See Ad, Page 4 $1.00 WWW.5TJT.COM VOL. 9 NO. 8 1 KISLEV 5769 ,usku, ,arp NOVEMBER 28, 2008 INSIDE FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK WILL BUSH PARDON POLLARD? MindBiz BY LARRY GORDON Esther Mann, LMSW 28 Who Is That? The Two Hebrons Hannah Reich Berman 31 Time seems to stand still in Friday night, there was a Marriage First Aid Hebron. The sun moves plethora of minyanim in and Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch 33 across the sky overhead, but around the Me’arat HaMach- down here on the ground it pelah, as we danced to wel- Our Aliyah Chronicle doesn’t look like anything has come in the Shabbos with the Shmuel Katz 59 happened since the days of sun setting behind us. This yesteryear. Walking up and was the beginning of the spe- P h o Fast Food In Israel t o back along the rocky hills and cial day each year when Jews B y Stephanie Freid 80 E l i S stone stairways on Friday from around the world congre- t e i night and this last Shabbos, it gate in this homey and still n seems as if nothing might somewhat controversial en- A Sefer Torah was dedicated in September in behalf of Jonathan Pollard (inset), who has been imprisoned by the U.S. government for 23 years. Above, have changed since the days clave to celebrate in the pres- Esther Pollard, Jonathan’s wife, at the completion ceremony. There is now a of our patriarch Abraham national grassroots effort to persuade President George W. Bush to commute 4,000 years ago. Continued on Page 10 the remainder of Mr. Pollard’s prison term. See Story, Page 24 HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE HAIR TODAY Israel Car Trouble BY LAURA BEN-DAVID Engagement of Gabby Soep BY LARRY GORDON words, but that’s how I inter- and Danny Winkler. Many Jewish married preted what he said at the See Page 78 women cover their hair. What My father warned me a time. constitutes a “head covering”? very, very long time ago not to But that was a long time That all depends on who you drive when I am in Israel. He ago. Since then, I have been, ask. Women have been known said—and I will always like many of you, an observer to wear everything from a remember it—that there is no of Israeli traffic patterns, do’s babushka to a baseball cap, tolerance for indecision on and don’ts, what will work and from a wig to a woolen hat, Israel’s roads. He also said the what will not. As a result, I from a doily to a do-rag. All movement was fast and furi- have found out for myself that are acceptable options, for at ous, and that it wasn’t for there are times when the last least some people. drivers from another culture thing I want to do is get behind The author with her new and environment. He may not Continued on Page 20 sheitel by Yafi. have said it in those exact Continued on Page 22 Stanley and Trudy Stern of Lawrence. OU For United Jerusalem See Page 48 Returning BEFORE Lost Items AND AFTER Halachic Musings Another Mother’s Musings BY RABBI YAIR BY PHYLLIS J. LUBIN HOFFMAN We picked Yussie up at It is part of living in New school on Friday at about York. Those who have, baruch 1:15. He was excited to see Hashem, never experienced it us, and he was even a tad have never truly felt the exhil- interested in going on the A aration of life in the city. We Shabbaton. But when we s s a Senator Smith and f S h are referring to the experience arrived at the Young Israel of i l o / Assemblyman Hikind at Nachas I s r a of finding that someone has Woodmere, got him and his e l S breakfast. See Page 47 u n broken into your car, stealing Barney suitcase out of the car, The OU opened its national convention, representing 250 synagogues across the briefcase left inside it and and began our short walk to CANDLE LIGHTING America, in Jerusalem this week. Nir Barkat, who was recently elected as strewing the contents over the join the other participants mayor of Jerusalem, accepted a million-signature petition from Stephen Nov. 28 – 4:11 PM Savitsky (right), president of the Orthodox Union, and Aron Raskas (center), streets of our fair city. waiting for the big moment— Dec. 5 – 4:09 PM the convention chairman, calling for the permanent reunification of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State. Continued on Page 14 Continued on Page 8 2 November 28, 2008 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES November 28, 2008 3 4 November 28, 2008 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES November 28, 2008 5 6 November 28, 2008 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES November 28, 2008 7 Mother’s Musings would have a great time. I was and handed it to Jon. “Don’t worry. I will sit right called my cell phone: “Did my Continued from Front Cover hopeful of that, and yet feared “Go Shabbaton now!” he next to him,” Jon reassured. smush really go?” how we would convince him announced. We walked him to “Have a great Shabbos, Yes, he really did. As we we saw many familiar faces— to actually get on the bus to the van and found him a seat Yussie,” Lenny and I said entered our house filled with Yussie was still apprehensive. give the Yachad Shabbaton a next to a very friendly girl. practically in unison. noisy kids, one voice was “No Shabbaton, Mommy. Me chance. (Incidentally, while “Bye, Mommy, Daddy, see you “Just go, Mommy! See you missing. Rivka invited a friend stay here.” waiting for the bus, Alyssa tomorrow!” Yussie said. tomorrow!” Yussie repeated. for Shabbos, so we wouldn’t Before we left school Yussie reminded me about the But we couldn’t just leave What more needed to be be so lonely. This would be had just used the facilities, Kulanu Cookbook that is him there. What if he changed said? We moved away from the first time this friend came but all of a sudden he asked being compiled; all those his mind? What if they don’t the van and watched from for Shabbos, but she wouldn’t Lenny, “Daddy, need bath- interested, please contact her understand what he wants? afar as the final advisors and get to meet Yussie! Yussie room.” Yussie rarely asks to at www.kulanukids.org.) Lenny told another nice advi- participants arrived. Could it loves when the kids have use the bathroom, and we As Yussie and Lenny returned sor, Talia, that Yussie must have be that we could do this? friends over. But I reminded realized it was a delaying tac- from their visit to the men’s his “nick” on Shabbos. He Could it be that we would myself that he would be meet- tic. But if Yussie asks for the room, our savior arrived: Jon explained that “nick” is Yussie’s actually let these people take ing new friends this Shabbos. bathroom, that’s what he gets. Savage, one of the Shabbaton’s word for any potato kugel, one our young son away for And so, this short Shabbos Lenny and Yussie went into coordinators. As soon as Yussie of his Shabbos mainstays. Shabbos? day seemed very long. All the Young Israel on their mis- spotted Jon, all his fears (and “Don’t worry,” she And so the van pulled out of Friday night, I couldn’t help sion. I stayed to man the ours) about the Shabbaton explained, “there will be ‘nick’ the parking lot and we pulled but wonder what Yussie was Barney suitcase and to wait seemed to disappear. After run- available.” out of our parking spot for our doing at every moment of the for the van and the advisors. ning into his arms and giving “Make sure he can’t get out of first Shabbos “on our own.” evening. “You’ll see,” Alyssa Alyssa (one of the moms) him a very big greeting, Yussie the van. He likes opening locks As we drove home, our said to me while we were wait- began to reassure me that he picked up his Barney suitcase and seat belts,” I cautioned. daughter in Binghamton ing for the van, “you’ll be able to sleep late on Shabbos morning!” Sleep late? I could- n’t sleep more than an hour at a time that Friday night. Shabbos morning arrived and I rounded up the troops to prepare for shul. I even acquiesced and told Lea that she could visit her friend Ahava on Shabbos afternoon if she could stay until after Shabbos. I figured that it was a relatively short day, and this way Lea would be entertained without Yussie. And so Shabbos afternoon I attempt- ed to make up for the sleep lost Friday night. As the min- utes ticked by I was missing the normal sounds of our house tremendously. Just when I decided to give up on sleep, there was a knock at the door: Lea was home. Apparently she thought Ahava’s house was too “shmoiling” and she wanted to come home. I gave Lea a big hug and we “bonded.” Shabbos ended and the phone rang, and I could see it was Jon Savage calling (thank goodness for caller ID): “Hello, Mommy!” the sweetest voice greeted me.