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 2 July 10, 2009 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES July 10, 2009 3 CALENDAR LUACH July 9-July 18 ZIP Code: 11516 17 Tammuz – Ta’anis Thursday, July 9 Z’manim*: Dawn: 3:46 am Midday: 1:00 pm Fast ends: 9:04 / 9:08 / 9:17 pm “Three Weeks” begin 18 Tammuz Friday, July 10 Daf yomi: Bava Metzia 76 Earliest tallis/tefillin: 4:27 am Sunrise: 5:34 am Latest Shema: M. Av. 8:40 am Gr’a 9:16 am P’lag ha’minchah: 6:53 pm Candle Lighting: 8:09 pm 19 Tammuz – Shabbos Saturday, July 11 Shabbos Parashas Pin’chas Avos: Ch. 6 Shabbos ends**: 9:16 pm 72 min. 9:39 pm 25 Tammuz Friday, July 17 Daf yomi: Bava Metzia 83 Earliest tallis/tefillin: 4:34 am Sunrise: 5:39 am Latest Shema: M. Av. 8:43 am Gr’a 9:19 am P’lag ha’minchah: 6:51 pm Candle Lighting: 8:05 pm 26 Tammuz – Shabbos Saturday, July 18 Shabbos Parashas Mattos-Masei Blessing of month of Av Avos: Ch. 1 Shabbos ends**: 9:11 pm 72 min. 9:35 pm * from MyZmanim.com ** add a few minutes for tosefos Shabbos according to your minhag For the next issue, deadline for reserving ad space is Monday, July 13 at 5:00 P.M. All graphics for ads must be in by Tuesday, July 14 at 5:00 P.M. Call 516-984-0079 4 July 10, 2009 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Looking Ahead Continued from Front Cover go—both personally and communally. Personally, I am reminded of a thought by Rav Yitzchak Hutner. He noted that in Hebrew, the word “modeh” has two meanings: to thank, as in “Todah rab- bah”; and also to admit, as in “modeh b’miktzat.” What is the connection between these two meanings? Rav Hutner suggested that the first step in giving thanks is to admit and recognize the tremendous gift given. Once I admit to that, and recognize that it doesn’t all come from me, then I am able to give thanks to the giver. We use both of these meanings each time we daven. “Modim anachnu Lach— we admit to You,” “she’Attah hu Hashem Elokeinu—that you are our G-d,” You are the source of all our blessing. Only then do we say, “Nodeh lecha u’nsapeir t’hi- lasecha, al chayeinu,” Thank You for giv- ing us life, for giving us our neshamah. My wife and I recognize the tremen- dous siyatta d’Shmaya that Hashem, along with His shalichim, has given us throughout our move. The services of Misrad HaKlittah, along with the con- stant support of the Nefesh B’Nefesh staff, make the landing that much softer for all olim. What other country pays for your flight and gives you several months of financial help, in order to help get you on your feet? It certainly is not the same welcome that Avraham Avinu received upon reaching Eretz Canaan. The kids are acclimating, and con- tinue to adjust. Of course, every child is in their own respective situation, with the ups and downs that are to be expected in a new country, with a new school system, a new group of friends, and a new language to learn. But on the whole, it has been a tremendous berachah, a wonderful experience for all. Each of them has a great chevrah, they are understanding more and more with the daily ulpan help they receive, and they are slowly losing the feeling of being olim chadashim. They are not even conscious of some of the magic which they are experienc- ing. When my six-year-old, Naama, takes an apple from the fridge and asks inno- cently, “Does it have kedushah?” it gives me goose bumps. When, during Tishrei, my 5th- and 7th-graders each have mid- night walks in Jerusalem’s Old City, walking on the same hallowed ground as the great Biblical and Talmudic figures, Dovid and Shlomo, followed by Shammai and Hillel, culminating with saying Selichot at the Kotel, it helps me understand what it was that made me uproot a comfortable Five Towns family and move them across the world to start a new stage in their collective lives. When, on Friday afternoon, we finish our Shabbat preparations early and then drive 15 minutes to take a quick pre- Shabbat tiyul, to grab a glimpse of where Dovid haMelech felled the giant Golyat, we realize just how special is this land in which we live. So yes, we admit and rec- ognize the gift that Hashem has given us, and thank Him for the opportunity to be part of our ongoing national history and destiny. On a communal level, as I think of our fledgling Nofei Hashemesh com- Continued on Page 11 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES July 10, 2009 5 FROM THE EDITOR guest speaker at Rabbi Marc FEATURES Continued from Front Cover Schneier’s Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton, New York. The shul, can cogently present Israel’s positions which was jammed with over one Around The Five Towns 29 P.O. BOX 690 LAWRENCE, NY 11559 to the U.S. and the world. thousand congregants, listened grip- 516-984-0079 Time and again it seems that Israel pingly to Mr. Oren’s words. Book Review [email protected] [email protected] suffers through the blemishing and While he covered a broad array of Ari Sher 57 brutalization of its international image, topics that impact Israel on numer- LARRY GORDON ESTA J. GORDON Classified Ads 66 Publisher/Editor Managing Editor mostly because of the lack of an effec- ous levels, the theme of his remarks tive and intelligent response to some of was specific. How is it, he asked, YOSSI GORDON, YOCHANAN GORDON Daf Yomi Insights the most extreme and outlandish that Israel is attempting to deal with Sales Managers Rabbi Yosef Sebrow 42 CHANA ROCHEL ROSS assertions leveled against it from an explicit warning of a nuclear Editorial Assistant Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and threat from the leaders of Iran, yet The Dish SIDI BARON others all the way down the line in the the rest of the world is obsessed with Elke Probkevitz 21 YAKOV SERLE U.S.