Defending Israel the Digital Sage
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$1.00 WWW.5TJT.COM VOL. 6 NO. 42 25 TAMMUZ 5766 JULY 21, 2006 INSIDE FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK ISRAEL-U.S. WAR STRATEGY What’s In A Name? BY LARRY GORDON Hannah Reich Berman 22 MindBiz Esther Mann, LMSW 30 Defending Israel The Digital Sage Josh Justic 31 PhotoByREUTERS/AmmarAwad Letters to The Editor Our Readers 34 My Three Sons Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, and EU foreign policy chief, Javier Rachel Gerstley 46 Solana, at a joint news conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Since the onset of the that Israel has the right to Israel-Hezbollah war on July defend itself against terror- 12, President George W. Bush never tires of repeating Continued on Page 10 It started early last week cussed his feeling about sit- HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE when a friend called to dis- ting at the pool and relaxing at cuss the situation in Israel— his summer home in the the soldiers taken hostage by Catskills, while thinking Getting Hacked terrorists, Israel’s steadfast about Eretz Yisrael, the cap- refusal to negotiate with tured soldiers, and this down- BY LARRY GORDON Wedding of Shoshana them, and what were at the ward spiral in what looked like Cohen and Shya Markovits. time moves in the direction of I don’t believe for a moment See Page 56 all-out war. The caller dis- Continued on Page 3 that they are specifically focused on the Five Towns Jewish Times website. It is nev- ertheless disturbing when you AMERICAN BAR MITZVAHS IN ISRAEL suddenly start getting calls and e-mails from people in the mid- dle of the day saying things like, “Hi, you don’t know me, but I just wanted to tell you Continued on Page 12 Agudath Israel in DC. As They Build Up See Page 53 Communities, WELCOME TO Orthodox Become ISRAEL? U.S. Mayors Our Aliyah Chronicle, Part 12 (L-R): Brandon Klein, Josh Agus, and Bar-Mitzvah boys Shmuli Brecher and BY STEVEN I. WEISS BY SHMUEL KATZ Jacob Kellner march with an Israeli soldier at the Sefer Torah dedication, sponsored by the Brecher and Kellner families, at an army base in Israel. As Orthodox Jews build We awoke our first morning BY MICHELE difficult. Yet, several couples increasingly large communi- as Israeli citizens to the sound HERENSTEIN from Long Island chose to ties in suburban America, a of the doorbell buzzing. Our have their sons’ bar mitzvahs new status indicator has devel- 3:00 a.m. family party (jetlag) From what I can see and in the Holy Land, instead of oped: the Orthodox Jewish had morphed into a universal hear from my brother, sister- in the more common shul, mayor. Lawrence (N.Y.) has sleep late notice and the Simcha Day Camp leagues. in-law, and others, planning a hall, or hotel close to home. one; Lakewood (N.J.), has cleaning lady was at the door See Page 43 bar mitzvah is no easy feat. As Mandy and Rubin Brecher, one; and now Teaneck (N.J.) waiting to be let in. most people would agree, it’s who hail from Lawrence, has one, as well. The furnished home we are CANDLE LIGHTING downright stressful. Kal decided that for their youngest Elie Katz, owner of the local living in for the next few July 21 – 8:02 PM v’chomer, planning a bar mitz- son’s bar mitzvah, they wanted restaurant Chopstix, was elect- weeks comes complete with a July 28 – 7:56 PM vah 6,000 miles away from home has to be indescribably Continued on Page 8 Continued on Page 20 Continued on Page 16 2 July 21, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES FROM THE EDITOR state, a country, and a people in Eretz Yisrael other than what we had studied Continued from Front Cover in our Tanach classes in yeshiva. the direction of war. Crisis in Israel has an interesting To him, as a caring and concerned impact on us, as a people who belong to Jew, he found his thoughts to be some- diverse circles and communities. Unlike what incompatible with where he when the modern state was founded found himself at the moment. People and the years prior to 1967, Israel is around him swam, read, talked, and now, more than ever before, integrated listened to music on their CD players into so many of our daily lives. We have or radios. I was able to identify with his family and friends there, and the pace of feelings and sentiments, having been aliyah of our base readership has in Florida when Cpl. Gilad Shalit was increased dramatically over the last sev- ambushed and taken prisoner. I was eral years. conscious of the scenario as it unfold- That being what it is, how do we see ed near the Gaza border, the crisis in our role in the context of these recent his family and then in the country destructive events? Do we say to our while I, as well as others, complained family and friends that it is just an about the humidity and, at times, the awful situation that the people—our hot, penetrating sun. people—over there find themselves in, Of course, we can’t all be on the Gaza and then look around and think to our- border or near Lebanon with the IDF or selves, “aren’t we fortunate, or smarter with our brothers and sisters in Sderot, in a way, than they are”? That for now, Tsfat, Haifa, or any of the other cities anyway, we are here and they are there? currently under siege. That is, we can’t My first exposure to this geographic all be there physically, though I think dichotomy in our Jewish community you would be hard-pressed to find Jews was around the time of my bar mitzvah anywhere who are not concerned or and the start of the Six Day War. I don’t who don’t have the still evolving situa- know who made policy in those days, tion on their mind and in their prayers. though my retroactive suspicion is that The nature of the conflagration on there was no policy, so to speak, back Israel’s borders these last few days is then, but rather those in charge react- reminiscent of what we experienced ed to the situation with raw and unbri- when Scud missiles were being fired at dled emotion. I recall that my rebbi in Tel Aviv and causing extensive damage. eighth grade brought a radio to class so Prior to that, one had to reach way back we could hear a little bit of the news to the events surrounding the Yom about what was going on. We didn’t Kippur War in 1973. And then, if you know too much about the military could go that far back, there was the Six strategy or the topography, but from Day War of 1967, when many of us became aware of the real existence of a Continued on Page 4 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES July 21, 2006 3 FROM THE EDITOR began to think about it again. It started after davening with renewed intensity, in earnest a few years ago, when many even adding a chapter or two to the Continued from Page 3 shuls instituted the practice of reciting daily recitation. Someone took for what we heard it quickly became clear one or two chapters of Tehillim at the granted that the standoff with P.O. BOX 690 LAWRENCE, NY 11559 that Israel was enjoying great superior- conclusion of the morning services. Hezbollah near Lebanon and Hamas 516-984-0079 ity over the attacking Arab armies. The recitation was dedicated to the in Gaza was an acceptable status quo. [email protected] [email protected] Yes, we were excited about the little matzav (situation) as it existed when Those who drew that conclusion LARRY GORDON that we knew, but also frustrated at our suicide bombing was an almost daily apparently made a terrible mistake. Publisher/Editor inability to do anything we felt would be reality on the streets of Tel Aviv and I read Sharon Katz’s communiqué ESTA J. GORDON substantive as the situation unfolded Jerusalem. At first, the recitation was from Efrat. Sharon is the editor of Voices Managing Editor before our ears. At the time, however, resolute, and indeed signaled a change magazine that circulates around Israel. YOSSI GORDON our rebbis told us that the Tehillim we in our daily pattern by setting aside two She wrote about her son, Nattah, who is Director of Sales were reciting—beseeching Hashem to or three special minutes in which our stationed up north near the Lebanese CHANA ROCHEL ROSS have mercy on the fledgling State of prayers were totally focused on Israel. border and how she text-messages him to Editorial Assistant Israel—and the Torah we were studying Then, as time went by or the situa- find out where he is and what’s going on. SIDI BARON, YAKOV SERLE, JERRY MARKOVITZ in our classrooms every day were vital tion changed, we continued to recite He writes back: “Ima, Baruch Hashem, Sales Representatives contributions to the war effort. One the daily Tehillim but it quickly I’m fine, don’t worry.” Certainly she and SHMUEL GERBER may have even said that what we were became integrated into the daily rou- other mothers and fathers in Israel con- Chief Copy Editor able to do was just as important as that tine. Some would mumble it quickly; tinue to worry. She writes about the mil- MICHELE JUSTIC, YEHUDIT SANDERS Copy Editors of the soldier in uniform with his gun or others would speed through the words itary bus that pulled into her community CONTRIBUTING EDITORS in a combat tank tracking the enemy.