See Page 17 $1.00 WWW.5TJT.COM VOL. 11 NO. 19 16 SHEVAT 5771 ur,h ,arp JANUARY 21, 2011 INSIDE MARCHING INTO THE JEWISH FUTURE FROM THE EDITOR Jewish Traits Gone Bad Rabbi Avi Shafran 19 B Y LARRY GORDON Rachel Goldberger, a’h In A Natalie Halpern 21 Good Place Retorno: Know Hope Tami Benmayer 24 Look around and survey the Unpaid Debt current landscape of world Rabbi Meir Orlian 38 affairs, and I think you will see that for a change Israel is in a Advice On Ice good place. It’s difficult to argue Mordechai Schmutter 41 with the fact that we live in challenging times, yet it seems that, despite the complications and obstacles, there is some- When Stephen J. Savitsky of Hewlett gave his farewell address as president of the Orthodox Union (he will become thing good and positive happen- chairman of the board), he was introduced by his granddaughter Elana Schreier, a senior at the SKA High School for Girls. L–R: Rabbi Steven Weil, executive vice-president of the OU; Mr. Savitsky; Elana Schreier; Mrs. Genie Savitsky; and the incoming president, Dr. Simcha Katz of Teaneck. See Page 57 Continued on Page 6 STATE OF IOWA VS. JUSTICE: TAKE TWO HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE BY RABBI CHAIM GOLDBERGER Forensic Shidduchim It has been said, “As goes BY LARRY GORDON parents by the way in which he Fedowitz-Lazar wedding. Iowa, so goes the nation.” If so, ran around the little yard that See Page 78 it may be prudent to begin wor- When we were first married, our homes shared. rying about the direction of our we lived next door to a young When his grandparents would country. Iowa is beginning to couple that already had two visit, they could just not get display some ominous signs of small children. The older of the enough of Leibel. Everything was injustice and prosecutorial two was a boy named Leibel. “Leibel this” and “Leibel that.” abuse, especially if you are try- He was a cute little kid with Then one day his other grandpar- ing to operate a business ven- small curly peiyos behind his ents were visiting, and as I ears, a doting little tyke who Continued on Page 13 Wendy Runge generated lots of activity for his Continued on Page 11 Paragons And Perfection The Check Is PIDYON SHVUYIM: In The Mail DOES IT APPLY? Kidney drive in Lawrence. B Y ARYE NISONSON BY RABBI YAIR HOFFMAN See Page 58 You send a check to your In shul this past week, the local shul or charity and you do recent exchange in the pages of so with a sense of fulfillment. the Five Towns Jewish Times You feel secure in the knowl- between Rabbi Aryeh Zev edge that you are joining them Ginzberg and Zeev Gold (Letters in the life-giving aid they pro- to the Editor, January 14) became vide to people who are beyond the subject of discussion. Zeev Menachem Marx, a board member at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, accepts a our own personal reach, and we Gold posed the question as to surprise award at the yeshiva’s dinner, held Sunday, January 9, at Terrace on the Park. See Page 62 Continued on Page 20 Continued on Page 16 Lawrence Schiffman appointed at YU. See Page 49 CANDLE LIGHTING Jan. 21 – 4:41 PM Jan. 28 – 4:49 PM 2 January 21, 2011 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES January 21, 2011 3 FEATURES Around The Five Towns 47 P.O. BOX 690 LAWRENCE, NY 11559 516-984-0079 Aliyah Chronicle [email protected] [email protected] Shmuel Katz 76 LARRY GORDON ESTA J. GORDON Publisher/Editor Managing Editor Classified Ads 64 YOSSI GORDON, YOCHANAN GORDON The Dish Sales Managers Elke Probkevitz 39 CHANA ROCHEL ROSS Editorial Assistant Five Towns Simcha SIDI BARON Ira Thomas Creations 78 DOV GORDON YAKOV SERLE Sales Representatives Insights On The Torah R’ Yanki Tauber 44 SHMUEL GERBER MICHELE JUSTIC Chief Copy Editor Copy Editor Luach 6 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Hannah Reich Berman, Anessa V. Cohen Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg, Yoni Glatt MindBiz Toby Klein Greenwald, Rabbi Yair Hoffman, Ron Jager Esther Mann, LCSW 34 Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Shmuel Katz Phyllis J. Lubin, Esther Mann, Rochelle Miller Mother’s Musings Elke Probkevitz, Dr. Rachael Schindler Phyllis J. Lubin 22 Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow, Rabbi Avi Shafran Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier, Rabbi Meir Orlian Puzzle Eli Shapiro, Dr. Ari Sher, Samuel Sokol Yoni Glatt 67 ELISHEVA ELEFANT Staff Graphic Artist Real Estate IVAN NORMAN, IRA THOMAS Anessa V. Cohen 25 Staff Photographers FRANKEL & CO. That’s The Way It Is! Design & Production Hannah Reich Berman 32 TALIYE CORLEY Art Director Tidbits From Israel The Five Towns Jewish Times is an independent weekly news- Ron Jager 68 paper. Opinions expressed by writers and columnists are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. We are not Travel 53, 68 responsible for the kashrus or hashgachah of any product or establishment advertised in the Five Towns Jewish Times. 4 January 21, 2011 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES January 21, 2011 5 FROM THE EDITOR Continued from Front Cover ing on the world stage. Of course, Israel is still vilified at the United Nations, and its former “peace partners” in the Palestinian Authority are about to ask the UN to condemn Israel for building on land that no one ever- promised the Palestinians they could have as the capital of their version of fan- tasy island or a Palestinian state. Even the recent recognition of “Palestine” by a series of South American countries has had the impact of a feather falling from the top of a skyscraper. It sounds ominous and even frightening, but that has been the longstanding Arab agen- da—to isolate Israel and turn her into a pariah state that is subject to blistering criticism and disapproval of her actions from every direction. The impact of the effort, however, is suddenly minimal. The tactic is not working, and they may have already taken their best shot. This business of declaring a Palestinian state without negotiating with Israel is not a new or innovative scheme. It’s old news that was tried by Yasser Arafat back in 1988. Back then, the late terrorist innovator and leader also declared a form of quasi-state- hood that was recognized by, amongst others, the then-Soviet Union, China, and India. Both the declaration and the recog- nition amounted to little more than zero CALENDAR LUACH Jan. 20–Jan. 29 ZIP Code: 11516 15 Shevat – Tu B’Shevat Thursday, January 20 16 Shevat Friday, January 21 Daf yomi: Zevachim 72 Z’manim*: Earliest tallis/tefillin: 6:17 am Sunrise: 7:14 am Latest Shema: M. Av. 9:03 am Gr’a 9:39 am P’lag ha’minchah: 3:58 pm Candle Lighting: 4:41 pm 17 Shevat – Shabbos Saturday, January 22 Shabbos Parashas Yisro Shabbos ends**: 5:44 pm 72 min. 6:13 pm 23 Shevat Friday, January 28 Daf yomi: Zevachim 79 Earliest tallis/tefillin: 6:12 am Sunrise: 7:09 am Latest Shema: M. Av. 9:02 am Gr’a 9:38 am P’lag ha’minchah: 4:05 pm Candle Lighting: 4:49 pm 24 Shevat – Shabbos Saturday, January 29 Shabbos Parashas Mishpatim Blessing of Chodesh Adar I Shabbos ends**: 5:52 pm 72 min. 6:21 pm * All times from MyZmanim.com ** add a few minutes for tosefos Shabbos according to your minhag 6 January 21, 2011 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES on the world diplomatic stage. set of rules for non-Jews. The latest turning points that have And it is this reality that in large part improved Israel’s position on several lev- was responsible for Ehud Barak’s leaving els occurred back in the fall, when Prime Labor and forming a new political party, Minister Netanyahu stood firm in the face Atzmaut, just the way Ariel Sharon aban- of pressure from the U.S. and other lead- doned Likud to form Kadima six years ago. ing powers to renew the ten-month freeze The difference between the two scenarios on building in Jerusalem, Judea, and is that Sharon was at the time inching his Samaria, otherwise known as West Bank way to the left, while the Barak situation is settlements. It was extremely tempting his way of moving more to the right than for Bibi to grab that deal, as it seemed that his Labor party could tolerate. after just one more abbreviated freeze Israel’s standing on peace negotiations would be significantly improved. But as MK Moshe Yaalon, a former IDF The recent recognition chief of staff and an adviser to of “Palestine” by a series Netanyahu, said at the time, the proposal for an additional two- or three-month of South American freeze after a non-productive ten-month moratorium on building was nothing countries has had the less than a trap, in his terms, that Israel had to resist being ensnared in. And impact of a feather while the temptation was great to suc- falling from the top of a cumb to the pressure while currying additional, albeit temporary, favor with skyscraper. the Obama administration, the resist- ance has so far proven to be the best thing Netanyahu has done to date. As time passes, even the critics of Israel The leftists in Labor talk about a (that is, except for Jews on the extreme Palestinian state and dividing Jerusalem, left) are confronted with the irreconcil- but it’s mostly words filled with insincerity able equation of supporting a policy that and bluster.