodating about marriage are, G‑d doesn’t abandon you when with your partner. G‑d is married to us, and you get in trouble. that He takes very seriously. He is committed Because He is merciful and compassionate, to the relationship. Therefore, He is lenient kind and considerate, He gives you a second and accommodating when we don’t always live set of instructions, in case you can’t follow the up to His expectations. first set. G ‑d says to us: “You messed up? Then try again. That’s like a cookbook that tells you what to do You blew it? Then here is what you have to do. if you ruin the recipe. Two of my children were You forgot? Then next time, try to remember. once following the instructions on a package You forgot a second time? Try a third time.” of cookie mix. One of them read the instruc- That’s how we know that He’s committed to tions aloud, while the other prepared the mix. the marriage. The child who was reading said, “Now you’re Sometimes G‑d does even better than that. He supposed to stir the dough fifty times.” The asks us what our intentions were. For instance, other one exclaimed, “But I’m already up to a He tells us not to mix meat and milk. What hap- hundred! What do we do now?” pens if we do? “Well,” He says, “it depends on So the first child said, “I don’t know. I’ll go back how much milk there was, and how much meat and see what it says to do.” He checked the there was. And did you do it on purpose? Or box, but the instructions didn’t say anything was it an accident? If it was an accident, this is about stirring the dough too many times. The how you fix it. If it was on purpose, try not to two of them came to me and asked what they let it happen again.” should do. “Should we throw it out? Should G ‑d expects you to be married, and to the we start all over? The instructions don’t tell us person He has chosen for you. But He is com- what to do if we mess up.” passionate and understanding when you tell G ‑d isn’t like that. That’s not how Torah—His Him that it’s just too difficult.

48 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR Maybe He intended for you to get married and Will it spoil “some vast eternal plan,” as Tevye then get out; maybe the laws for divorce are asks in Fiddler on the Roof? The answer is yes. your “escape clause.” Yes, if you get divorced, you will spoil some No. vast eternal plan—G‑d’s plan. But will He let you? Will He help you? Yes, He will let you, and G ‑d intends for you to stay married. But if you He will help you. can’t, if it’s too difficult for you, He under- stands, and He will help you out. The reason that G‑d allows divorce, and com- mands divorce, is because by doing so, He is Does that mean your marriage was a mistake? teaching you how to be married. You took a gamble, you lost, now admit it and get out? You made a mistake, so G‑d is telling So even though G‑d has rules, even though you how to fix it? He has laws, even though He has divine com- mandments, when you sin, He tells you: “You Wrong again. messed up? Try again. You made a mistake and Your marriage wasn’t a mistake. It was intend- you admit it? Don’t worry about it; you’ll do ed since the beginning of time. When G‑d cre- better next time. You did it ten times already? ated your soul, six thousand years ago, He cre- Ask for forgiveness, and I’ll forgive you ten ated your “intended” along with you. times.” Saying that you married the wrong person is That’s exactly how you should be married—by like saying you gave birth to the wrong baby. treating your spouse the way G‑d treats you. Could you have somebody else’s baby? A With that much mercy and compassion, that woman once said something like that to me. much kindness and consideration. “You have how many children?” she asked, in- Your wife did it to you again? Forgive her again. credulously. I don’t remember how many we She did it ten times? Forgive her ten times. had at that time, maybe ten or twelve. Be as committed to making this relationship “Don’t you know there are some people who last as G‑d has been committed to making His can’t have children?” She was indignant. It relationship with you last. The moral is, by of- was as if she were saying, “Give somebody fering to help you get divorced, G‑d is helping else a break. Share a little. Don’t have so many you stay married for all time. The way He has kids; let other people have a few.” It doesn’t stayed married to you. n happen like that. You don’t give birth to some- one else’s children. The children that you have were meant to be yours. As Einstein said, “G‑d doesn’t play dice with ² A GRIEF THERAPIST the universe.” If G‑d doesn’t play dice with atoms or molecules, then He doesn’t play dice FACES GRIEF with hearts or minds or souls. By Yehudis Karbal You are married to the person you are intended As a therapist, I’ve learned that ultimately, all to be married to. G‑d arranged it. He set it up; therapy is grief therapy—the knowledge that He predestined it from the beginning. In other in this lifetime, we’re always dealing with loss words, His mind is made up that that’s the way of some kind: loss of identity, loss of inno- He wants it. cence, loss of dreams, loss of a loved one. You don’t want it? Fine. Since He is married to When the coronavirus hit the world and it you, He says, “Whatever you want.” became evident that this was a pandemic of

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 49 epic proportions, I, like everyone else on this Three days later, we needed to celebrate the planet, was thrown into a new reality. I won- holiday of Passover. Always, these days have dered if all of my personal and professional been such a beloved time for our family. Now work during the past 40 years could possibly they passed like a blur. Being alone, apart, sustain me and my loved ones and my beloved afraid; still, we went through the motions “students” (aka clients). I knew that this global somehow. I found that all I could do was put crisis was of a totally different nature. And so, myself on automatic, wondering if there were would I be able to hold onto the “rope” of faith enough tissues in the world to wipe away the and trust in G‑d that was now shaking and chal- tears. lenging our reality? The weekly Torah portion recalled the untime- Then came the news that my son-in-law, ly deaths of the two sons of Aaron, the High Shalom, in Monsey, N.Y., had been hospitalized. Priest. Aaron’s response was vayidom, he was Not being able to travel to be there to be with silent. That resonated with me. No words. Si- my daughter and grandchildren (who were also lence. The magnitude of this loss was so over- sick with the virus) added to the anxiety. Feel- whelming that no thought or feeling could ings of helplessness and hopelessness over- even be expressed. I waited. I waited patiently whelmed our family as we tried desperately and impatiently for time to pass, for the ability to hold onto any ray of hope. That week of his to breathe consciously in the present moment. hospitalization was lost in panic, anxiety and I turned to the painstaking work of allowing dread, begging for any shred of possibility that both the tears of grief and trauma, and of train- he would recover and regain his health. ing and retraining my brain to stay away from That was not to be. My son-in-law passed the would/should/could of the past and the in- away on Shabbat, the 10th day of Nissan. The sistent anxiety of the future. dreaded call came right after a Shabbat of in- Being in the mental-health field (probably tense praying. Impossible! This was supposed since I was 5 years old!), I have always tried to be a month of miracles? The month of re- to find the philosophy and the psychology demption—of going from slavery to freedom? behind the mysteries of life—to give reason Shalom? My son-in-law, who for 33 years was and meaning to people, places and events that more like a son to me ... whose very presence seemed so random—when it all seemed so represented shalom, “peace,” to all who knew desolate. And, of course, to learn how to func- and loved him. He was truly a rock to his family tion when the pain cannot be contained. and friends—a responsible, reliable and re- Gradually, over the years, I developed some spectful mensch. How could our world exist direction, some tools and a set of beliefs that without him? allows me to “hold these truths to be self-evi- To add to our anguish were the restrictions dent.” Now, in a deeper way, I needed to come against travel. We couldn’t support each other back to them. Perhaps they will also be helpful physically with our presence, our collective to others. grief, our hugs, and the strength of family love. 1. Know that I don’t know. Maimonides says the The following day was the funeral, which we highest knowledge is “to know that we don’t witnessed on Zoom (from all over the world: know.” That certainly keeps us humble and England, Australia, Israel). It was almost an puts everything into perspective. What can we insult to our senses—the coldness of technol- really know about this lifetime? Past lifetimes? ogy, and yet the relief of somehow seeing each Our soul’s journey? It’s an eternal tease to have other and being able to go through this night- a brain that naturally wants to know and yet at mare “together.”

50 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR so many points in life, we are blocked from must honor our own feelings. For guidelines knowing. and perspective, we need only look to the 2. Listen to the body. The mind-heart-body con- Torah for help and even inspiration. nection is so real. Listening to what the body 5. There will be questions, but no answers. is saying is vital for our mental and physical There are so many questions: Why me? Why health. Physical symptoms beg for recognition us? What could we have done to prevent this? and understanding. I couldn’t budge my body Was there enough care when he went to the beyond what it was capable of doing. Nausea, hospital? Will there be recovery from this loss of appetite, uncontrollable crying, indif- chaos—this inconsolable heartbreak in our ference, despair—all became my new compan- lives? Can there ever be healing? What can we ions. expect from ourselves, our world, our future? 3. Accept without judgement. This is one of the 6. Living with the duality of grieving and hardest. The phrase, Baruch Dayan ha-emet, moving forward. The utter duality of this world “Blessed is the true Judge,” is easy to say, but becomes so poignant. When thrown by a trag- not to internalize. G‑d does not serve me and edy, things seem unreal. Trauma often hijacks my limitations. I am here to serve Him. I know our connection to reality. Should we be able to that I can and will struggle with my response enjoy a sunny day? The smell of spring? A new to pain and grief, it will be anger, denial, fight, little life blessing this family? The pendulum of flight, fear, etc. But in the end, my mental feelings and thoughts swings back and forth, health depends on my ability to accept reality sometimes violently, often with surprise, and without judgement. without notice or time to adjust. At the same 4. No comparing or competing. Everyone time, it is imperative that grieving doesn’t hold grieves in his or her individual way. There isn’t us back from moving forward and living the life a right or wrong way to respond to loss; we I know my son-in-law would want us to have. n

Crossword solution, from page 57

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 51 Jewish Story Corner

Meaningful stories from the past and present

„ THE YOM KIPPUR DRUNK

Those who arrived early at the village synagogue on Yom Kippur eve could not but notice the man sleeping in a corner. His soiled clothes, and the strong scent of alcohol that hovered about him, attested to the cause of his slumber at this early hour. A Jew drunk on the eve of the Holy Day? Several of the congregants even suggested that the man be expelled from the synagogue. Soon the room filled to overflowing, mercifully concealing the sleeping drunk from all but those who stood in his immediate vicinity. As the sun made to dip below the horizon, a hush descended upon the crowd. The Rebbe entered the room and made his way to his place at the eastern wall. At a signal from the Rebbe, the ark was opened, and the gabbai began taking out the Torah scrolls in preparation for the Kol Nidrei service. This was the moment that the drunk chose to rise from his slumber, climb the steps to the raised reading plat- form in the center of the room, pound on the reading table, and announce: “Ne’um attah horeita!” Apparently, the crowded room, Torah scrolls being carried out of the open ark, seen through a drunken haze, appeared to the man as the beginning of hakafot on Simchat Torah! The drunk was confusing the most solemn moment of the year with its most joyous and high-spirited occasion. The scandalized crowd was about to eject the man from the room when the Rebbe turned from the wall and said: “Let him be. For him, it’s already time for hakafot. He’s there already.” On the following evening, as the Rebbe sat with his chassidim at the festive meal that follows the fast, he related to them the story of Reb Shmuel, the Kol Nidrei drunk. On the morning of the eve of the Holy Day, Reb Shmuel had heard of a Jew who, together with his wife and six small children, had been imprisoned for failing to pay the rent on the establishment he held on lease from the local nobleman. Reb Shmuel went to the nobleman to plead for their release, but the nobleman was adamant

52 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR great fun to get a pious Jew drunk on Yom Kippur? Signaling to a waiter, the man ordered a large glass of vodka. “Drink this down in one gulp,” he said to the Reb Shmuel, “and I’ll give you 100 rubles.” Reb Shmuel looked from the glass that had been set before him to the sheaf of banknotes that the man held under his nose. Other than a sip of l’chayim on Shabbat and at weddings, Reb Shmuel drank only twice a year — on Purim and Sim- chat Torah, when every chassid fuels the holy joy of these days with generous helpings of inebri- ating drink so that the body should rejoice along with the soul. And the amount of vodka in this glass in his refusal. “Until I see every penny that is — actually, it more resembled a pitcher than a owed to me,” he swore, “the Jew and his family glass — was more than he would consume on stay where they are. Now get out of here before both those occasions combined. Reb Shmuel I unleash my dogs on you.” lifted the glass and drank down its contents. “I cannot allow a Jewish family to languish in a “Bravo!” cried the man, and handed him the dungeon on Yom Kippur,” resolved Reb Shmuel 100 rubles. “But this is not enough,” said Reb and set out to raise the required sum, deter- Shmuel, his head already reeling from the mined to achieve their release before sunset. strong drink. “I need another 200 rubles to get All day, he went from door to door. People gave the poor family out of prison!” generously to a fellow Jew in need, but by late “A deal’s a deal!” cried the merrymakers. “One afternoon Reb Shmuel was still 300 rubles short hundred rubles per glass! Waiter! Please refill of the required sum. Where would he find such this glass for our drinking buddy!” a large sum of money at this late hour? Then he passed a tavern and saw a group of well-dressed Two liters and two hundred rubles later, Reb young men sitting and drinking. A card-game Shmuel staggered out of the tavern. His alcohol- was underway, and a sizable pile of banknotes fogged mind was oblivious to all — the stares of and gold and silver coins had already accumu- his fellow villagers rushing about in their final lated on the table. preparations for the Holy Day, the ferocious barking of the nobleman’s dogs, the joyous tears At first he hesitated to approach them at all: and profusions of gratitude of the ransomed what could one expect from Jews who spend family — except to the task of handing over the the eve of the Holy Day drinking and gambling money to the nobleman and finding his way to in a tavern? But realizing that they were his only the synagogue. For he knew that if he first went hope, he approached their table and told them home for something to eat before the fast, he of the plight of the imprisoned family. would never make it to shul for Kol Nidrei. They were about to send him off empty-handed, “On Rosh HaShanah,” the Rebbe concluded when one of them had a jolly idea: wouldn’t it be

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 53 his story, “we submitted to the sovereignty of in anticipation of the climax of the day—the Heaven and proclaimed G‑d king of the uni- piercing blasts and sobs of the shofar. verse. Today, we fasted, prayed and repented, Rabbi Ze’ev reached into his pocket, and his laboring to translate our commitment to G‑d heart froze: the paper had disappeared! He into a refined past and an improved future. Now distinctly remembered placing it there that we are heading towards Sukkot, in which we morning, but now it was gone. Furiously, he actualize and rejoice over the attainments of searched his memory for what he had learned, the ‘Days of Awe’ through the special mitzvot but his distress over the lost notes seemed to of the festival — a joy that reaches its climax in have incapacitated his brain: his mind was a total the hakafot of Simchat Torah. But Reb Shmuel is blank. Tears of frustration filled his eyes. He had already there. When he announced the begin- disappointed his master, who had entrusted him ning of hakafot at Kol Nidrei last night, this was with this most sacred task. Now he must blow no ‘mistake.’ For us, Yom Kippur was just begin- the shofar like a simple horn, without any kava- ning; for him, it was already Simchat Torah....” n not. With a despairing heart, Rabbi Ze’ev blew the litany of sounds required by law and, avoid- ing his master’s eye, resumed his place. „ THE MASTER KEY At the conclusion of the day’s prayers, the Baal Shem Tov made his way to the corner where One year, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov said to Rabbi Ze’ev sat sobbing under his tallit. “Gut Rabbi Ze’ev Kitzes, one of his senior disciples: Yom Tov, Reb Ze’ev!” he called. “That was a most “You will blow the shofar for us this Rosh extraordinary shofar-blowing we heard today!” Hashanah. I want you to study all the kavanot (Kabbalistic meditations) that pertain to the “But Rebbe . . . I . . .” shofar, so that you should meditate upon them “In the king’s palace,” said the Baal Shem Tov, when you do the blowing.” “there are many gates and doors, leading to Rabbi Ze’ev applied himself to the task with joy many halls and chambers. The palace-keepers and trepidation: joy over the great privilege that have great rings holding many keys, each of had been accorded him, and trepidation over which opens a different door. But there is one the immensity of the responsibility. He studied key that fits all the locks, a master key that the Kabbalistic writings that discuss the multi- opens all the doors. faceted significance of the shofar and what its “The kavanot are keys, each unlocking another sounds achieve on the various levels of reality door in our souls, each accessing another cham- and in the various chambers of the soul. He also ber in the supernal worlds. But there is one key prepared a sheet of paper on which he noted the that unlocks all doors, that opens up for us the main points of each kavanah, so that he could innermost chambers of the divine palace. That refer to them when he blew the shofar. master key is a broken heart.” n Finally, the great moment arrived. It was the morning of Rosh Hashanah, and Rabbi Ze’ev stood on the reading platform in the center of the Baal Shem Tov’s synagogue amidst the Torah scrolls, surrounded by a sea of tallit-draped bodies. At his table in the southeast corner of the room stood his master, the Baal Shem Tov, his face aflame. An awed silence filled the room

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56 THE JEWISH-AMERICAN WARRIOR Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS 43. Torah breastplate 31. Existed 1. Tool for the Mohel 44. Torah portion DOWN 33. Rachel to Leah 6. That woman 45. Hellman’s bio 1. Zeta __ Tau, fraternity 35. Demon 9. Anti-Messiah homeland 48. Eve’s grandson 2. Tref shortening 37. Censor 14. Equipment for Chagall 49. __ Lapid, Yesh Atid chair 3. Khazars’ homeland 38. “Giant” author, __ Ferber 15. Hebrew letter 50. Asner and Koch 4. Played Canasta 39. “__ Dome”, Israeli defense 16. 1st century Torah scholar 52. “__ Maamin”, 5. Actor, __ Gould 40. Sephardic family 17. Nuremberg event Eli Wiesel work 6. Diplomat Eizenstat, 42. Ramat Gan products 18. That Geller feller 53. Shofar blasts casually 46. Meyerson “___ America” 19. “American Buffalo” 56. Seder 7. Marx brother 47. Belmont payoff playwright 58. City of Benjamin 8. Amalek 51. Live in 20. Haman’s fifth 59. Israeli food company 9. Ellen Naomi Cohen 53. Noodge 22. Dershowitz bargain? 61. Biblically punished 10. Alias 54. “Bonanza” dad 24. Tel-Aviv to Bet She’an (dir) 65. Raised 11. Dreidel letter 55. Tent for Abraham 25. Rhode Island synagogue 67. __ Aviv 12. Zaftig (Eng) 56. Grain measures 27. Kosher fish feature 69. Hebrew letter 13. Dung and Jaffa 57. Baseball’s “Flip” 29. Male swan 70. Said amen 21. Hungarian violinist 60. Stats for Arkia 32. Tet (Eng) 71. Rabbi Isaac Luria 23. C. Berman’s network 62. Item on Schindler’s list 33. Practice for Baer 72. Etrog cousin 26. News service founder 63. Isaac’s firstborn 34. “Rock of __” 73. Moses’ camouflage 28. Bandleader, __ Shaw 64. Revisionist action 36. Great classical pianist 74. Gaza to Beer Sheva (dir) 29. L’il Abner creator 66. Sign a Ketubah 41. Beg 75. Amalek 30. Stare 68. Bear false witness

Solution on page 41

TISHREI 5782 | SEPTEMBER 2021 57

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