$1.00 WWW.5TJT.COM VOL. 8 NO. 6 14 CHESHVAN 5768 trhu ,arp OCTOBER 26, 2007 INSIDE FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK REMEMBERING ZEV CHAIT Building Wealth In Israel BY LARRY GORDON Book Review By Ari Sher 21 Keeping Lists A Creative Peace Hannah Reich Berman 24 France’s President, Nicolas maybe, we will be able to MindBiz Sarkozy, met in Paris last make some progress. Esther Mann, LMSW 26 Monday with Israel’s Prime As you know, there are Minister Olmert and urged three core issues that Israel Daf Yomi Insights him to “be creative” when it and others are hesitant about Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow 46 comes to making peace with dealing with. Those issues are the Palestinians. I agree with the borders of the two states Commentary Mr. Sarkozy. If Mr. Olmert, envisioned as living side by Ben Nathan 69 who is presently the subject of side, the division of Jerusa- at least three criminal investi- lem, and the matter of gations in Israel, is only half Palestinian refugees and their as creative with the peace right to return to the land they process as he has been in Refoel Zev Chait, a’h, with his father, Chaim Chait, and Rav Simcha business, then maybe, just Continued on Page 6 HaKohen Kook. Refoel Zev, 29, passed away last week. See Page 9 OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE The Ultimate Commuter, of Isaac) in a shul a half hour’s AManhattan Miracle Part 20 drive from where the event Akerman-Lukin wedding. BY DANNY BLOCK occurred. I also poked fun at BY LARRY GORDON Shacharis last Sunday morn- See Page 42 how difficult a three-day yom ing on the Upper East Side of The last time I wrote an tov is for Israelis, who are We sat with the captains of Manhattan. entry for this column was just beside themselves at the end industry and government in We were in the third-floor after Rosh Hashanah. It was of the first day. At the time, I old New York. They are long portrait gallery of the New York rendered unreadable by did not have any idea that I gone, of course, but their rich Genealogical and Biographical Microsoft Word 2007. My would be in the U.S. for the individual legacies live on— Society building on East 58th article discussed how incredi- next yom tov, Sukkot, which John Pierpont Morgan, Elihu Street in Manhattan. As we ble it was to spend Rosh this year happened to include Root, Franklin Delano Roose- davened amid the portraits of Hashanah in Israel, to listen two such three-day periods. velt, General Douglas Mac- these distinguished gentle- to the Torah reading refer to Arthur, and others. Their glit- man, an urn of coffee was akeidat Yitzchak (the binding Continued on Page 20 tering, almost true-to-life por- brewing and a young man was traits surrounded us as we sat, in tallis and tefillin, davening Continued on Page 5 The world’s oldest living Jew. My Hero Died Last Week See Page 54 Still On IS STARBUCKS Strike KOSHER? Our Aliyah Chronicle, Part 61 Halachic Musings BY SHMUEL KATZ BY RABBI YAIR HOFFMAN Finally, a quiet week (most- DIRECTOR, TIFERET CHAYA ly). The junior high/high- PROGRAM FOR GIRLS school teachers’ union is still on strike. Our older girls both Jews like coffee. The prac- continue to have modified tice of Jews drinking coffee schedules. Chaya again had a dates back well over a thou- Rebbetzin Rivkah Blau complete day off last week and sand years, since its exporta- heading up new 5T HS. a second day where she had tion from the Arab city of See Page 71 only one class the entire day Kefa. Its appearance in the (her math teacher was ill and responsa oeuvres of the CANDLE LIGHTING she was scheduled for a double Rishonim and Acharonim Oct. 26 – 5:41 PM Mitch Merlis, a’h, former Yeshiva University wrestling champion, math class that day). attests to the fact that it is a Nov. 2 – 5:32 PM passed away last week at the age of 50 after a long illness. See Story by Paul Freedman, Page 50 Continued on Page 14 Continued on Page 18 2 October 26, 2007 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES October 26, 2007 3 4 October 26, 2007 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES HEARD IN THE BAGEL STORE of the mechitzah in his shul is not high Continued from Front Cover enough for some. But when it comes to drawing Jews to shul to observe busy in a corner of the room laying out Shabbos, Rabbi Schneier’s approach is some traditional Sunday-morning uncompromising. fare—bagels and lox, cream cheese, egg “To me it’s all about davening,” he salad, and tuna. said as we sat across from one another Why were we there, and how in the at a communal Shabbos lunch follow- world did all this come about? The ing services in the new shul last upper crust of high society in Shabbos. “If I can just get Jews to shul Manhattan had made way for morn- to daven,I believe it can change their ing prayers followed by a hearty lives.” And as one looked around this breakfast. Where else but New York setting and this room in which we could this happen? spent Friday night and Shabbos morn- The story begins with the vision of ing, one could see it was indeed Rabbi Marc Schneier, rabbi for the stuffed to the maximum with Jews who last 18 years of the popular wanted to get into shul for services. Westhampton Synagogue and now And Rabbi Schneier knows what it also what is known as the New York takes to get those who have drifted Synagogue, as it gently but very and are perhaps not regular attendees quickly takes its place among the to Shabbos or other services (and leading shuls serving Orthodox Jewry there are many). On this Shabbos— on the Upper East Side. last weekend—the New York The fact is that this Sunday-morn- Synagogue featured three generations ing minyan is the tail end of the story, of a prominent cantorial family well- the fruition of Rabbi Schneier’s dream. known around the world. Cantor The previous day, Shabbos, was some- Naftali Hershtik is the chazzan in the thing to behold. On both Friday night Great Synagogue in Jerusalem, and and Shabbos—here in the midst of one his son Netanel Hershtik now splits of the busiest sections of the city, in an his time between The Shul in Miami area dotted with designer boutiques as Beach and the New York Synagogue. well as the famous Bloomingdale’s The father and son were joined by department store—hundreds of people their nephew and cousin, Srulik jammed their way into a relatively Hershtik of Bnei Brak, and the bill small temporary shul to welcome the also featured 11-year-old Lior Shabbos. Hershtik, who displayed an extraordi- I suppose you can say that Rabbi nary range in a voice that is sure to Marc Schneier dreams with his eyes one day captivate cantorial aficiona- open. And maybe you think that he is dos around the world. too open-minded and perhaps even too liberal on some issues; maybe the top Continued on Page 8 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES October 26, 2007 5 FROM THE EDITOR could have done was wound him and FEATURES Continued from Front Cover possibly kill a few of his security person- nel. Thankfully, the peace process lives. left in the aftermath of the establish- But realistically, once we get past Around The Five Towns 54 P.O. BOX 690 LAWRENCE, NY 11559 ment of the State of Israel. these small technical details of assassi- 516-984-0079 Progress on these issues has been at nation, how can the two sides possibly [email protected] Ask The Lawyer [email protected] a stalemate for years, and there does get past what seems like other insur- not seem to be any possible break- mountable issues? Well, I have a few Howard M. Adelsberg 34 LARRY GORDON ESTA J. GORDON throughs in sight. Further complicat- suggestions that I hope can break the Publisher/Editor Managing Editor Classified Ads 76 YOSSI GORDON ing these difficulties was the report logjam between the sides in this old Director of Sales over last weekend that there was an dispute. Some of the suggestions are Daf Yomi Insights CHANA ROCHEL ROSS assassination attempt orchestrated by as silly as some of the peace ideas, so Editorial Assistant members of Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah please bear with me. Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow 46 SIDI BARON party on the life of Prime Minister Most will agree that among the most YAKOV SERLE Olmert back in June. Even more both- difficult issues is how to deal with the Five Towns Simcha 42 JERRY MARKOVITZ ersome to some was that after Israeli demand of the Palestinians that Sales Representatives intelligence tipped off Palestinian Jerusalem be declared the capital city of H ock Of The Rock SHMUEL GERBER MICHELE JUSTIC security services about the plot against the new Palestine. Clearly, no one wants Chief Copy Editor Copy Editor Eli Shapiro 44 the prime minister’s life, the alleged to relinquish any part of Jerusalem. Yes, CONTRIBUTING EDITORS perpetrators were detained but then today’s Israeli leadership is willing to lis- Howard M. Adelsberg, Irwin H. Benjamin Insights On The Torah Hannah Reich Berman, Anessa V. Cohen quickly and quietly released. ten to ideas about dividing Jerusalem, Danny Block, Rabbi Aryeh Z.