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(JNS.org) Upon arriving in Israel on Tuesday, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden swiftly condemned the Pales-tinian terror attack that killed a visit-ing American business school student and wounded 11 Israelis in the port city of Jaffa.

Biden, who is on a tour of Mid-dle East countries, landed at Isra-el’s Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday evening. He was greeted by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Is-raeli Ambassador to U.S. Ron Dermer,

and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro. Biden then headed to Jaffa to meet with former Israeli president Shimon Peres at the Peres Center for Peace.

Around the same time that Biden arrived at the Peres Center, the Pales-tinian terrorist carried out the Jaffa at-tack just down the road. Biden told re-porters at the Peres Center, “We have absolute, total, unvarnished commit-ment to the security of Israel. I hope we can make some progress.”

Biden’s offi ce later added that dur-ing his meeting with Peres, the vice pres-ident “condemned in the strongest pos-sible terms the brutal attack” in Jaffa.

“He expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of American life and offered his condolences to the family of the American citizen murdered in the at-tack, as well as his wishes for a full and quick recovery for the wounded,” Bid-en’s offi ce said.

Nina Eizikovitz of Links Residential Receives Board of Realtors ‘Rising Star Award’By Andrea Nissel

Nina Eizikovitz of Links Res-idential was just announced as the recipient of the EBCBOR (Eastern Bergen County Board of REALTORS) “Rising Star Award.” The Rising Star Award is awarded annually to one EB-

8B Noam Knights Defeat Yavneh to Claim YMSSA Championship7B Noam Also Champs

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Chizuk Shiur to Mark First Yahrtzeit of Aleza Winslow z”lBy Elizabeth Kratz

On Monday, March 14, at 8 pm, friends, fam-ily, the Moriah School community, the Teaneck community and all those inspired by the life of Aleza Baltuch Winslow z”l (Aleza Shulamit bat Fischel Moshe) are invited to Congregation Ket-er Torah for a commemorative shiur on her fi rst yahrtzeit.

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by Chai Lifeline’s Zahava Farbman and noted ed-ucator Michal Horowitz, and is entitled, “Path-ways to Prayers: Tefi llah Through the Darkness and the Light.”

Aleza Winslow, wife to Lance and moth-er to Zev, Ariella, Avi, Yehoshua, and Yakira z”l, an employee of the Moriah School and a mem-ber of Congregation Keter Torah, passed away last March after a three-year illness. Her death

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WORLD NEWSBRIEFS

Abbas’s Fatah Full of Praise for U.S. Citizen’s Killer

(Arutz Sheva) Palestinian Authority lead-er Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction has heaped praise upon the Arab terrorists be-hind the string of at-tacks over the past 24 hours in Israel, which have claimed the life of an American tourist and injured scores of Israeli and foreign cit-izens.

Unusually, given the reticence by many world leaders to con-demn Palestinian in-citement outright, the degree to which offi cial PA factions have celebrated the attacks even drew condem-nation earlier Wednesday from visiting US Vice President Joe Biden.

As Arutz Sheva reported, apart from Hamas, the Palestinian Authority’s offi cial TV station hailed the terrorist who murdered American Taylor Allen Force as a “martyr,” and praised

his actions as “a complex operation” targeting “settlers,” despite the attack having occurred in Jaffa, inside the “Green Line.”

But Abbas’s Fatah faction, which regu-larly praises and encourages violence, has gone a step further, by glorifying and lion-izing the attackers while calling for further attacks in a series of posts on its offi cial so-cial media outlets.

In one post on its offi cial Facebook page shortly after the Jaffa attack, car-ried out by 22-year-old PA resident Bashar Masalha, Fatah uploaded a picture of a drawing of a hand holding a knife over the map of “Palestine,” which includes the en-tire State of Israel.

The text on the arm and map, translated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), read “The heroic Martyr (Shahid)” and “Bashar Masalha,” respectively.

Netanyahu to Biden: Israel’s Ties with Arab States ‘Solid Base’ for Peace, Stability

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) In a joint press conference with U.S. Vice

President Joe Biden on Wednesday in Je-rusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Palestinian Authori-ty President Mahmoud Abbas’s failure to condemn Tuesday’s Palestinian terrorist attacks in Israel.

Speaking of the largest of the attacks, in which 29-year-old American business school student Taylor Force was killed and 11 Israelis were wounded in Jaffa, Netanya-hu noted that Abbas’s Fatah party “actually praised this murderer as a hero and a mar-tyr. This is wrong, and this failure to con-demn terrorism should be condemned it-self by everybody in the international community.”

Netanyahu said that when he and Bid-en met privately, they discussed the se-curity challenges Israel faces, including Palestinian incitement, the collapse of various regimes across the Middle East, the rise of the Islamic State terror group, and Iran’s growing regional and global ag-gression.

“But we also see the opportunities, and I think some of them stems from these

great challenges,” Netanyahu said, noting that one of the opportunities is “to deep-en ties between Israel and the modern Arab states, and this could help us build a solid base for peace and stability.”

America and Israel, said the prime min-ister, “are stronger when we work togeth-er, so I look forward to continue to work together with you and President [Barack] Obama, to strengthen the remarkable and unbreakable alliance between our two countries.”

Military and intelligence collaboration between Washington and Jerusalem has reached “unprecedented” levels, Biden said.

“It doesn’t mean we never disagree, but you never need to doubt that the U.S. has Israel’s back and we know Israel has our back as well. We’re committed to making sure that Israel can defend itself against all serious threats and maintain its qualitative edge….It’s critical because Israel lives in a very, very tough neighbor-hood,” he said.

OF NEW JERSEYJEWISH LINK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

World Newsbriefs .............Starting on

Editorial .............................................Page 8

Editor’s NotebookBy Elizabeth Kratz ..............................Page 8

Op-EdBy Arik Puder .....................................Page 9

World/Israel News ...........Starting on page 11

Community News .......... Starting on Page 16

Bergen Newsbriefs ...........................Page 28

Essex & Union News.................Pages 29-32

Middlesex News ...............................Page 33

Daf Yomi HighlightsBy Rabbi Zev Reichman ..................Page 34

Maggid of BergenfieldBy Dr. Larry Stiefel ...........................Page 34

Sephardic CornerBy Rabbi Haim Jachter ....................Page 35

Torah MusingsBy Rabbi Gil Student ........................Page 36

EducationBy Wallace Greene ..........................Page 37

HumorBy Banji Latkin Ganchrow ................Page 40

By Mordechai Schmutter ..................Page 41

New in the NeighborhoodBy Nina Glick ...................................Page 50

Personal FinanceBy Elozor M. Preil ............................Page 51

Mental HealthBy Beth S. Taubes ...........................Page 52

UnGarbled TechBy Shneur Garb ...............................Page 57

CoachingBy Jewel Safren, LCSW ...................Page 58

Torah Fun ........................................Page 60

FOOD & WINE LINK .................Pages 60-63

FASHION LINK .........................Pages 65-67

SCHOOLS ...............................Pages 68-73

SPORTS ..................................Pages 74-77

Business & Professional Directory .....Page 78

Community Calendar .......................Page 78

Classified Ads/Help Wanted .............Page 78

REAL ESTATE ..........................Pages 79-91

CONTINUED ON P. 6

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Commenting on the American-bro-kered nuclear deal with Iran, an accord that Israeli offi cials vehemently oppose, Biden said, “We’re united in the belief that a nu-clear-armed Iran is an absolutely unaccept-able threat to Israel, to the region and to the U.S., and I want to reiterate—I know people still doubt this—if in fact they (the Iranians) break the deal, we will act....To-gether we are seeking ways to advance our shared security interests and address the new realities of the region.”

Regarding the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the vice president said, “The only way, in my view, to ensure the future of a Jewish, democratic state, is that the sta-tus quo has to break somewhere along the

line here, in terms of a two-state solution. Even though it may be hard to see the way ahead, we continue to take steps to move back to the path of peace—it’s not easy—for the sake of Israel and for the sake of the Palestinians in the region.”

Pew Study: Israeli Jews United on Land but Divided on Religion

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Is-raeli Jews are united in the opinion that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, but are divided on the matter of religion, according to a comprehensive survey on religion, state, and society in Is-rael that was conducted by America’s Pew Research Center.

The survey found that while more Israe-li Jews are traditional or religious than sec-

ular, most still think halacha (Jewish law) should be separate from the laws of the state. The study also found that most of the Israeli Jewish population votes for the center-right, and most object to the lack of public transportation on Shabbat.

“Nearly 70 years after the establish-ment of the modern State of Israel, its Jew-ish population remains united behind the idea that Israel is a homeland for the Jew-ish people and a necessary refuge from ris-ing anti-Semitism around the globe,” Pew researchers said.

According to the fi ndings, 40 percent of Jews in Israel are secular, 23 percent are traditional, 10 percent are religious, and 8 percent are haredi. Most Israeli Jews (63 percent) said halacha should not be made into state law. The vast majority (94 per-

cent) of secular Israeli Jews support pub-lic transportation on the Shabbat, most of the country’s Jews (72 percent) support con-scripting haredi men to serve in the mili-tary. Almost half of Israeli Jews (45 percent) said they were in favor of letting women pray out loud at the Western Wall.

Meanwhile, the majority of secular Is-raeli Jews said they observe cultural as-pects of religion. For example, 87 percent said they had participated in Passover sed-ers and 53 percent said they light Shabbat candles at least occasionally. On the other hand, 62 percent said they drive vehicles on Shabbat.

Forty-eight percent of Jewish Israelis support the transfer or expulsion of Arabs from Israel, while 46 percent said they op-pose such measures.

Lebanese PM Urges Hezbollah to Refrain From Attacks on Saudi Arabia

(JNS.org) Lebanese Prime Minister Tam-mam Salam has urged the Hezbollah terror group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to refrain from attacking Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.

In an interview with the Saudi-based Al-Arabiya television network, Salam crit-icized Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria, saying that it refl ected negatively on Leb-anon. Salam also noted Lebanon’s tradi-tional warm relations with the Arab Gulf states.

Last week, the Saudi-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) declared Hez-bollah a terrorist organization. Leba-non-based Hezbollah criticized Saudi Ara-bia for being responsible for the decision.

“The decision by the GCC is reckless and hostile and is condemned. The Saudi regime bears responsibility for its issuing and for the consequences,” Hezbollah said.

The six-nation GCC’s move came on the heels of a Saudi decision to freeze $3 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army. Saudi Arabia, which considers Iran its top regional threat and rival, has sug-gested that it might enact further sanc-tions against Hezbollah.

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The American victim of the Jaffa attack was identifi ed as Taylor Force, 29, a student at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management who was visiting Is-rael as part of a school trip. Force was a 2009 graduate of West Point and had been a fi eld artillery offi cer in the U.S. Army until 2014.

The attack in Jaffa was at least the third terror attack of the day in Israel. Earlier, one Israeli man was injured in a stabbing in Petah Tikva. In that incident, the victim was apparently able to use the knife and kill his attacker. Additionally, two Israe-li Border Police offi cers were seriously in-jured in a drive-by shooting attack near the Old City of Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate; the shooter was eventually killed.

Tuesday’s slain tourist joins the list of American victims in the current wave of Palestinian terror. Israeli victims Eitam Henkin and Tuvia Yanai Weissman both held U.S. citizenship, while another Jewish victim, Ezra Schwartz, was an American stu-dent studying in Israel during his “gap year” between high school and college. Overall, more than 30 Israelis have been killed since the ongoing terror wave started last fall.

VP Biden, in Israel, Condemns Palestinian Attack That Killed American Citizen

CONTINUED FROM P. 1


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EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

What I Learned From My Impeachment ShabbatBy Elizabeth Kratz

Probably the fi rst and last Shabbat I ever “went to the offi ce” was Satur-day, December 19, 1998. I can pinpoint the mo-

ment because it was the day President Bill Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives. I was working, at the time, as a legislative assistant to a mem-ber of the House from California, the state where I grew up.

It was not a great day, for a number of rea-sons. I remember noting, with a kind of dis-appointment, that there were no non-auto-matic doors available for me to get into the Rayburn House Offi ce Building, and I didn’t feel high-ranking enough to be able to call someone in advance and ask them to help me navigate the myriad of doors, escalators, elevators or stairwells to get to the offi ce from the catacombs of the Capitol building.

I also remember that I was there that Shabbat as a victim of my own success. In a legislative meeting the previous year, I was elated to be allowed to handle judiciary is-

sues for the congressman. It was a plumb post for me, but no one knew or imagined before that year that me, a 24-year-old staff-er, would be asked to recommend whether or not to impeach a sitting president. Ordi-narily, the job would be perfect for some-one junior-level like me, dealing with police funding and intellectual property issues. It wasn’t an area of interest for my congress-man, who was more at home on natural resource and agricultural issues. His high-est-ranking staffers always assisted on those.

That day, like every other day the House was in session, every House mem-ber had to have a staff member in the of-fi ce to record the various motions and make recommendations or provide direc-tives (Vote yes! Vote no! Abstain!) based on any changes. It sounds exciting, may-be, but the actual day was a bit of a let-down; I remember looking at the clock to see if I would make it to shul later to catch seudah shlishit. I doubt I made it that day, but I do remember hoping it was the last Shabbat I would ever go to work.

Like the year preceding that vote, the day was just a part of the etching away of

my idealism about national politics. In its place grew a strong mistrust of the Clin-ton White House and anything connect-ed to it. These two identities—me as a pa-triotic American, and me as a Jew—were

Co-Founders/Co-PublishersMoshe Kinderlehrer

Mark (Mendy) Schwartz

Associate Publisher/EditorElizabeth Kratz

Associate EditorPhil Jacobs

Founding Partner, Jewish Link Design GroupAdam Negnewitzky

Contributing EditorNina Glick

Senior EditorJill Kirsch

Advertising Director Yaakov Serle

Production EditorJennifer Hoff er

Assistant EditorAvi Sheinfi l

Offi ce ManagerDena Kinderlehrer

BookkeeperGila Negnewitzky

Sales Development Ken Goff stein

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Schools EditorRachel Wertentheil

Proofreader/Copy EditorsRivky Bergstein

Ruth Brody

CorrespondentsAviva Jacobs

Amanda LeiferOren Oppenheim

Tzvi Silver

ContributorsSarah Abenaim • Larry Bernstein

Jenny Gans • Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Glick Sara Kosowsky Gross • Rachel Jager Gamliel Kronemer • Pearl Markovitz

Lisa Matkowsky • Rabbi Dr. Wallace Greene Gail Hochman • Banji Latkin • Sharon Mark Cohen

Joe Rotenberg • Bracha Schwartz Rabbi Mark Staum • Gil Student

Ellie Wolf • Temimah ZuckerThe Jewish Link of New Jersey

PO Box 3131 Teaneck, NJ 07666

Phone: 201-371-3212Email: [email protected]

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The Jewish Link of New Jersey, an independent publication, promotes honest and rigorous conversations about Judaism,Israel and issues af-fecting our community. The opinions reflected in articles from our con-tributors do not necessarily reflect JLNJ’s positions, and publishing them does not constitute an endorsement from JLNJ. We simply off er food for thought. We reserve the right to accept or refuse submis-sions and edit for content and length. We also reserve the right to re-fuse advertising that in our opinion does not reflect the standards of the newspaper. We are not responsible for the kashrus of any product advertised in the Jewish Link of New Jersey.

OF NEW JERSEYJEWISH LINK

The Jewish Link The Jewish Link wishes a hearty wishes a hearty mazal tov to our mazal tov to our own Rachel and own Rachel and

Aaron Wertentheil Aaron Wertentheil on the occasion of on the occasion of the bar mitzvah of the bar mitzvah of their son Yaakov. their son Yaakov.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Fiduciary Responsibility Extends Beyond Development

I am writing this letter as a private cit-izen of Teaneck for 24 years, and not as a trustee of the Board of Education.

The Jewish Link continues to high-light development as the “cure all” for all of Teaneck’s municipal tax woes. It’s not. In the last 7 years, the municipal tax rate has increased <26 percent, which is more than double the 12 percent rate of infl a-tion. Worse, Teaneck has seen its debt lev-el triple to $32 million since 2008. The 2015 budget approximated $71 million. At best, $6M in higher taxes represents > 10 percent of current spending.

Higher taxes refl ect a total lack of fi nan-cial management and thus, cost control. There is also a lack of personnel accounta-bility. Firing an employee does not absolve the Town Manager from responsibility, and the Town Council from oversight.

A former police offi cer receiving a pen-sion with limited managerial capabilities runs Teaneck and negotiates with its un-ions. Budgets generated 4-5 months after the fi scal year begins; a 2014 audit with eight fi ndings including a failure to make

timely pension remittances; cost over-runs on nearly all capital projects, includ-ing the unnecessary renovation of the “old” police station for $4.7 million-$1.2 million higher than the original budget (inclusive of unused desks!); and lastly, employee and council member abuse, if not illegality associated with the health benefi t waiver program that in aggregate may have cost taxpayers $1-2 million dur-ing the past few years.

Elie Katz and Mohammed Hameedud-din pay only $900 for a $30,000 benefi t while municipal employees, on average, pay an average of 26 percent. Lizette Parker and William Broughton receive a stipend despite being ineligible to receive Teaneck health benefi ts as employees, active and re-tired of Bergen County and NJ, respectively.

Higher taxes also refl ects missed oppor-tunities. This includes (1) a failure to ration-alize staffi ng levels by undertaking work fl ow studies to increase productivity and identifying opportunities to use lower cost labor as an alternative to higher-cost em-ployees (e.g., Hackensack Class II offi cers since 2013, Bergen County dispatch; fi re de-partment staffi ng levels 3x that of NYC) (2)

employee contract giveaways in salaries and benefi ts, the latter including health care coverage costing $30,000 per family with $10 co-payments. The key to cost con-trol is managing salaries and benefi ts, ac-counting for approximately 70 percent of spending.

I support development and credit the effort being made to increase the tax base. But, it’s important to put the opportunity in perspective. Developments totaling 628 apartments have been announced, with an-other possible 350 with Alfred Avenue. Ac-cording to the Census, the average number of children under 18 per family in New Jer-sey is 0.87; among families with children, 1.83 children. Applying 0.87 to 628 apart-ment implies 546 children. For argument sake, let’s say 250 children come to Tean-eck. Assuming $23,000 per child = $5.8 mil-lion offsetting the entire tax income de-rived from development.

We are one Teaneck, municipal and Board of Education. More income for the Township Council implies higher ex-penditures for the Board of Education. Do the math.

David Gruber

The Jewish Linkwishes a hearty

mazal tov to Tammy and

Ken Secemski on the engagement

of their daughter Efrat to David

Ferber, daughter of Andrea and Michael Ferber

of Teaneck.

CONTINUED ON P. 10

EDITORIAL

BIS: A Way to Counteract BDSWith BDS seemingly getting more than

its share of news, be it nearby, nationally or across Europe, we were really glad to see an effort to raise awareness start in Teaneck.

Instead of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), how about we pay attention this time of year to BIS (Buy Israeli Stuff)? Let’s turn the boycott into a buycott.

We congratulate the Young Israel of Te-aneck’s sisterhood for leading area shuls in using Israeli products as part of this year’s mishloach manot (see page 45). In conjunction with the Irving Place Minyan of Long Island, this year’s packages will come sealed with a BIS logo.

Six other local synagogues, including Ohr HaTorah, Beth Shalom, Arzei Darom, Bnai Yeshurun, Beth Abraham and several others have agreed to include Israeli prod-ucts in their Purim packages.

“Our community feels a deep love for Is-rael and a growing frustration over the re-cent barrage of attention the BDS move-ment has received and the impact of its message on the Israeli economy,” said Alli-son Mell, sisterhood president of the Young Israel of Teaneck.

Some of the products will come from Israeli companies such as Elite chocolates, Ceremonie teas, Kibbutz Ein Harod hon-

ey, Barkan winery, Tan’Ta Candy and Man wafers.

This is a perfect way, we believe, for our community to put its money where its con-cern is.

Thank you to the Young Israel of Teaneck for coming up with the idea. Now we want to suggest that when Purim is over, we don’t stop purchasing as many Israeli-made prod-ucts for everyday, non-holiday use. There is no better solution to the BDS than BIS! Let’s let Israeli food manufacturers see our appre-ciation from our pocketbooks.

And let’s keep it going throughout the year.


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For Israelis, Donald Trump Is U.S. History’s Most ‘Israeli’ Presidential CandidateBy Arik Puder/JNS.org

This presidential election season is nothing if not fascinating, and the media coverage itself is driving considerable de-bate. What’s also interesting, but has so far gone unexplored, is how Israeli me-dia are covering the American elections. Israeli election coverage offers insights into how the press in the U.S. and Isra-el stack up against each other in treating both this election cycle and politicians in general—and how Israelis themselves view the elections.

As someone who worked for many years as a media adviser for leading Israe-li politicians, and who has run a PR agency in New York for the last six years, I’ve had the chance to explore up-close how Amer-ican politics operate, how American media work and how American media differ from Israeli media.

What really stands out this year is that this U.S. election has generated much more interest than past American elec-tions in the Israeli media—and, by associ-ation, in the Israeli public—for two main reasons: Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

With Sanders, Israeli media are excited about the fact that there is a serious pres-idential candidate who is Jewish. Even though Sanders is shying away from his Jewish roots and has avoided detailed dis-cussions about Israel, this isn’t dampening Israelis’ Jewish pride. For ordinary Israelis, it is practically unimaginable that a Jew whose family lost members in the Holo-caust stands a real chance of occupying the world’s most powerful role. It’s about Jew-ish DNA and Jewish history, and the sense that centuries of persecution could sym-bolically end with Sanders reaching this ex-alted offi ce.

Trump, on the other hand, is seen by many Israelis as the most “Israeli” presiden-tial candidate America has ever had. All of the things that many observers in Ameri-ca criticize him for—being aggressive, arro-gant, blunt, loud, stubborn, argumentative, confrontational and so on—are all attrib-utes many Israelis admire and see in them-selves.

In short, Trump’s personality is 180 de-grees from President Barack Obama’s, who is known for being cerebral and deliber-ative. Trump talks tough and appears un-afraid to deal with the rough-and-tumble Middle East.

Ultimately, Israelis relate to Trump, even if they wouldn’t necessarily vote for him (if they were American) or if they re-main wary of his pledge to remain objec-tive in Mideast negotiations. The fact that he reminds them of themselves and is the polar opposite of Obama in every way makes him an attractive candidate, or at least a compelling one. They believe that whatever happens, he will be a better pres-ident for Israel than Obama has been. Fur-ther, they remember that Trump has an Or-thodox Jewish daughter who is raising her children in a kosher home.

Israeli press coverage of Trump echoes this sentiment. Israeli media are closely following the elections, sending reporters to cover the primaries and interview vot-ers, and paying unusually close attention to Trump. Even Israel’s widely read liberal

daily newspaper, Haaretz, while not naturally a sup-porter of the right and hardly a Trump backer, has written extensively about him, including a re-cent piece warning that “Trump has unleashed America’s monsters.”

Meanwhile, the Amer-ican media coverage of Trump’s presidential cam-paign reveals a lot about how the U.S. press oper-ates. Even though most of the media, including Fox News, fear a Trump presidency and make fun of his style and arrogance, they cannot ignore him. He’s led in the polls for months, dominated Super Tuesday and is bottom line the best show

in town. Cable TV stations like CNN are see-ing YUGE (in Trump lingo) ratings spikes. Everybody wants to know what Trump will have to say—whether they agree or not.

Further, Trump’s candidacy has generated an internal debate in the U.S. press. While many abhor his message and feel that fre-quent coverage only encourages the dem-agogue, they recognize that Trump means big headlines and better TV ratings.

That media debate is unlikely to ever take place in Israel, though. While Ameri-cans generally respect and even idealize the rich, Israelis harbor a deep dislike for bil-lionaires, and they would likely never sup-port a wealthy political candidate. The Is-raeli media, therefore, would certainly go after such a candidate.

Generally, there is a big difference be-tween how the American and Israeli me-dia handle politicians. As a rule, the Amer-ican media accords much greater respect to its elected representatives (or to candi-

OP-ED

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Donald Trump


OP-ED

two strongly held, intertwined belief sys-tems, but that day, for me, perhaps, rep-resented a break with my Americanism in favor of practicing Judaism. I was like the child who looked at the emperor and realized there’s something missing and very, very wrong.

When the news broke in late 1997 about Monica Lewinsky and her relation-ship with President Clinton, I had been shocked that someone essentially my age could have done such a big, destructive thing. The power of the presidency was besmirched for me, forever, when a “sin-gle Jewish female,” not so dissimilar to me, and only one year older, was record-ed and caught in a sting operation and ac-cused of such public misdeeds. Her par-ents, her grandmothers (eeek!), everyone she ever went to school, camp or college with, how would they come to terms with knowing these horrifi cally salacious de-tails of someone they previously thought of as a “nice Jewish girl”? How would this young woman be able to get past such a thing that, in many other cases, hopefully would have been moved past as a youth-ful indiscretion?

The evidence was overwhelming and it was not a diffi cult job for me to recom-mend that my boss vote in favor of the articles of impeachment in their entirety.

Fast forward 18 years. It’s 2016. I work for a Shomer Shabbat company and help run a Shomer Shabbat newspaper. I enjoy Shabbat with my husband and children and (usually) don’t even discuss work in any way on these special days, in a kehillah that similarly holds these days dear.

But I will never, ever forget the Clin-tons, or “that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” I watched the First Lady, a woman “stand-ing by her man,” against every shred of blue dress evidence. It was painful to witness, and to this day, that is all I think about every time Hillary Clinton makes a statement, about basically anything. She was a U.S. senator when I lived in Manhattan, and I tried to tune her out. I mostly succeeded. When she was Sec-retary of State, I cared a little more and listened with half an ear. With regard to Benghazi, when a sitting U.S. ambassa-dor was stalked and assassinated, I came back to my earlier belief; I didn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth, and I still don’t. People died, and a sit-ting Secretary of State said her depart-ment didn’t know anything about it. That made me angry.

I believe strongly that Hillary Clin-ton sacrifi ced her personal life in favor of her own political career by staying in a marriage that bore the brunt of more than a normal person might or should ever have to bear. I felt for her, I really did, but this life was her choice, and she is now the empress of a very large polit-ical machine.

Eighteen years ago, I was a young woman with an exciting job and opportu-nities to see elected leaders at work every day. But after that impeachment Shab-bat, I only lasted another year before I left Capitol Hill forever changed. And wheth-er she wears a sensible pantsuit or not, to me… the empress has no clothes.

What I Learned From My Impeachment Shabbat

CONTINUED FROM P. 8

dates) than does the Israeli press, which tends to be much more skeptical of its public fi gures.

Many believe that Israeli media are more aggressive and cynical than the Amer-ican press when it comes to reporting on its politicians. Israeli reporters tend to leap at the fi rst chance they get to attack their subjects. Some accuse the Israeli media of being outwardly disrespectful to Israeli politicians, who are, after all, elected by the public through a democratic process.

For example, it’s not unusual to see an Israeli reporter answer a phone call dur-ing a press conference or in the prime minister’s offi ce. Often, an Israeli TV host will lack the proper etiquette and show little to no courtesy to an Israeli politi-cian appearing on her show, so much so that she will interrupt him mid-sentence. This is different from TV interviews in

America, where, even if the host has tough questions and differing views, he or she will try to be as polite and respect-ful as possible. The closest American TV news shows come to their Israeli coun-terparts are the cable gabfests in which multiple pundits are actually encouraged to create confl ict.

In Israel, the public generally supports the media’s hard-line tactics with poli-ticians. Years of political scandals, a for-mer prime minister in jail for bribery, and others accused of sexual harassment and worse, have combined to topple the old Zionist icons and idealism. Meanwhile, it takes two to tango, and, for years, many Is-raeli prime ministers have shown an ex-treme lack of respect for Israeli journal-ists—to the point that they will avoid them at all costs.

This is in direct contrast with the U.S., where the country’s geographic size and complex media market means presidents and politicians have no choice but to deal with journalists. Presidents, even if they are criticized for holding fewer press con-

ferences than their predecessors, still regu-larly rely on briefi ngs with the media.

Further, many mainstream media per-sonalities are criticized for being too cozy with politicians, creating an “In-side-the-Beltway” mentality and “pundi-tocracy” that serves as a feedback loop be-tween politicians and the press.

While the Israeli and American media differ on many fronts, they do agree on one thing: the 2016 presidential elections con-tinue to rock conventional wisdom and bring new surprises every day. Trump’s can-didacy continues to challenge the media, in both the U.S. and Israel, and will likely be-come a case study for journalism students for years to come.

Arik Puder is a leading media strategist in North Amer-ica and Israel, and the founder of Puder PR in New York. In Israel, he served as a spokesperson and/or media ad-viser for the Knesset House Committee, former minori-ties minister Saleh Tarif, and former immigrant absorp-tion ministers Yuli Edelstein (now the Knesset speaker) and Tzipi Livni.

For Israelis, Donald Trump Is U.S. History’s Most ‘Israeli’ Presidential Candidate

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE


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WORLD/ISRAEL NEWS

‘Pushy Zionists,’ Then and Now: Hillary Clinton’s Emails and a History LessonBy Rafael Medoff/JNS.org

The new allegation that Israel’s ambas-sador to the U.S. once charged through the halls of the White House, barging into room after room in search of President Ba-rack Obama, is reminiscent of a similar ac-cusation made against an American Zion-ist leader in the 1940s. Both claims reek of the hoary stereotype of “pushy Jews” behaving inappropriately in the halls of power.

The charge concerning then-Israeli am-bassador Michael Oren appeared in a re-cently released email that was sent to then-secretary of state (and current presi-dential candidate) Hillary Clinton by one of her advisers, Sidney Blumenthal, in Oc-tober 2012. Blumenthal claimed that when Oren heard Obama was secretly meeting with Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak, “Oren raced around the West Wing search-ing for Barak, opening doors and looking in rooms.” Obama’s national security ad-viser supposedly “heard about Oren’s fran-tic snooping and raced after him, catching him, and escorted him out.”

Clinton responded to her adviser, “Doubt that it happened, but, these days, who knows???” It’s regrettable that Clin-ton would have entertained even the possibility that such a wildly implausible story might be true, knowing of Oren’s impeccably professional demeanor and mild temperament. Oren, who is current-ly a member of the Israeli Knesset, called Blumenthal’s story a “total and utter fab-rication.”

It will probably be scant consolation to the former ambassador, but he is not the fi rst to endure attacks of this nature. Be-ginning in the 1970s, a number of books and articles have peddled the notion that Rabbi Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, the most prominent American Zionist leader of the 1940s, “stormed into [president Harry] Tru-man’s offi ce and pounded his fi sts on his desk,” as one recent version put it, alleg-ing that Silver’s behavior provoked Tru-man’s private anti-Semitic outbursts. Most incarnations of the story present it as evi-dence that overly aggressive Zionists have endangered American support for Israel.

Like the claim about Oren, the allega-tion against Silver is entirely implausible, since—to begin with—nobody could pos-sibly “storm” into the Oval Offi ce without being tackled by Secret Service agents. Fur-thermore, Truman’s calendar shows only two meetings with Silver during those years, in both instances accompanied by other Zionist leaders—yet none of those other leaders, some of whom were Silver’s bitter enemies, mentioned any fi st-pound-ing in their memoirs of the period. Nor did Truman himself mention it in his own au-tobiography, even though he discussed his dislike of what he called “the extreme Zi-onists.” Moreover, historians have never found evidence of Silver pounding Tru-man’s desk in any of the relevant archival collections.

My own investigation traced the ac-cusation back to a remark once made by Elinor Borenstine, the daughter of Tru-man’s Jewish friend and business partner Eddie Jacobson. When I interviewed Bo-renstine about this several years ago, it turned out she was relying on an old essay

by her father which had not mentioned Silver at all.

The fascinating postscript to all this is a long-forgotten controversy from early 1948, in which famed syndicat-ed columnist Drew Pearson reported this ugly outburst by Truman in an exchange with New York Post pub-lisher Ted Thackrey: “Pound-ing his desk, [Truman] used words that can’t be repeat-ed about ‘the (expletive) New York Jews… They’re disloyal to their country. Disloyal!’” In retrospect, one is tempted to wonder if Truman, in his complaints to Eddie Jacob-son or others about Zionist leaders, actu-ally was projecting something of his own notoriously intemperate ways.

Depictions of Jews as pushy are often concocted for the purpose of intimidating them into silence or acquiescence. Tales of “pushy Zionists,” whether in the 1940s or our own era, likewise serve as political

weapons. They are intended to discredit their targets as uncouth and therefore un-worthy of serious consideration. They are also meant as a kind of warning shot: back down (on whatever the issue happens to be) or expected to be smeared.

Israel-related policy struggles are not for the faint of heart. Those who take un-popular positions sometimes fi nd them-selves victimized by rumor-mongers and their ilk. Abba Hillel Silver felt the sting of those darts but did not allow himself to be cowed—and neither, one suspects, will Michael Oren.

Dr. Rafael Medoff is the founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. He is the au-thor of 16 books about Jewish history, Zionism and the Holocaust, including “The Historical Dictionary of Zion-ism” (co-authored with Chaim I. Waxman).

Hillary Clinton


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Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Dies at 94By Shoshana Miskin/Arutz Sheva

Former fi rst lady Nancy Reagan died of congestive heart failure at the age of 94 on Sunday.

The former Hollywood actress became one of the most infl uential fi rst ladies in the U.S. while her Republican husband, Ronald Reagan, served his presidency from 1981 to 1989.

Nancy Reagan was fa-mously known for her “Just Say No” campaign against illegal drug abuse in the 1980s.

Following her hus-band’s death in 2004 af-ter a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Mrs. Reagan became an advo-cate for discovering a cure.

In addition to her son and daughter, Reagan is survived by her adopt-ed stepson who posted on his Twitter ac-count: “Nancy is where she has always wanted to be with her Ronnie… Now she is at peace…”

Mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ron-ald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Val-ley, California, next to her husband.

Former Israeli President Shimon Pe-res expressed deep sadness over the loss of Nancy Reagan: “Today I lower my head together with the citizens of the U.S. at

the loss of fi rst lady Nancy Reagan. Reagan was President Ronald Reagan’s dedicat-ed wife, a true partner in the president’s unique leadership, including his strong friendship with Israel.”

“I recall her noble nature and fi erce fi ght against drugs and alcohol among youth. During her time as fi rst lady, Reagan would illuminate the White House with a

big smile and open heart. I extend my most sincere condolences to the whole Reagan family, her friends and all citizens of the United States,” said Peres.

Likewise, Prime Minister Binyamin Ne-tanyahu expressed his condolences, say-ing, ”I remember Nancy as a noble wom-an who supported her husband, President Ronald Reagan, and always stood by his side. She will be remembered as a great friend of Israel.”

Ronald and Nancy Reagan in 1994. PHOTO: MIKE THEILER / REUTERS


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WORLD/ISRAEL NEWS

U.S. Rapper Converts to Judaism, Moves to IsraelBy Reut Rimerman/Israel Jewish Scene

Seattle rapper Nissim, formerly known as D. Black, last weekend fulfi lled a dream he has had since converting to Judaism three years ago—making Israel his home.

Immediately after landing in Ben Gurion International Airport, Nissim spoke of “the last piece missing to complete the puzzle of my life—the land of Israel... God, Israel and the Jewish people are one comprehensive unit, so when you have one piece without the others, it’s an incomplete puzzle.”

Nissim, his wife, Adina, and their fi ve children landed in Israel on a Nefesh B’Nefesh fl ight. Even though he had visited Israel previously, he was fi lled with excite-ment. “It feels amazing to be here and fi nal-ly realize the dream,” he said. “It’s crazy to see my children here, because the fi rst time I was in Israel I was alone, and now shar-ing the experience with my family is much more important to me.”

Adina (formerly Jamie) was very excited about the occasion, but admitted that she was skeptical in the beginning.

“I did not really go along with it,” she said. “Two years ago, my husband was here on a visit, and he wanted to move to Is-rael the very same day. Of course, I was a bit skeptical. This is my fi rst time in Israel, but I love it already. This is a decision we reached together, and, thank God, I’m very happy with it.” He adds: “A lot of prayers were required for that.”

He was born 28 years ago as Damian Black in the Seward Park area of Seattle, Washing-ton, to a downtrodden African-American fam-ily. His world was, he said, full of drugs and violence. He translated his daily experiences to songs about drugs, gangs and everything in between. The music, he said, was an es-cape from a life of violence and crime around him, and he was doing pretty well in the rap scene, with an album that reached number 12 on Amazon’s charts.

D. Black’s path to Judaism was hard-ly a straight line. In 2008, his friend was murdered during a dispute with rivals in a nightclub where he frequently performed. This trauma began a journey of a personal search for religion, faith and God.

Nissim, who as a boy was brought up by his grandfather as Muslim, came to re-ligion “at various stages in his life,” he says. “My grandfather was a Sunni Muslim, and he educated me when I was young. Then he was sent to prison and my friends intro-duced me to Christianity, but with Judaism it was different. You have to pursue it and look for it and look deep within. The other

two are easy: they invite you and welcome you, like free money. But in Judaism you have to work for abundance. That is how you keep the money over time.”

Nissim—D. Black—said he chose his name with help “from Above.” “We had to choose a name for conversion, and I got there early (which was a miracle in itself),

and I looked for a siddur. Someone offered me the name Nissim, but I debated about a different name. I talked to God, and I looked at the clock, and it was almost time for the Mincha prayer. So I took the prayer book and it had Nissim written on it—and that was it. “

Adina said that her name signifi es her personal goals for the future: “I strive to be gentle, that is the meaning of the name, and I aspire to be gentle every day with my kids, my husband, and simply gentle in general.”

Nissim and his family plan to live in Je-rusalem and continue to make music, fi lm a new music video, and go on tour around the world. “We’re going to shoot a new video clip in Safed and Tiberias for my new song ‘Z’man Cheiruteinu,’ then I have a concert with Gad Elbaz, and a concert in March at Brooklyn College, and I defi -nitely plan to go back and tour the Unit-ed States.”

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WORLD/ISRAEL NEWS

Arab-Israeli IDF Offi cer: Where Else in the Middle East Could You Find a Soldier Like Me?By TheTower.org Staff

The highest-ranking Muslim offi cer in the IDF wrote in an op-ed Thursday in the British paper Jewish News that his life sto-ry is a direct counter to claims of Israeli rac-ism during “Israeli Apartheid Week,” which is occurring across the UK.

Maj. Alaa Waheeb dismissed the com-mon charge that Israel is a racist state. “For-get for a second (BDS supporters would like you to forget permanently!) that 20 percent of Israelis are non-Jewish, have full rights, and are represented throughout society,” he wrote. “It’s one thing, after all, to have Arab politicians, Christian voters and Mus-lim doctors—although we do have them, and quite a few at that. But a non-Jewish army Major? Someone who has not only fought alongside Jewish soldiers, but now trains them too? Would a truly racist state allow me to play such an integral role in our nation’s defenses?”

Waheeb also defended the actions of the IDF, writing that his job is to save lives, not end them. Waheeb explained that one of his guiding principles is found in a phrase in the Quran: “If anyone killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole of man-kind; and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of man-kind.” When Hamas fi res rockets at Israel or when Fatah incites stabbing attacks, he

and the IDF “are here to protect the lives of all Israeli citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish.”

He also rejected the idea that a boy-cott of Israel was an effective way to bring about peace, as peace requires building bridges, but the BDS movement “wants to build walls.”

Waheeb concluded by emphasizing, from his own experience, how he contrib-utes to building bridges:

“During my time in the UK, I spoke alongside a fellow soldier, a medic who has treated both Israeli soldiers and Palestinian terrorists without distinction. We were the ‘Muslim who protects Jewish lives, and the Jew who saves Muslim lives.’ There’s only one country in the Middle East that could produce a couple like that—and it sure as hell isn’t an apartheid state.”

Major Alaa Waheeb


At Kollel Chatzos, a large and exuberant campaign is held annually to commemorate the yahrzeit of the Rashash (Rabbi Shalom Sharabi) which falls on Yud Shvat. Known as the Pidyon Rashash, it represents a tremendous segulah for all problems. Many have testified to the

wonderful things that have occurred when it is observed properly. As a result, people from every locale had made generous donations to this campaign. About three weeks a�er the campaign concluded an office staff member from Kollel Chatzos had decided to call a random contributor to inquire of their welfare.

In an ecstatic voice, the lady on the other end of the phone said, "I have to tell you that a truly amazing thing happened." She went on to explain that she has a son who unfortunately, had not donned tefillin for two years. She said that to her great sadness, his yiddishkeit had taken a tragic nosedive. Since the day she had made the donation for the Pidyon Rashash, however, her son had started donning tefillin every single day, without anyone coaxing him. In addition, she said that her son had called and said that he would like to be closer to his family. "This story sounds unbelievable to so many, but it is true. My aching heart has been healed, and I will continue to support the talmidei chochomim who learn so dilligently at Kollel Chatzos."

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WORLD/ISRAEL NEWS

Pre-IDF Academy Announces Israel Cadet Trek 2016

Bet El’s Pre-IDF Preparato-ry Academy announces its fi rst annual bike trek—the Israel Cadet Trek 2016 (http://israelca-dettrek.com/). Under the acad-emy’s supervision, the cadets’ lives take on vision, meaning and purpose, and they emerge as strong individuals and de-pendable soldiers. Baruch Gor-don, the academy’s director of development, explains, “We in-corporate learning with mean-ing and fun. That’s the whole idea behind our fi rst annu-al Israel Cadet Bike Trek. Ca-dets and donors will bike together for three days around the land. Participants will learn about the land and can opt for team-building, military exercises. The trek will end moments before the beginning

of the Lag B’Omer holiday near Rashbi’s tomb in Meron where some 500,000 vis-itors will celebrate.”

The Bike Trek is slated for May 24-26. More information can be found on their website IsraelCadetTrek.com. The acade-my seeks input from potential cyclists on what makes a successful bike trek. There is a survey (http://israelcadettrek.com/take-the-survey/) available on the site to take, with no obligations, regarding the trek. Once the information is collected and tal-lied, a detailed description of the trek and

its activities will be posted, and registra-tion will open. SAG (support and gear) sup-port will be provided each day in the form of assistance for riders and their bikes for anyone who tires out.

The Pre-IDF Preparatory Academy is a private institution providing soldiers of disadvantaged social and economic back-grounds with a meaningful year of inten-sive training prior to their three-year ser-vice in the IDF. By focusing on character building and Jewish identity, each cadet is given the confi dence to believe in his own future. In addition, the cadet leaves the academy with high confi dence that he can make a meaningful contribution to the de-fense of the Jewish nation.

When asked what sets Bet El’s Pre-IDF Academy apart from other institutions like it, Gordon responds, “The IDF itself asked us a similar question, probing how it is that our cadets enlist to combat and commando units, while all their peers and classmates opt for menial labor jobs in the IDF. Our secret is that we accept each student as is, without judgment or criticism. In addition to steady meals and housing, we encourage, motivate and de-velop the students’ skills, enabling them to sprout untapped emotional, physical and spiritual strengths. Our staff mem-bers become an emotionally consistent, Jewish values-grounded resource in the cadet’s life.”

Bike enthusiasts who love Israel and want to strengthen the IDF from within by investing in its incoming cadets, check out the Israel Cadet Trek 2016 (http://is-raelcadettrek.com/).A Pre-IDF Academy student learns to aim.

Cyclers CREDIT: WIKICOMMONS A Pre-IDF Academy student davens Shacharit.


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COMMUNITY NEWS

‘Upscale, Boutique’ Apartments Proposed for 100 State StreetBy Elizabeth Kratz

An antiquated medical offi ce building, built in the early 1960s, as well as the park-ing lot next to it on State Street, partway between Queen Anne Road and Teaneck Road, might soon become part of the res-idential building boom in Teaneck. An ap-plication by the current owner, 100 State Street Development LLC, is looking to turn the building that currently houses fi ve lo-cal businesses into a 64-unit multi-family residential building with 64 parking spac-es. The proposed complex will be fi ve sto-ries with the ground fl oor being an open parking garage, according to records fi led at the Teaneck Offi ce of Zoning Enforcement.

What is unique about this building in the context of the rest of the projects in de-velopment throughout Teaneck is that a change of zoning is not required for the pro-cess, as it is already zoned for multi-family residential use. The developer will have to have a number of variances approved, how-ever, to extend allowable heights, yard set-backs and widths, building coverage, lot coverage and parking-space allotments. The maximum number of dwelling units will have to be approved from 10 units to 64.

A representative of 100 State Street Development LLC, who asked not to be named, said that the building’s location has a number of residential attributes. “It’s a wonderful spot, and we’re obviously not going to have the train issue like at World

of Wings. The location is one of the high-est points in Teaneck so there will be no fl ooding issues. It’s also right in front of an express bus stop and there are two un-derused municipal parking lots across the street,” he added.

The representative also said that the building, designed by the architectur-al fi rm Poskanzer Skott of Ridgewood, is planned to be elegant and upscale—a bou-tique building with amenities such as in-unit washers and dryers. “However, if there is an affordable housing component, we fully intend and expect to comply with it,” he said. He added that the developers view the State Street/Terrace Circle area of Tean-eck as a growing “mini-city center” like Ce-dar Lane, “while it won’t usurp Cedar Lane, it will supplement it as a nice, upscale mu-nicipal neighborhood.”

The application is tentatively set to be brought before the Teaneck Zoning Board on April 7.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Legacy and Endowment Gifts Announced at Ma’ayanot’s Anniversary Dinner

Saturday evening, March 5, was a moving and meaningful night for the Ma’ayanot community as over 450 people, including founding parents and faculty, alumnae, current parents, the graduating senior grade and almost the entire facul-ty, gathered together at Congregation Ket-er Torah in Teaneck for Ma’ayanot’s annu-al dinner.

This year’s dinner was unique in that it both marked the culmination of a year of 20th anniversary celebrations and it was dedicated to the memory of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l, who served as Ma’ayanot’s posek from the school’s very inception. Ma’ayanot’s president, Mr. Saul Kaszovitz, proudly noted that this year’s anniversary campaign was also unique in that it raised a record amount of funds.

The evening’s program started with a touching anniversary video that told the story of Ma’ayanot’s founding. A moving moment in the video was when found-ing parent, Mrs. Bonnie Eizikovitz, spoke about her tactic in recruiting students for the inaugural class: “I told the girls if they didn’t come they would be sheep, and if they did come they would be leaders, and I asked ‘Do you want to be sheep or do you want to be leaders?’” Ma’ayanot opened its doors in September 1996 with 26 ninth-grade students who chose to be leaders.

Mrs. Rivka Kahan, Ma’ayanot’s princi-pal, pointed out that this anniversary cel-ebration was especially meaningful as the entire founding administration, includ-ing Mrs. Esther Krauss, founding princi-pal, Ms. Fayge Safran, founding vice prin-cipal, and Mrs. Enid Anziska, founding administrator, were in attendance. She also pointed out this milestone anniver-sary provided a fi tting occasion to collec-tively refl ect upon and appreciate the ex-tent to which Rav Aharon’s early support for Ma’ayanot’s unique vision for Jewish women’s education enabled the school to take root and fl ourish over these last 20 years.

Mrs. Esti Rosenberg, Rav Lichten-stein’s daughter (and rosh beit midrash, Migdal Oz) provided video remarks from Israel to elaborate on her father’s strong connection to Ma’ayanot: “There was a special connection between my father and Ma’ayanot... When my father envi-sioned a serious high school with women being taught Torah on a high level, I think Ma’ayanot was exactly what he had in his vision.” She went on to praise Ma’ayanot graduates as “young women who are per-fectly balanced between openness and tradition… women who have a strong vi-sion of themselves and of what they can

change and contribute to am Yisrael…,” and, ultimately, women of whom her fa-ther would be “very, very proud.”

Of course, a centerpiece of the evening was the introduction of this year’s hono-rees, which included Tim and Ria Levart as the Keter Shem Tov awardees; Rabbi Mark and Chumi Gottlieb as the Amudei Ma’ayanot awardees; Doug and Shera Du-bitsky as Parents of the Year; and Dr. Julie Goldstein, Jewish History Chair and Sen-ior Grade Encounter Coordinator, as the Teacher of the Year awardee.

Finally, an absolute highlight of the evening was when Mr. Kaszovitz an-nounced that in addition to their gen-erous fi nancial support and signifi cant volunteer activities over the years, the Le-varts have also provided for the school’s

future stability by establishing an ex-ceptionally gener-ous legacy gift on which Ma’ayanot is a named benefi -ciary. In announc-ing this gift, Mr. Kaszovitz asked the audience to “con-sider what that says about the Levarts.

First, it manifests a huge dedication to the cause of Jewish education, and spe-cifi cally to Ma’ayanot—it is one thing to support a school that your children are currently attending, but it is quite anoth-er level of dedication to establish a fund that will sustain the school long after you and your children have moved on. In ad-dition, it truly establishes the Levarts as leaders within our community. Many be-lieve that endowment and legacy giving will prove to be THE solution to our tui-tion crisis, and I’m sure it isn’t surprising to anyone in this room that the Levarts have chosen to lead the way toward this solution.”

Mr. Kaszovitz was also pleased to an-nounce that the Levarts’ example has al-ready infl uenced a Ma’ayanot faculty member to establish a $60,000 endow-ment account for Ma’ayanot. Mr. Kaszo-vitz concluded by saying, “While this is not the time or place for a full discussion of the differences between endowments and legacy gifts, it is indeed the appropri-ate place to announce these gifts, and to launch what we hope will be a strong and robust future sustainability campaign.”

The evening was one of refl ection, pride, excitement and, as is Ma’ayanot’s way, visioning for the future. In her re-marks, Mrs. Kahan explained, “In his cha-nukat habayit address [for Ma’ayanot], Rav Lichtenstein refl ected on the name Ma’ayanot. He contrasted a ma’ayan with a mikvah; while a mikvah refers to wa-ter that has been collected and is station-ary, a ma’ayan is characterized by move-ment, dynamism and constant growth.” Mrs. Kahan concluded by affi rming, “At the heart of all of [our] efforts lies Rav Lichtenstein’s vision of a school that would not be based simply on a Torah of mikvah, but on a Torah of growth, life and vitality.”

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Understanding Preconception Genetic Testing and the Jewish FamilyBy Pearl Markovitz

On Saturday night, March 5, the Adult Education Committee of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, headed by Clive Lipshitz, provided the community with a special opportunity to hear from a leading expert in the fi eld of Jewish genetics about genet-ic testing as it relates to the Jewish com-munity.

When Dr. Nicole Schreiber-Agus, a ge-neticist, was experiencing her own preg-nancy challenges, she turned to her syna-gogue rabbi, Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, who counseled her to utilize what she had learned to help others. This “trigger” mo-ment shifted Agus’ focus from “mouse” ge-netics to Jewish genetics. She quoted a pas-sage from the Yom Kippur liturgy: “Hashem, before I was formed I was unworthy, and now that I have been formed, it is as if I had not been formed.” Agus cited Rav Kook who taught that “we are all born to a specif-ic time and place to perform a specifi c mis-sion. Providing guidance to the communi-ty and mentoring to the next generation of genetic professionals is our program’s mis-sion. But the more we know, the more we realize how much we really do not know and have yet to discover or understand.”

Ten years later, Agus serves as the direc-tor of the Albert Einstein/Montefi ore Med-ical Center Program for Jewish Health as well as an assistant professor of Genetics and of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Wom-

en’s Health at Einstein. In addition, she is the founder and co-developer of MyJew-ishGeneticHeath.com, a Jewish genetics online education series. “Our goal,” says Agus, “is to protect the individual, the Jew-ish community and its future generations, to minimize disease and to listen and re-spond to medical issues affecting this community.”

Individuals need to do thorough re-search of their immediate and extended families to determine pedigrees, family health histories and genetics. “As our com-munity has spread out worldwide, we have maintained genetic threads of a larger Jew-ish tapestry. These shared genetic elements can harbor mutations which may be dan-gerous to our offspring or to us.”

Agus’ advocates for a preconception car-rier testing model of “open testing,” done while the individual is single, involved in a serious relationship,engaged to be married or even married but not yet expecting. For a couple, the optimum time to be tested is before contemplating a pregnancy. Ge-netic testing will provide baseline results which can then be updated as more dis-eases are added to the panel. If the couple both prove to be carriers, there are many options for building healthy families to be discussed during genetic counseling. As Rav Feinstein wisely warned many years ago, “Don’t bury your heads in the sand.”

Beyond testing for diseases that could affect offspring of carrier couples, oth-

er genetic diseases most impacting our commu-nity are those caused by changes in the BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 genes which can harbor three com-mon changes in Ashke-nazi Jews. These changes may result in increased incidences of breast and ovarian cancer, pancre-atic cancer and certain types of prostate cancer and melanoma. Rough-ly one in 40 Ashkena-zi (Central/Eastern Eu-ropean) Jews will have a BRCA mutation that will put them and members of their families at increased risk for cer-tain cancers. This is in contrast to the one in 400 in the general population, hence the great concern and concentration on this gene. Especially if there is a family his-tory of those cancer types, both men and women should meet with genetic profes-sionals and explore available testing op-tions.

According to Agus, the key issue to be considered when dealing with Jewish ge-netic diseases is that “genetics is not neces-sarily destiny.” Through genetic testing, fre-quent screening, positive lifestyle changes and risk-reducing medical procedures, can-cer sometimes can be controlled. Another

crucial issue to address is the stigma our community attached to these genetic pro-clivities. We must remember that every family may be dealing with physical and mental health issues and that labeling and stigmatizing are not in keeping with our Jewish societal values.

Dr. Agus invites the community to join her on MyJewishGeneticHealth.com, the program’s online learning site, which has explored such issues as BRCA, Parkin-son’s and Crohn’s and colitis among other diseases. Other relevant websites are ein-stein.yu.edu/genetichealth, PJGHtesting.com, BRCAcommunity.com and jewishge-netichealth.wordpress.com.

Melava Malka at Congregation Beth Aaron with Miriam Adani "The Shomeret of Kever Rachel". She will be speaking on March 19, 2016, Motzei Shabbat Parshat Zachor at 9 p.m.

Congregation Beth Aaron950 Queen Anne RoadTeaneck, NJ

For more information pleasecontact Ellen Friedman201-692-9761

Checks may be sent to:Kever Rachel Heritage Fund6602 Park Heights AvenueBaltimore, Maryland 21215

Bullet Proof Bus

Repair of Armored bus that takes visitors to Kever Rachel, $7000Sponsor trips to Kever Rachel in a bullet proof bus.1 week $500, 1 month $ 1800Purim project:

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The terrorist attacks have affected the protection of Kever Rachel.We are responding with the following initiatives:

Help Us Protect & Preserve Kever Rachelfor future generations!Establishing A Heritage CenterSponsorship will help in developing an educational center in Kever Rachel. It will inform visitors of the imperative of maintaining this site because of its importance in our Jewish history. Taking Care of Our SoldiersWe will be providing Shalach Manot, Seudot Purim, Bullet Proof Vests & Fleece Jackets for our soldiers.

Repairing our Bullet Proof Bus

Evening includes a short video and art exhibit about Kever Rachel through the ages including part of Nava Applebaum's wedding dress. Names may be given for prayers said at Kever Rachel.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Dr. Nicole Schreiber-Agus


left a deep mark not only in Bergenfi eld and the Northern New Jersey community where she lived, but also in Florida where she grew up, in hospitals where she had worked as a labor and delivery nurse, and in the lives of many dear friends from all over the country.

It is sometimes said that the impact of a life is not visible until later, but at other times a special person is recognized and understood during their lifetime. “The real lesson of Aleza’s life is how to treat others,” said Lance Winslow, Aleza’s widower, who said that Aleza never missed an opportuni-

ty to help out a friend or colleague. “I only found out later that when she used to pop out at night to run an errand, sometimes she was using her skills as a labor and de-livery nurse to check on a friend who was pregnant, or sometimes she was checking the hair of kids who had lice so they could go to school the next day. She would do an-ything for people. She was truly amazing,” he told the Jewish Link.

Aleza was an example of a nediv lev, a person who gives with a willing heart, said Dr. Elliot Prager, the former principal of the Moriah School, who worked with Aleza. “Aleza never ceased thinking about and worrying about others. Her all-too-short life was dedicated to chesed, loving kindness. Ask her to do anything: to cover for some-

one, help out with an event here, an absent staff member there. You didn’t have to wait for Aleza to jump in and offer to help. The only ‘shortcoming’ Aleza had was her ina-bility to say ‘No.’ Her watchword was, ‘Hi-neni,’ ‘Here I am, tell what is needed, tell me how I can be of help,’” Prager wrote in a eulogy last year that was published in the Jewish Link.

Lance said that Aleza is never far from his family’s thoughts. “She is always in our hearts, and always in our minds,” Lance said. Aleza’s friends felt the same way. She was not just a friend, she was a best friend to many. Despite having faced tragedy in her own life, including losing her daughter Yakira as a baby, “She was a true tzadeikis and a woman of incomparable strength. She always approached each challenge with optimism, and never asked ‘why me?’” said Robin Tare, a longtime friend. “Having her in my life has made me a better person, and there are countless others who can say the same,” she added.

“She had these amazing qualities, in terms of being involved in so many aspects of the community. She was a real help to people, in schools, camps, volunteer activ-ities,” said Lance. “Really in every aspect of life, she was very appreciated and loved by all the people she worked with.”

Lance added that Aleza was supreme-ly honest, and believed in ‘telling it how it is’ in a way people understood. “Even with her own illness, she was very honest and di-rect with the kids; direct, not to scare them, but to prepare them.”

“Aleza was a very modest and spiritual person,” said Rabbi Shalom Baum, mara d’asra of Congregation Keter Torah. “We thought that it would be appropriate to bring in speakers who would focus on these aspects as a tribute to Aleza. Many people were benefi ciaries of Aleza’s friend-

ship and it will be meaningful to see many of these friends gathering in her memo-ry. We all need chizuk in confronting the challenges of daily living. On this particular evening we will get chizuk from our guest speakers and from Aleza’s messages of life,” he told the Jewish Link.

Rabbi Baum added that Keter Torah members Keren Fisher and Jackie Dem-by have chaired the shul’s successful Rosh Chodesh Chizuk program, which seeks to bring in a monthly speaker to inspire and instruct in the art of daily living, a wonder-ful trait that Aleza modeled beautifully.

Presenting the shiur will be Zahava Farbman, LMSW, and educator Michal Horowitz. Farbman is a veteran trauma-tologist, having worked in this fi eld for close to two decades. Formerly she held the position as a director of Camp Simcha, Chai Lifeline’s overnight camp for chil-dren with cancer and other medical chal-lenges. Zahava’s current position, which she has held for much of her career, is the associate director of Project Chai, the Crisis Intervention, Trauma and Bereave-ment Department of Chai Lifeline, where she focuses on helping families and com-munities prepare for and respond to the full range of crises, traumas and tragedies. Horowitz teaches weekly adult-education classes in the Five Towns, NY, and regular-ly presents guest lectures in various ven-ues in the greater tri-state area. Her shi-urim and lectures relate to Torah, chagim, parshat ha’shavua, tefi llah and Jewish thought. Horowitz is a dynamic speaker who has a unique ability to convey her message with sincerity and passion.

Congregation Keter Torah is located at 600 Roemer Avenue in Teaneck. The Rosh Chodesh Chizuk Shiur is presented monthly. Anyone with questions may email kerenfi [email protected] or [email protected].

COMMUNITY NEWS

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OHEL Sponsors Successful ‘Rising From Divorce’ Workshop

Norman Blumenthal, PhD, the Zachter Family Chair in Trauma and Crisis Coun-seling at OHEL, and director of the OHEL Miriam Center for Trauma, Bereavement

and Crisis Response, presented a “Ris-ing From Divorce” workshop to a group of northern New Jersey school psycholo-gists. The event was held in OHEL’s Te-

aneck offi ces on March 7. OHEL’s groundbreaking fi lm has been seen by thousands in the community, and Dr. Blumenthal’s accompanying workshops for educators are based on OHEL’s new Divorce Sourcebook for Educators—a program to help ensure that children of divorce can better thrive and adjust to circum-stances beyond their control.

Chizuk Shiur to Mark First Yahrtzeit of Aleza Winslow z”l

CONTINUED FROM P. 1


Founder of Kever Rachel Heritage Group to Speak at Beth AaronBy June Glazer

To meet Miriam Adani is to meet a woman whose faith and strength shine in her eyes. The visionary and guiding spirit behind the Kever Ra-chel Heritage Foundation, the Jerusa-lem mother of seven was instrumen-tal in securing for Jewish posterity the burial place of the biblical matri-arch Rachel.

Adani’s visit to Teaneck next week is a homecoming of sorts. Over the years, the Jewish community here has been a bastion of support in her efforts to rescue Kever Ra-chel from the serendipity of diplomacy and politics, and for projects her foundation has undertaken. When she arrives, she will bring with her a dream to usher her foundation into phase two of its development, as well as stories of the lives that have changed as a result of its work.

Her stories are largely about yearning or broken-hearted women and men, religious and secular, who pray at Kever Rachel and see miracles happen to them. “I can give you names and pictures of many of these people,” Adani said modestly, one rainy morning at her home-away-from-home in Bethlehem, a few hun-dred meters beyond the southern border of Jerusalem.

“This place has amazing power. I be-lieve it’s because Chaz-al say that when the Beit HaMikdash was de-stroyed, all the gates of tefi llah were closed except one, the Gate of Tears. Kever Rachel is the Gate of Tears because Rachel Imeinu is crying for her children, and people from all over the world come here to cry.”

Other stories tell of Israeli soldiers who grew up secular and were clueless about Rachel and why her gravesite, once slated to be turned over to the Palestinians, is so important to Jews. Aviva Pinchuk, Kever Rachel Heritage Fund assistant director, re-lated one such story about giving a private tour to the commander in charge of educa-tion for all of the IDF.

“Afterward, he told us he wants every sol-dier to visit here and learn about this place. This convinced us that teaching about Ra-chel Imeinu was the most direct way of edu-cating people about being Jewish,” Pinchuk said. Today, the foundation organizes lec-tures, prayer sessions, holiday celebrations and gift baskets for soldiers as well as pro-gramming for tourists and visitors.

How Adani became a driving force be-hind reclaiming and renovating Kever Ra-chel is yet another story. Twenty years ago, while Israel was suffering through one of the region’s seeming-ly endless cycles of vi-olence, she organized a gathering of wom-en on the yahrtzeit of Rachel Imeinu as a display of solidari-ty and simcha. More than 3,000 attended and the event became annual, today contin-

uing not only in Jeru-salem, but, according to Adani, in 100 com-munities around the world.

Four years later, during the fi rst Inti-fada, with a neglect-ed Kever Rachel on the verge of abandon-ment by Israel’s gov-ernment due to the

Oslo Agreement, Adani and her organiza-tion joined the struggle to keep the site under Israeli sovereignty. At a meeting she requested with the commanders in charge of security and police as well as with sev-eral Knesset members, she was allowed one brief statement in an effort to dis-suade them from closing the site.

“I thought, what can I say? But God gave me the words. I told them: Israel is the home of all Jews, and a home without an Ima is not the same house. Please allow the chil-dren of Rachel Imeinu to come and visit their mother.” Adani said the powers-that-be sat in stunned silence and then agreed, with

the proviso that they would handle security only if she found funding for bulletproof buses to transport visitors.

This is where the Teaneck connection began. Members of the community undertook to raise money and eventually collected enough to help pro-vide free transportation for two years, ensuring a daily Jewish

presence at the site until Israel’s sovereign-ty over it was secure.

Teaneck’s support continued when, dur-ing Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, Adani undertook to raise money for 1,000 gift baskets for soldiers. Community mem-bers here raised enough for 10,000, and the project became the focus of yet another sto-ry. “The room where we prepared the pack-ages looked like a war room and people asked us, what’s going on here. I told them we indeed are fi ghting a war, a war for aha-vat Israel,” Adani said.

Now, she has her sights set on a new project, an educational center that will tell the story and stories of Rachel Imeinu and Kever Rachel in multiple languages and us-ing a variety of media. The center will be dedicated to the memory of Naava Apple-baum, a 20-year-old Israeli-American wom-an who was murdered together with her father on the evening before her wedding by a Palestinian suicide bomber. A piece of her wedding gown was made into a paro-chet and hangs in the women’s section of Kever Rachel.

“We want to connect all Jews with Ra-chel Imeinu, the mother of us all. It takes a

lot of work to bring her children home to her, but when people help us they have bracha in their houses,” Adani said.

She will speak dur-ing a melave malka at Congregation Beth Aar-on on March 19, at 8 p.m. All are welcome to at-tend.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Teaneck Dentist to Host Checkup Party

For almost 20 years, Teaneck Dentist has been setting aside a Sunday once or twice a year as a “checkup party” to offer children a fun way to experience dental visits. The wait-ing room is turned into a magic show, and the entire offi ce takes on a party atmosphere. Each room has its own theme. Balloons are everywhere. And every kid goes home with a pack full of prizes as well as sparkling clean teeth!

The next Teaneck Dentist checkup par-ty is scheduled for March 20 at 100 State Street in Teaneck from 8:50 a.m. until 1p.m. Resident magician, Gary, is all set to per-form. There will also be an orthodontist on hand if any parent is interested in dis-cussing options in teeth straightening and/or space management. Eight skilled hygien-ists will be cleaning teeth with kindness, care, and the best, most modern equipment available, and three fi ve-star doctors will be conscientiously doing the examinations.

This awesome event is coming up soon, but there are still a few spots available. To make sure your children don’t miss this great opportunity to actually enjoy going to the dentist, call (201)837-3000 as soon as pos-sible to schedule appointments for Checkup Party day. Most dental insurance is accepted. Regular fees apply.

Teaneck Introduces Ordinance Limiting Healthcare Waiver ProgramBy Andrea Nissel

Teaneck—After a series of spirited and pointed public comments, the Te-aneck Town Council, on Tuesday, intro-duced an ordinance to mitigate the issue of payments to employees who opt out of the Township’s health insurance pro-gram. This issue was brought to the fore-front after a recent audit of the town-ship’s fi nances, which was highlighted in social media posts and news reports. In 2014, a reported $400,000 was paid out to 50 municipal employees who opted to waive coverage under the Township’s insurance program, some receiving as much as $13,000 in payments.

Statements from the public indicated anger at and disappointment in members of the council for their contentious debate on the topic in previous meetings, which, Teaneck residents alleged, contained mul-tiple “personal attacks” and showed that the council was lacking in “integrity.”

An ordinance passed in 1965 states that employees shall not be paid in ex-change for declining healthcare benefi ts through the municipality. The ordinance was re-codifi ed in 1998 when Teaneck changed its charter. However, in 2008, a resolution was unanimously passed, au-thorizing stipends payable to employees who elect not to accept healthcare ben-efi ts. This resolution entitled employees who declined the benefi ts up to 50 per-

cent of the amount thereby saved by the employer. Council members at the time of the resolution included current May-or Lizette Parker and Deputy Mayor Elie Katz. In 2010, the statute was amended, limiting the waiver payment to 25 per-cent of health insurance premiums, with a maximum reimbursement of $5,000 an-nually. The revision only applies to those who opted out of coverage after 2010.

The proposed ordinance would clari-fy any ambiguity about waiver allowanc-es and offi cially codify the Township’s waiver program, dismissing all opportu-nities for grandfathering. The ordinance would require every employee opting out of the healthcare program to renew their waiver annually and provide proof that their health insurance coverage is not offered through a state healthcare

plan or a school employee bene-fi t plan. This prerequisite comes with the intention to avoid any so-called “double dipping” in the system should an employee take a stipend in lieu of benefi ts while they are potentially covered by a state healthcare program.

The Township manager, Wil-liam Broughton, contended that, in essence, these stipends save Te-aneck money because it eliminates the need to fund full benefi ts for all of its employees. However, the atmosphere during the council

meeting was quite contentious, and no res-ident addressed this point. Many outspo-ken Teaneck residents not only contest-ed that the waiver program constituted a gross abuse of taxpayer dollars, but also strongly objected to the tone with which the issue was discussed among council members. While the council now appears to agree that amending the existing pro-gram and reducing the payouts to employ-ees is a fair resolution, there are those who argue that the benefi ts program should be eliminated entirely.

After a brief discussion, the ordinance was tabled for future debate.

The ordinance is expected to be fur-ther considered for fi nal passage at a pub-lic hearing at the next council meeting, to be held on March 22 at 8 pm in the Coun-cil Chambers of the Municipal Building.

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Teaneck/Bergenfi eld Chevra Kadisha Invites Community to Mark Zayin AdarBy Pearl Markovitz

The 7th of Adar II, which this year falls on Thursday, March 17, will mark the nearly 20th anniversary of The Day of In-trospection held by the Chevra Kadisha of Teaneck and Bergenfi eld.” The Hebrew date marks the Yahrzeit of Moshe Rabbe-inu, our peerless leader whose humility in serving the needs of his people is our model of what the chevra kadisha is all about. In a humble and private way, we perform the ultimate mitzvah of chesed shel emet by preparing our deceased loved ones for their heavenly abode,” said Joseph Appel, chairperson of the Bnai Ye-shurun Chevra and organizer of the oth-er local chevras.

Since the late 1970s, Appel has been ac-tively involved in the men’s chevra kadis-ha, forming committees, organizing shifts for the performance of taharot, readying the homes of families for the week of shi-va, and generally providing comfort to mourners during their stressful and emo-tional periods. Many late-night calls have come into the Appel home, followed by numerous calls to schedule and arrange pick-ups and deliveries to the funer-al homes, at fi rst Wein & Wein in Engle-wood and for many years Gutterman and Musicant in Hackensack. “Over the years we have dealt with special situations such as missing persons and suicides, specifi -cally through drowning. Under these cir-

cumstances, the bodies must be identifi ed which is often a complicated process.”

Preceding her husband in the perfor-mance of this ultimate mitzvah is Linda Appel, whose involvement dates back to 1975. Mrs. Appel was interested in learning about the tahara process as her father had been a member of the chevra kadisha in Riverdale. As a young woman, she attend-

ed the series of lectures by former Bnai Ye-shurun Rabbi Macy Gordon. At the conclu-sion of the class, he asked for volunteers to chair the group in formation. Even today, Appel remembers how timidly she put up her hand to volunteer and how this slight movement of the hand has made a differ-ence in her life. “After nearly 35 years with the chevra kadisha, I can truly say that it was a special gift from Hashem, a true priv-ilege, to be able to participate in this lofty mitzvah of chesed shel emet. In the greater scheme of life, we don’t need a name down here—but upstairs.”

Both Joseph and Linda Appel pay deep tribute to their mentor in this project over the past many years. Rabbi Elchanan Zohn, director of the Vaad Harabanim of Queens Chevra Kadisha and founder and director of the National Association of Chevra Kadisha (NASCK), has been at their side to answer diffi cult questions of prac-tice under specifi c and unusual circum-stances. Over the past decade, with the advancement in life-prolonging medical procedures, questions have arisen about the proper removal of tubes and other in-struments from a meit.

As the communities have grown, in-dividual shuls have organized their own chevra kadisha committees and consulted their own rabbis on issues that arose. Ac-cording to Joseph Appel, the move to de-centralize has made the service more ef-fi cient and available. “I am very thankful to all of the community members who serve as volunteers in this lofty endeavor. Over the years, I have found people to un-hesitantly participate in this mitzvah. In-cluded in our team are doctors who are present at each tahara to provide need-ed professional input. We thank them for the time they take out of their practices to join us,” he said.

The Appels are particularly proud of the stepping-up of young members of the com-munity to become involved in this holy work. “The fact that young people are vol-unteering and taking the mantle of leader-

ship is most gratifying and tells us that our work will be perpetuated in the best way possible.”

The 7th of Adar seuda will mark the culmination of the Day of Introspection during which chevra kadisha members traditionally fast. Each year the seudah takes place at a different host shul. This year, Congregation Keter Torah will host. In past years it has been held at Bnai Ye-shurun, Rinat, Beth Aaron and Beth Abra-ham. Each year features a special in-spirational speaker and this year is no exception. Rabbi Duvie Weiss, assistant rabbi at Keter Torah, will deliver a dvar To-rah to mark the occasion. Former speak-ers have included Rabbi Elchanan Zohn, Rabbi Steven Weil, Rabbi Steven Pruzan-sky and Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt.

The schedule for the evening is as fol-lows: For those members of the chevra who will be fasting to mark the occasion, the fast begins on Thursday morning at 5:42 a.m. Mincha with leining is sched-uled for 6:30 p.m. The fast concludes at 7:42 p.m., followed by the seuda at 7:45 p.m.

This year, community members are in-vited and encouraged to attend in honor of the day and to applaud the outstanding ef-forts of the community’s chevra kadisha. Couvert is $15 per person before March 10 and $18 subsequently. To RSVP, please con-tact Warren Levy of Keter Torah at [email protected].


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COMMUNITY NEWS

Yeshiva of Central Queens to Celebrate Diamond Jubilee With Gala Dinner

Yeshiva of Central Queens will be cele-brating its 75th anniversary with a gala din-ner at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck on April 10. In making the announcement, Dr. Joel Cohen, president of the yeshiva, said “This evening is expected to be an extreme-ly memorable event, paying tribute to the rich history of our beloved yeshiva. We an-ticipate a large attendance of parents, staff, alumni and friends.”

In 1941, Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) opened its doors with six children in the Talmud Torah Mishkan Israel building in Jamaica. In 1948, the yeshiva moved to a new location on 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue with the renowned educator Rabbi Baruch Charny serving as the school’s prin-cipal. Rabbi Menachem Rottenberg became the executive director in 1963, establish-ing a solid foundation for the continued growth and development of the yeshiva. In 1975, YCQ moved to its present home in Kew Gardens Hills. The junior high school moved into its new facility in 2001. A fes-tive Chanukat Habayit was held. The yeshi-va takes great pride in having hosted the YESS program on its campus since 2001. Ac-cording to executive director Rabbi Yaak-ov Lonner, YCQ, with its close to 1,000 stu-dents, is currently exploring strategies to develop more space to accommodate its vast array of programming and services.

According to Rabbi Marc Merrill (’01), director of alumni activities at YCQ, news of the YCQ celebration has been received with much excitement and enthusiasm, as many alumni have shared their personal in-spirational experiences about their years at the yeshiva.

Mr. Israel Glaser, chairman of the board of YCQ, announced that the dinner will honor a number of outstanding individu-als and families whose accomplishments have brought much honor and dignity to the yeshiva.

Rabbi Mark Landsman, YCQ’s es-teemed principal, and his wife, Naomi, have been chosen as this year’s guests of honor. Rabbi Landsman is celebrating 12 years of remarkable achievements at the yeshiva. Under his professional leader-ship, the quality of instruction and the student population have grown substan-tially. Thanks to his most creative inno-vations, and the enthusiasm he has in-stilled, YCQ continues to thrive as the premier yeshiva elementary school in Queens. Rabbi Landsman has been bless-ed with the behind-the-scenes support of his wife, Naomi.

Receiving YCQ’s Distinguished Alum-nus Award will be Mr. Eric S. Goldstein, member of the Class of 1973. An outstand-ing leader in the Jewish community for many years, Mr. Goldstein served as a board member of the Ramaz School, chairman of the board of Manhattan Day School, a founding board member of Yeshiva Uni-versity’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education, and president of the Beth Din of America. Recently, Mr. Goldstein was appointed CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, one of the most prestigious po-sitions in Jewish life.

Selected as Parents of the Year are Ron-en and Tanya Nissani. This very special cou-ple has set a beautiful example of educat-

ing their children and devoting themselves to the community, utilizing the traits of chesed and generosity. They are among the founding members of Congregation Anshei Shalom of Jamaica Estates and the Likrat Kallah organization.

The YCQ community will pay tribute to three legacy families who represent the mission and the spirit of the yeshiva. They are the Hametz, Holzer and Rothberg-er families. These multi-generational role model families have been dedicated to YCQ for many years, contributing their wisdom, time and support to enrich the yeshiva.

Mrs. Pearl Cohen and Mrs. Reize Sip-zner, dinner co-chairpersons, said they are delighted to be chairing this wonderful milestone event and they look forward to personally greeting each guest at the din-ner. They requested that everyone sub-mit reservations and congratulatory ads as soon as possible.

For further information, please contact Rabbi Marc Merrill at the alumni offi ce at (718)793-8500 X304, or email us at [email protected], or visit us at www.ycqdinner.com.

Eric Goldstein

Rabbi Mark & Naomi Landsman

Ronen & Tanya Nissani


Sinai Schools Annual Benefi t Dinner Celebrates Inclusion

SINAI Schools held its annual bene-fi t dinner on Sunday, February 28, at the Marriott Glenpointe Hotel in Teaneck, NJ. The ballroom was at capacity, with almost 850 people attending to support SINAI and their unique model of inclusive special ed-ucation.

This year’s honorees were Rena and Jer-ry Barta of Teaneck; Eve and Heshy Feld-man of Englewood; Karen and Rabbi Ste-ven Finkelstein of Bergenfi eld; Rosalyn and Stephen Flatow of West Orange; and An-nette and Jerry Kranson of Fair Lawn. SINAI Schools presented their Community Part-nership Award to Alfred Sanzari Enterpris-es, celebrating 30 years of SINAI dinners at Sanzari’s Glenpointe Hotel.

The moving program included the ded-ication of SINAI’s Bayrish Schreiber Music Therapy Program, and several short fi lms about the issues facing parents of children with special needs. A highlight was the pre-

miere of this year’s feature documentary, “Saving Freddy,” which addresses the top-ic of depression and suicidal ideation in teens on the autistic spectrum. Presenta-tion speeches and fi lms presented at the dinner are available online at https://www.sinaischools.org/2016-dinner-videos.

SINAI partners with inclusive Jewish day schools and high schools throughout

New Jersey to provide both secular and Judaic special education to children with a wide range of disabilities. SINAI cre-ates a completely individualized program for each child based on his or her social, emotional, and academic needs, trans-lating into a 1:2 professional staff-to-stu-dent ratio and several different in-house therapies, with specialists on staff at each

school. The costs SINAI takes on each time they accept a new student are extraordi-narily high. Without signifi cant fi nancial aid, SINAI’s tuition—which is refl ective of SINAI’s own costs---is beyond the reach of the vast majority of families.

For more information, or to make a do-nation, call 201-833-1134 x105, or visit www.sinaischools.org.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Chief Development Offi cer Esti Herman presents Community Partnership Award to Sanzari Enterprises—David Sanzari, President & CEO, and Jerry Barta, VP

Rabbi Wallace Greene with honorees Rosalyn and Stephen Flatow

SINAI Managing Director Sam Fishman with honorees Jerrry and Annette Kranson

Honoree Karen Finkelstein with SINAI Dean, Rabbi Dr. Yisrael Rothwachs

AJ and Leah Schreiber, sponsors of SINAI's Bayrish Schreiber Music Therapy Program Honorees Rena and Jerry Barta

Honorees Rabbi Steven and Karen Finkelstein Honorees Eve and Heshy Feldman

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COMMUNITY NEWS

BERGEN NEWSBRIEFS

Jerusalem Post Selects Steinreich Communications for PR

FORT LEE, NJ—Steinreich Communi-cations Group, Inc., an international pub-lic relations fi rm based in New Jersey, has been appointed public relations consultant to the Jerusalem Post, focusing its efforts on the news organization’s prestigious fi fth annual Jerusalem Post Conference.

The Jerusalem Post is Israel’s lead-ing English language daily newspaper, and has the largest online presence for news and information about Israel and the Jewish world. Its annual conference, which this year takes place May 22, has for the past four years served as the fore-most confab addressing the critical is-sues facing Israel and the Jewish world, bringing together international politi-cal, government, business and academic leaders to address issues of economy, se-curity and peace, among others. Speakers will include Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett, Minister of Justice Aye-let Shaked, former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former director of the Mos-sad Efraim Halevy and Israeli Ambassa-

dor to the UN Danny Danon. They will be joined by a number American politicians and offi cials who will address the confer-ence as well.

“The Jerusalem Post is the iconic brand for news and information about Israel and the broader Jewish world. We are pleased to have been selected to represent them to the global media,” said Steinreich Commu-nications President and CEO Stan Steinre-ich. “The Post’s annual conference is one of the foremost in the pro-Israel commu-nity and is an important event for anyone who supports Israel.”

Steinreich Communications offi ces in Israel and New York are jointly working on the assignment.

Founded in 2003, Steinreich Communi-cations represents some of the world’s lead-ing corporations and consumer brands. It is one of the nation’s fastest growing, full-ser-vice public relations fi rms with offi ces in New York, New Jersey, Washington, Los An-geles, London, Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. Visit www.scompr.com.

NORPAC Hosts Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) at Englewood Event

NORPAC welcomed Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL-22) to an Englewood event hosted by the Gontownik fami-ly. Her district stretches from West Palm Beach through Boca Raton and down to Fort Lauderdale.

Lois Frankel was one of the 25 Democratic mem-bers of the House of Rep-resentatives who voted against the Joint Compre-hensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or “Iran Deal,” dur-ing last year’s heated de-bate over the issue. This event was held partly in recognition of her vote against the deal.

Frankel, raised in New York City to a Jewish fam-ily, has visited Israel sev-eral times. During her speeches on the House fl oor, she has lauded Isra-el’s advancements in ag-riculture, medicine and technology. She has vot-ed in favor of robust funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and for U.S.-Israeli cooperation on anti-mis-sile systems like David’s Sling.

The congresswoman has taken the lead in speaking on the House fl oor in

honor of Israel’s Independence Day and emphasized her unwavering commit-ment to protect Israel and foster U.S.-Is-raeli relations. Most recently, she co-spon-sored bipartisan resolutions expressing

concern over anti-Israel and anti-Semit-ic incitement within the Palestinian Au-thority, and in support of U.S.-Israeli eco-nomic cooperation, respectively.

Congresswoman Lois Frankel is run-ning for reelection in 2016.

From Left: Anne and Jerry Gontownik, Rep. Lois Frankel

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Lyn Cohen:

[email protected] 201-833-1134 x106

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SINAI Schools: Serving children with Learning, Social or Developmental disabilities

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YOUR CHOICE OF TWO DATES AND LOCATIONS:Gain new ideas & approaches

MONDAY, APRIL 4th at 9amSINAI Maor at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School110 South Orange AvenueLivingston, NJ 07039

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30th at 9amSINAI Elementary School at Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey666 Kinderkamack Road · River Edge, NJ 07661

Serving children in grades 1-8 with complex learning disabilities, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and social challenges such as Aspergers.

Job Training Program for Adults With Autism to Host Presentation at Rinat

Congregation Rinat Yisrael will host an informational program for families of adults with autism, in conjunction with the Joy Dew Foundation, on Sunday, March 13 at 8pm. Moish Tov, founder of the founda-tion will give a special presentation about the organization to parents of children with autism and others in the community who would like to learn more about their voca-tional training.

Joy Dew’s mission is to provide high val-ue employment in a supportive environ-ment for adults with all levels of autism. Their focus is on helping to provide a mean-ingful life for autistic adults and their fam-ilies through vocational training programs necessary for them to acquire meaningful long-term employment based upon their unique abilities.

For more information and to RSVP, please email [email protected].

The program is co-sponsored by Yachad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities.

Congregation Rinat Yisrael is located at 389 West Englewood Avenue in Teaneck.

To learn more, visit www.joydew.com.

Broadway Cabaret Night at Fair Lawn Jewish Center March 26

Donna Vivino, the original young Cosette in “Les Miserables” as well as star of such stage hits as “Wick-ed,” “Hairspray” and many others, will star in Broadway Cabaret Night, Satur-day, March 26, at the Fair Lawn Jew-ish Center/Congregation B’nai Isra-el, 10-10 Norma Avenue in Fair Lawn. Doors will open at 8 p.m., with the performance scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m.

With opening act of “Shinhey & Eric,” Broadway Cabaret Night features a complete evening of song topped off by a lavish dessert reception.

Reservations are $36 per person if paid by March 21 and $45 at the door. Sponsorships are available including premium seating. Please mail your check including name, email, tele-phone number and number of tickets to: Fair Lawn Jewish Center/Congre-gation B’nai Israel, Broadway Cabaret Night, 10-10 Norma Avenue, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410. For information, contact BroadwayCabaretNight@fl jc.com or call (201)796-5040.


ESSEX & UNION COMMUNITY NEWS

Room to GrowSSTC’s Expanding Membership a Sign of a Community on the RiseBy Faygie Levy Holt

Michelle Ansel had spent the majority of her life on Staten Island. She grew up there, married there and was raising her fami-ly there. But Michelle and her husband, Ja-cob, decided the time had come to move to a new town and Jewish community.

With a son attending the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston, the town just 20 miles outside of Manhattan was on their list of places to consider, but it was far from the only one.

All that changed when they attended last year’s Discover Suburban Torah Shabbaton.

“The Shabbaton gave us a real, genuine view into exactly what kind of Orthodox community Livingston is. That Shabbos was life-changing for our entire family,” says Mi-chelle Ansel.

The Ansels and their three children, all of whom are now students in Kushner, are just one of a growing number of families who have moved to Livingston in 2015 and joined Suburban Torah Synagogue. In the last year, 10 new families have relocated to the area and made SSTC their home.

“Everyone fi ts in here and everyone knows each other,” says the shul’s religious leader, Rabbi Elie Mischel. “It’s a warm and personal place—everyone knows your kids and you know theirs. But, at the same time, the community is large enough for every-one to fi nd their social circle. It’s a commu-nity with a small-town feel and the bene-

fi ts of being close to New York.”Founded in 1969, the Modern Orthodox

synagogue has all the amenities for a strong Jewish community, including daily minya-nim, shiurim, youth groups and more.

The shul is also home to the popular Iris Berman Early Childhood Center, which of-fers programming for newborns to pre-k, and draws families from neighboring West Orange and beyond. Mikvah Chana, a new, state-of-the-art mikvah, is just a few short blocks away, and across town is the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Ye-shiva High School.

New residents to the community receive breaks on their shul membership and are el-igible for the new “Bonim” tuition package that is currently being offered by the Kush-ner schools. (Other aid packages are availa-ble as well for those who qualify.)

With a wide range of home prices and an easy commute to New York City, Living-

ston is a popular living destination for many young professionals who are ready to settle down and enjoy the suburban lifestyle.

Matt and Shellie Freedman weren’t ex-actly strangers to Suburban Torah when they came to the Shabbaton last year, Matt’s parents had joined the shul when Matt grad-uated from high school, but they were still very pleased by what they discovered.

“We thought everyone was very friend-ly and we were especially impressed by how warm and welcoming the rabbi is. We thought there was great energy when the young families came together, especially at the dessert event at a member’s home,” re-calls Shellie Freedman. “We were expecting a baby at the time, and we enjoyed seeing all the young kids.”

Now the parents of 8-month-old Zach-ary, the Freedmans traded in their Upper West Side residence for a home in Living-ston.

“We like that everyone goes to one shul, rather than the more fragmented communi-ties which you fi nd in other places,” Freed-man says. “We also were attracted to the shul’s nursery school and Kushner Hebrew Academy.”

Indeed, it is the warmth and kindness of its members that stays with people, as a re-cent guest from Israel noted: “I asked peo-ple I knew to tell me about the community and they all said the same thing—it’s a very warm community.”

“My entire family will forever feel grati-tude to the community as a whole and to the members individually,” says Ansel. “We have been welcomed with housewarming gifts, invitations to Shabbos meals almost every week and all throughout the chagim, and so many offers to show us around and run er-rands to help alleviate the stress of settling in. This is defi nitely the best community in the world. We are so lucky to have joined.”

For families who are considering a move and want to fi nd out just why it is that peo-ple are choosing Suburban Torah and Liv-ingston, SSTC will once again be hosting a Discover Suburban Torah Shabbaton for prospective members on April 1-2.

Noting that it’s a great way to get to know the community, Freedman suggests you “keep an open mind, talk to as many people as you can and have a great time!”

Adds Ansel, “If you can pull off a move, this is the community to join. There is ab-solutely nothing bad about living here. We have a brand-new extended family and we all feel extremely blessed!”

To learn more about the Shabbaton, visit www.suburbantorah.org/shabbaton or call 973-994-2620, ext. 221.

SSTC preschoolers enjoying the autumn leaves.SSTC sisterhood event.

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NCSY Mission to New Orleans Demonstrates Strength in CollaborationBy Jill Kirsch

The strength of a Jewish community is evidenced by its commitment to its teens. This is something that Rabbi Ethan Katz, regional director of NJ NCSY, believes very strongly. He strives to ensure that NJ NCSY makes engaging its teens a priority and is hugely gratifi ed to see that local NCSY chapters and partner organizations are fol-lowing suit.

Never has that commitment been more evident than through the recent MetroW-est NCSY Chesed and Leadership Mission to New Orleans. This program was only made possible through a huge collabora-tive partnership among NJ NCSY, MetroW-est Federation, Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center (SSTC) in Livingston and Con-gregation Etz Chaim, also of Livingston. While NJ NCSY helmed the organization and planning of the trip, it could not have

happened without the vital contributions from its partners. In recognition of the many teens from their respective congrega-tions who participated, both SSTC and Etz Chaim contributed to the mission, provid-ing much of the funding to make it happen. The Jewish Federation of MetroWest (Fed-eration) contributed as well, offering gener-ous grants to help defray the cost of the trip for each of the teen participants.

In addition to its monetary contribu-tions, Federation engaged the teens by or-ganizing meetings both prior to the mis-sion and after its conclusion. The initial meeting offered the NCSYers a glimpse into what they would be experiencing while in New Orleans, while the follow-up meeting was a debriefi ng, where the teens shared their recollections and discussed the im-pactfulness of the trip and possible next steps in their involvement in the greater Jewish community. Additionally, each teen

committed to participating in an addition-al Habitat for Humanity program in a lo-cal community and also prepared a written summary of their experiences.

“This was a collaborative effort of mul-tiple Jewish organizations working togeth-er for the benefi t of our teens. That is a beautiful thing,” said Katz. “I am thrilled that we were able to work together in part-nership with Etz Chaim, Suburban Torah and MetroWest Federation, as well as Liv-ingston High School and the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, both of which were more than happy to excuse their student participants to allow them to attend and benefi t from this mission.”

Katz continued, “The teen participants got so much out of this trip. It affected them so positively to be able to work for the betterment of both the Jewish and non-Jewish community in NOLA, and to feel like they truly made a difference in the

shul. Their presence, and the ruach they brought, brightened Shabbos for the Anshe Sfard congregants and the teens felt that very deeply.”

Speaking about the many chesed and leadership missions of this type that NJ NCSY runs, and intends to run, including its other NOLA mission and mission to Omaha, NE, Katz commented, “I look for congregations where our teens can make a difference, shuls whose members may not have seen a teen in attendance for a very long time.”

Katz concluded by tying in the NJ NCSY teen population with the communities these missions serve. “In New Orleans, all denominations have to work very well to-gether; otherwise, the community will not exist. Our missions are also cross denomi-national; we involve Jewish day school and public school students, which only contrib-utes to the success of these trips.”

Rachel Coalition to Feature Tanya Brown at Annual Women to Women Luncheon

Rachel Coalition will host its annual Women to Women luncheon on Tuesday, April 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Wil-shire Grand Hotel, 350 Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, New Jersey. The luncheon will feature a presentation by Tanya Brown, youngest sister of Nicole Brown Simpson. Tanya is involved with The Nicole Brown Foundation which is dedicated to educat-ing communities on strategies for domes-tic violence prevention. Tanya has been featured in PEOPLE Magazine and seen on The Katie Couric Show, Dr. Drew, Lar-ry King Live, Anderson Cooper, The Early Show, The Insider and Inside Edition.

Proceeds from the luncheon support Ra-

chel Coalition, the domestic violence pre-vention division of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey. The mission of the Coalition is to improve the lives of those af-fected by domestic violence by providing a comprehensive and coordinated response to domestic violence in the MetroWest com-munity and the community at large.

A buffet lunch will be served (strict ko-sher dietary laws observed). Registration fee for the event is $60 through March 28 and $70 after that. The program is generously funded by the Florin Education Series Fund. For more information or to register, please call (973)765-9050, ext. 1708. To register on-line, visit www.jfsmetrowest.org.

ESSEX & UNION NEWSBRIEFS

Casino Night and Wine Sale Coming to AABJ&D

Registration is now open for the Casi-no Night and annual Men’s Club wine sale, to be held on March 26 from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Join us for wine tasting, blackjack, craps, roulette, Texas Hold’em, sushi, a wine pull, cash bar, 50/50 raffl e and prizes.

General admission is $36/person, which includes $50 in chips. The Poker Tourna-ment is $100/person and pre-registration is required. Sponsorships are available at the following levels:

Dealer ($180) which includes $180 chips and two drinks

Pit Boss ($360) which includes $360 chips, two drink and one wine pull

High Roller ($500) which includes $500 chips, two drinks and two wine pulls

Register at http://www.aabjd.org/mens-club.html. Register by 3/13 and get a FREE drink coupon. http://www.aabjd.org/mens-club.html

Congregation AABJ&D is located at 700 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ 07052.

Congregation Etz Chaim to Hold Purim Chesed Program

Join the sisterhood of Congregation Etz Chaim and celebrate Purim with the seniors at Federation Plaza, located at 750 Northfi eld Avenue (Next to the JCC MetroWest), on Tuesday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. There will be refreshments, Purim fun and live music with Paul Celler.

Megillah Reading and Luncheon at the Union Y on Purim

On Thursday, March 24, at 10:30 a.m., the YM-YWHA of Union will hold its annual Pu-rim megillah reading followed by a Purim luncheon at 11:30. During the megillah read-ing there will be a children’s program avail-

able, which will feature music by Tuvia Zimber. He will provide the audience with an delightful array of Israeli music, Yiddish classics and popular songs that all can en-joy. Dinner will also be provided,which will include a delicious chicken luncheon in-cluding salad, fruit cup and dessert.

The cost of the luncheon for seniors is $5 for members and $7 for non members.

For families who are “Y” members, the cost is $25 and for guest families, $36. For “Y” adult members the cost is $10 and adult guests are $12 each.

Please call the “Y” and make reserva-tions at (908) 289-8112, ext. 34. All reserva-tions must be made by Tuesday, March 22. This program is open to the community.

Chabad of West Orange to Host Purim Events

Chabad of West Orange invites the com-munity to its grand Purim party, to be held on Wednesday, March 23. The Megillah reading will begin at 7:40 p.m., followed by the party at 8:15 p.m.

Everyone is invited to come in costume and enjoy the DJ and dancing, entertainment by Magic Maurice, food, drink and fun for all.

On Thursday, March 24, all are once again invited to the Chabad of West Orange Purim Seuda, to be held at 5:30 p.m.

Join the Chabad of West Orange family to eat, drink, sing, dance, laugh and have a blast!

The cost of the seuda is $18/person, with a $50/family cap (for families with children under 13).

Please RSVP to www.chabadwestorange.com/donate and note “Purim Feast” in memo.

Both events will be held at Chabad of West Orange, 401 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange.

For more information, contact: (973)325-6311 or email [email protected].

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Areyvut Brings Tikkun Olam Tour to MetroWest Community

In an effort to bring families together to participate in a marathon of kindness, Areyvut, a non-profi t whose mission is to spread core Jewish values, brought their Tikkun Olam Tour to MetroWest.

On Sunday, February 28, The Tik-kun Olam Tour brought together over 40 members of Montclair Jewish Workshop (MJW), a cooperative of parents who pro-vide their children with an understanding of Jewish culture and values through sec-ular education.

The tour began at the Jewish Federa-tion of Greater MetroWest, where partic-

ipants were introduced to Leket, Israel’s largest food bank and food-rescue net-work. After learning about the organiza-tion and its mission to eliminate hunger among Israel’s population, members of MJW decorated bags to be distributed in Israel to those receiving food from Leket.

The Tikkun Olam Tour then led partic-ipants to pay a friendly visit to Lester Sen-ior Housing, an assisted-living communi-ty located in Whippany, NJ. With smiles on their faces, children, parents and sen-iors alike sang songs, shared snacks and enjoyed each other’s company. “Intergen-

erational interaction took place on Febru-ary 28,” said Dyann Savvis, activity assis-tant at Lester Senior housing. “The past and future came together in the present. We hope this will be the fi rst of many for our grateful Lester seniors.”

Finally, participants met with Nick Hudson from the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, a bone marrow and blood stem cell registry that aims to fi nd genetic matches and donors for those in dire need of a transplant. Members of MJW learned about the organization and had the op-portunity to make cards for bone marrow donors and recipients, thanking them for their selfl ess acts of kindness and wishing them speedy recoveries.

The Tikkun Olam Tour is special in that it exposes its participants to various types of volunteering that exist in their commu-

nity and have a great impact on the world at large.

“In one day, we were able to partici-pate in three different levels of tzeda-kah,” said MJW member, Cara Moroze. “On the local level, we connected with residents in elder care. On the nation-al level, we made cards for both donors and recipients of bone marrow and blood stem cells. And on the international lev-el, we made gifts to brighten the day for someone in need in Israel. It was a mem-orable and inspiring experience for my entire family.”

The day of volunteering was a mean-ingful and memorable one for all those in-volved. “My entire family found the day so rewarding,” said MJW member Jennif-er Grisafi . “My son even said, ‘It feels good to do good!’”

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Central Jersey JFS Receives Funds for Groundbreaking Holocaust Survivor Care

Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey (JFSCNJ) was selected to receive a grant from the Jewish Federations of North America through their recent-ly launched Center for Advancing Holo-caust Survivor Care. These grants mark the fi rst time in history that the United States federal government has provid-ed direct funding for Holocaust survivor services. When combined with match-ing funds from the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, this award will enable $341,253 in new programming for survivors in the Central NJ area.

The Jewish Federations of North America launched the Center for Advanc-ing Holocaust Survivor Care in the fall of 2015, following an award from the Unit-ed States Department of Health and Hu-man Services for up to $12 million over fi ve years to advance innovations in per-son-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) ser-vices for Holocaust survivors in the Unit-ed States. PCTI care is a holistic approach to service provision that promotes the dignity, strength and empowerment of trauma victims by incorporating knowl-edge about the role of trauma in victims’ lives into agency programs, policies and procedures.

Of the more than 100,000 Holocaust survivors in the United States, nearly one quarter are aged 85 or older, and one in four lives in poverty. Many live alone and are at risk for social isolation, depression and other physical and mental health con-ditions stemming from periods of starva-tion, disease and torture.

“JFSCNJ provides so many services for the people in need in our communi-ty; there is no greater task than helping our elderly survivors who are in need. As

a second-generation board member, and the child of survivors, I am very proud to be associated with an agency that does so much good work,” said Michael Got-tlieb, past JFSCNJ president and current board member.

“As a child of survivors who were able to come to America and be successful, I feel it is our obligation to help those who survived but continue to struggle on a day-to-day basis,” said Eric Harvitt, board member of JFSCNJ, vice president of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, and a child of Holocaust survivors.

“Taking care of Holocaust survivors, ensuring that they have their physical and emotional needs met, is of the utmost im-portance and a fully attainable goal if we continue to work together,” said Mark Wilf, chair of Federations’ National Holo-caust Survivor Initiative.

“Grantees of the Center for Advanc-ing Holocaust Survivor Care will lead the charge and help prepare the nation’s Ag-ing Services Network to ensure all Holo-caust survivors living below the poverty line have their basic needs met,” said Todd Morgan, vice chair of Federations’ Nation-al Holocaust Survivor Initiative.

The Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care promotes these innovative service delivery models together with the expertise of partner organizations includ-ing the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies and the Claims Con-ference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The grant money is a combina-tion of federal dollars and philanthrop-ic dollars raised by Jewish Federations as part of JFNA’s National Holocaust Survi-vor Initiative, which seeks to raise $45 mil-lion to support the survivor community.


Newcomers Hail Success of the Israel Bonds Rabbinic Delegation TripBy Jill Kirsch

The Israel Bonds Rabbinic Delegation’s trip to Israel has long been a highlight of their rabbinic tenure for those rabbis who choose to participate. This year saw a num-ber of newcomers joining the more sea-soned rabbis and experienced participants. Rabbi Samuel Klibanoff, spiritual leader of Congregation Etz Chaim in Livingston, was one of the leaders of the 29th biennial trip, held in early February.

“The Israel Bonds 29th rabbinic mis-sion was a huge success this year with

many fi rst-time participants. The pro-gram wove together elements of chesed with Yad Eliezer, Limmud with Rabbi Da-vid Stav of Tzohar, and visits to infrastruc-ture sites throughout Israel, including the new Ariel Sharon training base in the Ne-gev and the high-speed rail between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem which is currently un-der construction,” stated Klibanoff as he refl ected on the trip.

“The underlying current of the group was recognizing that our love for Israel brings us all together. We spent our time focusing on our common ground rather than on our differences. This was Jewish unity at its fi nest. It was a privilege for me to chair this trip for such an auspi-cious group of religious leaders,” he con-tinued.

One of the fi rst-timers was Rabbi Josh-ua Hess, spiritual leader for the past seven years of Congregation Anshe Chesed in Lin-den. He was thrilled to be a participant and came away feeling bonded to his fellow

rabbis by the shared goal of supporting the Jewish homeland.

“One of the highlights of the Israel Bonds Rabbinic Council trip to Israel was the fact that it brought rabbis from all over the re-ligious spectrum and from all over North America together for the common goal and purpose of supporting the State of Israel. The camaraderie was phenomenal and it gave me a unique opportunity to pick the brains of the more seasoned rabbis for ad-vice, guidance and counsel,” said Hess.

Rabbi Mendel Solomon, of Ahavat To-rah—Chabad at Short Hills in Short Hills, New Jersey, another fi rst-timer, agreed, say-ing, “We made powerful connections with rabbis from all denominations. Jewish uni-ty and love of Israel brought us together in ways that just cannot happen in the U.S.”

Hess refl ected that “perhaps the most gratifying part of the trip was seeing the Israeli spirit in action. Whether it was lis-tening to Rav David Stav explain to us how Tzohar is helping to bridge the religious di-

vide in Israel, or Professor Rivka Carmel, president of Ben-Gurion University, speak-ing about the Israeli cyber-tech industry or getting a fi rst-hand look at the challenges that had to be overcome in order to build the high-speed train that will take passen-gers from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv in only 30 minutes, it made me pause to refl ect on how far we’ve come and how much more Israel is going to accomplish.”

Solomon added, “I make many regu-lar trips to Israel, but this trip was a totally different experience than any I have had before. We saw fi rst-hand Israel’s struggles, her successes and hopes for the future. We got a true sense of the pulse of Israel in terms of her promise in areas such as fi -nance, cyber technology and religious is-sues.”

For Solomon, the most inspiring part of the trip came when they visited Bnei Netza-rim, on the Gaza/Egypt border.

“That they are able to replant and re-grow crops that were totally destroyed,

and sell them internationally—that is very powerful. It shows us that we, as Jews, must seize every opportunity to rise from adversity,” he said.

In speaking about the contributions Is-rael Bonds has made to the State of Israel, Hess noted that “the $1.2 billion that all of us invested in Israel Bonds this past year helped the State balance its budget, ena-bled Israel to continue funding important urban and infrastructure development pro-jects, and ensured another sizable invest-ment into their high-tech sector.”

Solomon noted, “As rabbis, we all can come back and share what we saw. We can tell our congregants exactly where their dollars go. Israel Bonds helps every facet of Israel’s existence. There is no greater in-vestment.”

Hess concluded by thanking Rabbi Klib-anoff. “I am so grateful that Rabbi Klibanoff recruited me to participate in the trip. He is a respected colleague, a great friend and a marvelous commander in chief.”

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The rabbis packing food boxes for the needy at Yad Eliezer. Rabbis Klibanoff and Solomon with soldiers at the Sharon training base.

Rabbi Samuel Klibanoff , Rabbi David Stav of Tzohar and Rabbi Mendel Solomon

Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot of Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, Rabbi Solomon, Rabbi Hess and Rabbi Klibanoff

The rabbis davening with congregants in the shul in Bnei Netzarim.

The rabbis in a session at Ben Gurion University.

Rabbis Solomon, Klibanoff and Joshua Hess taking a selfi e at the Kotel.


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MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY NEWS

Join the Harmony at Congregation Ohr TorahBy Sharon Mark Cohen

For those considering a move to Middle-sex County, visiting Congregation Ohr To-rah and the surrounding Edison/Highland Park community is a great place to begin. Esteemed Rabbi Yaakov Luban works day and night to make Ohr Torah (OT) a premier Modern Orthodox synagogue. Luban notes that the term “modern” implies engagement with the greater community instead of be-ing somewhat insular and isolated.

Located in Edison, on the Highland Park border, OT is one of eight local Or-thodox shuls, all of which work together to create a strong Jewish community. Now boasting 250 families, OT is composed of a diverse pop-ulation of younger and mid-dle-aged congregants, as well as retirees, all of whom work hard to attract new young families. At OT there are four minyanim on Shabbos, in-cluding a young family min-yan and a youth minyan for teenagers, both of which are always well attended. Addi-tionally, the shul board has a strong representation from the congregation’s younger people, giving them a voice in shaping the shul’s future.

The shul offers monthly classes for retirees, with pro-gramming which includes dynamic speakers and inter-

esting fi lms. OT also offers numerous re-ligious classes and hosts scholars-in-res-idence, appealing to all with its positive environment and harmony with the great-er community. OT congregants are polit-ically minded, with many members who make missions to Washington, D.C., for both NORPAC and AIPAC.

Rabbi Luban says that he learned the art of being a rabbi from his father, Rabbi Mar-vin Luban, the religious leader of Young Is-rael in Forest Hills. The senior Rabbi Luban taught his son the proper way of working with people based on his unique sensitivi-ty, which his son believes has been central to his being a successful rabbi.

Luban works 12-hour days in the city; therefore, an all-volunteer staff keeps OT running during the weekdays. The syna-gogue has three morning and three evening weekday minyanim. Luban attributes the success of OT to the devotion of the people in the congregation as well as its welcom-ing environment.

Edison and Highland Park are part of a community which is under the religious supervision of the Va’ad of Raritan Valley, which has authority over a number of ko-sher establishments in the area. The eight rabbis work in harmony, even speaking at each other’s synagogues on occasion. Luban feels that the vitality of OT is based

on unity within the congre-gation, the community and the rabbis. Currently, OT is interviewing candidates for the position of assistant rab-bi, as the shul has grown to the point where such a posi-tion is warranted.

Speaking about his ear-ly years at Congregation Ohr Torah, Luban remarked that the shul was in its in-fancy when he was look-ing for a pulpit. With his wife, Faigie, by his side, he was hired in 1982 to lead a small shul of only 30-40 families. They were daven-ing in a gymnasium of the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Ye-shiva (RPRY), from which

they rented space. Soon realizing they needed a permanent home, they began the process of gaining municipal approv-al. It took a number of years, according to Luban, to gain said approval and raise the funds to purchase the property across the street from the yeshiva, where the shul has stood for nearly 20 years.

Luban fi nds the rabbinate “a mean-ingful career,” and has used that career to touch the lives of his congregants and, with their help, transform OT into the warm and vibrant synagogue that it is today.Outside view of Congregation Ohr Torah in Edison

Rabbi Yaakov Luban of Congregation Ohr Torah


DAF YOMI WITH RABBI REICHMAN

Weekly Roundup: Gittin 82-88By Rabbi Zev Reichman

The learning is ded-icated le’iluy nishmat Menachem Mendel Ben Harav Yoel David Balk a”h.

This week we learned Gittin 82 through Gittin 88. Here are some highlights:

Gittin 82Later Generations and Earlier Genera-

tionsThe Gemara stated: Come and see

how the earlier generations were unlike the later generations. The earlier gener-ations would bring their produce (into their houses) through the main entrance in order to make them subject to (the ob-ligation of) ma’aser. The later generations would bring their produce (into their houses) by way of their rooftops or stor-age yards in order that they should not be obligated in ma’aser. The Talmud seems to be teaching that as history progresses, later generations typically produce lesser levels of religious commitment. Howev-er, there are exceptions to this rule. Con-sider the following thought raised by Rav Moshe Twersky, may Hashem avenge his murder, in a shiur.

“I saw the following question: If an idolater is coercing a Jew to commit a sin in front of 10 Jewish people, do we say that one of them should run away so the per-son would not be required to give up his life (as the obligation to give up one’s life is only when there are 10 Jews present)? Regarding the person himself, the Ram-bam is clear that if he is able, he must run away.”

Rabbi Twersky was inspired to inquire in the opposite direction: “If there are only nine, and your life is being threatened to get you to sin, can you call out “a tzenter!”?

May you reach out for a 10th person? Is it prohibited to do so? Perhaps it would even be a mitzvah to do so!”

Rav Twersky during his lifetime longed to give up his life al Kiddush Hashem. He thought it would be a mitzvah to deliber-ately create the conditions whereby one would be obligated to give up life to sanc-tify the name of Heaven. His life proved that there were some in later generations who broke the mold of ever lesser levels of commitment and passion. (Daf Notes)

Gittin 83Why a Husband Can Reject a VowRabbi Shimon Ben Elazar argued that

one who creates a prohibition can remove a prohibition, and it is never possible for one person to create the prohibition but for someone else to remove the prohibi-tion. The Gemara challenges this conten-tion. When a person makes a neder, he can go to a sage to remove the neder. The one who made the vow created the prohibi-tion, yet the sage, someone else, removed the prohibition? The Gemara answered based on the lesson of Rav Yochanan that a sage merely gets the person who made the neder to discover that he regretted having ever made the neder. The regret of the one who made the prohibition is the basis of the removal of the obligation. The Gema-ra then asked, but a wife can make a neder and her husband can reject it? Apparently, it is possible for one person, the wife, to create the prohibition, and for someone else, the husband, to remove the prohibi-tion. The Gemara answered with the prin-ciple that Rav Pinchas taught in the name of Rava. Rav Pinchas taught in the name of Rava, when a wife makes a vow, she is committing herself to the vow provided her husband agrees. If the husband reject-ed the vow, that would reveal that she had never meant to take on such an obliga-tion, for her husband did not agree. Thus,

when a husband rejects a vow, it is really the wife who removes the obligation she had placed upon herself.

Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein raised the fol-lowing question: A woman made a vow not to eat meat during the week or Shab-bat, and to only eat meat on Yom Tov. When her husband heard the vow, he re-jected it. She then proceeded to eat meat each Shabbat. Several months later, the husband discovered that his wife had a severe blemish from birth which she had not informed him about prior to the wed-ding. The marriage was annulled without a need for a get. The wife then came with a question, since it had turned out that retroactively she had never been married, perhaps the husband had never had the right to reject her vow? If so, his rejection had never taken place, and the vow had al-ways been extant. Perhaps she needed to engage in acts of penance to atone for the meat she had eaten when she really was not allowed to eat meat on those days?

Rav Zilberstein quoted the view of Darchei David. Gittin 83 teaches that the ability of a husband to annul the vow of his wife stems from the fact that at the time a wife takes a vow, she intends to only commit herself provided her hus-band agrees. Therefore, if at the time of the vow she was married, when she took the vow she intended to make it contin-gent on the approval of her husband. When he rejected the vow upon hear-ing it, it was revealed that the vow never took effect. Even if later it turned out that halachically they were not married at the time of the vow and its rejection, the vow would remain rejected. The husband’s re-jection power stems from the psychol-ogy of a woman who thinks she is mar-ried. A spouse who vows is in fact making a contingent declaration. She is commit-ting herself provided her husband agrees. If at the time of the commitment her hus-

band did not agree, she never wanted to be bound to her vow. At the time of the wife’s vow about meat, she thought she was married; as a result, she made a con-tingent promise. The rejection of her hus-band made the promise not take effect. As a result, the vow never took effect. Even though it eventually emerged that they had not been married at the time, she had thought that she was married, and as re-sult, her vow was conditional and since the man she thought was her husband did not approve, she never wished to be bound by the vow, and the vow never did take effect. (Chashukei Chemed)

Gittin 85Translations of the Torah in the Days of

the TannaimThe Mishnah taught what must be

written in a get to make it a kosher get. The chachamim were of the opinion that the essence of the get requires the sen-tence “Harei at muteret lechol adam—you are permitted to each man.” Rabbi Yehu-da held that it must also state “vedein deye-hevei lichi minai—and this document will be yours from me—sefer teiruchin, v’ig-eret shvukin, vget piturin, limhach lehitnas-ba lechol gevar diyit’tzbayan—a scroll of divorce, a letter of leaving, a get that releas-es, so that you may go and marry any man you wish.” Commentators wondered why Rabbi Yehuda required the language of the get to repeat itself three times. Rav Mendel Kasher in his book “Torah Shleimah” point-ed out that the three terms Rabbi Yehuda required are all found in the classic Arama-ic translations of the Torah.

Rabbi Zev Reichman teaches Daf Yomi in his shul, East Hill Synagogue, 255 Walnut Street in Englewood, NJ, at 5:35 a.m. Monday and Thursday, at 5:45 a.m. Tues-day, Wednesday and Friday, and at 7:45 on Sunday mornings.

MAGGID OF BERGENFIELD

Pekudei: Send in the CloudsBy Larry Stiefel

Shemot 40: 34

Stormin’ Saul Rab-inowitz had been the weatherman on the Secaucus-based local New Jersey television

station for the last 25 years. He was a fi x-ture on their 10 o’clock news program, and people all over the metropolitan area tuned in to hear him say such classic catchphras-es as, “It’s hotter than Hades out there,” or, “It’s colder than a snowball in Siberia.” He once received an award for his “Storm of the Century” coverage in 1995, when he said, “It’s not just raining cats and dogs out-side, it’s hailing cabs” (sorry, I got a little car-ried away), and he could work the weath-erman’s blue screen with the best of them.

Saul was also very popular as a speak-er on the stuffed cabbage circuit. He of-ten appeared at local Jewish events in support of different charities, includ-ing everything from the local UJA Feder-ation and the Jewish veterans, to AIPAC and the Bergen Jewish Save a Pet Founda-tion. The walls of his home in Englewood

Cliffs were lined with plaques from many grateful organizations, and he gladly gave of his time.

Once, on a partly cloudy Monday af-ternoon, with a cool northwesterly breeze wafting in from the northern Highlands, Saul found himself in a synagogue in Ridge-wood, standing in front of a group of Ha-dassah women, speaking about what it was like to be a Jewish weatherman. They ate up his story about how he always tries to downplay the rain in the forecast before Sukkot, and he closed with the story about his lucky galoshes that his rebbe blessed. Then, as was his routine, he opened the fl oor to questions.

A new or unusual question was rare. People often asked him how he trained to be a weatherman, or what it was like to work with some of the celebrities he had shared the news studio with over the years. Occasionally he would fi eld a ques-tion about his son, Rocky Rabinowitz, who was now the handsome young sports re-porter on the station. Diehard Rabinowitz fans might ask him a question from the au-tobiography he wrote a few years back, “A Fan of the Wind: The Saul Rabinowitz Sto-

ry.” There was usually nothing challenging in the group.

Saul called on a girl at the third table on the right who was eagerly raising her hand. Was she the child or the grandchild of the matronly woman sitting next to her? The girl rose from her chair with a big smile on her face.

“Mr. Rabinowitz,” she said breathless-ly, “I’m a big fan of yours. My parents have been watching you for years.”

“Please, call me Saul.”“Um, OK, Saul. My question is a little un-

usual. We’re learning about the Exodus from Egypt in our Chumash class in school, and we’re also learning about the weather in earth science class. So I was wondering, what kind of clouds were the Ananei Hakavod?”

“Excuse me?”“You know, the cloud that led the Jews

in the desert for forty years. As a weather-man, I thought you might know what kind of cloud it was. I know there are all kinds of clouds out there.”

Saul stared at the girl.“What’s your name, young lady?”“Avital. Avital Magen.”“Hmm. Avital Magen, that is a very un-

usual question. I’m not sure there’s an easy answer, but if anyone can help you, I im-agine it would be a somewhat observant

Jewish meteorologist. Someone get me a Chumash.”

One of the women went to the sanctu-ary and came back with a Chumash. Saul opened it to Parshat Pekudei and read the text in earnest.

“Let’s see. It says here that the cloud rested on the Tabernacle, so that would mean it was a low-level cloud. I would have to say a cumulus. That would make it dark on the bottom and bright on the top, and kind of shaped like a cotton ball.”

Saul turned to Avital. “Does that sound right?”

“I guess,” Avital said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Still, it says the cloud would rise up off the Mishkan. That might make it a high-al-titude cloud, like a cirrus. They can often be bright white in color, and I imagine that’s what the cloud in the desert would have looked like. Do you follow what I’m saying, Avital?”

“Sure, Saul,” Avital said unconvincingly.“Then again, it would move with them

on their journeys, so I imagine it would be a fast-moving cloud, something like a stra-tocumulus. Do you see what I mean?”

“Uhuh,” Avital said.

CONTINUED ON P. 35


SEPHARDIC CORNER

A Spirited Debate at Congregation Shaarei Orah—Apple vs. The FBI

By Rabbi Haim Jachter

A spirited debate erupt-ed at Congregation Shaa-rei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, this past Sunday. I dedi-cated our Sunday morning

post-Shaharit shiur to the raging argument regarding the FBI’s demand from Apple that it create a program to break into the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter. As expected, addressing this issue touched off a lively dis-cussion from which I have the pleasure to share its highlights with you in this column.

On the one end, Halacha certainly agrees with the Supreme Court’s celebrat-ed 1965 decision (Griswold vs. Connecticut) asserting that the Constitution guarantees a right to privacy. The Torah strictly forbids lashon hara and rechilut (slander and gos-sip), and rabbis throughout the world and throughout the generations follow the ster-ling example set by the Hafetz Haim to re-mind their constituents of the importance of adhering to these precepts. Moreover, the halacha forbids us from repeating in-formation shared with in privacy unless one is specifi cally authorized to repeat the information. This halacha is derived from the pasuk that appears the most frequently in the Torah—“Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe leimor” (Hashem told Moshe to say). With-out Hashem explicitly permitting Moshe Rabbeinu to share that which He told him,

Moshe would have been forbidden to tell us what he heard from Hashem.

The primary value of privacy in Jewish life is what stirred none other than Bilaam to proclaim “Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov” (how goodly are thy tents, O Jacob). Rashi, quoting the Gemara that appears in Ma-sechet Bava Batra, explains that Bilaam was struck by the fact that the doors and win-dows of Jewish homes did not face each other, allowing each family its privacy and dignity. Hezeik re’iyah (infringing on one’s privacy) occupies the fi rst major discussion in the great Masechet Bava Batra and con-stitutes an actionable tort in Jewish Law. Thus, under normal conditions, the gov-ernment enjoys no right to intrude into the privacy of one’s computer, phone or any other aspect of one’s personal domain.

However, I cited Hacham Ovadia Yosef who in his Teshuvot Yehave Da’at requires a physician to a report a patient who ex-periences uncontrolled epileptic episodes to the department of motor vehicles. Ha-cham Ovadia believes that the public in-terest to protect motorists from horrifi c incidents outweighs the patient’s right to privacy. Parenthetically, we noted that civ-il law in this country might prohibit a phy-sician from following this ruling, and vio-lation might result in the revocation of the doctor’s medical license.

Thus, I argued that the government obli-gation to protect the public from terrorists enjoys priority over the right to privacy and

that Halacha would fi nd in favor of the Jus-tice Department and the FBI. I argued that this is especially so in light of the Mishnah in the second chapter of Sanhedrin which states the king (i.e. legitimate government) enjoys the right to “poretz geder,” break down barriers, in order to construct a road needed by the community (the right of eminent domain). Similarly, in its waging war against terrorism, the government has every right to break the codes and enter the computer of the San Bernardino shooter in order to best serve the public.

My argument triggered a variety of re-sponses. Our respected Rav Dr. Michael Chernick (whose deep thoughts are valued by a very broad constituency) offered his opinion that denial of the right to privacy is tantamount to depriving a person of his dignity and destroying a person. Thus, he

believes that the government should nev-er trample upon the privacy rights of indi-viduals due to its devastating and deleteri-ous impact. Our respected president Joel Mizrahi (a highly regarded computer spe-cialist) noted that developing a program to open a locked computer could have po-tentially disastrous long-term impact. He noted that once such technology is de-veloped it can easily slip into terrorists’ hands, who could use the information to penetrate the fi les of the armed forces of Western nations.

This rich discussion may not immedi-ately resolve the ethical and legal quanda-ry of Apple vs. the FBI, but it does illustrate the eternal vibrancy and relevance of our halachic system which provides us with all the necessary infrastructure to resolve any and all dilemmas that have arisen in our time and will ever arise in the future.

Rabbi Haim Jachter is the rabbi of Congregation Shaa-rei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck.

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“Then again, if you were going for pure majesty in a cloud, I would say it should be something high and puffy, like a cu-mulonimbus. That would certainly look beautiful hovering over the Mishkan, wouldn’t you say?”

Saul looked up from his Chumash and noted that Avital and all the Hadassah women in the room were looking at him with blank stares. He smiled.

“I guess no one cloud would fi t the bill entirely, Avital. These Ananei Haka-vod would have to be miraculous to do everything they had to do. They would be cirrostratocumulonimbus clouds. I guess sometimes science just doesn’t have the answer. Let’s call it a ‘deio cloud,’ a cloud of God. Does that answer your question?”

“It certainly does,” Avital said. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Saul said, turning back to the group, “would anyone like to hear about the time it snowed 6 inches on Yom Kippur?”

Pekudei: Send in the Clouds CONTINUED FROM P. 34

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TORAH MUSINGS

Rabbis Are People TooBy Rabbi Gil Student

The New York Times surprised many readers on February 20, when it published a human-in-terest story about a weekly tennis game among three rabbis and

a judge that has been ongoing for about 45 years. Judge Alvin Hellerstein and Rab-bis Haskel Lookstein, Michael Shmidman and Jonah Kupietzky—all in their 80s—play and joke around with each other on a Manhattan tennis court. This story is not just about comradeship among the surpris-ingly active elderly. It is about humanizing authority fi gures, breaking leaders down to a common experience.

In today’s age of massive distrust of leadership, we revel in reminders that peo-ple in positions of authority are really the same as the rest of us. They put on their pants one leg at a time and hang out with friends just like everyone else. This story is newsworthy because it celebrates the hu-manity of leaders in an attempt to remove their authority. Implied in the narrative is that they are just like us so why do we have to care what they say?

There is no denying the ordinary as-pects of leaders. They eat and sleep like the rest of us. They entertain doubts and wor-ry about the future. However, good leaders have specifi c training and skills that ena-ble them to serve the community. Even if we all share certain aspects of life, we do

not share every talent and experience. I’m pretty sure that Rav Moshe Feinstein could not do my job because I have very specifi c training and experience that he lacked. He probably could not have written this arti-cle because his English skills were limited. Likewise, I cannot fi ll his position because I lack both his genius and his vast immer-sion in Torah learning that are require-ments for his role.

I am far from advocating gadol wor-ship. Rav Moshe was a human being, with his own fl aws and achievements. He had his own personality, with many unique traits that distinguished him from his col-leagues, students and followers. He rose to a position of leadership because of his re-markable Torah expertise and his excep-tional religious and interpersonal behavior. Accomplished Torah scholars would not have asked him questions if they had not respected his ability to answer, and they would not study his responsa today if they did not fi nd important insights in them. He earned respect and even deference, despite being a person.

How do we balance the respect ac-corded to a Torah scholar with his obvi-ous humanity? In the past, the human aspect—the normalcy—was taken for granted and generally ignored. Stories are told of the Chafetz Chaim’s greatness, not his ordinariness. This path risks for-getting the Torah scholar’s humanity, af-fording him a superhuman stature, as has happened in some circles today. In oth-er circles, the pendulum has swung in

the other direction and people are em-phasizing the human frailty of rabbis as a means of detracting from their scholarly accomplishments. Rabbi Dovid M. Cohen offers a middle path.

R. Cohen’s new book, “We Are Almost There,” tells stories from his own life about his personal and career challeng-es. After years of successful work as a law-yer but unsuccessful years of dating, he fi nally found his match and changed ca-reers in a whirlwind story that will bring tears to your eyes. All along, he, of course, had doubts and fears that he shares with readers. When his special needs child was born, new emotions arose but Rabbi and Mrs. Cohen learned to adjust and de-light in their new child. This is a very per-sonal story, not just biographical but psy-chological and emotional—the thoughts and feelings that accompany, and some-times overwhelm, the author throughout his journey.

However, the personal story of this rab-bi—until recently the rabbi of the Young Is-rael of the Upper West Side—adds, rather than detracting, from his rabbinic position because it includes more than his frailties. R. Cohen also discusses his rabbinic train-ing. He studied under the Torah giant Rav Dovid Lifshitz, apprenticed under two lead-ing rabbis—Rav Benjamin Yudin and Rav Emanuel Gettinger, and developed close teacher-student relationships with two im-portant educators—Rav Ari Waxman and Rav Moshe Weinberger. You become an ex-pert by training under experts.

A rabbi learns his trade by studying and doing. R. Cohen shares with us his fears and accomplishments—the fi rst time he com-forted a family mourning a tragic death and how that informed his future activities. “You can never be fully prepared for some-thing like this, but the experience years ago alerted me to the potential issues and in-tricacies.” In addition to his yeshiva stud-ies, his experiences as a leader have trained him to occupy the position. R. Cohen’s per-sonal interactions with experienced men-tors prepared him to succeed as a leader. For example, he relates how Rav Gettinger “used a verse we were learning together to scold me and remind me about what top-ics are better left unaddressed in a public forum,” affording R. Cohen a lesson in both how to rebuke and how to preach.

In his controversial biography of his father, “Making of a Godol,” Rav Nos-son Kamenetsky tells how an elderly Rav Chaim Soloveitchik once visited Kovno for a snowy Shabbos. Some young stu-dents from the nearby Slabodka yeshi-va walked through the raging blizzard to get a glimpse of the famous Torah giant. They entered the house where Rav Chaim was staying. Rav Chaim said to them, “You came to see so you see, a poshuter mentch (plain person),” in an effort to dis-pel the superhuman myth. Yes, he was just a mensch, but what a mensch he was. In R. Dovid Cohen’s book we learn that he, too, is just a mensch, but a mensch with insight and experience, someone trained to teach and lead the community.


EDUCATION

‘A Person Is a Tree of the Field’By Wallace Greene

The quote above is from Deuteronomy 20:19. Homiletically and exegetically, people are like trees. Kind people offer shelter and feed others, trees provide not only sustenance

but fuel and homes and objects. Teachers, especially, are very much like trees since they give so much of themselves. Shel Sil-verstein’s famous children’s book, “The Giving Tree,” depicts the relationship be-tween a boy and an apple tree in simple line drawings. The apple tree continues to give and give to the boy until the boy is an old man, until at the end, all the apple tree can offer is its tree stump for the old man to sit upon for comfort.

In a recent article, Rachel Raz and Linna Ettinger write about “The Giving Tree and the Giving Educator.” Many have praised the book for portraying unconditional pa-rental love. Others have criticized the book for the obvious absence of gratitude on the part of the boy. The boy never says “thank you” to the tree.

In many ways, teachers in our com-munity are like the “giving tree” in Shel Silverstein’s book. Our educators give their time, resources and emotional ener-gy to their students. While their extraor-dinary efforts may be recognized with a small gift at Chanukah and at the end of the year, our community continues to de-mand more and more from our teachers while their salaries remain at a level that requires supplemental income in order to survive independently.

No one becomes a teacher to get rich. These individuals, both male and female, are dedicated, passionate, talented and al-truistic. They have marketable skills that could bring them a comfortable income in the “real world.” They do what they do because they believe that proper ed-ucation of our children is the best guar-antee of a Jewish future. We all want the

same thing…in theory. We go to the “best” doctors and surgeons, we fi nd the ”best” decorator or real estate broker, and we search for the “best” caterers and fl orists. Cars, clothing, shoes, restaurants, hand-bags, vacation spots, etc. all bespeak qual-ity and top dollar.

When was the last time you heard someone brag about having the highest paid teachers in New Jersey? We want the best for our children but we don’t want to pay for it. Some of our most talented teachers are going into fi elds where they can earn enough to live in the community where they teach. Even worse is the situation where superstar teachers become administrators to earn a living wage, thus eliminating great teachers from the classroom.

There are those who argue that teachers get paid all year for essentially 10 months

of work, plus they get off for all religious and secular holidays as well. This might be a compelling argument, except that teach-ers do not just clock out at the end of the day. There are papers to grade, reports to read, lesson plans to prepare, phone calls to parents, emails to students, profession-al enrichment, etc., every night! Many are also involved in clubs and extracurricular activities. Teachers look forward to sum-mer vacation to prepare for the coming year. Not to mention that most teachers purchase items for their classrooms out of their own pockets. Their schedule is often equivalent to what fi rst- and second-year law associates do—without the equiva-lent remuneration.

It is challenging to always be able to present material that is fresh and stimu-lating, while taking into consideration dif-ferent learning abilities in the classroom. Making the holidays come alive year af-ter year is demanding work. Creative pres-entation of literature, history, Chumash and Gemara is a constant challenge. Mak-ing math interesting and comprehensible is a skill. Coming up with new crafts pro-jects is also not a simple task. Classroom management for rambunctious students with an infl ated sense of entitlement pos-es yet another challenge. And yet, if our child presents any problem, who gets the brunt of the criticism?

This is a long way from the time when teachers were truly given the respect that they deserve. Once upon a time, teachers were respected and honored. Today, teach-ers need to earn that respect from parents who wouldn’t last fi ve minutes in a middle school classroom.

Day schools cannot compete with the various professions in terms of salaries. Day school tuition is already expensive even for those who are making “good” sal-aries, even when both parents are work-ing. Yet, the teaching profession, in our tradition, represents the highest calling and we must treat our teachers accord-ingly. What, then, can be done to offer appropriate compensation with dignity? Straight salary increases are not feasi-ble. However, the following suggestions can be implemented, although they may also affect the bottom line. Bear in mind, however, that the benefi ts of attracting and retaining quality teachers will have far-reaching effects that outweigh some near-term defi cits. (All of these ideas are based on actual implementations in vari-ous schools in North America.)

1. Offer full medical/dental coverage to F/T teachers.

2. Offer full tuition rebates for F/T teachers.3. Offer full tuition rebates at another

school for F/T teachers.4. Offer to pay for local synagogue dues

and JCC membership.5. Offer to subsidize summer camp.6. Offer free medical, dental, account-

ing and legal services from parents in these fi elds.

7. Obtain faculty discounts from local butchers, appetizing stores, bakeries, cater-ers, etc.

8. Offer life and disability insurance (purchased from brokers who will donate back their commission).

9. Offer interest-free loans to help with down payments on a home.

10. Offer to match pension contribu-tions.

We have the means to provide a digni-fi ed lifestyle for the teachers in our commu-nity. These are the people who spend more time with our children than parents. They are the role models in whose care we place our children daily. They mold our children as much or perhaps even more than we as par-ents. We, as a community, have the creative wherewithal to do this. We have the capaci-ty to make Bergen County the destination for the best teachers in America. Our children de-serve the best teachers, and we need to pro-vide our treasured educators with the means to focus on our children instead of on how to supplement their income.

[The opinions expressed here are sole-ly those of the writer and do not refl ect the thinking of any organization with which he is affi liated.]

Rabbi Dr. Wallace Greene is a veteran educator who has been a day school principal, bureau head, and school administrator. He is currently the executive director of the Shulamith School in Brooklyn.

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CHESED

An Open Letter From a Grateful Bergen County Mother

As I sit down to write this letter, cof-fee in one hand, pen in the other, I take a moment and listen to the silence. The silence in my home is a contented one, marked by my twins’ even breathing, but it takes me back to a time when the si-lence in my home was heavy, empty and dark. It was a silence magnifi ed by the lack of wholesome kids’ squabble, a tod-dler’s pitter-patter or an infant’s soft bab-ble. But more than the silence I remember the loud questions. “So, how many chil-dren do you have?” (None!) “Do you have any children?” (No!) “Oh, so who’s looking after the baby?” (What?! What baby? No baby…) or “You wouldn’t believe what my baby did today… oh, she’s just so adora-ble…”

I was in the midst of a long and painful jour-ney toward meriting a child of my own. I didn’t mind the physical pain, it came and went. What I minded was how people related to me. This was a lot more painful than needles of any size. I have learned (the hard way) that asking questions, inquiries and even providing too much information can sometimes be very hurtful. If you’re not sure what stage in life the person you’re talking to is at, don’t as-sume anything! And don’t ask unneces-sary questions just for the sake of conver-sation and small talk.

In my late twenties I married my hus-band, and we happily started off the fi rst year of our marriage, not dreaming that, for us, the waiting game was not yet over.

It was after a couple of years of mar-riage that we made the decision to turn to Bonei Olam, an organization that assists childless couples. Bonei Olam walked us through every little step of the way. My fears and questions were met with reassurance and guidance. When I was uncertain how to proceed or where to turn next, I was just one phone call away from getting all the an-swers I needed.

One example of the amount of chesed this organization does/did for me is demonstrated in the following story.

My husband and I were sitting in the hospital discussing the next stage in our medical treatment with our doctors. As the discussion developed, it became clear that I would have to start a new treatment that very evening. My panic slowly be-gan to rise. I was in the middle of a work-ing day! There was no way I would have enough time to call my insurance com-pany, get the approval for purchasing the appropriate medication and fi nd a phar-macy that had this type of medication in stock (since most of them, understanda-bly, do not)!

The panic levels reached new heights when the nurse quoted the cost of this specifi c procedure (which not one insur-ance company in this country covers). What to do? The nurse was waiting for an answer. If I said no, there goes anoth-

er month—and I was not getting young-er. My husband was getting more nerv-ous by the minute. “How can we possibly afford this?” he kept repeating. “And even if we could, how in the world are we go-ing to get the medication before tonight? I’m sorry but I think it’s just impossible…” But I was determined not to lose another month—I’d wasted enough time! As I was pulling out my phone to call my counse-lor at Bonei Olam, the phone rang with none other than my counselor, Moishe, on the line. “Don’t worry,” he said. I just spoke with Rabbi Bochner and he de-cided that this whole treatment will be

funded by us. Don’t delay an-ything due to fi nancial

constraints; it has all been taken care of.”

“Thank you so much, Moishe,” I answered, “but I’m supposed to begin the treatment to-night and there is no way I can get the medi-

cation on time.”“Not to worry,” said

Moishe, “call this pharmacy in Boro Park and they will sort it out.” And

that’s exactly what happened. Not only did they have the medication I need-ed but it was deliv-ered straight to my door (which is not in the proximity of

Boro Park)!The amount of chesed Bonei Olam

provides knows no bounds! How could I possibly feel alone in my struggle? The amount of support, advice and assistance that my husband and I received from them is what enabled me to keep my head up and remain hopeful during this bitter and painful saga.

After many procedures and heart-rending tefi llos, Hashem blessed us with twins!! We fi nally experienced the inde-scribable joy of their tiny fi ngers curling around our own. Every day we bask in the warmth of their smiles and the sweet sounds they bring forth, as they learn to crawl and discover the great big world that is our home. But each day, as they grow, so does my ache for those who are still waiting, those waiting for the sounds that have become so dear to me.

I take this opportunity to appeal to you. Please, help Bonei Olam. Bonei Olam is an organization that eases the fi nan-cial burdens associated with infertili-ty and tries to cover the costs of testing and treatments. The costs of testing and treatment are sky high. It can cost any-where from $15,000 to $35,000 for a full IVF treatment and other treatments begin at $40,000 and upwards. Many childless couples do not have the funds to invest in this kind of treatment. They remain child-less, and hoping all along that some mira-cle will happen and enable them to afford this kind of treatment. Please, be their miracle!

Please open your hearts to give to Bonei Olam and together we will open the gates of Shamayim.

CONTINUED ON P. 40


HUMOR

Smile for the CameraBy Banji Latkin-Ganchrow

Big Brother is watch-ing. There are cameras everywhere. There are traf-fi c cameras at red lights

and crosswalks, security cameras around people’s homes, cameras in malls and su-permarkets...they are all over the place. There to keep us safe, to send us unwant-ed tickets and to make sure we aren’t steal-ing the kosher turkey that we should be en-titled to, but never are.

And then there are the more obvious cameras, the ones that are taking pictures at weddings and bar mitzvas, the ones that are on people’s phones as they snap away selfi es and other milestones of the human race. Then there are the televi-sion cameras. These cameras bring us the news, good and bad, and if they get the right shot, they help teach us a valuable lesson. What is that lesson? Keep a smile

on your face or you will pay the conse-quences. Let’s explore further.

Knowing full well that many of you do not agree with me, I am still proud to say that I am a fan of Chris Christie. Stop booing.. OK, I will wait. Are you done? OK. Yes, I am a fan of Christie. This has more to do with his struggle with his weight than his actual political beliefs, but that is neither here nor there. Someone, some-where, had it in for him, Bridgegate hap-pened and his presidential dreams were dashed with doom and gloom. I was sad because I thought he could do great things for the country. I was also sad because it ap-pears that he is not taking advantage of his weight loss surgery. I am also sad because he has recently endorsed the joke-of-a-can-didate, otherwise known as Donald Trump (that actually hurt to write). In any event, the other night, Christie was standing be-hind his candidate and the camera caught him making weird faces at the back of

Trump’s head. It was pretty funny, but then the media turned it into a whole “what was he thinking?” segment. And he proba-bly was thinking all of the things they men-tioned. “So that is how his hair stays on.” “I can’t believe I have to vote for this guy.” “When will it be my turn?” And, my person-al favorite, “How did he eat all that pasta and not gain an ounce?” So the lesson here is don’t make weird faces at the man run-ning for president. If you think you might, stand next to him, not in back of him. Life lesson.

This brings us to Bill Clinton. Have you seen his facial expressions as he looks at Hillary? Oy. Oy. Oy. It looks like a man who might just be thinking of all of the interns who have been in and out of his offi ce. It is painful. Why can’t he just gaze at her with love and pride? Oh, I get it...no love and “Re-ally Hillary? You haven’t emasculated me enough?” There you go. Someone needs to talk to Bill.

And now for the segment about us regu-lar folk. It you sit on the aisle at a wedding, chances are, you are going to be caught on camera. Please remember to sit appropri-ately with your legs crossed. Just saying.

When dancing in the big circle, remem-ber pictures are being taken. Just smile. Do not whisper something to the person next to you, do not make a face at the person’s dress in front of you, just smile. When you go into the middle of the circle to dance with the host of the simcha, keep smil-ing. No eye rolling, no “I would rather be at home in my pajamas” face, just smile. If you are not used to smiling, which, un-fortunately, many of you aren’t, practice at home. Because when the proofs come back, we know which ones of you ran out early, we know who was not happy with their table, we know who is being cut from the next list. So just SMILE!

Yes, there are cameras everywhere. So put on some decent clothes, run a comb through whatever hair you have and put on a happy face—because you never know who is watching!

Banji Ganchrow is seriously considering running for president. It cannot get much worse, so she feels it might be worth a shot.

Bonei Olam is a not-for-profi t organiza-tion renowned for providing fi nancial sup-port to childless couples enduring the ago-ny of infertility. Bonei Olam offers a variety of programs to assist with various forms of infertility including fertility assistance, ad-vanced genetic testing and research, fertility medication, insurance coverage and advoca-cy, high-risk pregnancy care, Bonayich inter-est-free loan program, Bonei Olam without Borders, Embrace-a-Child Adoption Program and cancer fertility preservation.

Except for its minimal offi ce staff, the en-tire operation is run and managed by volun-teers. Virtually every dollar raised is directly applied to medical help. More importantly, these dollars work. To date, Bonei Olam has helped bring over 5,800 new babies into the world, providing joy, fulfi llment and a sense of restored purpose and serenity to hundreds of couples around the globe. And these pre-cious babies provide a most heartfelt realiza-tion to those who are not yet blessed with a child of their own that miracles do happen!

Please join us and show your support for the Bergen County for Bonei Olam event on Sunday March 20, 2016, at Keter Torah 600 Roemer Ave Teaneck NJ. Enjoy a lavish meat buffet by Five Star Caterers and be enter-tained by master mentalist and Magician Oz Pearlman. Your support will have a dramat-ic impact on the lives of local Bergen Coun-ty couples. To learn more about Bonei Olam, please check out our website at www.bonei-olam.org.

An Open Letter From a Grateful Bergen County Mother

CONTINUED FROM P. 38

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HUMOR

A Boring SurpriseBy Mordechai Schmutter

Recently, scientists made an interesting dis-covery about boredom. Apparently, there is so lit-tle left for scientists to do

that they’re down to discovering new types of boredom.

“Ooh, look! There’s another!”“What? Sorry, I drifted off.”I should mention that this study took

place in Germany.See, when they began the study, they

thought there were four types of boredom. But while they were studying them, they came upon a fi fth type. This is the kind of thing that happens when you study bore-dom. By the end of the study, most of the researchers had changed career paths.

They also published a paper that no one has been able to get through in one sitting.

Scientists have been theorizing since the 1930s that there were many different types of boredom. But no one cared. Fi-nally, about seven years ago, study author Dr. Thomas Goetz and his team began looking into the effects of boredom on everyday life. The only downside is that they have no one to talk to at parties, be-cause they start talking about boredom, and people keep making excuses to jump out the window.

Basically, the scientists, after a lot of discussion, decided to classify the various types of boring by how they make people react and how they make people feel.

For example, the fi rst type of boredom is Indifferent Boredom. That’s when you’re bored, but you don’t really care that you’re bored. It doesn’t bother you. It’s like when you’re nodding when someone’s talking about something boring, but you’re still laughing periodically and saying, “Yeah,” while hoping they’ll be done quickly. It’s like hanging out with your grandmother. Or it’s like when you go to your fi fth kid’s siddur play.

Yeah, yeah, I know how it ends. He gets a siddur. “Spoiler alert.”

The second type, Calibrating Boredom, is where your thoughts start wandering to other things, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to actually do those things. It’s kind of like when you tell your kid to get in paja-mas, and he doesn’t hear you, even though he’s right there. He’s thinking about lolli-pops. Or like when your wife is telling you what she needs you to do, and you’re think-ing about what you need to do after your wife stops talking.

The third type, Searching Boredom, leaves you “actively seeking out specifi c ways of minimizing feelings of boredom.” Searching boredom is what makes you look through the fridge 10 times when you’re not hungry to see if new food has materialized since the last time you looked in the fridge.

The fourth type of boredom is Reac-tant Boredom, which is so bad that it gets people “to leave the boredom-induc-ing situation and avoid those responsi-ble for this situation.” Basically, reactant boredom is hating school, because even

though it’s where your friends are, it’s also where your teachers are. You can al-ways hang out with your friends outside of school, but your teacher doesn’t sud-denly continue his lecture every time he sees you on the street. (“There are MORE kinds of math problems? I didn’t even like the ones I knew about!”)

So the fi fth boredom, which they just discovered, is being called “Apathetic Bore-dom.”

They discovered this as the result of a two-week study. I don’t want to go into all the boring details of the study here, but I think we have to. So hold on to something.

To conduct the study, scientists brought in volunteers and told them to wait in a lit-tle room for the study to begin. Then the scientists stood behind glass and watched them. For two weeks straight.

Okay, that’s not what happened, be-cause if it did, everyone would’ve experi-enced the same kind of boredom. So in-stead, they studied people for whom boredom is a part of their everyday lives—teenagers. Students.

OK, students learn important things, but the point is they don’t want to. They’re like a baby you want to feed peas to, and he keeps turning his head, so you’re sticking the spoon in his ear. Except that with stu-dents, you’re aiming for the ears. But they keep turning their heads. So you get the knowledge all over their faces and clothing and they fl ing some of it back in your face, but none of it gets in their ears. Most of it ends up on the fl oor.

The researchers gave 143 students a small electronic device which went off ran-domly about six times a day. At that point, the students would have to fi ll out a ques-tionnaire about what they were in middle of doing and how they were feeling about it. If they reported boredom, they were then asked how it felt to be bored. Which is kind of like when people walk up to a kid at a bar mitzvah and go, “How does it feel to be bar mitzvah?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been a teenager for fi ve seconds. Boring, I guess.”

And it turns out that 36 percent of high school boredom is actually Apathetic Bore-dom.

Apathetic Boredom is what the re-searchers defi ne as “learned helplessness,” where you do what you have to because you see no way out. Basically, it’s realizing that the only way you can have a small elec-tronic device on school grounds is if you take a pop quiz six times a day.

But we defi nitely need to know the vari-ous types of boredom. As Goetz said, “For par-ents, it is very important to know what types of boredom their children experience.” So when our kids are bored, we can ask them what type of bored they are, and how it makes them feel, thereby teaching them a les-son about telling us that they’re bored.

Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a hu-mor columnist for Hamodia, The Jewish Press and Aish.com, among others. He also has four books out and does stand-up comedy. You can contact him at [email protected].


MEMOIR

The Fight of My LifeBy David S. Weinstein

How do I write a story about a fi ght that I had when I was a young student? I was insulted and attacked in front of my entire class by a... I’ll reserve the name-calling for someone else. I took that personal attack as a challenge which I accepted.

In life, there are times that we must ac-cept a challenge and fi ght for a cause that is just. The Bible is fi lled with such fi ghting and battles, and the men who fought them were the heroes of that time. Our young children, to this day, know the names of those heroes.

I am far removed from the likes of a hero, but I had good reason to defend my-self and even have nekama for what was done to me. My story depicts precisely what happened and is 100 percent true!

When I came home that day and told my parents about the fi ght, the immediate response from my mother was: “Why are you fi ghting!” It was like she heard noth-ing of what I said, but my father waited un-til we were alone in the next room where he looked at me smiling without saying a word and shook my hand vigorously and hugged me... And now for the story:

We had just moved to Connecticut be-cause my father’s new job was there. I was about 16 years old, and I was in my new school for about a week. Everything was unfamiliar and different for me, much dif-ferent than my high school in Brooklyn. The teachers, the subjects, my new class-mates and even their accent was differ-

ent, but especially an encounter which was about to happen.

My fi rst subject in the morning was al-gebra and I sat in the end row near the door in the third seat back. It was the fi rst time I ever remember being seated so close to the front of the class. I was 6 feet tall, which is why I was always given a seat in the back so as not to block anyone’s view.

The class was almost over and the teach-er had instructed us to read some pages in the text for our homework assignment, when he saw someone he knew at the door and went outside to talk to her. I wasn’t sure of the last page that he told us to read, so I gently tapped the shoulder of the per-son in front of me and asked him polite-ly, “What was that last page he told us to read?” He slowly turned around, sneering at me, and said, “What do you wanna know for, JEW BOY?” My immediate reaction was to stand up from my seat. I didn’t know how to respond to this, nor did I want the trouble that this could bring. The teacher was right outside the door and heard noth-ing. My thoughts were, “I just began this new semester a week ago, and now I have this.” While I stood there contemplating, he suddenly slapped me across the face. I was stunned. I took the slap holding back my active response, and with eyes on fi re I said to him, “I’ll meet you at 3 o’clock at the statue in front of the school; you be there or I’ll come and get you!”

Everyone in the class saw and heard everything except the teacher; he was still talking outside. No one ever accosted me or

tried to bully me. My demeanor was always one of strength and confi dence. This guy was either blind or stupid!

I went to my next class and a fellow named Santo, who was friendly because he and I were in some of the same classes to-gether, said to me that he knew him and that he was on the football team and didn’t hesitate pushing people around. He said, “Be careful, he’s tricky! I hope you win!”

I couldn’t concentrate in my next class so I asked to go to the men’s room, where I just stood gathering my thoughts. I was de-termined to get even with him for that slap in the face and to show him what a “Jew Boy” can do.

I had absolutely no fear of him in my mind. He was shorter than me and stocky and he acted as if he was super strong, and now I know he’s tricky, whatever that means. I kept excusing myself in all my classes and going to the men’s room.

I proved who I was in my gym class in Brooklyn and I knew my strength, but there was one thing that I feared and kept think-ing over and over the whole time, and that was that I might kill him when I hit him, and I didn’t want to do that. My reasoning fi -nally made me understand that this sort of thinking will lose me this fi ght, so I psyched myself into knowing that I will not kill him no matter how hard I hit him in the jaw.

The day seemed extra long, and when 3 o’clock fi nally rolled around I was in the hallway opening my locker. The school had metal lockers with combination locks all along the walls on both sides. I had just fi nished putting my books away and was about to turn to go downstairs when I glanced to my left and saw a mob of people coming toward me. It seemed like the en-tire school was there to see the fi ght.

He was in front, facing me, and right be-hind him were his personal friends, fi ve of them. One was shouting, “Get that New York sponge boy!” To this day I don’t know exactly what that means.

My thoughts were that these fi ve bul-lies might all jump me at the same time. So I walked up to all fi ve of them starting from the left, and looked each one in the eyes and said with conviction, “This fi ght is between him and me, and if anyone butts into this, I’ll get you alone!”

At that point I turned facing “him,” our backs were to the lockers; it looked like he wanted to do this in the hall and not outside, which was just fi ne with me. He looked at me with that smirk on his face and I thought about what Santo said. He then raised his right hand quickly so I brought my hands up to protect myself. What he did was scratch his head with that hand and laugh because he made me raise my guard. He then turned,

keeping his right hand all the way in back, which I was watching in my peripheral vi-sion, and while laughing to his friends, he suddenly brought his right hand up from that back position to hit me with all that he had in a “round-house” swing! I backed up and his blow glanced off my left shoul-der, leaving his body twisted and off balance with his head right in front of me. I hit him with a right so hard, that I felt the solid im-pact go up my forearm to my shoulder. The force threw him across the hall to the lock-ers where he bounced off of the lockers and fell face down on the fl oor in front of me. I grabbed him by the shirt and he said, “Don’t KICK me!” “I won’t kick you,” I said (think-ing that’s probably what he would have done to me) as I pulled him up and hit him with another hard right, sending him across the hall, but this time into a door, splitting the door and breaking the glass from the im-pact. It was over, and he was bleeding from the mouth, and now his friends were help-ing him to the staircase and down the stairs. He didn’t show up in school for about a week. I guess he had to see the dentist.

The day after the fi ght I was summoned to the dean’s offi ce. He said that I was one week into the term and I was in a fi ght and broke a door, and did I have anything to say before he suspends me. I told him exact-ly what happened, and how he slapped me across the face, and that I would do it again to any other anti-Semite in this school. I asked him what he would have done in that same circumstance. He realized that I was telling the truth, and his contemplative an-swer was that he probably would have done the same thing. He actually apologized to me for what happened, and he said that my school record will not have this on it.

I fi gured that keeping a clean record about this was probably for the benefi t of the school also. He shook my hand and said that he was sorry this happened.

A different person sat in front of me in algebra class from that day on.

I asked my pa if he could bring home a piece of thick aluminum alloy, which I then cut out into a Star of David and fi led the edges smooth and drilled a hole in the top. I wore it around my neck with pride for all to see. Everyone knew my name, and girls would smile and say “Hi,” but I remained aloof with them and just nodded to keep things at an even keel. I wasn’t looking for any more confrontations.

When people saw me walking in the halls I could hear them whispering, “Hey, that’s the guy that beat ________. I forgot that bully’s name, he really wasn’t that im-portant anyway, but I’ll never forget what happened, and I’m sure he won’t forget what happened either!

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FEATURES

Steve Plotnick: Jewish Athlete HobbyistBy Larry Bernstein

Spring training is underway, and the 2016 baseball season has begun. Players are doing drills and working on skills. Fans and pundits are making predictions and fi ll-ing out fantasy teams. All are preparing for opening day, April 3. Fair Lawn’s Steve Plot-nick prepares for the season by scouring teams’ rosters in search of Jewish players.

Plotnick, a lifelong Mets fan (don’t hold that against him), describes himself as a “Jewish Athlete Hobbyist.” He is one of the foremost collectors of Jewish athlete trad-ing cards in the nation. Plotnick’s collection includes approximately 3,000 PSA-graded cards of Jewish athletes and Jewish own-ers and sportscasters. (Professional Sports Authenticator or PSA is a third-party grad-ing organization; cards are graded from 1-10 with a 10 meaning that the card is in mint condition.) In addition to cards, Plot-nick has a few other pieces of memorabilia including signed baseballs, and posters of Jewish athletes endorsing products.

Like many boys, Plotnick played Little League and collected baseball cards. “I was a serious collector. I purchased and sold stuff as I became interested and/or bored of it.” That collection includes every regu-lar and traded Topps Mets card made from 1962 to 2000. It was 15 years ago that Plot-nick started focusing on collecting Jewish memorabilia. The desire to focus on Jew-ish-themed memorabilia came from spend-ing time coaching his sons in the Yavneh little league. “I wanted to be able to talk to

the kids, and I wanted them to know that there were Jewish athletes.” Plotnick found that the kids were in-terested, which inspired him to start collecting.

Over the years, Plotnick has been giving out cards to the children at his shul (Congregation Ahavat Achim in Fair Lawn) on Shabbos morning. He believes sports is a great way for men and boys to bond. It gives them something they can talk about to-gether. The cards make Plotnick pop-ular among the younger people at the shul. “Some boys still seek me out to ask baseball questions. They know I collect and have seen my collections.”

When asked the secret to his collection, Plotnick gives a sim-ple one-word answer: eBay. He pur-chased the Big Book of Jewish Base-ball which was the fi rst attempt to document Jewish players in history. Since then, Plotnick has turned to eBay to make his purchases of cards and other memorabilia. “You can fi nd signifi cant amounts of memo-rabilia there, and it’s easy to search.” For those considering starting a collection, Plotnick advises doing the same. He notes it’s better to purchase from another collec-tor rather than in stores because prices are higher there. “Be happy with what you can afford. If you want a rookie Sandy Koufax, get it and enjoy it (the lower the grade, the more affordable the card).” He adds that it’s easy to get addicted, but collectors are bet-

ter off simply enjoying a piece of memora-bilia from a player they like.

Plotnick secured his favorite card via eBay. That card is a 1929 Kashin (compa-ny that produced the card) Moe Berg rook-ie card. Its PSA grade is 8, and Plotnick es-timates its value is approximately $800. Regarding Berg, Plotnick said, “He’s one of the most fascinating players of all time.

He was an agent for the predecessor of the CIA.” Berg was selected for an MLB All Star team that traveled to Japan. While Berg was a good defensive player, he was primari-ly a backup catcher. His purpose in Japan was to secretly take photos, which he did from the tallest building in Tokyo. The pho-tos were later used to guide a bombing raid during World War II. Plotnick noted that Berg’s parents were religious and didn’t ap-prove of him playing.

While the Berg card is Plotnick’s fa-vorite, it’s not his most valuable. That title belongs to a 1910 JuJu Drum (company that produced the card) Barney Pelty. Pelty was one of the fi rst openly Jewish players and was known as the Yiddish Curver. The card has a PSA grade of 8 and is the only known one in existence. Plotnick purchased it for $4,000 dollars 15 years ago and guess-timates its current value as somewhere in the $10,000 range. Both the Pelty and Berg cards are on display shelves that house Plotnick’s favorite cards of the moment. Plotnick likes keeping them handy so he can look at them. By the way, he keeps the cards in hard plastic slabs to protect them.

While Plotnick enjoys his collection, he has another passion regarding Jewish athletes which he feels is more important. “My greatest contribution to Jewish Ath-lete Hobbyists has been my compilation of every team’s Jewish major leaguers.” It is for this compilation that Plotnick will be scouring major league rosters come open-ing day. (If you are interested in the list, contact him at [email protected].)

Plotnick holding a bat from the 75th anniversary Hall of Fame celebration of Hank Greenberg’s rookie season, and a cigarette ad featuring Jewish outfi elder Sid Gordon.


Purim Masqueraders Have Options for CostumesBy Jenny Gans

Now in its fourth year, Costume Clo-seouts II expanded to provide a full-service Purim facility. Located in the Styertowne Shopping Center in Clifton, Costume Clo-seouts II not only offers costumes to fi t all budgets, but also offers accessories, make-up, shtick and mishloach manot bags. It’s a one-stop-shop destination for the whole family, with costumes ranging in price from $4-$25, even for adults. “Often, fam-ilies like to dress up in costumes that fi t

a certain theme and tie it into their mish-loach manos theme,” owner Basya Mue-hlgay explained. “In keeping the budget reasonable, this allows families to fi nd a variety of costumes for everyone to wear together.” She carries some licensed char-acter costumes, but also many generic cos-tumes, such as condiments, board games, western themed, pirates and others. Mue-hlgay said people often come in before Pu-rim to stock up on dress-up apparel for the whole year, since her costumes are good quality but very affordable. For questions

or hours, call (973)365-2677 or email [email protected]. For the fi rst time this year, Muehlgay is stocking mas-cot costumes and tuxedos. These are the only items that exceed the $25 price range, but also help customers expand their op-tions.

With the Disney franchise owning more than just Mickey, Pixar and Princess-es these days, the Disney store offers cos-tume shoppers a wider selection than in previous years. That’s right, Marvel and Star Wars fans, head to a Disney store for Purim this year. A Jedi princess is practically a Dis-ney princess now. Disney Store costumes tend to run pricier, but often have a real-

istic feel to them that adds to the magic of the dress-up experience. With many brick-and-mortar Disney Stores closed down, www.disneystore.com carries a wide selec-tion of costumes and accessories, but for those who prefer an actual store, the Ber-gen Town Center has one, as does the Wil-lowbrook Mall (also open on Sundays!).

No stranger to making life a little bit more convenient for everyone, online re-tailer Amazon.com has more costumes and accessories than most people can imagine. Many of them even qualify for their Prime service, but, as always, buyers beware—

Giving Close to HomeBy JLNJ Staff

Every year, we each look for meaning-ful ways to give tzedakah before Purim. With so many worthy charities, it’s easy to fi nd opportunities for giving. Some-times, however, organizations stand out as particularly close to home, literally and fi guratively. Jewish Family Service of Bergen and North Hudson is one of those organizations.

With offi ces in Teaneck, JFS of Bergen and North Hudson serves the needs of our very community. Our neighbors, parents in our children’s classes and congregants from our shuls are assisted each and every day by the professionals at JFS. With a range of mental health services, including individual, couples and family therapy, as well as group support services, their atten-

tive staff provides a high level of care to anyone who requires it.

Senior Services at JFS provides care managers for seniors in the communi-ty who are living at home, but need assis-tance through home-based therapeutic ser-vices. Over 28,000 kosher meals on wheels are delivered each year to seniors in our community. Volunteers provide in-home visits as well as telephone reassurance. JFS provides emergency preparedness kits to seniors, and has a team ready to mobi-lize at any time. Holocaust survivors attend monthly social events and receive special-ized therapy for themselves as well as sec-ond-generation survivors in their families.

Re-Launch at JFS provides career read-iness services to the unemployed and un-deremployed. The agency’s core services, including individual and group counseling,

are offered in tandem with career mentor-ing, resume services, skills workshops and partnership referrals for specialized train-ing and advanced education. With a holis-tic approach at rebuilding and rebranding employees, JFS provides a comprehensive program of concrete and support services to get individuals back on track mentally, emotionally and with updated job skills.

The Aid and Referral arm of JFS manag-es issues for the most needy in our commu-nity. With over a thousand calls each year, clients receive nutritional support through the food pantry, referrals to area agencies

and assistance with procuring medical care and emergency fi nancial assistance. With an increased demand of 60 percent this year alone, JFS is not always able to fi ll these needs. It is your generosity, your com-mitment and your mitzvot that allow the agency to provide this level of care, allow-ing Jewish Family Service to serve clients with dignity and confi dentiality.

So how can you help? Purchase Purim cards from JFS to support their programs. Donate food to JFS to fi ll the food pantry. Give tzedakah to JFS to assist the need in our community. Each dollar you give will have dramatic effect on someone’s life. To purchase cards, call (201)837-9090 or email [email protected]. To donate, go to www.jfsbergen.org.

And as always, should you need any as-sistance for yourself or your family, Jewish Family Service’s doors are always open for you.

H A P P Y P U R I M

PURIM PREP


Costume Closeouts in Clifton.


Young Israel of Teaneck Spearheads Israel-Sourced Mishloach Manot Initiative‘Buy Israeli Stuff ’ (B.I.S.) Theme to Spread Throughout CommunityBy Deena Rosenberg

With mounting pressure from BDS ris-ing across the world to increase econom-ic and political pressure on Israel by boy-cotting Israeli companies, The Young Israel of Teaneck’s (YIOT) sisterhood decided to spearhead a community-wide initiative this Purim. Much like the central theme of the Purim story, v’nahafoch hu, the YIOT sisterhood called for an anti-BDS theme to this year’s mishloach manot. In collabora-tion with The Irving Place Minyan of Long Island, each package will come sealed with a B.I.S. logo proudly displaying “Buy Israe-li Stuff….because the answer to a Boycott is a Buycott.”

“Our community feels a deep love for Is-rael and a growing frustration over the re-cent barrage of attention the BDS move-ment has received and the impact of its message on the Israeli economy. We brain-stormed this idea and immediately grew excited about turning the tables and sup-porting businesses that have been affected by the boycott of Israeli goods,” said Allison Mell, sisterhood president of The Young Is-rael of Teaneck.

In light of the current wave of at-tacks on innocent Israeli civilians, which has slowed down visiting tourists buying goods, as well as the impact globally the BDS movement has made on Israeli compa-

nies, a few Country Club community mem-bers came up with this idea as a way of pa-tronizing businesses from afar.

After reaching out to fellow sisterhood presidents, six local synagogues will be on board with the “Buy Israeli Stuff” theme, including Ohr HaTorah, Beth Shalom, Arzei Darom, Bnei Yeshurun and Beth Abraham, while several others agreed to include Israeli products within their packages. The response was overwhelm-ingly positive and the sister-hood is excited about pre-senting a unifi ed front across Bergen County to share and spread the important idea of not only supporting Is-rael, but also taking a stand against those who seek to destroy us as they did many years ago in Shushan.

The YIOT sisterhood held several meet-ings where board members researched Is-raeli products that would fi t into our theme and ultimately shared our product

ideas with the other sisterhoods. While each synagogue ultimately chose what to include in their individual packages, YI-OT’s will include products made in Israel by companies such as Elite chocolates, Cer-emonie teas, Kibbutz Ein-Harod honey, Bar-kan winery, Tan’Ta candy and Man wafers. Each mishloach manot will come in blue and white packaging and be sealed with the customized “Buy Israeli Stuff” logo.

“I am exceedingly proud of our sister-hood for spearheading this important pro-ject, which displays our support for the State

of Israel at this critical time,” noted Rabbi Binyamin Kro-hn of The Young Israel of Tea-neck. “There is no better time to rally one Jewish communi-ty in support of another than Purim, and our sisterhood has found a creative and impact-ful way to do just that.”

The Young Israel of Tean-eck will distribute the Israe-li-sourced mishloach manot packages to the membership of approximately 230 fami-

lies this Purim, and hope that the message of our solidarity with Israel, through our support of their home-grown products, will make an impact for these small businesses affected by the BDS boycott and uplift their spirits this holiday.

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If this is really just a one-time wear with no dress-up in its future, locals may want to consider the New Jersey Costume Gemach. Now in its third year, the costume gemach was started by Rivki Rosenthal and Sarah Savetsky in memory of Farvish Hirsch ben Shmuel Lev. They buy costumes that they fi nd on clearance, and accept donations of costume hand-me-downs. “We have got-ten really nice costumes donated as people clean out their closets,” said Savetsky. The gemach has close to 200 costumes for boys and girls, as well as babies. The price is very affordable, too. All they ask is for a $10 de-posit for costumes when borrowed, though many people choose to let the gmach keep $5 (or more) when returning them, to help offset the cost of future costume inventory. The costume gemach will be at Keter Torah on Sunday, March 13 from 10-12.

As with most years, superheros are still expected to be a favorite, and with the hugely successful Star Wars movie, plen-ty of Jedis to go around as well. With the made-for-television remake of Grease, stores are selling Pink Ladies and T-Birds costumes too this year. Angry Birds cos-tumes were popular a few years ago, and though they decreased in the past Purim or two, with a movie on the horizon expect to see a rainbow of fl ying birds through the neighborhood on Purim.

Purim Masqueraders Have Options for Costumes



THE ARTS

After Rocking Times Square, YU Student Continues Quest to Inspire With New SongBy Sandy Eller

It was more than seven months ago that Yaakov Feld-stein learned that one of his original compositions had been selected by popular vote as the theme song for a world-wide freeze mob/fl ash mob encouraging acts of goodwill. Since that time, the 21-year-old Queens resident has been on an emotional roller coast-er, an experience he is sharing through a new song, hoping his message will have a posi-tive impact on listeners.

Feldstein’s “More Light” was chosen last summer by Life Vest Inside as the anthem for its an-nual Dance for Kindness, a glob-al event dedicated to spreading kindness throughout the world. The song emphasiz-es the importance of maximizing our poten-tial by performing even small acts to better the lives of others. Twelve thousand partic-ipants, in over 100 cities and more than 50 countries, many decked out in Dance for Kindness orange T-shirts, capes and hats, all performed the same choreography to “More Light” on November 8, 2015.

The main Dance for Kindness venue was located in Times Square. Arriving on scene on the scheduled day and seeing a virtual sea of orange as a crowd of several

thousand came to show their support and to cheer on 400 participants dancing to his song was a surreal experience for Feldstein.

“It was crazy,” said Feldstein. “Unbeliev-able. I got up there, had a microphone in my hand and it was kind of a dichotomy. I would say I never dreamed of doing some-thing like this, but I have always dreamed of doing something like this. As much as I have always wanted to change the world through chesed and kindness, it was actu-ally happening.”

Feldstein led the group through the song but admitted that he is not a big danc-

er, striding back and forth in front of the dancers instead as the music progressed.

“I felt like I was Yerachmiel Begun or Yossi Newman pacing in front of the Mi-ami or Yeshiva Boys Choir, doing only half the moves,” quipped Feldstein. “You know, the easy ones.”

Feldstein, a junior who is majoring in fi nance and minoring in marketing at Ye-shiva University, said that his music often comes from emotional places and person-al experiences.

A few days after the Dance for Kindness event, he found himself writing another song, this one about seizing the opportuni-ty to do something positive on a global lev-el, a universal message that has the ability to resonate with anyone, anywhere, of any religion. Titled “Speak to the World,” Feld-stein is proud to have delivered his mes-sage of unity to such a diverse and expan-sive audience, proudly wearing his kippah when meeting with Life Vest Internation-al, during television interviews and while leading the group in Times Square.

“Speak to the World is about that expe-rience, being an ohr lagoyim, a light unto the nations, and taking the opportunity to do something positive for the world,” ex-plained Feldstein. “My hopes are that this genre of upbeat, feel-good, motivational music speaks to mem-bers of both the Jew-ish community and the greater world pop-ulation, as the messag-es behind the music are equally relevant to both.”

While still over-whelmed by the cir-cumstances that led to his newfound celebri-ty, Feldstein continues to enjoy the emotional high he experienced in Times Square, which shows no sign of let-ting up any time soon. “More Light” has giv-en Feldstein considerable exposure in the music world and he was honored this past Chanukah as one of eight student “Points of Light” at Yeshiva University’s 91st Annual Ha-nukkah Dinner and Convocation at the Wal-dorf Astoria in Manhattan for inspiring a global audience to perform acts of kindness.

The idea of giving back to others is noth-ing new to Feldstein, who has spent sum-mers as a counselor in Camp HASC and is

also involved with NCSY, Chai Lifeline, Mu-sic Vs. and Yachad. While music may be his passion, it is not something Feldstein sees himself doing full time.

“It is a hobby that I take seriously and will continue to do so, but it is probably not a promising career path,” said Feldstein.

“Speak to the World” was released in mid-February and is available through on-line music retailers including iTunes, Goog-

le Play, Amazon, Spotify and Mostly Mu-sic. Feldstein is putting his coursework in marketing to good use, using social media to create buzz and generate sales for his new song. He currently has two other sin-gles to his credit titled “No Disabilities” and “Shomer Hashem.”

Sandy Eller is a freelance writer who writes for nu-merous websites, newspapers, magazines and many private clients. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Album Cover

In studio

Dance for Kindness November 2015 CREDIT: ALLISON SOCOL


JEWISH HERITAGE

MEOR’s Jewish Heritage Trip to Poland Proves Transformational for New Jersey Students

Jerusalem—Instead of plan-ning a road trip or heading to the beach during winter break, 104 elite college students joined a Jewish heritage trip to Poland, an experience that was noth-ing short of transformational for these previously uninitiated students.

Run by MEOR (www.MEOR.org), a non-profi t organization dedicated to inspiring, educat-ing and empowering Jewish stu-dents at top universities across the country, the trip explored the vibrancy of Jewish communities in Poland pre-WWII, the magni-tude of the loss during the Hol-ocaust and the rebirth of Jewish life in the years that followed. The students were led by profes-sional tour guides, Jewish educa-tors and Leslie Kleinman, a Holocaust survi-vor from the UK.

For many of the student participants, including the 17 from New Jersey, this was their fi rst Jewish heritage experience of any kind. They were profoundly moved, noting that the trip clarifi ed what the Jew-ish spark is and why it is so important to prioritize Judaism.

“Though the ‘heavy lifting’ takes place on campus, where our students study Jew-ish topics that are relevant and compelling to them while experiencing Jewish life and

community, feelings of deep connection to Jewish identity and spirituality tend to de-velop most effectively on MEOR leadership seminars in Israel and heritage trips to Po-land,” said Debra Kodish, MEOR’s executive vice president.

“It is clear that dedicated study coupled with fi rst-hand experiential education can reverse the trend of faltering Jewish iden-tity across the United States and produce Jews who are not just connected, but pas-sionate about their rich Jewish heritage and eager to lead.”

The students’ own sentiments refl ect this eagerness as well as a thirst for Jewish knowledge and connection.

“MEOR’s Poland trip was so much more than your typical Holocaust history tour. We delved into Jewish history and culture and discovered what being Jewish means to us as individuals,” explained Kim Preminger, a native of Ridgewood, NJ, and a student at George Washington University. “Overall, this experience was more than just a trip; it was a journey in which I gained a stronger connec-tion to my religion.”

Over the last decade, MEOR has battled dispassion, detach-ment from Jewish identity and the ever-rising forces of anti-Zi-onism and anti-Semitism to cre-ate a masterwork of Jewish en-gagement that now functions on 21 prominent college campuses across the U.S. The goal has always been to engage these promising Jewish leaders in the discovery of their own heritage and identity and inspire them to connect with Judaism on their own terms and in their own time.

“This past semester at Harvard, I developed a strong curiosity and yearning to learn more about what it means to be Jewish. This trip came at the perfect time for me,” said Samantha Udolf, a student from Harvard who also participat-

ed in the trip. “I have never felt more of a con-nection to my Judaism than I did in Poland. I walk away with a greater sense of pride in be-ing Jewish and a desire to continue my Jew-ish education. Learning with MEOR has been an incredible start to a meaningful journey as I develop my understanding of Judaism.”

University campuses represented on ME-OR’s Jewish heritage trip to Poland included Boston University, Berkeley, Brandeis, Emo-ry, George Washington, Harvard, Stanford, Tufts, Yale, Binghamton, NYU, Rutgers, Tem-ple, Michigan and University of Pennsylvania.

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The Vigil ContinuesBy Nina Glick

We continue to spend our days at Naama’s bed-side and are gratifi ed by the many wonderful things that we have seen here at the Jewish Gener-al Hospital. Yes, it is pos-

sible to notice and be grateful for things.First, I want to mention the uniqueness

of this hospital. It is now in the throes of a major building project. Naama has been in the new building with a state-of-the-art, beautiful (if it can be so) ICU and her cur-rent room, which is a step down unit from the ICU, is spacious, bright and beautiful. Every electric door in the hospital is left open on Shabbos in order to make sure that no one has to be mechalel Shabbos. Even the orderlies commented to me how unu-sual this is. Every restaurant in the hospi-tal is strictly kosher under the supervision of the MK (Montreal Kosher) and every cof-fee shop in the hospital is closed for the en-tire Shabbos (there are at least four eating

facilities that are closed). After havdalah, the main Second Cup (Montreal equivalent of Starbucks) becomes a beehive of activity. The only food facility that remains open is the main cafeteria where one is able to pre-pay meals prior to Shabbos.

The amount of chesed that we have been shown is overwhelming. We are re-ceiving meals twice a day directly to Naa-ma’s room, which are delivered by the Bi-kur Cholim. It is not just the food—it is the packaging as well. As our son Akiva said, it looks like a gift bag for a wedding. Every day, the delivery person, men, women and young girls stop by to ask how we are and how Naama is doing. Total chesed.

For Shabbos, we stay at an apartment directly across the street from the hospital which is run by another organization, Ez-ras Cholim. There are two bedrooms, a liv-ing room, magazines, a kitchen area with a blech and an urn, all for our personal use. Twice, a band of young Chassidish men (Montreal has the largest population of Chassidim in North America next to New York City) came to entertain with keyboard,

violin, other instruments and special rega-lia (purple and white straw hats). When I explained to them that in the room two doors away from Naama there was a man whose family had been told that he only had several hours to live, they immediate-ly left their instruments, took off their hats and quietly entered his room and sang Ani Maamin. The family was visibly moved, as were all standing nearby.

The more time that we spend in the hospital the more we become familiar with some of the families who are also “camping out” with their loved ones who are patients on the fl oor. Mordechai made Kiddush last Friday night for an elderly infi rm man who passed away the next morning. He also said tehillim and the shema at the request of an-other family who waited with their father for his last few hours of life.

We realize as well the importance of clear communication among family mem-bers as to what the wishes are of elderly parents and relatives when they are faced with life-challenging decisions. Do all meas-ures really enhance life, or just prolong a life which is in a vegetative state? We tend to not talk about these things, assuming that everything will happen naturally, and

those close to us who need to decide such things, will do so. We are observing how these thoughts can wreak havoc on a fami-ly. It is necessary for everyone to have a writ-ten declaration of what their wishes are. It is unfair for family members to have to grap-ple with these issues. By talking about a sit-uation it does not mean that it will happen more quickly, and that type of superstitious attitude is from the ages of our great-grand-parents. We urge everyone to make their wishes known in a legal document.

As I am writing this, I just was called to Naama’s room for them to remove her feed-ing tube and they have begun to feed her pu-reed food on the way to restoring her old life. This is indeed a miracle, which we have no doubt has only to do with all of the tefi llot that have been said on her behalf. To all of you, we are eternally grateful. We still have a long road ahead of us, but it is defi nitely, as of today, looking brighter. Much love.

Editor’s Note: Nina Glick wrote this article last week. Please tune in next week to learn the details of Naama’s discharge from the hospital, lessons learned, and to hear the per-spective on all the davening that gave chizuk to the Glicks during Naama’s three week stay in the hospital.

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PERSONAL FINANCE

Durable Goods and Zero-Interest LoansBy Elozor M. Preil

A frequently over-looked topic in discus-sions about personal fi -nance is how to best

purchase durable goods. Durable goods are products that don’t have to be purchased frequently, usually last for longer peri-ods and are typically kept for fi ve years or more. This defi nition encompasses a wide range of items such as automobiles, appli-ances, home and offi ce furnishings, lawn and garden equipment, consumer elec-tronics, tools, sporting goods, photograph-ic equipment and jewelry.

Since purchase prices for some dura-ble goods can be pretty steep, most Amer-icans can’t simply pay for them out of their monthly discretionary income. So even if they involve economic essentials, like buy-ing a car or replacing a furnace, decisions about how to pay for durable goods are rarely as simple as writing a check or swip-ing a credit card. Paying for durable goods usually requires some planning.

In some cases, consumers can save up for durable goods, because the item they want is an eventual replacement or up-grade for something they already own, like a car or bedroom furniture. Or it is a non-es-sential or recreational item—until you can afford it, you can do without it.

But some durable goods are harder to do without, and many consumers either don’t have the time or economic resources to accumulate savings to pay for them. Fi-nancing is the only practical option.

For larger and popular durable goods, like automobiles, consumers may be able to fi nance the purchase through a bank

loan. But today, banks seldom make unse-cured loans for individual durable goods; most purchases are fi nanced either with a personal credit card, or directly by the manufacturer. Because these loans are se-cured only by the borrower’s promise to pay, the interest charges can be substan-tially higher than loans collateralized by real property (i.e., an automobile). Thus, from an economic perspective, dura-ble goods purchases can be some of the most expensive transactions in personal fi nance.

Interest-free isn’t really free (but you knew that, didn’t you?).

An attention-getting fi nance option of-fered by some retailers is a zero-interest loan. These loans are advertised with phras-es like “one year same as cash,” or “0 per-cent APR,” and sound like they are allowing consumers to “save” after buying, instead of before. But if many consumers are willing to pay high interest rates to obtain a dura-ble good, why would any lender offer ze-ro-interest loans for the same products? The answer: The cost of interest-free fi -nancing can be recaptured somewhere else in the transaction.

Consider the factors in a typical zero-in-terest fi nance transaction for a car.

• The offer is underwritten by the auto-maker (or its in-house fi nancing arm), and often applies only to new vehicles—the ones with the highest sticker prices.

• Selecting the zero-interest option of-ten disqualifi es the buyer from other dis-counts, such as rebates, that might lower the car’s purchase price.

• The zero-interest payment period is of-ten much shorter than a typical auto loan, sometimes just 24 months. Shorter terms

result in higher monthly payments—even if there aren’t any interest charges.

• In some zero-interest fi nance agree-ments, a single late payment can change the status of the loan, incurring interest charges retroactively on the full amount fi -nanced.

• Zero-interest loans are offered only to qualifi ed buyers. According to an August 2014 article by Tara Mello posted on bank-rate.com, only 10 percent of shoppers have good enough credit to qualify.

Here’s a hypothetical example of ze-ro-interest fi nancing:

A 24-month zero-interest loan for a new car with a list price of $24,000 re-sults in a $1,000/mo. payment. If anoth-er buyer applies rebates to buy the same car for $22,700, and fi nances the purchase at 5 percent interest for 24 months, the monthly payment is also $1,000. The inter-est “lost” by the auto dealer (who is also the lender) on the interest-free loan is re-covered by the higher purchase price. Sur-prise, surprise, there’s no free lunch—or truly free fi nancing.

Since many consumers intend to keep their cars for longer than two years, the op-tion of a longer loan period with a lower monthly payment may also be more desira-ble than a 24-month loan, regardless the in-terest costs. A 48-month loan at 5 percent for $22,700 (the discounted price) results in a monthly payment of about $520.

If a $1000/mo. payment is affordable, but you also believe it’s likely you will keep the vehicle for four years or longer, the question arises: Is it better to make $1000/mo. car payments for 24 months, then save $1000/mo. for the next 24 months, or save $480 each month for 48 months?

Over four years, Option 1 delivers a $500 accumulation advantage, but requires post-poning saving until the loan is repaid. From a big-picture perspective, many households might prefer Option 2, because they build savings immediately, and have a lower monthly obligation.

Better to save? Maybe not.Given the somewhat illusory benefi ts

of zero-interest loans, it might seem desir-able to always pay cash for durable goods. But several factors could indicate other-wise.

Even cash purchases have a fi nance cost: it’s the opportunity cost, or what you lose in future earnings when you decide to spend your savings. When the loss of future re-turns in a savings account is projected to be less than the cost of external fi nancing with a lender (i.e., giving up 1 percent in future re-turns on $20,000 or paying 5 percent inter-est to borrow it), cash might be the better option. Conversely, if the current rate of re-turn on savings exceeds the interest rate for borrowing, there’s a reasonable argument for outside fi nancing, because paying 5 per-cent interest could mean not having to liqui-date assets earning 8 percent.

Another factor in deciding to pay cash or externally fi nance is one’s cash reserves. If your total cash reserves are less than three to six months of income, how does a $20,000 withdrawal impact your over-all fi nancial security? Financing a durable good purchase may not be fi nancially effi -cient in terms of interest costs, but perhaps prudent.

The opportunity costs of spending cash, and the impact a large out-of-pocket pur-

CONTINUED ON P. 87


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MENTAL HEALTH

Personal Refl ections on Stress, Grief and Loss: Effects on the Mind, Body and SoulBy Beth S. Taubes

A number of years ago, I decided to change certain things about the way I was living. Personally, I was inspired by a very good friend who demonstrated through her own life transformation that it was not only possible but actually doable to break poor living habits, and that such changes can be implemented at any age. Profession-ally, I was motivated by the growing num-ber of studies I had read which showed a correlation between obesity and cancer recurrence and prevention. This correla-tion is refl ected in a number of conditions which may lead to an increased cancer risk, such as a heightened level of insulin and insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which may help some cancers develop, and chronic, low-level infl ammation, both of which are common in people who are obese. In addi-tion, higher amounts of estrogen are pro-duced and stored in fat tissue, which may drive the development of specifi c cancers, such as breast and endometrial cancer. Fi-nally, fat cells may also negatively affect processes that regulate cancer cell growth.

I have spent most of my adult life car-ing for and treating people with cancer. The thought that I could help people de-crease their chances of ever getting can-cer at all by promoting healthy living was therefore exciting to me. But I fi rst needed to change the way I ate and lived myself so that I could effectively guide the women

and men who would be my patients. I com-mitted to lose weight, eventually dropping 40 pounds, and started a more intense ex-ercise program which ultimately included running and yoga. I then started a “return to health and wellness” program for wom-en with a history of cancer who had com-pleted their surgery, chemotherapy and ra-diation treatments. This shift in both my personal and professional life allowed me the opportunity to change my schedule so as to be able to work locally and eventual-ly to coach people from all walks of life, in-cluding people who have diabetes, heart disease and liver disease, as well as those who may be well right now but just want to live healthier lives. I am proud to have successfully helped many people make healthy food choices, lose weight, and ex-ercise, as I had done myself.

A few weeks ago I had a profound loss in my personal life. My dear father died of heart disease. My father was not a young man and he had suffered greatly during the last few years of his life. But he did have a full life, and was blessed with children, many grandchildren and many great-grand-children, all of whom loved and learned from him. My four siblings and I sat shivah together in my home. We are quite a group and are very supportive of and close to each other, and we were surrounded throughout the week by our spouses, children, relatives and good friends—and, of course, an abun-dance of food.

On the morning I got up from shivah, my husband helped me out of my chair and we did the customary walk around the block, symbolizing re-entry into the “real” world. It was a clear, sunny day, the air was cool—not bad for January. I walked around the block and felt sad, and extremely fatigued. My husband spent the day at home with me; together, we took apart the shivah room and transformed it back to our regular family room. Later that afternoon, I went for a long walk around the neighborhood. I was quite surprised by how much I ached and how exhaust-ed I was. During the next few days, I tried to go for a long walk and a light jog. But al-though my brain told me “it will make you feel better,” my body was not listening. I was short of breath and listless, and felt weak both physically and mentally. Over the next few weeks, I found that I was wasting colossal amounts of time. At the end of every day, I would wonder what happened to my day. How could it be evening already? Many of my old dormant eating habits resurfaced. In my previous life, whenever I was stressed or sad, ice cream was my drug of choice. I found that “drug” once again calling my name. In case you have never tried salted caramel gela-to, I recommend that you don’t; I am sure something in it is addictive!

At the end of the shloshim, my weight was up and I still felt sluggish mentally and physically. I started doing some research on

loss and its effects on the body. We use the word “heartbroken” to describe one’s feel-ing about a loss, but the body can actual-ly become physically sick from grief. It is common for people who have experienced a loss to complain about insomnia, diges-tive problems, headaches, sore muscles and fatigue. Studies have shown that stress and loss affect the cardiovascular and im-mune systems and, in vulnerable people, this leads to increased rates of heart dis-ease and illness.

With support from my own “coach” and colleagues, I have been able to get myself back on track. Loss is a universal experience. At some time in our lives we all experience the loss of a loved one. The message to share with people who have recently gone through this experience is that they need to take good care of them-selves in their time of grief. Taking good care may be as simple as remembering to eat—and to eat food that is low in sugar and high in nutrients, to drink a lot of wa-ter and to get outside, get some sunshine and move a little. Allow yourself the time to heal. If the grief becomes overwhelm-ing and you feel like you are not func-tioning, seek out help from professional grief counselors and therapists. Effective-ly managing the physical elements of grief will help you manage the emotion-al ones as well.

If you have suffered a loss in your life, I am offering free sessions to help you heal your body while your heart is mending.

Beth S. Taubes is an RN, OCN, CBCN and CHC. Visit her online at Btwellnesswisdom.com.


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CEO Comes Full CircleAmir Kisar, 50, has been unanimously

selected by the Boys Town Jerusalem board of directors to assume the position of CEO, following the retirement of Natan Tal. Kis-ar’s move to the CEO’S offi ce marks the highest peak in a journey that began when he fi rst entered Boys Town Jerusalem as a 13-year-old student.

The son of Yemenite im-migrants to Israel, Amir’s youth was spent on a mos-hav (cooperative agricultur-al community) where he and his four siblings worked alongside their parents to raise chickens and green veg-etables. Although the mos-hav was secular, Amir felt a thirst for Jewish knowledge from a young age. His mother’s brother, a rabbi, thus sug-gested that Amir live and study at Boys Town Jerusalem from seventh grade.

“I remember walking onto the campus and being so impressed at the sight of the big, new dormitory and the sports fi elds,” he smiles. “The shock came on Day One when the lessons just didn’t stop. At home, school ended at 1:30. At Boys Town, we studied straight through till 6 p.m.!”

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Following his graduation from BTJ, Amir served in the IDF as a combat soldier. He later completed a BA in Accounting and Manage-ment at the Jerusalem College of Technolo-gy, as well as qualifying as a tax consultant and CPA. “After I married, BTJ founder Rab-bi Alexander Linchner called to ask me to

come ‘home,’” Amir said. First appointed as the school’s in-ternal auditor, Amir became the comptroller in 2000.

Amir Kisar is confi dent that his background in fi -nance will be an asset to his new responsibilities as CEO. “Above all, I personally know the power of a Boys Town Jerusalem education. This

school is 100 percent committed to build-ing a young man and granting him tools for life. Thousands of graduates making major contributions to Israel are the clear proof of BTJ’s success.”

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Amir Kisar


Hoenlein to Join Majestic Retreats’ Pesach Program at Orlando’s Rosen Plaza

Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and one of world Jewry’s leading spokes-men, will deliver several major addresses during the Pesach holiday (eve of April 22 through April 30) at Majestic Retreats Pe-sach program at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. Mr. Hoenlein will discuss the state of the world Jewry and his recent visits to Israel, Egypt and Turkey as part of his re-view of the state of Israel’s relationships in the region. He is also expected to take an advanced look at the upcoming presiden-tial election in the U.S. Unlike most other

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Don’t Wait to Upgrade: The Rise and Fall of NokiaBy Shneur Garb

As my column starts to move into its fourth year, it’s really hum-bling to have my read-ers reach out via social media or email with re-

ally good topics and current events. I love every minute of it and feel blessed and honored that anyone would take the time to fl ag me down on the street and compli-ment the Jewish Link of New Jersey and Bronx/Westchester/Connecticut on this column.

One of the challenges of being 45 years old and married 20 years is that IT is mov-ing and changing at a more rapid pace than it did 15 years ago. I give this exam-ple: Whenever a client goes to a local pizze-ria in town, he always asks the person be-hind the counter, “Is this one fresh?” Please. How insulting to ask, as if the owner would allow yesterday’s pizzas to be sold. I have been to every pizza place in town and all of them serve fresh, hot pizza daily. We are blessed. Nevertheless, the customer’s think-ing is, “I am paying so I want the freshest, hottest, tastiest pizza you’ve got.”

Here’s what no one has ever said: “I have this pizza, it’s been around for fi ve days but I really am OK with it. Tastes a little old but it works for me.”

Now we turn to IT. Clients with criti-cal businesses that can’t be down for one day without suffering losses, downtime to employees or clients’ services being dis-rupted, when the IT MSPs (managed ser-vice providers) come in to quote a server or network solution that will last three years, every time—without fail—the response is: “Three years? That’s it? Well, that’s crazy, I can’t spend all this money for three years. My current server lasted fi ve years and still works (but super slow).”

OK, let’s go back to my pizza analogy. You want IT MSPs to give you the older systems that will run slower, break down and not be state-of-the-art? That’s what you are paying IT people for? Exactly. No one wants to hear that. Warranties are for the client’s sake, not the IT MSP’s. (Actual-ly, Dell offers gold support. Dell can come that day and swap a motherboard that day or the next for $100 a year! Think about that: $100 is a nice dinner out for four, or a month of cable with all the channels.) A lit-tle secret: Warranties hurt IT people, as the maintenance is lower. Good MSPs will al-ways put the client fi rst at the network be-fore looking for ways to make fees on older technology to rack up the monthly.

Though my column is about the land-scape, none of the MSPs in town that I know, such as Harold Nussbaum from Net-work Masters, Michael Lowey, Ben Reiner from Ma’ayanot, Yoni Greenfi eld, Baruch Feigin from Hy-Tech and Moshe Azizol-lahoff from BPY, are related to Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or anyone at the Google CEO level!

The software today needs to be more robust to meet needs or cloud comput-ing, streaming and VPNs. Just three to four years ago the chosen fl avor of server oper-ating systems was Windows Server 2008. Server 2012 R2 Standard was late to adapt and MSPs couldn’t convince clients to pay for the 2012 OS price on the server. Now we have software vendors that will not support clients who pay $100k a year un-

less they upgrade their servers. But we only bought these servers three years ago! (True story. We had this hap-pen to The Garb Con-sulting Group just last week.)

The point is hard-ware needs to grow faster to meet the soft-ware needs. IT moves at a much faster pace than it used to only 15 years ago. What was state-of-the-art today outdates yesterday. If you doubt me, how come almost every year, most of us (exclud-ing the writer because I hate getting new phones), purchases the newest and great-est Droid or iPhone? That’s how 11-year-olds are walking around with almost new

phones. One parent upgrades and gives their old one to their younger kid as a hand-me-down. Well, are you saying the Droid/iPhone you had last year is totally obso-lete? No, though the carriers might tell you

the new phone makes your old phone obsolete, because it can’t do Apple Pay or Samsung Pay! Oh, the world is stopping! I can’t take the one minute to take my credit card out!

Now, to address the Nokia saga. If one will take the time and read what happened, the CEO with tears in his eyes, with his upper management team doing the same, admitted they failed. Nokia was the only phone I re-member—people called them Nokias. Nokia ended up selling to Microsoft for pretty much nothing. How did this happen, you ask? Nokia never thought

Droid was a Google company? Isn’t Goog-le a search engine? How are they going to beat Nokia?

UNGARBLED-TECH

CEO of Nokia, Steve Ballmer, crying. CREDIT: WWW.LINKEDIN.COM



COACHING

You Don’t Have to Do More, Be More or Get MoreBy Jewel Safren, LCSW

I would like to tell you about a different way of looking at the human experience.

“Innate Health” of-fers a different view of how we experience life, and I have found it to be a very power-ful one. The Twerski Wellness Institute is working on bringing this different under-standing to the Jewish world. Let me try to explain.

Most coaching techniques deal with problems by delving into separate issues. Innate Health doesn’t look at separate is-sues. It looks at how you process your own thinking, how you view your world. Innate Health starts with the premise that we are all innately healthy, that we are all connect-ed to the Creator and that we can connect

to that experience at any moment. The only thing that keeps us from having that experience is all of our anxious thinking.

We have the mistaken belief that our experience of life comes from the circum-stances of our life. In truth, we do not re-ally experience the circumstances of our life directly. We experience our thinking about the circumstances. The bottom line is that your experience of life comes from your thinking in the moment. You know how in cartoons what the characters are thinking appears in little bubbles over their heads? Well, it’s like that. You are feeling the results of your thinking in that little bubble. That little bubble is where you live experientially.

When we are lost in our fretful think-ing (imagine that bubble fi lled with all the thoughts that make you miserable), we do not experience our connection to the crea-

tive force of the universe. You see, it’s called Innate Health for a reason. You have in-nate mental health; it’s a built-in part of you. You are not broken or defi cient. When your mind is calmer, you naturally fall back into your connected, more relaxed state. When you are fussing and fretting and ob-sessing, you are totally lost in your world of thought.

Aha! So the $10 million question is, how do I let go of the thinking that is mak-ing me feel miserable? Well, when you re-alize that your feelings come from your thinking and not from the circumstances of your life, it gives you an opportunity to interrupt your thoughts and maybe slow them down or drop them altogether. In-stead of thinking and automatically being upset and feeling like you have no control over your thinking—you can recognize a moment of choice.

Let me give you an example. Soon after learning about Innate Health, I was sitting in traffi c at rush hour. Of course I started to fuss and fume; how could I not be up-set about the traffi c? Anybody would be, in my book—only an idiot would not be up-set about sitting in traffi c for two hours!

Then it hit me. I recognized that my up-set was coming from my thinking about the traffi c—not from the traffi c. I asked myself, “Do I want to do this to myself for the next two hours? Do I want to spend this time all upset and agitated?” I thought about it for a moment, and then realized that the answer was no. I did not want to ruin the next two hours of my life. I put on a CD and was fi ne for the ride home. That is amazing. Instead of my thoughts just running away like a racehorse out of the gate, I was able to notice that I was creating the upset for myself and I just dropped the thoughts. No effort. Just a different choice.

Can you see how having this under-standing can change your life? Maybe you can give it a try. When you realize how much of your suffering you are infl icting upon yourself, you have the power to stop. And that is a life-changing moment.

Jewel Safren MSW, LSW, LCSW, has over 35 years of ex-perience in counseling, life coaching and public speak-ing coaching. She has worked with people all over the U.S. and in Europe, and runs popular personal growth workshops, webinars and classes. She is recommend-ed by Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz, Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, B.Ed, M.Sci., Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn and Rabbi Mordechai Becher. She lives in West Orange, NJ, with her hubby and two kids, and has two married kids and two grand-sons living in California. You can contact Jewel at (862) 438-5807 or [email protected].

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Well, Nokia didn’t roll with the times. It didn’t upgrade. It didn’t market and it watched as Droid took them down. Nokia’s failure I can’t blame on Nokia as I can on the way IT is perceived. If a client or a consumer would be OK with older technology and old-er software, all of us would still be using Mi-crosoft Word and Outlook.

To summarize: I remember in the ‘70s that eight-track tapes were always strewn on the fl oor of my mother’s car. Cassette tapes took another 10 years to come out. Then compact disks, DVDs etc. Just look back in the year 2000 at technology and every home’s needs, and look at today’s needs.

If you want to test yourself: do you own in your home today all of these devices? Your answer is probably yes. Don’t worry, I know it is.—PC/ Mac with Wi-Fi—VoIP ser-vice Vonage or VOIP carrier. (Cablevision and Verizon count)—Wi-Fi Router—Smart TV—BlueRay player—Casting Device (Chrome, Amazon, Firestick)—Member-ship to Netfl ix, Amazon Prime or Hulu or all three.

Nokia, thanks for all the good times. My fi rst phone was a Nokia. It worked great and I never needed to charge the battery three times a day.

Shneur Garb is the founder and CEO of The Garb Con-sulting I.T. Group in Teaneck, NJ. Shneur also gives sem-inars to educational institutions and business profes-sionals on various IT subjects.

Don’t Wait to Upgrade: The Rise and Fall of Nokia



LETTER FROM ISRAEL

The True Power of GivingBy Kailah Kaner

The parshiyot over the past few weeks have been discussing the creation of the Mishkan, its keilim and the bigdei kehuna—very fascinating parshiyot. How-ever, if we look at the pesukim that introduce these parshiyot, at

the beginning of Parshat Teruma, the language that Hashem uses to encourage Bnei Yisrael to con-tribute to these causes seems very strange. Hashem says to Moshe, “And you should take for Me a donation, from every person for whom his heart wants to give/be generous, you should take the ter-

uma.” Why does God say “Take for Me a donation”? Really, the phrase should say “Give me a do-nation.” What exactly does this mean?

The menahel at Midreshet Torat Chessed where I am currently studying, Rav Yossi Goldin, shared with us this week that many of the

commentaries suggest that this phrase teaches us the power of giving; when someone gives for someone or to someone, they are not only benefit-ing that person. One who gives is, in fact, receiv-ing much more. Giving is a two-way street. In fact, we see this idea in the he-brew word “נתן,” “to give.” If you spell the word backwards, the meaning and the word do not change—showing us that giving works in both ways, as the giver also receives as well.

I heard another proof to this idea from the menahel of Bet Elaz-raki Children’s Home, Yechiam, in a sicha he gave to our midrasha this week. He explained that the root of the word teruma is leha-rim, to raise. When a person gives, he raises himself to a whole new level. His soul is lifted, and he gets a feeling of reward.

As part of my seminary experi-ence, I have the privilege to spend my afternoons as a counselor to under-privileged girls at Bet Elazraki Children’s Home. This week, an amazing thing hap-pened to me dur-ing my time with my kids. I was putting my girls to sleep, lying in one of their beds, saying Shema. We played a game where she’d look at my hand and “tell me my future.” She predict-ed that I will have four kids in the future, and I responded by say-ing “be’ezrat Hashem.” She looked at me with the biggest smile, put her hands on my cheeks, and said (in Hebrew) “That’s so nice, and so cute, cutie!” She was so excited to hear those words, to hear that I be-lieve that we need God’s help. She then began to ask me about my family and my religious views. She was so excited to hear me say that I go to shul and keep Shabbat. In this moment I realized how much my girls look up to every staff member and volunteer at Bet Elaz-raki. They don’t know how peo-

ple live outside of the Home, so to hear that I come from a religious home made her so happy and proud to see how normal it was.

When I learned about the par-sha I could not help but think about the conversation I had this week. “Teruma—to raise—I had just raised this little 10-year-old girl’s hopes for religion and Juda-ism in her future. By saying those two words it gave her so much hope, but at the end of the night,

when I replayed it in my head, it was me who gained the most out of it. She gave me back just as much, if not more, than I had giv-en her. I will never forget the feel-ing I got when I saw the smile on her face; I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to help guide her just a little bit. These moments are the ones that will never leave me, these are the moments that make the tougher days not so hard—be-cause at the end of the day, these special moments and powerful conversations raise us all.

Kailah Kaner is from Englewood, New Jersey. She is currently spending her gap year at Midreshet Torat Chessed, located in Netanya at Bet Elazraki Chil-dren’s Home.

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FOOD & WINE LINKSavory Hamantashen Can Liven up Your Purim SeudahBy Bracha Schwartz

Hamantashen have evolved from its earliest incarnation as a sweet pastry with mohn (poppy) or lekvar (fruit puree) fi lling. Today’s hamantaschen fi llings can be sa-vory or sweet and take fl avor inspiration from almost anywhere.

Hamantashen is a triumph of linguis-tics translated into food. In Hebrew, oznei Haman, as the pastry is called, is literal-ly translated as “Haman’s ears,” according to Chabad.org. The Yiddish “tash” means pockets and “haman” can either refer to Haman or mohn, poppy seeds. The com-bination results in hamantashen—pop-py seed pockets. The shape comes from a reference to Haman wearing a three-cor-nered hat. The only common denomina-tor for all things hamantashen is a trian-gular shape with some or all of the fi lling peeking through, as opposed to a boureka, a triangular pastry in which the fi lling is completely encased.

Sweet hamantashen are found in many mishloach manot packages, and while they are beloved, seeing the same fl avors over and over might get tiresome by the end of the day. So why not let savory hamantash-en claim a spot at the Purim seudah, reviv-ing jaded hamantashen palates?

I tested a few different kinds of savory hamantashen for this article. I saved some time by using pizza dough circles, pur-chased frozen and then defrosted. If you use this method, try to fi ll and shape when the dough is only partially defrosted for easier handling.

Sushi Salad Hamantashen!

Sushi has long replaced gefi lte fi sh in my home to start Shabbos meals, and for a crowd I make sushi salad, adapted from a recipe by Estee Kafra in Mishpacha Maga-zine. I made sushi salad hamantashen last Shabbos, inspired by a blog on the Chabad website, where I learned that sushi trian-gles are also a street food in Japan called Onigiri, meaning “rice ball.” Who knew!

My testers loved the novel presentation.Ingredients for 6 servings:Filling:1 pear, thinly sliced1 cup edamame beans, blanched1 ½ cups faux crab½ lemon, sliced thinly and cut into seg-

ments1 avocado, scored and cubed or sliced1 mango, diced2 Persian cucumbers, dicedSesame seedsRice:1 ¾ cups sushi rice2 cups water2-3 Tbsp. rice vinegar1 Tbsp. sugarPinch of saltDressing:¼ cup each soy sauce, rice vinegar and

sesame oilDirections:Put rice in strainer and run under wa-

ter for a minute or two to remove excess starch. Bring water and rice to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, uncovered. Then let simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, un-til water is absorbed. Remove from heat, remove lid and let stand for 5 minutes. While the rice is standing, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix thor-oughly and briskly until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Fold the solution into the cooked rice with a rubber spatula. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to stand for another 5 minutes. Combine all the in-gredients for the salad and mix into rice. Cut long strips of seaweed, about an inch wide. With WET hands (to keep the rice from sticking), make a small ball of rice. Put the ball on a hard surface and sur-round with a seaweed strip. Shape into a triangle. The seaweed will adhere to the sticky rice. Gently clip the seaweed at the point of your triangle. Sprinkle with sesa-me seeds. Drizzle with a little dressing or serve with spicy mayo.

Taco HamantashenFor approximately 4-6 servingsI love tacos but fi nd them messy to eat.

This presentation, adapted from www.ko-sherinthekitch.com, is much neater.

Ingredients:½ - 1 pound ground beef1 onion, diced1 package of taco seasoning⅓ cup taco sauce1 package of frozen pizza dough pre-cut

into circles, partially defrosted 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Directions:Sauté onions until translucent and add

ground beef. Stir until the beef is no longer pink, then add a packet of taco or fajita sea-soning and stir to blend. When cooked through, add taco sauce. This adds fl avoring and binds the fi lling. Put a small amount on the pizza dough circles. Fold up, brush with egg wash and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Serve with salsa and gua-camole. You could also make a dairy nacho version by using soy crumbles and topping with a cheese sauce.

Onion Tartlet HamantashenRecipe by Elizabeth Kratz

Sautéed onions and mushrooms fi nd their way into many of my dishes. This rec-ipe calls for roasting onions, mushrooms and garlic until caramelized. The result is a little chewier and good for the small shape of the hamantashen. Watch the veggies in your oven carefully—there is a small win-dow between caramelized and burnt.

Ingredients:1 package round mini pizza dough (or 18

3-inch rounds cut from pizza dough)6 large Spanish onions, sliced thinly

1 box baby bella mushrooms, washed and sliced

1 box crimini mushrooms, washed and sliced

4 cloves garlic, choppedExtra-virgin olive oilKosher saltBlack pepperEgg washProcedure:Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix

sliced onions, mushrooms and garlic with salt, pepper and several tablespoons of ol-ive oil and arrange on two oiled roasting pans. Roast veggies for 25-40 minutes un-til they are deeply browned and caramel-ized. Taste and correct seasoning if neces-sary. Allow to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 de-grees. Place one to three teaspoons of the roasted veggies in the center of each pizza round. Bring up corners to make haman-tashen. Seal corners with water and brush with egg wash or olive oil. Bake for 20 min-utes or until dough is cooked.

Yield: 18 hamantashenNote: I didn’t use cremini mushrooms.

Still delicious.


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Tel Aviv Wine Showcase Promises a Great Year AheadWine professionals from around Isra-

el recently gathered at the “2016 Sommelier Wine Fair” in Tel Aviv. Open only to industry insiders, the wine fair is the premier show-case of wine production in Israel.

Held in the elegant modern Tel Aviv Cul-ture Palace complex, also home to the Israe-li Philharmonic Orchestra, the 2016 somme-lier wine fair covered 3000 m2 with over 80 wineries. Thousands of quality wines from Israel and from around the world were on display to a fascinated audience of professionals, including restaurateurs, sommeliers, chefs, bar managers, ho-teliers, buyers, suppliers and caterers. It was an opportunity for those profes-sionals to see the latest developments in the Israeli winemaking with all the vineyards, the winemakers, the im-porters and the distributors under one roof.

The fair was not only for Is-raelis. Wine buyers from around the world came to see the latest in the ever-growing Israeli wine market. The Israel Export Insti-tute reports a 6 percent increase in wine exports in the last year. The Asian market has embraced Israeli wines wholeheartedly. “The Japanese market is now our third-largest export destination,” explained Yael Gai, International Marketing Manager of the Golan Heights Winery. “Yarden Char-donnay has just been included on the fi rst class wine list for Ja-

pan Airlines.” In addition to Asian wine buyers purchasing Israeli brands, a contingent of Japanese wine makers had a stall introducing Israeli wine buyers to this still unfamiliar product.

Many wineries took the two days of the fair as a per-fect opportunity to launch

their latest vintages. With everything from exclusive limited-edition wines for private collections to af-fordable offerings soon to be seen in your local res-taurant, there are many new wines to

watch out for.The long-awaited Katzrin Blanc

de Blancs 2000 has fi nally been released. After waiting 15 years to disgorge the 2000 vintage of Katzrin Blanc de Blancs, only 200 bottles of this unique wine have been produced. The Katz-rin Blanc de Blancs offers less fi zz than younger wines but it more than makes up for it in richness and complexity of aro-ma and fl avor. From the glass, the aroma makes its way gently to the nose, carrying along with it characters of freshly baked toasty baguettes, lemon pie, tarte tatin, fresh fl owers, dried fruits, green apples and a light smoky fl intiness. With such a

limited edition, each bottle is truly individual and to be sold only to collectors.

Yarden’s new offering for the Sommelier 2016 festival was the 2015 Yarden Pinot Gris. The wine lives up to all the ex-pectations the Yarden label car-ries. A medium-bodied white wine with apple and pear fl a-vors, the Yarden Pinot Gris is soon to be at a restau-rant near you. Another fa-vorite among Israeli wine fans, Gamla, launched their 2015 Chardonnay, Vi-

ognier. A brand-new blend for the label, it is eminently drinkable at a very con-sumer-friendly price.

Galil Mountain winery displayed the high-quality wines that have garnered them such an interna-tional following. They launched their 2015 Galil Mountain White and the 2014 Galil Mountain Red. The 2015 Galil Mountain White is a blend produced from Viog-nier and Sauvignon Blanc grapes and presents an aroma of re-freshing fruit, with a balanced and pleasing acidity, while the 2014 Galil Mountain Red is a blend produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes and displays in-viting aromas of ripe fruit, with a hint of tobacco and grass notes.

A surprise development for the festival was the announcement that Galil has rede-signed emblematic white wine Avivim in response to market feedback. The majority of the blend is now the Chardonnay grapes with 18 percent Viognier. The bottle has also been completely redesigned to be more en-vironment-friendly, and is now transparent and less dense.

Among the big names, the growing forc-es of boutique Israeli wineries were rep-resented at Sommelier 2016. The Gvaot winery has received international inter-est following their investigation into in-digenous breeds of grapes, the so-called “Bible grape.” However, it was more well-known breeds present at their booth. Gvaot launched the 2014 vin-tage Pinot Noir Reserve. After being aged for 12 months in oak barrels, this

red wine presents a fruity, elegant, balanced fl avor.

The advent of the Sommelier 2016 has had a huge impact on the Israeli culinary scene, with profes-sionals able to discover new vine-yards, to expand their profession-al knowledge and to taste wines from Israel and internationally. For wine lovers, it is a chance to see the latest developments and eagerly await their arrival in res-taurant wine menus and wine stores around the world. With so many new wines arriving on the market, this year promises to be an exciting year for Israeli wines.

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All men have gone through it, multiple times in their lives: Running to re-tail stores, trying on suit after suit, and then being forced to settle for -

ready to have your mind challenged on all that you know regarding purchasing Eric: What triggered you to open Fino Custom Clothiers?Mr. A: Establishing Fino Custom Clothiers is the natural progression of our estab-Eric: Why is that?Mr. A: Many customers at our tailor-shops were a never-ending stream of men Eric: Mr. A: Really, if the armholes are too large or too small, jacket too long or too -Eric: Mr. A:learning the latest, most-innovative manner of offering custom-made suits to the Eric: Fino Custom Clothiers?Mr. A: -growing trend across many sectors: Lower prices + greater sales volume = Happy Eric: work in real-time?Mr. A: -

-Eric:PhD in fashion -then what?Mr. A:

Eric: Mr. A: That’s all folks. The client is done and can go back to work, drink a coffee or

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Mr. A:

-

By Eric Jacobs

INTRIGUINGREVOLUTIONARY

CONCEPT


Designer Miri Urbach Embraces Elegant, Colorful DesignBy Bracha Schwartz

Spring 2016 is about embracing ele-gance, “ladylike as opposed to bohemian,” says Miri Urbach, eponymous designer be-hind Miri Couture in Englewood and nine other locations in the U.S. and Israel. “The ’50s look is back.” Prints are very much in vogue this year. Silver, black and white

are always in style; this season look for bright and beautiful yellow, peach, mint green and gold as well. The best length and look? “Always choose what’s best for your body,” Miri says, “You can look fabu-lous and tznius. Good fabric and fi t make a dress beautiful.

Miri travels to Paris and Italy several times a year where she chooses fi ne fab-

rics and oversees the beading and embroi-dery for her designs, which are produced in her fl agship Cedarhurst location. She pro-duces a new line each season, with just one or two in each store to ensure that every woman in a Miri dress is unique.

The Miri label in bridal gowns is grow-ing, and with spring and summer around the corner, wedding season is heating up.

Beading is an important element in the spring collections. Antique and French lace with delicate detailing give wed-ding gowns a romantic, dreamy fl air. Fab-ric can be luminous or slinky. “We have some traditional and some modern this spring,” says Miri. “It’s very much what catches your eye, with a cut, fabric and fi t that’s right for you.”

OF NEW JERSEYOF NEW JERSEYFASHION LINK

The fl oral print adds color to a dramatic evening gown. CREDIT: COURTESY OF MIRI COUTURE

A soft, fi tted lace top combines with a playful, fl oral print bottom to make this dress the picture of relaxed elegance. CREDIT: COURTESY OF MIRI COUTURE


This Swimwear Is in Vogue, on Mayim Bialik and Oscar WorthyModest Fashion Gets a Thumbs-Up From Top Style Mags and Celebrity World

From Oscar fashion buzz, to Mayim Bialik, to a 15-year-old who recent-ly started a campaign on CHANGE.org pleading for retailers to offer styles with more coverage, it seems that modest fashion is hotter than ever. Even VOGUE is touting fashion inspired by classically discreet clothing.

HydroChic, a line of modest swimwear with many stylish options for coverage—available online and at select retail stores (www.hydrochic.com)—is catching on among mis-sy and plus-sized women. HydroChic’s updated 2016 swimwear collection fea-tures more styles to fl atter almost any fi g-ure up to plus size 4X, all utilizing superior fabrication with exclusive Ultra® Chlorine Resistance and UPF 50+ sun protection.

Whether you are improving your tan or doing laps in an indoor pool, HydroCh-ic’s got you covered, both literally and fi gu-ratively, with style, protection and fabrics that are both chlorine resistant and chlo-rine proof.

The complete line features more than 100 styles including: short sleeve, long

sleeve and sleeveless tops (sold with several bra or mastectomy options), versatile swim skirts and skorts from 15”–27”, shorts, pants and swim dresses, as well as coordinat-ing silhouettes that transition from beach to gym to boardwalk, including mix-and-match leggings, capris, bike shorts, light-weight jackets and sun dresses.

Recently, Ms. Bialik posted about Hy-droChic on her FB page: “I’ve written about ‘modest swimwear’ before but I just got the new spring catalog for HydroChic Sun Pro-

tective Swimwear & Active-wear and I wanted to post it. I am not being paid to do this, I just want to share it because I think it’s impor-tant to get this resource out there…they have a ton of options and ‘plus’ sizes … for all levels of comfort, modesty-wise…my previ-ous HydroChic suit lasted for YEARS.”

“HydroChic is designed to enhance a woman’s nat-ural beauty and fl atter her body, while offering a range of protection and modesty options that fi t her lifestyle,” says Hydro-Chic co-founder Sara Wolf of New Rochelle, NY. “Many

women of all ages are seeking alternative swim solutions to the traditional bathing suit, because, let’s face it, we can’t all wear a bikini.

In the past, women would wear their husbands’ oversized T-shirt, or something comparable, on the beach and in the wa-ter for extra coverage and sun protection. HydroChic offers a fashionable, comforta-ble and wearable alternative that women of all ages, shapes, sizes and religious orien-tation desire.”

HydroChic styles range from $29.50-$90 and are available at select stores throughout the U.S., Canada, Austral-ia, South Africa and Israel, and online at www.hydrochic.com.

FASHION LINK

Actress and Emmy winner Mayim Bialik wears HydroChic (www.hydrochic.com) swimwear and activewear for real women. HydroChic off ers many styling options for coverage, UPF 50+ sun protection and is chlorine proof, available in missy and plus sizes.

HydroChic, a line of swimwear for REAL bodies, off ers modest styling options, UPF 50+ sun protection, and is chlorine proof. www.hydrochic.com. It’s a favorite of actress and Emmy winner Mayim Bialik.


FASHION LINKModest Fashion Hits the Runway and the MallBy Jenny Gans

The image of the modest woman dress-ing in “frumpy” clothing is no longer the ste-reotype. Modest clothing is available not just through vendors catering to the Ortho-dox community, but also from mass-pro-duced stores and even upscale designers, and can fi t any budget.

From Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson collaborating with designer Sherri Hill to make modest “Daddy approved” prom dress-es, to the maxi look in dresses and skirts, stylish, trendy and modest fashion is easier to acquire than ever before.

Affordable fashion such as Old Navy, Tar-get, Zara and H&M, to high-end designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Badgley Mischka, Marc Jacobs and DKNY have all featured mod-est clothing in their recent clothing lines. DKNY and Tommy Hilfi ger launched these lines as a nod to Muslim culture, with “Hijab inspired” apparel, with many of the fashions overlapping with the modest Jewish market.

So is modest apparel here to stay? “Trends of all kinds come and go,” explained Allison Josephs, found and director of Jew in the City, a nonprofi t that seeks to rebrand Jewish Orthodoxy. “With all trends we are bombarded by the latest ‘it’ thing, and it’s possible that people will come to love the more modest fashion over time. But,” she

added, “We’ve seen enough options in the other extreme to realize it is not going to change societal standards.”

Rachel Riss, founder and owner of LineaR Collection, a modest clothing company, has seen fashion moving toward the renewed interest in modesty as well. “Runways have been showcasing dresses in longer lengths and with fl owy sleeves for a few years now. And what the runway models wear, fast fash-ion copies.” Having always been a fan of bo-

hemian fashion herself, Riss launched her own line of maxi dresses that combined vin-tage fashion with a trendy edge, catering to Orthodox women like herself. While she worked primarily with the Orthodox and modest-clothing-seeking market, she also found people stopping her on the street to ask where to fi nd copies of the dress she wore. “The nature of fashion is cyclical,” Riss observed, “Many designers looked to recap-ture the elegance of older decades, which takes us to the decades where fashion cov-ered more.” Riss also explained that for some designers, more fabric provides more options and creative potential. Instead of a cap sleeve or a skinny strap, sleeves provide endless options to add onto a dress, and so much elegance to highlight what she refers

to as “the aesthetic of the designer.”

“As modest shop-pers, we tend to have a habit of buying and hoarding modest ap-parel when we fi nd it,” said Josephs. “We fear it won’t be there when we actually need that longer skirt or fashionable knee-length dress.” But Jo-sephs and Riss both observed that modest fashion is more acces-

sible than in the past, with elegant fi nds that fi t the Orthodox lifestyle no longer a chance occurrence, but actually a frequent fi nd. Riss pointed out that in the past decade, almost every major awards show has featured at least one celebrity in a modest gown. Even Angelina Jolie has appeared at numerous events in beautiful gowns that would fi t in at any simcha.

Alene Brodsky, co-owner of Carly’z Craze in Teaneck, had another view on why more

women are buying modest clothing. “Wom-en are more empowered these days. They are more comfortable in their own skin and in their style choices,” claimed Brodsky. Brodsky and her co-owner, Wendy Borodkin, defi nitely know a thing or two about how women and girls choose their clothing. Their store stocks everything from school dress-code requirements to European fashion for Shabbos, and they constantly take feedback from their customers to help cater to their needs and wants in a shopping experience. Women look for the “opportunity to enjoy shopping for clothing that makes them feel great and fashionable, while keeping their religious or other modesty requirements.”

Many parents often lament the lack of options for their children, but there is hope for outfi tting girls, too. “Sometimes, making an outfi t modest is all about perspective on the clothing,” shared Dassie Fuchs, of Petit Chic children’s clothing boutique. “What the

rest of the world calls ‘beachwear’ we throw a shell under it and have a maxi dress.” Fuchs reminds parents to be sensitive to the fact that summer is about an “easy, breezy” feel to clothing, too. “Knee-length fl are skirts are very in. Pencil skirts have become harder to fi nd,” Fuchs explained, “And fl are skirts are always a perfect choice for summer fun. With the com-fort and movement they provide, as well as the requisite length, children and adults can make stylish and comfortable choices.”

Whether shoppers stick to stores that cater to modest shoppers, or choose to try their luck at a department store, odds are in their favor that they will have many op-tions to choose from. While many women still feel the need to cave and “hoard” their modest fi nds, as Josephs observed, the real-ity is that, for now, modest clothing exists. With so many options, everyone’s unique style and personality can still show through in their fashion tastes.

Arms covered and below-the-knee fashion? What a refreshing twist at the Spring Fashion Show. CREDIT: RACHEL RISS

“Clothing is an art unto itself,” said Riss, with some of her vintage-inspired dresses. CREDIT: LINEAR COLLECTION

This camp skirt from Petit Chic off ers modesty and summer fl exibility. CREDIT: DASSIE FUCHS, PETIT CHIC

Modest and chic on last year’s runway at the New York Fashion Show. CREDIT: RACHEL RISS


RPRY Reads Across America

On March 2, RPRY participated in Read Across America!

Community and school leaders visit-ed RPRY and read Dr. Seuss books to our

students. Community rabbis, fi remen, po-lice chiefs and librarians were among the readers who shared their favorite Dr. Seuss classics with our students. Early childhood

center and kindergar-ten classes enjoyed a Seuss-a-bration! Learn-ing about Dr. Seuss, watching an animat-ed fi lm of “The Cat in the Hat,” and enjoying a dance performance by the fi fth and sixth grade girls rounded out the Seuss-a-bration.

SCHOOLS

BPY Celebrates ‘Read Across America Day’ and Dr. Seuss’ Birthday

BPY students celebrated reading on Wednesday, March 2, by hosting special guest readers and inviting students from other grades to read with them. Eighth graders and kindergartners were excit-ed to discover that they use many of the same techniques and strategies when en-countering new texts. One wise kinder-gartner proudly exclaimed that before he starts reading, he looks at the books

and the pictures and tries to see what he “already knows” by picking out famil-iar words and patterns. An older student quickly responded that in eighth grade they call it “activating prior knowledge” before they read a new text. In addition, special guest readers visited our second graders today to read to them in Hebrew and English in honor of Read Across Amer-ica Day and Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

JKHA Says ‘Yom Huledet Sameach’ to Dr. Seuss

The JKHA Lower School had a great day celebrating this prolifi c author and their love of reading with stories and projects. The reading buddies throughout the grades got together for some special Dr. Seuss read-ing time. Mrs. Ruth Digiovanni, JKHA Early Education Director, engaged the youngest students in nursery and pre-k with reading some beloved Dr. Seuss books.

The kindergarten classes seized the op-portunity of Dr. Seuss’ birthday to incor-porate a cross-curricular learning activi-ty into their classrooms. The classes have been reading many Dr. Seuss books in hon-or of his birthday. The English and He-brew teachers came together and did a read-aloud of “The Cat in the Hat” in both English and Hebrew. After careful observa-

tion of the covers of both books, the teach-ers each took turns reading a line of “The Cat in the Hat”; one line in Hebrew and the next line in English. The class then made a Venn diagram of the similarities and dif-ferences between the Hebrew and English stories. What a fun and engaging way to celebrate such a prolifi c author!

Dr. Seuss Is Tops at Leah Sokoloff Nursery School

On Wednesday, the entire school came together to celebrate Dr. Seuss. They read some of his books and each class presented a craft they made in honor of Dr. Seuss. The children enjoyed yummy red and white cupcakes.

Yavneh Students Celebrate Dr. Seuss

In honor of the birthday of Dr. Seuss, older and younger students at Yavneh Acad-emy celebrated together by reading stories, playing games and making new friend-ships. Happy birthday!


Ma’ayanot Finance Students Prepare to Enter the Workforce

Seniors in Mrs. Elise Vitow’s Real World Finance elective recently visit-ed BNY Mellon in Manhattan’s Financial District for a panel discussion on the top-ic “Women in the Workforce—Challeng-es and Achievements.” The panelists, all women in senior positions at BNY, dis-cussed traits that are necessary for suc-cess in the business world, as well as in life, including fl exibility, clear communi-

cation skills, respect for one’s own rep-utation, the value of being proactive, re-spect for diversity, being prepared to take risks and not “burning your bridges.”

Mrs. Vitow, together with Mr. Mark Bluman, Managing Director of Credit Risk (and father of alumnae Ronit ‘14, Yaffa ‘11 and Shifra ‘08), conceived of this program when Ronit was in Mrs. Vitow’s class two years ago.

Yeshivat Noam First Graders ReceiveTheir Siddurim

Ben Porat Yosef Sixth Graders ‘Experience’ Ancient Egypt

Ben Porat Yosef sixth graders benefi t-ed from an experiential learning approach while studying ancient Egypt. Their curi-osity was ignited and they gained a deep-er understanding of ancient Egypt by prac-ticing writing hieroglyphics, investigating artifacts using their iPads, exploring the pyramids using an interactive website on the classroom Smartboard, analyzing and comparing the Egyptian Cinderella story with the modern Cinderella story using a Venn diagram, and designing cartouches of their names.

SCHOOLS

He’Atid Monster Mini Golf Mania

S.T.E.A.M. is “full-steam” ahead at Ye-shivat He’Atid, with our schoolwide trip to Monster Mini Golf to research our pro-ject-based learning unit and play some GOLF! Students in grades pre-k through fourth worked in collaborative groups pri-or to the trip to begin to plan and design their own mini-golf holes. The trip really

helped us imagine what kinds of features we wanted to include. Rubrics (checklists) helped students stay on track with science and math components that could be found on the course. We practiced our teamwork strategies and self-evaluated on how well we listened to other members of our group and synthesized ideas.

RYNJ Seventh Grade Enjoys Super Tuesday

This week, Ms. Mandelbaum’s sev-enth-grade class at RYNJ celebrated Super Tuesday with their very own primary and caucus. The students were each assigned a candidate for whom they created an en-

tire campaign. Press releases were issued, speeches were written, original logos and slogans were crafted and swag was designed representing each candidate’s policies.

On Super Tuesday, the candidates and their campaign committees gathered to-gether for a democratic primary and a re-publican caucus. Students were each as-signed a state to represent along with the number of delegates belonging to that state. The candidates spoke passionately about their positions and policies to en-courage delegates to vote for them. Mar-co Rubio and Bernie Sanders won the RYNJ seventh-grade nominations! (RYNJ does not endorse any particular candidate.)

Robin and Heshy Mortkowitz, founding president of Yeshivat Noam, with their granddaughter.

LPS Preps Tie-Dyed Purim Costumes

In honor of the joyous month of Adar, children at Lubavitch on the Palisades were treated to a special tie-dye activity. Andrea Dworkin of Tie Dye Town volunteered her time to help each child dye two white T-shirts. Each child will have the opportu-

nity to wear one colorful T-shirt as part of their Purim costumes and use the second one as part of a class tzedakah project. The children will be donating T-shirts with spe-cial mishloach manot that they will give to children with cancer through Chai Lifeline.

Ben Porat Yosef Fourth Graders Explore Their Heritage

BPY fourth graders performed special songs and showcased their incredible work across the curric-ulum on Wednesday, March 2, during their grade heritage fair. In preparation for the day, the stu-dents read and were inspired by the book “Of He-roes, Hooks, and Heirlooms” by Faye Silton. Each student then explored his and her own family her-itage and heirlooms through interviews, writing (in English and Hebrew), song and art.


Yavneh Students Learn Torah Leadership Skills Through Color War

Yavneh Academy’s Middle School stu-dents got into the Adar spirit last week with three intense days of competition and cama-raderie in this year’s color war! With compe-titions ranging from Memory Lane Monday (Duck, Duck, Goose; Musical Chairs; Moth-er May I?) to a building-wide Apache Race to Quidditch (of course we play Quidditch!) and many more, Yavneh’s students demon-strated a wide range of talents and drive over the course of the three days.

Of course, the real heart of any color war are the various events and presentations that help to display the theme. This year, the four teams represented the four models of leadership described in the Torah—Mel-ech, Navi, Kohen, and Sanhedrin—and the students had ample opportunities to learn about and deploy a variety of skills in dis-cussing those models. A fi erce four-way de-bate saw students arguing over which type of leader was most important; a “silent” cheer doubled as a rhythmic demonstra-tion of each team’s theme; beautiful ban-

ners depicting the theme were thoughtfully designed and presented; and a fi nal musi-cal presentation featuring every student on every team helped to conclude the color war with an amazing level of ruach.

Perhaps most important of all, this event allowed Yavneh middle school to fur-ther develop as a cohesive unit, bringing to-gether many students who perhaps never had the chance to work together previous-ly, and often bringing together the entire student population to cheer, to sing and to celebrate together.

Moriah Nursery Learns About Triangles

Triangles have been the fo-cus in our nursery classes this week. The children learned that triangles have three sides and three points. We searched our classroom and found so many triangles everywhere. The kids loved forming trian-gles using Magna Tiles, plastic sticks, blocks and more. It led us to a Purim riddle: What’s a triangle, sweet and rhymes with nosh? Answer is.....hamantash! Yummiest triangle ever!

RYNJ Celebrates Masmidim ClubEach year, RYNJ conducts its highly

successful Masmidim Club. The purpose of the club is to encourage Torah learn-ing outside of classroom requirements. This “Masmidim Challenge” is availa-ble to students who wish to know, and learn extremely well, additional facts of Torah and Judaism. Some topics includ-ed are brachot, yediot kloliot (general To-rah facts), reading special tefi llot fl uent-ly and accurately, advanced Chumash and Mishnah skills and much more. Each participating child received a printed card listing 20 specifi c topics, as well as a booklet, in which these Torah principles are written. When the students feel that they have “Met the Challenge” and have thoroughly learned these topics, they are quizzed by an administrator or teacher. For every 10 items that the students suc-cessfully know by heart, they are award-ed a beautifully inscribed sefer along with having their name displayed on a special “honors” bulletin board which is prominently displayed in a RYNJ hallway. We are very proud of the achievements

of the many students who have chosen to spend more time learning Torah and have already “Taken the Challenge” suc-cessfully!

SCHOOLS

Ma’ayanot Students Excel at Model Congress

On Thursday, March 3, the Ma’ayanot Model Congress team traveled to the Young Israel of Woodmere for the annual Yeshiva League Model Congress. Under the guid-ance of Ms. Caryn Keller, Ma’ayanot histo-ry teacher, team members met throughout the year to do legislative research and to learn how to draft a bill and lobby to get it passed. Arianna Samet, ‘16, and Hannal Siegel, ‘16, received Best Delegate awards, and Shira Gelb ‘17 and Gabrielle Posner ‘18 received honorable mentions

Tech N Torah at the Yavneh/IDEA Schools MakerXpoBy Dov Hochbaum

The Tech N Torah booth fused the two worlds together to bring Torah concepts to the 21st-century technology-driven child. Using Littlebits sound, light and motion circuit kits, participants created structures such as “the sword of your favorite charac-ter in Tanach” and an alarm so that you don’t miss davening. Older students depicted a busy street with sounds and lights to vis-

ualize the Gemara passage that talks about the laws of fi nding an object in a crowded city and whether it’s “fi nders keepers,” or if the mitzvah of hashavat aveida takes prec-edence. Student volunteers helped run the booth and explain these ideas to hundreds of spectators from middle school to middle aged and beyond. Students at RYNJ were ea-ger to test out the Littlebits kits in class and let their creativity take over in this STEM skills exercise.

RYNJ students with Educational Technologist Rabbi Dov Hochbaum at the Tech N Torah Littlebits booth. CREDIT: DENEIRA GOLDENBERG

RYNJ students at the Tech N Torah Littlebits booth. CREDIT: DOV HOCHBAUM

YBH of Passaic Students Win National Science Competition

The NSTA/Toshiba ExploraVision is a national science competition that engag-es students’ abilities to create technolo-gy solutions to real-life challenges. Rebec-ca Bral and Elisheva Weiner, seventh-grade YBH students participating in an advanced

science program at YBH known as E2K, were recognized for having designed a shoe for blind people to aid them navigate with-out the use of a cane.

They were the only yeshiva students in the tri-state area to have achieved rec-ognition in this competi-tion for their accomplish-ments.

We attrib-ute this high level of achievement in the sciences to our innovative science teach-er, Rabbi Heshy Wieder, who has guided his class to winning this prestigious award from the National Science Teachers Associ-ation/Toshiba ExploraVision.


Frisch Students Motivated on NCSY Chesed Mission to OmahaThis past weekend, Frisch sent a con-

tingent of 15 sophomores to Omaha, Ne-braska, for a special chesed mission that fo-cused on social justice and giving back to the community.

The mission was part of NJ NCSY’s com-mitment to sending high school students to areas across the United States that have been devastated by natural disasters, as well as those areas with little in the way of Jewish life.

Frich students participated in two pre-trip training sessions; the fi rst focused on best practices for participating and suc-ceeding in the Jewish community, and the second session focused on improving pub-lic speaking skills.

The students, who were accompanied on their trip by Frisch power couple Rabbi Ariel

and Mrs. Shira Auman (a member of the Tal-mud department and a graphic designer and student adviser, respectively), got off to an in-teresting start when their Thursday afternoon fl ight was delayed until the next, very early, morning, but they made it to Omaha safely and with plenty of time to get to work. They worked with Habitat for Humanity to com-pletely gut a condemned home, smashing walls and windows, pulling up fl oorboards and clearing out garbage as they wore masks and other protective gear against possible as-bestos. They ran children’s programming at the local non-denominational Jewish school and, for Shabbat, the students pretty much got to run the entire show. They created a beautiful themed community-wide dinner celebrating the seven days of creation; each table was decorated to represent a different

day. The Frisch volunteers held the famous Friday night “Frisch tisch.” They also ran the adult educa-tional programming, giv-ing divrei Torah and lead-ing discussions on topics such as tikkun olam.

Frisch students visit-ed New Orleans earlier this year, and later this year will visit Detroit, to help rebuild the area and the Jewish com-munity of Windsor, Canada. Windsor is a community which often struggles to get a minyan for Shabbat, and eagerly antici-pates visits from Jewish students to enliv-en the area with Jewish energy.

Rabbi Ethan Katz, director of NJ NCSY, re-counts his particular pride in accompanying and observing this mis-sion to Omaha. “Even though the students’ fl ight got canceled and they had to get ready at 4 a.m. the next morn-ing for a new fl ight, I never saw anyone com-

plain,” said Rabbi Katz. “I was beyond im-pressed by their attitude and motivation the entire time. When we had a stopover in Chi-cago, we davened Shacharit in the airport and everybody participated willingly and beauti-fully. Both instances were indicative of every-one’s can-do, positive attitude throughout the course of the entire mission.”

The students’ reports after the trip ver-ifi ed Rabbi Katz’s impression. “I really en-joyed spending Shabbos with Omaha’s wonderful Jewish community,” said Han-nah Levine ’18. “I loved being able to en-hance their Shabbos and bring joy to every-one’s faces, and it also made me better appreciate how many Jews there are in my own neighborhood.”

MTA’s National Merit Scholarship FinalistsThe National Merit Scholarship Corpora-

tion (NMSC) has announced the names of fi -nalists from across the country in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Yeshi-va University High School for Boys (MTA) is proud to note that two of our students are among these fi nalists: Yishai Eisenberg and Tsahi Halyo. These academically talent-ed high school seniors were chosen from

among the 16,000 semifi nalists that were announced last October. They now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be of-fered later on this year.

MTA is also proud to note that CJ Glicks-man, Yair Gross, Aryeh Hagler and Michael Kolber were named as Commended Stu-

dents in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. Although they will not continue in the 2016 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 5 percent of the more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition by taking the 2014 Prelim-inary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Quali-fying Test. Mazal tov to all!

TABC Celebrates SiyumimThe Gemara in Shabbat describes the

value in making a siyum when fi nishing a section of the Torah. Last week, TABC shiurim celebrated two siyumim. Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Adler took his Gemara

shiur to Poppy’s for breakfast to celebrate fi nishing the sugya of Chamra v’Shikra in Brachot. One of Rabbi Blau’s Navi shiurim made a siyum on having completed fi ve sefarim in Trei Assar: Yonah, Yoel, Ovadi-

ah, Amos and Chabakuk. They celebrated with different kinds of food, each one corresponding to one of the sefarim that they learned (with one double count-ing as a reference to Tzephaniah as well): Chips Ahoy! Cookies, Sour Sticks (with a lion on the package), red Gushers and lemon-lime soda accompanied by a candle. Chal-lenge yourself to fi gure out how each one corresponds.

TABC Freshmen Head to Broadway

“Amazing” was the word most often heard as the TABC freshmen boarded the bus to return to school after seeing the matinee performance of “Curious Inci-dent of the Dog in the Night-Time” on Feb-

ruary 24. All of the ninth-grade students had read and discussed the book in their English classes prior to seeing the Broad-way show and were intrigued by the in-genious staging that made the main char-

acter’s emotional experience come alive before their eyes in a visually exciting way. The English teachers, Dr. Master, Mrs. Edelman, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Hirsch and Ms. Burstein, who accompanied their classes, were eager to hear, and were truly im-pressed by, the students’ insight-ful post-show comments.

SCHOOLS

MTA Mock Trial Team Wins Again!By CJ Glicksman

The Yeshiva University High School for Boys (MTA) mock trial team played its second match of the year this past Wednesday night. Lawyers Chaim Roffman, Yehuda Goldberg and Ben Tzi-on Zuckier argued on behalf of Offi cer Flanagan. They faced the defense of the Bronx School of Law and Public Service who supported the al-leged drug dealer, Kelly Roberts. The witness-es, Leslie Mooney, Offi cer Flanagan and Dr. Jor-dan Taylor, a forensic chemist who specialized in the particular drug that Roberts allegedly sold, were played by Mendel Weintraub, Mordechai

Flamenbaum and Noam Mayerfeld, respectively. After three heated hours of opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations, objec-tions and closing statements, MTA emerged vic-torious. They gained 63 out of 65 possible points (falling only two points short of their counter-parts, the defense, which played and won last week). Afterwards, the mock trial team left the Manhattan Court House with their heads held high once again. They hope to continue their success in their next match, which will not take place for two weeks, because they will now re-ceive a bye in the tournament as a reward for their accomplishments.

Family Learning Night at Ma’ayanot

Ma’ayanot’s 10th annual family learn-ing night was held on Tuesday evening, March 1. The evening began with a fes-tive Chinese dinner, during which stu-dents and their parents learned in chavruta to prepare for a shiur by Mrs. Yael Weil, Halacha teacher, on the topic “Two’s Compa-ny, Three’s a Crowd...Understanding Esther’s Guest List.” Using source

sheets prepared by Mrs. Weil, students and their parents worked to understand Esther’s rationale for inviting Haman to dinner rather than asking for a private meal with Achashverosh. In her shiur,

Mrs. Weil analyzed the sources to help partic-ipants emerge with a better understanding of how Esther’s wisdom ultimately led to our salvation.


Yavneh Academy Brachot Bee Culminates at Cedar Market

Anyone in Cedar Market last Monday morning would have been privileged to join Yavneh Academy’s fi fth graders in a live game show starring the fi fth graders’ brachot bee champions. The competitors could be seen speeding through the aisles looking for the answers to questions such as “fi nd something in the produce aisle whose bracha is shehakol.” The rest of the

fi fth graders as well as their teachers could be found cheering on their friends and screaming out the answers to each chal-lenge. The students also won prizes play-ing “The Price is Right—Brachot Style” and “Brachot Plinko.” Mazal tov to the fi nal-ists, Paige and Elisheva, and to the brachot grand champion... Chanani! Stay tuned for the video release!

RTMA MS Celebrates Purim Katan

RTMA middle school students, joined by Rabbi Yablonsky, Rabbi Friedman and Mr. Dietz, had a very special breakfast in honor of Purim Katan. There was a fun hat competition, where judges looked for orig-inality and creativity. To build communi-ty and confi dence, the students then each shared a joke for a Purim Katan treat and special prizes!

RPRY Holds Faculty In-Service Day

The entire RPRY faculty participated in an enriching day of learning on Thursday, Febru-ary 25, 2016. Everyone left invigorated and in-spired. Peer-to-peer sharing sessions gave the participants a better of appreciation of their amazing RPRY faculty colleagues!

All faculty attended a session on using blended learning to personalize instruction.

They later chose from a menu of peer-to-peer sharing sessions that included these topics:

Values That Inspire Our Teaching; Us-ing Literature Stations; Small-Group In-struction Networking; Using Learning Menus; Using Technology Resources such as Jewish Interactive, Quizlet and Zap-

tion; Easy Tweaks/Big Impact for Differ-entiation; Decoding Strategies for Mul-ti-Syllabic Words.

The day also included curriculum and department meetings.

SCHOOLS

JKHA Second Graders Visit the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts

The JKHA second-grade class recently had an amazing fi eld trip to the Museum of Ear-ly Trades and Crafts in Madison. The students had the opportunity to make marbles out of clay, much like the Colonial kids did. They reenacted all the chores that colonial chil-dren had to do to help out in their homes.

The students gathered eggs for breakfast, milked cows, got water, used a yoke to carry heavy buckets, washed laundry, made butter and ironed clothes. It was the perfect culmi-nation to their unit on colonial kids. It rein-forced and supported all the learning they had done these past few months.

RPRY Students Show Their Purim Spirit

Students create masks in anticipation of Purim.

JEC Alumni Network to Remember Ezra Schwartz

The JEC’s alumni network invites the broader community to come together to support efforts to raise funding for a me-morial lookout honoring Ezra’s memory. The memorial lookout will be built on the Boys’ Promenade which will collectively honor the memories of Ezra Schwartz z”l, Naftali Frenkel z”l, Gilad Shaar z”l and Eyal Yifrah z”l.

The JEC is honored to partner with the Jewish National Fund and Ezra’s moth-er, Ruth Schwartz, a Bruriah High School alumna.

The program, which is open to the pub-lic, will be held at Bruriah High School on Wednesday, March 16, at 7:30pm. RSVP is re-quired. Please reply to [email protected] or (908) 355-4850 ext. 6248.

Faculty explores the blended learning model of integrating technology into the classroom experience.

Teachers discuss how to express the essence of “Why RPRY?”

IDF Delegation Tells Bruriah and RTMA Students ‘Remember the Names; It’s About the Names’

The message a touring IDF Delegation left Bruriah and RTMA students on the fi rst stop of a two-week tour of NY and NJ is to remember the names of the fallen. In response to Bruriah G.O. President Shira Allen’s question, “What can we students here in America do to help the soldiers?” Delegation representative Naftali Gross told the audience the answer is fourfold. He suggested, “Send food, toiletries and gifts. They give the soldiers a lift and make them feel like a part of the bigger Jewish community. Advocacy and educating others is a way to counter the propagan-da. Make your presence felt by visiting, doing a year of service and spending extended time in Israel in other ways. Mostly, though, remember the names of those who fell during their fi ght to protect our homeland.”


JKHA Is Broadway BoundThe students participat-

ing in the JKHA Musical Theat-er Workshop worked hard preparing for last week’s per-formance of “Seize the Day.” The fi rst-class performance fea-tured scenes and songs from Broadway shows including “An-nie,” “The Fantasticks,” “The Lion King,” “Newsies,” “Oliver!,” “Rent” and more, and was a cul-mination of the students’ hard work throughout this school

year. In addition to the onstage performers, students were in-volved in the direction and stage production.

The perfor-mance was pro-duced by Pleasant Valley Productions, an independent not-for-profi t com-munity theater company, under the skilled lead-ership of musical director and pro-

gram coordinator Ilene Green-baum and director and choreog-rapher Camille DiLorenzo.

Blue Team Wins RKYHS Kushner CupThere was a palpable excitement and energy that fi lled

the hallways of RKYHS as the students participated in the Kushner Cup over the course of two days. Competing in three teams—Givati, Tzanchanim and Golani—the students were involved in a variety of skills, challenges and competitions as they vied for the Kushner Cup. Activities included Torah scav-enger hunts, obstacle courses, mathletes, vocabulary chal-lenges, mock beit din, chess, three-point shootouts, speed Ru-bik’s Cube, brachos bee, geography bee, “dominate the daf,” Lego competitions, College Bowl, scientifi c popsicle bridge building and SO much more.

The competition culminated in the fi nal competitions, where each team submitted the robotic car and “battle bot” robot that they developed as their creations battled the other teams’ models. The whole school came together for the grand fi nale as each team presented the banners they created that represented their teams, screened the videos that they pro-duced themselves, and fi lled the auditorium with ruach as each team participated in a “team tisch.” After all the results were tallied, there was a roar of cheers as the Blue team—Gi-vati—were crowned the winners of this year’s Kushner Cup.

Kushner Cup is a wonderful bonding experience for our students, instills camaraderie and ruach, and allows each stu-dent to exercise their skills, talents and passions as they con-tribute to their team’s competitions.

SCHOOLS

Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School to Host Hands-On Maker ExperienceTM STEM Summer Program for High School StudentsOnly Summer Maker Program for High School in Northern New Jersey

The Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School (RKYHS) is offering a four-week summer intensive science program, the “Maker Ex-perience,” from July 7 to August 5, 2016. The Maker Experience is an extension of the highly successful and innovative RKY-HS STEM program which now includes year-long courses in Scientifi c Engineer-ing, Robotics Engineering, Genetic Engi-neering, BioMedical Engineering, Com-puter Science and Coding.

The Maker Experience is designed as an intensive science program to get stu-dents excited about science, engineer-ing and robotics and to get them started “learning science by doing science.” The program teaches innovation and inven-tion and focuses on “hands-on” learning and investigation, tasking students with analyzing real-world problems and design-ing and actually building real-world solu-tions.

The program focuses on problem-solv-ing and encourages innovation and inven-tion, while teaching substantive science, mathematics and a variety of gateway skills, including electronics, circuitry, pro-gramming, genetics, mechanics and data analysis. The program culminates in the presentation of the students’ projects at a program-ending conference, where the

students display and explain their original work to their peers, parents and to profes-sionals in the fi eld.

“We teach invention, innovation and problem solving—all in a fun environ-ment,” explained Program Director and RKYHS Science Department Chair Dr. Ste-ven Stein. “When students get excited about their projects, it propels them to in-vestigate the underlying principles and go deeply into the science. It’s really all about asking questions and fi guring out how to fi gure it out.”

The program provides students with the opportunity to go beyond classroom lectures and “get their hands into it,” ac-cording to Stein. The Maker Experience begins with a simple project, such as cre-ating a cell phone charger using an AA bat-

tery, to get the participants’ creative juices fl owing and getting them started in actu-ally building devices. The bulk of the pro-gram centers on a particular “problem” identifi ed by each of the students. They search for solutions through experimenta-tion, fi nally creating a solution and mak-ing a functional device as part of their ap-proach.

Past students have created dozens of functional projects including innovative energy sources, such as body motion and heat-powered devices, novel wind-pow-ered generators, biometric analyzers, in-cluding heart-rate and ECG monitors and EEG (brain wave) analytic devices, devic-es to help disabled individuals and, cur-rently, a portable AED (heart defi brillator) and a novel breathalyzer-based test for

strep throat. Stein said, “Students come in thinking that certain areas and ideas are ‘off limits’ such as sending a device into the upper atmosphere to look deeply into space or at weather conditions, but they learn that they can expand their imagina-tion because they can learn how to do al-most anything. Really, the sky’s the limit.”

A hands-on Open House for students and parents to learn more about the pro-gram is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, 2016, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at RKYHS, 110 South Orange Ave in Livingston.

The Maker Experience summer pro-gram will run from July 7 to August 5 and meet daily from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. For more information, please contact Deb-orah Hunter at [email protected] or visit www.rkyhs.org/makerexperience.


Noam 7B Edges Out SAR for ChampionshipBy Noam Kinderlehrer

The stage was set and the expectations were quite high for the rematch of last year’s 6B championship game between Noam and SAR. Noam came out strong ear-ly and raced to a 6-0 lead until David Gellis picked up two early fouls. The SAR Sting at-tacked back with Gellis out and tied it up. The Knights recovered with strong baskets by Eli Gilad and Aiden Sausen to take a 10-6 lead at the end of the fi rst quarter.

Then the Knights picked up the pace with nice baskets from Eli Gilad and Aid-en Sausen to take a 10-6 lead. SAR began to give the ball exclusively to Henry Mann or Eli Neuwirth who attacked the basket and got rebounds.

The game was low scoring with many missed shots on both sides and was tied heading into the half at 18 all.

After the half, Noam came out deter-mined to pull away from the Sting and went up quickly by six by driving hard to the basket and knocking down their jump-ers, especially by Ezra Baron. SAR would

not give up and fought its way back into the game and tied it up.

The fourth quarter began with Noam leading by two; SAR would not go away

and took their fi rst lead of the game with four minutes left to play in regulation. Noam re-sponded immediately to tie it up and the next 2-3 minutes the game went back and forth with few baskets being scored and a lot of good defense. Fi-nally, the Knights pulled up by four points with two minutes left with a clutch shot by Ezra Baron.

Henry Mann of SAR quickly led his team back to tie it up but with the score tied, both teams

lost the ball on mistakes. Finally, on a missed shot with 14 seconds left, Aid-en Sausen got the offensive rebound and was fouled with the score tied. He missed the fi rst free throw but made the second, which put Noam up by one for good. Henry Mann’s last-second effort fell just short and the Noam Knights hung on to win 34-33 and avenged last year’s loss with a victory.

The Storm Repeats in Hoop Heaven Basketball

The Storm strikes again! For the sec-ond year in a row, the Storm won the varsity division of the Hoop Heaven winter season. Led by a balanced scor-ing attack, timely three-point shoot-

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SPORTS

MTA Lion Kings Continue Their Undefeated Chess SeasonBy Yosef Schatz

On Monday, several students from MTA fi led onto the bus headed to DRS for the second chess match of the year. Howev-er, due to other events at MTA, some of MTA’s fi nest chess players were unable to attend the match. Captain Akiva Sherman quickly scrambled to collect enough stu-dents. At the tournament, MTA met and played against members of the JEC, TABC,

DRS and Shaarei Torah chess teams. Some games were fast-paced, ending in less than fi ve minutes, while others took longer. In fact, one game went on until there were just two and a half minutes remaining on the clock. In the end, MTA came out with a total score of 14/14 points, making it very possible for MTA to clinch the playoff seat. The day proved successful once again for the MTA Lion Kings as they continue their season still undefeated.

Yoni Mann and the outside shooting of Yehuda Mirwis. The Knights were play-ing great and Yavneh was reeling.

When the fi rst quarter ended, Noam had a 22-6 lead and it looked like they might cruise to an easy victo-ry. Not quite. The early defi cit did not faze Yavneh one bit. They switched to a man-to-man defense, started hitting their shots and completely shut Noam down. Akiva Feit hit driving layups, Max Zakheim hit a three and Amichai Cit-ron rejected a Noam three-pointer that he took coast-to-coast for a layup that ignited the Yavneh fans. Benjamin Ty-ler came off the bench and controlled the boards. Yavneh kept chipping away at Noam’s lead, and by halftime it was down to three. Noam was ahead but Yavneh had all the momentum.

A few minutes into the third quar-ter, Yavneh had the lead as well. Dan-ny Weinberger put back an offensive re-bound, Citron banked in a shot and the big Noam lead was gone. The Yavneh crowd was going wild and when Eitan Dukas connected on two bombs from the outside it felt like the roof was going to cave in. Yoni Mann and Billy Krause managed to hit a few shots that kept Noam close but when the third quarter ended with Yavneh up 38-32, things were not looking good for the Knights. Noam did everything they could to get back in the game in the fourth quarter, but every time they did Yavneh answered. With about 5 minutes left in the game and Yavneh up 40-33, Ari Kaminetzky hit a three to cut the lead to four. Yavneh came down and Weinberger hit a fl oater in the lane to make it 42-36. After Krause cut the lead to four, Tyler hit a gorgeous reverse layup off a nice pass from Cit-ron that got the Yavneh lead back to six. Back and forth it went, both teams mak-ing play after play.

With just under two minutes left in the game, Yehuda Mirwis buried a step back three-pointer from the right

wing and the Yavneh lead was down to one. The Noam comeback was almost complete but Yavneh had other ideas. Dukas responded to the Mirwis three with one of his own and after another Citron block and coast-to-coast layup, put Yavneh up 49-43. With about 1:20 to go, the Championship victory that the Knights craved was slipping away. Noam did not fold. They kept push-ing. Yoni Mann hit a driving bank shot and one with a minute to go that cut the lead to three. Sam Bendheim de-fl ected the Yavneh inbound pass and the Knights had life. After Noam missed two three-pointers, either would have tied the game. Gabi Antosofsky made the play of the game and came out of nowhere, grabbed the loose ball and put in the rebound to cut the lead to one. Noam fouled and after Yavneh made one foul shot, Yoni Mann scored on a beautiful baseline drive to tie the game with 30 seconds left. The place was go-ing nuts. Yavneh held for the last shot.

With the clock ticking down, Max Zakheim split two defenders at the top of the key and appeared to have a wide-open look to win the game until Bil-ly Krause stepped up and swatted the ball away just before the buzzer sound-ed. Yoni Mann and Billy Krause scored quickly in OT to give the Knights a four-point lead. Yavneh tried valiantly to stay in the game but with momentum back on their side, the Knights were too much to overcome and they went on to a thrilling 62-52 victory. Yavneh was led by Akiva Feit (11), Amichai Citron (10) and Max Zakheim and Eitan Dukas with nine points each. Danny Weinberger (6) fought through severe back pain to play a solid game and Benjamin Tyler (7) was a strong presence inside. For the King-hts, Yoni Mann (23) and Billy Krause (20) led the way. Yehuda Mirwis had eight and made countless big plays through-out the game. Ari Kaminetzky had fi ve big fourth-quarter points and Gabi An-tosofsky’s late-game heroics were a big reason Noam won. Reuben Melzer did an outstanding job defending Citron, and Sam Bendheim’s defl ection late in the game was pivotal.

8B Noam Knights Defeat Yavneh to Claim YMSSA Championship

CONTINUED FROM P. 1

Noam parents and fans all dressed up supporting their school

Noam 7B posing with trophy after their win.


Englewood Orthopedic Associates is the premier Orthopedic group located in Englewood, New Jersey. Our NJ Orthopedic physician practice has long provided expert Orthopedic care to the Northern New Jersey and Tri-State Area.

Specialties:• Bone Density Testing (on-site) • Elbow and Shoulder Surgery• Foot and Ankle Surgery• General Orthopedics• Hand/Wrist Surgery• Hip/Knee Surgery• Joint Replacement• Minimally Invasive Surgery• Pain Management• Pediatric Orthopedics• Spine Surgery• Sports Medicine

Richard L. Salzer, M.D.Brian A. Cole, M.D.Peter A. Salob, M.D.Adam S. Becker, M.D.Jessica Fleischer, M.D.

Anne J. Miller, M.D.Michael F. Pizzillo, M.D.Asit K. Shah, M.D., Ph.D.Damien I Davis, M.D.Andrew Hall, M.D.

Please contact the office at 201-569-2770 to schedule an appointment.Englewood Office: 401 South Van Brunt Street, Englewood, New Jersey 07631Paramus Office: 1 W. Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus, NJ 07652

Our Doctors

SPORTS

Frisch Varsity Exit Quarterfi nal Basketball Undefeated

Andrew Langer scored 26 points and Ben Gerber and Josh Dukus each added 12 as the #10 Cougars (13-9) showed no rust from nearly a month off as they bounced the #9 Hawks (19-8) from the playoffs. Frisch never trailed, leading by as many as

17 in the fi rst half before HAFTR got with-in eight at halftime. In the second half, the Hawks could get no closer than fi ve. Frisch pulled away in the fourth. Perlow did score 26 points before getting hurt. The Cougars will face undefeated DRS in the semifi nals.

Frisch Girls Prevail Over Bruriah in Varsity B-Ball

This was a close game from beginning to end. Both teams played hard and made numerous threes and fast break layups. With 3:38, Frisch was down three. With two minutes to go, Tamar Furer hit a three to put Frisch up by two. Bruriah came down court and missed on an outside shot,

with Furer getting the rebound. Furer pro-ceeded to convert the second free throw to put Frisch up by one. She sealed the game with two more free throws with fi ve sec-onds left on the clock. Furer fi nished with 24 points, with Julia Reichel adding 12. Jes-sie Orgel had 28 for Bruriah.

Frisch JV Cougars Defeat HANCIn a quarterfi nal matchup versus a very

tough and well-coached HANC Hurricanes team, the Frisch Cougars overcame a fi ve-point defi cit at the half and secured a gut-ty and hard-fought victory, 55-47. The Cou-gars came out of the half trailing by fi ve and went on a 8-0 run to start the second

half. Twice HANC cut the lead to one and each time the Cougars answered with their own run.

In the end, the victory was a tough one, but the Cougars will look to their next op-ponent and challenge the MDY Warriors in the upcoming JV semi-fi nal game at Frisch.

YU Men’s Basketball Team’s Season Ends With Skyline Semifi nal Loss to Old WestburyBy YUMACS.COM

The Yeshiva University men’s basket-ball team had its historic season come to an end on Thursday evening, as the #4 Mac-cabees fell to the #1 Panthers of SUNY Old Westbury, 82-60, in the semifi nal of the Skyline Conference Championships at the Clark Athletic Center. Old Westbury will host #6 St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn in the Skyline Championship game on Satur-day evening.

Leading the way for the Maccabees (15-12) was senior forward Shelby Rosen-berg and classmate Shaje Weiss, scoring 13 points apiece, with the former grabbing seven rebounds and the latter grabbing six boards. Freshman guard Judah Cohen pro-duced 12 points, on four three-point fi eld goals, while junior forward Michael Berg and freshman guard Jamie Cappell scored eight points each.

The Maccabees came storming out of the gate early, as a jump-shot by Berg gave

Yeshiva a 4-0 advantage. After the Panthers scored fi ve un-answered points, Rosenberg nailed a jumper to help the Maccabees regain a one-point advantage.

The Panthers (18-8) would shift momentum into their favor and jump out to a 25-17 lead with 6:22 left in the open-ing half. Berg put a halt to Old Westbury’s surge by scoring a two-point fi eld goal, which sparked a 6-2 run that pulled the Maccabees to within four, at 27-23. Weiss converted a layup to shrink the Panthers’ advantage to 29-25, with 3:05 left in the fi rst stanza. Old Westbury responded by scor-ing six unanswered points to extend its lead to 35-25 going into halftime.

The Panthers’ momentum would carry into the second half, scoring 16 of the pe-

riod’s fi rst 18 points to take a command-ing 51-27 with under 15 minutes remain-ing. Yeshiva would not go down without a

fi ght, as back-to-back three-point fi eld goals by Cohen and Cappell highlighted a 12-2 run to catapult Yeshi-va back in the game. Cohen drained another shot from downtown to decrease Ye-shiva’s defi cit to 58-42, with just less than 10 minutes left. However, Yeshiva’s rally would not be enough as Old Westbury secured the win and a berth in the champi-onship game.

It was still a very success-ful season for Yeshiva. The Maccabees tied a program record with 12 Skyline wins and won their fi rst home playoff game since 2002. An-other highlight in the season

was Rosenberg scoring his 1,000th career point in the last regular season game of his collegiate career.

TABC Storm Varsity Hockey Advances to FinalsBy Jonah Ganchrow

Monday night, March 7, brought a thriller varsi-ty hockey semifi nal game to the Weather Center be-tween the longtime ri-vals the Frisch Cougars and the TABC Storm. Fans from both sides piled in early and by the time the puck dropped it was standing-room only. The Storm came out fi ring with a quick stuff in by Captain Yair Knoller on the fi rst shift of the game. Later in the period, TABC defenseman Joe Moskowitz intercepted a pass and fi red one past the Frisch goaltender Matt Rein-hart to give TABC a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Frisch came out extremely strong. After coincidental minor penalties on both teams, Yair Knoller made a series of beauti-ful moves to score a 3 on 3 goal and extend the lead to 3. Excellent goaltending by both Matt Reinhart of Frisch, who made a pair of beautiful glove saves, and Shua Beilin of TABC, who was strong all night, kept the

score the same heading into the third pe-riod. Frisch right off the bat cut the lead to two on a beautiful breakaway goal by Brian Alter. Frisch kept the onslaught on through the fi rst half of the period with chances from Yehuda Brinn, Stevie Brinn and Jor-dan Soclof, all stopped by Shua Beilin. Lat-er in the period, Zach Rothenberg cleaned up a rebound in front to put the lead back at three. The Storm took the 4-1 victory and will travel to Lawrence Middle School on March 13 to play the HAFTR Hawks.


YU Claims Roller Hockey TitleYeshiva entered the Eastern Conference

Roller Hockey Association’s regional cham-pionship tournament in Feasterville, PA, this weekend as the number-one seed af-ter fi nishing the regular season 11-0-1. Af-ter sweeping their round robin games (1-0, against Rochester Institute of technology, and 7-1 against Shippensburg University) they received a quarterfi nals bye. They beat St. Joseph’s Universi-ty in the semifi nals 4-3, with Etan Bar-dash (Teaneck) scor-ing with 4 minutes left in the fi nal period to break a 3-3 tie after going down 3-1 enter-ing the 3rd period. Ye-shiva played their rival Millersville Universi-ty (Lancaster, Penn.) in front of a raucous crowd in the champi-onship. Yeshiva won 5-1, with goals from Avi Margulies (West Hempstead, NY), Jesse Gordon (West Hemp-stead, NY), Ari Drazin (Montreal, Qu), Cap-

tain Amir Gavarin and Benjy Shulman (Tea-neck, NJ) to claim Yeshiva’s fi rst athletic title.

The Yeshiva team stayed by families nearby in Northern Philadelphia’s small but vibrant Jewish community and had meals as a team in the shul. As with all of their away games which have been as far as Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the com-munity gladly hosted the team.

A few Yeshiva play-ers earned awards from the ECRHA with Dan-iel Genachowski (Wood-mere, NY) winning stu-dent athlete of the year, Avi Margulies winning Rookie of the Year and Jo-seph Robin (Fair Lawn, NJ) winning Goalie of the Year and playoff MVP. The awards ceremony was held on Friday night and the awards were ac-cepted by the league on behalf of the players. The league issued a state-ment on the national website explaining that the league accepted the awards on their behalf

due to “the players’ strict observance of the Sabbath” not allowing them to participate.

Yeshiva was applauded by the league commissioner William Bourque, as be-ing “an absolute pleasure to deal with, and an even greater pleasure to watch play and dominate as they did.” Yeshiva was al-lowed to wear their yarmulkes during their team photo for the league, deviating from the standard and strict league policy of no

headwear during team composite photos.Although almost all other schools

have their programs sponsored and run through their athletic department, Yeshi-va managed to succeed with the help of very generous YU benefactors. With their championship status, Yeshiva is now al-lowed to make the move into a division higher, Division 2 for next year, and will need to raise more money again.

Come PlayNFL FLAG FOOTBALL

at Overpeck Park inPALISADES PARK

5-on-5 Flag Football • Fast PacedNon Contact • Boys & Girls • Grades K-8

Make your own team or join onto a team. All towns welcome. Teams or individuals.

Affiliated with

Call: (201) 417-5729www.aiflag.com • [email protected]

2016 SPRING LEAGUE!!Starts Sunday, March 20th through June 26th

220 Roosevelt Ave, Palisades Park, NJ • Sundays ONLY

REGISTERTODAY!

SPORTS

MTA’s Soccer Season Kicks OffBy David Pando

This past week, the MTA Soccer Li-ons had their fi rst game of the season, facing long-time rival and last year’s Ye-shiva League champion, SAR. However, the Lions were not intimidated by their foes, and “kicked off” the game by scor-ing in the fi rst fi ve seconds on a goal by Ariel Feuerstein with an assist by David Pando. After 15 minutes of intense soccer play, the fi rst period ended with MTA trail-ing by a score of 5-2. The second period did not look promising after the fi rst few minutes, and the Lions found themselves

down. However, the team quickly recov-ered by switching up the defense and pro-ceeded to hold off SAR from scoring for a solid ten minutes after halftime. Unfortu-nately, that did not last the entire period, and the SAR Sting managed to score four times, to pull away for the win. Despite their loss, the Lions are proud of their ac-complishments—particularly keeping the game so close between them against one of the best teams in the league, and would like to give a shout-out to Ariel Feuerstein for fi ve points, Shimmy Mandelbaum for one, and to goalie Sam Weissman for his incredible performance.

SPORTS SCENES

Abie Schwartz races upcourt as RYNJ 6b beats BPY CREDIT MAYER SABO.

Dov Klar of 3/4 MGBL Team Jewish Link of NJ about to take a strong shot.

Dovid Shayowitz from Team Approved Funding with a nice layup CREDIT MAYER SABO.

Eyal Kinderlehrer of 3/4 MGBL Team Jewish Link of NJ practicing his short jumper.

MGBL Team Goldman Orthodontics credit Bonnie Silfen.

Sam Richman of Team Approved Funding driving to the hoop CREDIT MAYER SABO.

Team Approved Funding coaches Shmuel Shayowitz and Cory Richman with Dovid Shayowitz , Ben and Sam Richman CREDIT MAYER SABO.

Yeshivat Noam Lady Knights after playing a terrifi c championship game this past Sunday.


Jewish Link Sportstar of the Week Zehava SeidmanThe Jewish Link of New Jersey and

Gotham Burger would like to recognize 17-year-old Ma’ayanot sharpshooter Zeha-va Seidman as this week’s Sportstar of the Week.

Seidman helped the varsity volleyball team to victory over Central on Tuesday night. The team was losing 10-2, but then the team made a great comeback and it was Seidman’s serve that helped clinch the game for Frisch, 20-19.

Seidman said that her older sister Miriam, a 2009 Frisch graduate, is her role model.

“She’s shown me that I can strive to do whatever I set my mind to and create my own path, just like she has,” Seidman said.

She told JLNJ that Stephen Curry is her favorite athlete.

Her pregame routine is simple. She and her best friend, Ayelet Berger, always listen

to a recording of 300 Violin Orchestra by John Quintero to pump them up and get their heads in the game.

When asked about her earliest sports memory, Seidman said, “My neighbors used to play catch on the street outsides our homes and, when I was 8 years old, they fi nally let me play, and we’d toss the ball in the street for hours. That’s how I learned to catch, and those times made for some great memories.”

As for her funniest sports memory, Seidman told JLNJ, “Hitting my brother accidentally with a baseball when I was 10 years old, because it taught me that sibling rivalry can be a professional sport, as well.”

Of course, her favorite sports memory was winning the JV championship game in 10th grade.

Seidman spoke about her favorite thing to do when not playing sports, saying, “I’m really active in Bnei Akiva. It’s a great way

to master leadership skills, spend time with my friends and support Israel at the same time. I’m so excited to attend Migdal Oz in Gush next year.”

What does Seidman think is the best thing about being a Sportstar? “It gives Frisch, my amazing coaches and the rest of the team recognition for all the hard work and time they put into the team. Frisch, aside from being such a great school that I’ve been lucky to be a part of the past four years, really supports a wide range of ath-letics and allows us all to pursue our indi-vidual passions, whether they’re sports or something else,” she answered.

The Gotham Burger Sportstar of the Week will receive a $10 gift certifi cate to Gotham Burger. Please send nominees for next week’s Gotham Burger Sportstar of the Week to [email protected].

Sunday 8/21 – Thursday 8/25 Sunday 8/28 – Wednesday 8/31For boys entering 3rd – 12th grade

Special Senior Division Program (11th & 12th graders)3 Minyanim Daily

COST: Register by 4/15: $650

Register after 4/15: $699

GROUP DISCOUNT

(6 campers must sign up together at the same time)Register by 4/15: $625 per camper in group

Register after 4/15: $675 per camper in group

More info: [email protected]

• Brand new for 2016: MVP Basketball court with overhead dome

• Clinics, Fundamentals, Drills, Skills Competitions

League Games, 3 on 3, 2 on 2, 1 on 1, MVP Challenges

• Individual and Team Growth

• Experiences Staff + Guest Instructors

• Hot Tub / Jacuzzi

• Indoor and Outdoor Pools

• Seneca Giant Water Slide

• Indoor & Outdoor Lit Basketball Courts

• Glatt Kosher Meals + Nightly BBQs

• Seneca Sprinkles Ice Cream Parlor

• Air Conditioned Shul and Dining Room

• Transportation is Included

Every camper receives an MVP reversible jersey

Application: www.senecalake.com and click on the MVP Basketball

DIRECTORS:

Judah Rhine: 516-707-2638

Irv Bader: 718-261-CAMP

COST: Register by 4/15: $550

Register after 4/15: $599

GROUP DISCOUNT

(6 campers must sign up together at the same time)Register by 4/15: $525 per camper in group

Register after 4/15: $575 per camper in group

More info: [email protected]

For girls entering 6th – 12th grade

Daily Davening

WHERE EVERY PLAYER CAN BE AN MVP!WHERE EVERY PLAYER CAN BE AN MVP!

MVP BOYS MVP GIRLSAll ball. All the time.All ball. All the time.

SPORTS

SPORTS STANDINGS

Boys 8th Grade Basketball championship

03/06/2016 1:00 PM Noam Yavneh Noam (62) - Yavneh (52)

Boys 7th Grade Basketball championship

03/06/2016 4:00 PM Noam SAR Noam (34) - SAR (33)

Girls 7th & 8th Grade Championship

03/06/2016 2:30 PM SAR Noam SAR (49) - Noam (37)

Hockey Association of Yeshiva Middle SchoolsWed 3/9/16 7:30pm - 8:30pm

Championship #2 Moriah vs. #1Noam @ TABC

Metropolitan Jewish Day School Basketball League

Thu 3/10 7:30pm at Magen David YNJ vs. HALB Championship

Game

Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic LeagueBoys Varsity Basketball -Semis

Date Time Home AwayLocation/

Result

Tuesday 03/08 8:15 PM DRS FRISCH DRS (58) - FRISCH (29)

Wednesday 03/09 8:00 PM HESCHEL FLATBUSH

Boys JV Basketball -Semis

Date Time Home AwayLocation/

Result

Tuesday 03/08 6:45 PM DRS SAR DRS (34) - SAR (42)

Wednesday 03/09 8:15 PM FRISCH MAGEN

DAVID

Girls Varsity A Basketball-Championship

Date Time Home Away

Thursday 03/10 8:15 PM FRISCH SAR

Girls Varsity A Basketball -Semis

Date Time Home Away Location/Result

Wednesday 03/02 7:30 PM SKA ILAN SKA (38) - ILAN

(22) Tuesday 03/08 8:00 PM SHALHEVET BRURIAH SHALHEVET (20) -

BRURIAH (53)

Girls JV Basketball Championship

Date Time Home Away

Sunday 03/13 6:00 PM FRISCH FLATBUSH

SemisDate Time Home Away Location/Result

Thursday 03/03 8:30 PM NORTH

SHORE FLATBUSH NORTH SHORE (46) - FLATBUSH (49)

Sunday 03/06 11:00 AM FRISCH SAR FRISCH (36) - SAR

(26)

Boys Varsity Hockey Championship

Date Time Home Away

TBA TBA HAFTR TABC

SemisDate Time Home Away Location/Result

Monday 03/07 7:30 PM HAFTR SAR HAFTR (4) - SAR (1)

Monday 03/07 8:00 PM TABC FRISCH TABC (4) - FRISCH (1)

Boys JV Hockey Championship

Date Time Home Away

Sunday 03/13 TBA DRS FRISCH

Girls Varsity A VolleyballSemis

Date Time Home Away Location/Result

Tuesday 03/01 7:30 PM CENTRAL FRISCH FRISCH Cougars Won 3 - 2

Wednesday 03/02 7:30 PM RAMAZ SAR RAMAZ Rams

Won 3 - 1

Girls Varsity B VolleyballChampionship

Date Time Home Away

Tuesday 03/08 7:30 PM SHULAMITH MAGEN DAVID

Girls JV VolleyballChampionship

Date Time Home Away

TBA TBA RAMAZ FRISCH

RKYHS Sophomore Swimmer Wins Seven Events

Ameerah Ali, a 10th grader at RKYHS, placed fi rst in seven events at a re-cent swim meet: 25 meter freestyle, 25 meter fl y, 50 meter free, 50 meter back-stroke, 100 meter free re-lay (along with Hannah Mamet, Cecelia Ashenberg and Maya Minsky), 100 me-ter medley relay and 200 meter free relay.

The RKYHS girls’ swim team; Ameerah Ali is in the back row, third from the right.


MOTZEI SHABBAT, MARCH 12

Congregation Ahavath Torah Annual Dinner8:30PMGuests of Honor: Cheryl and Lee Lasher, Young Leadership Award: Leah and Andrew Harary, Hakarat Hatov Award: Emily Trepp. Featuring special guest host Modi, the hilarious & world renowned comedian, as Master of Ceremonies.

SUNDAY, MARCH 13

Secrets of the Bible Unearthed at the City of David10:00AM, Congregation Beth Aaron, 950 Queen Anne

Road, TeaneckMultimedia presentation by Ze’ev Orenstein of the City of David Foundation.

Speakers Sponsored by TorahWeb8:00PM, Congregation Beth Aaron, 950 Queen Anne Road, TeaneckAt 8:00, Rabbi Mordechai Willig will deliver a lecture on “What Is and Isn’t the Rabbi’s Job.” At 8:45, Rabbi Michael Rosensweig will speak on “Equal and Diff erent: Halacha’s Singular Approach to Diverse Roles.

MONDAY, MARCH 14

Home Buyers Seminar7:00PM, Avenue Event Space, 1382 Queen Anne Rd, Teaneck

Topics to include: home buying process, financing options, steps for great credit, and much more. Free seminar and dinner. Raffle drawing for all attendees. Pre-registration required by March 13. Call 201-308-5583 or email [email protected].

TUESDAY, MARCH 15

DNA’s Role in Cancer: The Key to Personalized Medicine7:00-8:00PM, Holy Name Medical Center Marian HallSpeakers: Elan Diamond, MD, Medical Oncologist, Holy Name Medical Center and Peggy Cottrell, MS, CGC, Genetics Counselor. Free. Refreshments will be served.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16

Yeshivat Noam 14th Annual Dinner6:30PM, Congregation Keter Torah, 600 Roemer Ave, TeaneckGuests of Honor: Tammi & Bennett Schachter, Community Service Awardees: Miriam & Gabriel Hermann, Faculty Awardees: Arwen Kuttner and Yehudit Liebb. For more information or to make a donation or reservation, please call Amy Vogel at 201-261- 1919 x126 or register online at www.yeshivatnoam.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17

Sweet Memories Supper Club4:00PM, Noah’s Ark Restaurant & Deli, 493 Cedar Ln, TeaneckRemember the way life used to be before your spouse/partner was diagnosed with dementia? Remember dinner in a nice restaurant? The chance to socialize and have fun? The Jewish Home Family and Noah’s Ark want to make that experience possible for you again. Please join us for our fi rst “Sweet Memories Supper Club,” a special event specifi cally for couples who are living with one partner’s diagnosis of dementia. Subsidized cost: $18 per person. RSVP early by calling 201-750-4238 or emailing [email protected].

Guest Lecturer Eleonora Shifrin7:30PM, Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn, 30-02 Fair Lawn Ave.,Eleonora Shifrin is an Israeli internationally known journalist, lecturer, political commentator, public activist, author of a book of political essays, Honorary citizen of Texas, invited to visit U.S. by a non-profi t organization NEW JERSEY SUPPORT ISRAEL. Topics: 1. Jewish people is one family. Current wave of violation. Is a threat of a civil war between Arabs and Jews real? Support of Israeli victims of terror by the American Russian-speaking Jews. 2. Existential threat to Israel from the united Israeli, European and American “leftists.”

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Bounce House

BounceU of Paramus

(201) 843-5880 | [email protected] Eisenhower Drive Paramus, NJ 07652Sports Instruction and Leagues

American Instructional Football League

www.aiflag.com | [email protected](201) 417-5729CMEK

[email protected] | (201) 927-3027MGBL- Mitch Gross Basketball League

www.mgbl.org | [email protected] • Improv • Music

Black Box Studios

www.blackboxnynj.com | (201) 357-2221200 Walraven Dr, Teaneck

Auto Repair

Eli Auto Service Center Inc.

(201) 836-0455618 Cedar Lane, TeaneckAuto Repair & Leasing

Toyota of Hackensack

278 River St, HackensackSales: (888) 708-6375Service: (888) 708-1150 | Parts: (888) 708-1202www.toyotaofhackensack.comAuto Leasing & Sales

Dynamic Auto Leasing

[email protected] | 732-898-0006Elite Auto Lease

[email protected] | (347) 432-3929Plaza Auto leasing

www.plazaautoleasing.com | (718) 975-9000Car Wash

New Wave Car Wash

199 Woodbine St, Bergenfield, NJ | 973-493-3719Teaneck Hand Car Wash

www.teaneckhandcarwash.com(201) 862-98741172 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck

Graphic Design

Julie Farkas Graphic Design

www.juliefarkas.com | (201) 280-9437IT Networking

Garb Consulting Group

www.garbcg.com | (201) 379-9234Tech Control

www.techcontrol.biz | [email protected](973) 685-4264Payment Services

Fidelity Payment Services

www.fidelitypayment.com | (855) 794-7348Point of Sale

HiFi POS Technologies

www.hifipos.com | (844) HIFI-POSPrinting

Dash Printing Inc.

www.dashprinting.com | (201) 338-2562Public Relations

Paul Revere Public Relations

N. Aaron Troodlerwww.paulreverepr.com | (888) 897-7450Website Design

Myraj Media

[email protected] | (201) 645-4747

Clothing - Men

Emporio www.emporioclothing.com215 W. Englewood Ave, Teaneck | (201) 530-7300Full line of suits, shirts, pants, ties, sport coats and outerwear. Additional locations in Brooklyn, Cedarhurst and Lakewood.Clothing- Women

Aqua Modesta

Original Kosher Swimwearwww.aquamodesta.com | (718) 810-2422Carly’z Craze

www.carlyzcraze.com | (201) 342-3398

472 Cedar Lane, TeaneckEuro Design Couture

300 Saddle River Rd, Monsey | (845) 356-5253Hydrochic LLC

www.hydrochic.comMiri Couture

www.miricouture.com37 North Dean St, Englewood | (201) 608-5550Natali

Atrium Plaza - 401 West Route 59, Monsey, NY(845) 356-0999 | www.natalicollections.comTeens & Ladies WearJewelry

Garden State Jewelers

441 Cedar Lane, Teaneck | (201) 362-2275Men’s Grooming

BeSpoke

1395 Queen Anne Rd, Teaneck | 201-862-0181Hot Towel service, Shampoo bar, Trending haircut styles for all ages, Mens manicure and pedicure services, New Separate children service areaChubby's Barber for Men

(201) 8347-6515 | 1358 Queen Anne Rd, TeaneckSportClips Haircuts

www.sportclips.com/NJ1171011 Main St | (201) 343-4343New Bridge Landing River Edge

Accounting

Harry Szafranski, CPA

(201) 833-19841415 Queen Anne Rd, Ste 203, TeaneckPaul Rolnick CPA, LLC

[email protected] | (201) 833 6220 SRF Accounting Group, LLC

www.SRFcpas.com | [email protected](201) 525-1222Full Service Accounting and Financial ConsultingLeon Schenker • Milton Rosenblatt • Robert L. FriedbauerMortgages

See Real Estate & Mortgages

Insurance

Cosmo Insurance

Mark Herschlag & Joel Kaplowitz(201) 817-1388Group Health Insurance, Life Insurance & Employee BenefitsFarmer’s Insurance – David Zimm

201-366-2600 | 12 N Washington Ave, BergenfieldPrudential

Adam Weisberg(201) 632-2274 | (917) 579-4495

Bakeries

West Orange Bake Shop

(973) 243-0700480 Pleasant Valley Way, West OrangeZadies Bakeshop

[email protected] | (201) 796 6565 19-09 Fair Lawn Ave, Fair LawnFood & Drink Manufacturers

Allied Wine Corporation

www.alliedwine.com | (845) 796-4160Kedem

www.kedem.com | (800) 382-8299Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt

Ice Cream on Grand

523 Grand Ave, Englewood | (201) 569-5346Is A Berry

56 E. Palisade Ave, Englewood | 201-408-5515Yo-Delight

984 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck | 201-357-8333Restaurants

Chickie's

www.chickiesonline.com | (201) 266-6033172A West Englewood Ave, TeaneckChopstix

www.chopstixusa.com | (201) 833-0200172 W. Englewood Ave, TeaneckDunkin Donuts

1406 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck | (201) 862-0062 EJ's Place

www.ejsplaceteaneck.com | (201) 862-06111448 Queen Anne Rd, TeaneckGotham Burger

www.gothamburgerco.com | (201) 530-74001383 Queen Anne Rd, TeaneckHummus Elite

www.hummuselite.com | (201) 569-5600

39 E Palisade Ave, EnglewoodLazy Bean Café

1404 Queen Anne Rd, Teaneck | (201) 837-2326 Mediterranea

182 W Englewood Ave, Teaneck(201) 530-7391Perfect Pita

www.perfectpitanj.com | (201) 794-870013-22 River Rd, Fair LawnPoppy's Bagels

204 W Englewood Ave, Teaneck | (201) 862-0800Smokey Joe’s

www.smokeyjoesbbq.com | (201) 836-7427494 Cedar Lane, TeaneckSuper Duper Bagels

[email protected] South Livingston Ave, Livingston | (973) 533-1703Teaneck Doghouse

www.teaneckdoghouse.com | (201) 530-77331415 Palisade Ave, Teaneck Teaneck Hot Bagels

976 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck | 201-833-0410Wolf & Lamb

www.wolfandlambsteakhouse.com10 East 48th St, Manhattan | (212) 317-19501635 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn | (718) 627-4676Supermarkets

Best Glatt

543 Cedar Lane, Teaneck | (201) 801-0444Cedar Market

www.thecedarmarket.com646 Cedar Lane, Teaneck | (201) 855-8500 Glatt Express

[email protected] | (201) 837-81101400 Queen Anne Rd, Teaneck | (201) 569-2704Takeout & Catering Ma’adan Kosher www.maadan.com | (201) 692-0192 446 Cedar Lane, Teaneck Menagerie Take Out & Catering www.menageriecaterers.com | (201) 569-2704 41 East Palisade Ave, Englewood Take a Break Catering

www.TakeABreakCatering.com(201) [email protected]

FillerUp Wine

174 W Englewood Ave, Teaneck | (201) 862-1700Shopper’s Vineyard

875 Bloomfield Ave, Clifton | (973) 916-0707Wine Country

www.winecountrystores.com | (201) 385-010689 New Bridge Rd, Bergenfield

Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Debora K. Geller, MD

(201) 265-7515466 Old Hook Rd, Suite 24E, EmersonPediatric and AdultChiropractic Physician

Dr. Matthew Leffel

[email protected] | (201) 646-250015 Emerald St, Suite F1, HackensackDental Care

Aaron Brody, DMD

40 North Van Brunt Street, Suite 14, Englewood | (201) [email protected] www.aaronbrodydmd.comDaniel L. Kohn, DDS, P.C.

www.danielkohndds.com(201) 261-4860769 River Rd, New MilfordDental Professionals of Fair Lawn

www.drbardash.com | (201) 797-155510-06 Saddle River Rd, Fair LawnDumont Dentist

Dr. Rachel Jacobs & Dr. Herb Schneiderwww.dumontdentist.com | (201) 385-553855 Grant Ave, DumontGrowing Smiles of Englewood

[email protected] | (201) 608-5114105 North Dean St, EnglewoodFrankowitz Orthodontics

www.frankowitzorthodontics.com101 Cedar Lane, Teaneck | (201) 836-7788 Knoll Orthodontics

www.knollorthodontics.com | (201) 837-3322149 W. Englewood Ave, Teaneck

Teaneck Dentist /A Reason to Smile

(201) 837-3000100 State St, TeaneckTenafly Smiles

[email protected] | (201) 568-1190120 County Rd, Ste 203, TenaflyDoulas

Premier Doulas

www.PremierDoulas.com | (201) [email protected] Care

Czin Opticians

(201) 836-9199489 Cedar Lane, TeaneckJoseph Fishkin, MD

www.FishkinVision.com | (201) 383-914085 Kinderkamack Road, Suite 201, EmersonResident Eye Care Associates

www.recaeyes.com | (201) 797-27474-14 Saddle River Rd, Suite #202, Fair LawnVision Plus

Dr. Maty Youngewirthwww.visionplusicare.com(917) 548-50836 Briarcliff Rd, BergenfieldFitness

Club Fit NJ

www.clubfitnj.com | (201) 836-9500408 Cedar Lane, TeaneckKaplen JCC on the Palisades

www.jccotp.org | (201) 569-7900411 East Clinton Ave, TenaflyTeaneck Trainer- Lelia Marcus

www.teaneckpersonaltrainer.com(201) 371-3184THE GYM

www.gettothegym.com | (201) 567-939920 Nordhoff Place, Englewood(201) 802-9399Home Healthcare

Royal Hearts HealthCare

www.rhhealthcare.com(862) 250-6680 | [email protected]

Englewood Hospital

www.englewoodhospital.com | (201) 894-3000350 Engle St, EnglewoodHoly Name Medical Center

www.holyname.org | (201) 833-3000718 Teaneck Rd, TeaneckMusculoskeletal Disorders

The Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders

(201) 510-3777177 N Dean St, 3rd Fl, Suite 301, Englewood1415 Queen Anne Rd, TeaneckNutrition

Bess Berger, RD CDN

(201) 281-0787 | [email protected] Grange Rd, Teaneck NJMajor insurances acceptedOccupational Therapy

Kids Therapy Place

www.kidstplace.com | [email protected](201) 525-0050100 E Main St, BogotaOrthopedics

Englewood Orthopedic Associates

(201) 808-6793401 South Van Brunt St, Englewood1 W. Ridgewood Avenue, ParamusPediatricians

Teaneck Pediatrics 201-836-7171 | 197 Cedar Lane, TeaneckTenafly Pediatrics

www.tenaflypediatrics.comTenafly: (201) 569-2400 | Paramus: (201) 262-1140Fort Lee: (201) 592-8787 | Clifton: (973) 471-8600Washington Avenue Pediatrics, LLC

95 N. Washington Avenue, Bergenfield, NJ(201) 384-0300Pharmacy

J & J Pharmacy

527 Cedar Lane, Teaneck | 201-836-7003298 State St, Hackensack | 201-820-3360Physical Therapy

Back to Health Physical Therapy Associates

[email protected] | (201) 833-02341060 Main St, Suite 302, River EdgeBodyworks Rehab

www.bodyworksrehab.com | (201) 374-1930399 S. Washington Ave, BergenfieldThe Therapy Gym

PT, OT Speech & Behavioral Therapy

Business & Professional DirectoryBusiness & Professional DirectoryActivities/Recreation

Auto

Business to Business

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Food & DiningFood & DiningHealth & Fitness Health & Fitness

To be featured in this directory, please email [email protected]

HELP WANTED

SITUATION WANTED

CLASSIFIEDS

SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

SINAI Schools is seeking motivated and experienced special education teachers to work as part of its highly collaborative and interdisciplinary team for the 2016-17 academic year. Both Judaic Studies and General Studies teaching positions are available in our Elementary, Middle and High Schools.Please email resumes to [email protected]. Qualified minorities and/or women are encouraged to apply, EEO.

TEACHER

Teacher for a 10th grader at his high school in Bergen County for the school year, 2015 = 2016, Monday - Thursday. Student is a bright, exceptionally fi ne young boy who needs some accommodations and one to one teaching due to the eff ects of an accident. (Subjects include English, history, math and science.)Curriculum will be provided. Teaching experience preferred. Please send resume to [email protected]

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER

Due to increased enrollment, YBH of Passaic is seeking to hire a Middle School girls Ivrit teacher and 7th grade Morah for September 2016. Fax resume to (973) 777-9477 or email to [email protected].

JOBS IN PENNSYLVANIA

Jobs In Beautiful, Aff ordable Williamsport, PennsylvaniaHouses Ranging from $150,000 to $250,000Congregation Ohev Shalom, A Traditional ShulView Job Listings at jobs.sungazette.comwww.ohevsholom.net

CLEANING

English speaking Polish Woman looking for houses to clean. She has her own transportation. Contact Magda: 201-893-2502 [email protected].

TEANECK WOMEN’S TEFILLAH

CELEBRATES PURIM

Teaneck Women’s Tefi llah (TWT) is holding their annual reading of Megillat Esther on Purim night, Wed. March 23rd, starting promptly at 8 pm. For information about the private home location, email: teaneck.womens.tefi [email protected]. On Purim day March 24th, TWT members will participate in the Megillah reading for women at 11 am at The Jewish Center of Teaneck, 70 Sterling Place.


OF NEW JERSEY

REAL ESTATE LINKREAL ESTATE LINK Expanded Real Estate Sec on

Sponsored by Approved Funding

Can I Get Donald Trump a Mortgage?!By Shmuel Shayowitz

As many know, since the fi nancial and housing crises, mort-gage reform has made qualifying for a mort-gage a lot more cumber-

some than in the past. In order to satisfy underwriting guidelines, applicants need to now document their “ability to repay” a given mortgage at the rates and terms they are offered. For most, that means providing a slew of documentation which typically includes paystubs, W2s and tax returns rep-resenting their last two to three years of in-come sources.

Within the world of income classifi -cation, there are typically two categories which include “employed” and “self-em-ployed” earnings. Employees are individ-uals who receive a consistent paycheck, from a non-related company, and are pre-sented with a W2 at year end. Self-em-ployment income is basically every other type of income including sole proprietor-ship, partnership, corporations, distribu-tions, commissions, capital gains and oth-er pass-through revenue. Simply providing W-2s, paystubs and personal tax returns are

no longer suffi cient. An applicant’s person-al tax return (IRS1040) is now the starting point to determine what additional doc-umentation would be needed for review to establish qualifi cation. Furthermore, any business in which an individual has more than 25 percent ownership will re-quire business tax returns from that entity (IRS1065, IRS1120, etc.).

The problem for many self-employed borrowers is that their accountants are ex-perts at reducing tax liabilities by minimiz-ing their taxable net income. Mortgage un-derwriters, however, rely on that same net income as a gauge of the applicant’s qualifi -cation. While a tax return discloses the bor-rower’s taxable income, part of the evalua-tion process is determining an applicant’s cash-fl ow, which helps establish the abili-ty to pay back the loan. Unfortunately, tax returns are not designed to provide a clear picture of cash fl ow, and only with careful analysis of the fi nancial statements can an underwriter determine if a self-employed borrower is an acceptable risk.

The very broad tax return overview in-cludes these certain “schedules” which pro-vide various income levels that a taxpay-er might have earned in a given tax year. Many of these could be used for qualifi ca-

tion if shown to be consistent and through qualifi ed sources:

• Schedule A: Itemized Deductions. A taxpayer may choose to itemize deductions in order to save money. When utilized, ex-penses on this schedule will go to offset a taxpayer’s income.

• Schedule B: Interest and Ordinary Div-idends. Schedule B provides the supporting detail for the taxable interest and dividend income reported on page 1 of the 1040.

• Schedule C: Profi t or Loss from Busi-ness. Schedule C is the profi t and loss state-ment of a sole proprietorship. Reviewing the schedule carefully will help in evaluat-ing the stability and profi tability of the bor-rower’s business.

• Schedule D: Capital Gains and Loss-es. Schedule D is typically used for report-ing capital gains and losses. In most cases, a capital gain or loss is a nonrecurring event and you will not use it to qualify your bor-rower.

• Schedule E: Supplemental Income and Loss. Included is income or loss from rental real estate and royalties, partnerships and corporations, or income or loss from es-tates and trusts.

• Schedule K-1 (FORM 1065): The Sched-ule K-1 is prepared by the partnership to in-

form the individual partner of his share of income, deductions and credits.

Documentation requirements and in-come qualifi cation will vary from lender to lender. It is sensible to speak to a com-pany like Approved Funding who is famil-iar with self-employment analysis, and has multiple program options and variances to allow fl exibility wherever possible. Spe-cifi c to Donald Trump, I don’t know if I can get him a mortgage because he has yet to provide his personal and business tax returns!

In the half-page box below is the actu-al income fi gures as fi led with the IRS from their personal 1040 tax returns.

Shmuel Shayowitz (NMLS#19871) is President and Chief Lending Offi cer at Approved Funding, a private-ly held local mortgage banker and direct lender. Ap-proved Funding is a mortgage company off ering com-petitive interest rates as well specialty niche programs on all types of Residential and Commercial proper-ties. Shmuel has over 20 years of industry experience including licenses and certifi cations as certifi ed mort-gage underwriter, residential review appraiser, li-censed real estate agent, and direct FHA specialized underwriter. He can be reached via email at [email protected].

President Barack H. ObamaWages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income:Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income:

$394,671$16,092$88,181$-3,000$$495,964$18,581$477,383

Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Wages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income:Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income:

$309,432$480$418$$19,092$388,844$ $388,844

Presidential Candidate Hillary ClintonWages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income:Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income:

$93$25,171$28,020,811$3,000$$28,336,212$389,722$27,946,490

Presidential Candidate Bernie SandersWages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income:Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income:

$156,441$11$4,900$$$205,617$346$205,271

Presidential Candidate Jeb BushWages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income:Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income:

(2013)$27,000 $7,802$5,813,975$662,148$679,526$7,365,073$90,309$7,274,764

Presidential Candidate Marco RubioWages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income:Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income:

$197,370$17$ 30,000$$40,301$335,963$402$335,561

$983,161$161$190,000$11,698$$1,210,382$2,544$1,207,838

Presidential Candidate Donald TrumpWages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income:Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income:

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

If you would like a copy of the actual tax return filed with the IRS, please email me at [email protected]

Below are the actual income figures as filed with the IRS from the personal 1040 tax returns for these presidential or presidential hopeful individuals. Do you think they would qualify for a mortgage?!

Presidential Candidate Ted CruzWages, Salaries, tips (Form W-2): Taxable Interest (Schedule B): Business Income (Schedule C/C-EZ):Capital gain/loss (Schedule D):Partnerships/Corporations (Sched E):Total Income: Less Expenses or Deductions:Total Adjusted Gross Income

-


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New Construction in the heart of Teaneck. Four floors of luxury living featuring 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms and all modern amenities. State-of-the-art kosher kitchen with Sub Zero and Wolf appliances. Large formal dining room with 10 ft ceilings. Master bedroom suite with custom his-and-hers built-in closets and marble fireplace. Cherry hardwood floors throughout.

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The Federal Savings Bank

is honored to recognize and salute our good friend and business partner

NINA EIZIKOVITZ of Links Residential upon her being named the 2015 EBCBOR Rising Star Award Winner.

MICHAEL ADLERSenior Vice President

206 West Englewood Ave, Teaneck, NJ 07666

direct: (201) 225-8301

cell: (201) 390-1744

email: [email protected]

www.thefederalsavingsbank.com/meyeradler

NMLS# 28172

Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

Mazal Tov to Nina and to all

of our friends

at Links Residential

upon this achievement!

REAL ESTATE

Everyone’s a Winner!By Carl Guzman

Let’s talk a little about the home-buy-ing process. It all starts with the home-owner wanting to sell their home and a

buyer looking to own a home. Logically, homeowners want the highest price they can get, and, yes, you guessed it, buyers want the lowest price they can get. Noth-ing wrong with that unless… the seller doesn’t wind up selling their home and the buyer doesn’t wind up buying the home that they want. Yes, there is a bit of stress involved simply because of the na-ture of the transaction, the size of the dol-lar amounts and the host of profession-als and personalities that everyone has to work with. Hot markets, down markets, whatever the current dynamics prevail in the economy, the following theory holds true: we all want the best for ourselves. I maintain that we can want the best for ourselves, get what we want, and do it without stepping on the wants and needs of the other person. You do not have to go home with a mantel feeling satis-fi ed that you have extracted every drop of blood from the other person’s veins. With an open mind, win-win is possi-ble. Ask yourself what is a relationship worth. How many dollars is it worth to you to make another person feel slighted. More importantly, ask yourself, “How can I achieve what I want and have the other

person walk away happy too?”Issues can and do pop up during the

real estate transaction. They can range from personality confl icts, timing issues or challenges regarding property value, structure and title such as the apprais-al came in low, asbestos was discovered, an oil tank was found, encroachments, estate issues or the foundation is a bit weak. I am not going to go through a lit-any of every possible issue that can pop up, for three reasons: (1) If you are cur-rently in the middle of a transaction—you need your sleep. (2) You needn’t wor-ry about things that didn’t materialize yet, and (3) there are always creative ways to address issues that pop up. All issues have resolutions with a meeting of the minds involved.

In negotiation, all is possible. Some tools in the negotiation arsenal can be: seller concessions, price changes, clos-ing-time extensions, temporary rent holdovers, splitting of additional fees etc.… the creative mind has no limits, but again—no taking blood.

Preparation is the key to a successful negotiation, so how do you start?

Think about your goals: What do you want to achieve from the negotiation? Tune in to what the other person may want.

What can you trade: Do you both have what each other wants? What do you feel comfortable giving away?

What are your alternatives: Do you have alternative comparable choices?

What if you can’t come to terms—does it matter? Are future opportunities still possible if you go your own way? What choices does the other person have?

Is there a history to the relation-ship? Can this history impact your nego-tiation? Are there any hidden issues that may impact the outcome of the negotia-tion? Can you address those issues?

What are everyone’s expectations from the negotiation? What were the past outcomes?

What are the potential consequences should one of you win or lose the nego-tiation?

Who has the power and control of the resources in the relationship? Who has the potential to lose the most if both can’t come to terms?

What are the win-win considerations or compromises to be made?

Remember, for a ‘win-win’ happy end-ing, both parties have to walk away rea-sonably happy. Happy sellers deposit money into their bank accounts, and hap-py buyers live in the home and area they desire.

Carl Guzman, NMLS# 65291, CPA, is the founder and president of Greenback Capital Mortgage Corp., a Zillow 5-star lender http://www.zillow.com/pro-fi le/Greenback-Capital/Reviews/?my=y. He is a res-idential and reverse mortgage fi nancing expert and a deal maker with over 26 years’ industry experi-ence. Carl and his team will help you get the best mortgage fi nancing for your situation, and his ad-vice will save you thousands! www.greenbackcap-ital.com [email protected]


1401 Palisade Avenue Teaneck, New Jerseyvera-nechama.com

SOUTH BEACH NETANYA

Call 201.692.3700 or email [email protected] for more information or to schedule an appointment.

During the week of March 13th V&N Realty will be hosting one-on-one meetings for those interested in learning about purchasing in one of Israel’s most exciting new communities,

Ir Yamim Netanya, a brand new high rise community overlooking the Mediterranean.

HOSTED BY

DREAMING OF MOVING TO SOUTH BEACH?

The Law Firm of Rubin & Dombeck

wishes to congratulate

NINA EIZIKOVITZ for her Rising Star Award she received

from the Eastern Bergen County Board of Realtors .

This is a well deserved recognition for her accomplishments.

We look forward to working with

her for many years to come.

141 Ayers Court, Suite 1BTeaneck, New Jersey 07666

Telephone: 201-578-1578www.rdlawllc.com

Mazel Tov!

REAL ESTATE

CBOR member with three years or less in-dustry experience who is infl uential on closing deals, displays strong client and col-league interaction, participates in EBCBOR events and contributes time and energy to community and humanitarian services.

Nina became a Sales Associate for Links Residential in 2014. She was always inter-ested in real estate and would often refer friends and neighbors who were looking to buy or sell homes to Links Residential. At the encouragement of Marc Stein, bro-ker-owner of Links, Nina became a licensed sales associate. Possessing strong inter-personal skills and a creative vision, Nina quickly became a favorite in the industry. She loves helping people in both her pro-fessional life as well as her personal life, and is jokingly referred to as the “mayor” of Bergenfi eld. When asked what she would advise new sales associates, she said, “This position requires an endless amount of pa-tience and real commitment. The more you put in the more you get back. The re-sults can take a long time, but it is extreme-ly gratifying when you help people fi nd the perfect home.”

Although licensed for less than two years, Nina’s thirst for knowledge and per-sistent desire to learn more about the indus-try has catapulted her to the top of her fi eld. “Nina has been one of the most productive agents in the company,” Stein told the Jew-ish Link. “Her tenacious nature and willing-ness to ask questions and learn has created

the reputation of a strong agent who is al-ways there for her clients.” Nina is known among her colleagues as someone with an extraordinary moral and ethical character. Many fellow agents turn to Nina for advice on how to handle tricky client matters.

Stuart Greenbaum, mortgage loan origina-tor at Chase Bank, has worked with Eizikovitz often. “Nina is a consum-mate professional. She always puts her clients’ needs and concerns as the driving factor in every one of her transactions. It is not at all surprising that she won this award. It is a privilege for me to work as closely with Nina as I do.”

“Nina is an outstand-ing realtor with a stellar reputation,” said Annekee Brahver Keely, fi rst vice president of Eastern Ber-gen County Board of Real-tors and president of New Jersey MLS (Multiple List-ing Service). “She is a true professional and always a pleasure to do business with. This award is ex-tremely well deserved.” Brahver Keely is a Russo Real Estate broker-sales associate and while she and Eizikovitz work at different agencies, Brah-

ver Keely said she has the utmost respect and admiration for Eiziko-vitz’s work ethic.

“Nina is one of the most natural real-tors I have had the privilege to work with,” said Jason Berg, vice president of FM Home Loans. However, he added, “the reason she

is a rising star goes well beyond that. She is willing to put in the time and effort to make sure that each one of her clients feels as though they are the only client, and that ability is what will take her as far as she wants to go in this industry. I wish Nina continued success along the way.”

In the real estate market there are many pieces to the puzzle, and creating a perfect fi t can be challenging. Nina has proven that her priority is to keep all persons involved happy. Attorney David York of Novins, York & Jacobus said, “Nina is great at man-aging client expectations and makes my job much easier. When Nina is involved, whether representing a buyer or seller, I know it is going to be a smooth transac-tion.”

In addition to her many credentials, Nina has received her ABR designation this year. The Accredited Buyer’s Representa-tive designation is designed for real-estate buyer agents who focus on working di-rectly with buyer-clients. When earning an ABR, one gains valuable real estate educa-tion that elevates skills and knowledge in the eyes of home buyers. She has also re-ceived the Circle of Excellence Award Gold Level in her fi rst year of real estate sales, an award most are only considered for after many years in the industry.

Upon receiving “The Rising Star award,” Nina told the Jewish Link, “I am completely humbled and grateful to those who helped me achieve this. Without my wonderful cli-ents, my incredible team at Links Residen-tial and certainly the unyielding support of my amazing family, this truly could not be possible. I am immensely thankful for this recognition.”

Nina Eizikovitz

Nina Eizikovitz of Links Residential Receives Board of Realtors ‘Rising Star Award’



vera-nechama.com • 201.692.3700

LISTING AGENTEsther Shayowitz

[email protected]

NEW LISTING

Updated, 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath Colonial located in prime

141 Rector Court, Bergenfield5 Bedrooms • 3.1 Bathrooms • 1 Garage

OPEN HOUSESunday, March 13

12:00 to 2:00

Stuart Greenbaum

(201) 694-4677

[email protected]

NMLS # 279221

Congratulations Nina, you are a credit to the industry,

and I considerate it a privilege working with you and

your clients. This is just the beginning of many awards

coming your way.

is honored to recognize and congratulateour good friend and business partner

Nina Eizikovitz of Links Residentialon being named the

2015 EBCBOR Rising Star Award Winner.

Jason BergVice PresidentFM Home Loans568 Cedar LaneTeaneck, NJ 07666

(P) [email protected] #220661

Mazal Tov Nina on your amazing achievement.We wish you continued success in your career!


REAL ESTATE

FEATURED HOMESFEATURED HOMES Sponsored By

18 Glenwood Dr N, Bergenfield

$729,0005 Bedrooms / 3.5 Bathrooms Links Residential(201) 992-3600Move right into this beautifully kept 4-year old new

construction on a quiet block. Main fl oor features a liv-ing room, a large formal dining room with washing ba-sin, Modern eat-in kitchen with stainless steel applianc-es open to the family room, and half bathroom. Second fl oor includes master bedroom with walk-in closet and master bathroom, 3 additional bedrooms and full bath-room and laundry. Large fi nished Basement with ad-ditional bedroom, offi ce and full bathroom. Other fea-tures include custom closets, underground sprinklers, fully fenced in backyard and french drains.

282 Ridge St, New Milford

$2,400,000 V & N Realty201-692-3700Luxury 6 Bedroom 6.5 Bath Colonial. Entry into rotun-

da, Library/Den, true banquet Formal Dining Room with coffered ceiling, grand Living Room and Kitchen over-looking spectacular 269 ft deep property. Full guest quar-ters on 1st fl oor plus guest powder room with glass tile over copper. Fully fi nished high ceiling basement with “Concert” sized party room. Suspended heating system with vibration dampeners, computerized irrigation sys-tem, summer kitchen.

The Eastern Bergen County Board of Realtors has chosen Nina Eizikovitz as the 2015 Rising Star.

Congratulations from all your friends at,

Featured Real Estate Professional Of The WeekCongratulations Nina EizikovitzSusan started her real estate career in the Morristown area before moving to Teaneck in 2002. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree, and is a trained Nutritionist. With her healthy outlook on

matching prospects with their new home.Susan has quietly earned a reputation as someone who is caring and compassionate about her clients, and is known for always conducting herself with the utmost honesty and integrity.Susan can also be reached via email at [email protected].

Susan LowensteinerSales AssociateVera & Nechama Realty Office: 201-692-3700 Cell: 201-230-1796

Nina Eizikovitz Sales Associate Links ResidentialOffice: 201-992-3600Cell: 201-280-5025

Office: 201-833-0123 www.approvedfunding.com

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$369,900Coldwell Banker201-965-3105Spacious 4BR, 2BTH Bi-Level home;

1928 sq ft of living space; Hardwood Floors; Gas BBHW heat (2 zones); Central A/C (1st fl only); Large fenced yard w/ad-ditional side property; One car attached garage; Double driveway; Property has municipal approval for professional use; Close to NYC Transport, shopping, hous-es of worship.


What are some current home-feature or home-function trendsthat new home buyers are looking for in today’s marketplace??

LICENSED MORTGAGE BANKER NMLS#5411 • NY/NJ/CT/PA/FL/TX FHA/VA DIRECT LENDER

Shmuel Shayowitz - President, Approved Funding • 201-833-0123 • [email protected] thanks to Avia Blum of Coldwell Banker and Karen Seliger and Helene Stein of V & N Realty for their comments and insight. Th e real estate market is continually on the move, and only by dealing with knowledgeable professionals can sellers and buyers be certain that they will maximize their time, eff orts and fi nances to get the best value in today’s marketplace.

Avia Blum - Real Estate Agent at Coldwell Banker, Alpine/Closter • 201-767-0500 • [email protected] are currently looking for an open lay out on the fi rst fl oor; Th ey love white kitchens and bright colors on the walls (forget about red, blue and other strong colors). As far as the exterior, the size of the back yard should be big enough for at least a swing set; For higher priced homes the lot should include a pool or have room for a pool to be added.

Helene Stein - Real Estate Agent at V & N Realty • 201-692-3700 • [email protected] e updated kitchen has always been at the top of the list and it continues to be the feature that most people want. However, if you’re sellingyour house and the kitchen is not top of the line, you don’t necessarily have to gut or renovate. You can get good results and spend considerably less by simply putting in new appliances, counters and fl ooring as needed. Aft er the kitchen, the feature very popular with millennials is theopen fl oor plan.

Karen Seliger - Real Estate Agent at V & N Realty • 201-692-3700 • [email protected] condos to expansive single family homes, the indulgence-de-jour buyers are interested in bathroom fl oors featuring radiant heating.Towel warmers seem to have lost their luster by comparison. We are also seeing that same radiant heat popping up under tiled kitchen fl oors -it won’t be long before consumers are asking for warm toes while they drink their morning joe as well.

Professional Perspectiveson Real Estate and Finance

Residential • Commercial • Non Traditional • Construction • Private Lending

www.approvedfunding.com 800-475-0123* Approved Funding must be presented with a formal “Loan Estimate” from a bank or lender (cannot be from a third part originator) and must be presented on same day to match rate/fee quote. If we cannot match or beat the provided Loan Estimate we will issue a $50 gift card or the like. Maximum loan size for comparison eligibility is $625,000. Bank incentives or rewards programs outside of actual Interest Rate and Loan Fees cannot be con-sidered as part of comparison. Visit www.approvedfunding.com/marchmatchness for details. Off er end April 1, 2016. LICENSED MORTGAGE BANKER NMLS#5411 • NY/NJ/CT/PA/FL/TX FHA/VA DIRECT LENDER

MARCH MADNESS = MARCH MATCHNESSApproved Funding will beat any mortgage Rate and Fee quote

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Main Street Title is honored

to recognize and salute our good friend and business partner

Nina Eizikovitz of Links Residential upon her being named

the 2015 EBCBOR Rising Star Award Winner.

Robert Khoury, Account Executive 190 Main Street Suite 305

Hackensack, NJ 07601C:201-970-7968, P:201-487-6949

[email protected]

Mazal Tov to Nina and to all of our friends

at Links Residential upon this achievement!

1936-2016

80

On behalf of David M. York, Esq. and Novins, York & Jacobus,

Congratulations Nina!

Residential & Commercial Real Estate and Land UseA T T O R N E Y S A T L A W

Serving our Communityfor 80 Years

www.nyplaw.com50 Tice Blvd., Suite 340

(201) 690-5125

202 Main StreetToms River, New Jersey 08753

(732) 349-7100

REAL ESTATE

Selling Your Home? Let the Bidding Wars Begin

(BPT)—No wonder you’re thinking of selling your home — it’s a “seller’s mar-ket” right now. The housing supply has dwindled, creating more demand for few-er homes.

At the same time, according to Realtor Tammy Reinke, buyers’ expectations are higher than ever. They’ve become accus-tomed to model-perfect homes.

What’s the upshot? “Sellers have a choice,” says Reinke. “You can win the price war — or win the beauty contest.” By win-ning the beauty contest, you’ll gain pricing leverage. And if your home shows well, it can even spark a bidding war — generating offers that exceed your asking price.

Here are three top “beauty” tips to set your home apart from other contestants, and set yourself up for a fatter settlement check.

1. Dirt’s a deal-breaker: Make a clean sweep.

“Buyers want to see a clean home,” says Reinke. “And the fi rst thing to deal with is stained carpets and ceilings.”

Stained carpets should be cleaned or replaced. Stained ceilings deserve your at-tention, too. They can scare off prospec-tive buyers who fear that ceiling imperfec-tions might be a sign of bigger problems.

2. Declutter the house.Buyers can’t picture themselves in

your home if they can’t see past your piles of stuff. “There’s a difference between clut-ter and an intentional collection,” says Tif-

fany Little, a senior interior design at Albi-on Associates.

Pull together different items — like pottery or framed photography — using a common design element like color, simi-lar patterns, texture or materials. “It’s OK to leave some surfaces empty, and to cre-ate a display of personal mementos in a stylish, organized manner in other areas,” says Little. “This makes the personal items even more special.”

3. Spark design interestSo you’ve cleaned and decluttered, but

now your rooms seem blah and uninvit-ing. Nothing enlivens a space like a splash of color. Toss some bright new pillows on the sofa or add tasteful artwork or acces-sories to complement your color scheme.

Paint adds personality, too, but choose your colors carefully so your wall palette fl ows naturally from room to room. “I like using a neutral color palette for larg-er rooms — from ivory tones to values of grey,” says Little. She adds mid-tone colors to smaller rooms, while selectively using vivid or deeper colors as accents with acces-sories and artwork throughout the home.

Finally, don’t forget to add texture, whether with a woven area rug or sculp-tural wire baskets.

With a bit of primping, your home can win the ultimate beauty contest and at-tract a buyer who’s willing to meet your price, or even pay a premium to call it their own.

201-574-7777


REAL ESTATE

Should You Refi nance Your Mortgage Before Retirement?By Michael Adler

In many ways, the conventional wisdom that has long governed retirement is chang-ing. The age at which people leave the work-place is becoming

more fl exible, and workers are also begin-ning to plan for retirement at a younger age. Other factors are also infl uencing re-tirement, especially as more people are waiting until later in life to buy their fi rst home. This means many of these new homeowners may not have their mort-gage paid off before they retire.

As CNBC reported, homeowners have long been cautioned to pay off their mort-gage before entering retirement. However, such one-size-fi ts-all wisdom may not hold true anymore, especially in the face of fall-ing mortgage rates. Speaking with the news outlet, Diahann Lassus, president of wealth management fi rm Lassus Wherley, noted low interest rates may make refi nancing a mortgage for a longer term a smart solu-tion for retirees. Taking advantage of these historically low rates allows for a reduction in the monthly payment, which can help with budgeting during the transition out of the workforce.

Lassus advised the savings for the re-duced mortgage payment could be rein-vested in a retirement plan, such as a 401K.

Extending the mortgage through refi nancing also has the added ad-vantage of allowing homeowners to continue to write off their mort-gage interest during tax season.

“What you can do is invest those dollars, [and] your earn-ings could be signifi cantly higher, which means you’re using some-one else’s money to earn more so that you’re able to build your retirement assets over time,” Lassus told CNBC. “And that tax deduction makes it even more cost-effective.”

As WiseBread noted, the decision to refi nance a home is complex and home-owners need to consider many factors. For one, if you’re trying to sell your home in the next few years, refi nancing might not be worth it. Refi nancing does involve additional costs, including fees associat-ed with applications, inspections, title

search and attorney review, which could negate the monthly savings of a lower mortgage if you’re planning to sell in a couple years.

According to Bankrate, one simple way to decide if refi nancing makes sense for your situation is to calculate the break-even point, or the time it takes for the refi nance to pay for itself. This is determined by di-viding the total closing cost by the month-ly savings. For example, if the closing costs

are $2,400 and the refi nancing lowers your monthly payments by $100, it would take you 24 months to break even on the fees. Unless you plan to sell the home before the break-even point, refi nancing may improve your monthly budget and give you more fi -nancial freedom.

At The Federal Savings Bank, we under-stand the importance of sound fi nancial planning in all stages of your life. If you are entering or nearing retirement, speak with us today about whether mortgage refi nanc-ing is right for you.

Michael Adler is a Senior VP at The Federal Savings Bank and recently opened up the bank’s new Tean-eck offi ce. His offi ce is located at: 206 W. Englewood Avenue. He can be reached at: 201-225-9301 or via email at: [email protected]. You can look him up at: www.thefederalsavingsbank.com/meyeradler. NMLS#28172.

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chase has on reserves, prompts other con-siderations. How much should one set aside for durable goods purchases, and in what type of account? On one hand, an es-crow for durable goods should be safe and liquid. On the other hand, since these pur-chases are infrequent, leaving a sizable sum to languish in a secure, accessible, but low-interest savings account creates anoth-er opportunity cost by not allocating it to higher-yielding instruments.

One possibility: Life insurance cash val-ues can provide a unique source of durable goods fi nancing. While the rate of returns on dividends for mature whole life poli-cies can exceed those offered by savings ac-counts, cash values have similar safety and liquidity characteristics. But a decision to use cash values for this purpose must also assess the impact of loans or withdrawals on the policy’s overall performance.

It’s understandable that retirement sav-ing and education funding often domi-nate personal fi nance discussions; they are big-number, long-term projects. But don’t overlook the durable goods purchases that will be made in your lifetime, and their as-sociated fi nance costs. Savings from better fi nancing strategies could make it easier to achieve those retirement and education objectives.

Durable Goods and Zero-Interest Loans

CONTINUED FROM P. 51


Address Price Description Time Agent Contact

571 Sandra Place, Teaneck $377,500 Wonderful 3BR, 2BTH split level home on quiet cul de sac; 600 sq ft deck overlooking deep landscaped property

(65x219); Close to NYC transport, Teaneck Creek Conservancy. Just reduced! 1-4 PM (201) 965-3105

380 Broad Avenue, 2F, Englewood $439,000

Price Change! Elegant 2 bedroom 2 bath unit off ered in prestigious Roosevelt complex. Oversized Windows, 12 ‘ foot ceilings, hardwood fl oors, excellent closet space, one car garage. This complex is located on beautiful grounds and is close to shopping, transportation, houses of worship, highways.

12:00-1:30pm (201) 692-3700

286 Winthrop Road, Teaneck $530,000

Excellent opportunity! Elegant Tudor Colonial on 125 ft deep property with lovely architectural details throughout. Living room with fi replace, formal dining room, updated kitchen, slate enclosed porch. Gracious Master Bedroom with Cedar Closet. Fully fi nished basement.

12:00-2:00pm (201) 692-3700

95 Chadwick Road, Teaneck $599,000

Elegant 4 bedroom Colonial on 76 ft x 149 ft property. Dramatic 2 story Living Room with fi replace, formal Dining Room, Family Room plus den or guest bedroom on 1st level. Excellent fi nished basement with full bath. Generous attached 2 car garage. Close to all.

12:00-2:00pm (201) 692-3700

1285 Dickerson Rd, Teaneck $650,000

Beautiful, well maintained home in move-in condition on one of Teaneck’s loveliest blocks. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, plus a bonus guestroom in the fi nished basement. Amenities include eat-in kosher kitchen with stainless steel appliances, master bedroom with master bathroom, and large sun-fi lled breakfast room. 2 zone central AC, in ground sprinkler system, 2 car garage and security system. Must see!

11 AM- 3 PM (201) 522-3221

114 Highgate Ter, Bergenfi eld $689,000

4 Bedrooms / 2.5 Bathrooms. Charming colonial set on a large property on the Teaneck/Bergenfi eld border. The main fl oor features a living room, formal dining room, large modern eat-in kitchen which opens to the family room, a play room and offi ce with full bathroom. Second fl oor includes a large master bedroom with vaulted ceiling, walk-in closet and master bathroom with three additional bedrooms and a full bathroom. The basement is fully fi nished with laundry. Beautiful backyard with a large deck.

2-4PM (201) 992-3600

94 Spring Avenue, Bergenfi eld $729,000

Beautiful bright 8 year young Colonial on popular cul-de-sac. Nine foot ceilings on fi rst fl oor. Granite double appliance eat in kitchen with sliding glass doors to deck and large pavered patio. Oversized two car attached garage. Spacious unfi nished basement with high ceilings. Elegant hardwood fl oors, 4 zone central air and heat. Central vac, underground sprinklers. Beautifully landscaped. Very private fenced in property. Close to all.

1:00-3:00pm (201) 692-3700

141 Rector Court, Bergenfi eld $835,000

Premiere Open House! Updated, 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath Colonial located in prime Teaneck/Bergenfi eld area. Spacious Living Room and Dining Room, double appliance Kitchen, Family Room with Sliding Glass Doors. Attention given to sophisticated architectural details throughout. Hardwood fl oors. Great closet space, security system. Bonus guest suite in basement. Close to Houses of Worship, parks and transportation.

12:00-2:00pm (201) 692-3700

1285 Hastings, Teaneck $1,275,000

New Construction. Luxury living in a stately 5 BR/6 BTH home. Two marble fi replaces, including one in the master suite. Stunning modern kosher kitchen equipped with Sub Zero and Wolf appliances. First fl oor features large dining room, spacious living room, den, offi ce and brick patio. Tandem two-car garage. Full brick exterior on beautifully landscaped property For Sale By Owner.

12-4 PM (818) 262-1310

518 Northumberland Road, Teaneck $1,349,000

Stunning home with slate roof situated on park like 136 x 120 property. Spacious formal entry, grand living with fi replace, banquet sized formal dining room with french doors leading out to 2 tiered deck. Chef’s granite kitchen with double appliances, excellent Family Room. Magnifi cent Master Suite/Jacuzzi/steam shower. 5 oversized bedrooms with 3 full baths.

1:00-3:00pm (201) 692-3700

1339 Somerset Rd, Teaneck $1,349,000

6 Bedrooms / 4.5 Bathrooms. Move right in to this brand new 4800 square foot home, beautifully constructed inside and out with designer fi nishes. The grand foyer welcomes you into the large open living room and dining room, featuring coff ered ceilings, where you will be able to entertain your family and friends. The state of the art gourmet kitchen has a large center island, high end appliances and butler’s pantry. Feel right at home in any of the spacious bedrooms, all with custom closets. Each bathroom is exquisitely designed with natural stone. 4 inch red oak hardwood fl oors throughout. 9 foot ceilings on both the fi rst and second fl oors and 8 foot ceilings in the basement. A 2 car garage leads into the large basement complete with wet bar. Expansive trim work, generator ready, underground sprinklers, and central vacuum complete this picture perfect home.

12-2PM (201) 992-3600

REAL ESTATE

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Q. How does a mortgage appraiser eval-uate your home’s value?

A. This is an excellent question! There is a well-known cartoon that was pub-lished a few years ago with the percep-tion of a home from the point of view of a seller, a buyer, a realtor, a home inspec-tor and a mortgage appraiser—all very dif-ferent views ranging from a castle (seller) to a home inspector (rundown house with holes in the roof, water pouring out of the basement, etc.). After the market crashed in 2008, mortgage appraisers’ guidelines were tightened up and they now use the following criteria when evaluating homes for an opinion of value to recommend to the lender: (1) The property’s current as-sessed value; (2) comparable homes that are the same style as the subject proper-ty (i.e. colonial, cape cod, split level, ranch, etc.); (3) comparable homes located within a mile or less of the subject property, par-ticularly within the same neighborhood; and (4) comparable homes that have been sold no more than 6-9 months ago, with one or more that have been sold in three months or less. The appraiser must vis-it the property and take both photos and measurements, so they can note what im-provements have been made or what con-dition the house is in, location, etc. Once their report is complete, it is sent directly to the lender to be included with other in-formation for the underwriters to review

before approving the buyer’s mortgage ap-plication.

Q. How does an appraiser decide what each improvement is worth?

A. Appraisers have charts that list all sorts of home improvements as well as what various factors are worth in a prop-erty. For instance, a one-car garage is gen-erally judged as about $10,000, two-car ga-rages are about $20,000, so if the property has one of these, the appraiser adds that value to the total. If the property is miss-ing a garage, that value is subtracted. In a single-family house, items like fi replac-es or fi nished basements add value, as well as the age of the furnace, a newer roof, square footage, etc.

Q. What advice would you give me about pricing my home correct-ly so it doesn’t take months to sell?

A. With the growth of information on the Internet as well as the popular-ity of DIY shows on TV, it’s often easy to think you know enough to pro-ceed without expert advice and assistance from a licensed real estate agent. He or she will provide you with a market anal-ysis report that includes comparable values and data on how the local real estate market in your town is per-forming.

Q. Is there a time of year when we should get started?

A. Certainly, more homes go on the mar-ket in the warmer months, but real estate is sold throughout the year and, in recent years as we have enjoyed advantageous mortgage interest rates, seasonal selling becomes less of an issue. In addition, with this past winter’s relatively mild weather and lower inventory, the 2016 market has

been extremely active espe-cially in

the lower price ranges ($500K and below) that are attractive to fi rst-time buyers or those who are planning a move from con-dos to single-family homes.

Many buyers look in the “off” months when there is less competition from buy-ers whose children need to fi nish out the school year or whose companies have not planned on transferring them until the summertime. Buyers also comprise many expanded categories beyond the tradi-tional nuclear family—there are increas-ing numbers of single buyers, unmar-ried couples, family members looking to move in together (mother/daughter, par-ents living with single children, broth-ers and sisters, etc.), couples in the LGBT community, etc. Home ownership con-tinues to be a big focus for anyone look-

ing for a good investment, retirement planning, changes in family size and

stability in lifestyle.For recommendations, don’t hesi-

tate to contact me for more informa-tion. I will help you with a compre-

hensive market analysis (CMA) of your home, answer any questions you have and advise you on how to approach

preparing it for sale—now or an-ytime in the near future!

Ask the Realtor Realtor By Barbara Ostroth How to Get a Proper Market

Appraisal for Your Home

BARBARA OSTROTH Experienced * Hard-Working * Dedicated to your real estate needs!

© 2016 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.

BARBARA OSTROTH NJAR Circle of Excellence

Contact Barbara to get started today! Cellular Direct: 201201--965965--3105 3105 ~ Office: 201-767-0550

Email: [email protected] www.ColdwellBankerHomes.com

It’s one thing to get someone to read your ad — but it’s far better if your clients help write it!

“Barbara Ostroth was fully aware of market conditions, and presented our home in the best possible way to achieve a good sale. During the contract period when we ran into difficulties with our first buyer, Barbara handled negotiations well and enabled us to reject that deal and find a 2nd set of buyers who paid a much better price for the house to boot! We highly recommend her!” Susan and Lewis Hogge, Fair Lawn

949 Garrison Avenue 982 Grace Terrace 962 Queen Anne Road 1040 Teaneck Road Teaneck—$419,900 Teaneck — $348,500 Teaneck — $369,900 Teaneck — $369,900

STILL AVAILABLE!

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A Purchase-Tax LoopholeBy Gedaliah Borvick

Last summer, Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon unveiled a comprehen-sive plan to reform the real estate indus-try. The plan comprised numerous “sup-ply side” solutions to increase the number of new housing units entering the market. These plans included laws to make more land for development available from the Israel Lands Authority, and streamlin-ing the planning and approval process to stimulate the rapid development of new housing units.

Kahlon also addressed the “demand side” of the equation—with the hope to reduce sale prices by tempering inves-tor demand—by raising acquisition tax-es on investment properties. An “invest-

ment property” is defi ned as a property purchased by either an Israeli who already owns a primary residence or a foreign buy-er who owns a home overseas. The pur-chase tax (known as “mas rechisha”) for overseas buyers and investors was raised to 8 percent on the fi rst NIS 4.8 million and 10 percent above that amount.

Imagine my interest when my col-league Joe Offenbacher, the maven of the Hashmonaim market, shared with me snippets from an enlightening conversa-tion with Yariv Aharon, a highly regard-ed real estate and zoning lawyer. The gist of that discussion was that there is an ac-quisition tax loophole that benefi ts over-seas buyers.

Overseas buyers purchasing homes in communities in Yehuda and Shomron

(“over the green line” or the “West Bank” for the supposedly “politically correct”), such as Maale Adumim, Efrat and Hashmonaim, can re-ceive a full release from paying the purchase tax if the purchasers have not yet made aliyah, and if they and their parents have never had a teudat zehut (Israeli identity card). Although it sounds counter-intui-tive, purchasing a home in Yehuda and Shom-ron prior to making al-

iyah can save you signifi cant money.For example, we recently sold a love-

ly home in Hashmonaim for almost 2,900,000 NIS. An Israeli family purchas-ing the home as their primary residence would pay an acquisition tax of about 62,000 NIS or almost $16,000, based on a sliding scale starting at 0 percent. An Is-raeli purchasing this home as an invest-ment (not their primary residence) would pay 232,000 NIS or almost $60,000 (8 per-cent, as explained above). And an overseas buyer—even if they own real estate over-seas—will pay 0 NIS. As you see, this loop-hole presents a signifi cant savings for our overseas clients.

This loophole exists due to the fact that, for political reasons, these commu-nities have never been offi cially annexed.

Accordingly, the applicable law in these territories follows Jordanian law, as de-fi ned and applied by the Israeli army’s gov-erning arm, which does not tax overseas buyers on real estate purchases.

If you are considering purchasing a home in Yehuda and Shomron, we recom-mend that you retain a seasoned real es-tate attorney, such as Yariv Aharon ([email protected]), to ensure that you take full advantage of all the fi nancial benefi ts you are entitled to.

Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency fo-cused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market up-dates, contact him at [email protected].

Planning your next Home

Improvement?

Call us today for your no obligation consultation: 201-408-5546

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ISRAEL REAL ESTATE

Welcome sign to Hashmonaim CREDIT: GEDALIAH BORVICK

Efrat, located in Gush Etzion CREDIT: WWW.AJEWISHISRAEL.COM

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