See Page 35 $1.00 WWW.5TJT.COM VOL. 9 NO. 39 18 TAMMUZ 5769 xjbp ,arp JULY 10, 2009

INSIDE FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK SETTLERS SLAM ‘GOOD NEWS’ Essence Of Greatness BY LARRY GORDON Rabbi Avi Shafran 23 MindBiz The Impressive Mr. Oren Esther Mann, LMSW 24 Things may have become a Ding-Dong . . . bit safer for Israel for now—at Hannah Reich Berman 28 least in Washington, DC—as Bibi’s Inner Circle American-born scholar and Leslie Sussner 48 historian Michael Oren has assumed the position of the Middle East Piece Jewish State’s ambassador to Yochanan Gordon 59 the U.S. Of course, Israel needs a great myriad of things, but perhaps the void that needs filling most is the position of an articulate and A settlement community in Gush Etzion, pictured from a distance. effective spokesperson who The future of these communities, whose current population stands at over 500,000, is one of the many points of contention between Continued on Page 6 the U.S. and Israel. See Story, Page 47 LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE

B Y RABBI live in the homeland of our SHALOM ROSNER nation, the land which so Building Bnei Brak many throughout our history Jetter–Stein Wedding. Ten months ago, I, along had yearned, aspired, and BY LARRY GORDON See Page 53 with my family, had the z’chut hoped for. Now, we, standing of fulfilling a mitzvah that on the shoulders of those who Ahh, the hustle and bustle Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam preceded us, had come back and the noise of the streets of could only dream of fulfilling. to our land. What a privilege, Bnei Brak. Car horns are blow- Coming down the steps off what a feeling, what a high. ing as people dart between our Nefesh B’Nefesh char- Today, ten months after slow-moving vehicles. Baby tered flight last August, we that fateful and awesome day, carriages jut out from every became part of a dream, part we look back to see what we direction also endeavoring to of something larger than our- have accomplished, where we get to the other side of the Mayors Mike Bloomberg and selves, part of the national stand, and where we aspire to street. It cannot be a coinci- Yakov Asher. destiny of our people. We had dence that Bnei Brak and Boro come home. We had come to Continued on Page 5 Park not only share similar- Continued on Page 14

RCCS Cedarhurst Barbecue. Simply Long Beach HAFTR, THREE KINGS See Page 62 Rambam BY THE LEGENDARY Splitting D ANNY O’DOUL After a truly inspirational It was a three-year experi- July Fourth, I awoke on the ment that originally evolved fifth and realized that our from the notion that the Five leader, President Obama, Towns community was experi- was going off on his trip to encing an overall shift to the Russia, the state formerly P h o t o religious right. Now, in retro- known as the principal of the B y I v

a spect, the feeling may be in Soviet Union (and, intermit- n H . N

o some circles that the move is tently, by only a symbol, the r m a n not as significant or dramatic hammer and sickle on the Shaaray Tefila Rabbi Chaim Wakslak of Young Israel of Long Beach with members of as originally anticipated, so bright red background). I 99th Annual Dinner. Simply Tzfat, who performed Monday night for an audience of several See Page 36 thousand at a concert on the boardwalk sponsored by the City of Long Beach. Continued on Page 20 Continued on Page 9

CANDLE LIGHTING See Ad July 10 – 8:09 PM Page 37 July 17 – 8:05 PM HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE Brak are full-time members of yeshivas Continued from Front Cover and kollelim, which means that they basically do not contribute substantial- sounding names, but at times they look ly to the tax rolls of the city. almost identical as well. At the same time, he says, there is an Many of us think of the city of Bnei extreme housing shortage in Bnei Brak Brak as a place that possesses a unique with the country and the municipality type of sanctity. Certainly it’s an feeling the pressure to accommodate its enclave in Eretz Yisrael dominated by citizens. As we survey an aerial photo- chassidic and yeshivish rabbis and graph of Bnei Brak, Mayor Asher points rebbes and populated by their follow- to a large tract of land in the northern ers. Bnei Brak is home to some of the part of the city where his plans call for world’s greatest and oldest yeshivas as the building of an industrial complex well as internationally famous chas- with skyscraping office buildings. His sidic dynasties. But then there is the hope is to lure businesses from around everyday Bnei Brak that is a regular city Israel to relocate to this area just to the with mundane needs and requirements east of Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv. not unlike any other metropolis in the Mayor Asher says that he hopes that (L–R): Ben Barber, founder of Bnei Brak Foundation; Brooklyn Borough President Marty world. The city may, to an extent, run Markowitz; Mayor Yaakov Asher of Bnei Brak; NYS Assemblyman Dov Hikind; NYC Councilman someday he will able to do for Bnei Brak on miracles, but it still needs a compe- David Weprin; Ezra Friedlander, The Friedlander Group; and Dr. David Moskovits, President of what Teddy Kollek did for Jerusalem. tent and charismatic personality to Endowment for Democracy in Eastern Europe. His objective is to interest donors from manage those miracles. around the world to undertake projects And that’s where Bnei Brak’s new that contribute to the preservation as mayor, Yakov Asher, comes into the pic- sibly Tsfat, the next most frequently vis- services, when Rav Kanievsky does not well as the strengthening of the city. ture. A longtime member of the city’s ited city in Eretz Yisrael for many of us have to leave to attend a nearby bris Asher wants to communicate the rich governing council, Mr. Asher was elect- is the metropolis of Bnei Brak. The city milah (which occur regularly), there is history and the deep attachment to ed about six months ago to be mayor of has a round-the-clock pulse as there is an opportunity to chat for a few Torah that is still very much part of the a city burdened with an accumulated always something special going on. moments with the sage. fabric of everyday life in the city. municipal debt of $55 million and an Several of this generation’s most But this is the spiritual aspect of Mayor Yakov Asher was here in New annual budget deficit of between $5 and revered Torah sages are based there, Bnei Brak. Mr. Asher acts with realism York to explain to New Yorkers the $6 million. I don’t think he was here in amongst them Rav Ahron Leib and the understanding that the city important role of Bnei Brak as much as New York a few weeks ago to solicit Shteinman, shlita, and Rav Chaim cannot continue to function without he was here to learn whatever he could funds for the city, but his visit was rather Kanievsky, shlita. Both Rav Shteinman’s being able to pay its bills. Today Bnei from the way New York functions. In a to make members of the Orthodox home as well as Rav Kanievsky’s shul, Brak is a city of 160,000 residents, meeting in Manhattan with New York Jewish communities here aware of the known as the Lederman shul, are regu- though it seems to the naked eye that City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the two needs of this unique city in Israel. lar stops on the itinerary of travelers the population is significantly greater. mayors shared stories and experiences Yakov Asher is friendly and talkative with yeshiva roots from around the The city is filled with young people, and about their respective obligations to as he discusses Bnei Brak while world. The Lederman shul is known for in fact, the mayor says, over 50 percent their municipalities. acquainting himself with the nuances the crowds it draws for the vasikin or of the population is below the age of 22. Mayor Asher said that he was of our communities here in New York. pre-dawn minyan in which Reb Chaim Yakov Asher also adds that almost half He knows that after Jerusalem and pos- is a daily participant. Following morning of the working-age population in Bnei Continued on Page 20

14 July 10, 2009 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES HAFTR And Rambam Wednesday morning that the sudden Others close to the situation said that partnership was based on the idea that Continued from Front Cover change is primarily a result of the glob- another unstated issue was the matter over the coming years the traditional al economic downturn and the inabili- of the disparity in the tuitions between constituency for HAFTR would erode the HAFTR Board of Directors voted ty of HAFTR to continue the funding the traditional HAFTR school, Rambam somewhat, and that a retooling of the this week to roll the clock back, try to of Shalhevet as it seeks to establish Mesivta, and Shalhevet. The full hashkafic approach would have to take sever ties with Rabbi Zev Friedman of itself as a viable school in the commu- HAFTR high school tuition is $24,000 place. While economic circumstances Rambam Mesivta, and begin to dis- nity. “The commitment was for annually, while Shalhevet awarded a were not cooperative in continuing the mantle the all-encompassing educa- Shalhevet to be 100 percent funded by large number of partial and full scholar- new venture, at the same time it seems tional partnership between Rambam HAFTR, with the academics and other ships, with some paying tuition in the that the anticipated shift was not as and HAFTR, known heretofore as aspects of the school to be run by $5,000 range for last year. extreme as once envisioned, and it was Machon HaTorah. Rabbi Friedman and Yotav Eliach,” While it may take some time to iron decided that the old pre-Machon As an immediate consequence of said Mr. Honigsfeld. He said that with out exactly what occurred here and HAFTR can succeed and flourish. the board decision, HAFTR will not be the economy in the shape that it’s in, where exactly the fault, if any, lies, for After the students are placed, the funding the second year of Shalhevet the school has found itself with an now all involved are concerned about next matter of business is to try to disen- High School, the all-girls yeshiva high increase in applications for scholar- making certain that the students who tangle the agreements that were entered school created by Machon HaTorah as ships, making it difficult to continue do not have a school at present are into and determine what cost, if any, an alternative to the existing HAFTR funding for Machon and Shalhevet. placed appropriately. To that end, Mr. there will be to rearrange the corporate high school. The immediate fallout For his part, Rabbi Friedman said Honigsfeld said that he is working structure of Machon and allow the from the HAFTR decision is that some that he felt that the decision on closely with Joey Genachowski and Jay existing institutions to continue func- 30 or so young women who had been HAFTR’s part was “unfortunate, Gellman of HALB, and they are work- tioning independently of one another. O anticipating attending Shalhevet next unnecessary, and painful” for all ing diligently in the true spirit of year are at present not enrolled any- involved. Mr. Honigsfeld said that it achdus in the community to make cer- where; those involved are seeking to was still premature to discuss the sta- tain that all the students are placed. HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE have them placed for the coming tus of the Machon, because although Rabbi Moshe Zwick of the Shulamith Continued from Page 14 school year as soon as possible. HAFTR has made its own decision school said that he was also contacted The newly installed co-president of about the funding, the Machon is run to discuss the possibility that some of extremely impressed with Mayor the HAFTR board, Mark Honigsfeld, by a separate board which has not yet the girls might attend Shulamith. Bloomberg and his extensive grasp of the told the Five Towns Jewish Times on had the opportunity to convene. The genesis of the Machon HaTorah intricacies of running a complex city like New York. He was in particular able to study up close how New York manages fiscally in these trying economic times. Mayor Asher is hoping to balance his city’s budget by the end of this year. Yakov Asher has big plans for Bnei Brak. “There are so many things that a city like ours needs that we try to do without because we just don’t have the money,” he said in the offices of the 5TJT in Cedarhurst a few weeks ago. He said that, in reality, and despite its sacred past and a lifestyle steeped in the study of Torah, there are very con- temporary social problems that need to be dealt with. “We have youth that need attention the same as any city,” he said. The same kinds of trouble that kids get into anywhere is unfortunately replicated in Bnei Brak. “We need funds to help these kids to function in a proper social environment,” he said. “We need enhanced special education programs for our children and on and on.” Yakov Asher is a man with a vision who will not be happy bringing this ancient city of Bnei Brak into the 20th century. He is a 21st century man, ready, willing, and looking for the assistance needed to help his city move forward. O

Comments for Larry Gordon are welcome at [email protected].

Looking Ahead Continued from Page 12

tain, to get the most out of the experi- ence of the mountain. Hashem says, “Moshe, don’t just climb Har Sinai, but be on Har Sinai; get the most out of Har Sinai that you can get!” After one makes aliyah, the challenge is to keep striving, keep growing, to not feel that it’s enough just to be in this special land, but to keep going to even greater heights. Eretz Yisrael is our land, the special gift that Hashem has given to His peo- ple, the land in which one feels closer to Hashem. Let us appreciate its qual- ities, recognize its beauty, and yearn for the day that all the Jewish people will be living within its borders. O 20 July 10, 2009 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES