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INSIDE FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK A THANKSGIVING MISSION

A Decade At Risk BY LARRY GORDON Rabbi Shaya Cohen 28 MindBiz A School Board Meeting Esther Mann, LMSW 36 Instead of just reporting residents voted into office Paradise Lost that the mostly public-school trustees committed to fiscal Hannah Reich Berman 37 constituency present at last responsibility and educational week’s District 15 school progress, fairness, and integri- Daf Yomi Insights meeting reached new lows in ty. The new board replaced a Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow 60 addressing the board and its board mostly concerned with members, I’d prefer to sift protecting the unions and Aliyah Chronicle through all the verbal muck salary and benefits packages Shmuel Katz 63 and try to figure out what is for district employees, with really going on. lots of rhetoric about plunging For those who do not live in performance and low test A contingent of members of Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi of Cedarhurst (also the district or even our imme- scores for the dwindling num- known as The Red Shul), led by Rabbi Yakov Feitman, spent their diate area, please note that Thanksgiving weekend in Israel. Pictured above: Davening Minchah this about six months ago, district Continued on Page 5 past Sunday afternoon prior to the return trip to New York. SHABBAT ACROSS AMERICA HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE BY RABBI YAIR himself out of the running for HOFFMAN President of the United States The Commute DEAN, TIFERET CHAYA–THE CAROL in 1995. He was the first TEPLER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS black person to ever serve as BY LARRY GORDON the West Side. On most days Yitzi Wolman Bar Mitzvah. the Chairman of the Joint it took about 90 minutes, See Page 47 Colin Powell, the former Chiefs of Staff. He had served There was a time, about a door-to-door. On some days Secretary of State; Harry S in Vietnam, and ultimately dozen years ago, when I used and nights, it could take up Truman, the former President; earned the rank of General. to drive into Manhattan to two and a half hours. It and Joseph Kennedy, former His views wielded enormous every day to go to work. I was largely unpredictable. President Kennedy’s father power and influence. lived in Brooklyn then, so it When I moved out here, I and former U.S. Ambassador Harry S Truman was once a was not necessary to negoti- immediately abandoned the to England. What do they all businessman who declared ate the round-the-clock traf- driving for the comforts and have in common? bankruptcy. He was President fic of the Van Wyck, the LIE, relative swiftness of the Colin Powell is a former or the Midtown Tunnel. Still, LIRR—Lawrence to Penn Secretary of State who took Continued on Page 18 it was a crawl most days, Station in 43 minutes. It was down the BQE, into the Battery Tunnel, and then up Continued on Page 12

J.J.’s Big Day Secrets Of The 15-Minute Chef SKA scholarship winners. A STICK WORTH See Page 53 The Refusal CARRYING Diet Diaries: Third And Final Entry An American Response To BY JAMIE GELLER The Gemayel Assassination BY STUART H. I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!! DITCHEK, MD, FAAP I will not get on that scale. Hubby says I lose our weight- Pierre Gemayel died on the loss contest by default, but I same day that Syria and Iraq don’t care; I’d rather lose than normalized relations and the see a number I don’t like. It’s same week that the United so psychological. My husband States government leaked Heshy and Esther Wein to be doesn’t get it; I think that reports that the Iraq study honored. See Page 44 men, in general, just don’t group under James Baker will On Sunday, November 12, several hundred people came to a understand. If I see a number recommend renewed talks CANDLE LIGHTING Young Israel of Woodmere breakfast to see J.J. Goldstein, a 10-year-old I don’t like, I will go into a with the Syrians very soon. Dec. 1 – 4:10 PM with special needs, receive the Rudy Rosen Community Service Award. tailspin and possibly never This coincidence of olive Dec. 8 – 4:09 PM Presenting the award are (L) Rabbi Herschel Billet and (R) Phil Fuchs. See Page 51 Continued on Page 14 Continued on Page 16 2 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 3 4 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES FROM THE EDITOR Continued from Front Cover ber of public-school students, but not much else. Newly elected to the board P.O. BOX 690 LAWRENCE, NY 11559 were four men who send or sent their 516-984-0079 [email protected] children to local yeshivas. As a result, [email protected] when there is a hard decision to be LARRY GORDON made, they are routinely accused of Publisher/Editor not caring about the public schools ESTA J. GORDON because they don’t use them—or Managing Editor worse, desiring to destroy the local YOSSI GORDON public-school system. Director of Sales Needless to say, not only are these CHANA ROCHEL ROSS suggestions scurrilous, they are Editorial Assistant trumped up and baseless, and they plant SIDI BARON, YAKOV SERLE, JERRY MARKOVITZ the seeds of a great deal of animosity. Sales Representatives No reasoning or citing of facts will SHMUEL GERBER assuage the way this particular opinion Chief Copy Editor has evolved. This way of thinking has MICHELE JUSTIC been and continues to be eloquently Copy Editor articulated by two board members, Pam CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Greenbaum and Stanley Kopilow. Their Howard M. Adelsberg, Esq. Irwin Benjamin, Hannah Reich Berman approach and thinking on numerous Jamie Geller, Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg issues affecting the district seem to have Yochanan Gordon, Michele Herenstein one criterion: that they be in contraven- Rabbi Yair Hoffman, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky tion to whatever the position of the rest Esther Mann, Rochelle Miller, Naomi Ross, of the board happens to be. Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow, Eli Shapiro One glaring example of this was YOSEF BROWN MICHAL WEINSTEIN demonstrated at the meeting on Staff Graphic Artists Tuesday, November 21 when, because IVAN NORMAN, IRA THOMAS of death threats received in the mail by Staff Photographers some board members, security screen- FRANKEL & CO., CREATIVE DESIGN LLC ing for people entering the building Design & Production was dramatically tightened. In addition TALIYE CORLEY to two Nassau County police officers Art Director being present throughout the three- The Five Towns Jewish Times is an independent weekly news- and-a-half-hour meeting, those enter- paper. Opinions expressed by writers and columnists are not ing the meeting had to sign in and necessarily those of the editor or publisher. We are not responsible for the kashrus or hashgachah of any product or establishment advertised in the Five Towns Jewish Times. Continued on Page 9

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 5 6 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 7 8 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES FROM THE EDITOR the new photo-ID rules. community organizations, with some munity organizations can have greater Continued from Page 5 By the end of the meeting, and reasonable limitations. access to school facilities in the district. despite the heckling and very tough So why is it that there is so much ani- Listening to some of these com- present photo identification. public comments, the majority of the mosity and tension between these two ments last week, I was struck by a On several occasions as the new board had the courage to vote in favor factions, the public-school and private- recurring theme that demonstrates that security measures were discussed by of holding a voter referendum on two school parents? Listening to the banter, a great number of people in the district the board, both Greenbaum and issues. The first is pre-K busing for all the heckling, and sometimes very suc- have either a completely distorted Kopilow emphatically expressed oppo- understanding, or no understanding at sition to the heightened scrutiny of all, of why we send our children to those attending these meetings. yeshiva and not the public schools in Kopilow insisted that the threats were the first place. For as far back as I can not to be taken seriously (he was one A great number of people have either a recall, there has been a feeling that the of the recipients) and that the board’s motivation of parents who send their motivation to adapt the new measures completely distorted understanding, or no children to yeshiva is that we do not was to “chill free speech” that is a very want our children to be in the same prominent feature of these regular understanding at all, of why we send our classrooms or in the same location as conclaves. For her part, Ms. the children who make up the present Greenbaum was concerned how chil- public-school population. This is, of dren would have access to the build- children to yeshiva in the first place. course, not true. I’ve been aware that ing, as many do not have photo IDs. this sentiment exists and is hanging out Then someone mentioned that the there and occasionally surfaces in HAFTR basketball team conducted some of those unkind letters that make their practice sessions in the building, students in the district. At present, cinct pronouncements of protest I their way into the newspapers. as well. When she heard that the new only public-school pre-kindergarten heard—though not for the first time— The other night at the school board security rules might affect the HAFTR students receive this service. The sec- what is the real underlying catalyst to meeting, I heard a new variation of this yeshiva team and could possibly result ond public referendum will propose to this awful and destructive situation, and old refrain. In discussing how much in barring them from the building, she open up the public-school facilities at it isn’t whether or not yeshiva students suddenly seemed to change sides on no cost to a wider cross section of all receive pre-K busing or whether com- Continued on Page 10 the issue and seemed to want to explore the possibility of implementing CALENDAR LUACH Dec. 1 – Dec. 9 ZIP Code: 11516

10 Kislev – Erev Shabbos Friday, December 1 Daf yomi: Beitzah 35 Z’manim*: Earliest tallis/tefillin: 6:01 am Sunrise: 7:00 am Latest Shema: M. Av. 8:45 am Gr’a 9:21 am Candle Lighting: 4:10 pm 11 Kislev – Shabbos Saturday, December 2 Shabbos Parashas Vayeitzei Shabbos Ends**: 5:13 pm 72 min. 5:41 pm eve of 14 Kislev – Monday night December 4 Begin “Tal U’Mattar” at Ma‘ariv 17 Kislev – Erev Shabbos Friday, December 8 Daf yomi: Rosh Hashanah 3 Earliest tallis/tefillin: 6:07 am Sunrise: 7:06 am Latest Shema: M. Av. 8:50 am Gr’a 9:26 am Candle Lighting: 4:09 pm 18 Kislev – Shabbos Saturday, December 9 Shabbos Parashas Vayishlach Shabbos Ends**: 5:13 pm 72 min. 5:40 pm * from MyZmanim.com ** add a few minutes for tosefos Shabbos according to your minhag Municipal Calendar For 5 Towns and NYC Friday, December 8 NYC “gridlock alert” day; mass transit recommended. 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 9 FROM THE EDITOR because they are high income earners under oppressive and threatening condi- You may disagree, but that’s just anoth- Continued from Page 9 and can afford it may be accurate, but tions, the flame of Jewish religious er wonderful part of the system. does not apply in the instance of yeshi- instruction continued to flicker at great Back in June, a few days before the money would be needed in order to cre- va education in this district. There isn’t risk of dire consequences. term of the last board expired, the ate busing parity amongst preschoolers a yeshiva that serves the children from So, as you can see, it is not about board voted in a new five-year teachers’ with the expanded busing service, a the Lawrence School District that elitism, nor is it about wealth. That contract for the Lawrence teachers. It speaker asked why we need district-sup- doesn’t award a significant number of doesn’t mean that there are not signif- was, in my opinion, irresponsible and ported busing if we are “rich enough” to full or partial scholarships because of icant numbers of people who are suc- hurtful to the future of this district. send our kids to private schools. And economic hardships. In some area cessful in business or in their profes- The board voted and, at the time, the that’s another piece of a very damaging yeshivas, as much as 60 percent of the sions and who enjoy sending their chil- majority of the members of the board misunderstanding. We don’t send our school population receives some kind dren to these schools and supporting shared a public-school orientation. At children to private schools because we of scholarship. These are not indica- them. And certainly there are numbers the time, outgoing board member feel that we are in some kind of privi- tors of an elitist or wealthy segment of of successful public-school parents in Frank Parise stated that even though leged class and want to make certain the population. the district who can afford a private there was a new board coming in, he that our children receive only the finest So why do so many people who are education for their children but felt that because he was still an officer possible education. There is no ques- entitled to free education extend them- instead choose to have them educated of the board, he had a responsibility to tion that there are superb teachers and selves financially in order to send their in the public-school system. vote his conscience—which was for administrators in the public-school sys- children to yeshiva? It’s primarily Then there is the politics and politi- additional expenditures of hundreds of tem, in this district and elsewhere. because this is our Torah tradition that cal economics of it all. An election took millions of dollars over the next five Where do you think many of the secu- has been handed down for generations. place in this district in May and the years. There was no question as to how lar-studies teachers in yeshivas come In the Soviet Union, when Jewish reli- people spoke; these school-board mem- or where the district would get the from, anyway? They come from public gious education was illegal and would bers are our elected representatives. It money to fulfill its contractual obliga- schools, and they are excellent. So it’s mean a potential long prison sentence is their responsibility—if they want to tions; that was going to be a problem not about that. for a person who educated a child in serve in good faith—to vote on issues that the current board would be sad- In addition, the fact that a great deal this fashion, that did not stop a network the way they believe the people who dled with and would have to solve. of American families may send their of underground yeshivas from being voted them into office want them to The outgoing board members most children to private schools looking to formed and flourishing. In the vote. That’s the way the system works, likely knew two very important things: segregate them from public schools European ghettos of World War II, and there is nothing unfair about it. that there was no money in the budget to make good on those contracts and that they were establishing a terrible prece- dent and demonstrating a severe lack of respect for the voters in the district, who had just rejected the school budget at the polls for the fourth consecutive year. So what did they expect at the time, if they in fact see the way they voted as their obligation and responsibility? Does the current coalition of board members—Mr. Forman, Dr. Mansdorf, Mr. Hatten, Mr. Kaufman, and Dr. Sussman—have any less obli- gation to their constituency than the previous board members did? How can they be so vilified and criticized if they are just doing the responsible thing, bringing parity to district stu- dents by opening school facilities to greater segments of the school popula- tion and making certain that every preschool child has the right to the same busing services? There is no question that most resi- dents of the district—whether they send their children to private school or public school—are fair-minded people who would like to see everyone get along well. For the most part, the peo- ple who attend some of the more tumultuous school-board meetings, like the one last week, do not represent a consensus of district parents. I would like to suggest that we bring together parents of students in both public and private schools to sit around the table and begin to learn from one another about our lives, our priorities, and our children. Former school-board mem- ber Frank Parise, in a letter in this issue, has offered to help organize pre- cisely such a forum. This will not be a forum for rabble-rousers or agitators. It will not be a forum for people with agendas. I believe that if such a meet- ing takes place—a meeting of ten par- ents affiliated with the public schools and ten from private schools that serve the district—we will find in a very short time that there is indeed a great deal of misunderstanding and that we are united by much more than what we are divided by. If you would like to participate in such a forum, please write to me at [email protected]. ❖ 10 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 11 HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE Cell-phone mania has reached a Continued from Front Cover point where there is now legislation that limits the public places in which a breeze; a mechaya, if you will. When you are allowed to talk on your phone. I think back to the pre-cell-phone One of the first places they are think- days, sitting in traffic listening to Bob ing of banning cell talk is on trains and Grant, I grope for an answer to the buses. It’s just so annoying to be sitting question of how we survived for that on a train or a bus and to have to lis- hour or so in the rush-hour version of ten to other people’s private or busi- the dark side of the moon—out of ness conversations. We have enough of touch and out of contact with the our own problems; why do we have to world. Before cell phones, though, be forced to eavesdrop on problems there was a brief beeper period. People and things that we cannot do anything could reach you, but you could not about anyway? reach back. It was advanced technolo- But this article is about commut- gy at the time, but thinking back, it ing, not between Long Island or was one of the most frustrating times Brooklyn and Manhattan, but in the technological transition that has between the United States and Israel. led us to today. There is an increasing number of peo- Beepers were largely made for doc- ple, from this and other communities, tors, who are probably taught in med- who have relocated their families to ical school not to return pages too Israel and continue to shuttle back quickly. But in business, when you and forth between New York and are beeped—and the beeping party Jerusalem to maintain their business tacks onto the return phone number or professional practice. No question a “911” addendum—and you have no that this is a unique and serious way cell phone, the frantic search for a in which to deal with that dilemma of pay phone gets underway. I think I how to integrate Israel into your life paid $700 for my first cell phone, on a practical level. which I believe was installed in my Once upon a time, there was a car in 1990. The phone, however, was good reason not to live in Israel. You stuck in the car. If you were not in were settled here and life was diffi- the car, you missed the calls; so you cult there. Not only that, but things told people that you missed their call were kind of backwards there, your because you were not in the car. In family was here, you were born and those days, it was called a car phone raised here, your parents are here, more frequently than it was called a your work is here, and so on. But you cell phone. Today, some people, even are a Jew and you feel for and love though they carry the phone with Israel. Eretz Yisrael is the consum- them at all times, still refer to it as a mate destiny of all Jews, and this car phone. should be especially realized by Jews

12 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES who study Torah, pray three times a “would not give it up for anything in day, send our children to live and the world.” study there, and barely ever stop Reb Nachman of Breslov is known thinking or worrying about her. to have said that the most important But you can’t be here and be there. thing is one’s yearning. Also, the baal The human condition is such that you haTanya, Reb Shneur Zalman of Liadi, are limited to being in one place at a is known to have worked himself into a time. But not necessarily. With some high spiritual state where he would say creativity, energy, and ingenuity you to Hashem: “I don’t want Torah, nor do can practically be in both places at the I want mitzvos. I want You, to be close same time—kind of. Take Dr. Marc to You and only You.” In such a lofty Klein, for example. A resident of state of attachment to Hashem, the Woodmere for many years, he, his Rebbe yearned for closeness that is wife, and children picked themselves unencumbered by even Torah and up and moved to Israel about five years mitzvos. He just wanted Hashem and ago. They settled and bought a home nothing else. in Maale Adumim. At the same time, In his lectures on marriage, Rabbi it’s not unusual to run into Marc on Manis Friedman references this as a Central Avenue in Cedarhurst, seem- frequent illustration. He says that ingly just about every week. often in counseling, a woman or a man Dr. Klein is a dentist with a heavy may not be able to effectively articu- workload in and around the Five late precisely what it is that they feel Towns. If he had to tell you what his may be lacking in the relationship. It is travel schedule is, he’d say that he not unusual to hear one of the part- leaves Israel every Sunday night at ners saying something like, “I just want 1:00 a.m. (Monday morning, actual- more of you—not fancy restaurants or ly). He’s back on a plane to Israel just exotic vacations. Just more of you.” about every Wednesday night and And this is the kind of relationship back home for Shabbos. While here, we have today, in a sense, with Eretz he stays in his Cedarhurst apartment Yisrael. A high-school friend of mine, and sees patients—old and new— Shalom, has lived in Israel for the during his stay. Then he flies home to past 20 or so years, maybe more. He do the work that needs to be done as first became enamored with the idea well as to continue his efforts to of Israel during the Six Day War. We attract a local Israeli clientele, which were in eighth grade together, and our would enable him to spend more rebbi allowed us to listen to the news time at home, in Israel. “For me, the in class during that week. We said flights to and from Israel are an Tehillim and listened to the news. It opportunity to relax,” he said in a was at that point, during that week, recent chat. And, he said, though the traveling is taxing and tiring, he Continued on Page 14

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 13 HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE ering making a move to Israel while 15-MINUTE CHEF to my neighbor to borrow a Bundt pan Continued from Page 13 maintaining their business or profes- Continued from Front Cover and a cake plate. However, times do sional practices or associations here. change. Now I want my very own that Shalom decided that he wanted It is doctors who have, by far, the recover. But maybe it’s actually not a beautiful sparkling glass cake plate for to live his life in Israel. He married an greatest ability to utilize their talents male–female thing; maybe it just runs Chanukah. (I want an apron, too! Yes, Israeli girl, had two sons, and later got and abilities both here and there, but in my family. Someone from my mish- can you believe it? I am a “chef” of divorced. His parents live in Queens the fact is that for now, the money is pachah, who shall remain nameless, sorts and I don’t even own an apron. and he spends about three months a here so there is little choice but to once threw the kitchen scale out the My uniform of black is frequently cov- year here and the rest in Israel. In spend lots of time accumulating fre- window, smashing it to smithereens, ered in flour and baby drool. I look like Israel he works as a tour guide but, as quent-flier mileage. when she didn’t like the number. For quite the frazzled housewife when I you know, there hasn’t been too much This type of commitment involves years after that rash behavior, you answer the door.) tourism lately. But he hasn’t changed lots of traveling and being away from could still see pieces of the scale So I won’t say, “I am never getting his profession, as many others in the family and home. It involves the embedded in the gravel of our drive- on that scale,” but for now I am done field have. He just works less. On his application of the spirit of sacrifice, way. So, to avoid a similar dramatic with this huge scheme, this planned off weeks, he studies in yeshiva and which is a fundamental way in which response and potentially traumatizing competition with hubby. If I have lost does volunteer work at a nursing Jews acquire or earn the right to evening for my family, I have refused by default, I don’t care—because I home in Jerusalem. breathe the air of and live in Eretz to get on the darn thing. probably would have lost, anyway. On his trips to the States—about Yisrael. I admire the commitment of I’ve found that a surefire way to end Who can lose weight when everyone’s three times a year—he tries to drum these people and their courage in not up doing something is to just say, “I’ll watching? It’s way too much pressure. up business for himself by pitching allowing a dream to remain an intan- never do it.” At various times in the Everyone looking, asking, and offering his services to church groups that gible and elusive thing of a never- past, I have refused to: cook; clean; do advice—it all makes me want to eat a frequently travel to Israel. He says arriving future. They have seized an laundry; and eat fried foods. And now whole chocolate cake. that he has become an Israeli and opportunity both difficult and I can honestly tell you I have The sweetest, cutest girl came up to that there is no going back, so to remarkable. They don’t just think it or “indulged” in them all. Baking was the me at the gym with a tip. She said, speak. His head is in America, lots of chant about it, but actually live inside worst of them—I flat out said “No. “Don’t be a Hoover.” Seriously, she his family is here, and he tries to be the idea of Am Yisrael chai. ❖ Never!” to that one. In fact, to be total- read once in a parenting magazine that here when it’s possible. There are Comments for Larry Gordon are welcome at ly honest, when I was recipe-testing one of the reasons it’s hard to kick increasing numbers of people consid- [email protected]. for the book, I actually had to go down those last ten pounds once you’re a mama is because you literally go around cleaning off the kid’s high- chair trays and snack bags like a human Hoover. I’ll address that tip when I’m down to my last 10; till then I have bigger problems, which require bigger tips. So in honor of the competition being called off—a cease-fire, so to speak—I present to you my Chanukah recipe for deliciously deep-fried latkes and sufganiot as a bonus dessert treat. Although not so wonderful for the now defunct diet, the sufganiot are great for my baking self-esteem. Although, I am not sure you can call messily deep-fry- ing dough balls “baking,” as I am sure you can tell by now I am not a stickler for doing or saying things by the book.

Potato Latkes Prep time: 12 minutes Cook time: 18 to 24 minutes Chill time: none Yields: 8 servings Ingredients: 4 medium Idaho potatoes 6 Tbsp. canola or olive oil 3 eggs, beaten 2 Tbsp. matzah meal 2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper applesauce or sour cream (optional) Directions: 1. Prepare a large bowl filled with cold water. 2. Peel potatoes, and as you finish each, place in cold water to prevent browning. 3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 4. Cut potatoes lengthwise into halves or quarters so they fit into food processor feed tube. Process potatoes using the blade that creates thin, shoe- string-like strips. Transfer to a large bowl. 5. Add eggs, matzah meal, salt and pepper; mix well. 6. Drop 6 to 8 spoonfuls of mixture into hot oil. Using the back of a spoon, pat down each latke to flatten it. Put as many as you can in the skillet without crowding. (Putting them too close together will make them soggy.) 7. Fry 3 to 4 minutes on each side, 14 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES until golden and crisp around the s”xc edges; repeat procedure until all the batter is done. 8. Blot excess oil with paper towels. 9. Serve warm with applesauce or sour cream, if desired. Tip: Corn meal is a great substitute for matzah meal and will also make your latkes nice and crispy.

Sufganiot (Jelly Doughnuts) Prep time: 8 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Rest time: 20 minutes Yields: 14 doughnuts Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour 2 8-oz. cartons vanilla low-fat yogurt 2 Tbsp. vanilla sugar 2 eggs 6 cups canola oil 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 cup seedless strawberry jelly Directions: 1. In a large bowl, place flour, yogurt, vanilla sugar, and eggs. 2. Knead until all ingredients are combined and a sticky, doughy batter is formed. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. 3. Heat 6 cups canola oil in a 6- quart stockpot, covered, over medium heat. 4. When dough is ready, uncover oil and raise heat to high. 5. Scoop out a tablespoonful of bat- ter and drop into oil. Don’t make the doughnuts too big, so they can cook through. 6. You should be able to fry about 7 doughnuts at a time. Using a slotted spoon, turn doughnuts when halfway browned, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes or until entire doughnut is deep gold- en brown and cooked through. 7. Remove doughnuts and let cool on paper-towel-lined plates. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with remaining batter. 8. Fill a squeeze bottle with jelly and inject a little into each doughnut. 9. Roll each doughnut in confec- tioners’ sugar, or shake 3 doughnuts at a time in a paper bag filled with con- fectioners’ sugar.

Jamie Geller is an NYU graduate and former senior writer/producer for HBO. She quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom, publish a quick- recipe cookbook, write newspaper and magazine articles, host and produce a kosher food TV pilot, teach dance classes at the local gym, and care for her family in Far Rockaway.

Jamie’s cookbook, Quick & Kosher: Recipes From the Bride Who Knew Nothing, is slated to be released by Feldheim in the spring of 2007. You can contact her at [email protected].

Deadline for Advertising in the Next Issue is Tuesday, December 5 at 5:00 P.M. Call 516-984-0079

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 15 Syria Continued from Front Cover

branches offered to the Syrians followed by violence is not new to the region and should not come as a surprise to any who are savvy to the Syrian playbook. By shoring up the Syrians, we empower those within the regime who advocate terror and violence. It is for this rea- son that we must carefully choose our partners in the Arab world and recognize that we have very few friends in that region who can stand up to these terrorists. In recent years, I have been battling the Syrian government both pri- vately and publicly over the illegal imprisonment of Zachary Baumel, a United States citizen captured by the Syrians while serving in the Israeli army in 1982, as well as his two fellow Israeli sol- diers from the Battle of Sultan Yakoub. My most recent efforts have culminated in a successful lawsuit filed against the government of Syria under an exception in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. This law has been used successfully in the past to sue state sponsors of terror who harm United States citizens. The Syrians have chosen to ignore the court’s jurisdiction, which will soon result in a judgment allowing the freezing and liq- uidation of Syrian assets in the United States. This law- suit has resulted in multiple threats against me made by irate individuals who are appalled at the prospect of holding Syrian government officials responsible for their void of moral and basic human behavior. My response is that I will not be silenced by these threats. What does the plight of Zachary Baumel have to do with the current crisis in the Middle East, especially as it pertains to the Syrians and Iranians? The answer lies in our approach to rogue states that openly and sinisterly promote terrorism. These regimes will consistently deny involvement, while at the same time continue stonewalling and obstruct- ing. The treatment of these rogue Arab states must be heavy-handed and without fear. Once the regime senses moderation by the opposing parties, it reacts with a show of force and violence. Such has been the case in the past, and continues to be so today. For the United States and Iraq to even hint at a moder- ate stance against the Syrians has definitely con- tributed to the recent assas- sination of anti-Syrian 16 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Lebanese legislator Pierre Gemayel. s”xc We must be clear and unequivocal in recognizing this link between our actions and words and the actions of the Syrians. The radical Arab world views moderation as weakness and impotence. They relish the Jimmy Carters of this world, as the approach of carrots and no sticks is how they have built up their regimes.

Bashaar Assad walked away from the Harriri investigation by the impotent United Nations without a scratch. This allowed the Syrians to continue terror within Lebanon and Iraq.

My personal experience with the Arab world has been quite the oppo- site. These rogue leaders are most interested in their own fate and not that of their people. The Baumel law- suit has promised Bashaar Assad that we will continue to hold him respon- sible for his actions and inactions long beyond his reign within Syria. It is for this reason that the Syrians are angered by my lawsuit. Our commit- ment to continuing to hunt him, and others connected with the case, down and hold them responsible is what will likely eventually move this despot to return Zack Baumel (dead or alive) before he leaves or is ousted from public life. I would suggest that the United States government take a sim- ilar posture with the Syrians and their close ally, Iran. Bashaar Assad walked away from the Harriri investi- gation by the impotent United Nations without a scratch. This allowed the Syrians to continue ter- ror within Lebanon and Iraq, culmi- nating now with the assassination of Pierre Gemayel. What are needed are more sticks and fewer carrots as it pertains to the Syrians. Tell Assad that he will be held accountable after his fall—much like the fate of Saddam Hussein. I have told the Syrians that any money that we acquire as a result of our law- suit will be used for good old Middle Eastern baksheesh, or payments to those whose voices are stifled by his current terror regime within Syria to prosecute this despot. The United States must make those same state- ments to Assad: Comply with basic human rights, stop killing your oppo- nents in Lebanon and elsewhere, and cease support of terrorists operating out of your country who are killing Americans, Iraqis, and Israelis—or pay the ultimate price. This is a stick worth carrying.❖

Stuart Ditchek is a board-certified pediatrician and the founder of the Committee for the Release of Zachary Baumel. He is a childhood friend of Mr. Baumel, and is his legal guardian in the United States. Dr. Ditchek lectures throughout the world on the Baumel case and on the Syrian complicity in that case and in others. 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 17 Shabbat There are instances in which it is altogether correct. There are times based on a verse in the navi that our Continued from Front Cover permitted for a non-Jew to perform when one can ask directly; on the very speech has to be different on something that is Biblically forbid- other hand, even hinting is not permit- Shabbos. A third explanation is that during the end of World War II and den for a Jew to perform on Shabbos, ted when we end up deriving benefit the Sages treated it as if the person made the difficult decision to drop and there are times when it is per- from the tangible results of the forbid- performing the melachah, the forbid- atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of mitted for a non-Jew to perform den act. This means that if a non-Jew den act, were our direct messenger. We Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1948, he something that is forbidden by the turns on a light for us, we cannot rule in accordance with all three of made the decision to recognize Israel’s Sages, but not by the Torah, for a Jew derive benefit from it, even if we mere- these reasons. independence at its start. He, too, to perform on Shabbos; there are ly hinted to him to do so, or even if he One way to remember when it is wielded incredible influence. also instances in which we may not did it without any prompting at all! permitted to ask a non-Jew to perform Joseph Kennedy was a bank presi- benefit from the services of a non- If, however, the non-Jew shut off an action which would be Biblically dent at age 20. He got rich during the Jew on Shabbos at all. the light for us, we can derive benefit forbidden for a Jew to perform is to Prohibition, illegally running alcohol. The first thing that we need to know from the darkness. Why? Because remember the following mnemonic: Kennedy made a vast fortune and is that there are two separate prohibi- there is no tangible result; there is only “Boro Park challah eez best.” eventually got himself appointed as the tions involved in having a non-Jew per- the absence of something that existed B stands for “bein ha’shemashos”— U.S. Ambassador to England. He was form an act for us on Shabbos. The before. We are allowed to derive bene- twilight. The period after sundown and the father of an attorney general, a before the night stars become visible is U.S. Senator, and a president of the known as bein ha’shemashos. When United States. He was a remarkably very necessary, it is permissible during powerful man. this time to ask a gentile to perform a The common thread between them A freezer with two pints of Tofutti and a melachah which we are Biblically pro- that we are looking for, however, does hibited from performing ourselves. not lie in political power. The elusive How long of a period is this? Rav commonality that we seek of this take-home bag from last week’s Sharmel Shlomo Miller, shlita, holds that it is unlikely trio is that they were all once for 30 minutes after sundown. Rav “Shabbos goyim” in their local chasunah would not be a substantial Sheinberg, shlita, holds that in a bind Orthodox Jewish community—Powell one can even rely on this up to 71 min- in the south Bronx; Kennedy in his utes after sundown. One should of native Boston; and Truman in a small financial loss. course ask one’s rabbi as to which village just outside of Kansas City, opinion to follow. Missouri for the Viner family. P stands for “p’sik reisha.” P’sik One may wonder if the Sabbath- reisha refers to an ancillary conse- observing Jews who utilized these first prohibition is asking him or her to fit from the absence of something, but quence that will invariably happen as a famous people were fully aware of perform the act; the second prohibi- not from the tangible presence of the result of an action. If the action itself the halachic parameters of when a tion is in deriving benefit from the tan- result of an act forbidden on Shabbos. is essentially permissible, but it would “Shabbos goy” may be used and when gible results of the act performed. There are also three reasons cited in inevitably result in a melachah being not. Some people erroneously think Most of us have heard that one is the rishonim as to why the Sages for- performed, it is permitted to ask a non- that one can utilize the services of a not permitted to tell a gentile to do bade us from asking a gentile to per- Jew to perform the action. For exam- non-Jew to permit pretty much any- something for you on Shabbos, but form work for us on Shabbos. One rea- ple, if a Jew needs to access his refrig- thing on Shabbos. This is actually you can hint it to him. The problem is son is that we might come to treat not the case. that neither part of that statement is Shabbos lightly. Another reason is Continued on Page 20

18 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 19 Shabbat Now we shall discuss the general Continued from Page 18 exceptions to the rule regarding the performance by non-Jews of actions erator on Shabbos, but opening the that Jews are rabbinically prohibited refrigerator door would cause the light from performing. To remember these inside to turn on, he is forbidden from categories, the following mnemonic opening the door. The Mishnah may be employed: Her Majesty’s Berurah rules, however, that asking a kallah tzedakah.” non-Jew to open the door—even The H (“her”) stands for “hefsed though there is a p’sik reisha because merubah”—a substantial monetary the light will definitely turn on—is per- loss. Under these circumstances, one mitted. The Mishnah Berurah permits may ask a gentile to perform a rab- this even regarding a Biblical prohibi- binic prohibition, but not a Biblical tion.1 Thus, if one left an item in the prohibition. According to most car that is necessary for Shabbos, he poskim, electricity is a rabbinic pro- may ask a gentile to retrieve it, even if hibition. Thus if the freezer got the light will turn on. unplugged, one may ask a gentile to “Challah” is for “choleh”—a sick plug it back in on Shabbos, if the person. If a person is bedridden from owner would otherwise incur a sub- illness (or cannot present himself to stantial financial loss. But how much appear healthy), it is permitted to ask a is a substantial financial loss? This non-Jew to perform work for him. The varies depending upon each individ- illness does not have to be dangerous. ual. Clearly a freezer full of meat is a It is interesting to note that all people large financial loss. A freezer with are considered to be a choleh in regard two pints of Tofutti and a take-home to cold weather. Thus in New York, if bag from last week’s Sharmel cha- one has inadvertently left the heat off, sunah would not be a substantial he may ask a gentile to turn it on. financial loss. “Eez” (with apologies to the spelling “M”(“Majesty’s”) is for “mitzvah.” purists) stands for “eiruv.” One may For the needs of a mitzvah, we may ask ask a non-Jew to repair an eiruv on a non-Jew to perform acts which we Shabbos because a broken eiruv may are not allowed to perform due to rab- lead to widespread Shabbos violation. binic decree. For example, if one forgot Finally, “best” stands for “b’ris.” to purchase challah for Shabbos The needs of a b’ris milah may be lunch, one may ask a gentile to go to performed by a non-Jew. According the Doughty Deli and purchase a chal- to Ashkenazic tradition, this applies lah; purchasing on Shabbos is a rab- to all melachos; Sefardic custom, binic prohibition.2 however, is to permit this only in the “Kallah’s” represents “kavod ha’be- case of actions forbidden rabbinical- rios”—human dignity. One may ask a ly, not Biblically. gentile to perform a rabbinically pro-

20 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES hibited act on Shabbos if it is necessary for maintaining human dignity. And “tzedakah” stands for “tzarchei rabbim”—the needs of the public. For example, if a shul is remarkably hot, one may ask a non-Jew to turn on the air conditioner, since there are many people present who would require it. (Turning on an air conditioner is a rabbinic prohibition according to most authorities.) It is important that we learn the intricacies of what one may or may not ask a non- Jew to do for us on Shabbos. The author of the Lecha Dodi writes an important stanza in this regard: “ki hi mekor ha’berachah—for she is the source of [all] blessing.” Through the merit of our careful observance of the Shabbos, we shall receive incredible blessing. Just look at where three “Shabbos goyim” ended up.3 ❖

The author may be contacted at [email protected]. Tiferet Chaya–The Carol Tepler High School for Girls needs your assistance in tutoring, nit-checking, housing, or in many other ways. Please contact Yair Hoffman at the above e-mail address or at 516-239-4190.

Notes: 1. Actually, if one delves into the acharonim’s discussions of the Rama’s ruling upon which the Mishnah Berurah bases his p’sak, one will see that it is not as clear-cut as the Mishnah Berurah presents. Neither the Magen Avraham nor the Vilna Gaon read the Rama as permitting a Biblically prohibited melachah. The Mishnah Berurah seems to combine one aspect of this reading of the Rama from the Magen Avraham, and another aspect from the Vilna Gaon, producing this remarkable new reading of the Rama. Nevertheless, the accepted halachah is in accordance with the Mishnah Berurah’s ruling.

2. Carrying the challah home from the store is also a rabbinic prohibition, except in an area with a true reshus ha’rabbim, as in (according to Reb Moshe Feinstein, zt’l) Brooklyn or Manhattan, where it would be a Torah prohibition. 3. Although Elvis Presley was also a “Shabbos goy,” we will assume that those who utilized him for this purpose were not fully conversant in the laws of amirah le’akum.

And he encoun- tered the place (Bereishis 28:11)

“The place” is Mount Moriah (the “Temple Mount” in Jerusalem, where Avraham had bound Yitzchak upon the altar and where King Shlomo would erect the Holy Temple).

(Rashi)

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 21 22 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 23 How Sweet It Is

At the grand opening of Le Chocolat, the newest sweet spot on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst. The store is owned and operated by the Krohn brothers, above: Nochie, Yosaif, Shimshie, and Avraham Yitzchok.

At left, Sima and Sarah Leah Shapiro, excited at the prospect of some wholesome chocolate.

24 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 25 G-d’s guardianship over us, our being The Jewish nation was founded a source of joy to Him, etc. What does amidst sheep because our self-nega- the sheep/shepherd metaphor repre- tion and unquestioning obedience to sent? If the point is that G-d provides G-d is the foundation of our Jewish- for us and protects us, or that we are ness. Of course, we are not only G-d’s subservient and devoted to Him, sheep—we are also His children, His these elements also exist in the bride, His sister, and His vineyard. By father–child relationship. What the same token, the Torah tells us that unique aspect of our relationship with when Yaakov left Charan after 20 years From The Chassidic Masters G-d can be expressed only by describ- of shepherding, his wealth consisted ing us as His sheep? not only of sheep: “He had many The sheep’s dominant trait is its sheep, maids and servants, camels and Sheep docility and obedience. The child donkeys.” We have just read that obeys his father, but does so out of an Lavan paid him his wages in sheep, appreciation of his father’s greatness; and that his flocks multiplied exceed- This week’s Torah reading, Vayeitzei from the fact that the nation of Israel the sheep does not obey for any rea- ingly; but where did his other posses- (Bereishis 28:10–32:3), is veritably was founded in such sheepish sur- son—it is simply obedient by nature. It sions come from? Rashi explains that glutted with sheep: Lavan’s sheep and roundings? is this element of our relationship with “he sold his sheep for high prices and Yaakov’s sheep; white sheep, dark G-d that the sheep represents: an bought all these.” Spiritually, too, sheep, spotted sheep, speckled sheep, The First Metaphor Yaakov’s “wealth” did not consist solely sheep with rings around their ankles. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved of docility and self-negation, but also Yaakov arrives in Charan, and the first is mine, he who shepherds [me] included feeling and understanding, sight to greet him is that of several among the roses” (Shir HaShirim fortitude and vigor. But the source and flocks of sheep congregated around a 2:16). The voice of this verse, explains The sheep’s basis of it all were his “sheep.” sealed well; the second is his future the Midrash Rabbah, is that of the Being a Jew means studying the wife, Rachel—the name is Hebrew for community of Israel, speaking of her dominant trait is Divine wisdom (revealed to us in His “sheep”—shepherding her father’s relationship with G-d: “He is my shep- Torah), developing a passionate love sheep. Soon Yaakov is a shepherd him- herd, as it is written, ‘Shepherd of and reverent awe for G-d, and teaching self, caring for sheep, receiving his Israel, hearken’ (Tehillim 80:1); and I its docility and His wisdom and implementing His will wages in sheep, breeding sheep with am His sheep, as it is written, ‘And in an often hostile world—all of which special markings, dreaming of sheep, you, My sheep, the sheep of My pas- obedience. require the optimal application of our amassing a fortune in sheep, and ture’ (Yechezkel 34:31).” mental, emotional, and assertive pow- finally leading his flocks back to the The same Midrashic passage also ers. But the foundation of it all, the Holy Land where he will present his describes our relationship with G-d as base from which all these derive and brother Esav with a huge gift com- that of a child to his father, a sister to unquestioning subservience which upon which they are all predicated, is prised largely of…sheep. her brother, a bride to her groom, and derives not from our understanding of our simple commitment to G-d—a Between flocks, we also read of a vineyard to its watchman, among His greatness and our feelings toward commitment that transcends reason Yaakov’s marriages to Leah and others. Each of these metaphors Him (in which case it would be and emotion. ❖ Rachel and the birth of eleven of his expresses another facet of the rela- defined by the limits of our under- Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher twelve sons, progenitors of the twelve tionship: the inherent bond between standing and feelings), but from the Rebbe; adapted by Yanki Tauber. Courtesy of tribes of Israel. What are we to learn G-d and Israel, the love and affection, recognition that “I am His sheep.” MeaningfulLife.com.

26 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 27 lack of happiness with their religious A Decade At Risk Inspires Hope For The Future environment. In our holy language, Lashon BY RABBI SHAYA COHEN The Pressure Cooker illustrious, righteous son Reuven for Hakodesh, the root of a word defines Two of the most devastating culprits fear that Reuven might turn away the essence of its concept. An As a teenager in Priority-1’s alterna- chasing our kids away are feelings of from him and connect with his advanced form of internal happiness is tive high school, Torah Academy, intense pressure and a lack of valida- wicked uncle Eisav. Need more be referred to as osher. The root of this Yossi’s drug involvement was sure to tion. Unfortunately, many of our chil- said about the potentially devastating word is the concept of “validation” lead to serious legal troubles in the dren, even those who lead normal pro- effects of criticism? (le’asher). When a person feels person- future… Four years later he’s learning ductive lives, feel an overwhelming To stem the tide of young adults ally validated, he or she feels happy. in Yeshivas Brisk in Yerushalayim. He’s demand to conform and perform on turning away from Torah and con- Happiness is about validation. If our gone from “at risk” to Brisk! par with everyone’s expectations. This structive living, we must also let them homes, schools, and communities vali- Yaakov’s situation was so bad that date our children, they will be happy even an alternative high school was with them and with themselves. If they too much for him—he dropped out are happy, they will not want to drift mid-year. Just a few months later, he Well-meaning parents are often so caught up away from their environment. We must was stirred, like many of us, by the learn how to maximize the opportuni- catastrophic events of 9/11. Now he in the social stigma of raising an at-risk teen ties for our children to find validation. has found his way back to yeshiva and is enjoying tremendous success (i.e., community acceptance, shidduch One Size Fits None in his learning. When dealing with young people in After just six months in the Torah prospects, etc.) that they ignore the problem trouble, it is important to be able to look Academy, Avi is already on his way to a until it spirals out of control. at each person as an individual and not complete return. When asked what to deny that there may be a problem. sparked this quick change in his Unfortunately, denial very often exacer- behavior he answered simply, “You bates the problem. Well-meaning par- believed in me.” causes undue stress and anxiety which feel validation from their families, ents are often so caught up in the social The good news is that after a often lead children down the road of friends and the frum community. This, stigma of raising an at-risk teen (i.e., decade of some of the most serious rebellion. If we ease the pressure at of course, can often be a long and community acceptance, shidduch attrition from the yeshiva world, home and at school and allow our complex process. First, the very family prospects, etc.) that they ignore the many young people have finally youth to develop at their own pace and and community that turned them off problem until it spirals out of control. returned to the distinguished ranks feel good about their unique accom- must turn back to them with accept- Parents must be prepared to acknowl- of b’nei and b’nos Torah. The bad plishments, this will empower them to ance. Once the feelings of guilt and edge the problems if they arise and deal news is that the yeshiva dropout/at- live healthy, productive lives. worthlessness begin to subside, they with them head-on by consulting profes- risk phenomenon continues to spi- A footnote about pressure: much of can begin to feel that we love them for sional help when needed. They will find ral out of control. Yet, the experi- the pressure and invalidation that who they are rather than who we want that by bringing professional assistance ences of the last decade have these young people feel stem from the them to be. Once we begin to believe into the picture they can relieve them- taught us many lessons about deal- constant criticism of parents, rebbeim, in them, they can start to believe in selves of much of the pain and heartache ing with these issues and reversing and teachers. themselves. Indeed, most young peo- associated with raising troubled teens. the sad direction of these precious Rashi says in Parashas Devarim that ple who drift from Yiddishkeit and con- young lives. Yaakov did not want to reprimand his structive living seem to be plagued by a Continued on Page 32

28 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 29 30 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 31 Decade At Risk Continued from Page 28 Thoughts From Professional Help The Torah Way Substance abuse and addiction, anti-social behavior, and promiscuity The Fringe are very real issues in the Jewish community. The true extent of these Fifth grade was a knife in my fam- problems would shock even the most ily’s back. My grades dropped and I seasoned parent or teacher. To be was sent home daily. I even earned able to reach young people who are myself a reserved seat in the dean’s involved in any of these behaviors, we office. After the first week of school, must first address the addiction and I was kicked out of Hebrew studies, bring it under control. This must be permanently, so I spent my mornings done by a professional. goofing off in the hall. Finally my When choosing a therapist, it is parents pulled me out of school. absolutely crucial that parents find They sent me to a private secular one who practices al pi derech school. As I drifted away from reli- haTorah. Boruch Hashem, we have in gion, I started to sleep all day, locked our midst many highly qualified thera- in my room. I heard my parents cry pists who are themselves b’nei Torah of many times. I turned my back and the highest caliber and are available to acted like I did not care. On Shabbos help any family in need. Parents must I acted so terribly, my parents were understand that effective rehabilita- afraid to have guests lest I embarrass tion requires spirituality to be an ingre- them in public. With tears in their dient in the recovery process, and eyes, they would beg me to behave. therefore, they must be sure that this The knife was starting to twist. I ran spirituality is Torah-based. away, yelled at my parents, and treat- ed my siblings badly. It took years, Drugs And Alcohol Are Not The but I’m much different now; I’ve Problem almost removed the knife. I treat Many people mistakenly believe that everyone with love, and I respect my drugs or alcohol are the main factors parents and our religion. I’m starting that cause young people to stray. In truth, drug addiction—or any other inappropriate behavior—is merely a solvers.” The root of the problem is the person’s way to fill an aching void emptiness; their solution is to get high. within. Many of our youth feel a severe To effectively deal with addiction spiritual hollowness inside and, with problems, we must first fill that void nowhere else to turn for fulfillment, with real ruchnius. We must show they turn to these easy “problem them that they have the ability, no mat-

32 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES to realize what family really means. have to see, hear, and truly feel the I’m going to tell you a secret about utter geshmak that comes from an Jewish kids. The Jewish child knows exhilarating moment of Torah learning that he’ll never be as cool as non- or heartfelt tefillah. Most of all, they Jews so the Jewish kids make a hier- must learn that true happiness—last- archy. If you keep chalav Yisrael, ing happiness—can only be found in a you’re better than someone who life committed to these ideals. doesn’t. If you’re just Orthodox, To accomplish this, parents have to you’re in the middle class. Then teach by example and show their chil- comes Conservative and Reform, dren that these same ideals are cen- then non-Jews. But the problem is tral to their own lives. Only then can not the kids; it’s that the rebbis follow they expect to impart these feelings to the same class system. The teachers their children. treat the kids the way the kids treat each other. They follow the system— Everyone Needs A Family and they’re very mean about it, too. No matter what they say and no Rebbis at yeshivas hate inquisitive matter how they act, even the most people. The more the kids ask, the estranged children yearn to be wel- worse they are. This was terrible for comed members of their family again. me because I love asking questions. It is imperative that parents and sib- Teachers may be uncomfortable with lings understand this and learn to certain questions, but they should embrace them wholeheartedly and still be equipped to answer a child. accept him or her for who they are The final problem is that the yeshiva now. Of course, this must be balanced is geared towards groups of kids who with a firm set of rules and conse- want to spend their life learning in a quences, which is why family counsel- kollel. When kids who don’t fit the ing is very often helpful and necessary. mold come in they don’t know what As we noted earlier, it is crucial to find to do with them. So instead of help- a counselor who has genuine Torah ing them, they kick them out. I don’t hashkafos and sensitivity to the needs fit in because I’m very smart, I don’t of the religious family. like authority, and I know too much for my own good. Everyone Needs A Yeshiva Yes! No matter what they say and no matter how they act, most young men ter how far away they may feel, to have or women who have gone astray truly a deep and meaningful relationship want to be a part of the yeshiva world. with Hashem. They are capable of They feel that they never meant to experiencing and truly feeling His abandon the society that raised them. hashgochah pratis in their own lives and relate to Him in a very real way. They Continued on Page 34

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 33 Decade At Risk Continued from Page 33

On the contrary, it was their communi- ty and friends that rejected them. They will not be able to make real progress until they feel the friendship and acceptance return. Indeed, we have found that one of the most important elements of our alternative high school is its mentoring program, which pairs up students with dynamic bochurim and yungeleit from our Yeshiva Zichron Aryeh and Kollel Ner Yehoshua on a regular basis. These mentors have been specially trained to understand the mindset of troubled teens, relate to them with the utmost sincerity, and shower them with acceptance. As soon as they can demonstrate to our students that the yeshiva world is not judgmental or intimidating, the barriers fall down and very often the results are amazing!

Training Is The Key The success of our mentoring pro- gram has taught us another important lesson: a little training can go a long way. I believe that a training program is the single solution that can, b’ezras Hashem, prevent the vast majority of our children’s difficulties from becoming “at risk” situations. We all sincerely want the best for our children or students. Unfortunately, many of us lack the basic training and experience that is needed for success. All professionals, no matter what their field may be, are required (sometimes by law) to under- go training, certification, and often, ongoing enrichment to maintain their jobs. Yet, it is amazing and frightening to think that Klal Yisroel’s two most important professionals—parents and teachers—are not required to undergo any significant training whatsoever. If we as a community would join together to support and attend training workshops for parents and teachers, we would certainly see major progress in the battle to prevent this critical issue from threatening all of us. Concluding a recent meeting with the leadership of Priority-1, the posek hador, Maran Harav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, stated emphatically that the need for training is “pashut u’barur” and “a matter of pikuach nefesh.” ❖

Rabbi Shaya Cohen is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Zichron Aryeh/Kollel Ner Yehoshua and founder of Priority-1, an organization that services at-risk youth and their families and provides training seminars to parents and teachers.

A ladder stood on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven (Bereishis 28:12)

This is prayer.

(Zohar)

34 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Dear Editor, school-board members have received. I read with great interest Rabbi I have worked with Asher Mansdorf Hoffman’s article in last week’s Five for five years on the Lawrence School Towns Jewish Times (“Trans Fats And Board. I must report that Asher works Halachah,” front cover), as I am a big tirelessly for the interests of all of the advocate of feeding healthy foods to children of our district. I know first-hand children. Some people fear that the the hours he puts in trying to make a dif- youngster will not eat them, as “kids ference. One of Asher’s highest priorities always prefer candy.” Interestingly is the healing of the [rift between the] enough, I have found that if you start public- and private-school populations. at an early age, children are usually The kind of behavior exhibited by much more amenable to trying new the writing of these letters is repulsive, foods. I teach in Gan Chamesh, a local and we must find the culprit or culprits preschool, and find that the kids are of this criminal behavior and prosecute always so excited when we give them them to the fullest extent of the law. fruit for snacks. They actually eat more I have tried in the past to set up of them than the cookies or pretzels. In meetings with a cross section of resi- my shul (Tifereth Tzvi minyan)we dents, professionals, and clergy to recently began giving the children the enhance our common needs and to option of candy or carrots, celery, or address any obstacles. Perhaps now apples. To our delight, we discovered more than ever we need to set up such that the fruits and vegetables are mov- a committee of community members ing much faster than the candy. My separate from the board. point is, as Rabbi Hoffman stated, we Frank Parise can be saving lives by teaching our chil- dren to eat healthy. Donna Chatzinoff Deadline for Advertising in the Next Issue is Dear Editor, I read your editorial in the Tuesday, December 5 November 17 issue of the Five Towns at 5:00 P.M. Jewish Times (“Dangerous Words”), Call 516-984-0079 and I am perplexed by the threats our

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 35 feel. Maybe then you will empathize when two women are subconsciously with what we are going through and try fighting over the love and attention of harder to include us in your lives in a a son/husband. Perhaps this could loving and meaningful way. account for some of the tension that Neglected may arise. Whatever the reasons are for occa- Dear Neglected, sional less-than-perfect bonding Thank you for your thoughtful let- between mothers and daughters-in- Dear Esther, turn our sons against us. Though I’m ter. You have eloquently elaborated on law, I think it’s important that we all Several weeks ago, you addressed a not saying that my sons are terrible a sad situation that most certainly does recognize this trapdoor—and do our question from a mother who was going men, I am saying that if their wives say, exist. Hopefully, by putting your feel- best to avoid it. As you mentioned, we through a very hard time with her “We’re going to our mothers for the ings out there, you will reach some- start out as someone’s daughter-in-law, daughter and daughters-in-law. holidays,” then that is where they go. one—maybe even many—thereby cre- but most likely will find ourselves in According to the writer of the ques- These women call the shots. ating a healthier and happier situation the reverse role someday. With that in tion, she felt unappreciated and neg- Most mothers-in-law love their chil- for mothers everywhere. mind, if we’re smart, we will choose to lected by these younger women. dren and want nothing more than to My response to the original letter treat our mothers-in-law as we hope to Though you gave her some good expand on that love and include their was by no means meant to minimize be treated someday—with understand- ideas and advice—in terms of looking children-in-law. There is no hidden the pain of a mother who feels shut ing, kindness, and love. at herself more closely to see agenda. We all just want to create one out of her children’s lives. Since it is a Thank you for bringing to light your whether she was part of the problem, big happy family. lot easier and much more plausible to experience as a mother-in-law, which and in terms of finding friends her Speaking for my situation, I believe change our own behavior than to try may serve as a wake-up call for daugh- own age to help her feel more ful- I’ve always treated my daughters-in- and change someone else’s, I focused ters-in-law everywhere. filled—I must admit that I was left law well. My husband and I have been my response on just that. We can make Esther feeling disappointed by the answer. I generous and welcoming. We can’t fig- choices regarding how we structure sometimes wonder if there is an epi- ure out what their problems are, but our lives and also how we respond to Esther Mann, LMSW, has a private practice in Lawrence. She can be reached at 516-314-2295 demic going on for many of us moth- they have created a definite distance disappointment. Life is full of disap- or [email protected]. She works with ers and mothers-in-law. I and some between us. pointments, including sometimes how individuals, couples, and families. of my friends can truly relate to the I felt that it was important to write our children and/or children-in-law woman who wrote in. my response, for my sake and for the behave. We all have fantasies of how A little background: First of all, I am sake of all the good mothers out there “it will be someday…” Sometimes we a professional; I don’t sit around all who feel that they are not being treat- just assume that life will play out day waiting for my phone to ring with ed lovingly or properly. peacefully and without strife. If only WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? a call from one of my daughters-in-law. If any of you young women out that were true. So then we need to cre- I have a good marriage and plenty of there reading this column can relate to ate a “Plan B” for ways of coping with WE WANT TO KNOW! friends. So the issue isn’t one of need- what I’m describing, I hope that you hurt feelings and even anguish. Which iness. The issue is one of basic cour- will take a moment to think about the leads us back to my response to the tesy and respect. fact that most likely you, too, will previous letter. E-MAIL US AT My friends and I are drowning. We someday be a mother-in-law and may Though there are many mother and get so little from our daughters-in-law. find yourself feeling unloved and daughter-in-law twosomes who get [email protected] They are totally connected to their unwelcome by your daughters-in-law. along famously, perhaps there is some mothers, and also seem to be able to Think about how that will make you inherent competition that may exist

36 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Whatever the reason that one thinks son, or daughter. Oddly, the family he or she has for becoming a martyr, members left behind show no signs of the outcome is the same—positively sorrow. They never appear grief-strick- horrific. I guess the old saying, “If en, and they don’t speak about how Mohammed doesn’t come to the moun- they will fill the vacuum created by the tain, then the mountain has to come to loss of the loved one who went to his or Mohammed,” has merit in the mind of her final “reward.” some folks. If only these mountains and This recent female terrorist in Gaza, Paradise Lost who happened to be a grandma to such a large crowd, made the story even sad- There’s a good chance der—at least from terrorists’ perspec- Last week in Gaza, a 60-something- ping home groceries, and other chores. tive: Thank G-d, the Israeli soldiers saw year-old grandmother—she has 41 Additionally, as a way of inciting the she’ll be cleaning her her coming toward them and noticed grandchildren, to be exact—blew her- masses to do the unthinkably dirty deed that she was acting in a suspicious man- self up, wounding two Israeli soldiers. I of blowing themselves up—along with as own house and washing ner. They proceeded to throw a stun won’t mention her name, because, first- many Jews as possible, of course—there grenade toward the woman and she ly, to do so would be meaningless to is the promise of something else in para- her own windows then quickly detonated her explosive most Americans; and, secondly, she dise: water, plenty of water! But unless into eternity. belt, slightly wounding two soldiers, but would have wanted to be known for this there’s a severe and prolonged drought in killing only herself. Thus, she wound up act, and I won’t give anyone the satisfac- the bomber’s hometown, it’s hard to being only a martyr wannabe, and who tion of helping to make that happen. understand why extra aqua is an issue. knows what awaits her in paradise. The newspapers were unclear as to Normal people wouldn’t blow themselves their prophet could find another way to There’s a good chance she’ll be cleaning the exact age of the woman, but it was (or others) up—ever—for any reason, reunite. Amazingly, and sadly, there’s no her own house and washing her own thought that she’d spent between 57 but certainly not for water. An extra glass shortage of misguided mountains will- windows into eternity. ❖ and 64 years on this earth—in other of H2O doesn’t sound like all that much ing to make the trip. This is evidenced words, she was no kid. The New York of a treat. And most of us would be will- by the survivors of the self-professed Hannah Berman lives in Woodmere and is a licensed real-estate broker associated with Times gave a detailed explanation, from ing to skip an extra bath, or a long show- martyrs who love to proclaim their pride Marjorie Hausman Realty. She can be reached at her daughter, why she chose such dras- er, rather than to take ourselves out. in a lost mother, father, sister, brother, [email protected] or 516-902-3733. tic action. It seems that the bomber had one grandson who was killed by Israelis, and another who had lost a leg and was wheelchair-bound. Additionally, her house had been destroyed. Motivated by these unfortunate events, this moth- er (of nine) went to a mosque, looking for martyrdom. It’s impossible for us to understand this way of thinking. We value life at all costs and would kill only to prevent being killed ourselves. (And some of us might not even be capable of killing even in self-defense.) The loss and injury that this “martyr” had encountered in her life were no doubt tragic for her. But one wonders exactly what martyrdom means to some people; it appears that revenge and retaliation are only a small part of what makes them tick. Interestingly, the pro- ponents of martyrdom—those people who determinedly espouse it to others— never actually seek it for themselves. This is probably because the thought of blowing themselves up has little appeal, regardless of the so-called rewards. Still, they do make a number of promises to encourage others to do the dirty work. For one thing, there are the rewards said to await martyrs in paradise. Although, it’s not quite clear why this particular suicide bomber would have any use for 72 virgin women. It’s a safe bet that she was tired of cleaning house and cooking meals for her large brood, so possibly she thought that these women could take over her duties, such as the laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Having someone to wash windows, scrub floors, and fold laundry doesn’t sound too bad; just having someone to do the ironing would be incentive to some women. But putting that aside, there are other expec- tations of the benefits of paradise. For example, this particular version of Gan Eden, which is not something most of us are familiar with, is also said to have a multitude of young boys. I have an idea why this might be desir- able: It makes things easier when there are a bunch of strapping youngsters around to haul out the trash and do the heavy work around the house. Then there’s spring cleaning, washing the family car, mowing the lawn, schlep- 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 37 Q. My father is in a nursing home nursing home. and fell while getting out of the shower. One of the most difficult things a I just found out he broke his arm. Does family ever faces is the decision to my father or I have a case of negligence place a loved one in a nursing home. against the nursing home? As a nursing- Unfortunately, families are usually home resident, what are his rights? unable to cope with the stress and What can be done? demands created by an elderly rela- A. You personally do not have a valid tive’s situation, as the person’s physical claim; if you are your father’s court- or mental condition often requires the appointed guardian or if you have a type of 24-hour professional care only valid power of attorney, then you can available in a nursing home or other represent your father (or, within the elder-care facility. statute of limitations, you can repre- Once the decision is made to place sent his estate after death if you are its a loved one in a nursing home, howev- legal representative) in case he has a er, there may be serious problems valid claim. which the family never anticipated. You haven’t said whether your father Inadequate or substandard care, negli- needed the use of any special equip- gent treatment, or criminal conduct by ment. According to researchers at the nursing-home employees may add to University of Michigan Health System, the family’s feelings of guilt, anxiety, getting in and out of the bathtub or and fatigue. Fortunately, there are shower is a dangerous activity for sen- many ways to improve, avoid, or deal iors, even when they are using special- with these problems. ly equipped safety features. The Residents who have families and researchers observed 89 individuals friends who visit or telephone often (age 60 and older) and found that one- and call attention to problems usually third of them exhibited dangerous get the best care. It is extremely impor- behaviors, such as plopping onto the tant that families and friends take an shower seat or hitting the tub or show- active role in the care and manage- er sides with their legs. For older ment of the person involved. adults, losing the ability to bathe is Sometimes problems can be resolved associated with having falls, fracturing bones, and even being admitted to a Continued on Page 40

38 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 39 ASK THE LAWYER aides than nonprofit homes, accord- Continued from Page 38 ing to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. by discussing them directly with indi- Nursing homes suffer from the vidual staff members. Misunder- same worker shortages that plague the standings and confusion caused by the entire healthcare industry, including patient’s inability to clearly communi- hospitals. Many people are unwilling cate can sometimes be resolved in this to accept low-level wages for work that manner. But because of shift changes, is considered by many to be unpleas- employee turnover, or unqualified ant. Because the industry says it lacks caregivers, this may not be a viable enough government money to provide solution. There are also many cases proper care, managers frequently where the resident has already been employ minimal staffing. This minimal abused or sustained serious injuries. staffing translates, more often than These situations generally require not, into neglect of patients. action by the facility, outside govern- Abusive actions that may be ment agencies, or legal proceedings. encountered in nursing homes In New York, nursing homes are include: being cited more than the national • Unreasonable physical constraint average in a number of key quality- or prolonged or continual deprivation measuring areas, including inci- of food or water. dences of pressure sores (decubitus • Unwarranted use of restraints, or ulcers), dehydration, and failure to any physical or chemical restraint or do pre-screening on prospective psychotropic medication for any pur- employees. pose not consistent with that author- Most nursing-home residents are ized by the physician. dependent on the staff for almost all • Assault, battery, sexual assault, of their daily needs. Because of poor- sexual battery, or rape. ly trained and insufficient staff at • Slapping or making other physical many homes, residents do not always attacks on the resident. receive the care and attention they • Emotional or verbal attacks need. Unfortunately, many nursing- against the resident. home owners have become more • Retaliation for making a com- interested in profits than in providing plaint or filing a grievance. proper care to their residents. Not all • Theft of the resident’s money or staffing problems result directly from other personal property. worker shortages. For many for-profit Neglectful actions that may be homes, the issue comes down to the encountered in nursing homes bottom line: for-profit homes, on include: average, have almost 32 percent • Failure to assist in personal fewer nurses and 12 percent fewer hygiene or in the provision of food,

40 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES clothing, or shelter. care provided by a nursing home. A • Failure to provide appropriate care proactive approach should be taken for the physical-health and mental- in determining if a particular nursing health needs of the resident. home is right for your loved one. A • Failure to protect from health and visit should be made to the facility, safety hazards. where you should speak with current • Failure to prevent malnutrition, or residents and carefully observe their failure to provide proper nutrition and physical condition. You should hydration. observe their hygiene, physical con- • Over-medication or under-med- dition, and ability to converse. Do ication. not limit your conversations and • Failure to take reasonable precau- observations only to those residents tions to prevent falls. the nursing home wants you to see or • Failure to answer call lights in a speak with. timely fashion. Tour the entire facility. Use you • Failure to turn residents in their senses of smell and sight. You might beds (leading to pressure sores) see or smell that residents are not • Failure to take residents to the toi- being attended to as quickly as they let (leaving them in soiled garments or should be. During your tour of the beds). facility, look to see that pitchers • Failure to take adequate precau- with fresh water are available to the tions to prevent injury. residents. Note whether the aides Unfortunately, many nursing-home are assisting the residents who are residents are unable to express the unable to do things for themselves. manner and ways in which they are Ask detailed questions about the being abused. Many residents suffer staffing levels for the different shifts from such debilitating illnesses as and how many of the staff are certi- Alzheimer’s and dementia and are fied nursing assistants. Visit the unable to verbalize their complaints. facility during the different shifts to Others who do verbalize their com- see what the staffing levels are. plaints are all too often ignored by Make observations as to how much nursing-home personnel. It is impera- time the aides spend with each resi- tive that families take an active role in dent and how much food is actually both choosing a nursing home and eaten. Check on the residents that are ensuring that loved ones who are being fed in bed; make sure that the already in a home receive the quality trays are not just being left in front of care they deserve. them. See if an aide is actually assist- ing them with their meal. Inspect the Assessing The Quality Of Care dining facilities and observe a typical There are several steps that should be taken in assessing the quality of Continued on Page 42

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 41 ASK THE LAWYER Continued from Page 41

meal. Ask to see a meal plan. If the home will allow it, you might want to eat one of the meals yourself. Speak to other families. Speak to other fam- ilies; find out what their experiences have been with the home and its employees. The issue of nursing-home abuse and neglect is a very real one; you as the family member must take a proactive role in preventing it from happening to your loved one. This is especially true since many residents may be unable to communicate the abuse or neglect they are being sub- jected to. This requires frequent vis- its to the home. In addition to those observations that may be readily apparent, there are other signs to look for which may be indicative of physical, verbal, or emotional abuse to a resident of a nursing home. Take note if the resi- dent appears to be emotionally upset or agitated, withdrawn, or non-com- municative with the other residents. These could all be tell-tale signs of problems occurring. Nursing-home residents find themselves the victims of numerous medical conditions, injuries—and sometimes death—due to the negligence of nursing-home staff in failing to properly care for the residents. You have the right to take legal action against these nurs- ing homes for their negligence and to be compensated. This will be addressed next week. If you believe, suspect, or know that your father is being abused, mis- treated, neglected, or otherwise neg- ligently cared for at a nursing home, you have remedies. You may: • Go to the administrator or director of the home with your concerns; • Make a complaint to the appropri- ate agency in your city; or • Complain to the patient’s advocate if one is assigned to the home. If a crime is involved, go to the appropriate law-enforcement agency in which the facility is located. Consult a law firm, like mine, that is familiar with the subject and that can effectively rep- resent the rights of the resident and his or her family and pursue all appropri- ate legal remedies, including monetary compensation. Nursing home abuse and/or neglect is a terrible thing to suffer or to watch a loved one endure. This does not have to be, however. Also, please bear in mind that not every situation is a case of nursing home abuse and neglect. Unfortunately, due to various medical conditions, things do occur. Remember, not all nursing homes are bad; there are some very good ones out there. ❖

This column is designed for general information only, and should not be construed as formal professional advice.

The Law Offices Of Howard M. Adelsberg is a full-service law firm with over 20 years of experience, and handles a variety of legal matters in the areas of personal injury, estate matters, real estate transactions and litigation, commercial litigation, and family law. You can call the office at 516-569-6930.

Readers are encouraged to send questions to [email protected] or to Law Offices Of Howard M. Adelsberg, 445 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY 11516. 42 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Some people take for granted that have a credit score over 700 that you as long as they eventually pay their will not be able to obtain credit or a bills—even if it takes a few mortgage. There are plenty of prod- months—that their credit scores are ucts, of all kinds, available out there good. Uh-Uh!! Credit bureaus not for everybody; but if you are striving only take into account whether or to get the best value for your dollar not you paid a bill, but whether or and being careful to pay everything in When was the last time you record in financial responsibility. not you paid that bill on time. “On a timely manner, the best deals avail- checked to see what kind of credit Business owners depend on credit time” means paying either the mini- able in the market are going to be scores you rated with the three credit scores when dealing with new mum amount or the complete waiting for you. ❖ bureaus (TRW, Equifax, and accounts, and clients or potential part- amount (depending on what type of Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a Experian)? For those of you who said ners may similarly use the credit-scor- account it is) within 30 days. Each licensed real estate broker (Anessa V Cohen “never,” we have a lot to discuss. ing systems for evaluating a business time a bill goes unpaid beyond a 30- Realty) and a licensed N.Y.S. mortgage broker (A.C. Action Mortgage Corp.) with over 20 years day period, points are deducted from of experience, offering full-service residential and your credit score, and a delinquency commercial real estate services and mortgage services. She can be reached at 516-569-5007. is posted. If they go beyond a 60-day Readers are encouraged to send any questions or Credit scoring has become the number-one period or 90-day period, your score scenarios to [email protected]. is seriously demoted. “Inquiries,” another category on system for assessing the risk of advancing the credit report that affects your score, takes into consideration how And he slept over the credit to you, or just evaluating your track many times within a 90-day period you allowed a lender of any kind night there because record in financial responsibility. (credit-card, mortgage lender, auto- the sun had set mobile dealership, etc.) to pull a credit report for the purpose of (Bereishis 28:11) obtaining new credit. If too many In today’s new world of “identities owner. “pulls” within a short period of time G-d caused the sun to set and qualifications,” how you score on Many people don’t even think are noted, this also causes some credit ratings is among the top ten twice about their credit scores until a reduction on your score. prematurely, so that Yaakov criteria for checking and evaluating situation arises where they find out Just as you would sit down and cal- should sleep over ... you for a variety of things—employ- there is a problem on their credit culate how much money you have to For G-d said:“Should this ment, all types of insurance (includ- report that caused them either to lose purchase a home and how much a righteous man enter My ing home, auto, and medical), tenant out on a deal or be penalized and not mortgage on that home would cost, it applications for apartments, co-op receive the lowest interest rate for a is important to be mindful of what home, and depart without board approval for buying an apart- mortgage. Usually by the time they kind of score you have on your cred- staying the night?” ment, and obtaining a mortgage, to find out a problem exists on the cred- it report, since a good score (over name a few. Credit scoring has it report, it is already too late to cor- 700) always gets you the best rates at become the number-one system for rect it in time for whatever financial the best and easiest terms of whatev- (Talmud; Rashi) assessing the risk of advancing credit transaction for which they need a er is out there in the market. to you, or just evaluating your track good score. This is not to say that if you do not

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 43 yeshiva will pay tribute to outstanding individuals and prominent members of our community. Rabbi Zvi Bajnon will be inaugurat- ed as the yeshiva’s new menahel, and Eric and Chani Stern will receive the Parents of the Year Award; Heshel and Yeshiva Ketana Dinner, December 6 model for yeshivos around the country. Esther Wein, the Community Service Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island has Its approach to Jewish and secular Award; and Rabbi Doniel Bak, the earned an exemplary name for itself education stresses a skill-based cur- Rabbinical Service Award. educating the young men of our com- riculum in a nurturing environment. Rabbi Bajnon, a veteran munity. The unique nature of the The yeshiva’s major fundraising mechanech, has taken the mantle of yeshiva—with its small class sizes, per- event is its annual dinner. This year’s menahel this year at Yeshiva Ketana. sonal involvement with every student, dinner will take place, iy’H, on motza- He brings with him a wealth of experi- Chani and Eric Stern and a rigorous curriculum stressing ei Shabbos, January 6, at the ence and innovation in the field of dikduk and midos tovos—has made it a Lawrence Village Country Club. The yeshiva education.

Heshy and Esther Wein

Rabbi Doniel Bak

Rabbi Zvi Bajnon

Eric and Chani Stern are well- known askanim in our community. Chani is an early intervention physical therapist for Challenge Infant Developmental Center and can be found doing “secret chesed” on behalf of her less fortunate patients and their families. Eric is an employment attor- ney based in New York City. He devotes a significant amount of time working with Agudath Israel of America and its lawyers, assisting Jewish employees and organizations throughout the United States with professional employment issues, main- ly concerning religious discrimination. Hershel and Esther Wein both descend from a great lineage of Jewish communal leaders. Hershel’s 44 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES grandfather was Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Shurkin, z’l, one of the founding rashei yeshiva at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, and Mrs. Esther Wein is a granddaughter of Rabbi Shimon Schwab z’l, rav of Kahal Adas Jeshurun in New York. Hershel, a prominent New York attorney, is a founding board member of Yeshiva Ketana and has been its legal counsel since its inception. Esther is a sought- after and eloquent lecturer on Jewish thought. She gives many shiurim in our commu- nity shuls on a weekly basis. Rabbi Doniel Bak joined the faculty of Sh’or Yoshuv in 1996 as a magid shiur and second-seder coordinator. There, he started Project B’china, encouraging post- high-school boys to learn an entire masechta. They have completed over 1,000 blatt Gemara to date. He is also the editor of the Torah publica- tion Ohr Chodosh, which presents divrei Torah for the yomim tovim, submitted by leading rabbanim and lay peo- ple in the community. For those wishing to pay tribute to these outstanding individuals, please call the yeshiva office at 516-791-2800 or e-mail [email protected].

Nefesh B’Nefesh Pre- Aliyah Informational Mega Events In NY And NJ Nefesh B’Nefesh (www.nbn .org.il), an organization respon- sible for the revitalization of North American immigration to Israel, is initiating two inten- sive assemblies in New York and New Jersey for short- and long-term aliyah planning on Sunday, December 3. The New Jersey event will take place at the Crowne Plaza in Englewood (401 South Van Brunt Street), 10:15 a.m.– 2:00 p.m. The New York event will be held at the Holiday Inn at JFK Airport (144-02 135th Avenue), 7:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. These half-day mega- assemblies are part of a series of specially tailored programs, events, and individual coun- seling sessions taking place throughout the U.S., Canada, and UK this winter. Designed for those actively planning or contemplating aliyah, the events will include seminars, videos, and other presentations, and will focus on specific issues such as children, families, education, and networking in Israel. By enabling participants to tailor sessions to their own specific interests, Nefesh B’Nefesh aims to bring more relevant and helpful information on aliyah to local communities. The counseling sessions are

Continued on Page 46 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 45 AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS Continued from Page 45

being led by a team of aliyah experts, from within the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization as well as others who will fly in from Israel to offer professional and personal advice to participants. Pre- and post-aliyah guidance and strategies will be discussed, as well as Nefesh B’Nefesh services and benefits. Personally tailored sessions by sea- soned professionals (former olim them- selves) will include employment, com- munity options, healthcare, the educa- tion system, the aliyah process, taxes and aliyah, retirement, and others. “Nefesh B’Nefesh’s specially designed mega-events are the direct result of the need for on-site personal guidance by experienced professionals who can offer practical information and guidance on aliyah,” explained Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Nefesh B’Nefesh co-founder and executive director. “We hope it will serve as an inspiration for anyone considering aliyah to actualize their dreams and make Israel a reality.” In 2005, Nefesh B’Nefesh succeeded in attracting over 12,000 participants to its aliyah information events. By remov- ing or minimizing the financial, profes- sional, logistical, and social obstacles of aliyah, NBN has successfully brought close to 10,000 new olim to Israel since 2002. Its success lies in the assistance it provides in all aspects of aliyah, from the planning stages to arrival in Israel and after the actual move. The organi- zation works in close cooperation with the Jewish Agency for Israel. Since its inception, 99 percent of those who have made aliyah through Nefesh B’Nefesh have remained in Israel, and 94 percent of the families (of those seeking employment) have one or both spouses employed. Over 300 “sabras” (native-born Israelis) have been born to these families, and 65 weddings have been celebrated within the Nefesh “family,” including two cou- ples who met on NBN chartered flights.

Chabad Of The Five Towns December Events Chabad of the Five Towns is proud to offer the following events to every- one in the community. Unless other- wise noted, all events are scheduled to take place at 74 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst. For more information, please call 516-295-2478 or visit www.chabadfivetowns.com. December 1, 6:00 p.m.: Friday Night Live, a family Shabbat experience. December 4, 5:30–6:30 p.m.: Story time for children (ages 4–7). December 5, 8:15 p.m.: Evening kabbalah class for women with Mrs. Chaya Franklin, and, at the same time, Chassidic farbrengen for men. On December 10, 10:30–11:15 a.m., the “Holiday Basics Class II: Chanu- kah” will be held, and, at 8:15 p.m., there will be a Chassidic farbrengen din- ner, for men and women, with Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan. During December 13–22 there will be the Chanukah Wonderland: Funhouse of holiday activities for all ages, and December 15–22, every night at 6:00 p.m., there will be a grand

Continued on Page 48 46 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES A Five Towns Simcha Photos By Ira Thomas Creations

The Bar Mitzvah of Yitzi Wolman, a 7th grader at Yeshiva of South Shore, was celebrated with a gala affair at The Sands at Atlantic Beach on Sunday, November 12. Lipa Schmeltzer was a smash hit, teaming with the Neginah Orchestra to bring the crowd of guests, family, and friends to a dancing frenzy with his unique voice, charisma, and style. Catering was by Mauzone Caterers of Cedarhurst.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 47 AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS Continued from Page 46

menorah lighting in Cedarhurst Park, with latkes, music, and gifts for kids. December 16, following the servic- es: Birthday Shabbat for children born in the month of Tevet. December 17, 2:30–5:30 p.m.: Ice- menorah sculpting and lighting. December 26, 8:15 p.m.: Chassidic farbrengen for men.

Chanukah At The Bach The Bach Jewish Center invites the entire community to celebrate the Festival of Lights at a public Chanukah menorah kindling ceremony at Kennedy Plaza, 1 West Chester Street in Long Beach. The event starts on Monday, December 18 at 5:30 p.m. This is the largest public Chanukah celebration in the area, and will fea- ture the kindling of Long Island’s largest menorah as well as music, dancing, doughnuts, latkes, gifts, and special greetings from elected officials and community leaders. This year there will be a special children’s pres- entation featuring Harry Potter and the Magic of Hogwarts. Through this public commemora- tion of the menorah and its symbolic lights, the city of Long Beach will join thousands of communities across the globe that are staging similar events, including cities such as Sydney, Paris, Cape Town, and Shanghai. Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, for many of us brings back fond mem- ories of childhood years and serves to renew our sense of identity. The Chanukah lights provide us with warmth, joy, strength, and inspiration. The holiday of Chanukah recalls the victory, more than 2,100 years ago, of a militarily weak, but spiritually strong, Jewish people over the mighty forces of a ruthless enemy that had overrun the Holy Land and threatened to engulf the land and its people in darkness. “Lighting the Chanukah menorah reminds us of these events and also serves as a symbol and a universal mes- sage of triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness,” said Rabbi Eli Goodman, educational director of the Bach Jewish Center. In honor of this event, Rabbi Goodman has initiated “the Great Menorah Giveaway,” a community- wide program to provide menorahs free of charge to all those who need one. “Whether you need a menorah for yourself or someone else, we are here to help.” A highlight of the Bach Jewish Center’s week-long Chanukah activi- ties are the visits by volunteers, who will visit hospitals and nursing facili- ties to share the joy of Chanukah with the residents. Hundreds of children will participate in Chanukah celebra- tions, and thousands of informative brochures and menorahs will be dis- tributed to allow more people than ever before to celebrate the festival. To order your free menorah or for more information about other Bach Jewish Center activities or events, please call 516-897-2473, or e-mail [email protected].

48 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Gala Chanukah Concert Woodmere (859 Peninsula Boulevard). 516-655-5297 or 516-410-6639. tion. Pre-registration is required. To Benefit CAHAL Rabbi Leff’s lecture schedule is as The Traumatic Brain Injury Program CAHAL, the community-wide spe- follows: JCC Programs And Events promotes wellness and friendships cial-education program, will hold its Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Anshei The JCC of the Greater Five Towns while managing the difficult symptoms first annual Chanukah concert, Chesed: “Goals and Aspirations: announces the following programs. of TBI. Meets on Wednesdays, “Shining Lights,” on motzaei Shabbos Striving for personal growth.” Shabbos Unless otherwise noted, all events 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., at Sons of Chanukah, December 23, at the morning, Shacharis at 8:30 a.m. at take place at 207 Grove Avenue in Israel. December Schedule: December Lawrence Middle School. The con- Anshei Chesed: “Connecting with the Cedarhurst. For more information or 6; December 13; December 20: cert, being held in memory of Yeshaye One Above.” At 3:00 p.m. at Anshei to register for any of these programs, Chanukah Celebration; and December Taub, will be the largest fundraising Chesed, women’s shiur on the please call the JCC at 516-569-6733. 27. Pre-registration required; call event CAHAL will hold this year. It parashah. Following Minchah at To speak to Cathy Byrne, dial ext. Chana Pfeifer or Lisa Barnett. will feature four of the most popular 4:05 p.m. at Young Israel of 220; Chana Pfeifer, ext. 213; Dee, A weekly Parkinson’s Support performers in the Jewish music scene Woodmere: “Honesty in Business.” ext. 203; Linda Balch, ext. 211; Lisa Group takes place on Tuesdays, today: Shloime Dachs, Michoel The shiurim at Anshei Chesed are Barnett, ext. 210; Lisa Stern, ext. 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; call Cathy. Pruzansky, Dovid Gabay, and Mendy sponsored by the Cooper family, l’zech- 209; Mary Sheffield, ext. 219; Gilda The Multiple Sclerosis Exercise Wald. Exceptional music by the er nishmas Michael Cooper, z’l. Tesser, ext. 204; or Sheryl Program offers yoga, Tai Chi, and exer- Shloime Dachs Orchestra and dazzling Wyszkowski, ext. 222. cise to music. It meets every Monday, videos will accompany the performers. The Portion Teller Comes To Town Sunday, December 10, 4:00 p.m., at 1:00–2:00 p.m. at the JCC; call Cathy. “Dimension,” a new and exciting Dr. Lisa Young, highly acclaimed Temple Israel in Lawrence: The JCC Following is the JCC’s Adult Singles young boys choir, will also perform. nutritionist of the Supersize Me video, will offer a children’s Chanukah with Disabilities December schedule: CAHAL (Communties Acting to will speak about portion control and show—“A Parakeet Named Dreidel, Monday, December 4, 7:00–9:00 p.m.; Heighten Awareness and Learning) is a losing weight the right way. This event and Other Stories,” featuring the fee is $4. Sunday, December 10, 3:00– program of self-contained classes for is sponsored by Emunah of America. It Talking Hands Theatre. Fee is $7 in 5:30 p.m., fee is $13. Monday, children with learning disabilities, will take place on Tuesday, December advance, $9 at the door. Call Sheryl. December 18, 7:00–9:00 p.m. fee is kindergarten through high school. It 12 at 8:00 p.m. in the home of Yonina Special enrichment program for $5. Call Chana. was organized by yeshiva principals and and Ephraim Stern (60 Briarwood Holocaust survivors. Meets every The JCC of the Greater Five Towns community leaders concerned with the Lane, Lawrence). A donation is Thursday at 10:30 a.m.; Thursday, challenges presented in educating chil- requested. For more information, call December 14: pre-Chanukah celebra- ºContinued on Page 50 dren with various learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and hearing and speech impairments who were unable to succeed in the mainstream classroom. Since 1992, CAHAL has educated hundreds of Jewish children with learning disabilities in the Five Towns, Far Rockaway, greater Nassau County, Queens, and Brooklyn. This year CAHAL is educating 100 children in 13 classes in 9 local yeshivas. At CAHAL, the small classes (maxi- mum of 12 students per class), highly individualized attention (one teacher for every 4 students), and uniquely designed programs encourage and fos- ter the children’s success, preparing them for advanced studies and adult- hood. What makes the program unique is that the children are not placed in a separate, special school. The CAHAL classes are housed in the local yeshivas. The students are part of their school, participating with other students in activities such as class trips, gym, plays, recess, lunch, spelling bees, and science fairs. At CAHAL, children with learning dis- abilities can attend the same yeshiva as their friends, neighbors, and siblings while being part of a professionally operated special-education program. Sponsorships of the concert are still available. For information about sponsoring the concert or to purchase tickets, contact CAHAL at 516-295- 3666. Tickets are also available at Judaica Plus, 530 Central Avenue in Cedarhurst, and in Kew Gardens Hills at Supersol and Gift World on Main Street. For more information about CAHAL, visit their website at www.cahal.org.

Scholar-In-Residence In Woodmere Congregation Anshei Chesed and the Young Israel of Woodmere are hon- ored to host Rabbi Zev Leff as a schol- ar-in-residence on Shabbos, Parashas Vayeitzei (December 1–2). Rabbi Leff is the rav of Moshav Mattityahu and a noted lecturer and mechaber of many sefarim. He will enlighten the commu- nity at both Anshei Chesed (1170 William Street, behind the Yeshiva of South Shore) and at the Young Israel of 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 49 AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS 7:00 p.m.; the fee is $18. Pre-registra- much more; call Dee. keep). Call Sheryl. Continued from Page 49 tion is required; call Lisa Stern. Adult Education: Also being offered is a ten-week The JCC Shalom Club at Temple The Kosher Culinary Institute will ulpan class; call Sheryl. offers the following programs for chil- Hillel (1000 Rosedale Rd. in North offer a Chanukah Appetizers class on The Book Club will be meeting on dren on the ASD spectrum: recreation- Woodmere) takes place every Monday, Tuesday, December 5, at 10:00 a.m.; December 7 at 10:00 a.m.: Digging to al program for children ages 4–7; 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. It features exer- Wednesday, December 6, at America by Anne Tyler. The fee is $25; social-skills program, all age levels; cise, lunch, and a lecture; call Lisa Stern. 10:30 a.m.: Chanukah Cake call Sheryl. and teen motzaei Shabbos programs. The JCC L’Chaim Club at Temple Decorating with Fondant; Monday, The Rosh Chodesh Lunch & Learn Call Gilda. Gates of Zion (322 N. Corona Ave in December 11 at 10:00 a.m. and will be meeting Wednesday, December Parent/grandparent and sibling sup- Valley Stream) takes place every 7:00 p.m.: “Shabbat Shalom”—excit- 13, at Congregation Beth Shalom in port groups are now forming for care- Wednesday, 1:00–3:00 p.m. It fea- ing new dishes that will impress your Lawrence at 11:30 a.m.; call Sheryl. givers and family members of children tures exercise, lunch, and refresh- family and guests. Call Sheryl. on the ASD spectrum; groups meet ments; call Linda. The JCC offeres Knitting for Tnuva Kindles ‘Bite Size’ once a month. Call Gilda. Come Alive Social Day Care at Beginners. The fee is $8; call Sheryl. Chanukah Campaign For Older Adults: Congregation Sons of Israel takes The JCC is starting a beginners’ Tnuva USA’s bite-size cheese The ongoing Phase I/Bereavement place on Mondays and Thursdays, Israeli Dance class to be held on snacks, called Emek Bites, won the Support Group helps those going 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.; the fee is $40. Wednesday mornings, 9:30– “Best New Dairy Product” award at through the initial stages of bereave- This is a social day program for home- 10:15 a.m.; call Sheryl. last year’s Kosherfest and is now the ment. It is a painful and lonely time bound, physically challenged older Beginners’ class for bridge and focus of a new Chanukah-themed with feelings of sadness, abandon- adults. It includes door-to-door trans- canasta: canasta from 10:00 a.m. to campaign aimed at young consumers. ment, anger, confusion, or uncertainty. portation, kosher lunch, and activities. noon; bridge from 1:00 p.m. to During the next few weeks, consumers Grief is both an emotional and a phys- Pre-registration is required; call Mary 3:00 p.m.; call Sheryl. will find a free dreidel attached to spe- ical reaction. If you have experienced or Linda. The JCC will be holding its Scrabble cially-marked Emek Bites packages. the loss of a spouse within the past “Boh Nedaber”—Let’s Talk—meets Players Club on Tuesdays, December Emek Bites, which are available in year, join on Tuesdays, December 5, on Tuesdays, 10:30–11:45 a.m. Join 5, 12, and 19 at 10:00 a.m.; call Sheryl. two flavors (olive and natural), are 12, and 19, at 10:30–11:45 a.m. There this Hebrew circle of friends, featuring The JCC continues to offer its six- pop-in-your-mouth premium cheese will be a “Beyond Bereavement” lively discussion on current events, week Silk Painting art class. The fee is snacks that became a hot-selling con- Dinner Program on December 12 at Israeli culture, recipes, literature, and $120, plus $30 for supplies (which you sumer item when they were first intro- duced into the Israeli marketplace a few years ago. “Recognizing that a growing number of youngsters and their parents had been searching for a quick and healthy dairy treat, we intro- duced Emek Bites into the American kosher marketplace,” Yoram Behiri, CEO of Tnuva USA said. Emek Bites is a quality low-fat snack made from the finest milk products. “The custom of eating cheese products during the eight-day Chanukah holiday also provided us with the perfect opportunity to attract more and more youngsters to the product. We antici- pate that they’ll enjoy eating and play- ing with their dreidels during Chanukah,” Karin Schifter-Maor, Tnuva USA’s chief marketing officer. Emek Bites feature “OU-D” (Orthodox Union-Dairy) kosher certifi- cation. For more information, please visit www.tnuva.com.

A Claire’s Treasures Wedding The photo and caption that this paper ran last week about the very fes- tive wedding of Natan and Chana Leah did not adequately express the number of local organizations and individuals responsible for making this wedding possible. In addition to the tireless efforts of Nicole Gleitman of Claire’s Treasures, others involved in the simcha included: Bridal Secrets, The Davis Memorial Fund, Be’er Miriam Hachnosas Kallah Fund, Elite Caterers, Richard Lobell Photographers, and Yitzie Pretter Music. The simcha would not have been possible without Rabbi Dov Emerson and Rabbi Eli Brazil of DRS-HALB, who arranged for the attendance of more than a dozen students who served guests and added a special air of simcha to the celebration. Additional food service was provided for the wed- ding by SuperSol, Mauzone, Heimishe Bakery, and Prestige Caterers. Flowers were provided by Dr. Zachary and Robin Gerut, and paper goods by Steve Goldsmith of East Coast Paper.

J.J.’s Big Day Sixteen years after the first Rudy 50 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Rosen Communty Service Award was handed out at a breakfast at the Young Israel of Woodmere, Rosen’s influence and legacy still hold strong. On Sunday, November 12, several hundred people attended this year’s breakfast, to see J.J. Goldstein, a ten- year-old with special needs, receive the award—to a standing ovation. While tears and full hearts were evident on his family’s faces, J.J. was all smiles as he accepted the plaque from Rabbi Hershel Billet, bestowed on him for his weekly Thursday-night commit- ment and hard work packing up Tomchei Shabbos boxes. A $100 gift certificate from Judaica Plus accompa- nied the plaque. “J.J.,” said Rabbi Billet. “We all know you are a ba’al chessed—it’s your sec- ond nature. You’re always looking to do the right thing and it’s a tremendous privilege for us to pay tribute to you.” The Rudy Rosen Community Service Award was established in memory of Rosen, who was a community activist. In the earlier years of the Young Israel of Woodmere’s history, he acted as maintenance man, caterer, gabbai, and building director. The award and break- fast were created by Morris and Sherry Hochman, Rosen’s longtime friends, and dedicated to the chesed children in the community do, “because the kids are our future,” said Fivy Fuchs, break- fast chairperson. “J.J. epitomizes every- thing Rudy Rosen stood for. He under- stands what doing mitzvos means and is most happy to be involved in it.” After J.J. gave his thank-you speech, his father, Dr. Stanley Goldstein, got up. “Every child should be given the oppor- tunity to reach his potential,” he said. “This community has given J.J. that opportunity and I want to thank every- one for that, and for coming here today.” Special tribute was also paid to Sherry Hochman, who passed away this year. Her family, including her husband, Morris, was present to receive the plaque.

Red Fern Cellars By Arye Nisonson It was close to 10 p.m. as I watched the last truck pull out, laden with grapes. After 12 hours of intense labor, left standing were eight strong adult men absolutely spent. Welcome to Red Fern Cellars—the Five Towns’s kosher winery and the only Long Island pro- ducers of kosher wine. “It was a great day; everything worked out exactly as planned,” said Herschel Sauber, Red Fern’s president and owner. Since we last reported to you on Red Fern Cellars over two years ago, a lot has changed. “Over the past two years, we really have matured to a point of being real players in the wine market. Not only in the kosher market, but many non-kosher drinkers have signed up, as well.” In 2005, Red Fern contracted with Herzog Wine Cellars (Kedem) to be the exclusive distributor of its wines throughout the state. “Teaming up with Herzog was extremely helpful in allow- ing us to focus just on the wine-mak- ing,” said Aaron Munk, Red Fern’s vice- president. Over the past few years its wine has won many medals and awards,

Continued on Page 52 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 51 AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS Continued from Page 51 and Red Fern is regarded as a premium boutique winery and has been the sub- ject of many positive reports in the media. “The New York Times article was especially rewarding,” says Munk. But all this exposure doesn’t come easy. As Mr. Sauber explained, “After we decided to sell our inventory to Herzog, many of our private customers weren’t thrilled with having to purchase the wines in stores… Realizing that we are a local winery with a strong local follow- ing, we decided not to continue with Herzog on our 2004 vintage, and to focus instead on our original followers… We realized that the Red Fern story is really a Five Towns story. We probably should never have been placed in the stores selling to the masses. We really At work at the wine press at Red Fern are a boutique winery with a cult follow- ing.” For their future vintages, Red Fern has decided to produce and sell to pri- largest region in the state.” each year and stay on top of quality,” You will still be able to purchase Red vate customers. After finalizing their list Since focusing on the Long Island says David Kaplan, Red Fern’s new Fern wines from Château De Vin by of followers, they will close their produc- region five years ago, Red Fern has been senior winemaker and president of the bottle. They have seen nice growth tion. Since Red Fern Cellars is licensed purchasing its grapes from Ray Blum. operations. “As you increase the from their first year of production in as a farm winery—with at least 75 per- Mr. Blum sold the famed Peconic Bay capacity, you need to make very sure 1997 of 25 cases. However, it looks cent of the fruit they use coming from winery, one of Long Island’s premier that quality stays up. Many of the large like they are going to settle in at 600 within the state—they are allowed to sell wineries, seven years ago, keeping 40 wineries end up producing hundreds cases of total production for the fore- directly to consumers. acres for private sales to wineries such of thousands of cases a year and end seeable future. At these levels, they “Settling on the local region took as Red Fern. “These are a great bunch up losing that small-crop taste. believe they can keep their quality at some time,” explains Mr. Sauber. of guys,” Blum says, referring to Red Everything we do here is monitored to its peak and focus on the satisfaction “Over the years we’ve toyed with differ- Fern. “As their supplier, I’ve followed a minute scale. In order to keep that of their followers. ent regions of grapes. Living in the their wines over the past few years, and small-batch, high-quality flavor, you The 2003 vintage is completely sold Five Towns, we figured, what better they are of the same quality as the big need to be making small batches. We out, with the 2004 vintage being opportunity than to carefully learn wineries such as Pindar, Lenz, and are not looking to be a large winery; we released shortly (292 cases merlot, 140 about Long Island? New York is the Bedell. They truly have an understand- have a tremendous passion for what cabernet sauvignon, and 82 chardon- third-largest wine state in the country, ing for quality and taste.” we do and realize that our wines are nay). Kaplan, who is currently enrolled with the North Fork being the second “It’s hard to increase production not for everyone.” in the prestigious UCLA–Davis enolo-

52 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES gy course, is very excited about the Bowl Team, an avid drums player and growth at Red Fern. “We have a new member of the SKA Band, and as Syrah coming out next year; the wine is aspiring writer. very unique, with tons of flavors.” Mijal Bitton is the daughter of Back at the winery, the cleanup Rabbi Yosef and Coty Bitton. begins. Today the winery starts produc- Originally from Argentina, she has ing their main run. “We took in just over lived in five different countries before eight tons of fruit,” Kaplan says, “mer- settling in Great Neck. She is a pas- lot, chardonnay, and Syrah being the sionate Zionist who is always looking dominating grapes, with five more tons for ways to help the people and the following next week. A day like today is State of Israel and is using her Hebrew extra hard, since we need to use all our language skills as the Hebrew editor of equipment to finish the chardonnay.” the senior yearbook. She is a National Red Fern’s chardonnay, Kaplan explains, Hispanic Scholar, has won three tro- is fermented off their skins. This means phies on last year’s Debate Team, and after the grape goes through the crush- has won honorable mention in Model er/destemmer, it is immediately pressed Congress. Mijal is also the captain of into large steel tanks for fermentation. the Torah Bowl Team and is a writer The crusher/destemmer is a large for the school newspaper and the SKA machine that removes the grapes from Parsha Press. Mijal plans on a career their vines as well as crushes the grape Top (L–R): Dani Lent, Yardena Galler, Michelle Zomber, and Yoey Sacks. in law or political activism. so the juice will be exposed to their skins Bottom(L–R): Emily Levine, Mijal Bitton, Sarah Gross, and Ilana Lefkovitz. Yardena Galler, daughter of Dr. and pits. What comes out is a mush Jeffrey and Freda Galler of Lawrence, called “must.” Normally, the must fer- Merit Commended Scholars. These have accomplished. is president of the Student Council, a ments for around ten days, until all the students have excelled both in and out Yocheved Saks, a National Merit past editor-in-chief of the school news- sugar turns into alcohol, and the prod- of the classroom—in school and in Semifinalist, is the daughter of Rabbi paper, and has won numerous local uct is then pressed into large steel tanks, their respective communities. Here is Jonathan and Kohava Sachs of Syosset where it stabilizes for a month it is then a little flavor of what these students and is a member of the SKA College Continued on Page 54 placed into oak barrels for aging. “This process is what we do for all our red wines; however, with our chardonnay, the fermentation starts after we press out the must.” Every year there are new challenges, Kaplan explains. In years past, it was either the yeast, nutrients, or grape sources. This year there was trouble with the ML (“maloactic”) cultures. In past years, Red Fern was able to piggy- back on what Herzog did for their ML cultures. Vinquiry, the largest enology lab in the country (located in California), actually grew these rab- binically supervised cultures for Herzog, which were then purchased by Red Fern. They took natural existing ML bacteria from the Herzog tanks and continued their growth in their labs. They named this special kosher run of the ML culture “TMA-H5761”; the “5761” represents the Jewish year in which the bacteria came from the Herzog winery. This past year Herzog did not continue with the cultured growth at Vinquiry, and decided to get their ML cultures freeze-dried from another lab, Lallemand. What the ML culture accomplishes is allowing the wine to go through a maloactic fer- mentation, which converts the harsher malic acid in the wine into lactic acid, a softer and more rounded acid for the palate, explains Kaplan. “This is a very exciting time for us, with great opportunities to educate and have our wines enjoyed by many others who enjoy fine wine,” Sauber says. “I truly hope, as the back of our label states, ‘We can enjoy with family and friends the fruits of our labor.’” To learn more about Red Fern wines, or to privately visit Red Fern Cellars, contact them through their website at www.redferncellars.com.

SKA Scholars SKA is very proud of the many aca- demic achievements of its students. Congratulations to Yoey Sacks on her selection as a National Merit Scholar, and to Mijal Bitton, Yardena Galler, Sarah Gross, Ilana Lefkovitz, Dani Lent, Emily Levine, and Michelle Zomber on their selection as National 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 53 AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS and head of JEP-Hicksville. She was Continued from Page 53 recently elected the “most devoted mem- ber of the SKA Band” where she excels and national literary and poetry con- at the drums. Dani is planning to spend tests throughout her years at SKA. her post-high-school year learning in an Yardana is involved in many local Israeli Seminary. chesed organizations and is part of the Emily Levine, daughter of Ira and prestigious Write On For Israel advo- Sandra Levine of Great Neck, is coedi- cacy program, which works to help tor-in-chief of the SKA yearbook, a past strengthen Israel’s presence on college editor-in-chief of the SKA Literary campuses across the United States. Journal “Matrix,” and is co-captain of Sarah Gross, daughter of Samuel the Torah Bowl and College Bowl and Evelyn Gross of Woodmere, spent Teams. She is also a member of the last summer on the JOLT program. She Debate, Math, and Model Congress is treasurer of the Student Council, a Teams. She has recently been named a member of the Volleyball Team, and semifinalist in the Siemens-Westin- one of the Heads of Dance for the ghouse science and technology compe- famous SKA Production. Sarah is also a tition. Emily is planning to spend next proud member of the Math Team and year learning Torah in Israel. Honors Society. She plans to spend Michelle Zomber, daughter of next year learning Torah in Israel. Samuel and Reva Zomber of Ilana Lefkovitz, daughter of Dr. and Woodmere, has had many editorial posi- Mrs. Zvi Lefkovitz of Cedarhurst, is a tions on school publications, including member of the Math and College editor-in-chief of both the 9th Grade Bowl Teams at SKA and is a Band Holocaust Journal and Parsha Press, as Head in this year’s school production. well as layout editor of the yearbook. Ilana has an avid interest in science, She is also a proud member of the and worked with scientists this past College Bowl, Torah Bowl, and Math summer in the NASA New York City Teams. But her love lies in the arena of Research Initiative program. She public speaking and she has used her hopes to pursue a career in experience as captain of Debate Team science/engineering after attending and a member of Model Congress to seminary next year in Israel. fine-tune those skills. She spent the Dani Lent, daughter of Dr. Tovia and summer in Perth, Australia doing Jewish Ilana Lent of Cedarhurst, is a recent Outreach. Michelle is planning to spend Siemens-Westinghouse semifinalist. She next year learning Torah in Israel. has been a National Chidon HaTanach winner, is co-captain of the College Bowl Kalover Rebbe To Visit Five Towns and Torah Bowl Teams, a former editor- We are all witness to the phenome- in-chief of the school newspaper, a non of the Five Towns becoming a mag- member of the Model Congress Team, net for increased kedushah. With the

54 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES rapid growth of more yeshivos, more Heschel school, came from Manhattan girl said. Excitement and anxiety filled cluded their meeting with a rather new shuls and shtiebels springing up on to visit. They had never before been near Suzan’s heart as she waited her turn to peculiar statement: “All the blessings every corner, and seemingly endless a Chassidic leader, but a friend had told meet this revered tzadik. in this world stem from Shabbos. In opportunities for learning, it’s apparent them that they had to meet the Rebbe. Like most of the students in the merit of your commitment to keep that the level of spirituality sought by Something that he told one of them real- Shelhevet and similar places, Suzan the Shabbos, you will be saved from our community’s residents continues to ly made an impact, because today, not came from a typical American non- many tragedies.” Confused by the expand. For more and more people, even six months later, she has become religious Jewish home. Her father is a Rebbe’s last words, Suzan left the room there is an insatiable thirst to learn, totally frum, and wants to meet a ben pediatrician, and like so many Jewish committed to observing Shabbos. grow, and infuse our lives with ever- Torah for a shidduch. In Baltimore, we parents, her parents wanted to send But, as the week went on and her greater levels of holiness. Part of this worked with the Hillel director, and he their daughter to a private school friends were making plans, that commit- movement has included the visitations credits the Rebbe with providing the where she could also learn a few things ment slowly faded away and was of a few very special tzadikim to our push this girl needed to make her about her heritage. When Suzan replaced by her commitment to her community. While many bemoan the Yiddishkeit come alive. In these often- entered the room to meet the Rebbe, friends. After all, it had been so long lack of gedolim in our generation, we confusing times, we have to redirect peo- she was awestruck by the mere appear- since she kept Shabbos; one more week here in the Five Towns have been ple who have wandered away, and the ance of the Rebbe. After a short time, would hardly matter. When Saturday graced in the past year with several vis- Rebbe is so effective at doing this.” the Rebbe asked her, “Does anyone in morning came, she got into a car with its from truly righteous leaders. Here are a few stories of people who your family keep Shabbos?” her friends and headed out for a day of Returning this week to Woodmere is have been touched by the Rebbe. “No,” she answered timidly. “letting loose” and hanging out. That the Kalover Rebbe, shlita, Rabbi Keeping Shabbos will save you “Would your parents be against your never happened. While traveling on a Moshe Taub, of Williamsburg. The from many tragedies. Suzan Salahani keeping Shabbos?” Los Angeles freeway, their car slammed Rebbe, along with a small contingent was waiting in line with the rest of her Suzan again answered “no” in a puz- directly into the car in front of them as of his chassidim, is being hosted by 12th-grade class at Shelhevet High zled voice. The Rebbe began to ask her the car behind them crashed into their members of the Aish Kodesh commu- School in Los Angeles. Rumors had if she would be ready and willing to rear. There was a horrible, massive pile- nity. During his visit last year, he deliv- already begun spreading throughout make such a commitment, but before up, car after car. Her car was so severely ered a message of chizuk to everyone the school that the Rebbe had “pow- the Rebbe could finish what he was damaged it was beyond repair. However, and met with many people individual- ers” and knows things about you that saying, Suzan answered that she prom- Suzan and her friends were left with only ly, bestowing berachos upon them. nobody else possibly could know but ised to keep Shabbos from now on. Now everyone is looking forward to his you. “It’s like he reads your mind,” one Then, before she left, the Rebbe con- Continued on Page 56 return, and those that missed out last time are making sure to arrange a meeting with him this time. The Rebbe’s connection with Rav Moshe Weinberger, mara d’asra of Aish Kodesh, goes back to the days when Rav Weinberger taught at Ezra Academy in Brooklyn and the Kalover Rebbe would come to meet with the students during an annual visit to give them chizuk. According to Herman Krausz, the Kalover Rebbe’s gabbai, the Rebbe is really into kiruv. He has traveled all over the world to meet with Jews of every level of observance, and his warm manner and tremendous insight enable him to connect immedi- ately with every Jew. “He’s been doing this for years,” said Mr. Krausz. “It started off in Argentina, where he made a lot of people religious. During a ten-day stay, he visited with over 20,000 Jews, who ranged from the unaffiliated to those familiar with a tra- ditional Jewish lifestyle. He was up meeting with people until 3 o’clock in the morning during every day of his stay. There were people who came that had never set foot in a shul in their lives. The Rebbe has a special power to really move people, but he is also very demanding when he speaks with you. You often find that you come out prom- ising that you will keep a new mitzvah, which can be hard for some, but has had the effect of dramatically changing many people’s lives.” An area of special strength for the Rebbe is his kesher with young people. He has a tremendous ability to connect with teens, who inevitably experience life at an intense level; this ability lies in the fact that after they meet him, they feel that the Rebbe is somebody who feels for them personally and understands them. “Everybody has his unique qualities, and when a tzadik brings out their special- ness and shows how he cares about them, it is authentic, and this is what teens respond to,” said Krausz. “When a person just feels as if he needs a push, the Kalover Rebbe is truly effective at reaching him. Every Jew needs a little motivation sometimes. I heard a story, when we were in Baltimore not long ago: Three girls, students at the 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 55 AROUND THE FIVE TOWNS To this day, the entire class is Inside, were the green cards! lose their future.” Continued from Page 55 shomer Shabbos. Even though they The Dream. Josef Weisman is an Knowing what his wife’s reaction have each gone their own way to dif- accomplished philosopher who has would be, Josef went home nervous bruises. Standing there on the highway, ferent colleges, seminaries, and yeshiv- received the highest degrees from and unsure. But, the Rebbe told him with the tragedy right before their eyes as, they each have remembered their UCLA. As a younger man, he wasn’t to do something and who was he not to and the sounds of steam and crunched friend and the promise they made: to religious, but very spiritual. And, during do it? After dinner, he sat his wife metal still pounding in their ears, Suzan keep the Shabbos. Suzan and her his quest for spirituality, he spent many down and said everything that the was reminded of what the Rebbe had entire family are now fully observant, years in India learning with monks and Rebbe told him. She had only one last told her, “Keeping Shabbos will save keeping the laws of kashrus and all the gurus, even joining cult-like groups. word to say afterwards: “Fine.” Josef you from many tragedies.” mitzvos, including, of course, Shabbos. Now, Josef is a teacher of history and was absolutely shocked. He blurted She became hysterical, telling her Shabbos is the source of all bless- theology at YULA. Last year, while the out, “What! For months you were friends about what the Rebbe had told ings. While the Rebbe was at Yeshivat Rebbe was visiting the school, Josef was against this idea and now you just say her, and she said that this was obviously Rambam in Brooklyn, there was a book- extremely interested in meeting with the ‘fine’?” “Let me explain,” answered his the sort of thing the Rebbe had in mind. keeper who was very anxious to meet tzadik, the righteous man, if for nothing wife. “Last night I had a dream. There On the spot, Suzan and her friends the Rebbe. When she approached the more than the experience itself. was a man in my dream with a long vowed never again to break Shabbos. gabbaim, their response was typical: the When he walked into the room to meet beard. He looked so holy. And, this They were all convinced that the Rebbe’s Rebbe is here to see the students; if with the Rebbe, the first thing the Rebbe man in my dream said the very same blessing and help would have prevented there is time afterwards, the adults can asked him was, “Where do your children thing that you just did.” them from such a traumatic experience. get a berachah, too, or they can make go to school?” Stunned, Josef went on to A year later, when the Rebbe As the following week dragged on, temp- an appointment and go see the Rebbe explain that currently his children go to returned to YULA, Josef was a differ- tation got the better of one of the girls in Williamsburg. But this woman was public schools, but, for the last several ent-looking man: he had long pei’os and she set out for another Saturday of very determined, and she started beg- months he had wanted to move his chil- and a beautiful beard. His two chil- hanging out. The weather was horrible ging. The gabbai agreed to let her in. A dren into YULA. After all, he explained, dren were both in YULA and were very and the downpours had been going on week later, the gabbai received a phone there was a clear difference between the distinguished in their personalities. for hours. The clouds were ferocious call from this woman. She explained kinds of students in public schools and Now, instead of history and theology, looking. As the car carrying this young that the Rebbe had demanded that her the students in yeshiva, and the educa- Josef teaches Tanach and the differ- girl and her brother was traveling along husband keep Shabbos. As they were a tion at YULA was superb. However, his ences between the philosophies of one of the roads, the car spun out of struggling family that had only recently wife was vehemently opposed to the idea mussar and chassidus. control, slammed into the guardrail, and moved from Israel, she tried explaining of her children attending a religious The Rebbe’s visit this week. The rolled down the cliff. The young girl was to the Rebbe that they needed the school. So, for months they argued about Kalover Rebbe, shlita, will be coming on taken from this world; her brother money to survive. “Shabbos is the it. “You have no choice,” responded the motzaei Shabbos to Aish Kodesh. He escaped, but sustained serious injuries. source of all blessing in this world. Your Rebbe; “your children must receive a will give a short shmuz after Rabbi The tragedy rocked the very core of the husband must not work on Shabbos,” proper Jewish education. It’s essential. Weinberger’s weekly hashkafah speech, Jewish community. Pain and grief con- the Rebbe told her. Go home and tell your wife these exact and will then be meeting privately with sumed everyone’s heart. All the seniors “But we don’t even have our ‘green card’ words: G-d gave her very special children individuals, as he will also do on Sunday at her high school gathered at a school yet, and no one else will even hire us.” with very unique character traits and per- and Monday. Don’t miss this unique memorial for the lost soul. While there, “If you keep Shabbos, you will receive sonal qualities. They are refined. They opportunity to elevate yourself. Please the friends spoke of what the Rebbe had your green cards, too,” the Rebbe said. A will continue to develop into unbelievable e-mail [email protected] with your said and made a public outcry that in week later, the husband decided to quit people as long as they receive a Jewish contact information, or call 516-498- memory of their lost friend everyone in his job and keep Shabbos. That Monday education. If they don’t, they will lose all 7982 to request an unforgettable meet- the class should keep Shabbos. an envelope was delivered to the couple. their talents and uniqueness. They will ing with this holy tzadik. ❖

56 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 57 58 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 59 on Yom Tov one may not carve a han- meat into triangular pieces; he want- dle on a piece of meat to make it eas- ed to make sure his meat was not ier to carry (see M.B. 500:15, who switched in transit. His family knew Daf Yomi Insights suggests that this might only apply to to only accept delivery of triangularly a butcher). Apparently it was not cut meat. However, the Mishnah BY RABBI AVROHOM it proceeded to overturn. The poor uncommon back then to walk out of a Berurah (500:17) writes that this SEBROW individual who happened to be sitting butcher shop carrying meat in one’s license does not extend to pictures or there was now wearing orange hands. As an added service, the letters. On Shabbos and Yom Tov, Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky, a well- trousers; the orange-and-white butcher would sometimes carve the one may not carve the meat into a known maggid, was speaking at a gefilte-fish balls exited their plates meat in such a way that a handle meaningful shape or letter. melavah malkeh in Montreal. A friend and started rolling away in all differ- would be formed. If we would do this Furthermore, this restriction is not of mine was paid $15 (Canadian) to ent directions as if they had minds of nowadays we could cut down on the limited to meat. One may not carve be a waiter at the event. The appetiz- their own. Some of them made their amount of plastic bags used. Perhaps any fruit into a meaningful shape. er was gefilte-fish balls with an way to the end of the room. My friend the local butchers should offer a dis- For example, one is not allowed to orange colored sauce. My friend was now really burst out laughing, but not count to those who carry their pur- carve a watermelon into the shape of carrying a large tray of individual at the maggid’s joke. chased deli in their hands without a bird, or a cantaloupe into the shape serving plates with these gefilte-fish For these fish balls to travel so far, wax paper or plastic. of a basket. The reason it was permit- balls on them, when Rav Galinsky they must have been well rounded. Is The Gemara contrasts the previ- ted to carve meat into the shape of a said something quite humorous. My there any problem on Shabbos or Yom ous halachah, and rules that one is triangle is because that is not consid- friend, not wanting to drop the tray, Tov of making perfectly round knei- permitted on Yom Tov to carve his ered a meaningful shape. A square, placed it down while he laughed. The dalach or gefilte-fish balls? meat into a shape. Rabbah bar Rav circle, or rectangle is not considered tray apparently wasn’t too secure, and The Gemara (Beitzah 28a) says that Huna was famous for cutting his a meaningful shape that would be forbidden to be carved on Yom Tov. The Be’er Moshe (Vol. 8, 134) writes likewise that it is permitted to braid challos on Yom Tov because no mean- ingful shape is made. He writes, how- ever, that making a challah in the shape of a ladder or key would not be permitted on Yom Tov. (One of my rel- atives tries to shape her challah into different shapes corresponding with that week’s parashah or holiday. Her family would argue that none of her challos ever come out in a meaningful shape.) Based on this distinction between meaningful and non-mean- ingful shapes, the Be’er Moshe writes that it is permitted to shape keneidlach or gefilte fish into round balls. Likewise, it is permitted to use a scooper to make perfectly round balls of tuna, fruit, or ice cream (Laws of Yom Tov, page 156). This same issue applies also to dec- orated birthday cakes. Birthday cakes are often decorated with squiggly lines around the edges or criss-cross lines on the top. On Shabbos, it is permitted to cut through those lines, since they are not meaningful. One may not, however, cut through mean- ingful pictures such as roses or trees. So, too, one should not cut through letters written with icing on the cake. (This is the generally accepted cus- tom; see M.B. 340:16–17). But, the Mishnah Berurah writes, one may bite into these letters or designs without cutting them first. He also rules leniently regarding cutting a cookie that has words engraved in it (e.g., a tea biscuit) or cutting a cookie that itself has a meaningful shape (e.g., a gingerbread man). When I was in Eretz Yisrael, I went to purchase a birthday cake from Angel’s bakery, which was under the hashgachah of the Badatz Eidah HaChareidis of Yerushalayim. When I asked them to write “Happy Birthday” on the cake, they told me that their hashgachah does not allow them to do any writing on cake. They instead showed me plastic pieces that said “Happy Birthday” that I could place on top. I was really impressed that the hashgachah took even non- kashrus issues into account. Have a Good Shabbos, and enjoy your gefilte fish. ❖

Rabbi Sebrow delivers a nightly shiur on the daf yomi at Priority-1. He can be contacted at [email protected]. 60 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 61 62 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES upcoming year. Since we are having minimum age to take the exam is 17. such a hard time with his school, and Chaim will not be 17 until a full year It Was Thanksgiving? he really wants to learn and prepare for after this year’s GMAX program is fin- college, we decided to speak with their ished which (we think) is way too long Our Aliyah Chronicle, Part 30 better, and a good time was had by all representatives and see what we needed a gap. We are still working on it. BY SHMUEL KATZ (except my brother-in-law and father-in- to do to get him signed up for next year. Mordechai has had a mixed week. law who both attended the game). In our discussion, they mentioned Some days he was awesome, others Sunday morning I went to daven at Monday night was the second of that they cannot take tenth graders awful. The teachers all realize that the the Kotel. I try to go to the Kotel at least what will be a series of open houses for because “of course” they have no gov- barrier is totally because he doesn’t once a month; I find the experience Aliza’s (grade 6) middle/high school ernmental certification as a High understand the language, and that he is recharging and also like seeing who is selection. Interestingly, this wasn’t School and Israeli citizens need to trying. Goldie has been spending a lot of there that I might possibly know. Being really an open house, it was a fair. An attend high school until the end of time in the Gan trying to help him along. that it was the Sunday after Parshat enterprising woman has organized an tenth grade. This is when the little bell Apparently she has made a positive Chayei Sara and also the week of educational fair (one night for girls, went off in our heads. impression on the teachers there. The Thanksgiving, I wasn’t disappointed. another for boys) for the last couple of Chaim is a tourist here and not sub- assistant teacher’s husband was sitting Batya had been complaining of a years, inviting all the major schools to ject to the requirements of the educa- shiva, and she needed an afternoon sore throat and not feeling well on come present their programs. tional department of Israel. He might off, so she asked Goldie if she would Saturday night. When Goldie took This saved us a lot of legwork regard- then be eligible for the program, and do it, and Goldie readily accepted. Batya to the doctor, he agreed that she ing certain schools that we had heard we think it could be a good way for Please remember that everything is was definitely sick, but Goldie still had about but weren’t sure about, as well as him to overcome the educational diffi- different in Israel. Most of the schools to talk him into prescribing antibiotics, getting a face-to-face meeting with culties he has been facing. since her strep test results wouldn’t be people from some of the schools high The only hurdle is that the GED Continued on Page 64 in for a couple of days. on our list. Even though there was a On Sunday evening we had the big cover charge, having eight schools game, Bears vs. Jets. I had originally present under one roof (two out of our planned a ten day trip to NY to attend three top choices plus two backup both NY games against the Bears, but options) was a great thing for us. the planning didn’t stick, and I had We also got a chance to reconnect been in Chicago earlier in the month, with the folks from GMAX. I have so we were stuck watching the games written about GMAX before. This is a via the internet. program for students who for whatever The Giants game the previous week reason have not been able to succeed was a night game that started at 3 in the in the Israeli school system and want morning in Israel, so we watched a to go to college. It is a one-year pro- recording of that game the next night. gram that prepares its students for the Since the Jets game was live, we invited GED High School Equivalency Exam a bunch of ex-Chicagoans to join us and the Israeli psychometric exams (one NYer joined us) and decided to (Israeli version of the SAT). hook it up to the big screen monitor They only accept eleventh or twelfth that we have. graders, so we were considering this as The picture was great, the result even a backup option for Chaim for the

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 63 Thanksgiving? Many people send their children to Since they are stand alone buildings They serve the hot lunch (it gets Continued from Page 63 independent public ganim (unaffiliated there is no custodial staff, no office delivered to the Gan by the city’s with a specific Yeshiva) and move their staff, in fact, no staff of any kind. kosher caterer). They wash the floors. are public schools, funded (for the kids to school only for first grade. The There are only a head teacher and an They wash the utensils. They have to most part) by the city. It costs us about ganim are, for the most part, housed in assistant with any additional support wash and cut the vegetables that come $130 to send Mordechai to this their own buildings, although some- services located off-site in the munici- with the lunch. Essentially they do all Gan/Pre1a, which happens to be a times there may be a group of ganim pal educational department. There- the work that a teacher does, plus division of one of the major religious clustered together in a central location fore, the teachers’ assistants have to maintain the building, which is what Yeshivot in Beit Shemesh. (but still in their own buildings). do everything. Goldie did for the afternoon. She was- n’t really the assistant teacher, she was more like the assistant to the teacher or really the custodian. Things picked up at work toward the middle of the week as well. Suddenly, there were droves of parents visiting their sons who are in the Yeshiva as well as parents visiting with their sons who will graduate high school this year and are checking out Yeshivot. The students from the UK, Australia and South Africa were surprised by the amount of visitors until it was explained to them that this was a major holiday week in the US, and people were taking advan- tage of the extra days off. We hadn’t even been paying atten- tion; the fact that it was Thanksgiving week in the US went totally unnoticed in our home. On Wednesday night we had a real- ly great dinner with Kiki and Gary Shickman who were visiting for the week. They came to the house to see the kids (their son Gaby is Mordechai’s best friend), and then we went to din- ner at a local Chinese restaurant with them, the Rudoff’s (formerly of Cedarhurst), and the Schneider’s (for- merly of Highland Park, NJ and our NBN buddy family) who also happen to be friends of the Shickmans. As I say here often, there is nothing quite like getting to see old friends and people from our “old life” back in the USA. We only hope we can see more of them and others as time goes on. On Thursday morning Moshe woke up with a fever and an absolutely dreadful cold. He has been sick with a cold for weeks and cannot seem to shake it, but Goldie took him to the doctor because it felt to her like he was wheezing. The doctor prescribed the use of a nebulizer breathing treatment and sent her to a local pharmacy to rent a nebu- lizer machine. This is one of the great things we love about Israel. Not only was the rental charge the equivalent of $1.15 or so per day, not only did the pharmacist tell Goldie that since she picked it up in the late afternoon he would not charge her for that day, but (and this is the best part) there was no charge for shabbat rental of the machine even though he advised her how to set it up with a timer for Shabbat use. Where else will you find a pharma- cist who refuses to make passive rental income that may in any way be thought of as making money on Shabbat? In the end, we paid more for the plastic mask that we had to buy separately than we did for renting the machine for 4 days. On Friday morning, Goldie and I made our weekly trip to Sheffa Shabbos—an appetizing and take-out place located a few blocks away in the adjoining Chareidi neighborhood, that is only open on Thursday and Friday. We love this store. We buy Challot

Continued on Page 68 64 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 65 66 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 67 Thanksgiving? Sheffa Shabbos. is one street in this neighbor- later Aliza brought him to my process. They asked us our Continued from Page 64 I had barely made it four hood where men and women bed to tell us that Moshe names and address and gave feet into the store when I are required to walk on differ- had fallen off an ottoman, us a piece of paper for the and baked goods there at a heard Goldie call me from ent sides of the street). smacked his head, and she doctor. The doctor took one much better price than the the entranceway, telling me Goldie doesn’t think they now realized that he is look and decided that the hole bakery. They have great sal- that we had to leave. have a right to say “no bleeding. could be glued shut. ads, kugels and many things Apparently, the cashier (a women.” I disagree. I think I took one look and knew After shaving a little of the we need for Shabbat, includ- man) took one look at her as that as long as it is in their my morning was ruined. He surrounding hair, the doctor ing the English version of we entered and told her that neighborhood and their store, had a 1.5 to 2 inch hole in his applied the glue, held the Mishpacha magazine. women are not allowed to they have the right to make scalp at the back of his head, wound shut and then dressed While we were in the shop in that supermarket that whatever rules they want. I and it was clear to me that he the cut. The whole process store, Goldie realized that we day—it was men only. also have a right. It is the right needed to get stitches. We might have taken twenty min- hadn’t bought specific treats She was so offended. She to not shop in that particular grabbed our Kupat Cholim utes before we headed down- for the kids, and we decided could not believe they would store and to encourage others (Healthcare Company) book hill for the trip home. to stop in the supermarket make such a segregation for a not to do so as well. As long as to see where we should go for Thankfully, the steep uphill that is directly next door to supermarket (although there they stay in their corner of the treatment. walk was the trip there. I don’t world and leave mine alone, In our neighborhood, the think I could have made an we will be fine. Unfortunately, Shabbat clinics are staffed uphill walk after having to they rarely do. entirely by goyim and are hold Moshe down for the We hosted our sister-in-law located in the Chareidi neigh- shaving, cleaning, gluing, and and family from Teaneck for borhoods. Our specific dressing of the injury. Shabbat who were in Israel provider rotates the staff I am constantly amazed by visiting their oldest among three of their branch- the healthcare system here. daughter/sister (our niece) es in the general Beit Some things are maddeningly who is in Shalavim this year Shemesh area. stupid, but every once in a for her second year (or half- Worried about infection while, I come across a great year actually). It is nice that and the bleeding, we decided thing, like using goyim as the family is starting to come not to wait until 1 p.m. for the medical staff who are trained to visit, (my parents being the office an easy fifteen minute in how to keep us from first) and combined with walk away but rather to take chillul Shabbat. ❖ Goldie’s trip in a week to him to the office that opened America, it is a good way to at 9 a.m. I loaded Moshe into Shmuel Katz is the director of Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi in the Katamon reconnect, no matter how a stroller and started to walk. neighborhood in Jerusalem. Shmuel great our Broadfone VOIP Uphill. Pushing the and his wife, Goldie (the telecommuting controller at Bnos line or SKYPE video calls are. stroller. For forty minutes. Bais Yaakov of Far Rockaway), and As we lay in bed Shabbat Uphill. A steep uphill. their six children (ages 1 to 15) made morning around 7 a.m., I got to the office ten min- aliyah on July 5. Prior to his aliyah, Shmuel was the executive director of dreading actually having to utes before they were sup- the Yeshiva of South Shore in get out of bed, we heard posed to open and twenty five Hewlett. If you have a specific question (beyond “Are you out of your Moshe (21.5 months) crying minutes before they actually mind?”), please feel free to contact downstairs. A few minutes opened. It was the simplest him at [email protected].

68 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES ing a child with medical complications umes of responsa. To get a sense of the As a child, Rav Waldenberg learned at Loss Of A Gadol increases manifold, there is no obliga- esteem in which the Tzitz Eliezer held the Etz Chaim cheder in Yerushalayim, tion to take fertility medication and the Chasam Sofer, it is noteworthy that which many of the chareidi rabbanim BY RABBI YAIR HOFFMAN she should not take the medication, Rav Waldenberg quoted him more and rashei yeshiva attended as children. DEAN, TIFERET CHAYA even without the side-effect. than three times as much as he quotes Fittingly, his levayah procession started THE CAROL TEPLER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Rav the Mishnah Berurah. from Etz Chaim, where his first Torah Waldenberg gave shiurim to the doc- In 1976, he received the Israel educational roots had been planted. Rav Last week, Klal Yisrael sufferred a tors in Shaarei Tzedek hospital regard- Prize, Israel’s highest honor, for Waldenberg is buried on Har tragic loss. Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda ing issues of medical halachah. Torah literature. HaMenuchos. ❖ Waldenberg (December 10, Indeed, most of the doctors who 1915–November 21, 2006), known as attended these shiurim kept in touch the Tzitz Eliezer for his monumental with him throughout their lives. Rav halachic work of that name, passed Waldenberg was extremely accessible away to the Olam HaEmes. both to doctors and other rabbanim Rabbi Waldenberg served on the who had questions. supreme rabbinic court of the Rav Waldenberg was also one of the Rabbanut in Jerusalem, and was con- first major poskim to absolutely forbid sidered the leading authority on med- smoking, on halachic grounds. ical halachah. When the very “right Rav Waldenberg’s only son passed wing” Rav Moshe Sternbuch, now the away two years ago, and was recognized vice-president of the Eida Chareidis in universally throughout Eretz Yisrael as Yerushalayim, had a question on the the leading expert on mikvaos. He had allocation of scarce medical resources no other children but had many grand- in a Johannesburg hospital, Rav children that he was close to. Sternbuch turned to Rav Waldenberg. One of Rav Waldenberg’s favorite Rarely does a member of the Eida classical halachic authorities was the Chareidis seek counsel from a member Chasam Sofer. Rav Waldenberg quotes of the Rabbanut; yet Rav Waldenberg’s him 678 times throughout his 22 vol- knowledge was so wide, broad, and deep that Rav Sternbuch turned to him for his opinion. The Sefer Tzitz Eliezer is written in a clear, lucid style and covers a broad variety of topics. Comprising more than 20 volumes, it is considered a classic in responsa literature and is viewed as a veritable encyclopedia of halachah. It is, of course, included in the Bar Ilan responsa software. Rabbi Waldenberg’s positions have at times met with considerable contro- versy. His opinion that a fetus diag- nosed with the fatal illness of Tay- Sachs, who would cause enormous psychological damage, may be aborted with the permission of a rabbi and a doctor caused such controversy that his stature in the chareidi world took a nose-dive for close to two decades. Rabbi Waldenberg has issued a number of fascinating rulings. He held that those key-ring gadgets that ring when you clap three times or whistle are permissible on Shabbos, since it is only a gerama on a rabbinic prohibition. He was presented with a question: A woman forbids her son to name his child after his father. Does he listen to his mother, or may he name the child after his father? The Tzitz Eliezer (Vol. 21 No. 3) rules that not only may he do so, but he is forbidden to listen to his mother. Should a woman who already got married a second time after having a secular first marriage with a secular divorce be stringent and try to receive a get from the first marriage? How about if she had children from the sec- ond marriage already? Rav Waldenberg responded that one should never be machmir when it would cause the chil- dren damage in that some would view them as mamzerim. I personally presented him with a number of questions. A couple who has not fulfilled the mitzvah of p’ru u’rvu needs to take a certain type of fertility medication in order to con- ceive more children, but it has a cer- tain side effect—should the woman take the medication? Rav Waldenberg surprised me with his response: Since the couple is older, and the risk of hav- 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 69 70 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES ‘Innocent Citizens’ Protecting Terrorists?—No Such Thing BY HILLEL FENDEL have armies fighting each other on the battlefront, and the citizenry is The IDF called off a planned aerial detached from the forces. But in this strike on the home of a leading terror- case, in Gaza, where the terrorists and ist commander in northern Gaza citizens are intertwined, there is no recently, after hundreds of Arabs gath- difference between them.” ered around the building, defying Rabbi Shabtai Sabato, the head of Israel to bomb it. Chanting, “Death to Yeshivat Netivot Yosef in Mitzpeh America and death to Israel!” In Yericho, said the question is “military, scenes broadcast on Palestinian not ethical.” Authority television, many of the Arabs “The military echelons should know said they would be willing to give their that in a situation of war such as this lives in the struggle. However, their one, we must do whatever we can to bravado was, unsurprisingly, not test- destroy the enemy and not be defeat- ed, as the IDF called off the strike ed,” Rabbi Sabato told Arutz Sheva. because of the protest. “The attack “That is the ethically-correct thing to plan was canceled because of the peo- do. Therefore, there is no reason to ple there,” an IDF spokesman said. inform them in advance that we are “We differentiate between innocent about to hit such-and-such a building. people and terrorists.” But when they do warn the enemy in Rabbi Zalman Melamed, however, advance, this leads to a situation says that there were no innocent peo- where hundreds of them come to a ple there to be differentiated. “We building and ‘dare’ us to attack. At this must do whatever we can to prevent point, the question is no longer one for hits on our citizens,” he told Arutz ‘men of ethics,’ but rather for the mili- Sheva. “From an ethical point of tary people who got us into that situa- view, there would have been no prob- tion in the first place and have now lem to hit the building, even with all ‘trapped’ the men of ethics.” the people there. Their presence A-7: “But don’t the men of ethics there was part of the war against us. have to answer every question put to From a practical/diplomatic stand- them, even if the situation should not point, of course, we have to measure have happened in the first place?” our steps carefully.” Rabbi Sabato responded, “No, The question of “innocent citizens” because then what results is not arises, says the Dean of the Beit El ethics, but something that is twisted Yeshiva Institutions, “only when you and warped.” (Arutz Sheva) ❖

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 71 he did: passing on satellite pictures and reports that showed U.S.-built missile Justice And Jonathan Pollard and chemical factories in Iraq. American foreign-policy architects are as embar- rassed today as they were angered then BY KENNETH LASSON thing in his indictment to suggest he the press that Pollard was one of the that their support of Saddam Hussein intended harm to America, that he worst traitors in American history (and had been disclosed to Israel. It is intellectually offensive to read in compromised the nation’s intelligence- still later was quoted as saying that the The anti-Pollard intelligence communi- the Jerusalem Post a totally unsubstanti- gathering capabilities, or that he case “was blown way out of proportion.”) ty never mentions the fact that the appel- ated “news” story that “Pollard Gave Info caused injury to any of its agents. But where was the evidence? late decision in his case turned on narrow to Pakistan, Australia.” It is doubly oner- Second, in lieu of a trial, the govern- Our system of law requires that an procedural grounds, not on the merits. ous that this allegation comes over 20 ment entered into a plea agreement accused be confronted by, and given an The dissenting judge, Steven Williams, years after Jonathan Pollard was sen- under which it promised, in return for opportunity to challenge, his accusers. concluded that the government’s breach tenced to life in prison, and it was Pollard’s cooperation, not to seek life That’s what Pollard was denied. of the plea agreement was “a complete released, curiously enough, just as imprisonment. The Justice Department What did Jonathan Pollard do to and gross miscarriage of justice.” rumors of clemency on his behalf are acknowledged in court that he had coop- deserve life imprisonment? President Bush should correct this being heard. longstanding miscarriage of justice. While the Post headline may be jour- Dozens of Americans have been convict- nalistically irresponsible, the FBI agent ed of the same crime as Pollard and making those charges is guilty of patent- American foreign-policy architects are as have served an average of four years. ly immoral deception: the evidence he Many more perfidious spies have provides is a shoddy collection of hearsay, embarrassed today as they were angered then received lesser or no punishment— innuendo, and deceptive half-truths— about which the FBI is utterly mute. and none of it ever appeared in court that their support of Saddam Hussein had (There have been at least two Americans documents. One may rest assured that caught spying by Israel who were quiet- the Justice Department would have been disclosed to Israel. ly returned to their homeland.) included any charges it thought it could Just as the law should not be bent to prove in its original indictment in 1985 release Pollard, neither should it be bent or in subsequent court filings. to keep him behind bars. Whatever the Pollard’s most staunch defenders erated fully. Nevertheless, the chief pros- Nowhere does his indictment allege, FBI’s motives in characterizing Pollard make no apology for his actions. He ecutor, Joseph DiGenova, said immedi- as the FBI agent falsely claims, that he as a bête noire, they are arrogantly clearly committed a punishable wrong. ately after sentencing he hoped Pollard gave classified information to Pakistan or undeclared, anachronistic, and irre- He is not a hero, but he is most certain- “never sees the light of day.” Australia or that he betrayed worldwide sponsibly vindictive. ly a victim of a monumental miscarriage Third, Pollard was sentenced on the intelligence data. Nowhere in their brief- The fair, moral, and principled thing of justice. basis of a government official’s private ings to the Senate Intelligence for the president to do is to grant Here are the undisputed facts: statements to the judge that, for all any- Committee did U.S. officials claim Pollard clemency. It is incumbent upon First, Pollard was apprehended for one knows, may be lies. The secretary of Pollard gave Israel sources and methods. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to insist passing classified information to a for- defense at the time (Caspar Weinberger) On the other hand, there is ample evi- upon it. (IMRA) ❖ eign government. He was never presented the court with a secret memo- dence that Pollard is being punished for Kenneth Lasson is a law professor at the charged with nor convicted of the randum that has never been subject to a crime he didn’t commit and is being University of Baltimore and Director of the crime of treason. Nor was there any- scrutiny by legal defense. Later he told disproportionately punished for the one Haifa Summer Law Institute.

72 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 73 Jonathan Pollard Enters 22nd Year Of Imprisonment

BY NISSAN RATZLAV-KATZ

November 21 was the 21st anniversary of the imprisonment of Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence in an American federal prison for actions he took on behalf of the State of Israel. Pollard, a civilian intelligence ana- lyst working for the U.S. Navy in the 1980s, was indicted by American authorities for having passed classi- fied information to an ally, without intent to harm the United States. The life sentence handed down in the Pollard case was unprecedented in American history, with agents of friendly nations generally receiving two to four years in jail. Even many agents of nations hostile to the U.S. have received lighter penalties. Currently serving his time in a medi- um-security federal penitentiary in Butner, North Carolina, Pollard spent seven years in solitary confinement in Marion Federal Prison in Illinois. Anne Pollard, Jonathan’s first wife, was sentenced to five years in prison for her role as an accomplice, but was released after three and a half years due to health problems. She and Jonathan subsequently divorced, and

74 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES she moved to Israel. An official commission of investigation, appointed by Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir in 1987, concluded that an agency called the Scientific Liaison Unit “decided to recruit and han- dle Pollard without any check or consultation with the political echelon or receiving its direct or indi- rect approval.” In November of 1995, the State of Israel granted Jonathan Pollard cit- izenship, and by May of 1998 Israel had acknowl- edged that Pollard was, in fact, acting as an Israeli agent during the 1980s. Since his arrest, five of Israel’s prime ministers have requested directly of their U.S. counterparts to release Pollard, with no success. In light of unclassified titles of documents that were used as evidence against him, published in a petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice, the information Pollard passed to Israel appears to have concerned Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan, and Iranian nuclear, chemical, and biological war- fare capabilities. It also included information on bal- listic missile development by these countries and informa- tion on planned terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian targets. American intelligence was withholding the said security information despite a Memorandum of Under- standing signed by the United States committing the govern- ment to share such data with Israel. When Jonathan’s activities on behalf of Israel were dis- covered in 1985, he and his then-wife sought refuge in the Israeli embassy in Washington. However, his alleged Scientific Liaison Unit handler, Rafi Eitan (currently a minister in the Israeli government repre- senting the Pensioners Party) ordered the couple ejected. The FBI then immediately apprehended them. Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, who made the Pollard issue a cen- tral one in his public activi- ties, has repeatedly offered himself to the U.S. Justice Department and to the U.S. president as a guarantor for Pollard if he were released. In an interview Tuesday with Israel National Radio’s Tovia Singer, Jonathan Pollard’s current wife, Esther, expressed her view that the current U.S. administration is generally in favor of Pollard’s release; however, the U.S. intelligence commu- nity is using negative publici- ty about the case to pressure the president. (Arutz Sheva) ❖ 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 75 Jewish Boxers Are Back

BY DR. RAFAEL MEDOFF dered in a holdup in 1923. He turned to boxing to earn money for his mother Jewish boxers are back in the news. and five siblings. Ross won the light- An undefeated Israeli heavyweight weight, junior welterweight, and welter- boxer, Roman Greenberg, will fight in weight championships, in a career that Hollywood, Florida, on December 1, in saw him victorious in 77 of 81 bouts. just his fourth bout in the United As Prof. Jeffrey Gurock explains in States. He is ranked 40th out of 888 his new book, Judaism’s Encounter boxers in the world by the World Boxing Council. Last year, another Jewish prize- fighter, Dimitry “The Star of David” Ross also became Salita, captured the junior welter- weight championship of the National active in another of Boxing Association. The Jewish prizefighters of the pre- the Bergson World War II era have also been gar- nering attention of late. The National committees, the Museum of American Jewish History has organized a traveling exhibit called American League for “Sting Like a Maccabee: The Golden Age of the American Jewish Boxer.” a Free Palestine. And the first biography of Barney Ross, the best-known Jewish fighter of the 1930s, was recently published. Douglas Century’s biography of with American Sports, Jewish boxers Ross—born Dov-Ber Rasofsky—is like Ross became wildly popular in the especially significant because it sheds American Jewish community. At a time light on the fact that Ross not only when American Jews were frequent symbolized Jewish toughness when targets of anti-Semitism, they saw he entered the boxing ring, but Ross’s fighting prowess as an antidote fought just as hard for the Jewish to the stereotypical image of Jews as people outside the ring. physically unfit. Born to a struggling Jewish immi- Ross retired from the boxing ring in grant family in Chicago, Ross was thrust 1938, but was back in the public eye into the role of family breadwinner at the age of 14, when his father was mur- Continued on Page 79

76 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 77 within its borders. Roads and railways Ironically, the best means of holding severely handicapped in defending the stretching north, south and east allow interior lines of communication is to be nation against attack, if nothing else Settlements: such movements, and are referred to as found in Judea and Samaria. Roads are than by having to devote assets that “interior lines of communication.” naturally controlled by junctions and would’ve been used elsewhere to protect Strategic Victory Interior lines allow an army to operate hillsides along the route; no army can its own supply and transport routes. against a single enemy from multiple afford to leave these unprotected. The It is tantamount to military and cul- directions, or to defend in one area Israelites knew that, and built their tural suicide to give up such advantages, Or Defeat while attacking in another, switching communities accordingly; overlooking, and the Zionists of pre-state Israel real- roles when one enemy is defeated. or actually on, certain well-used roads. ized this. The 1948 battles around Kfar The Yom Kippur War is a prime exam- Modern Jewish communities in Judea Etzion and the Jerusalem highways were BY STEVEN E. GOLDEN ple of this, where the Arab armies were and Samaria fulfill that same purpose, battles anchored on settlements, where unable to sufficiently coordinate widely both protecting older routes and even vital avenues had to be kept open for A lot of ink, computer time, and hot air separated offensives in order to win; requiring new ones, creating a strategic military and humanitarian purposes. are being expended on the issue of settle- whereas, Israel, once reinforced by the grid that facilitates movement for com- One doubts the very survival of Israel ments in Judea and Samaria, about the U.S., was able to reverse the Arab offen- merce and the military. had those communities not been built moral crisis they produce among Israelis, sives and go on toward what would’ve During World War II, the Soviets and defended so vigorously. and whether they should be destroyed or been total victory before a cease-fire was made every village a hardened defen- Thus, the conclusion drawn from his- promoted. Most of the rancor seems imposed. This near-miraculous come- sive position, particularly at road junc- tory is that the resettlement of Judea and based on emotions instead of on a logical back would’ve been made much more tions. A determined German assault Samaria is absolutely necessary to the give and take of positive and negative difficult if Israel had not had the territo- could crush these “hedgehogs,” but defense of Eretz Yisrael, for both Biblical arguments. Perhaps it is time for a reality ries it had taken in 1967. they added to delays that eventually and practical reasons. The settlements check, a sober look at the settlements Unfortunately, Israel has until recent- cost the Nazi armies their ultimate vic- are a tactical solution, by their very exis- from a strictly military point of view. We’ll ly been surrendering its natural advan- tory. Interestingly, the Germans used tence, in that control of Judea and start with a short definition of terms. tage by allowing a pseudo-state within its the same tactics against the advancing Samaria is a means of protecting internal Strategy is the overall political and borders; i.e., the West Bank area of Judea Russians later on, costing the Soviets movement of the Israeli army from small military game, involving one country’s and Samaria. A hostile Arab state in this unbelievable casualties. enemy forces. The settlements are also a political position and military actions region would allow Muslim forces the Essentially, this “blocking force” strategic solution, in that they allow full in relation to other countries’ political same interior line advantage that Israel role is the potentially decisive tactical use of the IDF’s capabilities against a and military moves against it. Tactics once had, with the potential to isolate purpose of each community. host of adversaries in an emergency. are methods by which individual mili- Israel’s northern and southern halves, Granted, settlers are not well armed, Does the Israeli government really tary units (from whole divisions down while disrupting the IDF response to any though they could be justifiably bristling want to give away such vital territorial to the single soldier’s level) maneuver hostile actions by surrounding Arab with weaponry for the above reasons. At and strategic advantages for more to gain a position from which to kill or nations or groups. A fence, such as the the very least, such communities serve duplicitous promises? If it does, and manipulate their foes. one being built, is no solution for this as “hard” points from which a small rein- Israeli voters endorse more expulsions, The greatest single strategic advan- except to keep certain terrorist acts out- forcing IDF unit can defend the roads, then the Jewish people might as well tage for Israel lies in its positioning side the arbitrary borderline created by it. re-supply themselves and other units, pack up now and wait for the next bus among the nations of the Middle East. Against an organized attack, such a fence and secure evacuation for civilians, to New York. (Arutz Sheva) ❖ Surrounded on nearly all sides except can only serve as a secondary line of min- while protecting the advance of offensive Steven E. Golden, retired from the US military for the Mediterranean Sea, Israel can imal defense, as was proved by the killing operations along those same routes. (Army and Marines), lives in Arizona. A former bookstore owner and reserve police officer in throw forces in any direction from a and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers before Without these already-established California, Steven and his wife are preparing to minimum number of central points the recent war. defensive positions, the army would be make aliyah in 2007.

78 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Jewish Boxers which sought to rally American support Continued from Page 76 for the creation of a Jewish State. He spoke at its rallies and chaired its just three years later, when, at age 32, George Washington Legion, which he enlisted in the U.S. army after Pearl recruited American volunteers to aid Harbor. In the battle of Guadalcanal, the Irgun Zvai Leumi, the Jewish Ross was seriously wounded while res- underground militia (headed by cuing injured comrades from a Menachem Begin) that was fighting the Japanese ambush. His battlefield hero- British in Mandatory Palestine. The ics earned him a Silver Star. And there legion was patterned on the famous was more to come. Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which had Upon his return to the United States recruited Americans to fight against in 1944, Ross became one of the first Franco in the 1930s Spanish Civil War. professional athletes to become active One of the Bergson group’s newspaper in a political cause, by joining the ads featured a photo of Ross with this Emergency Committee to Save the message from the boxing champ: Jewish People of Europe, also known as “There is no such thing as a former the Bergson group. The committee fighter. We must all continue the fight.” used full-page newspaper ads, public Sy Dill, today a resident of rallies, and Capitol Hill lobbying to Providence, Rhode Island, was a pressure the Roosevelt administration teenage volunteer in the Bergson to rescue Jews from Hitler. Group’s New York City headquarters in Ross’s fame helped draw attention to 1947. I recently asked Sy about his Bergson’s rescue campaign, which cul- memories of the afternoon that Ross minated in the autumn of 1943 with walked into the office. “He was a real the introduction of a Congressional hero, and it was an incredible thrill to resolution urging creation of a U.S. meet him in person,” Dill recalled. government agency to rescue Jewish “When he shook my hand, he nearly refugees. Together with behind-the- broke it—I guess that’s what you scenes lobbying by Treasury Secretary should expect from a boxer! It was a Henry Morgenthau, Jr. and his aides, moment that I will remember forever.” the resolution helped persuade FDR to Ross’s niece, Audrey Cantor of establish the War Refugee Board. The Chicago, hopes that today’s new gener- board’s activities, which included ation of Jewish prizefighters will look financing the rescue work of Raoul to Barney Ross as their role model. Wallenberg, played a key role in rescu- “Not only as a boxer,” she emphasizes, ing more than 200,000 Jews during the “but more importantly, as someone last months of the war. who fought for the Jewish people.” ❖ Ross also became active in another Dr. Medoff is director of The David S. Wyman of the Bergson committees, the Institute for Holocaust Studies, American League for a Free Palestine, www.WymanInstitute.org.

5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 79 80 December 1, 2006 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES Your Ad Could Be Here.

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Call Yosef or Dave at Woodmere "Lakefrnt" Rnch on WOODMERE: Ranch, 3br, 3bth, lg 516-374-7070. Deadline is Monday beaut prklike Grnds. 3BR, 2bth, lg prop, great loc., walk all...... $700sK den/fpl, sys $795K. Registered Nurse — Work with at 5:00 p.m. N. Woodmere Updated 5BR, 3bth 5 TOWN HOMES adults with developmental disabilities Split. Nu EIK, Den, fin bsmt, sys. 516-569-5710 in Brooklyn (P/T) or in Long Island 1 Week ...... $35 $749K. Woodmere (Old) Legal two fam (2 (P/T with possibility for F/T). Strong homes on one Prop) 6BR, 4bths. Classified Ads are health assessment skills needed. 2 Weeks ...... $60 $675K. Continued on the Next Page. Current NYS RN license required and 4 Weeks ...... $100 JanKalman.com 516-569-5651. experience with developmental dis- abilities a plus. Ohel Bais Ezra Phone: 718-686-3102 Weekly Ads of up to 25 words Fax: 718-85l-6428 E-mail: [email protected]. Call: 516-569-0502 Fax: 516-977-0608 Local Girls Day Camp seeking experienced division head, Or E-mail ads to: specialty heads, and lifeguards, for Summer 2007. [email protected] Please call 718- 471-8444 ext 234 Include payment info. for further information. 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES December 1, 2006 83 CLASSIFIED ADS BUSINESS REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE Continued from Page 83 FOR SALE FOR RENT FOR RENT REAL ESTATE FOR SALE Business for Sale — Jewelry Store Far Rockaway Beach 3rd—private Far Rockaway—Legal 2 Family, Prime loc. Heavy Traffic. $75K buys house huge 3 br, finished basement, 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, Lr, Dr, all. Turnkey. All fixtures incl. Call LR, DR, kitchen, private parking for EIK, laundry room, hardwood floors. Lawrence Bay Park — Totally Rick 319-2506. four cars, huge garage, private beach. Lori & Associates 516-791-8300. redone. Beautiful, sunny splanch, 4 5 Towns Jan Kalman Realty Excellent for families. Excellent area. large BR, 2.5 bths, LR, FDR, large 516-569-5651 Lynbrook — 1,000-5,000SF for rent 718-926-9231. den, oversized property. New wood available in Lynbrook, Long island--- floors, bathrooms, carpeting, roof, 5 TOWN HOMES 516-569-5710 5 TOWN HOMES high ceilings. landscaping. Move right in. Price Law/Inwd: MUST SELL. Estab. 516-569-5710 Call Teddy 917-842-8721. reduction! 1150 mil. Call Miriam at Gift, Lotto and Cell Store. Invent., Cedarhurst — House Rental FDR, Apt for rent heart of Far Rockaway Pugatch Realty 516-902-3802. fixt’s, avail., long lease. Bring Offers. Kit, den, 3br, 2.5bth,Bsmt. $2,500. — Gound floor, 2br apt, next to all Cedarhurst — Owner made Aliyah. Call 516-322-3555. REAL ESTATE shuls, Shor Yoshuv, LIRR, parking 3 bdrm, 2.5 bth, split w/ att garage, space, grt neighbors, avail immed. FOR RENT Rockville Centre — Retail/Office low taxes. Hearing all offers....$429K Call 718-327-5798 or 5,000 sf, ALL NU, hi traffic, GRT for Anessa V Cohen 569-5007. Cell 347-701-8710. financial or furniture. Will divide. Lawrence house for sale. Center Woodmere — Apt for rent near rail- Call 516-322-3555. hall, 4-5 bedrooms + maid's. 4 bath. road and houses of worship. Kesef Large property. Rentable, professional Holding Call Sonya 516-284-0262. Cedarhurst — House Rental Deadline for office. Call 718-380-2201. LR/FDR, den, 3br, 2.5bth, Fin. Bsmt. Classified Advertising Far Rockaway — 4 BR, 2 bths $2,300. Call 516-322-3555. House for sale Woodmere — duplex apartment for rent, prime loca- in the Next Issue is Mag colonial, 6+ BR's 5.5 bths, Lawrence — 2 Br, LR, 1 Bth, all nu tion. By owner 718-575-0100. LR/FP, FDR/FP, Den, Florida room, apt., own heat. 917-757-9351. Monday, December 4 MBR W/SPA/FP, Dressing room, at 5:00 P.M. guest wing W/Sep ent, fin. bsmt with Far Rockaway — Newly renovated Far Rockaway – Lg. Hse Rental: FP, 2 car gar, walk LIRR, worship, large 3 BR, study room, 2 baths, good 4br, 2bth, bsmt., Hi ceil’g, NU bths, Call 516-569-0502 shopping. $899K. location, for rent. Please call W\D. Call 516-322-3555. Owner 516-569-0724. 718-714-1378 and leave message.

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