See Pages 3, 4, 5 See Page XX $1.00 WWW.5TJT.COM VOL. 10 NO. 20 28 SHEVAT 5770 ohypan ,arp FEBRUARY 12, 2010 INSIDE FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK A BIGGER AND BRIGHTER RED SHUL Heavenly Coffee BY LARRY GORDON Hannah Reich Berman 30 MindBiz Quiet In S’derot Esther Mann, LMSW 33 It’s all quiet now in S’derot, people will forever be a symbol The Myth Of Mundanity the southern Israeli city that of endurance, strength, and per- Rabbi Avi Shafran 35 borders Hamas-controlled Gaza. severance. S’derot is a city of The Love Of Chocolate Or is it? The plague of missiles everyday heroes as well as a con- Elke Probkevitz 46 that wreaked havoc in S’derot fused place from which a num- for so long is, at least for now, ber of mixed messages emanate. Mi’shenichnas Adar under control. People who It is the future as well as the Rav Uren Reich 76 moved away with their children past of S’derot that brought Alon to other parts of the country are Davidi to New York last week. now moving back. But while the He was here to speak from the This past Sunday, Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi of Cedarhurst held a actual firing of the missiles has heart about the issues and the Chanukas HaBayis for the shul’s new building. HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein delivered the keynote address. Above (L–R): Building Committee pretty much stopped, the threat conflicts that the men, women, Chairman Chaim Puderbeutel; Chairman of the Board Avrumy has increased. Zelmanovitz; Cedarhurst Village Trustee Ari Brown; the shul’s mara The reaction of the city and its Continued on Page 5 d’asra, Rabbi Yaakov Feitman; and NYS Senator Dean Skelos. AN ACCOMPLISHED LIFE HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE B Y RABBI YAIR A Police Matter HOFFMAN Rav Chaskel Besser, a’h. BY LARRY GORDON nuances of the largely Jewish, See Page 77 Rabbi Dr. Bernard (Dov mostly Orthodox, community. Berish) Lander, the founder and We ran a story in this space a I’ve attended a few security president of Touro College and few weeks ago about security in meetings this year both in town Lander College, was a brilliant our communities and the vital as well as at police headquarters man of vision and compassion role our first-rate Nassau County in Mineola and cannot help but who trailblazed new paths in police force plays in keeping us be awed at the professional and education—especially for Torah- safe. Here in the Five Towns, the efficient way our police force observant Jews. He passed away top brass of our Fourth Precinct operates. Particularly notable is at the age of 94 on Monday in Hewlett are an impressive col- the grasp that officials like evening, February 8, in his home lection of police officials who Inspector John Capece in the have acquired unique insights Continued on Page 13 Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander, a’h into the sensitivities and Continued on Page 24 AMeaningful Memorial ZOA Mishloach Manot project. Economics WORD TO See Page 75 Of Scale THE WISE Our Aliyah Chronicle Another Mother’s Musings B Y SHMUEL KATZ B Y PHYLLIS J.LUBIN I was listening to the radio on As Super Bowl Sunday the way to work one day this approached, my daughter week and was once again struck Rochel and I were excited. No, PhotoByIraThomasCreations by how tiny our country is. The we don’t follow football—and topic being discussed was frankly,I still can’t figure out the wasteful spending by Knesset dynamics of the game itself— members. Apparently it was “dis- but to me, Super Bowl Sunday covered” that Knesset members translates to the Long Beach The annual Torah Academy for Girls dinner, held at the Sands at Atlantic habitually fly in business class Polar Bear Club swim to benefit Project Inspire in the 5Ts. Beach on Sunday, January 31, was dedicated to the memory of Rav Moshe See Page 59 Weitman, z’l, the late dean of the school. Above (L–R): Rabbi Baruch on all flights, even short flights the Make-A-Wish foundation Lovett, director of development; Rabbi Meyer Weitman, dean; and dinner YESHIVA KETANA co-chairmen Marc Friedman and Tzvi Perl. See Page 49 Continued on Page 16 Continued on Page 12 See Page 74 CANDLE LIGHTING Feb. 12 – 5:08 PM Feb. 19 – 5:16 PM 2 February 12, 2010 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES February 12, 2010 3 FEATURES Around The Five Towns 48 P.O. BOX 690 LAWRENCE, NY 11559 516-984-0079 [email protected] Book Review [email protected] Ari Sher 36 LARRY GORDON ESTA J. GORDON Publisher/Editor Managing Editor Classified Ads 70 YOSSI GORDON, YOCHANAN GORDON Sales Managers CHANA ROCHEL ROSS The Dish Editorial Assistant Elke Probkevitz 46 SIDI BARON YAKOV SERLE Sales Representatives Halachic Musings SHMUEL GERBER MICHELE JUSTIC Rabbi Yair Hoffman 25 Chief Copy Editor Copy Editor CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Health 59 Hannah Reich Berman, Anessa V. Cohen, Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg, Toby Klein Greenwald, Rabbi Yair Hoffman, Miriam Horowitz, Insights On The Torah Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Shmuel Katz, R’ Ben Tzion Shafier 37 Phyllis J. Lubin, Esther Mann, Rochelle Miller, Martin Mushell, Elke Probkevitz, Naomi Ross, Rachael Schindler, Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow, Letters To The Editor 79 Rabbi Avi Shafran, Eli Shapiro, Ari Sher, Samuel Sokol Luach 14 DOV GORDON, ELISHEVA ELEFANT Staff Graphic Artists IVAN NORMAN, IRA THOMAS MindBiz Staff Photographers Esther Mann, LMSW 33 FRANKEL & CO. Design & Production Real Estate TALIYE CORLEY Art Director Anessa V. Cohen 34 SARAH GREENBAUM Assistant Art Director That’s The Way It Is! The Five Towns Jewish Times is an independent weekly news- Hannah Reich Berman 30 paper. Opinions expressed by writers and columnists are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. We are not responsible for the kashrus or hashgachah of any product or Travel 37 establishment advertised in the Five Towns Jewish Times. 4 February 12, 2010 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES FROM THE EDITOR in the IDF and is currently in the reserves. Continued from Front Cover He spent time in Lebanon before Israeli forces withdrew in 2000. In the 2006 and children deal with there every day of Lebanon War, he found himself back on a the week, even while we are not thinking special mission in Lebanon, as he did once about their plight. again last year in Operation Cast Lead, It’s a little odd—even ironic—but here is seeking to terminate the very missiles that how I first learned about Mr. Davidi and his targeted his home-city more than any speaking tour in major U.S. cities and in Canada: A local activist for Israel-related causes called to say that there is a situation in S’derot that needs to be dealt with. Not only are the missiles “Listen,” he said; “for the most part, the Kassams and other missiles have stopped larger and more potent falling on the city.” As a result of this dra- matic shift, he added, there is less of a focus today, but Hamas has on the city, and so much of what they still need is being neglected. In other words, the stored several tens of bad news is the good news. When we finally met, I asked Mr. thousands of these Davidi if that is an accurate assessment of the situation. His response was that it’s destructive bombs. not true that the rockets have stopped falling on the population. “Today we are dealing with a population that lives under constant threat,” he says. “The other. He says that he serves in a special matzav is that at any moment sirens can unit, and all he can say about it is that their go off, which means that regardless of missions consist of being dropped deep where you are, you have fifteen seconds behind enemy lines, where they are to dis- before impact to get to safety.” rupt the enemy’s supply lines. Alon Davidi, 36, is married and has five S’derot was established by the Israeli children, the youngest just a few months government in 1951. At first it was simply old. Has he thought about moving—if not a transit camp for new immigrants from for his safety then for that of his wife and Kurdistan and Iran. Later in the 1950s, the children? He says that it’s not only a matter city absorbed additional new immigrants of him wanting to remain in S’derot, but his from Morocco and Romania. In the 1990s, wife is just as determined. “We understand with the influx of immigrants from the that keeping S’derot safe is the first line in former USSR, the city absorbed more the defense of all of Israel,” says Alon. than 10,000 new olim. Like almost all Israelis, Davidi is a citi- zen–soldier. He rose to the rank of captain Continued on Page 20 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES February 12, 2010 5 6 February 12, 2010 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES February 12, 2010 7 8 February 12, 2010 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES February 12, 2010 9 10 February 12, 2010 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES February 12, 2010 11 Mother’s Musings water shoes to suit our purpos- my toes nice and toasty. going to be insane enough to go we were buoyed with the Continued from Front Cover es. Amazing Savings was out of The Kulanu Sunday pro- into the ocean when there is enthusiasm of the other par- them, but fortunately we found gram went swimmingly well, snow on the sand, make sure you ticipants, and we marched on (for further information, please the “perfect fit” at Variety.