WEEKLY Candle-lighting/Shabbos ends Chag Friday, May 30: 8:00/9:08 Sameiach! Vol. III No. 15 (#64) May 29, 2014 • 29 Iyar 5774 Free RCCS Holds Local Institutions YIJE Hosts Benefi t Breakfast (And Controversy) 13th Annual L’Chaim In Kew Gardens Hills Gear Up For Sunday’s 5K RunWalk For Israel Celebrate Israel Parade SEE STORY ON P. 66 SEE STORY ON P. 61 SEE PHOTOS ON P. 67 Middle Of The Road Shabbos Inbox Fascinating 5 Op–Ed Blue And White A Particularly Out For The Count 5 Amazing What Yom Yerushalayim Unsettling – Part II Untold Stories Yom Yerushalayim Was When?? By Eytan Kobre Last Few Weeks From WWII Means To Me By Shmuel Sackett If I am I because you are you, By R’ Yehuda L. Oppenheimer By Ezra Fried and you are you because I am I; f I asked you what holiday then I am not I and you are not occurred this past week, you. But if I am I because I am I, hese weeks are supposed n 28 Iyar 5727, my fa- you would unquestion- and you are you because you are I to be weeks of inspira- you; then I am I and you are you. ther woke me up with ably answer, “Memorial Day.” Ttion; as we count the – Kotzker Rebbe Othe news that the Is- Unfortunately, that is incor- Omer, we march with the free- raeli army had liberated the old rect, because Memorial Day dom gained on Pesach towards If you’ve been to a playoff city of Yerushalayim and the is not a “holiday.” Memorial CONTINUED ON P. 27 CONTINUED ON P. 11 SEE STORIES ON P. 51 CONTINUED ON P. 53 CONTINUED ON P. 37 See ad on p. 41 2 917.549.6145 • [email protected] May 29, 2014 29 Iyar 5774 917.549.6145 • [email protected] 3 4 917.549.6145 • [email protected] May 29, 2014 29 Iyar 5774 917.549.6145 • [email protected] 5 6 917.549.6145 • [email protected] May 29, 2014 29 Iyar 5774 917.549.6145 • [email protected] 7 PUBLISHED BY Queens Jewish Link, LLC RABBINIC CONSULTANT Forecast Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld MANAGING EDITOR 147-24 Naftali Szrolovits 69th Road SENIOR CONSULTANTS Flushing, Eliezer Szrolovits New York 11367 Yaniv Meirov [email protected] Cynthia Zalisky 917.549.6145 Helen Hoffman FRI • MAY 30 Jennifer Jaffe www.QueensJewishLink.com 72° ADVERTISING MANAGER Design by Design2pro.com • Yaakov Serle Design & Production 56° COPY EDITOR MICHAEL KUROV • Few Showers R’ Yisroel Benedek Art Director STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER SAT • MAY 31 Distributed by Yaakov Katz Prime Media Distribution 73° 52° Regular Features Partly Cloudy Ad spotlight – Shira Diamond .................. 4646 As I see it – Cynthia Zalisky ................... 44 SUN • JUNE 1 Beauty briefs – Risselle Naimark ............... 89 74° Blue and white – Shmuel Sackett ................ 1 Classifieds ..................................60 58° Community calendar – Rebecca Wittert .......... 75 Partly Cloudy Community corner – Susie Garber, Jennifer Jaffe .............. 66-82 MON • MAY 26 Community snapshots – Yaakov Katz ........... 67 Delectable dishes – Estee Kafka ............... 63 78° Education and employment – Ely D. Lasson ...... 38 61° Fascinating 5 – QJL Staff ..................... 51 Feelin’ funny – Mordechai Schmutter ........... 54 Partly Cloudy Financially forward – Gerald Harris ............. 31 TUE • JUNE 2 Our First priority – R’ Shaya Cohen ............. 43 For what it’s worth – Warren Hecht ............. 40 76° Frontlines – Dr. Joseph Frager ................. 56 60° The fun side – QJL Staff ................... 92/93 Heartwarming headlines - QJL Staff ............ 25 Partly Cloudy Hooked on healing – Caroline Schumsky ........ 39 WED • JUNE 3 House and home – R’ Gedalia and Sarah Newcomb ............. 58 74° Middle of the road – R’ Yehudah Oppenheimer ..... 1 61° Parenting simply – Adina Soclof ............... 87 Relationships/Marriage – Showers R’ Rafael and Adina Ribacoff ................ 55 THU • JUNE 4 A Shabbat thought – R’ David Algaze ............ 14 Shabbos inbox – Eytan Kobre ................... 1 77° The Shmuz – R’ Benzion Shafier ................ 18 62° Snippets of strange – QJL Staff ............. 22-24 Socially savvy – Esti Berkowitz ................ 59 Cloudy Stories of greatness – R’ Dovid Hoffman .......... 9 Style myths debunked – Meira Schneider-Atik .... 85 FRI • JUNE 5 76° Special Articles 63° What Yom Yerushalayim means to me – Ezra Fried ..1 Gearing up for Celebrate Israel Parade – Cloudy Jennifer Jaffe ..............................59 THE QUEENS JEWISH LINK IS AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REFUSE SUBMISSIONS AND EDIT FOR CONTENT AND LENGTH. WE ALSO RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ADVERTISING THAT IN OUR OPINION DOES NOT REFLECT THE STANDARDS OF THE NEWSPAPER. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED WITHIN, WHETHER BY PAID ADVERTISEMENT OR EDITO- RIAL CONTENT, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFL ECT THE VIEWS OF THIS NEWSPAPER. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KASHRUS OF ANY PRODUCT ADVERTISED IN THE QUEENS JEWISH LINK. 8 917.549.6145 • [email protected] May 29, 2014 Stories Of Greatness R’ Dovid Hoffman A Hug From Dvir he Gaza War was a three-week thing was fi ne. military confl ict that took place “I have a brother named Dvir,” two- Tin the Gaza Strip during the win- year-old Eshel chimed in, as only little ter of 2008–2009. It was dubbed Op- children can do. Dalya was shocked to eration Cast Lead, or in Hebrew, Mivtza hear the name of her beloved son, and Oferet Yetzuka. Dvir Aminolav was the walked up the two rows to where Eshel’s fi rst Israeli soldier killed in that short parents were sitting. She saw a baby in but terrible war. His father had died of his carriage, and apologizing, she asked, cancer two years earlier. Dvir had been “If you don’t mind me asking, how old is the only son among daughters and had your baby and when was he born?” taken on many paternal responsibilities The baby’s mother replied, “He was in the family. His loss was particularly born right after the war in Gaza, Oferet traumatic. Yetzuka. Six months ago to be precise.” On his birthday, family and friends Dalya swallowed hard. “Do you mind gathered around his grave, where his if I ask one more question?” The mother mother, Dalya, shared this moving story. said not at all, and Dalya asked, “Please Dalya missed her son, Dvir, terribly. tell me, why did you choose to name him One night before she went to bed, she Dvir?” said in a loud voice: “G-d, give me a sign, Baby Dvir’s mother began to explain. “I give me a hug from Dvir so that I will am an offi cer dealing with wounded sol- know that his death had some meaning.” diers in the army. When I was at the end It was quite some time before she fell of my pregnancy, the doctors suspected asleep. the fetus might have a very serious birth Dalya stood with her mouth open. After a long silence, she said quietly, “I am Dvir’s mother.” That week her daughter asked her to defect. Since it was the end of the preg- accompany her to a musical performance nancy, there was little the doctors could at Chutzot haYotzer near the Jaffa gate. do for me and my baby and I just had to Dalya, feeling quite depressed, did not wait to see how things would turn out. want to go to the concert, but she didn’t When I went home that night, the news want to disappoint her daughter either reported that the fi rst casualty in the and agreed to go half-heartedly. The con- war was a soldier named Dvir. I was so cert was a bit delayed. As the musicians saddened by this news that I decided to were warming up, tuning their instru- make a deal with G-d. ‘If you give me a ments, and testing the speaker system, healthy son,’ I said in my prayer, ‘I prom- a two-year-old boy, with beautiful blond ise to name him Dvir in memory of the curls, looking like a little angel, began soldier who was killed.’” wandering through the stands. With- Dalya, the mother of Dvir, stood with out the slightest bit of self-conscious- her mouth open. After a long silence, she ness, he walked right up to Dalya’s seat said quietly, “I am Dvir’s mother.” and touched her on the shoulder. A pre- The young parents didn’t believe her. school teacher, Dalya turned around, saw She repeated, “Yes, it’s true. I am Dvir’s the boy, and smiled warmly. mother. My name is Dalya Aminalov, “What’s your name?” Dalya asked in a from Pisgat Zeev.” soft and kind voice. With a sudden inspiration, Baby Dvir’s “Eshel,” the boy replied. mother handed Dalya the baby and said, “That’s a nice name. Do you want to “Dvir wants to give you a hug.” be my friend, Eshel?” The boy nodded in Dalya held the little baby boy in her reply and sat down next to Dalya. arms and looked into his angelic face. Eshel’s parents were sitting two rows The emotion she felt at that moment was above. Seeing their little boy bothering overwhelming. She had asked for a hug Dalya below, they asked him to come from Dvir – and she could truly feel his back up. But Dalya insisted that every- warm and loving embrace. Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, fi lled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israel- bookshoppublications.com.