2017 READERS CHOICE - LET THE VOTING BEGIN!

page 44

ISRAELI TECH TO RAIN AT TEANECKS HAWTHORNE SCHOOL page 6

IN ENGLEWOOD, THE DNA SPLICE IS RIGHT page 10
RABBI: WHAT I LEARNED AT ST PETERS page 14
THE WEDDING PLAN WILL DELIGHT page 37

MAY 12, 2017

VOL. LXXXVI NO. 32 $1.00 86 2017
7

NORTH JERSEY THEJEWISHSTANDARD.COM

Go fish!
Jeff Ingbers
Kosher Catch
delivers page 20

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Teaneck, NJ 07666
1086 Teaneck Road
Jewish Standard
 Volunteering Legacy
Generations
Dana Post Adler

Elaine Adler

Vivian Bregman

Ruth Cole
Nancy I. Brown
Leadership
Suzette Diamond

Eleanor Epstein
Jewish values
Community Rella Feldman

Tradition Stephanie
Goldman

LOJE is a wonderful thing.

Arline Herman

Responsibility Israel
Giving Back
Joyce Joseph

Jeanne Liss
Epstein
Linda Mirelson

Jo-Ann Hassan
Perlman
Jayne Petak
This month Jewish Federation celebrates the womens
Sylvia Safer
international

Lion Of Judah Endowment

program. Lion of Judah donors exemplify the values of tzedakah,
responsibility, and concern for fellow Jews. By endowing their
gifts, these women will leave lasting Jewish legacies and help Sylvia Shirvan
strengthen Jewish life for future generations. Look for more of Barbara Smolin
these special women in the coming weeks.

Join us in building a vibrant Jewish future.

Zvi S. Marans, MD Joan Krieger
Endowment Foundation, Chair LOJE, Chair
Endowment Foundation

For more information, please contact

Robin Rochlin at 201-820-3970 | robinr@jfnnj.org
Len Fisher at 201-820-3971 | lenf@jfnnj.org
Star of David Society

2 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

 Page 3
Hummus news you can use
When we first heard about the hummus-flavored Tic Tac candies promised
for Yom Haatzmaut, we were a bit suspicious. It sounded too bizarre to be
true. We wanted to wait to publish until we found corroborating evidence.
It turns out we were right to be suspicious. The announcement came on
March 31, which was April Fools Day on the Israeli clock.
So, no hummus Tic Tacs. At least not this year.
Were able to report, however, the latest incarnation of Americas growing
infatuation with hummus: Snyders of Hanover is now offering Classic
Hummus Filled Pretzel Sandwiches in our local New Jersey grocery aisles.
Its like Yom Haatzmaut every day, in a bag. LARRY YUDELSON

Israeli culture ministers

web page gamed
Ooops!
Israelis minister of culture, Miri
Regev, failed to renew the domain
of her personal website (miri-regev.
com), so as of Wednesday visitors
who came to the page found a video
game that allows them to chase after
the Likud Knesset member with an
Anton Chekhov book.
Creators of the blog I can has
falafel (an Israelified parody of
the old cat-centric online meme
I can has cheezburger) noticed
that the domain shown on Regevs
Facebook page was for sale and took
advantage of her lapse to create
Catch Miri. Where no used car ad has gone before
The simple game requires the user
to scroll the mouse over the face of An Israeli man has gone to great part with it. In fact, he called it his best
the culture minister. However, if the lengths to try to sell his 20-year-old car, friend.
cursor (Chekhovs book) gets too creating an elaborate video using visual The clip got positive reviews,
close to Regevs head, the culture consumers of Western culture. effects that has generated millions of with more than 27,000 thumbs up
minister slides in the opposite According to internet archives, views. on YouTube and more than 1,000
direction. from 2015 to 2016 the site promoted Latvia-born Eugene Romanovsky, comments hailing Romanovskys
The choice of novel had to do the ministers political activities and who according to his Facebook profile creativity and editing prowess.
with comments Regev made in a recruited volunteers for her political works as the creative director for a Tel The video ends with shots of
2015 interview, in which she said, I, campaigns. Aviv-based design and animation firm, Romanovsky driving the car along
Miri Regev-Siboni from Kiryat Gat, Her Facebook page now points to uploaded his car ad to YouTube in mid- Tel Aviv streets and parking it in
daughter of Felix and Marcelle Siboni, another URL miri-regev.co.il but April. It has garnered more than three what appears to be an empty lot a
have never read Chekhov and almost that site is almost empty. Its most million views since then. feat more improbable than dodging
never went to plays as a child But recent news post is from 2014. In the video, edited in the style of dinosaurs before handing the keys
Im no less cultured than all the TIMES OF ISRAEL car advertisements (albeit longer), over to the viewer.
Romanovsky aimed to highlight the In an interview with popular
specs of the second-hand manual-drive nightly show Hazinor on Channel 10,
1996 Suzuki Vitara its speed, the high Romanovsky said he worked on the
quality of its tires, and the adventures it video for an hour or two every day for
For convenient home delivery, had driven through, including a trip to about three weeks. That added up to
call 201-837-8818 or bit.ly/jsubscribe the moon and an underwater jaunt. about 40 hours.
Set to dramatic music, the video He said he was fielding calls from
shows the car in different settings and potential buyers; hed heard from about
CONTENTS situations, out-running dinosaurs in 100 of them.
PUBLISHERS STATEMENT: (USPS 275-700 ISN 0021-6747) is
published weekly on Fridays with an additional edition every
October, by the New Jersey Jewish Media Group, 1086 Teaneck footage from a Jurassic Park movie, He added that he was asking for
NOSHES ...............................................................4 Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Periodicals postage paid at Hackensack,
keeping pace with a cheetah, escaping approximately NIS 21,000 (close
BRIEFLY LOCAL .............................................. 18 NJ and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
COVER STORY ................................................20 to New Jersey Jewish Media Group, 1086 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, an avalanche, and driving off a desert to $6,000) for the car. There was
JEWISH WORLD ............................................ 23
NJ 07666. Subscription price is $30.00 per year. Out-of-state sub-
scriptions are $45.00, Foreign countries subscriptions are $75.00.
peak. no asking price in the video; some
OPINION ........................................................... 28 The appearance of an advertisement in The Jewish Standard does In the text that accompanies the commenters noted that the labor that
GALLERY .......................................................... 33 not constitute a kashrut endorsement. The publishing of a paid video, which has some spelling and went into making it likely was more
political advertisement does not constitute an endorsement of any
DVAR TORAH ................................................34 candidate political party or political position by the newspaper or syntax errors, Romanovsky says hes than what the car is worth.
THE FRAZZLED HOUSEWIFE ................... 35 any employees. had the car for 10 years and was sad to TIMES OF ISRAEL
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ................................ 35 The Jewish Standard assumes no responsibility to return unsolicit-
ARTS & CULTURE .......................................... 37 ed editorial or graphic materials. All rights in letters and unsolicited
editorial, and graphic material will be treated as unconditionally
CALENDAR ...................................................... 38
assigned for publication and copyright purposes and subject to
OBITUARIES ....................................................40 JEWISH STANDARDs unrestricted right to edit and to comment Candlelighting: Friday, May 12, 7:46 p.m.
CLASSIFIEDS .................................................. 42 editorially. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without
REAL ESTATE.................................................. 45 written permission from the publisher. 2017 Shabbat ends: Saturday, May 13, 8:52 p.m.

JEWISH
JEWISH
STANDARD
STANDARD
MARCH 3, 2017 3
MAY 12,
Noshes
SNATCHED:
Something funny,
something tough
AMY SCHUMER, 35,
and GOLDIE HAWN,
71, arguably are the
two most famous Jewish
comic actresses of the
last 48 years. (Hawn won
an Oscar in 1969 for
Cactus Flower, her first
big film.) Hawn recog-
nized a kindred spirit in
Schumer when she
agreed to co-star in
Snatched, her first film
since 2002. (Opens
Friday, May 12.)
Schumer plays Emily,
a dreamer who plans
to take an exotic vaca-
tion with her boyfriend.
But after her boyfriend
dumps her, Emily per-
suades her ultra-cautious
mother Linda (Hawn)
to join her on this exotic
vacation. Well, of course,
things go horribly wrong
including wild jungle
adventures that require
Linda and Emily to
work out their differ-
ences if they are going
to survive.
IKE BARINHOLTZ,
40, has a supporting
role as Emilys brother.
The film was directed by
JONATHAN LEVINE, 40,
(50/50 and The Night shocked everyone by
Before). It was written
by Katie Dippold, Schum-
er, and Schumers sister,
KIM CARAMELE, 33.
Schumers real-life fa-
ther, GORDON SCHUMER,
67, like her father in the
hit film Trainwreck, has
suffered from multiple
sclerosis for a long time.
Want to read more noshes? Visit facebook.com/jewishstandard
4 32174
JEWISH STANDARD
MAY CPO StripAd.indd 1FEBRUARY 2, 2017
Last week, Amy posted
a touching Instagram
video of Hawn meeting
her father at his nursing
home. Gordon clearly was
touched by the fact that
Hawn would visit him.
Goldie told E! News that
she was very moved by
the joy in his face.
Meanwhile, Schumer
told E! News that she
is undecided about
whether to have kids,
even though everyone
is asking her if she will.
She added that Hawn
is the exact opposite of
the mother she plays in
Snatched: Shes very
laid-back.
Chuck, which
opened May 5 to
pretty good
reviews, is still playing in
many theaters. It tells the
story of Chuck Wepner, a
small-time prizefighter
from Bayonne who got
his 15 minutes of fame in
1975, when he was
picked to box Muham-
mad Ali in a title fight.
(Yes, the film Rocky made a documentary
was partially inspired by
Wepners real-life fight.)
Wepner lost to Ali, but
Naomi Watts, the real-life
going almost 15 rounds
with the great champ. As
the film shows, Wepner
had a rough time coping
with his new fame, but
recovered his bearings
over time.
Chuck was written 47, plays Wepners es-
by JERRY STAHL, 63
(Permanent Midnight) PERLMAN, 67, has an
What do you do if youre one of the
most influential people at 23?
What do you do at 25? Or 30? Or as you
truly age?
Rabbi David Wolpe of L.A.s Sinai Temple of his 23-year-old congregant Ben
Platt, who is starring on Broadway in Dear Evan Hanson and was named one
of Times 100, as reported in the New York Times.
Amy Schumer Goldie Hawn
Jonathan Levine Iliza Shlesinger
and JEFF FEUERZIG, 52. equally big part as the
Feuerzig, a New Jer- late AL BRAVERMAN,
sey native, previously Wepners trainer and
corner man.
about Wepner. Braverman, a good
LIEV SCHREIBER, 49, fighter himself in the
stars as Wepner, with 1930s, is credited with
making the Ali/Wepner
mother of Lievs two chil- match happen. Braver-
dren, playing Wepners man, I read, was a tough,
third wife, Linda. (Watts smart guy, but he loved
and Schreiber split up to feed the press quotes
shortly after the film was that made him sound like
completed last summer.) a not-too-bright Guys
MICHAEL RAPAPPORT, and Dolls character.
When asked whether he I keep thinking that
tranged brother. RON used a foreign sub-
stance to stop Wepners things would be cleverer
SPRING SALES EVENT
Special 1.99% Financing*
Now thru May 31st
UNLIMITED MILEAGE WARRANTY
2-YEAR PRE-PAID MAINTENANCE*
*On select models
and funnier. Nonetheless,
Shlesingers new six-epi-
sode talk show, Iliza and
the Truth, is mucho
better than most similar
stuff on a basic cable
station. It began on May
2 on the Freeform
Channel (formerly ABC
Family) and new epi-
sodes air Tuesdays at 10
p.m. (All episodes are
free on Freeform site and
Ike Barinholtz through Roku, etc.)
In the premiere
episode, Shlesinger did
a few stand-up funnies
before a small live studio
audience and then did
some amusing commen-
tary behind a desk. Fi-
nally, she interviewed her
friend MAYIM BIALIK, 42,
about Bialiks new book,
Girling Up: How to Be
Strong, Smart and Spec-
tacular (more about
that next week).
Mayim Bialik Shlesinger grew up in
Dallas, where she was ac-
bleeding, he replied: No, tive in the Reform com-
it was made in America. munity: Hebrew school,
(Wepners nickname, by bat mitzvah, a trip to
the way, was the Bay- Israel, and a year in
onne Bleederbecause BBYO (the Reform youth
he was easily cut. The leadership organization).
original title of the film Shes a tall and dare I say
was Bleeder.) attractive blonde woman,
Id like comedian who could be a showgirl.
ILIZA SHLESINGER, I mention this because I
34, more if Amy smiled when she was on
Schumer wasnt around. The Today Show re-
Both are hip comedians cently. She towered over
with a strong feminist her hosts. It is not often
view. Ilizas amusing, but when the Jewish comedi-
an is the blonde amazon
Amys take on the same in a group shot.
N.B.
California-based Nate Bloom can be reached at
Middleoftheroad1@aol.com
Discover.
benzelbusch.com
4/26/17 2:26 PM
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 5
Local
Let it rain
Jack Flamholz Water Sustainability Project to launch in Teaneck public school

J
JOANNE PALMER
ack Flamholz, who lived in Teaneck
and died last October, was a Renais-
sance man, his wife, Beverly Luch-
feld, and their daughter, Eta Flam-
holz, said.
He earned two masters degrees, one in
computer science and one in physics, and
there are books about computer science
and physics on his bookshelves, they say;
they vie for space with works, in many lan-
guages, of fiction, of poetry, of mathemat-
ics, of philosophy, of history and of the
many other interests that engaged his ever-
questing intellect.
One of those many passions was sustain-
ability, particularly water sustainability.
(That is a subject a looming catastrophe,
really, according to many experts that is
becoming increasingly pressing for many
people. It is coincidental but not surpris-
ing that this years One Book One Commu-
nity selection from the Jewish Federation of
Northern New Jersey was Seth Siegels Let
There Be Water.)
He was passionate as well about educa-
tion, and Jewish values, and Israel, and
being an American.
In his memory, Ms. Luchfeld and Ms.
Flamholz are combining all of these pas-
sions into a pilot project that will launch
at the Hawthorne Elementary School in
Teaneck on Tuesday, May 23. Using the
technology and curriculum developed in
Israel, the school will begin to recycle rain
runoff to use for flushing toilets and water-
ing gardens. The students will be able to
learn about problem-solving, sustainability,
and conservation. Theyll have the opportu-
nity to try it for themselves.
The technology and the ideas behind it are
elegantly simple. The water will be collected
in barrels made of PVC, shaped so that sedi-
ment will settle into their pointed bottoms.
Students will be able to turn a spigot and let
the sediment out every day. The water will
run through a series of pipes and barrels,
driven by gravity, until it is clean and usable.
(It will not be potable, but that is not the
point.) Then it will be pumped to the schools
toilets and its newly planted garden, and to
anyplace else where it might be used.
(The systems use of gravity from the
top down, and then pumps from the top
What: The Jack Flamholz Water Sustainability Project will be inaugurated
Where: At the Hawthorne Elementary School, 201 Fycke Lane in Teaneck
When: On Tuesday, May 23; the rainwater ceremony will be from 9 to 9:30 a.m., and
the reception and question-and-answer session is set for 9:45 to 10:15.
Who is invited: The entire community, but space is limited. To make a reservation, call
the Teaneck Creek Conservancy at (201) 836-2403 or email alexa@teaneckcreek.
Jack Flamholz teaches chess to one of his grandsons.
up, is similar to the way New York City
apartment buildings move their water
from the rooftop tanks to apartments,
although of course that water is not from
the sky.)
At the same time, Ms. Luchfeld is switch-
ing her own house over to the rainwater con-
servation system. Mr. Flamholz had been an
active volunteer at the Teaneck Creek Conser-
vancy and it too will switch over. Ms. Luch-
felds house will rely only on conserved rain-
water for toilet flushing and garden watering,
but she will be able to go back to Teanecks
water supply easily, should a drought make
that necessary.
In early fall, after the holidays, Ms. Luch-
feld and her family and the Conservancy will
begin running shuttle buses that will move
people around those three sites the house,
the school, and the park so they can see
how the system works in action.
Mr. Flamholz, who grew up in Brooklyns
East New York, was educated at the Crown
Heights Yeshiva, the Manhattan Talmudic
Academy, and then Brooklyn Polytechnic
Institute and Columbia University, where
he earned his two masters degrees. He kept
those two parts of his intellectual and emo-
tional education the deeply understood
and profoundly and honestly lived Jewish
part, and the dispassionate solution-search-
ing analytic part as cornerstones of his life
throughout the 67 years he had to live it, his
wife and daughter said.
He also had a quick mind, a rapier wit,
FLAMHOLZ FAMILY
and a formidable knowledge base, accord-
ing to the friends who roasted and then
eulogized him.
So, all things considered, it makes sense
that a project with as much potential for
doing simple, large-scale good as this one
would appeal to him. He wrote what his wife
calls a blueprint for it. Sustainability, like
charity, begins at home, so lets start with
small, affordable, achievable demonstration
projects on the grounds and in the building,
he wrote. Concrete achievements, no matter
how small, will make us more credible.
So his family, which includes not only his
wife and daughter but two sons, Avi and
Bezalel, decided to make this blueprint,
which he did not have the time to imple-
ment, become reality.
The project was tried first in Israel,
where it was called Yevul Mayim; its cham-
pion there, Amir Yechieli, will be at the
Hawthorne School on May 23, and he will
talk about it.
My husband learned about the proj-
ect about six years ago, when he and our
sons were in Israel and visited Amir, Ms.
Luchfeld said. They toured some of his 150
schools, and were duly impressed.
Amir had rain barrels to collect water
on the roof of his own home in Jerusa-
lem, and even though there is so little
rain there, he is able to take care of his
own home, his shower, the garden and
the toilet.
When they decided to put Mr. Flam-
holzs plan into practice, his wife and
daughter chose the Hawthorne School
over a day school for a number of rea-
sons. First, it is in Teaneck. Mr. Flam-
holz always had wanted it in Teaneck;
he wanted to work in collaboration with
the Conservancy, and anyway, Teaneck
was his home. We have relationships
with the town, with the mayor, with the
Teaneck Creek Conservancy, Ms. Luch-
feld said.
Also, day schools priorities and cor-
rectly so are Jewish education, Ms. Luch-
feld said. We didnt feel we could have as
wide an exposure there.
Ms. Luchfeld and Ms. Flamholz decided
that an elementary school would be a bet-
ter site than a high school; elementary
school students are not jaded, as high
school students are, Ms. Luchfeld said.
Although Bergen County is studded with
yeshiva elementary schools, there are very
few in Teaneck another reason to work
with a public school.
But there were deeper and more emo-
tional reasons at work as well. My hus-
band was very much an American Jew, Ms.
Luchfeld said. He was so proud to live in
this country. Public schools are very much
part of the American way, and he wanted to
work with that truth.
And lastly, Hawthorne has an impas-
sioned teacher who will be able to teach
about sustainability with the depth of feel-
ing that Mr. Flamholz also had. That is
what swayed it, Ms. Luchfeld said. I am so
pleased about it.
It all comes together, she said. My hus-
band was a person who wanted a just soci-
ety. A fair society. Principles were critical to
him. And so was the earth. He was a physi-
cist, and physicists understand not only the
esoteric but also the concrete.
It is a simple, concrete idea take rain-
water and use it again. Do not let it vanish.
Collect it. Reuse it. Value it. Its American,
its Jewish, and it is healing.
These barrels, in a school in San
Diego, are like the ones about to be
inaugurated at Hawthorne Elemen-
tary School. FLAMHOLZ FAMILY

6 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

 Why limit Yourself?
New Jersey's largest kosher supermarket has the easiest
online shopping experience and the fastest delivery.
Thousands of kosher products are only a click away.

SeasonsKosher.com

TODAY & S
US AV
RY E
T

CL5OFF ($5 off purchase of $75)

CL10OFF ($10 off purchase of $125)
Same day delivery to your town, CL25OFF ($25 off purchase of $250)

including Teaneck, Fair Lawn, Livingston, SEASONSKOSHER.COM

West Orange & Elizabeth!

SEASONS CLIFTON
467 Allwood Road, Clifton NJ 07012
P: 973.339.0900 | clifton@seasonskosher.com

JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 7

Local
Daddy Depot
Teaneck author dips into picture books
LARRY YUDELSON
O
ne bedtime, Maya Stiefel was
angry at her father. Lets
return him to the daddy
depot, she told her mother,
Chana.
Chana spun out a story in which they
did just that.
And after the story was told and the
lights were out, Chana ran to her desk
and typed out the first draft of Daddy
Depot, which is being published next
week.
Ms. Stiefel already had written many
childrens books, non-fiction works
including Lives of Stars and Without
Warning: Earthquakes and Turkeys on
the Family Farm.
How long could it take her to publish
her first a picture book?
Eight years, as it turned out.
Maya was 9 the night she was angry at
her father. She is 16 now.
There was a lot that Ms. Stiefel had to
learn about writing a picture book. Things
that werent part of the curriculum at
NYU Journalism School, where she stud-
ied science reporting, or her on-the-job
training in writing for children at Scho-
lastics Science World magazine, her first
job. (Now she is director of public rela-
tions at Maayanot Yeshiva High School
for Girls in Teaneck, where she lives.)
So she set out to learn how to write a
picture book. She went to workshops,
and joined a critique group and the soci-
ety of childrens writers and illustrators.
I began taking the writing very seri-
ously, she said. Picture books are an art
form, and much more complex than peo-
ple think. Its almost like writing a novel
in 400 words. You need a main character.
You need the character to have a conflict
or problem. The problem has to esca-
late. The character goes on a journey.
The character has some flaws and has to
resolve them. Theres a crescendo, and
then a resolution.
Thats a lot of elements of fiction in
one very short narrative text, she said.
Your mom taught you to give...
This Mothers Day, make a donation to JFCS in honor of your mom.
...Not only will it make your mom proud,
but will impact the lives of so many others.
For more information or to make a donation visit www.jfcsnnj.org or call 201-837-9090
8 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
You need to know your story and need
to be able to tell it in very few words. I
always loved picture books but didnt
realize how hard it would be.
The hard work paid off. She pitched
the story to an agent at a conference
and he sold it to an imprint of Macmil-
lan. The publisher hired the illustrator,
Andy Snair.
When you write a picture book you
have to leave a lot of room for the illus-
trations, Ms. Stiefel said. You imagine
the story in your own way and hand it
over to an artist who might envision it in
a completely different way.
Her book, she said, is about flawed par-
ents, and about a little girl who is taking
charge of her problem. Her problem is that
shes upset with her dad because he gets
distracted by football and tells bad jokes
and falls asleep during story time.
The story is pretty much based on my
husband, Larry, who I wouldnt return,
Ms. Stiefel said. Hes a very good father.
It ultimately has a happy ending. The
idea of the story is that none of us are
perfect parents. We all have our flaws.
Its about unconditional love. You might
Copies of Daddy Depot by Chana Stiefel, left.
think someone else has a
better family, but the per-
fect dad for you is the one
you have. In most cases.
Most kids, at some
point in their lives, real-
ize their parents are not
perfect but theyre a
perfect parent for them.
The book is also a
spoof of our consumer
culture, where you can
return anything. If you
can return your shoes,
why cant you return your parents? tells her that she was named for her great
Kids reading the book will have fun grandmother Chana, and tells the younger
going up and down the aisle with Lizzie,
looking at different dads. Lizzie meets
a rocker dad, a chef dad, and an astro-
naut dad. She realizes theyre not per-
fect either. She starts to appreciate all
the qualities of her own dad. It all works
out okay.
Ms. Stiefel has a second picture book,
coming out in 2019.
Its called Waka Waka Loch, its about
a cave girl, and its based on Ms. Steifels
own experience.
Its about a girl who wants to change
her name that no one can pronounce,
Ms. Steifel said. Her name is Waka Waka
Loch and she wants to change it to Gloop.
The original story was about a girl named
Chana, who was upset that she had a name
no one could pronounce.
Often, when people who are unfamiliar
with the Hebrew name Chana try to pro-
nounce it, she said, it can come out gar-
bled, sounding like China with a different
vowel, or like Tsheina or Kehana.
In the first draft, Chanas grandmother
Chana about her great grandmother.
What: Book launch, reading, and
signing
Where: Teaneck Library, 840 Teaneck
Road, Teaneck
When: Tuesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Curious Reader Bookstore,
229 Rock Road, Glen Rock
When: Sunday, May 21, 3:30 p.m.

Can you blame Lizzie for wanting to return her dad?
Ms. Stiefels critique group didnt like that.
The problem is that Chana didnt solver
her own problem, she said. The protago-
nist in a childrens book should solve her own
problem. I was stuck, and kept trying to find
How long should it take to shop for
Camp Supplies and Toiletries?
10 Minutes!!!
@ the app store Bunksupplies
or www.bunksuppliesandbeyond.com
We label items & deliver
Use the discount code
10%
OFF
ways for Chana to solve her own problem. I
read that if youre stuck in a story, try throw-
ing your character in a strange setting.
I was hiking with my husband in these
rocks in Canada. I said, What if shes a
js
917-685-9111
$40 Minimum Order
Local
Most kids, at
some point in
their lives, realize
their parents
are not perfect
but theyre a
perfect parent
for them.
grandmother Waka Waka Loch saving
the tribe from a melting ice bridge and a
saber tooth tiger.
Ms. Steifel said that her name started
out as Cheryl. My grandmother called me
Chana, and it stuck. When I officially made
my name Chana, the judge asked me why I
would change my name to Tshana.
She said she expects the book to appeal
cave girl? to all the Yechezkels and Chayas in the
Putting her in a new setting cre- Jewish world, and plenty of other chil-
ated a lot of humor. And I found a way dren beyond.
for the cave girl to solve the problem. Across cultures there are names that
She looks at cave paintings of her great are hard to pronounce, she said.
Cordially invites you to an
OPEN HOUSE
for PROFESSIONALS
SINAI Schools: Serving children with Learning, Social or Developmental disabilities
Join us for a 60 minute presentation and tour
of our school, to learn more about SINAI Schools
uniquely inclusive approach to special education.
TUESDAY, MAY 16th at 9am
SINAI Elementary School at
Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey
666 Kinderkamack Road River Edge, NJ 07661
SINAI Schools
serves children
through age 21
with a wide range
of needs.
Light refreshments
will be served.
For more information and to RSVP, please contact Lyn Cohen:
lcohen@sinaischools.org 201- 833 -1134 x106
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 9
Local
Dr. Ayal Hendel and some of his postdoctoral students show off his lab in Bar Ilan University.
Cutting and pasting with DNA
Israeli scientist talks about genetic editing in Englewood
JOANNE PALMER
It sounds like science fiction and heavy
on the fiction at that.
Take an impossibly small tool, a mole-
cule of RNA call it, say, CRISPR, short for
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Pal-
indromic Repeats, and pronounce it as if it
were the drawer at the bottom of your refrig-
erator make it function like shears, and
have it snip out broken bits of genetic code
and replace it with healthy DNA.
Use that technology for many things it
seems to work in all living things, down to
the bacteria where it first was discovered.
Use it to cure such fairly rare diseases as
the Bubble Boy syndrome more formally,
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, or
SCID and move on from there to more
common and genetically complicated lym-
phomas and cancers, particularly the ones
that attack and kill children.
But its real CRISPR has been and scien-
tists hope that it can be used to work what
would look to non-scientists like miracles.
One of those scientists, Dr. Ayal Hendel, a
principal investigator (translation he heads
his own laboratory, a great responsibility and
huge honor) at Bar Ilan University in Ramat
Gan, Israel, talked about his work last week
at a meeting in Englewood for American
Friends of Bar Ilan University. (He was stay-
ing there with his cousin, Shelly Sokolow.)
Dr. Hendels lab studies genomic editing
and genetic engineering. Were developing
10 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
technology where we can actually correct
broken genes, he said. We use what I call
cut-and-paste technology to replace broken
genes with whole genes.
It is important to remember that although
work on the CRISPR has been going on for a
few years, its still new, and he is just begin-
ning his work on finding a cure for SCID.
He shifted to another metaphor, this one
even more physical than the virtual copy-and-
paste. Working with the CRISPR is pretty
much like working with scissors, he said.
All the DNA in our bodies is built from four
different bases A, T, G, and C. If there is one
mistake, one typo in the code, it can lead to
disorders, like bubble boy, or cancer. We use
the CRISPR tool to cut out the broken gene
and replace it with a synthetic normal gene.
A synthetic gene? More science fiction? No,
Dr. Hendel says.
We can take blood hematopoietic stem
cells from different sources, he said. We
can take it from stem cord blood some par-
ents decide to collect and freeze it in case
they need it. Another source is the bone mar-
row; you can go into the bone with a needle
and take some out. And a third source is to
give the patient a drug that mobilizes the cells
from the bone marrow to the bloodstream.
Where do the cells come from? Cautioning
that this still is dream, not reality, Dr. Hendel
said that they could come from the patient.
That is the beauty of this procedure. What
happens when a kid has some kind of leuke-
mia, or bubble boy disease? We can do what
bit of googling can add up to lots of infor-
mation. But in short, the CRISPR is built
from a very small molecule of RNA and a
very small molecule of a protein. The RNA
part is whats actually sending the scissor
to the right address. The RNA functions
like a GPS, headed for the target; the pro-
tein is the goon behind it, cutting out and
demolishing the broken gene as if it were
a gambler welshing on its mob debts. And
then the new, custom-made repair cell can
be injected close to the hole created when
the bad one was removed. There is a very
sophisticated machinery inside ourselves
that knows how to repair the break by using
this piece of normal DNA, Dr. Hendel said.
Nature is so beautiful, he said. This sys-
tem came from bacteria.
In order to protect itself against viruses
because when a virus attacks a bacteria,
it injects its DNA into it the bacteria can
copy a small piece of the viruss DNA and
keep it in its memory. So the next time the
same kind of virus attacks, the bacteria will
have an image of the sequence of the DNA
virus. It will know what to attack accord-
ing to NPRs RadioLab, which did a show on
CRISPR, that image is basically a mug shot,
a list of viruses that are the bacterias most
AVISHAG SHAAR-YASHUV wanted public enemies.
That bacteria defense is ancient, far older
than human beings, but it was discovered
in the 1980s. Then we adapted the system
from nature, and we use it in medicine to
cure genetic disorders, he said.
Many people talk about personalized
medicine for many different disorders, he
we call allogenic bone marrow transplant continued. Different people have different
we take the stem cells from somebody else mutations, so first you have to identify what
but many times we cant find the right donor. went wrong, and you have to really get the
The tissues arent the right match. In the tech- right piece of DNA and the right correction.
nology we are developing, every patient can Different people could need different syn-
thetic DNA for different disorders.
Once you are able to do it, you want to be
sure that you do it in a very specific and safe
way. You dont want to fix something over
Were developing there, but at the same time break something
over there. Brand-new changes can have
technology unintended consequences; no one wants to
where we can attempt to heal someone and to start the but-
terfly effect that leads to a jumble of disasters
actually correct and eventual collapse. Caution is necessary.
broken genes. This amazing genome editing technology
I call it iPhone 1.0 was developed for the
We use what I first time in 2003, he said. But then it was
call cut-and-paste expensive, slow, and very difficult to work
with. Then came iPhone 2.0 but it was the
technology to third generation, 3.0, that really changed the
replace broken field, because suddenly scientists had a tool
that was cheap, easy to make and design, and
genes with really meant that many scientists could start
whole genes. working in parallel ways.
DR. AYAL HENDEL That happened in 2013; the technology
was developed in parallel in Berkeley and
MIT, and then once I was doing my train-
be his own donor. If you dont have the stem ing at Stanford, with Dr. Matthew Porteus,
cord, you can take it; you start to work on the I thought okay, if I can apply it to hemato-
collection process. poietic stem cells, we can use it for disor-
All the options are valid, he said. ders of the blood and the immune system,
He explained a little bit more about but when I tried to apply it to hematopoietic
how a CRISPR works and also said that stem cells, it didnt work. It was a problem
because its such a hot topic now, a little and I had to solve it.

Dr. Hendel greets attendees at the house of Noam
and Shelly Sokolow in Englewood.
I established a collaboration with a bio-tech company,
Agilant Technologies, the science company that was spun
off by Hewlett-Packard. They could chemically synthe-
tize RNA, and I thought that if we could do that and use
mother's day
sunday
may 14
come for the run, stay for the We thank our 2017 lead sponsors
fun kids activities + lite bites
Register to run, form a team &
THE KAPLEN FOUNDATION
fundraise! For more information,
email rubinrun@jccotp.org.
KAPLEN JCC on the Palisades TAUB CAMPUS | 411 E CLINTON AVE, TENAFLY, NJ 07670
chemistry on the RNA at the end of the molecule, we can
really make this system work.
You need the synthetic RNA, he explained, because
there are enzymes They are like small machines I
call them Pacmen they degrade and attack the RNA.
But if you can put a fancy chemical modification on the
end of the RNA, we can really stabilize the RNA inside the
cell and make the machine work. He did experiments on
this technique at Stanford, and it worked. As a result of
these achievements, I was able to apply for positions in
academia in Israel, Dr. Hendel said. I really wanted to
stay in academia, and I really wanted to go back to Israel.
He was given many offers and I decided to take the offer
from Bar Ilan, in the nanotechnology center, he said.
Dr. Hendel is interested in diseases that affect children.
He is focusing on SCID because it is the result of just one
typo in the DNA. Its just one mutation, that means that
these kids cant develop functional immune systems.
So I chose this disease because there is a higher chance
of success. If we cure only one to ten percent of the stem
cells and put them back into the body, that will be enough
to cure the disease. The body will be able to generate
enough immune cells.
It would be more challenging with other diseases; we
would have to correct from 80 to 100 percent of the genes.
We have to have a success, Dr. Hendel said. I chose to
focus on a disease where we have a high chance of being
successful. And of course the fact that the disease is so
dramatic and terrifying makes the idea of being able to
cure it all the more dramatic and joy-producing.
The work cannot be rushed, he added. There already
Supporting individuals with special needs
register online at jccotp.org/rubinrun*
THE RUBIN FAMILY
Local
have been clinical trials using CRISPR in China, but there
has not been enough time to evaluate how safe these
experiments are. He foresees his own process taking
about four or five years; then, he hopes, he will be able
to start thinking about a clinical trial, maybe in collabora-
tion with a big center in the United States or in Israel.
I like to think about it like putting men on the moon in
the 1960s, he said. Our mission is to make the DNA edi-
tor. During the 60s, it was to send somebody into space.
We didnt send them directly to Mars. Now, our mission is
to build this DNA editor, so whenever there is a devastat-
ing mistake leading to childhood disorders, we can take
the CRISPR and fix the origin of the problem.
Robert Katz of Fair Lawn is senior vice president for
development for the American Friends of Bar Ilan Uni-
versity. He filled in some of Dr. Hendels biography Dr.
Hendel admitted to being 42, having gotten his bache-
lors degree from the Hebrew University and his masters
and doctoral degrees from the Weizmann Institute, but
he didnt mention that he has some patents in his name.
Hes a humble, modest guy, and I feel like his proud
mother, Mr. Katz said.
Even more the proud mother, Mr. Katz said, he was sure
that Dr. Hendel had omitted to mention that the institu-
tional review board of the Helsinki Committee allowed Dr.
Hendel to try experimental research on human subjects.
Such approval is rarely given, and is a sign of great trust
in a great scientist.
Still, he added, Dr. Hendel may be extraordinary, but
he is not unique. There are many off-the-charts-gifted
SEE DNA PAGE 41
K
A
PL
EN
JC
C
on
th
eP
ali
sa
de
s
for race details & to make your donation online:
jccotp.org/rubinrun
For sponsorship information please contact:
Michal Kleiman at 201.408.1412 or
mkleiman@jccotp.org.
*Please arrive early. Giveaways while supplies last.
| 201.569.7900 | jccotp.org
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 11
Local
Whos in? Whos out?
Rabbi Dov Linzer to discuss Jewish identity in Teaneck next week
LARRY YUDELSON
W
ho is a Jew in good stand-
ing? Who is in and who is
out of the tribe?
With Shavuot approach-
ing, with its stories of the Jews accepting
the Torah and of Ruth joining the Jewish
people, these seemed like timely topics for
Rabbi Dov Linzer.
Rabbi Linzer is Rosh HaYeshiva rab-
binic head at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
Rabbinical School in Riverdale, N.Y.
He is speaking at Davar in Teaneck next
weekend, and his three talks will, like
the story of Ruth, be related to questions
of Jewish status. He will discuss the laws
about conversion, and the laws of two
other types of people whose status as Jews
in halacha is unclear: Those who violate
the Sabbath, and those who dont properly
believe in the articles of faith.
The Gemara emphasizes that rejec-
tion of mitzvot puts someone outside the
community, Rabbi Linzer said. It can dis-
qualify someone who is born Jewish. The
extreme example is rejecting all the mitz-
vot, which makes a person like a non-Jew.
Then the Gemara says a Shabbat violator is
like someone who rejects all the mitzvot.
For the Gemara, It means hes disquali-
fied from doing ritual actions that require
a Jew. A lot of the examples are things for
male Jews: counting for a minyan, leading
davening, getting an aliyah, and so on.
It goes so far that some people ask if
wine he touches is as unkosher as if a non-
Jew had touched it. Can you charge him
interest on a loan, which you cant do for
Jews? While hes not really non-Jewish, in
many ways halacha gives him the same
type of status, Rabbi Linzer said.
The decline of traditional observance in
the past two centuries has made the ques-
tion more salient.
With the advent of modernity and the
haskala the enlightenment and 90
percent of Jews not being observant, do
you continue to use the old model and say
theyre outside the community? Or do you
say its different now?
There are poskim authorities in Jew-
ish law who are not interested in seeing
90 percent of the Jewish people as being
halachicly invalid, he said. They rule
that even though someone is not Sabbath
observant, theyre not disqualified.
But Rabbi Linzer doesnt like the
approach most frequently used by Ortho-
dox rabbis to keep contemporary Sabbath
breakers from being ruled as being outside
the community. That approach equates
them to a tinok shenishba a kidnapped
child who was raised by non-Jews. Some-
one who never was raised Jewish, the Tal-
mud understands, isnt rejecting Judaism
12 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
by non-observance, and therefore gets a
special dispensation. Contemporary pos-
kim who use this approach say that peo-
ple cant be held responsible for not being
observant if they grow up in a non-obser-
vant context.
That doesnt work with people who
grow up observant and leave, Rabbi
Linzer said.
He said that Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook,
the chief rabbi of pre-state Israel, took a
slightly different stance. He says even if
they grew up observant, theyre still con-
sidered to be anusim, not willingly non-
observant. Theyre compelled by their
yetzer hara their desires and the
intellectual attractions of non-Ortho-
dox beliefs.
Both Rabbi Kook and the captive child
approach keep the old definition of a mitz-
vah violator as being outside the commu-
nity, but avoid the practical applications
by not holding the violators responsible
for their actions.
While practically its very good, the
problem with that is that its very patron-
izing and its literally infantalizing youre
calling them an infant. It says people who
have given a lot of serious thought to their
decisions are not responsible for them.
Its saying only we, the observant, make
responsible decisions and no one else
does. It might be what you have to say to
avoid treating people like non-Jews, but its
obviously not ideal.
What I propose is an opinion that was
mentioned but not embraced by one of the
poskim, the idea of omer mutar, one who
says something is permitted and therefore
cant be said to be knowingly violating the
Torah, he said.
In the Talmuds examples, this would be
someone who is part of the communal
structure, but no one ever told him that
the action is forbidden.
The contemporary non-observant typi-
cal Jew, Rabbi Linzer said, believes that
desecrating the Sabbath is permissible
not because they think halacha says you
can do X or Y or Z, but because they dont
believe in the whole system. They dont
believe theyre religiously bound not to do
X or Y or Z.
Categorizing non-observant Jews as
people who think non-observance is
Save the date
Who: Rabbi Dov Linzer
Where: Davar, 1500 Sussex Road,
Teaneck
When: Friday, May 19 and Sunday
May 20
Schedule: Rabbi Linzer will speak after
services at 7 p.m. Friday night, and
8:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Saturday.
acceptable is descriptive.
Its not judgmental. Thats
exactly what the reality is.
It frames the question
as, within my system, how
much can I judge you if you
dont buy into the system?
Rabbi Linzer said that
Rabbi David Zvi Hoffman,
who was head of the Ortho-
dox Rabbinical Seminary
of Berlin in the late 19th Rabbi Dov Linzer
and early 20th centuries
proposed an even more radical solution.
Rabbi Hoffman distinguished between
what public violation of the Sabbath meant
when everyone was observant, and what it
means now.
He said that public violation of Shab-
bos used to be a way of practically posi-
tioning yourself outside the Jewish com-
munity, which was defined by the public
observance of Shabbos, Rabbi Linzer
said. That was the way the community
expressed their identity.
Nowadays, when 90 percent are not
Shabbos observant, you cant say theyre minded society, how much does being
breaking away from the Jewish commu-
nity even if theyre publicly sinning. Rabbi
Hoffman says we have to define the Jew-
ish community in different ways, he said.
He has a couple of responsa about people
who refused to circumcise their sons. That
was his boundary issue.
In another of his three scheduled
talks, Rabbi Linzer will address the issue
of dogma.
How much is someone who is a fully
observant Jew but doesnt believe in cer-
tain principles of faith part of the commu-
nity? he said.
Are we a community of faith or a com-
munity of action? How much are ques-
tions of belief central to personal status
in halacha?
Clearly there are mitzvot of belief.
Beliefs are central to who we are. The Tal-
mud never uses belief or lack of belief as
a basis to disqualify someones status. It
declares someone who doesnt believe in
the Torah from Mount Sinai doesnt have a
share in the world to come, but it doesnt teaching other opinions?
use that for halachic status.
Maimonides introduces the idea of
the apikores the heretic and basically
says the apikores is someone who doesnt
believe in the core areas of faith, the 13
principles. He says the apikores is worse
than a non-Jew, that he has all the disqual-
ifying things we talked about for a Shab-
bat violator.
Theres a question about what moti-
vated Maimonides to create the category.
In his own rulings he seemed to contradict
himself, Rabbi Linzer said.
Like contemporary poskim, Maimonides
has to deal with large com-
munities that didnt follow
what he considered to be
traditional Jewish prac-
tice. In his case, it was the
Karaites, who rejected the
Talmuds authority and its
notion that the Torah at
Sinai was supplemented by
an oral Torah that under-
girds the Talmud and was
more decisive than the
written Torah.
Were the Karaites inside or outside
the camp?
It wasnt a simple question.
In his early writings Maimonides was
very distancing of the Karaites. In his later
writings, he wrote responsa that were
more inclusive and he edited his Mishne
Torah to tone it down a bit and be more
inclusive, he said.
Like the discussion of Sabbath viola-
tors, halachic discussions of the apikores
raises the question of whether nowa-
days, when we live in an open, critical
an apikores have the same sense of dis-
qualifying ones status? It doesnt mean
that its okay, but if somebody basically
totally keeps Torah and mitvot, theyre
super frum, and they say they personally
dont believe in the resurrection of the
dead or maybe they adopt certain posi-
tions of biblical criticism, does that mean
they cant count for a minyan?
In his talk on conversion, Rabbi Linzer
will look at the range of halachic discus-
sions concerning converts who dont prac-
tice all the mitzvot.
Do we think someone can affirm and
transition to a Jewish identity without full
observance of the mitzvot? Or is full mitz-
vot part of what being Jewish means?
As in his other talks, Rabbi Linzer will
explore a range of opinions.
But the topic raises the question: At a
time when the State of Israel sets conver-
sion standards, and has partnered with the
Rabbinical Council of America in central-
izing Orthodox conversions, why bother
At the end of the day, I teach Torah,
Rabbi Linzer said. I would teach the laws
of kashrut even if everybody uses the OU.
Most things I teach, Im not going for a
practical bottom line.
At the same time, people want to
understand better, they want to have a
larger context. They want to see if the way
the Israeli rabbinate is operating now is
the only way. Knowledge is power. If the
community is more knowledgeable, that
changes the dynamic between the rabbis
and the laity. The more people know, the
more its keeping everyone honest.
upcoming at Kaplen JCC on the Palisades
Emek Registration Open
Give your kids the gift of Hebrew! Emek is an afterschool
program for children grades preK-10 that teaches modern,
spoken Hebrew language and Israeli culture in a fun,
at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades
hands-on way. Sign up now; Early Bird price ends May 26.
For more info please contact Galit at 201.408.1469
or visit jccotp.org/emek.

Red Cross Lifeguard Training

for Ages 15+
Become a lifeguard and learn the skills you need to work
in water safety as a lifeguard this summer. This course
combines online training with on-site skill sessions.
Course completion provides a 2-year American Red Cross
certificate for Lifeguard Training/First Aid/CPR/AED.
Check jccotp.org for swim test requirements.
Swim Test: Sun, Jun 4, 2 pm OR Mon, Jun 5, 5 pm
Course: Sundays, Jun 11 & 18, 1-4 pm, and Mondays &
Tuesdays, Jun 12, 13, 19 & 20, 6-8 pm
t r at ion open!
$399/$499, plus $35 paid to Red Cross regis

NEW! Triple Threat

Join us for an incredible music theater program
that features advanced skill-building in acting,
jazz/dance and voice taught by incredible staff
from our drama, music and dance schools.
Program includes a cabaret performance in
January and a full musical in June. Go online for
schedule details.
Fall Semester: Sep 19-Jan 18
Full Year: Sep 19-June 14

Triple
Threat
for film
community all

Community Supported
Agriculture
healthy eating for less than
$25 a weeK
Buy a share in a local farm and receive 8-10
varieties of fresh organic produce for 22 weeks.
Full and shares available, as well as shares of
fruit, free-range eggs, maple syrup and more.
Registration Deadline: May 25
Season: Jun 6-Oct 31
Visit us online at
jccotp.org/jewish-community-events or
email Esther at emazor@jccotp.org
Early Fall Registration Now Open
for Members
The JCC is the place to be to laugh, learn and grow!
Check out all our great classes and programs in arts,
athletics, music and more and avoid a last-minute
scramble when schools about to start. Sports lovers
will be happy to know that CMEK will be running
all our basketball classes and Dean Stavri Tennis
Academy will be running our tennis programs.
Visit our website for a complete schedule
at jccotp.org/children
Dont forget our handy online class finder tool that
will help you find the classes you want on the days
and times you need: jccotp.org/class-finder.
Top Films You May Have Missed:
Sideways (2004)
Alexander Paynes award-winning film about a
struggling writer who takes his engaged friend on
a trip to the wine country as a single-guy bonding
experience. They meet two women and it turns into
the best human comedy of the year. Film followed by
an optional discussion with LA film director/producer,
Tommy Garber.
Mon, May 15, 7:30 pm, $7/$10, Coffee and light snacks.
to register or for more info,
visit jccotp.org
stay in the Know! liKe us on
facebook.com/KaplenJCCOTP

Kaplen JCC on the Palisades taub campus | 411 e clinton ave, tenafly, nJ 07670 | 201.569.7900 | jccotp.org
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 13
Local
FIRST PERSON

Washing each others feet

A rabbi learns about love in a Catholic church
RABBI PAUL JACOBSON colleagues, my friends, gave me the hum-
bling honor of fulfilling their communitys
Pesach is not usually the season of con- ritual need. Recognizing the depth and the
fessions. We Jews usually wait until Rosh significance of this trust, I said yes.
Hashanah and Yom Kippur to admit our Father Camilo had explained to me that
lesser inclinations, but here goes. in interfaith gatherings with other reli-
Sometimes I find it really difficult to con- gious leaders, Pope Francis, as a gesture of
nect with Gods presence in the synagogue. brotherhood, has washed the feet of peo-
Fair enough. Every persons kavannah, his ple of other faiths. I explained to Father
or her focus or intention during prayer, Camilo that if we were intending this ritual
may wax or wane from time to time. as a symbol of humility and brotherhood,
Its only logical, when we are in search as a symbol of the common bonds we
of that deeper, more profound spiritual share amidst our differences, then it would
connection, to go searching. We humans, only be fitting, if after washing my feet, if
whether we will admit it or not, are seek- I could return the favor and wash his feet.
ers. We yearn to make meaning out of the And so we did.
madness, the magnificence, the meshugas, He wished me a joyful Pesach; I in turn
and the misery of life. Some of you know wished him a joyful Easter. Looking into
that my favorite places to go in search of his eyes, I recited Shehecheyanu, giving
God are nature, the symphony hall, and thanks to God that both of us had been
even a baseball stadium or 20 of them. brought to this time and place, to share in
On the evening of Thursday, April 13, in this moment of friendship, awe, humility,
the middle of Pesach, I found God at the and respect together.
Holy Thursday Mass at St. Peters Church, I spent the rest of the night as a listener
just up the street on Fifth Avenue, here in and an observer, roles that I rarely get the
River Edge. For four years now, Ive been opportunity to appreciate. I delighted in
privileged to build a loving friendship with hearing 500 people raise their voices in
both Father Michael Sheehan and Father joyful song together. I marveled at the
Camilo Cruz. Two years ago, I shared a procession of these hundreds of peo-
deeply emotional and moving moment ple to accept communion men and
with Father Mike, as Holy Thursday fell Rabbi Paul Jacobson speaks during mass at St. Peters Church in River Edge. women, some short, some tall, some old,
on the same night as the search for cha- some young, of different ethnicities and
metz before Passover, and Father Mike rabbi, to proclaim a reading in a church But washing my feet? Wait a minute. Two backgrounds all in search of a connec-
graciously invited me to sell our chametz during one of the holiest times of the years ago, I was a visitor to the Holy Thurs- tion with faith, with hope, and a sense
during the congregations Holy Thursday Christian calendar year? day mass, seeking the fulfillment of our of eternal love greater than what human
mass. I remember being shocked to the Reading from the book of Exodus? Okay. communitys ritual need. This time, my SEE CHURCH PAGE 19
point of speechlessness at the applause
that Father Mike and I received.
At the time, I wrote, They were clap-
ping for two men, standing in respect of
one anothers tradition, finding a way to
create a bridge and celebrate their differ-
ences at a most profound and holy juncture
in both our calendars. They were clapping
for goodwill, love and most of all hope.
Last week, Father Camilo invited me to
participate in their Holy Thursday mass,
proclaiming the first reading of the eve-
ning, from Exodus, Chapter 12. Father
Camilo also requested, as is Catholic cus-
tom during the Holy Thursday obser-
vance, to wash my feet. He wrote, Prob-
ably all of this sounds like a lot to you, but
it is very simple and meaningful for both
traditions to create bonds of solidarity and
friendship, in order for us to become more
effective in our communities, especially
during these days in which we experience
some political and social madness.
I will admit that I was initially hesitant to
accept Father Camilos invitation. I dont
see the world as a Catholic does, so how
could it be appropriate for me, a Jew, a Rabbi Paul Jacobson and Father Camilo Cruz wash each others feet in a Holy Thursday ritual.

14 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

Start your engines!
To the more than 1,000 participants in
this Sundays Kaplen JCC Rubin Run:
We think you are great, special, wonderful,
driven, spectacular, and just plain cool!
Mazel tov to all. We are honored
to have been a sponsor of this event.

Jewish Standard MAY 12, 2017 15

Local
Helping lone soldiers
Foreigners including from Bergen County need help adjusting to Israeli army
BANJI GANCHROW
W
hen he was 4 years old, Yoni Weisinger of
Teaneck told his mother that he wanted
to live in Israel and be a soldier.
And that was that.
In 2009, after finishing ninth grade, Yoni started the quest
to fulfill his dream. He went on to complete high school in
Israel, before beginning his army service. According to his
mother, Lvia, who still lives in Teaneck, He was adopted
by an amazing Israeli host family in Chashmonaim when he
was in 12th grade, before his service, and they have become
like family to him and have given him a real home. While he
completed his service, he always had a place to go. Now, hes
out of the IDF and lives in Israel
This isnt always the case for lone soldiers.
There are more than 6,500 lone soldiers serving in the
Israeli Defense Forces. Lone soldiers are unusual people. In
most instances, they leave their countries of origin and their
families and move to Israel to become citizens and part of the
Israeli Defense Forces. There also are other lone soldiers, who
come from Israel, but from families that dont believe in serv-
ing in the army, for religious or other reasons. In some cases,
those lone soldiers are rejected by their families because they
want to join the IDF. There are other soldiers other lone sol-
diers who have families that are too poor to support them.
But the majority of lone soldiers travel thousands of miles,
in some cases more, and some cases less, to follow lifelong
dreams. Michael Levin, of blessed memory, was one of those
lone soldiers.
Special challenges in aging
NCJW program will focus on the needs of LGBTQ older adults
LOIS GOLDRICH
N
o one ever said aging was easy.
If you are blessed with family, friends, and a
responsive community, you may find it a bit less
challenging. If you are lacking such resources,
you are likely to find it harder.
On May 23, the Bergen County section of the National Coun-
cil of Jewish Women will sponsor a program addressing the
needs of people who often face special challenges as they get
older. In a talk focusing on the needs of LGBTQ older adults,
Benjamin Fisher, the health and wellness coordinator for
Garden State Equality, will discuss the factors that cause this
group special concern.
Marilynn Friedman, co-vice president of education and
advocacy for NCJWs Bergen County section and coordinator
of this years five study sessions, pointed out that the program
is a follow up to the sections November 9 forum on LGBTQ
issues, held at Teanecks Temple Emeth.
Theres a dearth of resources available to older adults who
are LGBT, Mr. Fisher said. They tend to go back into the
closet when they enter certain facilities, either because they
feel it might be hostile or because the staff is not well trained.
Pointing out that family structures are different for LGBT
individuals, he noted that many members of the LGBT com-
munity do not have children, and so lack the support that chil-
dren might provide. They may have lost a partner, they may
16 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
tor for the Lone Soldier Center and she describes what the
Yoni Weisinger
Michael made aliyah from Philadelphia in 2002; four years
later, he joined the paratroopers. In the summer of 2006,
when he was on leave and back home in Philadelphia visiting
his family, Hezbollah ambushed an IDF patrol and kidnapped
Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. War broke out along Isra-
els northern border. Michael cut his trip short to go back to
Israel and rejoin his military unit. He died in what came to be
live alone, they may not have advance directives, and maybe
they dont have a legal relationship with their partner, which
raises many other issues, he said.
According to SAGE, Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders
the New York-based organization created in 1978 to improve
the lives of older LGBT adults these seniors are twice as
likely to live alone, half as likely to have life partners or signifi-
cant others, half as likely to have close relatives to call on for
help, and four times less likely to have children to help them
than older straight adults.
While they may share some problems the loss of a part-
ner, for example, or the lack of a living will with the general
population, others hit this community especially hard. In
general, the population living with HIV is overrepresented
in this group, and theres a statistic that says that by next
year, 50 percent of people with HIV will be in the older adult
range, Mr. Fisher said.
At a recent meeting of Brooklyns Griot Circle, a community-
based organization that addresses the needs of older LGBTQ
people of color, Mr. Fisher learned that health providers for
older adults assume that they arent sexually active, but they
are, and HIV and STIs are still a concern. Often, theyre not
offered counseling.
In addition, he said, With transgender people who have
undergone a medical transition, there are certain hormones
that increase the risk for certain kinds of illnesses. There are a
number of health concerns faced by this population that most
called the Lebanon War. He was 22.
Being a lone soldier, with no friends or family nearby, can
be isolating. Michael, who knew that from his own experi-
ence, often told his friends that he had a dream of establishing
a center where lone soldiers could go to for meals, support,
and advice during their time in the service. With the help of a
group of lone soldiers, family, and friends, in 2009 the Lone
Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin was founded.
Bonnie Rosenbaum is the Meals and Community coordina-
center offers these brave soldiers: These homes are where
the soldiers live like it is there own apartment. Not only for
weekends, but during the week as well. They each have their
own bed in their room, which doesnt change.
There is a live-in madrichah, a counselor, like an RA in
a college dorm, who is a former lone soldier and one of our
advisors from the center, she continued. There are also com-
munal activities, so the soldiers are able to relax and hang
out with each other. The homes integrate lone soldiers from
Israel and other countries, because they have so much to
learn from each other, yet they have so much in common,
Ms. Rosenbaum said.
There are now three homes that have been established
for lone soldiers. They are funded by private donors from
around the world, but most of their support comes from
the United States. These funds cover not only the homes,
but also things like Passover seders and four additional
Passover meals for more 400 soldiers. The Lone Soldier
Facebook page always has new posts trying to help these
soldiers finding them meals and equipment that they
older adult providers arent thinking about.
Some healthcare providers are beginning to implement
more LGBT-inclusive record-taking, medical forms, health
histories, and interviews, and this will help ameliorate some
of these issues, he said, adding that intake forms are a good
way of starting a conversation. Its good to ask those ques-
tions of everybody, he said. Anticipating the objection that
asking these questions may offend non-LGBT people, theyll
just have to get used to it, Mr. Fisher said.
Mr. Fisher grew up in South Carolina, so I can relate to the
older generation, he added. When you grow up in a conser-
vative environment, you can relate more to people who feel
reticent. He noted that many people assume that things are
great in certain states, but its not true. There was a terrible
case in Mississippi, where a funeral home refused to handle
the remains of an 80-year-old gay man.
He has done extensive advocacy work on health care
access, racial justice, gun control, and LGBTQ issues, and has
worked for various organizations, including Planned Parent-
hood South Atlantic in North Carolina. In his work with GSE,
he has made presentations to the Psychiatric Nurses Associa-
tion as well as to the New Jersey Hospital Association.
Mr. Fisher said that while the educational work his orga-
nization does is mostly youth-focused, the health and
wellness component has seen a high demand for content
on LGBTQ older adults. We have a project, Pledge and
Protect, starting in Montclair, he said. Were funded to
 Local

need. Israelis always try their best to show gratitude

to these men and women, who pick up and move to
Israel to serve its people. There are constant bake
Did you vote yet? COLD STORAGE
Our vault will protect your
sales and clothing drives all to make sure that no sol- furs & shearlings and keep
dier, lone or otherwise, ever feels alone. them supple and fresh!
The lone soldiers either have to find an Israeli fam- Amazing offers on remodels
ily to adopt them and pay them rent from their salary of your old furs over
the summer...!!
or get an apartment with other people, Reshi Isaac
of Teaneck said. Ms. Isaacs daughter, Elianna, served
in the IDF. My daughter was lucky and lived with my Closter Furs
husbands niece and nephew, she added. They had an
extra room for her on the weekends. Most lone soldiers
dont have relatives in Israel so its really amazing if they
& Fashions
570 Piermont Rd.
can have their own home.
See page 44
Closter Commons
Up until now, there have been homes for only (next to Annie Sez)
(Closter Commons next to Whole Foods mall)
male lone soldiers, but many woman are in the IDF,
so establishing a home for them was the natural next www.jstandard.com/survey 201-767-0448
www.closterfursandfashions.com
step. This home will be in the Mekor Chaim neigh-
borhood of Jerusalem, and it will be for 10 women.
Money for these homes is important, but they also
need toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, mouth-
wash, soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, Advil, "

razors, shaving cream, Purell, baby wipes, baby pow-

der, aa and aaa batteries, headphones, tampons and
pads, Q-tips, neosporin, locks (key and combination),
head flashlights, energy bars, sports bras, portable
chargers, G-shock watch, Leatherman multitools,
Gatorade power, sunscreen, and bug spray. The Lone
Soldier Center asks visitors to Israel to bring some of
these essential supplies with them. Write to Bonnie
Rosenbaum at bonnie@lonesoldiercenter.com for
information on where to drop them off, how to make
You are cordially invited to the
a monetary contribution, or to find out how to have Tal Campus Groundbreaking Ceremony
your family participate in a bar/bat mitzvah chesed
project that could benefit the Lone Soldier Center. in the presence of the Mayor of Jerusalem, Government Ministers and Members of the Knesset
The centers website is lonesoldiercenter.com.
on Tuesday May 23 (Iyar 27) at 4.30 p.m.
at the Jerusalem College of Technology - Lev Academic Center 21 Havaad Haleumi Street, Givat Mordechai, Jerusalem

This event on the eve of Jerusalem Day will mark the contribution of JCT to the advancement
work there specifically, but our hope is to eventually and development of Jerusalem in the framework of the 50th anniversary celebration
expand to the rest of the state. of thHXQLFDWLon of the city
He began the project by collecting contact information
for hundreds of eldercare providers in the state and send- Program:
ing letters to 500 of them, asking if they will sign a pledge
to be more welcoming and inclusive to LGBTQ adults. 4.30 p.m. Reception
By making providers aware of the history and unique 5.00 p.m. Groundbreaking Ceremony
needs of this population, he hopes to foster the creation 6.00 p.m. Student Projects Exhibition and Campus Tour
of a safe environment for them. Garden State Equality has
7.00 p.m. THOODWMincha
developed training modules to help with the transition
faced by many LGBTQ older adults. Montclair, he said, 7.15 p.m. Yom Yerushalayim Shiur by Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon, Rosh Hayeshiva
was selected as the pilot city, since one of GSEs offices is 7.55 p.m. Festive THOODWMaariv in honor of Yom Yerushalayim followed by dancing and light refreshments
located there. The groups headquarters is in Asbury Park.
According to Mr. Fisher, there is a self-selecting group
of people who feel that the issue of LGBTQ older adults is Please join us on Thursday May 25 (Iyar 29)
an important one. When giving presentations, he said, he
for a tour to leading JCT hi-tech companies and IDF projects followed by fruit picking for needy families
often asks himself, Are the people who need to be hear-
and BBQ dinner hosted by Sandy Colb, Chairman, JCT Board of Trustees
ing this actually in the room?
Transgender issues are particularly difficult for some Program:
people, he noted, recalling one training session where
a patient advocate asked, What if a non-transgender 10.00 a.m. Depart Lev Campus, 21 Havaad Haleumi Street, Givat Mordechai, Jerusalem
patient is put in a room with a transgender person and
10.30 a.m. Civan Technologies
expresses discomfort? Should we respect that? Mr. Fisher
said that while that certainly is one option, it lays the 12.00 p.m. Cisco (NDS)
groundwork for a lawsuit for discrimination. He pointed Lunch
out that people could not get away with that if their dis- 2.30 p.m. Visit army base near Rishon Le Zion
comfort was in rooming with a black person or a Jew.
5.00 p.m. Fruit picking and BBQ dinner, Hatov VHameitiv Farm, Rechovot
Thinking ahead to who might attend his talk, he said,
Even if youre not LGBTQ, you probably know someone 8.00 p.m. Return to Lev Campus
Art Ofra Friedland 2017

who is. If you have some sort of awareness and come with
an open mind, maybe you can help link them to services To R.S.V.P and for more information about these and other events in Jerusalem,
they need and may learn something helpful for your own please contact: development@jct.ac.il
life, such as more about advance directives.
201-371-3212 WWW.JEWISHLINKNJ.COM May 4, 2017 8 Iyar, 5777 51
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 17
Briefly Local
Hebrew high plans graduation
The Bergen County High School of Jew-
ish Studies will hold its annual gradua-
tion at Temple Emanuel of North Jersey
in Franklin Lakes on Tuesday, May 23,
at 7:30 p.m. Closing exercises for other
students will be on the last day of school,
Sunday, May 21.
The school board president, Sy Blech-
man, its principal, Fred Nagler, and the
students congregational rabbis will
Jacqueline Guttman received flowers from Amy Abrams; the choir is in
the background.
Service honors choir director
Kol Emet, the adult choir of Temple
Emeth in Teaneck, gave a brief con-
cert after Shabbat services on April
28. Jacqueline Guttman of Englewood
was recognized for her 18-year tenure
as the director of the synagogue choir.
Hebrew school students plan JHAL visit
Students in Temple Emanuel of the Pas-
cack Valleys religious school will partici-
pate in Remembering Together Across
Generations. The Jewish Home Assisted
Living in River Vale will host the program
on May 17 from 4 to 6 p.m.
The day will include an intergenerational
conversation between Holocaust survivors
and the 15-year-old students. The students
will introduce a three-person panel of sur-
vivors. After the presentation, there will be
Celebrating Friendship Circle volunteers
The Friendship Circle of Bergen Countys
annual volunteer celebration is on Thurs-
day, May 18, at Lubavitch on the Palisades
in Tenafly. A dessert buffet is at 7 p.m.; the
program is at 7:30.
Activities include honoring teen volun-
teers, a Fellowship award presentation,
18 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
present diplomas and gifts to the 12 gradu-
ates: Jessica Baer, Camryn Bolkin, Steven
Grossman, Eden Hirsch, Melissa Knopf,
Benjamin Kosiborod, Benjamin London,
Bennett Rosner, Daniel Siefken, David
Stack, Walter Stack, and Benjamin Unger.
The Bergen County High School of
Jewish Studies is a regional Hebrew high
school for eighth- through 12th-graders. It
meets on Sunday mornings.
BARBARA BALKIN
Among the composers represented
in the concert were Naomi Shemer,
David Shukiar, Baruch Chait, Ran-
dall Thompson, and congregant Carl
Shapiro.
a question-and-answer period, followed by
a light dinner. The attendees, students and
adults, will be able to meet the members of
the panel one-on-one.
All are welcome to the free community
event, which is made possible by a grant
facilitated by the Association of Jewish
Aging from the Sephardic Home for the
Aged Foundation. For reservations, call
(201) 666-2370 or email jhal@jewishhome-
family.org.
the debut of a new Friendship Circle
video, end of year gifts, and an auction
using Friendship points.
All are welcome to the activities and to
show support for families of special needs
children. For information, call (201) 262-
7172 or go to BCFriendship.com.
RIETS Shavuot program
Yeshiva Universitys Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
Theological Seminary will offer its seventh
annual Shavous Yarchei Kallah, an oppor-
tunity to spend the holiday immersed in
high-level Torah learning and thought, at
the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, N.Y.,
from May 30 to June 1.
The RIETS Shavuos program is the
most exciting and inspiring learning
opportunity I have ever experienced,
RIETSs dean, Rabbi Menachem Penner,
said. With more than 40 shiurim, the
huge faculty and variety of topics dis-
cussed combine to create a feast for the
mind and soul. The beautiful ruach and
sense of community complete the yom
tov.
In addition to Dean Penner, the yar-
chei kallah will feature sessions by
world-renowned Torah authorities and
personalities including Rabbi Hershel
Schachter, the Nathan and Vivian Fink
Distinguished Professorial Chair in
Wayne shul marking 60 years
All are welcome to Temple Beth Tikvah
of Waynes 60th anniversary dinner
dance on Saturday, June 3. Ellen Goldin
will be honored for her 25 years of ser-
vice as Beth Tikvahs educator and exec-
utive director. The shuls 30 past presi-
dents and its founding families will also
Lori and Harlan Cohen Stuart and Ruth Smith
Cohens and Smiths
to be honored in Paramus
The JCC of Paramus/Congregation Beth
Tikvah will hold its annual journal din-
ner dance on Sunday June 11 at 4:30 p.m.
Lori and Harlan Cohen of Hillsdale and
Ruth and Stuart Smith of Paramus are
this years honorees.
The couples will be recognized for
their years of service to the congrega-
tion. The annual celebration honors con-
gregants and a commemorative journal
is published in conjunction with it
Lori Cohen has been involved in many
committees and activities at the JCCP/
CBT. She has been a sisterhood co-pres-
ident; for more than 20 years she has
been a member of the board of educa-
tion, and she has volunteered for the
Talmud; Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schachter,
professor of Jewish history and Jewish
thought and senior scholar at YUs Cen-
ter for the Jewish Future; C.B. Neugro-
schl, head of school at the Samuel H.
Wang Yeshiva University High School
for Girls; and Dr. Rona Novick, dean
of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jew-
ish Education and Administration. YU
President Richard M. Joel; Rabbi Dr.
Kenneth Brander, vice president of uni-
versity and community life, and Rabbi
Dr. Joshua Joseph, senior vice president,
among many other speakers, also will
lead shiurim.
To accommodate families with chil-
dren of all ages, the program features
babysitting and day camp options and a
program for teens. In addition, a special
program in conjunction with YUCon-
nects, the Universitys matchmaking ser-
vice, will be offered. For information or
to register, go to regonline.com/shavuos.
be honored.
The dinner dance is at the Brownstone
in Paterson.
For information, to make a donation,
or to place an ad in the journal, call
Paula at (973) 790-0729or email her at
pgrindner@aol.com.
Purim carnival. Harlan Cohen, a past
president, helped to merge the JCCP with
Congregation Beth Tikvah of New Mil-
ford. The Cohens are former co-chairs of
the shuls board of governors.
Ruth Smith has been a member of the
board, nominating and search commit-
tees, and a co-chair of the Association
of Parents and Teachers, youth, and sis-
terhood groups. Stuart Smith, the shuls
treasurer, has served the synagogue in
many capacities, including as a board
and executive board member, and as
financial secretary.
For information or to place a journal
ad, go to www.jccparamus.org or call
(201) 262-7691.

Church
FROM PAGE 14
beings might provide.
But more than anything, I spent the
evening watching and learning from my
friend, Father Camilo. I smiled when
he said, We are here to embrace one
another in celebrating the mysteries of
our faith. I listened during his homily
as he spoke openly about the broken-
ness that he has encountered in his own
personal life, and the brokenness that
he is called to navigate in the church
community that he serves. I watched
as he presided over the mass, and over
the conversion of a new Catholic in
the community.
I could see Father Camilos sincerity
and his awe, his joy and his pain, his
humility and his love, his openness and
his longing, the remarkable fragility and
vulnerability with which he placed him-
self before God, a fragility and vulner-
ability that could only be expressed with
one word. Human.
We can go into detail about the mean-
ing of the Exodus from Egypt and its sig-
nificance for the Jewish people. We can
go into more detail about how this nar-
rative has been incorporated into Chris-
tian liturgy, specifically as it relates to the
Christian understanding of the events on
the night before the crucifixion of Jesus.
We can go into even more detail about
whether Jews should participate in other
peoples rituals, like the washing of feet.
But the shattering truth is that we
can get lost in the details. As a student
of Talmud, believe me when I say that
sometimes our people gets lost in the
details and misses out on the big pic-
ture. And when we forsake the big pic-
ture to focus on the details, we have a
tendency to miss out on a tremendous
amount of sentiment and even the
presence of love.
Ritual always will mean different
things to different people. Thats part of
its mystery. But when we embrace that
mystery, or even go so far as to embrace
another persons mystery and ritual, the
world doesnt end. It may just be that the
world renews itself and begins again.
Thursday night reaffirmed a neces-
sary truth. We must continually create
moments where we can share with each
other in ways that respect one anothers
traditions, without compromising each
others practices. We have to willingly
entrust what we cherish as individuals
and as peoples to each other, in friend-
ship and in love. In this world, where
everyone among us can simply become
More than 409,000 likes.
Like us on
Facebook
facebook.com/jewishstandard
Local
the other, God asks us to reach out and
see the basic, fundamental humanness
that exists in the very core of our hearts
and souls. And God invites us to see this
very humanness in everyone else too.
On the Shabbat during Pesach we read
from Exodus 33 and 34. It is a passage
where Moses catches a fleeting glimpse
Thursday night
reaffirmed a
necessary truth.
We must
continually
create moments
where we can
share with each
other in ways
that respect one
anothers
traditions,
without
compromising
each others Picasso and Rembrandt
practices. would be jealous.
of Gods presence. It is in the portion
where, after having shattered the tablets Bernice, JHAL Resident and Artist
containing the Ten Commandments,
God provides Moses with an opportunity
OMA (Opening Minds through Art) is a
to carve a second set of tablets. Each and
every one of us walks through life with specially designed art program, developed
our own broken set of tablets, tablets in
need of healing, tablets in need of new
to enrich the lives of individuals with
inscriptions and new beginnings. When dementia, encouraging them to make
we are privileged to share and bear wit-
ness to each others broken tablets, as I
choices and express themselves
had the sacred opportunity to do that creatively. Its just one of the ways
Thursday evening, it is in moments like
these that we are treated to the potential that life on our Memory Lane unit
and the possibility of Gods presence in is unique, engaging and inspiring.
our lives, however fleeting a glimpse we
may be privileged to receive. Come see what its all about,
We must always remember that the call us today for a tour and
world that we want to live in is a world
of kindness, of love, of sharing, of trust, more information.
of friendship, and of peace. In covenant
with God, and in covenant with one
201.666.2370
another, we know the world that we
must continue to create together.
Paul Jacobson is the rabbi of Temple
Avodat Shalom in River Edge.
A Member of The Jewish Home Family
www.jewishhomefamily.org
685 Westwood Avenue
River Vale, NJ 07675
Lauren Levant, Executive Director Scripps
Jewish Home Assisted Living
JHAL MemoryLaneAd FINAL.indd 1 5/12/16
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 10:29 AM
12, 2017 19
Cover Story
The ocean
never needs you
Kosher fisherman delivers fresh wild fish locally
P
JOANNE PALMER
icture this:
There are 50 black-coated, black-hatted,
gray-and-black bearded, plastic-bibbed Sat-
mar chasidim on a fishing boat.
There are also about 40 fishermen,
dressed in boots and coats, on the boat as well.
The fishermen catch cod, take them to the boats stern,
and cut them open, and the chasidim, using jewelers
loupes, study their insides.
This goes on for six hours.
Whats going on? The specifics cod generally are con-
sidered kosher, but they are prone to small parasites, Jef-
frey Ingber, the owner and guiding force behind Kosher
Catch, said. Theyre not dangerous when theyre cooked,
he added immediately. But the fact that they often are
present means that for some religious decisors, the fish in
which they have taken up occupancy is not kosher.
How did all those men get together on that boat, which
20 Jewish standard MaY 12, 2017
sailed from near Providence, Rhode Island? Well get to
that just as Mr. Ingber did.
Jeff Ingber is 48, and for the better part of 40 years, I
have been a recreational fisherman, he said. I fish on
boats in the ocean for fun.
He grew up in Sheepshead Bay, in Brooklyn. Ive never
really lived off the east coast more than 45 minutes away
from the ocean, he said (except for his time in Israel). One
of the great things about that is that you can wake up in the
morning, presuming you have no other responsibilities, and
just grab a fishing rod and go try to catch your dinner.
When he was 13, he and his family moved to New City,
where he went to Clarkstown North High School. There
youre closer to the Hudson, but still only 45 minutes from
the ocean by any number of access points, he said. You
can probably get from New City to Sheepshead Bay in
under an hour at 5 in the morning. He kept fishing.
When he was a high school student, Mr. Ingber
worked at an ice cream store, and the lessons he learned
there stuck with him. I learned about total customer
satisfaction how important that is, he said. I also
learned that in food and beverage, you either have the
hospitality and customer service gene or you dont.
Im sure that in your own experience, you know who
has it and who should get out of the business because
they dont, he added.
Mr. Ingber started his college career at the State Univer-
sity of New York at Oswego, and then he spent a year in
Israel. I wasnt in any official learning program, he said.
I was in a program in Sfat called Livnot ULehibanot. It
was in the old city there, and basically, in a nutshell, it was
designed back then for 20- to 30-year-olds with minimal to
no Jewish background.
He did have a Jewish background he was active in
the Conservative movements USY but still I did that
program for three months, lived in the West Bank, three
kilometers from Nablus, with some very right-wing reli-
gious Zionists, working on their organic tomato yeshuv,
and then I went back to Sfat, worked for a guy from Long
Island who owned a dairy caf he was one of the first to

Jeff Ingber holds a freshly caught
Narragansett Bay striped bass.
figure out how to make New York-style bagels in Israel
and then I came home.
To some extent, he came home changed, on a path
toward greater religious observance. He also came home
with some of his basic interests, in working with food
and hospitality in other words, in feeding people
unchanged, even amplified.
Next, Mr. Ingber transferred to Johnson & Wales Univer-
sity in Providence.
Two things happened to him there. He met a woman
at Hillel who later became his wife thats Marcie, who is
now the office manager and bookkeeper for a synagogue
in Massachusetts, not far over the state line.
Second, he found the first part of his calling. The school
is famous for the education it offers in food and hospital-
ity. Mr. Ingber majored in food and beverage. Hes also
always been entrepreneurial; his education at Johnson &
Wales showed him how to harness that spirit. So, he and
two friends opened a catering company in Providence. It
was on the campus of Brown University. We handled the
kosher food service at Hillel at Brown, he said. Brown
has been around for a couple of hundred years, but in
1994 they actually offered a kosher meal plan. And as soon
Jeff and Yonah Ingber hold another fish.
as the opportunity arose, I took it.
Soon after the business opened, Jeff and Marcie got mar-
ried. We were living in a small Jewish community, he
said. We are plugging away and doing Browns meal plan
and spreading the word, and it is very nice except for
the fact that within a limited community, there is only so
much work to be done.
It is a pretty polarized community. The more right-
wing folks do not eat anybodys food, and the more left-
wing folks do not need kosher food. There was a small
center, the people to whom he was catering, but he was
feeling constrained. He wanted to grow.
All this time, of course, he was fishing.
So after our daughter, Chana, was born, we sold the
business and moved to Flemington, he said. They lived
there for four years; he was a training manager at Chilis,
the restaurant chain. I went fishing out of Atlantic High-
lands, he said.
Then it was time to figure out where my daughter would
attend school, he continued. There arent day schools in say that we have striped bass for sale, that well sell it for
Hunterdon County, and shleping her somewhere was not an
option. We were working, so we couldnt. We were priced
out of Bergen County and Middlesex County, and also from
Highland Park and Edison. My in-laws are in Flemington
and my sister is in Teaneck we moved to New Jersey to
be close to family but if we couldnt live near them, we
figured that we would move back to Providence, where we
knew lots and lots of people.
And he kept fishing.
Soon, Marcie and Jeff Ingber had another baby, their
son, Yonah.
When the family moved back to New England, Mr.
Cover Story
Ingber kept his job for a while, and then, in 2011, he
moved over to work for Hebrew Senior Life, which owns
and operates seven eldercare facilities around Boston,
he said. I went to work at NewBridge on the Charles.
That location was brand new, and in order to live in the
senior living community, you had to be worth three mil-
lion bucks. It was pretty fancy. I spent 5 years working
with 300 sets of Jewish grandparents.
My major responsibility was ensuring 100 percent cus-
tomer satisfaction. It was not an easy job, but he loved it.
Among the challenges he faced, he said, was that unlike
in New York, where these kinds of places are owned and
staffed predominantly by Jews, in New England they are
staffed by people who know how to run them and might
or might not be Jewish.
I was the only Jewish person on the food and beverage
staff. It was another important step in his customer ser-
vice education. It was a great gig, he said.
At just about the time he moved over to NewBridge, I
was fishing one morning, early in the spring, he said. It
was early in the season, and we my friends and I, you
never go fishing alone were doing some reconnaissance,
to see if the fish were around yet. It was late May, early
June, and we were out at Block Island, and we quickly
caught six striped bass. The legal limit is two per person
One of the things about
being on the ocean is
that it has very calming
and redeeming qualities
about it. Also, it doesnt
know your name.
per day, so we put our fish in the cooler and came home,
very excited. We got back to the dock, cleaned up the
boat, and headed to the car, and my friend said that I had
to take the fish.
What to do with all that fish?
First, there was the logistical problem. We twisted and
bent the fish around, and somehow, finally, we made it fit
into the cooler.
And then I called my wife, and I said, Post it on the
local Jewish group online its like Teaneck Shuls and
$10 a pound. By the time I got to the house, she told me,
Its all gone. Everybody wants it.
And then we came to realize that we have a community
that will not buy fish in a fish store for religious reasons
they dont trust the kashrut and then theres the pro-
gressive, healthy part of the community, who only shops
at Whole Foods. When you combine the desire for fresh-
ness and the trust in kashrut I thought maybe I could
pay for my hobby. So, every time I went fishing that sea-
son, I posted everything I caught, and it all sold.
I like eating fish, but the real truth is that I enjoy catch-
ing it more, he added.
Jewish Standard MAY 12, 2017 21
Cover Story
Why? Part of it is being out on the ocean. The food and
beverage business is very demanding, he said and thats
not even thinking about the 300 Jewish grandparents he
had to please. He loves it, but he also loves a break from it.
One of the things about being on the ocean is that it has
very calming and redeeming qualities about it, he said.
Also, it doesnt know your name. In the food and bever-
age business, and in the management business, everybody
knows your name. And they all need you. All the time.
So I just head for the ocean, where no one ever
needs you.
Mr. Ingber does not have his own boat. He sometimes
catches fish for his business, all with rod and reel, but he
buys much of the fish from a network of fishermen. He
delivers the fish himself.
The business, like the fish, grew organically.
We have been working hard building this business
for the last six years, Mr. Ingber said. At first, we just
sold the fish locally. Sometime during that first year, a
Chabad rabbi moved onto my street we had a few of
them already and he said that he gives a hechsher to
a number of wholesale fish markets in the Boston area.
The captains come up every day with their fish, he said.
We could enter into a conversation with getting other
types of fish from them, right off the boat, and put an
official hechsher on the business, if you are interested
in growing it.
Was he interested in growing it? I do much better
working for myself, but I was a little skeptical about
taking on a new business when I had another source
of income, he said. I hemmed and hawed, and then
I decided that it couldnt be a bad idea to have more
offerings. It just cant. So we made a business arrange-
ment with him, and we expanded our offerings from just
striped bass, fluke, black sea bass, and cod to include
flounder, halibut, and tuna.
They all swim in 18 to 180 feet of water, and you dont
have to go very far to be in water that deep, he said.
He was happy. I had then and I still have a recre-
ational rod and reel license, he said. Not a commercial
license. I cant sell to a wholesaler. And there are guys who
catch fish for a living. I catch and sell fish for a living.
Soon, we decided to expand our offerings outside
Rhode Island to include Sharon, Mass., he said. We
called the business Kosher Catch. It hadnt had a name
before then; it just was known vaguely as Jeff Ingber sell-
ing fish. When it got its name, we got phone calls from
people who wanted to know if it was a dating service,
he said.
We were selling 50 pounds every two weeks, and it
basically was paying for gas and for bait. It meant that I
had a free hobby. It wasnt any type of revenue stream.
That changed when his mashgiachs wife, who hap-
pens to be a moderator at askchabad.org, got a ques-
tion from someone in Morristown asking if anyone knew
where she could get wild-caught fish. And she responded,
Yes, it just so happens that my husband is a mashgiach for
a company that sells it.
The request, it turned out, was for salmon. Mr. Ingber
quickly called fishermen in Alaska, learned that he could
get absolutely fresh, just-out-of-the-water fish, and he
made arrangements with them. Next, he told the woman
in Morristown that he would have to be able to sell 50
pounds of fish in two stops 100 pounds in all to make
the trip worth his while. Chabad is very swift, he said.
She called some friends in Crown Heights, and between
Crown Heights and Morristown we delivered 105 pounds
that first day. It was salmon, flounder, striped bass, and
cod, as far as I remember, he said. After that he made
deliveries every month. How could that work? The food
and beverage business is very flexible, he said. You work
very hard, and you accrue a lot of days off. I would leave
22 Jewish Standard MAY 12, 2017
Marcie and Jeff Ingber stand by the sea.
Rhode Island at 5 in the morning, make the deliveries in
Crown Heights and Morristown, and then turn around
and come home.
Next, a woman in Monsey, who is a cancer survivor
and a body builder, is very health conscious, and eats a
paleo diet, saw something about him online. She said,
Hey, I heard about your business. What would it take
for you to come to Monsey? I said 50 pounds. And she
ordered 50 pounds.
And then, his daughter went to Maayanot for three
years; she boarded in Teaneck. Word of mouth got him
business in Teaneck; he delivered in Maayanots park-
ing lot, and I got to have dinner with my daughter every
month, he said.
Now, he makes 15 delivery stops every week.
Last year, Mr. Ingber left NewBridge to make Kosher
Catch his full-time business.
I do the deliveries myself, he said. My belief is that sible for the bill.
I will always do it until I cant do it. First, you have to be
able to see, feel, and touch your customers. This is a small-
scale, private business.
I am an ex-New Yorker, and I know that the mindset
for a lot of my customers is that when theyre on their
morning run, they want to be able to tug on their friends
shoulder and say, Ive got a guy. Some people wake up in
the morning with the desire to share information.
Thats part of why the business is successful. Its the
product, but also the attention we give people. We return
email as quickly as we can, and we deliver.
He takes the fish to central locations on Thursdays; he
doesnt always go to Morristown any more, but he has
added Flatbush and Crown Heights to his route.
We make a three-pronged offer to our customer base,
he said. The fish is fresh, its wild, and its kosher. And
I firmly believe that my customers take it in that order.
First, its fresh. Its in the ocean today and on your
plate tomorrow.
Second, its wild caught. We give lectures on that. We
dont have evidence today that farm-raised fish is not good
for you. But I can tell you that if we keep going at the rate
were going, serious industrialized fishing will deplete the
ocean of every fish that swims in it. When the Chinese
figure out that they like tuna, there wont be any tuna left
in the ocean.
Ninety-nine percent of Americans shop by conve-
nience and with their wallets. They dont shop con-
sciously. I dont either. I look at the circulars, see whats
on sale, and buy it, produce-wise. So when you go to the
grocery store and see the fish case, and see that you can
buy farmed Atlantic salmon for $7.99, thats all fine and
dandy, but its not the most healthy thing for you.
It probably has color added. And the fish on the top in
the fish farm eat the food that is given to them, but what
do you think the fish on the bottom eat?
One of the things he most detests is tilapia. People eat
tilapia, but we believe that tilapia is not food, he said.
Tilapia is a protein, surrounded by skin, that shouldnt
be eaten by anyone.
The tilapia we eat is a family member of the original
St. Nile fish or St. Peters fish. And heres the deal. Ninety-
five percent of the tilapia sold in America is raised in other
countries, and 90 percent of that comes from China.
Heres the problem. In China, it is legal to sell 30 different
species of fish as tilapia, and it is legal to feed it dog food.
So we try to tell people, Dont eat fish from Asia! And
dont buy tilapia!
I get email from people constantly asking if I sell tila-
pia, but tilapia is 100 percent of why I am in business so
people can stop eating it.
About those Satmar chasidim on his boat a Sat-
mar rabbi called him to do a little kashrut research on
whether they would allow cod to be sold in any place they
give a hechsher to. They said they wanted to get up to 100
cod, fresh, to be able to check them.
I said that its legal to keep 10 cod per person, if you
can catch them. I have a friend who owns a fishing fleet,
We make a three-
pronged offer to our
customer base. The fish
is fresh, its wild,
and its kosher.
and we can charter a boat; of course, you will be respon-
So on a rainy Wednesday morning in Gloucester, a van
full of 50 Satmar, including Rabbi Teitelbaum, and 40 of
my fishing friends got on a boat, and that fishing vessel
became a fishing vessel and a research vessel.
The chasidim cut open the fish and looked for parasites.
It was serious rabbinic experts from New York and hard-
core New England fishermen, and everybody learned
something about someone else that day, Mr. Ingber said.
And the fishermen got to take all the fish home.
What about the decision? It should come as no shock
that their public statement was that it was inconclusive,
he said. But it is almost impossible to see cod sold in a
hechshered fish store.
I am not a rabbi, and I am not a posek, he added. But
if you read Rabbi Moshe Feinsteins stance of fish, he says
that you treat it the same way that you treat lettuce. You
do your best to find anything thats there, and what you
dont see and cant find doesnt harm you. The mashgiach
says, I look at the filet, and if I see a worm I take it off.
Mr. Ingber knows that there are some people who dont
like fish. Some of them, of course, just plain dont like it
and never will, but others, he believes, have had the idea
of eating fish spoiled for them. Someone in our lives
ruined it for us, he said. Someone made salmon cro-
quettes from a can, it tasted like iron and mercury, and
the house stank of it for days.
He thinks he can change that. When fish is fresh, it is
an amazing product, he said. People open our contain-
ers and say, Oh God! It smells like the ocean.
Mr. Ingber delivers fish to Bergen County every month.
The next one is scheduled for May 18, a week and a half
before Shavuot. To learn more, go to www.koshercatch.net.

Israels justice minister says
Trump peace plan wont go anywhere
BEN SALES
T
en days before Donald Trump was inaugu-
rated, Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked
visited the Jewish settlement in Hebron.
A communit y of several hundred
ensconced in a city of 150,000 Palestinians, Hebrons
Jewish residents are considered to be among the most
extremist and controversial Israeli settlers.
Shaked, 41, wearing black jeans and a loose fleece,
had come to support them.
No more excuses in 10 days we need to keep
building in Hebron! she wrote on Facebook, refer-
ring to Trumps swearing-in. We need to build again,
to develop Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. Because
this is our home. This is our right.
Like other opponents of a Palestinian state, Shaked
cheered Trumps victory in November, viewing it as an
opportunity to discard the United States axiomatic sup-
port for the two-state solution.
She had reason to be optimistic. The 2016 Republican
platform removed any mention of a two-state solution.
Trumps advisers on Israel included Orthodox Jews who
had opposed Palestinian statehood. He had also pledged
to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
in what some viewed as a tacit endorsement of Israeli
claims to the city.
Six months later, Shaked may have reason to
be disappointed.
Ahead of a planned visit to Israel later this month,
Trump has become committed to achieving what he
has called the ultimate deal. He dispatched his nego-
tiator, Jason Greenblatt of Teaneck, to the region for
apparently sympathetic talks with all sides. The presi-
dent called it an honor to meet last week with his
Palestinian Authority counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas,
who the pro-Israel right insists continues to incite Pal-
estinians against Israel and pays salaries to terrorists
and their families.
And that embassy move? It is yet to happen.
But Shakeds hope is not yet lost. Because whatever
Trump says, she doesnt believe a peace deal is possible.
I think were in the midst of a historic opportunity,
that theres an administration that really loves Israel,
Shaked said on Sunday, at the Jerusalem Posts confer-
ence in New York. I believe that when they study the
issue deeply and really, really see whats happening,
theyll see that the gaps are too wide. And if they under-
stand that, I think theyll really be partners in thinking
outside the box about other solutions.
Shaked is a rising star in Israeli politics. She entered
Knesset in 2013 as a bridge builder, a secular woman
from a posh neighborhood of northern Tel Aviv rep-
resenting Jewish Home, a religious Zionist pro-settler
party. But living in Israels liberal mecca hasnt pushed
Shaked to the left. Along with opposing Palestinian state-
hood, she is opposed to letting African asylum seekers
stay in the country, supported a bill to define Israel
as the nation-state of the Jews, and backed a measure
requiring (largely left-wing) nongovernmental organiza-
tions to declare foreign government funding.
She won Jewish Homes internal primary ahead of the
2015 elections, placing her in the No. 2 spot behind Naf-
tali Bennett, the party leader. Later that year she was
Jewish World
B. Dinelli or Hair
Where hair is your most important accessory!
NEW CLIENT
INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL
30
$ HAIRCUT &
BLOW DRY
Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked during With select stylists Exp. 6.30.17
preliminary parliamentary elections in Jerusalem
last month.  YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90 519 Cedar Lane Teaneck, NJ 07666 2016
201-836-0477
made the justice minister shortly before her 39th birth- DinelliHair@aol.com READERS
CHOICE
day the youngest woman ever in the position. The post www.bdinelliforhair.com
makes her the head of the Ministerial Committee for
Legislation, which advances or blocks bills. She is also
the only woman on the security cabinet, which votes on
military action.
Appearing at events like Sundays conference, in
front of an American Jewish audience, is a longstanding
way for up-and-coming Israeli politicians to raise their
profiles. But though Shaked offers the usual platitudes
about how Israel values American Jews, she makes clear
that she doesnt believe American Jews should have a say
in how the Israeli government works.
We definitely need to work together with American
Jewry, with cooperation and a lot of mutual respect, she
Call about our
said. But she added that the fate of Israel will be decided Mother's Day Special
by the residents of the State of Israel, and I expect that Place your orders today!
also American Jewry will respect the final decision of the
people and the citizens of the State of Israel. (201) 371-3121
Shaked has been just as crusading within her ministry
as she is on maintaining control of the West Bank, try-
ing to push Israels courts in a more conservative and
less activist direction. Her legislative attempt last year to
change the way Supreme Court justices are selected fell
flat, but Shaked still managed to appoint four conserva-
tive justices to the 15-member court last week. They will
remain until the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Overall, Shaked has appointed 200 of the countrys
750 judges, with something of an eye toward diversity.
She named Israels first two judges of Ethiopian descent,
as well as the first female judge on the countrys Islamic
religious courts.
Like many young politicians under the spotlight,
Shaked is restrained in talking about her political future.
She is more focused on using the power she has now to
push Israel to the right in the courts and in the land.
I am taking the system in a more conservative direc-
BAKERY & CAFE
tion, she said of the courts. Im very happy with my Moist delicious cakes made with fresh apples.
office politically two to three years ahead, its hard to So good they saved a home from foreclosure.
say. I hope this government completes its term. I think 740 Chestnut Ave., Teaneck www.maccakes.com
this is a good government.
 JTA WIRE SERVICE
thejewishstandard.com
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 23
Jewish World

Teaneck Library President-elect Macron,

French Jewish supporters
Book Sale may be on collision course
COLLECTION WEEK CNAAN LIPHSHIZ mainstream of French Jewry.
May 8-14 To be sure, the youthful-looking Macron has charmed
We accept gently used (or new!) PARIS French Jews may have voted en masse for many voters, Jews and otherwise, on his own merits.
books, CDs, and DVDs Emmanuel Macron in the final round of Frances presi- He is known for an energetic oratory style, a profound
dential elections, but that doesnt make him their dream understanding of finance, and a passion for inter-Euro-

PREVIEW SALE president.

Thurs. May 18, 6pm-8:30pm
Fri. May 19, 9am-Noon
Open ONLY to members of
The Friends of the Teaneck Public Library
You can join at the door ($15 annual dues)
Like many other supporters of the 39-year-old former
investment banker, who became the youngest French
president in recent history, Jews voted for Macron
mainly to block his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen.
The centrist won with 65 percent of the vote, to 34 per-
cent for Le Pen.
Leaders of French Jewry said they were relieved and
pean cooperation, and he promises to heal Frances
deeply divided society by building a post-partisan con-
sensus based on tolerance.
His good looks, coupled with his apparent devotion
to his wife his former high school teacher, who is 24
years his senior have particularly endeared him to
women, according to Elle.
Yet in a town hall meeting with hundreds of Jewish

BOOK SALE DAYS
Sat. May 20 - Tues. May 23
For information e-mail TeaneckLibraryFriends@ESB.com
Call 201-403-4629 or follow us on Facebook
840 Teaneck Road Teaneck
even happy to see Macron elected but the honey-
moon may be short-lived.
A self-declared progressive with a foreign policy
rooted in human rights, even during the campaign
Macron demonstrated that like his Socialist predeces-
sor, Francois Hollande, he is willing to clash over Israel
and Islamism with the conservative and pro-Israel
voters on March 22, Macron, an independent politician
who had served for two years as Hollandes industry
minister, showed why he and the Jewish mainstream
may be on a collision course over Israel and Muslim
extremism.
For the first 90 minutes of the meeting, sponsored
by CRIF, the Jewish federation, Macron discussed his

Brightview.
Bright Life!
Spring Boutique

Discover exceptional senior living

PLEASE
NOTE:
NEW LOCATION!
TEMPLE EMETH
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck

Sunday, May 21st

for Mom and Dad 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Get Ready for SUMMER!
Respectful, customized care
Cultural and social events
Duffels, Trunks, Sleeping Bags
Inspiring Experienced associates Sweats, Tzitzit & Kippot

Bright Lives Luxury amenities

Beach Towels & Tablecloths
Graduation, Wedding & Baby Gifts
Giftware & Judaica
for All Our Gourmet meals
Toys & Games
Residents Specialized dementia Childrens & Ladies Clothing
Hats & Hair Accessories
care neighborhood Jewelry
Turn your gold and silver into cash
Call Richard or Gina to schedule
your personal visit. For more information call:
201.817.9238 Laurie: 201-213-5701 / blgopin@verizon.net
55 Hudson Avenue Tenafly, NJ 07670 Aggie: 201-833-1134 x105 / asiletski@sinaischools.org
www.BrightviewTenafly.com www.sinaischools.org
Food and beverages will be available.

24 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

 Jewish World

economic vision lucidly and in great detail. Juggling data

S aam m yyss
and well-chosen anecdotes, he clearly was in his ele-
S m m
ment as he explained his support for free-market labor
reforms, greater cooperation with Germany, and no
new taxes on corporations revenue-producing capital.
But then he turned to foreign policy a weaker sub- North Jerseys Premier Italian
ject for the wunderkind who became the first candidate
North Jerseys
Steak, Seafood Premier
& Pasta Italian
Eatery
in decades to win a presidential election in France with-
Steak, Seafood
Join Us every tuesday & Pasta Eatery
only
out the support of its main political parties.
My policy is to continue the current line of French
and
Join thursday
MondayUs
lobster
and
Steak
lobster
every
and
special,
thursday
Night
for
for
special
special,
the
tuesday
Wednesday
any
thestyle $22.95
any style also
only
ONLY
$19.95
$19.95
And dont
Tuesday andforget
Thursdayevery
diplomacy, Macron told the crowd of 700.
To his evident surprise, the promise of continuity did
Monday
And
Our
are
and
dont forget
famous
Delmonico
Monday
Call
are
for and
Wednesday
seafood every
Steak
Wednesday
details
special
Nights
ONLY
also
$22.95 $19.95
$19.95
3493212-01
napoli
3493212-01
not sit well with his listeners, whose hisses and booing ComeDelmonico
Come byMon.
by SteakSat.,
Mon.through
through Nights
Sat., only
ONLY 5/17/13
napoli
forced him to pause. 4:00-6:00pm
4:00-6:00pm
Come by for our
forthrough
Mon. awesome
our awesomeSat.,$21.95
Oh, no? he mumbled in surprise when the booing
started. Perhaps its not your policy, but it is mine, he
early
early bird,
bird,
4:00-6:00pm
with drink
with drink
early
complete
complete
bird, complete meal
meal
for our awesome only
meal $19.95
$19.95
subite
5/17/13
canali/singer
subite
canali/singer
with drinkfor it for the last 20 years and
You asked carrol/BB
said in the unapologetic style that helped him through
debates with more seasoned speakers, including former now
You its
askedhere!
forChef
it forSams Basil20Vinaigrette
the last years and carrol/BB
This ad is copyrighted b

nowHouse Dressing
ChefisSams
nowBasil
bottled to go. Jersey Media Group and
Prime Minister Francois Fillon of the Republicans and its here! Vinaigrette be reproduced in any fo
This ad is in
replicated copyrighted b
a similar ve

the fiery far-left candidate, Jean-Luc Melenchon. House Dressing

Bring this Ad in
Bring this Adis now bottled to go. Jersey Media
without
be reproduced
Jersey
Group
approval fromand
N
in any fo
Media Group.

Macrons attempts to appease the audience by pro- inBring

to receive
to receive
this Adain a
replicated in a similar ve
without approval from N

claiming his attachment to Israels security as well as to Free

Free Bottle
Bottlea
Jersey Media Group.

tomin.
receive
$40
the two-state solution did not seem to have a particu-
larly mollifying effect.
min.Free
$40Bottle
purchase
purchase
Apparently unwittingly, he touched one of the raw min. $40 purchase
Expires
Expires 5/26/17
6/30/13
nerves of French Jewry under Hollande, who has led a
Expires 6/30/13

NJMG NJMG
firm line and according to some critics at times even a 116 Main Street, Fort Lee
hostile one on Israel. A man looks at an Emmanuel Macron poster at the
116 201.947.2500

3493212-01
Leaders of French Jewry were especially angry when French consulate in Jerusalem.
Main Street, Fort Lee
www.inapoli.com
201.947.2500

3493212-01
SEE MACRON PAGE 26  THOMAS COEX/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
www.inapoli.com

Great Rate and a Bonus on Each 1-Year Anniversary --

with Your Choice of Passbook or Statement Savings!

BONUS Savings Account BONUS**

0.75 $2,500 minimum to earn stated rate

% PLUS
APY*
0.25
On each 1-year anniversary of account opening
%
Visit us today!
Y
S U NDA 75 Route 59, Monsey Town Square
N
OPE ROM (Evergreen Kosher Market Center)
F
M - 1PM Anita Levine, VP, Branch Manager 845-425-0189
9A

Established 1863 Member FDIC

www.applebank.com
*For the Apple Bank BONUS Savings account, interest earned on daily balances of $2,500 or more at these tiers: $2,500-$24,999: .75% Annual Percentage Yield (APY), $25,000 and up: .75% APY. There is no interest
paid on balances of $0-$2,499. APYs disclosed effective as of March 7, 2017. APYs may be changed at any time at the Banks discretion. There is a minimum of $2,500 required to open the Apple Bank BONUS
Savings account. $2,500 minimum daily balance is required to avoid $10 monthly maintenance fee. Fees may reduce earnings. Funds used to open this account cannot be from an existing Apple Bank account.
Maximum deposit amount is $3,000,000 per household. **Special bonus feature: A .25% simple interest rate bonus will be paid on each anniversary date of account opening on the lowest balance for that year
(anniversary date to anniversary date). No bonus is paid if the account balance is less than $2,500 on the anniversary date. Additional deposits during a given anniversary period do not affect the bonus interest
payment. Deposits made to the account on any anniversary date will be used to calculate the lowest account balance for the next anniversary period. The bonus interest is calculated on the lowest balance on
deposit from one anniversary date to the next anniversary date. Simple interest rate bonus is subject to change at any time after first anniversary date of account opening. Hypothetical example of how bonus
works: Assume an account is opened on January 12, 2017 for $50,000. A $10,000 withdrawal is made on July 12, 2017. No other withdrawals are made prior to the January 12, 2018 anniversary date. The low bal-
ance is now $40,000, so $100 in bonus interest will be paid on January 12, 2018.

apple bk - JEWISH STANDARD - PASSBOOK-STATEMENT-BONUS - EFF DATE 3-7-2017.indd 1 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 3:27:08
2/27/2017 2017 PM 25
 fleischman
furs
for only the finest
FUR STORAGE
in our secure, modern
climate and humidity
controlled vaults. Protect
your valuable furs
and shearlings during
warm weather from heat,
humidity, moths and
other crawling insects.
Free Pick Up
& Delivery
Call Now
201-568-2242
26 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
Jewish World
OUR
69th Macron
YEAR!
FROM PAGE 25
France voted last year in favor of at least two resolutions
by UNESCO, the cultural body of the United Nations, that
ignored Judaisms attachment to Jerusalem. Unusually,
the countrys chief rabbi, Haim Korsia, issued a written
condemnation of the votes.
CRIF condemned Frances failed bid earlier this year
to stage a Middle East peace conference in Paris with-
out Israels support. Hollande said France was organiz-
ing the conference out of a commitment to peace and
as a friend of Israel, but CRIF President Francis Kalifat
clearly had his doubts.
Some pretend to be Israels friend, but there is no
such thing as friendship: There are proofs of friendship,
Kalifat said at a protest rally in January against the sum-
mit in front of Israels embassy in Paris.
Israels refusal to attend the conference ultimately
led the Palestinians to pull out. CRIF called the ensu-
ing summit a grotesque event in light of international
inaction on the wholesale slaughter of civilians in Syria.
French Jewrys mainstream also objected to Frances
tr a d it io n a l day
Ca m ps sp o rt s sC
ie n Ce
h eb re w im m er si o
n hi -t eC h Fi n e a
rt s m us iC
da n Ce d ra m a
ea rly & en d o F su m
m er m in i- Ca m ps
WE OFFER REPAIRS
AND ALTERATIONS
We want your business and we go the extra
TALLESIM CLEANED SPECIAL SHABBOS RUSH SERVICE mile to make you a regular customer
leading role within the European Union in singling out
Israeli West Bank settlements and their products, and
to Socialist Party lawmakers who supported a unilateral
declaration of Palestinian statehood.
During the town hall meeting, Macron said that like
Hollande, he would recognize a Palestinian state only
after a negotiated settlement agreed upon by Israel and
the Palestinians.
Then there are fears that Macrons tolerance-driven
agenda is too accommodating to Muslim fundamental-
ists. Many French Jews perceive Islamism as the main
threat facing their communities following a string of
deadly jihadist attacks on Jewish and non-Jewish targets.
In Macrons official platform, he speaks of fighting
with determination against all radical streams that dis-
tort the values of Islam. But whereas Le Pen and the
right-of-center Fillon proposed concrete punitive steps,
including revoking radicals French citizenship and
deporting them, Macron has remained vague, propos-
ing to conduct the fight by helping French Muslims to
achieve the [restructuring] of their institutions.
Sensing he was losing the audiences affection,
Ask About our
camp family
m e m b e r s h ip :
$750
$250 for new fa
milies
Restrictions may apply
.
Call for details.
1245 Teaneck Rd.
Teaneck
837-8700
 Jewish World
Sandi M. Malkin, LL C
Macron told the CRIF crowd, Hang on, I can return
to the UNESCO vote, which is a different matter. He
added: Its a mistake and I condemn it. But Macron
Interior Designer
also insisted that the UNESCO vote was a technical (former interior designer of model
glitch, provoking more dismissive boos and laughter rooms for NYs #1 Dept. Store)
from dozens of listeners and an intervention by Kalifat.
Yes, but there were two votes, Mr. Macron, Kalifat
said. They were definitely not unintentional.
Macron also infuriated prominent members of the
For a totally new look using
French Jewish community when he visited a Holocaust
monument during the last stretch of the campaign.
your furniture or starting anew.
Although the visit was meant to draw a contrast with
the Holocaust denial roots of Le Pens party, the prom- Staging also available
inent French-Jewish philosopher Alain Finkielkraut
said Macrons actions turned the genocide into a cam- 973-535-9192
paign argument.
Regardless of their differences, Macron is nonethe-
less someone French Jews can respect, according to
Philippe Karsenty, a French Jewish politician and pro-
Israel activist who supported Fillon in the first round
but switched to Macron against Le Pen.
I disagree with him on many issue Israel, his
vision of French history, Karsenty said. I think hes ALESSO
FEATHER LIGHT
too nave, like former U.S. President Barack Obama or
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But his back-
ground is in banking, in business. Hes accomplished.
And he understands the power of compromise.
JTA WIRE SERVICE TROUSERS
BRIEF ARE HERE.
Israeli government
salary dispute threatens
to disrupt Trump visit
Israels foreign ministry workers union has threatened
to disrupt Donald Trumps visit to Israel over a salary
dispute with the Israeli Finance Ministry.
The Foreign Ministry has declined to complete logis-
tical operations for Trumps visit, including position
papers, preparatory meetings, supply orders, visas,
diplomatic mail packages and other activities have not
been done, reported Yedioth Ahronoth.
The workers union said the Foreign Ministrys refusal
to cooperate with coordinating Trumps visit was insti-
gated by the Ministry of Finances contempt for an
agreement with Foreign Ministry employees.
The union claims the Finance Ministry neglected to
implement a new wage agreement two months ago and
has not taken any action to mitigate the crisis.
Hanan Goder, head of the workers union and Isra-
els ambassador to South Sudan, told Army Radio the NOW IN STOCK: Alesso Tropical Weight
union will take all measures to ensure Trumps visit wool trousers in slim and regular fit,
is seen as embarrassing. black, gray, navy, blue & light blue.
In response to the Finance Ministrys purported lack
of action, the union distributed a directive to Foreign
Ministry employees, stating, We can only turn to the
path of aggressive organizational measures that will
harm the issues on the political and social agenda.
The Finance Ministry responded, In accordance
with the agreements reached, the matter is in legal
process, so it is not clear why the Foreign Ministry
workers union is in a hurry to harm the foreign rela-
tions of the state of Israel. JNS.ORG
CUSTOM MENSWEAR | TAILORED FIT | STYLE CONCIERGE | EMPORIOCLOTHING.COM

Teaneck Location | 215 W. Englewood Avenue | 201.530.7300

More than 409,000 likes. Mon - Thurs: 10 - 9 Friday: 10 - 2 Saturday/Sunday: Closed
Like us on Facebook. BORO PARK FLATBUSH CEDARHURST LAKEWOOD
5020 13th Avenue 1505 Coney Island Avenue 467 Central Avenue 1700 Madison Avenue
facebook.com/jewishstandard 718.972.4665 718.676.7706 516.295.5006 732.987.9480

JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 27

Editorial
Low tech, hi tech, no tech
T B
his coming week seems
so commemoration-free
that we barely know how
to fill its days. There
were the seders to start Pesach
one week, and then the chaggim
to end it the next. Then the grim
remembrances of Yom HaShoah,
the emotionally quick-change
one-two punch of Yom HaZikaron
and Yom HaAtzmaut. After this
one free week, well have Yom
Yerushalayim and Shavuot the
week after that.
And then, of course, its summer.
But for now, its a time to think
back, and forward, and maybe
relax, just a little.
This week, the Standard looks at
the jaw-droppingly high technol-
ogy that Dr. Ayal Hendel uses as he
works to cure childhood diseases.
Dr. Hendel who is remarkably
easy to talk to, seems genuinely
nice, and can explain his extraor-
dinarily high-concept science in
terms that a non-scientist can
understand is working on the
cutting edge of science right now.
The CRISPR technology that Dr.
Hendel uses for his work its a
necessary tool for him, not a focus
is making its way into the pub-
lic consciousness; in fact, its so
intriguing to the public that the
actress Jennifer Lopez is planning
on producing a TV show for NBC
called C.R.I.S.P.R. (Love those
dots! Just try typing them) Its a
thriller, where the villains use the
technology for a terror attack.
That doesnt seem to be a major
concern in real life, but there is
debate over whether CRISPR tech-
nology allows scientists to alter life
in ways that never have been avail-
able before. Its not a new debate
the accusation of playing God
has accompanied many new medi-
cal technologies but the technol-
ogy genuinely is revolutionary in
its promise.
We hope that the promise that
many childhood diseases, and
Jewish Editor
Joanne Palmer
Standard Associate Editor
Larry Yudelson
1086 Teaneck Road
Community Editor
Teaneck, NJ 07666
Beth Janoff Chananie
(201) 837-8818
Fax 201-833-4959 About Our Children Editor
Heidi Mae Bratt
Publisher
James L. Janoff
Associate Publisher Emerita
Marcia Garfinkle
thejewishstandard.com
28 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
beyond that all diseases that
have plagued us for far longer than
human memory reaches is fulfilled,
that it is used wisely, and that Dr.
Hendel and the Israelis who are
working with him at Bar-Ilan, as
well as the Israeli geniuses at other
institutions, at the Technion and
the Weizmann Institute and the
other great research schools that
have blossomed on Israels arid
soil, remain at the forefront of that
work.
Thats high tech. The low tech
is the water reclamation and edu-
cation project the Flamholz fam-
ily is sponsoring in Teaneck. The
method, which was begun in Israel,
uses a series of PVC barrels, pipes,
and spigots, and gravity, to save
rainwater and reuse it. Theres a
curriculum that teaches it; Haw-
thorne Elementary in Teaneck will
inaugurate it on May 23.
We hope that many people
take it to heart. There are many
scientific advances that demand
advanced education and knowl-
edge; there are others that need
just ingenuity and determina-
tion. Reusing rainwater is in that
second category. We hope that
Teaneck honors the memory of
Jack Flamholz by trying it.
And then no tech at all. Thats
fishing. That of course is not true
there is technology behind even a
simple fishing rod (even the string
on a branch variety, which are way
out of style by now), and fishing
boats are hardly device-free. But
the idea of just being out on the
ocean, smelling the salt in the air,
watching the water swell in pat-
terns that you cant predict or fig-
ure out, listening to it hit against
the side of the boat, and going with
it. As Jeff Ingber tells us in the cover
story, it doesnt know your name.
It doesnt care what your name
might be. And sometimes, for short
times, its good just to float.
Next week, on to Yom Yerusha-
layim. This week, lets float. JP
Correspondents
Warren Boroson
Lois Goldrich
Abigail K. Leichman
Miriam Rinn
Dr. Miryam Z. Wahrman
Advertising Director
Natalie D. Jay
Classified Director
Janice Rosen
TRUTH REGARDLESS OF CONSEQUENCES
The last kaddish for Elie Wiesel
efore the serious policy disagree- Israeli settlements, while not passing a single reso-
ments on the Iran nuclear agreement lution condemning the mass murder in Syria.
and the inaction in Syria that would Our dinner this year will be dedicated to the
come between me and Samantha memory of Professor Wiesel, commemorating his
Power, Americas former ambassador to the U.N., incredible lifes work. It will be held exactly eleven
I remember studying with her at the White House Hebrew months to the day of his death, which,
the words of last weeks Torah reading, contained according to Jewish tradition, is the last day on
in Leviticus 19: Thou shalt not stand idly by the which we recite the Kaddish prayer. Wiesels only
blood of your neighbor. son, Elisha, who will attend with his mother, Mar-
This biblical exhortation arguably is the only ion, as the evenings keynote speaker, will recite
one contained in any ancient creed forcing the the Kaddish.
powerful to protect the lives of the vulnerable, We chose the date of the gala to coincide with
even if means risking life and limb. It is the ulti- the worlds most famous Holocaust survivors last
mate source for R2P, or Responsibility to Protect, Kaddish as a poignant reminder of the everlasting
the modern political doctrine that would force memory Reb Eliezer, as I affectionately called him,
great powers to intervene in the face lent the six million victims of the
of genocide. Whereas the New Tes- Germans who had no Kaddish said
tament says to turn the other cheek for them.
and love your enemies, the Jewish Last month I visited Auschwitz as
Bible forces us to fight evil. part of the March of the Living. Eli-
On May 21, our organization, the sha spoke beautifully there to 12,000
World Values Network, will hold Jewish youth from around the world
its fifth annual Champions of Jew- about his fathers legacy and what it
ish Values awards gala at New York means for us today. He spoke of the
Citys Cipriani. For an organization Jewish community standing against
like ours, which is committed to Rabbi gay men and women being slaugh-
commemorating past genocides Shmuley tered in Muslim lands, and the need
and preventing those of the future, Boteach for America to take in refugees
the past year has been one of the from Syria. It was a courageous and
most crucial and meaningful in unforgettable speech, wherein Eli-
recent memory. sha continued his fathers defining virtue of speak-
Just a month after our last gala, on July 2, 2016, ing truth to power.
on the twenty-sixth of the Hebrew month of Sivan, The Trump administration gained tremendous
the world would bear the loss of its chief moral moral authority when it punished Assad for using
authority, Elie Wiesel, the man whom President chemical weapons in Syria. It can gain so much
Obama called the conscience of the world. One more by welcoming refugees from war ravaged
of the most respected men on earth, Wiesels very nations, especially Syria, even amidst our legiti-
name has come to bear the weight of all of the mate need to keep America safe.
most fundamental values of the Jewish people: Reb Eliezer dedicated his life to commemorat-
those of faith and of struggle, of strength and of ing the victims of mankinds greatest crime, ensur-
pride, of righteous indignation and of the courage ing that it never be lost to the public consciousness.
to forgive. He was, and remains, an eternal beacon Unlike many survivors, who could not bear to face
of wisdom for us and our children, and an essen- the horrors of their pasts, when he wrote Night
tial element in the moral bedrock of the world. Wiesel decided to relive every horrid moment of
Elies absence was felt most with the disintegra- his years in Auschwitz, so that the world might
tion of Aleppo last December. As barrel bombs fell know what befell the Jews of Europe, captured as
on children, there was no voice that could shame it was from his own perspective.
the Western powers into taking action. Indeed, the However, his life was not dedicated only to
government of the United States passed a United memory, but to action, too. Publishing more than
Nations security council resolution condemning 40 books in his lifetime, Wiesels works and ideas
Shmuley Boteachs most recent book is The Israel Warrior: Standing Up for the Jewish State from
Campus to Street Corner. Follow him on Twitter @RabbiShmuley.
Advertising Coordinator
Jane Carr
Production Manager
Jerry Szubin
Founder
Morris J. Janoff (19111987)
Account Executives
Graphic Artists
Deborah Herman
Editor Emeritus
Meyer Pesin (19011989)
Peggy Elias Bob O'Brien
Brenda Sutcliffe City Editor
Mort Cornin (19151984)
International Media Placement
Editorial Consultant
P.O. Box 7195 Jerusalem 91077
Max Milians (1908-2005)
Tel: 02-6252933, 02-6247919
Fax: 02-6249240 Secretary
Israeli Representative Ceil Wolf (1914-2008)
Editor Emerita
Rebecca Kaplan Boroson

would launch him to the global fore. Once hed achieved such influ-
ence, he would commit himself to doing all he could to protect inno-
cent life. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel would use
his renown and influence to enshrine the memory of those for whom
help never came and protect those for whom it still could.
It was Elie Wiesel who would push President Carter to commission
the United States Holocaust Museum, who would admonish President
- Reagan for speaking at the cemetery in Bitburg that contained graves
of the SS, who would call upon President Clinton to protect those being
slaughtered in Kosovo and the Balkans, and to ask him the piercing
question of why America did nothing while yet another genocide was
n taking place in Rwanda.
, It is fitting, therefore, that at a night dedicated to the memory of
historys greatest witness to genocide, we should host President
y Paul Kagame of Rwanda, whose courageous actions in 1994 ended
- the slaughter that saw nearly one million of his countrymen brutally
hacked to death with machetes.
Which brings us to our world today.
In the past year, the world has watched the slaughter in Syria turn
t into what can be described as nothing short of genocide, as Hezbol-
lah, Iran, and Alawite militias have targeted Sunnis for destruction. In
, Bashar al-Assads December Aleppo offensive, his armies murdered at
least one thousand civilians. The offensive brought the death-toll of the
six year conflict horrifyingly close to the half-million mark. Then, just
over a month ago, Assad took a note from the Nazis and once again
employed poison gas against civilians.
- I believe that every Jew must be committed to fighting genocide, and
the World Values Network is dedicated to international media cam-
paigns highlighting the evils of mass murder. Whether it was our end-
t less campaigning against the Iranian mullahs, who threaten Israel con-
stantly with yet another genocide of the Jews, or in our push for Obama
t and Trump to take action in Syria, defending the infinite value of every
- human life is at the top of our agenda. At our gala this year, though,
were taking things to a new level with the announcement, God willing,
of a permanent Anti-Genocide Center.
With a fusion of aggressive lobbying, sweeping media campaigns,
- and on-the-ground activities, the Anti-Genocide Center will work to
- ensure that the world hears the voices of those facing the horrifying
prospect of wholesale slaughter. With headquarters in the worlds dip-
lomatic capital in New York, the center will have satellite offices in both
Jerusalem and Kigali, Rwanda, each focusing on peoples at risk in the
h Middle East and Africa, respectively. The locale of these offices is key.
This initiative will, God willing, bind together Jerusalem and Kigali in
- the mutual mission of ensuring that the horrors that befell our peoples
never again be allowed to pass anywhere across the globe.
- We will be presenting President Kagame and the people of Rwanda a
- Torah scroll bearing Elie Wiesels name that will be placed in a planned
. Jewish Center that will be part of the anti-genocide initiative. At the gala,
we will complete the last letters of the Torah, with its unforgettable
declaration that God created every human being equally in His image.
f Beyond campaigning for human life, Wiesel also was an ardent war-
t rior for the Jewish state, and at our gala we will honor some of the
worlds most fearless defenders of that state, including the former
Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar; Israels ambassador to
the U.N., Danny Danon, and the consul general of Israel in New York,
Danny Dayan.
There could be no better time to recognize those who fight for Israel,
with our gala being held just two days before Yom Yerushalayim and
the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Israels eternal capital.
As an event, this years gala will be unforgettable. As a commemora-
tion of one of the true princes of the Jewish people, it will be infinitely
meaningful. As a call and commitment to action, taking part is vital.
The World Values Network gala takes place at Cipriani on 42nd Street
beginning 5 p.m. on May 21. For more information or for tickets, go to
www.thisworldgala.com or write info@shmuley.com.
It is for this reason, and as a token of my appreciation for all my
readers at the Jewish Standard over these many years, that I would
like to invite 50 readers to come to our gala as our guests. If you are
interested and you are reading the Jewish Standard! write to us at
or call 212 634 7777
Together, we can make the words never again mean exactly that.
Never again!
Opinion
and one reason why not
T
o the friend who changed my mind about
13 Reasons Why:
I was trying to make the best of it. I had titled Bakers Dozen. This, to me, was a gimmick
taken the following perspective.
Yes, the producers and Netflix approached it all
wrong, despite their intentions romanticizing sui-
cide, almost excusing it, adding a voyeuristic qual-
ity to a teenagers demise, and possibly triggering
those who are susceptible to suicide or self-harm.
They could and should have presented the concerns
brought up in the series in an alternate, less endan-
gering, more responsible way. However, now that
its already out, maybe theres some little bit of good
to come of it in that it has started a discussion about
certain topics, which, in effect, can help save lives.
That was my position.
For readers who are unfamiliar with the series:
13 Reasons Why is a Netflix series based on a
young adult novel by the same name, which was
written by Jay Asher and published
by RazorBill (an imprint of Penguin
Books) in 2007. Though the book and
series have some differences, both
major and minor, the general plot is
about a teenager named Hannah, who,
before completing suicide, records on
seven cassette tapes (13 sides) what
or rather, who she views as having
led to her decision to kill herself. Each
cassette addresses a different person Dena Croog
or people on her list. Among the con-
tributing factors are bullying, sexual
assault, shaming, starting rumors, failing to defend
her, not noticing the extent of her pain, and missing
the warning signs of her impending suicide.
The package of cassettes are passed along from
the first person on her list to the next, and the
viewer is introduced to the story just as it reaches
her friend Clay, whose cassette is toward the end of
the line. Most of the story is depicted through the
eyes of both Hannah and Clay, though the series, as
opposed to the book, also focuses on the reactions
and conflicts of the other people on Hannahs list.
The producers intended to be as realistic as pos-
sible (whether they were successful in this endeavor
is a discussion for another time), and the series pulls
no punches and is extremely graphic in its depic-
tion of violence, sexual assault, and yes, Hannahs
suicide.
Aside from the most serious problem with the
series triggering those susceptible to suicide or
self-harm I was irritated by the method of story-
telling, both in the series as well as in the book. I felt ing, drug use, mental health and illness, the teen-
that the use of cassette tapes to tell the story was
a completely unrealistic gimmick to draw in young
adult readers and viewers. Granted, books and
digital media are forms of entertainment, and both
the author and producers were using a device that
would tie the story together and intrigue a certain
audience. However, I felt that these methods cheap-
ened the topics around which the story is based.
Similarly, it irked me that in the Q&A at the end of
the book, the author had thought about this story-
telling method before considering the subject of the
The opinions expressed in this section are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the newspapers editors,
publishers, or other staffers. We welcome letters to the editor. Send them to jstandardletters@gmail.com.
book. I was also bothered by the working title; the
main character is named Hannah Baker, so it was
that cheapened the subject matter even more. Both
details made me focus more on 13 Reasons Why: A
story of suspense, as opposed to 13 Reasons Why:
A story with an important message.
I had the same gripes about the Netflix series.
That is, the storytelling method cheapens the sto-
rys message.
The series has initiated an outburst of differing
opinions. The most pressing issues, as far as Ive
seen, relate to easy accessibility and the resulting
lack of parental guidance, as well as irresponsible
depiction of suicide and lack of references to its
prevention both of which relate to the concern
that the series may negatively affect teenagers who
are isolated, struggling, depressed, or vulnerable to
suggestive images and storylines. Many argue that
suicide is romanticized and depicted
as being heroic in the series, and that it
is incorrectly portrayed as a common
and reasonable response to negative
life events.
The National Association of School
Psychologists, as well as the JED Foun-
dation, partnered with Suicide Aware-
ness Voices of Education, have issued
statements about the series, stressing
its inconsistency with safe messaging
guidelines around handling portrayals
of suicide in media and works of fic-
tion. These organizations also provide guidelines
for educators and parents on how to talk with pre-
teens, teenagers, and young adults about these top-
ics. These resources can be found at nasponline.org
and jedfoundation.org (where a blog post by Victor
Schwartz, MD, lays out the issue extremely well).
Many schools have sent this material out to parents,
both to provide talking points as well as to inform
parents about how easy it is for their children to
access the series and many of our children, as
young as those in middle school, have, indeed, been
watching it.
And yet still, as mentioned earlier, I made the
point that despite everything wrong about 13 Rea-
sons Why, now that its already out maybe theres
some little bit of good to come of it, in that it has
started a conversation about certain topics.
I posited that within the series, important topics
like suicide, bullying, depression, sexual assault,
emotional and physical abuse, underage drink-
age mind, and differences in peoples point of view
were presented. Resulting from the series, impor-
tant topics such as warning signs and prevention of
suicide, parental guidance, social media, the role
and responsibility of the entertainment industry,
school responsibility, parental responsibility, and
personal responsibility were brought into question.
This was my position, after re-reading the book
the other week, examining articles, speaking with
others, and watching the series and the episode
SEE ONE REASON PAGE 31
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 29
Opinion
Are we living in the post-Zionist era?
T
his is the Israel season of the Jew-
ish calendar.
I am writing this on Yom
Haatzmaut, with an eye ahead
to Yom Yerushalayim. With all this celebra-
tion of Israel going on, it seems odd to raise
the question of whether we are living in a
post-Zionist era. Isnt it clear that affiliated
American Jews who celebrate Israels birth
and the re-uniting of Israels historical capi-
tal are Zionists? And, of course, Israelis are.
Or are they?
A response to this question depends on
a definition of Zionism. While there were
many forms of Zionism, they all shared cer-
tain principles.
First, there was agreement among the
various Zionist movements that Zionism
was the national liberation movement of
the Jewish people. Implicit in this view was
that there must be a Jewish state in the Land
of Israel with a majority Jewish population.
Second, all agreed that the culture of
the state should reflect both historical and
nascent Jewish cultural trends.
Third, the state should be the place where
a Jew could live a full Jewish life without lim-
itations or the fear of anti-Semitism.
For all these reasons, Zionism of all stripes
encouraged aliyah and hoped for the even-
tual return of all Jews to their homeland.
With the exception of universal aliyah,
two-thirds of the classical Zionist agenda
has been accomplished. So if Zionisms
main aims have been fulfilled, isnt the
age of Zionism over, and a post-Zionist era
beginning?
Letters
Thanks, Dorothy Greene
In your story about the Jewish Historical
Society of North Jersey (Preserving history,
thanking volunteers) you didnt mention
that it was a former president of the Jewish
Historical Society of North Jersey, Dorothy
Greene, who not only created Photo Friday
but nurtured it and grew it into an extremely
successful and profitable venture, which was
enjoyed and eagerly awaited by Jews and
non-Jews alike, who now live in all corners of
the world, including Israel.
Allan Snider
Woodland Park
CORRECTIONS:
There were a few errors in that story. The
woman in the photo was not Joy Kurland but
board member Mireille Shuck. Ms. Kurland
is not a volunteer but a professional on the
societys staff.
Dont decimate mental health
I urge the preservation of New Jerseys mental
health care system. We must commit to con-
tinue funding community based mental health
30 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
My answer is Yes.
I know that making that statement is likely
to upset some people, especially those who
have supported the State of Israel all their
lives, perhaps even before the State actually
came into being. For them declaring Zion-
ism pass is to suffer the loss of something
akin to a lifelong friend, and that indeed is
sad.
I too am saddened, because Zionisms
decline, if not its demise, is the result of a
changed Israeli approach to diaspora Jews,
especially to American Jewry, and concomi-
tant changes of heart among American Jews
toward Israel.
It is no secret that American Jews, espe-
cially young ones, between the ages of
18 and 29, are more critical of Israel than
American Jews have been in the past. Gener-
ally, they feel that Israel is not doing enough
to make peace with the Palestinians. Fre-
quently this view goes without considering
the Palestinians role in the failure of peace
efforts. Too often, this age group blames
Israel for every act of violence and unfair-
ness to the Palestinians. But its members
fail, time and again, to factor into the equa-
tion Palestinian violence against Israelis, or
the fact that all Palestinian factions seeking
a state agree that it will not include any Jews
in its borders.
In another time, it would be this very age
group who would make up the leadership
of Zionist youth groups, most of which, tell-
ingly, no longer exist in the United States.
When this age group is not overtly critical
of Israel, Israel simply is not on the radar
services at current levels. This will provide long
term, uninterrupted care to all mentally ill
individuals who urgently depend on it. These
afflicted people are prone to drug addiction,
homelessness, incarceration, self inflicted vio-
lence, and aggression towards others.
We must not abandon them. A moral soci-
ety calls for their protection and support.
Jerrold Terdiman, MD
Woodcliff Lake
Dont trust Abbas
Certainly President Trump should not be
naive enough to believe that he can establish
a permanent peace between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority. First, Israel has learned
through previous contacts with the leaders of
the PA, including Arafat and Abbas, that lying
is part of their agenda. This was shown most
strikingly by the failure of the PA to live up to
any part of the Oslo accords while Israel dili-
gently in search of peace did.
First, then, is that representatives of the
PA are not to be trusted and that agreements
with them are meaningless. Second, and
almost as important, Abbas is in no position
for them, just as Judaism is
no longer their religion. (See
the 2013 Pew study, which
reports that 32 percent of this
age group claimed to have no
religion.) For this population
Zionism is over, and they are
living in a post-Zionist era,
though due to their lack of
Jewish engagement they most Rabbi Dr.
likely are unaware of that and Michael
unconcerned about it. Chernick
Older, more affiliated Amer-
ican Jews also have pulled
back from the unequivocal support they
once gave Israel. Several issues have contrib- published by the World Zionist Organiza-
uted to this. The fading hope of a two-state
solution has been one factor in this distanc- State of Israel and the Jewish people will
ing, but it is not at the moment the primary
one. Rather, this sector of the Jewish com-
munity is furious about Israels willingness
to support Orthodoxy as its official Jewish
religion at the expense of other movements.
Over and over again, the present Israeli
government has made it clear that American
Jews concerns about non-recognition of Con-
servative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and
other non-Orthodox Jewish religious move-
ments in Israel are unimportant. Promises
to provide access to a section of the Western
Wall where non-Orthodox Jews could pray
without being harassed have not been kept,
and that is highly public knowledge in the
American non-Orthodox community.
Denominationally affiliated American
Jews know that in Israel their rabbis are not diaspora are not real Zionists, or even Jews
considered rabbis and their Judaism is not
to speak for the Palestinian Arabs, with a
recent poll showing 40 percent in favor of
Marwan Bourghati, a murderer currently in
Israeli prison, 33 percent for Hamas leader
Haniyeh, and only 25 percent for Abbas. The
former two are noted as hardliners and con-
sist of an overwhelming 73 percent, while
Abbas, certainly not a moderate, receives
only one quarter of the vote.
A divided PA is in no position to make
peace with Israel, with the added caution that
none of its leaders can be trusted.
Nelson Marans
New York, N.Y.
To Nina and all those who
shared in her thoughts and
emotions:
Nina, I went away for the Passover holiday
to spend it with my sons family and my
six grandchildren who live in Israel. When
I get back, I always glance over the many
Jewish Standard issues that have gone
unread during our absence.
Having tried to quickly absorb every-
thing that happened over the last three
considered Judaism. Public
statements to that effect have
been made by the chief rabbis
of Israel, who are government
officials, by so-called reli-
gious members of the Knesset,
and even by Knesset members
who are non-observant! These
statements represent a rejec-
tion of a major principle of clas-
sical Zionism; namely, that the
State of Israel is the state of the
entire Jewish people.
A publication called View-
points on Zionism: Israel as a Zionist State,
tion, noted, The strong ties between the
continue to exist as long as diaspora Jewry
regards itself as a source of strength for
Israel to rely upon, as long as it regards Israel
as a basis for its own identity and continu-
ous cultural creativity, and as long as Israel
finds in the diaspora a source from which to
draw and in turn becomes a support for the
diaspora. The moment this dynamic pro-
cess ceases, the connection will be broken.
Once broken, Zionism as the national move-
ment of the Jewish people is over.
If so, what is the status of the connection
between Israel and the diaspora today?
Most Israelis would be hard-pressed to say
what they find in the diaspora as a source
from which to draw beyond money. Iconic
Israeli figures opined that Jews living in the
living real Jewish lives. For example, years
weeks, I came upon your heartfelt piece,
Passing Over a Sons Passing (April 21).
Your sincere words about your coping
skills were written so eloquently as you
intertwined your thoughts with Passover.
It was such a moving article as you attest to
your sons physical absence as being trans-
formed into your own body (as you say,
carried in the belly) as an intrinsic part of
who you are forever.
As an empty-nester mother of three
grown children and now 12 grandchildren,
with another on the way, I can relate to
how precious each and every child is
from their heads to their toes. You have
endured the pain heroically you have
been left with no choice determination,
logic and stamina must supersede the
crumbling emotions to make it that much
more bearable.
May Hashem give you strength to con-
tinue to hold on to the memories and for
striving to be whole and strong as a mom
in a difficult situation.
Ruby Kaplan
Teaneck

ago Ben-Gurion told an Orthodox Jewish
audience at Yeshiva University that living in
the States was living without a god (based
on Babylonian Talmud, Ketubot 110b). A. B.
Yehoshua regularly informed diaspora Jews
that they are living in a museum, a place
housing interesting and even important arti-
facts but dead ones.
These views are not things of the past.
Just a few days ago, an op-ed column by Irit
Linur appeared in Haaretz that caustically
deplored the fact that two American Jew-
ish leaders, Michael Steinhardt and Rabbi
Marvin Hier, would participate actively in
the opening ceremonies on Israel Indepen-
dence Day. From Linurs perspective, these
American Jews were outsiders. They might
be honored observers of the opening cere-
monies, but they could not be participants
in them.
The traditional and Zionist principle of
all Israel are comrades was not present at
all in Linurs op-ed.
So, in what manner is Zionism alive
and well?
Further, there are no longer any organi-
zational vehicles for ongoing communica-
tion between Israeli and American Jewish
leaders. Therefore, most Israeli Jews know
little about the concerns and problems of
American Jewry and the implications of
those concerns for Israel. Israelis feel they
have bigger, more pressing life-and-death
issues to worry about than American Jews
tzorres. Therefore, they lack awareness of
the hurt that American Jews feel when the
Israeli government and Israeli thought lead-
ers express the idea that American Jews
Judaism or Jewishness is insufficient or inau-
thentic. They also have no time to consider
the negative implications for their security
such hostility engenders, when it endangers
Israel advocacy done by politically powerful
and active American Jews.
One Reason
FROM PAGE 29
that followed, which analyzed the series
and the intentions behind it. (To be fair, as
shown in the episode at the end which,
in my opinion, was the only constructive
part of the series the producers did con-
sult mental health professionals about
how best to portray all the topics that were
incorporated into the series.) The silver
lining to an irresponsible program about
important topics, I thought, was that the
discussion will make people more aware
and help save lives. Again, although the
same points that are brought up in the
series could and should have been brought
up in a safer way, still they were brought
up, so now lets go from there.
And then, my friend, the above
addressee you made the point that even
if there is a silver lining, it is very faint, and
Similarly, American Jews dont understand
why the majority of Israeli Jews vote for right-
wing parties whose platforms undermine
the possibility of a two-state solution, which
most American Jews see as the only way to
peace for Israel. American Jews do not real-
ize, because of the lack of organization-based
conversation, that most Israelis consider Oslo
a failure and a dead letter.
All this is exacerbated by American Jews
not understanding parliamentary democ-
racy, or why there isnt separation of church
and state in Israel.
For their part, Israelis dont understand
why American Jews dont seem to recognize
fully their need for security, their reasonable
fear of Palestinian violence, and the struggles
in which a Jewish state engages to navigate
the relationship between its modern secular
and traditional religious Jewish identities.
These failures of communication, and the
growing misunderstandings between Israeli
and American Jews, means that Zionism,
which originally sought to bring Zion and the
diaspora together, is either dead or dying.
Having written this eulogy for Zionism, I
would suggest that the post-Zionist era nev-
ertheless can be a fertile one if the two major
centers of Jewry make important choices.
I believe that American Jewry ought to
figure out what is significant about its own
experience, without looking to Zion for
clues. American Jewry can be proud of its
commitment to religious pluralism; its tze-
dakah efforts, which have enhanced Jew-
ish and secular America; its Jewish values,
based social justice activism; its organiza-
tional skills, and the specifically American
Jewish thought and literature it has pro-
duced. American Jewry can build programs
on these accomplishments, and enrich Jew-
ish life on these shores.
To the extent that American Jews still con-
sider Israel important and seven out of ten
accompanies an enormous dark cloud.
You said that this resulting conversation
isnt worth it if the series leads even one
child to think that his or her death could
be noble in any way. While I was focused
on all the lives that could be saved, despite
the series failures, you were focused on
the one life that could be at risk because of
those failures.
I was caught off guard by your reaction
to my argument. This was not because
I disagreed with your statement, but
rather because I agreed with it entirely.
Yet, until then, despite all the commen-
tary I read about the irresponsible nature
of the series, your idea about the many
lives saved at the expense of a single life
harmed had not sunk in.
This surprised me, because like many of
the characters portrayed in the series, I,
too, was bullied, depressed, and in a bad
emotional state as a pre-teen and teenager.
Having written this eulogy for
Zionism, I would suggest that
the post-Zionist era
nevertheless can be a fertile
one if the two major centers of
Jewry make important choices.
do, again according to the 2013 Pew study
they ought to be more aggressive about the
issues that are important to them. Indeed,
some federations already have recognized
this. They are consciously considering
directing the funds they allot to Israel pri-
marily or solely to institutions that support
religious pluralism and peace activism.
In my view, Israelis willing to accept that
they live in a post-Zionist era should con-
tinue what theyve been doing since Zionism
began. They should continue creating Jewish
civil religion, which celebrates the significant
moments in modern Jewish history and in the
history of Israel. They should remain devel-
opers of a distinct Israeli and Jewish culture
that expresses itself in art, literature, music,
liturgical creativity, the study of the Jewish
tradition in new ways, and the production of
new Jewish thought. They should continue to
build up Eretz Yisrael through scientific and
technological advancement.
More challenging, but vital to strengthen-
ing the State of Israels social, religious, and
political fabric, is the need for a constitution.
Such a document, if properly conceived,
would lay to rest the complexities surround-
ing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,
and its creation should be pursued.
Despite my jeremiad, one aspect of Zion-
ism should and could be resurrected the
intimate connection between Israel and the
diaspora as equal partners in the struggle for
Jewish identity and continuity. I believe this
And, like you, although certainly to a dif-
ferent extent, I, too, have been affected by
the suicide of someone I cared about. And
as a mental health advocate, I have heard
the stories of many who have thought
about or attempted suicide.
It occurred to me that despite this
emotional connection to the topics intro-
duced in the series, I was looking at both
the series and the reactions to it from an
academic lens, as I was trained to do in
college, as if I was writing a paper for
one of my Journalism and Mass Media
courses. (In fact, I started to write an
entirely different column before scrap-
ping it.) But real life doesnt work like
that because while a more distant, aca-
demic approach certainly is one way to
view all this controversy, its really not
the most important way.
And so, my friend, thank you for
looking at this whole, complicated,
Opinion
starts with the creation of formal and ongoing
means of communicating with one another.
Therefore, I believe it is past time for
Israel and American Jewry and other sig-
nificant diaspora communities as well to
facilitate this by allocating resources for
bringing together Jewish thought leaders,
academics, journalists, political figures, and
strategists in different fields to plan for the
Jewish future in Israel and in the diaspora.
Zionism helped modern Jewry survive
physically. Jewish identity was not a major
issue for the Jews Zionism saved. Generally
speaking, the post-Zionist age no longer
needs a movement to save the Jewish body.
It needs a movement that can successfully
do battle for the Jewish soul. With good will
and renewed Israel-diaspora conversation
I believe the much touted Rosh Yehudi
( Jewish head, yiddishe kop) can find a
way to guarantee the Jewish future.
To paraphrase the words of the father of
political Zionism, If you will this, it is not
a fantasy.
Professor Michael Chernick of Teaneck
holds the Deutsch Family Chair in Jewish
Jurisprudence and Social Justice at the
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion in New York; his area of expertise is
the Talmud. He received his doctorate from
the Bernard Revel Graduate School and
rabbinic ordination from R. Isaac Elchanan
Theological Seminary.
controversial conversation and simplify-
ing it for me.
There are many reasons why viewers
might feel positive, negative, or unde-
cided about any aspect of 13 Reasons
Why. But at the end of the day, the truth
remains that the same points should
have been made in a more responsible
way. And the most important reason
why there is no silver lining to this series,
even if it has sparked discussion, is that it
has put at risk a single, solitary life.
Dena Croog is a writer and editor in
Teaneck and the founder of Refaenu,
a nonprofit organization dedicated
to mood disorder awareness and
support. More information about the
organization and its support groups can
be found at www.refaenu.org. You can
also email dena@refaenu.org with any
questions or comments.
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 31
Opinion

Can Trump survive Abbas?

T
here was something
of the motivational
speaker about Presi-
dent Donald Trump
as he welcomed Mahmoud
Abbas, the gerontocrat at the
helm of the Palestinian Authority
for the last 12 years, to the White
House on May 3.
At their joint appearance, Ben Cohen
Trump was confident and beam-
ing, and Abbas came across as eager and respectful. As Trump
surely knows, to sell something you need to believe in it and
to look like you believe in it. In tone and body language, both
leaders pulled that off in their comments on prospects for a
final Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, even if they came across as
overly self-conscious in doing so.
On the face of it, there is no doubting Trumps personal
investment in securing what he sees as the ultimate deal.
Over the course of my lifetime, Ive always heard that per-
haps the toughest deal to make is the deal between the Israelis
and the Palestinians lets see if we can prove them wrong,
Trump declared. Whether his administration has the mettle
and the patience to pull off a lasting agreement that will suffer
many false starts along the way, during a process facing the
implacable opposition of people far more devious than the
congressional Republicans who derailed the repeal of Obam-
acare, remains very much an open question.
For his part, as he stood alongside Trump, Abbas gave the
impression of playing ball more than he ever did when Presi-
dent Barack Obama was in charge. During Obamas second
term, Abbas refused direct talks with Israel following the col-
lapse of the 2013-2014 negotiations, pursuing a policy of sulky
unilateralism that aimed to secure international recognition Palestinians burn a poster bearing a crossed-out image of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
of a Palestinian state. during a protest against both the Israeli government and the PA in the southern Gaza Strip on April 14.
We believe that we are capable and able to bring about ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90

success to our efforts because, Mr. President, you have the

determination and you have the desire to see it come to frui-
tion and become successful, Abbas gushed. Perhaps he can
afford to do so. In Mideast policy circles right now, there is
much talk of the positive response that Jason Greenblatt of
Teaneck, Trumps international negotiations representative,
has encountered among Palestinians. This, in turn, has made
the Trump administration more amenable to entreaties from
Arab leaders to bring Abbas into the heart of the negotiating
process.
For now, this is paying off for Abbas, whose principal goal is
to remain in power which, incidentally, is the principal goal
shared by every autocrat on the planet, from Venezuelas Nico-
las Maduro to Zimbabwes Robert Mugabe. And he is showing
that he means it. After taking full control of his Fatah faction
last November, in recent weeks Abbas has moved against his
Hamas rivals in Gaza, cutting salaries to Gazan PA employees
and informing Israel that the PA would no longer pay for the
electricity the Jewish state supplies to Gaza. (Hamas wont sign
a separate supply deal since it doesnt recognize Israel.) Pro-
tests against Abbass government among West Bank Palestin-
ians were met with a forthright response from stick-wielding
Palestinian security officers.
This is the sort of resolve Abbas doubtless feels will impress
Trump. For the same reason, Trump would do well to realize
that what Abbas actually can deliver is rather limited in terms
of both substance and endurance.
However desperately the president wants the elixir of an
Hence, if any forthcoming peace process is to survive all
the way to a written agreement, with Trump in the role, as he
put it, of mediator, facilitator, arbitrator, American officials
need to confront the elephant in the room namely, who suc-
ceeds Abbas.
Abbas is 82 years old. To give him his due, hes entitled to
tell all those who have speculated about his health during the
last decade that, as Mark Twain said first, reports of my death
have been greatly exaggerated. But will Abbas be with us
three years from now, or even next year? Any sensible policy
plan will have to account for scenarios without Abbas.
The degree of opposition to Abbas among ordinary Pales-
tinians right now is another indicator of how important the
succession question is. Jordans King Abdullah and Egypts
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi may have told Trump that
Abbas is indispensable, but a rapidly growing majority of Pal-
estinians cant wait to see the back of a man who was legally
required to leave office eight years ago.
Abbas has not groomed a successor, and in this vacuum
others have come to the fore. Most obviously, there is Marwan
Barghouti, the Fatah terrorist jailed for life on five counts of
murder in Israel. As of this writing, Barghouti is entering the
third week of a hunger strike, and 1,600 other Palestinian pris-
oners are following his example.
Only Barghouti knows whether he is prepared to take
his hunger strike as far as Bobby Sands, the famous Irish
Palestinians. As the leader of the terrorist group Al-Aqsa
Martyrs, Barghouti is in a much better position to build
an internal consensus with Hamas, and other Islamist and
leftist factions, than Abbas is.
Barghouti, then, casts a huge shadow over the succession
question. So, collectively, does Hamas, which launched a
charm offensive this week, based on a new political docu-
ment that, predictably, has been seized by several commen-
tators as evidence of newfound moderation. Moderation,
in this context, means Hamas might accept a Palestinian state
within the pre-1967 borders if it doesnt also have to recog-
nize Israels legitimacy. It also means Hamas can earn com-
pliments for clarifying that its terror operations are directed
against Zionists, and not Jews. Still, whichever blind alley
these positions pull the Palestinians down, it is likely to be
more popular than any concessions made by Abbas on final
status issues like Jerusalem, or the descendants of the 1948
Palestinian refugees.
Can Trumps enthusiasm for peace enable the emer-
gence of a Palestinian leader who is willing to participate
in good faith negotiations as Abbas repeatedly says he
is but who is not tainted by corruption, political back-
stabbing, and illegal retention of power, as Abbas is? It is
a tall order, which is why the president eventually may
have to settle for much less than a glittering peace-signing
ceremony in the Rose Garden. JNS.ORG

Israeli-Palestinian agreement, he also must be aware of the
profound sadness, anger, and disbelief that pictures of the
1993 Oslo Accords, signed on the White House lawn, now
evoke. A president as brand-aware as Trump surely wants to
minimize the risk of the same outcome 20 years from now.
Republican Army prisoner who expired in a British jail
in 1981 after 66 days without food and whose death
unleashed a torrent of international sympathy for the
IRA cause. But his more immediate calculations will have
factored in the enormous popularity he enjoys among
Ben Cohen writes a weekly column on Jewish affairs and Middle
Eastern politics. His work has been published in Commentary,
the New York Post, Haaretz, the Wall Street Journal, and many
other publications.

32 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

 Gallery
1 2

3 4

5 6

n 1 Congregants at Temple Emanu-El in Closter enjoyed mitzvah day as they helped
with the spring clean-up at the Closter Nature Center. COURTESY EMANU-EL
n 2 George Sturm of Englewood, third from left, a Temple Emeth congregant,
spoke at the Yom Hashoah service in the Teaneck shuls Emeth Garden on April
30. Standing with him, from left, are Cantor Ellen Tilem, Rabbi Steven Sirbu,
student Bridgitte Norr, and teacher Dora Geld Friedman. BARBARA BALKIN
n 3 Members of National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section at
Council Shabbat on April 21, at Temple Emeth in Teaneck. BARBARA BALKIN
n 4 The Jewish Association for Developmental Disabilities (J-ADD) partners with
local schools to sell its flower arrangements. A J-ADD resident is pictured at the
Solomon Schechter School of Bergen County in New Milford selling bouquets and
distributing pre-ordered flower arrangements for Passover. COURTESY J-ADD
n 5 Several seventh graders at Shomrei Torah in Wayne displayed
organization signs for its tzedakah fair, where they spoke about the
organizations and collected tzedakah for them. COURTESY SHOMREI TORAH
n 6 Letty Cottin Pogrebin, shown with Rabbi Emeritus Israel Dresner, was the featured
Tikkun Olam speaker at Temple Beth Tikvah in Wayne during April 7 services. JANICE PAUL

JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2016 33

Dvar Torah
Parashat Emor: Death with moderation, joy in abundance

P
arashat Emor brings a very interest- burial. Seven days of shiva for the Sep-
ing combination. It starts with laws hardim or 30 days for the Ashkenazim
of mourning. Then comes the first puts a separation between the mourner
Jewish calendar, the Torahs first list and the grave, giving time to reflect on the
of all the holidays, the joyful occasions of the life of the loved one, and reminding every-
year. (Even Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov, because body that we need to continue to live with
of the joy that atonement brings to our lives.) the community, a reminder that we are
Why are these opposite themes in the same social beings. The grave is not the place
section of the Torah? where our deceased moved.
First, the laws of mourning. We learn from Rabbi Alberto For seven days the house is full of peo-
them who is a mourner: someone who lost (Baruch) ple coming and going, bringing food to
one of the seven immediate family members Zeilicovich the house, expressing their solidarity with
father, mother, son, daughter, sister, brother, Temple Beth their presence and sending the huge mes-
and spouse. Sholom, Fair Lawn, sage: You are not alone.
Conservative
So, if your grandparents died, you grieve but From the Parasha and from just expe-
you are not a mourner. You dont have to sit rience we understand that Judaism takes
shiva or say Kaddish. death seriously, but with moderation. We are a people that
While Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews have different puts the meaning of our existence in our relationship with
customs, neither return to the cemetery the day after the others. Our being is defined not only by the word me,
but by the word we.
Judaism is a religion of life, not a religion of death. We are
more concerned about how we live instead of how we die.
That may be why Parashat Emor ends with the list of
holidays: to teach us that life happens in the realm of time
more that in the realm of space. What makes our life is
the moments of love we shared with family and friends,
not the monuments we conquer or the material objects
we amass.
It is in the moments, not the monuments, where life
gets its meaning.
The Jewish people is still alive after 4,000 years because
the calendar pushes us to build a community. We survived
persecution and death, but also we survived living in the
midst of different cultures, far away from our land. The
secret? Parashat Emor brings it: because we dont have
holy sites, we have holy days, starting with Shabbat at the
top of the list.
Shabbat Shalom.

BRIEFS

Rivlin jabs at Erdogan on Jerusalem
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin Tuesday
sought to counter Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogans claim that Israel
was attempting to judaize Jerusalem,
noting the Jewish majority in Israels cap-
ital dates back to the Ottoman period.
We have heard voices which attack
Israel for building Jewish life in Jerusa-
lem, Rivlin said during a meeting with
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
in Jerusalem, referring to Erdogans
statements. I must tell these people, for
the last 150 years there has been a Jew-
ish majority in Jerusalem. Even under
the Ottoman Empire there was a Jewish
majority in Jerusalem.
The Ottoman Empire took over Jerusa-
of the city 400 years later.
Rivlin added, Under Israeli sover-
eignty, we continue to build Jerusalem,
the eternal capital of the Jewish people.
There is no doubt Jerusalem is a micro-
cosm of our ability to live together. And
we will continue to ensure freedom of
religion for all faiths.
Following a speech at a Turkish confer-
ence Monday in which he accused Israel
of racist and discriminatory policies
against the Palestinians, Erdogan met
with Palestinian Authority Prime Minis-
ter Rami Hamdallah in Istanbul, where
the two reportedly discussed ways to
protect Jerusalem against attempts of
judaization.
April tourism to Israel breaks monthly record
since countrys founding
In April 2017, a record-breaking 349,000
tourists entered Israel, a 38 percent
increase from April 2016 and the highest-
ever figure for any month since Israels
establishment in 1948.
Additionally, between January and
April 2017, 1.1 million tourists entered
the Jewish state, an increase of 26 per-
cent from the same period in 2016 and 22
percent more than those months in 2015.
When there is clear policy, we see
results. Every month, we are witness-
ing exceptional statistics that illustrate
the progress we are spearheading in the
tourism industry and its tremendous
contribution to the Israeli economy and
workforce, Israeli Tourism Minister
Yariv Levin said. This important and
exciting milestone is part of a positive
trend that has been taking place over the
last half year or more. I hope and believe
that, with hard work, we will continue to
reap the benefits of this investment.
The significant rise in tourism to Israel
comes despite higher costs for travelers,
due to the substantial strengthening of
the shekel currency in recent months.
Incoming tourism during the first four
months of the year accounted for an esti-
mated 6 billion shekels ($1.7 billion) being
infused into Israels economy.
 JNS.ORG

lem in 1517, and the British seized control  JNS.ORG

Abbas says he is ready to meet with Netanyahu
to make peace
Palestinian Authority President Mah-
moud Abbas said he is ready to meet
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu as part of President Donald
Trumps renewed peace efforts.
We affirmed to [Trump] that we are
ready to cooperate with him and meet
the Israeli prime minister under his aus-
pices in order to make peace, Abbas told
reporters during a joint press conference
with German President Frank-Walter
Steinmeier.
The PA leader also said he anticipates
a meeting with Trump during the U.S.
presidents first foreign trip abroad,
saying, We are looking forward to
[Trumps] visit soon to Bethlehem.
This is the second time in a month
that Abbas has stated his willingness to
meet with Netanyahu. In April, the PA
president told the Japanese newspaper
Asahi Shimbun he is ready to meet
the prime minister of Israel anytime in
Washington under the patronage of Pres-
ident Trump. But in the same interview,
Abbas said peace talks will be impossi-
ble as far as Israels colonial-settlement
enterprises continues. During Tues-
days press conference, Abbas said he is
committed to a two-state solution based
on the pre-1967 lines.
 JNS.ORG
U.S. general Dunford visits Israel
for high-level security talks
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gen. Joseph Dunford landed in the Jew-
ish state Monday as a guest of IDF Chief of
Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot.
Dunfords visit to Israel was his first
since Trump took office in January. In
addition to Eizenkot, Dunford met with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-
yahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieber-
man. Although the U.S.-Israel meetings
were planned in advance, both sides main-
tained secrecy before their occurrence,
Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
We have a great alliance between Israel
and the United States, and a great alliance
between the American military and the IDF.
We appreciate it and we know that this alli-
ance is good, not only for security but also
good for peace, Netanyahu told Dunford.
The primary topics of discussion
between military chiefs Dunford and
Eizenkot reportedly included Russias mil-
itary presence in Syria, Syrian President
Bashar al-Assads chemical weapons arse-
nal, the transfer of advanced weapons to
the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and
Islamic States terror operations in Egypt.
Dunford called his personal relation-
ship with Eizenkot rock-solid and prob-
ably representative of the broader rela-
tionship that we have.
 JNS.ORG

34 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

 Crossword
RHYME THEME BY YONI GLATT
The Frazzled Housewife
KOSHERCROSSWORDS@GMAIL.COM
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY

The fidget spinner

Across
1. ___ Kate (notable Spewack musical)
7. Some female animal sacrifices
11. Search party at JFK but not TLV?
14. Beatty/Hoffman 1987 box office flop
15. Burrowing animal the Torah says is
unclean
16. Gimme ___! (start a cheer for
Rutgers or end a cheer for SAR)
17. Arab heads of state
18. What many do to eggs for a Seder
19. Jerusalem Day month
20. Physically get Gyllenhaal up
23. Drink in Jerusalem?
24. Mentalist Geller
25. One who makes aliyah
26. Prepare the One Dance rapper
some kokosh
31. ___ Yikra (Shabbat song)
32. Shoo followers
33. Actor Vigoda
34. 33-Across in The Godfather
35. They can be taken out in this publi-
cation
36. ___ for Cookie
37. Frame for Mickey Mouse or Krusty
the Clown
40. What HSers might call a teacher
named Goldstein
41. Made like Israel against Cuba at
baseball
42. Arabic butter
43. Force Ricki to slow down
46. Leonard Cohen dropped it in the
60s?
48. Samuels teacher, in Samuel I
49. Neighborhood of Cong. Emanu-El of
New York
50. Bring Adam (Levines) co-judge a
t-bone
55. Title in a yeshiva
56. Northern kibbutz known for its car-
pentry
57. Give the morah homework
59. Stranger ___ Strange Land
60. Sign from a prophet
61. Answer Us, prayer added on some
fast days
62. Fire residue eaten by some before
Tisha BAv
63. Land of Meyer Lansky and Mickey
Cohen
64. Writing legend Wouk
The solution to last weeks puzzle is on page 43.
Down
1. South Korean car maker with a dealer-
ship in Yaffo
2. Juda and capital endings
3. Bracha on meat or chocolate
4. Hank Greenberg was a poor one
(unlike Rickey Henderson)
5. Graded (Talmud exams)
6. Native tongue in Daniel Day-Lewis
homeland
7. Makes like Kirk and Spock starting a
voyage
8. Han Solos best friend is one
9. Night author Wiesel
10. Dudi who plays tennis
11. Hot candy one would make a
3-Down on
12. One talks in Genesis
13. Kaplan or Adventures
21. Don DeMarco and Epstein
22. What one did before saying modeh
ani
26. Anti-Israel letters
27. Parseghian who coached Sean
Astins Rudy
28. Hacksaw ___ (2016 Andrew
Garfield hit)
29. Michael who won an Oscar for
Hannah and Her Sisters
30. Zac Efron has well defined ones
35. Lost holy object with two cherubs
on it
36. Newswoman Roberts
37. Gemilut ___ (the giving of loving-
kindness)
38. Yikes!
39. Comic book legend Stan
40. Prepared (challah)
41. The ___ Dead (AMC show with
Lauren Cohan)
42. The Hulks skin, compared to Bruce
Banners
43. Jewish ritual bath
44. Cause challah to rise
45. Fuel that might be used by those
camping in the Negev
46. Lobby feature of the Inbal, and oth-
ers
47. Father-son actors James and Scott
51. Mayim Bialik writes one for Kveller
52. Tibetan monk or Why
53. Iran exile of 1979
54. A lamentation read on Tisha BAv
58. Mem follower in Hebrew
P
art t wo of my
To a s t m a s t e r s
a dve n t u re h a s
been postponed
for a week.
I am sorry if some of you
have been sitting on the edge
of your seat waiting for it (I
dont actually believe that
any of you are doing that, but Banji
I just wanted you to know Ganchrow
that I didnt forget where I
left off last week. I did forget
some other things, but that wasnt one of
them). In any event, I wanted to use my
column to discuss the newest phenome-
non. I apologize if I am late to the game.
I usually am. I usually find out about the
latest trend when it has made its way to
the shelves of Amazing Savings. Tickle Me
Elmo was just as adorable when it was 60
percent off. But the trend I would like to
discuss is the fidget spinner.
What is a fidget spinner? It is the trian-
gular-shaped object that has been popping
up all over the place. It isnt electronic, it tory, you dont have many pretty things.
doesnt require batteries, it doesnt even
require the ability to think. It just is a
thing. A toy? Not really. An educational
aid? Nope. What is it? Rumor has it that
the woman who invented the spinner did
it for the Arab children who were throw-
ing rocks at the Israelis. Is this true? I have
no idea. It was on the internet. This article
also said that the womans patent for the
fidget spinner expired about 10 years ago,
so this resurgence is not benefiting her
financially. Is this true? I have no idea.
Here is what I do know. Almost every
kid has one, and they have been banned
from some local elementary schools. The
teachers have had it. All of these kids sit-
ting in class, spinning their spinners when
they should be paying attention. Very bad.
One sixth grader told me that some kids in
her class learned how to take the spinner
apart so that when they spin it, it makes
noise. That is unacceptable. If only these
kids would use their intellect for good
instead of evil..
Apparently the goal of the fidget spin-
ner is to help an anxious individual calm
down because of its movement. I would
also assume that it helps with dexterity.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine (yes,
a Facebook friend) advertised that her
son was making monogrammed spin-
ners. I am all about the monogram (since
my name is so unusual, I never found it
on anythinggo figure). I ordered three
of them for my children. To my surprise,
they were happy to get them as pre-Pass-
over gifts. After I recovered from the initial
shock of them actually liking something
that I got them (and it did take a while to
get over the shock) I asked them what the
big deal was about these fidget spinners.
They didnt know. But everyone has one.
Thank God they arent expensive. In my
house, husband #1 is always
happy when we escape giv-
ing in to the latest gadget and
gizmo that every kid has.
Smart phones before they
can count, iPads before they
can read. Fidget spinners
bring us back to a simpler
time. A time when playing
hopscotch in the school yard
was all the rage. (For those
of you who dont know what
hopscotch is, you are really
missing out.) They are a simple design,
and you dont have to sell an organ to pay
for one.
Last week, I was in Walgreens attempt-
ing to buy son #1 something he asked for.
(For the record, Walgreens was the sec-
ond attempt at getting his request cor-
rect. Dont ask. Boy moms just do what
they are told and smile.) I noticed a dis-
play of brightly colored fidget spinners.
I bought one. I just had to. It was pretty,
and when you live in an all-boys dormi-
It isnt electronic,
it doesnt require
batteries, it
doesnt even
require the
ability to think.
It just is a thing.
Practical, yes. Pretty, not so much. I
even brought my fidget spinner to a bar
mitzvah. I dont go out much, so I was a
little anxious about the whole thing and
I have got to say that spinner really did
work. And, all of the cool kids wanted
to come and try it (and I am not making
that up).
In conclusion, I totally understand
why a school would ban these things
from class. It isnt a gun, but it is close to
a Rubiks Cube (ahh, remember those? I
could only get two sides). I could see how
it could be really annoying. But I am just
happy that they are a trend that doesnt
hurt when you step on them (like legos or
crazy bones), they dont require a Ph.D.
(like anything that has an apple on it)
and that you can buy one at your local
supermarket.
Sometimes simple is better.
Banji Ganchrow can usually be found
walking the track at Votee Park. She would
like to commend the town on what a great
job they did this winter keeping it snow-
free. Now she can be found walking with
her fidget spinner

JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 35

Jewish World
This Jewish attorney general
is leading the Trump resistance
RON KAMPEAS
It was nearly Passover and Eric Schneiderman, New
York States attorney general, paused to wish his fellow
Jews the best for the holiday.
We are commanded not only to remember our story,
but to imagine that we ourselves were enslaved in Egypt,
and then freed so that we may empathize with the
plight of those who are fleeing oppression and danger
today, Schneiderman said in an April 10 statement.
Of course, though ostensibly about Passover, the state-
ment also was a thinly veiled jab at President Donald
Trump. After all, Schneiderman was among the litigants
who got the courts to stay one of Trumps first major
executive orders, which temporarily banned refugees as
well as travelers from seven Muslim majority countries
from entering the United States.
Since the election, Schneiderman has been busy
attacking Trump with a near daily barrage of lawsuits,
statements, tweets, and news conferences.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees there are now more than 65 million refu-
gees worldwide the most in modern history, he said
in the statement. Passover serves as a timely reminder of
our obligation to welcome those fleeing oppression, and
to fight all forms of discrimination and subjugation in our
own time.
Schneiderman, whom Trump calls a political hack,
is a leading figure among the assorted activists, influenc-
ers, lawmakers, and lawyers who have united to undercut,
contain and combat the developer and former reality star
who now is running the country.
Schneiderman is the lead strategist among the state
attorneys general, all Democrats, who have blocked
the Trump immigration bans. Schneiderman also has
advised sanctuary cities how to protect undocumented
immigrants and launched bids to frustrate the presidents
plans to roll back Obama-era reforms in health care, con-
sumer and environmental protections, and to protect
abortion rights.
Even so, he balked a little when a reporter called him the
Jewish face of the resistance. It was the resistance part
that unnerved him New Yorks top lawyer noted that he
bucked Obama administration policies, too. (Schneider-
man wanted more comprehensive bank reforms.)
But the Jewish part he liked.
My work for justice is very much grounded in what
I see as the Jewish traditions commitment to justice,
he said recently in an interview in his office in lower
Manhattan.
Schneiderman switched handily into Hebrew and used
the two biblical terms for justice, saying that mishpat
and tzedek are spoken of in the books of Moses.
If books of Moses sounds a little Hollywood, circa
1954, thats the vibe Schneiderman broadcasts: the ear-
nest, slightly nerdy Jewish guy who quietly but forcefully
will bring down the crazed and the corrupt.
You always hold out hope people can change their
ways for the better, he said, and with the barest of shrugs
suggested his skepticism at the prospect.
If Schneiderman is obsessed with Trump, he said he
comes by the obsession honestly: The two were tangling
two years before Trump declared for president, when
Schneiderman sued Trump University, a real estate semi-
nar, in 2013 for deceptive practices and false advertising.
(Schneiderman and Trump had been in talks to settle
36 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES
New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
speaks at a news conference in Manhattan to announce
the takedown of a large organized crime ring in March.
since 2011.)
In the lawsuit, Schneiderman sought $40 million. Last
year, after winning the presidency, Trump settled for
$25 million, saying it was time to move on. Schneider-
man said in a statement at the time that it was a major
victory and a stunning reversal, and that he had the
scars to prove it.
Having no idea he would become president, I sued him
and Trump University in 2013, he said. I got a preview of
the scorched earth tactics he used in the primary and the
general election in 2016.
At the time, Trumps team set up a website to call atten-
tion to what it said was Schneidermans gross incompe-
tence. The New York Post obtained notes from Schnei-
derman to Trumps daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared
Kushner asking them to donate to his campaign. (At the
time, Kushner and Ivanka Trump were Democrats, and
not as closely entwined with the elder Trumps political
fortunes as they are now.)
The close political combat taught Schneiderman a les-
son: If Trump says he plans to scorch earth, get out the
fireproof footwear. While pundits and politicos were pre-
dicting that once he was in office Trump would moderate
his more extreme pledges, Schneiderman was putting his
staff to work.
His office offered guidance to local authorities in New
York to resist federal pressure to remove sanctuary protec-
tions for undocumented immigrants. Schneiderman also
contacted Democratic attorneys general in other states
and prepared the legal framework to challenge the execu-
tive orders on travel he was sure to come.
We werent surprised by them coming out aggressively
on some of the positions they took during the campaign,
he said. We have more familiarity with him here than in
other places, that goes without saying.
The legal challenges to Trumps orders, Schneiderman
acknowledged, deliberately were filed in the states cov-
ered by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, noted as the most
liberal-friendly appellate court. (The challenge to the first
executive order was filed in Washington State; the chal-
lenge to the revised order was filed in Hawaii. Schneider-
man also filed his own challenge in New York State.) In a
tweet, Trump accused the litigants of judge shopping.
Schneiderman said it was smart politics.
We marshaled attorney-general resources as effec-
tively as possible, he said.
Trumps defenders have noticed Schneidermans cen-
tral role in the pushback.
Judicial Watch, a conservative legal activist group,
skewered Schneiderman in April, saying, New York
stands out because its the only state in which the top
law enforcement authority, a veteran elected official, is
actively encouraging and assisting local governments to
violate the law. A New York Post editorial demanded
that Schneiderman recuse himself on all matters related
to Trump because prosecutors arent supposed to
choose their targets first, then hunt for incriminating
evidence. That defines bias.
Schneiderman, who is a member of Congregation
Bnai Jeshurun, a Conservative synagogue in Manhat-
tan, works closely with the citys Jewish establishment.
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the executive director of the New
York Board of Rabbis, said Schneiderman always was
thoroughly prepared before taking on an adversary.
He looks at the Torah, the weekly portion, and
he also looks at the haftarah, the reading from the
books of prophets, Potasnik said, using a metaphor for
studiousness.
Evan Bernstein, the Anti-Defamation Leagues regional
director in New York, said the group appreciated Schnei-
dermans focus on hate crimes.
Were very supportive of him taking it on, he said.
Not all Jews are thrilled with Schneidermans robustly
adversarial relationship with the president, especially
when Schneiderman casts it as a matter of Jewish exi-
gency. An Orthodox Jew deeply involved in state politics
said that as president, Trump deserves a degree of defer-
ence in setting policy.
Whether you like or agree with Trump, he is the presi-
dent of the United States, and when the chief law officer of
New York has declared personal war on the president, its
suicide, said the anonymous critic, who asked not to be
identified in order not to anger Schneiderman. An official
in Schneidermans office said it had received tens of thou-
sands of messages of support from New Yorkers.
Another area of Schneidermans post-election fervor
combating hate crimes. Just nine days after Trumps elec-
tion, Schneiderman convened a news conference with
representatives of minority groups to announce that he
had issued guidance to law enforcement to better identify
hate crimes.
The release did not mention Trump, and minority advo-
cacy groups have long pressed police agencies to be more
aggressive in policing hate crimes. But Schneiderman said
he was spurred in part by the new president.
After the election, there was an uptick in hate crimes,
including against Jews, he said, citing New York Police
Department statistics.
Is it fair to ascribe the increase in anti-Semitic attacks to
the election of Trump, who has been friendly to the Jews?
It took him a long time to condemn anti-Semitism,
Schneiderman countered. Were aware in the Jewish
community that bias against one opens the door to bias
against all.
Schneiderman cited Trumps broadsides against Mus-
lims and Mexicans during the campaign as a spur for hate
groups.
Its not wrong to lay something at someones feet if
thats something they said, he said. JTA WIRE SERVICE
 Arts & Culture
The Wedding Plan
ERIC A. GOLDMAN

R
ama Burshtein simply got tired
of seeing film portraits of her
ultra-Orthodox Israeli commu-
nity in a negative light.
This is what the Israeli charedi film-
maker told me two weeks ago, when we
chatted, just down the block from the
theater where her film The Wedding
Plan had screened the night before at the
Tribeca Film Festival.
I came out of pain, she said. I saw a
film that spoke about my world, but it was
so untrue. I can tolerate voices that are not
mine, as long as there is another voice,
which I thought was really lacking. So I
felt that I studied all those years to actu-
ally practice that. I was 40 years old and
not looking for a career.
The American-born Burshtein had stud-
ied filmmaking at the prestigious Sam
Spiegel Jerusalem Film School before she
made her shift to a totally observant Jew-
ish life. Once she was part of the ultra-
Orthodox world, she married, had four
children, taught filmmaking to young cha-
redi women in a high school, and then
decided to try her luck making movies for
the growing number of charedi women
who turn to cinema as an entertainment
venue. Going to the movies has become a Noa Koler as to find that love.
women-only event, and a growing num- Michal, in her Michal does find that shiduch, that
ber of trained charedi women filmmakers wedding dress; match that is finally put together for her. A
in Israel are making films exclusively for at left, Noa wedding date is set for the last day of Cha-
that community. Koler and nukah and all looks good until the khasn,
Then it was time for her to break out and Amos Tamam. her future groom, backs out. Now what?
make movies for a much larger audience. ROADSIDE Other dates? New introductions? Prospec-
ATTRACTIONS
Burshtein immediately caught the film tive husbands of all shapes, sizes, and eth-
worlds attention with Fill the Void, nicities? But no future husband seems to
which won the Israeli Ophir Award as be in the offing. Now what? Despite these
the best film of 2012 and went on to play developments, Michal opts to put down a
at the New York Film Festival. It told the deposit on a wedding hall, giving herself
story of the sister of a woman who dies the eighth night of Chanukah as a deadline
in childbirth; she is pressured by family for finding her man.
and friends into marrying her brother- And so begins her search for love and
in-law, so the child will be raised within companionship, which includes a visit to
their community. Burshtein showed total the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
command of cinema form in that first in Uman, Ukraine. Yes. Maybe the rebbe
film, and she does so again with The about her filmmaking. The professional who lops all kinds of goo over her in an will look after her and see her through
Wedding Plan. actors who play the lead roles in her films effort to ward off the evil spirits that must this journey!
Charedi women are the heroes of Bur- always seem to have a special glow and be thwarting her matrimonial efforts. It is Rama Burshtein gives us a film that
shteins two films, and she celebrates exude a love of life. scenes like this that lighten and brighten is sure to delight and entertain you. She
them beautifully. Burshteins women are Noa Koler as Michal proves that an actor our special look into a world unknown to shows a mastery of filmmaking that makes
restrained out of choice, words care- does not have to be charedi to play one. many of us. this film just simply fun to watch. Alfred
fully chosen by the writer/director. They She shows unbelievable range as a 32-year- Rama Burshtein does not shy away Hitchcock marveled at cinemas ability to
are totally committed to the halacha and old woman who somehow has not yet from struggling with the theme of desire enter worlds beyond our scope as specta-
not to the way people act. Burshtein is been successful in finding her man, her in The Wedding Plan. Michal seeks love. tors and Rama introduces us to a charedi
not a filmmaker who holds back on her bashert, her intended. Worse, as a hozeret She wants a man to be by her side. She world generally closed off from our sight.
comfort level as a charedi woman, putting bitsuvah (returnee to Judaism), she may clearly states in words and action her Watch it and enjoy!
onto the film canvas the everyday life of not have made it to the top of the most desire and belief that she can have what
her community. She has received the hek- wanted bride list. But no! Rather than go she wants. The essence of everything is Eric Goldman is a lecturer, writer and
sher of her rebbe, though she told me that to Tinder or sawyouatsinai.com, she turns desire, Burshtein told me. The desire to teacher. He is adjunct professor of cinema
her rebbetzen has shared some concerns to what appears to be a Moroccan shawafa find love, and the belief that it is possible at Yeshiva University.

JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 37

Calendar
Friday
MAY 12
Plant sale: The Garden
Club of Englewood holds
its annual plant sale,
rain or shine, in Veterans
Memorial Park at Depot
Square in Englewood,
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Garden
club members will be
on hand to give advice
on planting, care, and
arrangement. Proceeds
will benefit the clubs
community projects.
Shabbat in Ridgewood:
Temple Israel & JCC hosts
a camp-style Shabbat
for Lag BOmer, with a
barbecue, service with
guitar accompaniment,
and dessert around the
bonfire, 6 p.m. 475 Grove
St. (201) 444-9320 or
synagogue.org.
Jonathan Alter
Shabbat in Parsippany:
Author, journalist and
former Newsweek senior
editor Jonathan Alter
will look at The Fragility
of Democracy, and Group. 411 E. Clinton
discuss the threat that
present political trends
pose to world peace
and the future of the
Jewish people at Temple
Beth Am, 7:30 p.m.
879 Beverwyck Road.
(973) 887-0046.
Shabbat in Teaneck:
Rabbi Sam Frankel,
middle school rabbi
at Yavneh Academy
and therapist, is the
scholar-in-residence
at Congregation Beth
Aaron. At 9:15 p.m., he
will discuss How to The Chabad Center
Activate Your Free Will. of Passaic County
On Shabbat morning he
will give a drasha after
davening in the main
minyan. At 5:40 p.m., he
will consider Enjoying and prizes, cotton
Every Bite A Mindful
Approach to Healthy
Eating Habits and
Achieving Your Weight
Goals, and at 6:40,
between Mincha
and Maariv, he will
38 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
address Mindfulness
and Judaism. 950
Queen Anne Road.
(201) 836-6210.
Sunday
MAY 14
COURTESY JCCOTP
Benefit run in Tenafly:
The Kaplen JCC on the
Palisades hosts its USTF-
authorized annual Rubin
Run, a family-friendly
community race. Half
marathon, 7:15 a.m.; 10K
at 8:15; 5K at 10. Race
day registration available.
Breakfast, giveaways,
free babysitting, warm-
ups, and trophies. Lead
sponsors include the
Kaplen Foundation,
Englewood Hospital
& Medical Center,
the Rubin family, the
Jewish Standard, and
the North Jersey Media
Ave. (201) 408-1412,
mkleiman@jccotp.org, or
www.jccotp.org/rubinrun.
Lag BOmer in Tenafly: education committee
Lubavitch on the
Palisades and New
Jersey Yachad celebrate
with a parade through
Tenafly, 10:30 a.m.,
followed by barbecue,
carnival, live music, and
spring boutique. 11 Harold
St. (201) 871-1152 or www.
chabadlubavitch.org.
Lag BOmer in Fort
Lee: Chabad of Fort Lee
celebrates with a family
barbecue featuring
Pee Wee the Clown,
5 p.m. Sponsorships
welcome. 808 Abbott
Blvd. (201) 886-1238 or
Chabadfortlee.com.
Lag BOmer in Wayne:
Tehilim series in
has a community-
wide celebration with
a rock wall, bounce
house, carnival games
on tehilim with Rabbi
candy, relay races,
Shai Held, 8:30 p.m.
and a barbecue,
5 p.m. 194 Ratzer Road.
(973) 694-6274 or
Jewishwayne.com
Life? (Psalm 137). 509
Huberman, the Polish
violinist who founded
the orchestra that
would become the
Israel Philharmonic, at
Temple Emeth, 12:30 p.m.
Light refreshments.
1666 Windsor Road.
(201) 385-4847or www.
ncjwbcs.org.
Hot topics in Bayonne:
Temple Beth Am
continues its Point/
Counterpoint series
Alberto Netanel on current issues from
a Jewish slant, led by
Matthew Lazar Mizrahi Herstik
Rabbi Cathy Felix,
1:30 p.m. 111 Avenue B.
(201) 858-2020.
MAY The Zamir Choral Foundation, founded
and directed by Matthew Lazar, presents Genealogy in Wayne:
21 Celebrate Jerusalem, a gala concert
with the Zamir Chorale and friends.
The Jewish Genealogical
Society of North Jersey
meets at the Wayne
Alberto Mizrahi and Netanel Herstik are the featured YMCA for a discussion,
How We Share and
soloists, and it also features Zamir Noded HaZamir, Preserve Memories in
the international Jewish high school choir, at Jazz at a Digital Age, with
Lincoln Centers Frederick Rose Hall, Sunday, May 21, genealogist Daniel
3 p.m. Broadway and 60th Street in Manhattan. For Horowitz, 7:30 p.m.
The Charles & Bessie
more information, call (212) 721-6500 or go to Goldman Library will
www.jazz.org or zamirchoralfoundation.org. be open for resources
and socializing.
Refreshments. 1 Pike
Drive. (973) 595-0100; or
CRITICS PICK!
Jewish traditions in
Monday
A CHARMING, WARM-HEARTED COMEDY!
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
interfaith connections:
Susan, (732) 412-7606,
president@jgsnj.org, or
MAY 15 Temple Emanuel of www.jgsnj.org.
the Pascack Valley in
Lunch and learn: Rabbi
Aaron Katz leads a
A Film by
Shlomit Nehama and Emil Ben-Shimon
Woodcliff Lake continues
its Keruv: Keeping in Wednesday
MAY 17
Running Time: 96 Minutes
discussion on current Touch series with a
Featuring a cast of Israels biggest stars:
Orna Banai - Itzik Cohen - Einat Sarouf
Igal Naor - Evelin Hagoel - Aviv Alush
discussion, Mourning
An accident during a bar mitzvah
topics over lunch at
celebration leads to a rift between the men
and women in a devout community in
Jerusalem in this rousing, good-hearted
comedy. Awash with Jerusalem's distinctive
in Traditionally Jewish
Congregation Bnai
glow, "The Women's Balcony" is a warm,
poignant portrait of a modern community
struggling to balance protocol with
and Interfaith Families:
Jacob in Jersey City,
practical, progressive values - at once
rebellious and respectful in spirit.
noon. 176 West Side Comfort, Grieving, and
Different Traditions, at
Ave. (201) 435-5725
Watch the Trailer at Facebook.com/MenemshaFilms
the shul, 7:30 p.m. The
WWW. M ENEMSHA F ILMS .COM Twitter: @MenemshaFilms
or www.bnaijacobjc.
Film debut in program was developed
com.Challenging
Teaneck: The adult memory: Artist Shimon by the Federation of
Attie presents Sites Jewish Mens Clubs to
of Congregation Rinat Unseen: Igniting and help couples, parents,
Yisrael presents its Israel
Challenging Memory extended families, and
Film Festival, featuring at Congregation Beth synagogues deal with
a prize-winning film, Jill Kargman
Sholom in Teaneck, interfaith relationships
The Womens Balcony, 7 p.m. 354 Maitland and marriage. 87
before its general release Womens lunch in
Ave. (201) 833-2620 or Overlook Drive.
in NJ theaters, 8 p.m. 389 (201) 391-0801 or keruv@
Rockleigh: The Jewish
cbsteaneck.org. Federation of Northern
West Englewood Ave. tepv.org.
(201) 837-2795. New Jersey will hold
its annual Womens
Tuesday Philanthropy Spring
MAY 16 Luncheon at the
Rockleigh Country Club,
honoring past presidents
Lauri Bader and Jodi
Epstein, Merle Fish, and
Donna Weintraub. Jill
Kargman, star of Bravos
Odd Mom Out, is the
speaker. Registration
Rabbi Shai Held Feature film: The Kaplen and raffle, 10:15 a.m.;
JCC on the Palisades program, 11; lunch and
in Tenafly screens raffle drawing at noon.
Englewood: Kehilat Alexander Paynes film
Josh Aronson 26 Paris Avenue. Barbara,
Kesher/Community Sideways, 7:30 p.m., (201) 820-3953 or www.
Synagogue of Tenafly & for a series, Top Films Film director in jfnnj.org/SL.
Englewood concludes You May Have Missed.
Teaneck: The Bergen
a three-part lecture Written and directed by County section of Blood drive in Teaneck:
Avi Nesher. Commentary Temple Emeth holds a
the National Council
by Jim Coble, coffee, and of Jewish Women blood drive with New
Discussion, Al Naharot snacks. 411 E. Clinton Ave. Jersey Blood Services,
welcomes documentary
Bavel Is There a Place (201) 408-1493 or www. filmmaker Josh Aronson. a division of New York
for Rage in the Religious jccotp.org. Blood Center, 3:30
He will discuss his film,
Orchestra of Exiles, -8 p.m. 1666 Windsor
Engle St. (201) 227-1117 or about Bronislaw Road. (800) 933-2566 or
www.keshernj.com. www.nybloodcenter.org.
 Calendar

Saturday Knitting/book
discussion: The
Yiddish Mothers Day concert
MAY 20 sisterhood of the Jewish
Di Shekhter-tekhter the Schaechter sis-
Center of Teaneck
hosts Knitting Night, ters, Reyna, 22, and Temma, 17 will per-
7 p.m. Next, , the Leaves form with their father, the musical director,
of Faith Book Club arranger, and pianist Binyumen Schaechter,
will discuss Yehuda
on Sunday, May 14, at Congregation Agudath
Amichais Poems of
Jerusalem and Love Israel in Caldwell at 4 p.m. The girls are the
Poems in honor of worlds only Yiddish sister duet. Voluntary
Rabbi Jacob the 50th anniversary donations are welcome. The shul is at 20
of the reunification of
Lieberman Jerusalem. 70 Sterling Academy Road. For information, call (973)
Place. (201) 833-0515. 226-3600 or go to www.YiddishSisters.com.
Guide to Jewish Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin
practice: Rabbi Jacob
Lieberman continues Shabbat in Teaneck:
Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin,
Monday Musical director Binyumen Schaechter
a hands-on adult with his daughters, Reyna and Temma
education series, NCSYs director of MAY 22
education, is the Schaechter. PHOTO PROVIDED
The Great Guide to
Jewish Practice, at scholar-in-residence Golf/tennis/cards in
Temple Israel & JCC in at Congregation Beth Alpine: The Jewish
Ridgewood, 7:30 p.m. Aaron. On Shabbat Home Foundation hosts
The discussion is How
the End of Shabbat
morning after the main
minyan, he will discuss
its 23rd annual outing
with golf, tennis, and Sharsheret webinar on May 23
Can be the Beginning The chasidic Revolution cards, at the Montammy Sharsheret will present a national webinar will follow the presentation. This webi-
Against the Grand Golf Club, rain or shine.
of a Shabbat Practice on May 23 at 8 p.m., focusing on the unique nar is made possible with generous sup-
Scripture and chasidic Rebbe: The (201) 784-1414, ext.
Story and Relevance 5539 or mshulman@ issues of younger women navigating the port from Amgen and in collaboration
Song for Families.
Series concludes of Polish chasidut. jewishhomefamily.org. complicated world of metastatic breast with FORCE, Living Beyond Breast Cancer,
June 21. 475 Grove At 6:45 p.m., he will cancer and recurrent ovarian cancer. Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, Ovar-
St. (201) 444-9320 or discuss Right vs. Left: The webinar will feature Drs. Adam Bruf- ian Cancer Research Fund Alliance, and
www.synagogue.org. A Jewish Approach
to Our Economic and Singles sky and Mira Hellmann, who will discuss Young Survival Coalition. A transcript and
Political Cycles, and the latest information about bone health, audio recording will be available at www.
Thursday after Mincha at 7:45, Thursday clinical trials, and genetics. A Sharsheret sharsheret.org. To register for the webinar
MAY 18 he will tackle Rabbis
MAY 18 peer supporter will tell her personal story and get log-on instructions, go to www.
Son Syndrome: Why
Religion Makes Some and a live question-and answer-session sharsheret.org or call (866) 474-2774.
Leave Religion. 950 Widows and widowers
Queen Anne Road. meet in Glen Rock:
(201) 836-6210 or www. Movin On, a monthly
bethaaron.org. luncheon group for
widows and widowers,

Sunday
meets at the Glen
Rock Jewish Center, Karasick Shalem
MAY 21 12:30 p.m. 682
Harristown Road. $5 for
lunch. (201) 652-6624
High School at TABC
Breakfast in Wayne: PRESENTS
Jennifer Weiner The Renaissance Club or email Binny, arbgr@
of Temple Beth Tikvah aol.com.

Robin Hood
Author in Rockleigh: in Wayne holds its
The Jewish Federation & end-of-year breakfast
Foundation of Rockland after the 9 a.m. minyan.
County hosts bestselling Comedian Wally
author Jennifer
Weiner at its Womens
Ferguson, a retired
computer analyst, will
Teaneck
Philanthropy Gala at
the Rockleigh, 7 p.m. 26
entertain. 950 Preakness
Ave. (973) 595-6565 or
plant sale
The Garden Club of
The tale begins
Paris Ave. Beth Weiss- hs3550@optonline.net.
Dunn, (845) 362-4200, Teaneck continues its
ext. 121. Brunch/music in sale featuring house

Tuesday,
Bayonne: Sing along
NCJW installs officers: with the Jewbadors plants, perennials, annu-
The Jersey Hills section and have brunch at als, herbs, and vegeta-

May 16th
of the National Council Temple Beth Am, bles, along with a few
of Jewish Women 10:30 a.m. Reservations
installs its new officers
new varieties, including
requested. 111 Avenue
succulents, wildflowers,
6:30 pm
at Temple Beth Sholom B. (201) 858-2020 or
in Fair Lawn, 7:30 p.m. templebethambayonne@ and New Jersey native
Caitlin Bromberg, cantor gmail.com. plants. The sale, which
emeritus of Temple
Israel in Ridgewood, Film in Paramus: already has begun and at
will entertain. 40- The JCC of Paramus/ will close on Sunday, Maayanot Yeshiva High School
25 Fair Lawn Ave. Congregation Beth May 14, goes until 8 p.m.
(201) 797-9321. Tikvah shows Steven 1650 Palisade Avenue, Teaneck
during the week; over
Spielbergs Lincoln
the weekend it is open
Friday starring Daniel Day-
Lewis, 3 p.m. Optional from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The
MAY 19 deli dinner follows the sale is next door to 296
movie. East 304 Midland
Lindbergh Boulevard,
Shabbat in Teaneck: Ave. Dinner reservations,
Temple Emeth offers (201) 262-7691. off Glenwood Avenue, in
musical services with Teaneck. Go to garden- FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
the Temple Emeth Band, clubofteaneck.org/Plant-
Cantor Ellen Tilem, and
Sale.html.
Rabbi Steven Sirbu,
8 p.m. 1666 Windsor
Road. (201) 833-1322 or
www.Emeth.org.
www.sinaischools.org 201-833-1134
JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 39
 Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel, Inc
Jewish Funeral Directors
Family Owned & managed
Obituaries/Jewish World
Generations of Lasting Service to the Jewish Community

Serving NJ, NY, FL & Our Facilities Will Accommodate

Throughout USA
Prepaid & Preneed Planning
Your Familys Needs
Handicap Accessibility From Large
Sharokh Ahdout in Hoboken. He was a Ronald of Florida, Robert Gutterman Musicant
Graveside Services Parking Area Sharokh Sammy Ahd- member of the Hudson Cuocolo of New City, Funeral Directors,
Gary Schoem Manager - NJ Lic. 3811
out, 65, of Oradell, died County Benevolent N.Y., and Doris Baron of Hackensack.
May 9. Society. Morganville.
Conveniently Located
W-150 Route 4 East Paramus, NJ 07652 Born in Iran, he owned Predeceased by his Arrangements were by Elaine Levine
201.843.9090 1.800.426.5869 World of Diamonds in parents, George and Eden Memorial Chapels, Elaine Levine, ne
Manhattan. His wife, Bertha (ne Nydick) of Fort Lee. Beshany, 90, of Emerson,
Edna, ne Livyani, and Jersey City, he is survived formerly of River Edge,
sons, Lev and Nathan, by a brother, Alvin, of Marshall Kozinn died May 4.
The Christopher Family survive him. Marlboro. Marshall H. Kozinn, 86, Born in the Bronx,
serving the Jewish community Arrangements were by Arrangements were by died May 3. before retiring she was a
Eden Memorial Chapels, Eden Memorial Chapels, Predeceased by his secretary for D & C Honda
since 1900 Fort Lee. Fort Lee. siblings, Richard and in Tenafly.

Paterson Monument Co. Aleksandr Borin Mary Cuocolo

Gladys, he is survived
by his children, David
Predeceased by her
husband, Jack, in 2001,
MAIN BRANCH Aleksandr Borin, 86, of Mary Cuocolo, 103, of (Sharon) of River Vale, and a son, Warren, in 1986,
Paterson, NJ 07502 Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
317 Totowa Ave. 681 Rt. 23 S. Hillsdale, died May 9. Morganville, formerly of Chaya (Sharon) Tavin she is survived by a son,
973-942-0727 Fax 973-942-2537 973-835-0394 Fax 973-835-0395 Arrangements were by Del Ray Beach, Fla., died and Chanan (Howard) Richard (Leslie); a sister,
TOLL FREE 800-675-0727 Louis Suburban Chapel, May 4. of Israel; a sister, Harriet Joyce Schnapper (Henry);
www.patersonmonument.com
Fair Lawn. Born in Greece, she Boonin (Leonard); 11 five grandchildren, Melissa,
was a life member of grandchildren, and 17 Jessica, Jacqueline, Alyson,
201-791-0015 800-525-3834
Martin Cohen the Sephardic Jewish great-grandchildren. and Jason (Katherine); two
Martin Cohen, 78, of Brotherhood of America in Donations can be sent great-grandchildren; and a
LOUIS SUBURBAN CHAPEL, INC. Marlboro, formerly of New York City. to the Jewish Home at niece and a nephew.
Exclusive Jewish Funeral Chapel Jersey City, died May 6. Predeceased by her Rockleigh or Temple Arrangements are
Sensitive to Needs of the Jewish Community for Over 50 Years Before retiring, he husband, Victor, she is Emanuel of the Pascack by Robert Schoems
Serving NJ, NY, FL & Israel worked in sales for survived by children, Valley, Woodcliff Lake. Menorah Chapel,
Graveside services at all NJ & NY cemeteries Vikoa Cable Company Valentino of Florida, Arrangements were by www.schoems.com.
Prepaid funerals and all medicaid funeral benefits honored
Always within a familys financial means
13-01 Broadway (Route 4 West) Fair Lawn, NJ
Richard Louis - Manager George Louis - Founder BRIEFS
NJ Lic. No. 3088 1924-1996
Vandalism in eastern Jerusalem
and Galilee in suspected price tag attacks
JERUSALEM About 20 cars were vandalized in eastern own. Pikar, who lives with his wife and six children in
Jerusalem and the Galilee area of northern Israel in what the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, which is home to
are being investigated as anti-Arab hate crime attacks. many extremists, was recently given an administrative
In eastern Jerusalem overnight, in a swath running from restraining order banning him from the West Bank for
the Arab Shuafat neighborhood to the charedi Orthodox four months.
neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, tires were slashed and A wall in the area also was spray-painted with the words
spray-painted messages read price tag and King Pikar Mohammed is an administrative pig.
a reference to Elkana Pikar, who the Israeli military believes In the Arab-Israeli village of Naura in the Galilee, the tires
is a leader of the settler hilltop youth. The damage was dis- of eight cars were slashed and price tag graffiti including
covered early Tuesday morning. Administrative revenge and Administrative price tag
Jewish extremists use the term price tag to indi- was sprayed on the walls of several houses.
cate revenge for attacks on settlers and other Israe- Security cameras showed the apparent vandals entering
lis, or when legal action is taken against one of their the village at 2 a.m. last Tuesday. JTA WIRE SERVICE

Pepe the Frog creator

We continue to be Jewish family managed,
knowing that caring people provide caring service.
GUTTERMAN AND MUSICANT
JEWISH FUNERAL DIRECTORS
800-522-0588
WIEN & WIEN, INC. MEMORIAL CHAPELS
800-322-0533
402 Park Street, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601
ALAN L. MUSICANT, Mgr., N.J. Lic. No. 2890
MARTIN D. KASDAN, N.J. Lic. No. 4482
Advance Planning Conferences Conveniently Arranged
at the Funeral Home or in Your Own Home
GuttermanMusicantWien.com
kills off cartoon character turned hate meme
The creator of Pepe the Frog has killed off the online
cartoon character, whose image was co-opted by anti-
Semites and white nationalists associated with the self-
named alt-right.
A Pepe cartoon released Saturday shows the Matt
Furie character in an open casket, being mourned by
other characters from his Boys Club strip, which
debuted online in 2005. The first printed version was
released in 2006.
Pepe was portrayed as a stoner who did as he
pleased and frequently used the catchphrase feels
good man.
Twitter users leapt to Pepes defense, with some say-
ing the internet meme would live on. Others showing
images of Pepe dressed as Jesus, writing He is risen.
In September, the Anti-Defamation League added
Pepe to its online hate database. Images of the frog,
variously shown with a Hitler-like mustache or wearing
a yarmulke or a Ku Klux Klan hood, proliferated in
hate-filled messages aimed at Jewish and other users
on Twitter in the weeks leading up to its inclusion in
the online hate database.
Its completely insane that Pepe has been labeled
a symbol of hate, and that racists and anti-Semites
are using a once peaceful frog-dude from my comic
book as an icon of hate, Furie said when the ADL
announced the characters inclusion as a hate symbol.
Its a nightmare, and the only thing I can do is see this
as an opportunity to speak out against hate.
He said in a Time magazine essay that Pepe is love.
Donald Trump Jr. stirred up a controversy last year
by posting a photoshopped image of Pepe alongside
himself and various Trump advisers in a caricature of
ads for the movie The Expendables, but relabeled
The Deplorables in the wake of a comment by Hill-
ary Clinton. JTA WIRE SERVICE

40 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

 Obituaries / Local

Sylvia Model Her father, Allen Kass of Florida;

Sylvia C. Model died May 5.
Predeceased by her
husband, Sidney, she is
survived by children,
Joyce Pauls (Bruce) and
Eric Model (Stacey);
and grandchildren,
Elana and Ari Pauls,
and Adalyn, Simon, and
Hannah Model.
Contributions can
be sent to River Dell
Hadassah, c/o Amy
Forman, 305 Jefferson
Ave., River Edge, NJ 07661.
Arrangements were by
Gutterman Musicant
Funeral Directors,
Hackensack.
Deborah Paulus
Deborah Nadine Paulus,
ne Fletcher, 49, of
West Melbourne, Fla.,
formerly of Staten Island
and Queens, died May 4.
She was an organ donor.
Fletcher of Fair Lawn,
a son, Steven Valdes of
Oregon, and siblings,
Sarah Fletcher of East
Brunswick, Jacob
Fletcher of Fair Lawn,
and Michael Marino of
New York, survive her.
Donations can be
made to the New Jersey
Sharing Network.
Arrangements were by
Louis Suburban Chapel,
Fair Lawn.
Howard Rosenthal
Howard Rosenthal, 88,
of River Vale, died
May 9.
Born in the Bronx, he
was a retired real estate
appraiser in Tenafly.
His children, Sharon
Gross of New York
City, Rena Harris of
Hackensack, and Stuart
of Hillsdale; a sister, Rae
six grandchildren, and
one great-grandchild
survive him.
Arrangements were
by Eden Memorial
Chapels, Fort Lee.
Ira Schafer
Ira Schafer, 91, died May 3.
A World War II
Army veteran, he was
a chemical salesman.
Predeceased by his
wife of over 50 years,
Sara, he is survived by
sons Randy (Robin) and
Mark (Barbara); and
grandchildren, Ellen,
Dara, and David.
Donations can be
made to Salk Institute
for Biological Studies,
10010 North Torrey Pines
Road, La Jolla, CA 92037.
Arrangements were by
Robert Schoems Menorah
Chapel, Paramus.
Obituaries are prepared with
information provided by funeral homes.
Correcting errors is the responsibility
of the funeral home.
The Jewish Memorial Chapel has been serving
the local Jewish community for over 95 years
We have the distinction of being the first non-profit, community-owned funeral
home in the United States. The Jewish Memorial Chapel was founded by a group
of civic-minded Jewish businessmen in 1921.
We uphold the highest standards of Jewish law pertaining to funerals. We are
a Shomer Shabbos facility and make other state and world-wide arrangements.
841 Allwood Road Clifton, NJ 07012
973-779-3048 Fax 973-779-3191
www.JewishMemorialChapel.org
Vincent Marazo, Manager
NJ License No. 3424
COMMUNITY OWNED AND OPERATED
SINCE 1921 NON_PROFIT
Remember and honor those Jewish men and women who died while serving
in the United States Armed Forces MEMORIAL DAY MAY 30

A Traditional Jewish Experience

DNA
FROM PAGE 11
scientists in Israel. There was a big
brain drain, and many of Israels best
scientists were attracted to the Stan-
fords, Yales, and MITS of the world, Mr.
Katz said. We were losing our best and
brightest. The problem was called out
maybe 10 years ago, and within the last
five years, Israel has done an amazing
job at bringing these guys back.
Why does Israel seem to grow so many
gifted scientists? I think that Israelis
have an innate need to find a solution
to problems, Mr. Katz said. They grow
up living in the worst neighborhood in
the world, so from birth they always are
challenged with obstacles, and they have
an innate need to overcome them.
I met a young woman on a trip to Bar
Ilan in December, he continued. She
was an engineering student; her name
was Michal. I wrote down her words. She
was about to leave Israel; she was getting
a Ph.D. at Bar Ilan and had accepted a
post doc at Stanford. I asked her what
motivated her to succeed beyond her
mother or fathers wildest dreams, and
she said, I need to be competitive on an Pre-Planning Specialists Graveside and Chapel Services
international level. I need to represent
Israel, and to fulfill my potential, so that
people will respect Israel on the world
Barry Wien - NJ Lic. No. 2885
stage.
Dr. Hendel certainly is competitive Frank Patti, Jr. - NJ Lic. No. 4169
on an international level. If he can get Arthur Musicant - NJ Lic. No. 2544
anywhere near a cure for childhood Frank Patti, Sr. Director - NJ Lic. No. 2693
cancers, he will represent his country
extraordinarily well. (And, of course,
he will have gotten near a cure for child- 327 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
hood cancers.)
There are some worries about
201-947-3336 888-700-EDEN
CRISPR, too. Does it give people too www.edenmemorial.com
much power? Make them too God-
like? Are we overstepping our limits
when we use a technoloy that can
make irrevocable changes not only GORNY FUNERAL SERVICE INC.
in our bodies, but in our descendants 1-862-354-8596 or 973-919-4570
as well? Will we have considered all
unexpected consequences which GRAVESIDE BURIAL SERVICE
$1850.00
is a hard thing to do, given that the
consequences by definition are unex-
pected before we allow revolution- These prices are effective as of February-01-2017
ary techniques to be used? OUR PACKAGE CHARGES INCLUDE
These are all important questions. But THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
Dr. Hendel can use these techniques to
Basic services of Funeral Director & Staff, Transportation from the place of
try to end childhood cancer, and that is
death (within 25 miles of Gorny Funeral Service & within the State of NJ),
an outcome devoutly to be wished.
the basic sheltering of the remains, filing of death certificate, obtaining burial
permit, social security notification, local transportation to the Cemetery,
Sanitary care & practical preparation of remains for Identification.

More than 409,000 likes.

NOTE; The price does not include any of the following services: Embalming, Casket, use of
facilities and staff for any visitation or ceremony, public or private, prior to burial, or any sheltering
for days on which no post death activities occur. Also not included: all cemetery charges including
any other requirements, such as a burial vault or liner, death certificates, burial permit, newspaper

Like us on Facebook. obituaries or any other service or merchandise or other cash disbursements, or anything not
expressly stated as being provided that could be associated with a funeral selection. If you choose
to select any other service or merchandise, a General Price list will be give upon request.
JOHN M. GORNY MANAGER LIC NJ#3563
facebook.com/jewishstandard 240 Mount Prospect Avenue, Newark NJ. 07104

JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 41

Classified
Cemetery Plots For Sale Situations Wanted Situations Wanted
(201) 837-8818
Situations Wanted Personals Home Improvements
veteran/college graduate

DAUGHTER BEST BEST

beth ISRAEL
Cemetery plot(s)
Woodbridge, NJ
Join benevolent association, one
time fee, own plot(s)
845-354-7986
beth-el Cemetery - 6 beautiful
plots at $800.00 each. Please call
Howard at 201-914-8975
Situations Wanted
A Loving, experienced CAREGIV-
ER looking for position in Bergen
County area. Reliable. Drives/own
car. 973-517-0258
COMPANION: Experienced, kind,
trustworthy person seeking part
time work. Weekends OK. Meal
preparation, laundry, housekeep-
ing. Will drive for doctors appoint-
ments; occasional sleepovers. 973-
519-4911
HHA with 11 years experience, 2
years Nursing School. Live-in/out.
Great references. Reliable, com-
passionate, dependable. Speaks
English. Drives/own car. 201-982-
3176
Antiques
Sterling Associates Auctions
SEEKING CONSIGNMENT AND OUT RIGHT PURCHASES
Sculpture Paintings Porcelain Silver
Jewelry Furniture Etc.
TOP CASH PRICES PAID
201-768-1140 www.antiquenj.com
info@antiquenj.com
70 Herbert Avenue, Closter, N.J. 07642
FREE APPRAISALS TUESDAYS FROM 12-2
IN OUR GALLERY. CALL FOR APPOINTMENT.
seeks employment in telephone
sales. 25 years experience in pur-
FOR A DAY, LLC
chasing and marketing of diverse
products. Proven success in gen-
erating new business through
building strong relationships, senior
buyer of toys, hobbies, hard goods LICENSED & INSURED
and bulk toys. Honest, hard work-
er. email:yendisid@optImum.net
FOR YOUR
PROTECTION
experienced, reliable CHHA
woman with excellent references Handpicked
seeks Full-Time, Part-Time, live Certified Home
in/out position to care for elderly. Health Aides
Call 201-681-7518
Hourly - Daily - Live In
NURSE SUPERVISED
need an efficient, dedicated, pri-
vate live-in NURSES AIDE to care
Creative
for your elderly? Rates reasonable,
references available. companionship
Call Jacque 347-876-2664 interactive,
intelligent
Home Health Aide/Nurses Aide.
conversation &
20 yrs experience with Elder Care
social outings
seeking live-in/out position. Refer-
ences Call 973-356-4365 Downsize
Coordinator
WOMAN seeks job as Home Care
Assistant. 17 years with hospital Assist w/shopping,
and cardiac experience. Referen-
errands, Drs, etc.
ces available. 201-450-2080
Organize/process
paperwork,
bal. checkbook,
bookkeeping
Resolve medical
insurance claims
Free Consultation
RITA FINE
201-214-1777
www.daughterforaday.com
Established 2001
HOME Health Aide who is easy to
get along with is seeking job to
care for elderly. Live-In/Out. Expe-
rienced! References! Speaks Eng-
lish. 201-218-3335
Antiques
Certified Companion
Caregiver seeking
position to care for your loved
ones. Light housekeeping.
Own my own car. Run
errands if needed. Reference
available upon request.
(201) 681-1712
patewangayle@gmail.com
COMPANION/Nurses Aide/Care-
giver. Flexible hours. Days/Nights,
live-in/out. Reliable. Excellent ref-
erences. I live in Bergen County.
201-838-4829
CHHA: Looking for full time
position. Live in/out. Reliable
References. Speaks English.
313-293-1043
Cleaning Service
A POLISH CLEANING WOMAN
- Homes, Apartments, Offices-
15 years experience, excellent
references.
Affordable rates!
Izabela 973-572-7031
Car Service
A Team of
Polish Women
Clean
Apartments
Homes Offices
Experienced References
201-893-2145
BH
JOIN US!
Chapter 3 Offers retirement age of the
women the opportunity to stay Home Repair Service
connected and engaged with
Carpentry Painting
peers to share information,
skills and knowledge relevant Decks Kitchens
and enriching for this stage of Locks/Doors Electrical
our lives. Whether formally re-
tired or still active in the work-
Basements
Bathrooms
Paving/Masonry
Drains/Pumps
place, this is a chance to make
new friends, hear speakers on
Plumbing Maintenence
Tiles/Grout Hardwood Floors
a variety of topics and enjoy
General Repairs
dinner.
Meetings are the last Wednes-
NO JOB IS TOO SMALL
day of the month at 5:30 pm,
Rudys Restaurant, 24 Hour x 5 1/2 Emergency Services
Shomer Shabbat Free Estimates
Hackensack, N.J. Cost is $27.
For further information and to
be put on our email list, please
1-201-530-1873
call Susan 201-343-8374
Natalie 201-265-2087
Plumbing
APL Plumbing & Heating LLC
Handyman Complete Kitchen &
Bath Remodeling
Your Neighbor with Tools Boilers Hot Water Heaters Leaks
Home Improvements & Handyman EMERGENCY SERVICE
Fully Licensed, Bonded and Insured
Shomer Shabbat Free Estimates NO JOB IS TOO SMALL!
Over 15 Years Experience 201-358-1700 Lic. #12285
Adam 201-675-0816
Lic. & Ins. NJ Lic. #13VH05023300
www.yourneighborwithtoolshandyman.com
A PLUS
Limo & Car Service
The most reliable and efficient service
at all times for your transporation needs.
Our professional and courteous team works together for you.
Serving the Tri-State Area, New York and Bergen County
EWR $39 LGA $42 JFK $59
Tolls, parking, wlt, stops & tps are not included Extra $7 Airport Pickup
Prices subject to change without prior notice. Price varies by locations.
Fuel surcharge may add up to 10% Additional charge may be applied to credit card payment
201-641-5500 888-990-TAXI (8294)
Visit us online at: www.apluslimo1.com E-mail: apluslimo@earthlink.net
Help Wanted

Antiques Wanted We pay cash for High School Teachers Needed

Modern Furniture & Art Due to increased enrollment, Torah Academy of Bergen
County seeks experienced and creative teachers in the
WE BUY Judaica Art following subjects: History, Math, Biology, Engineering,
Hebrew language, Chemistry, and Phys Ed. Candidates

Oil Paintings Silver

Oil Paintings should be proficient in both their subject matter and 21st
Century learning skills.Candidates should have prior
Porcelain experience implementing project based learning into
Bronzes Porcelain their classroom environment. Competitive salary and
Bronzes Silver benefits available in a warm, collaborative environment.
Please send resumes to Asher.Yablok@tabc.org
Oriental Rugs Furniture
Chinese Porcelain Art
Marble Sculpture Jewelry
Jewelry & Costume Jewelry General Studies Teachers
Tiffany Items Chandeliers
Men & Women Watches Yeshiva in Bergen County seeks certified and ex-
perienced General Studies Teachers in the Lower
Chinese Art Bric-A-Brac
Other Antiques School. Responsibilities include teaching math,
reading, writing, science and social studies in a

Tyler Antiques ANS A

positive and encouraging environment. Experience
with differentiated learning a plus. Great opportu-
nity to work with a professional and collaborative
Established by Bubbe in 1940! Over 25 years courteous service to tri-state area staff. Mentoring and professional development
We come to you Free Appraisals included. Competitive salary and comprehensive
tylerantiquesny@aol.com Shommer
benefits package available. PM hours only. If you
Call Us! Shabbas
want to inspire and motivate young students, nur-

201-894-4770 201-861-7770 201-951-6224

ture their love for learning, and prepare them with
skills and knowledge for the future, we are the right
Shomer Shabbos www.aadsa726@yahoo.com choice for you. Send resume to resumes@rynj.org

42 Jewish Standard MAY 12, 2017

 partnering for change advocating for
people in need encouraging public
policy reform a legacy of giving
making an impact optimism pursuing
Classified
justice nutrition and health education
initiatives meeting basic human needs
pAinting
Call us. working to end food insecurity a strong
CHRIS PAINTING
INTERIOR/EXTERIOR
SHEETROCK
We are waiting safety net providing assistance and
POWER WASH & SPRAY SIDING
for your MAZON IS ending
WATER DAMAGE REPAIR
201-896-0292 classified ad! support concern for others hunger
enhancing
30 yrs. exp. Free est. Ins.
No job too small or too big making
quality ofa life
difference tikkun
jewish values olam
in action
lic. #13VH06003700 201-837-8818
rooFing keeping kids healthy nutrition for seniors
ROOFING SIDING
HACKENSACK GUTTERS LEADERS THE JEWISH
tzedakah COMMUNITY
fostering responsibility
Free ROOFING
OOFING Roof
Estimates CO. Repairs WORKING TOGETHER
raising awareness soup kitchens food
INC.
201-487-5050 83 FIRST STREET
HACKENSACK, NJ 07601 TO END
banks HUNGER
food pantries social justice
Solution to last weeks puzzle. This weeks puzzle is partnering for change advocating for
on page 35.
people in need encouraging public
policy reform a legacy of giving
making an impact optimism pursuing
justice nutrition and health education
initiatives meeting basic human needs
working to end food insecurity a strong
safety net providing assistance and
support concern for others enhancing
quality of life jewish values in action

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

PARTY WORKING TOGETHER

PLANNER TO END HUNGER

Jewish Music with an Edge

Ari Greene 201-837-6158
AGreene@BaRockorchestra.com
www.BaRockOrchestra.com

Tel 310.442.0020 | 800.813.0557 | mazon.org

P.O. Box 894765, Los Angeles, CA 90189-4765
Get results!
Advertise on this page.
201-837-8818
Jewish standard MaY 12, 2017 43
 LET THE
VOTING
BEGIN
2017
READERS
CHOICE
Cast your votes for your favorite
retailers, restaurants, and professionals.
You could win an iWatch, Visa gift cards,
gift certificates to stores, restaurants, and shows!
Log onto www.jstandard.com/survey and cast your votes!

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES, MAY 24

44 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017

 Real Estate & Business
TM

Governor Christie signs

Mike Adler Aphasia
BANK-OWNED PROPERTIES
Task Force into law High-Return
On Monday, Governor Chris Christie signed into law
the Mike Adler Aphasia Task Force, making New Jer-
Investment Opportunities
sey the first state in the country to enact legislation to ENGLEWOOD TIMELESS $1,395,000
increase the provision of support services to people GARDEN STATE HOMES Lovely Victorian w/5-7 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, large kitchen w/skylights opens to
deck, living room, family room & parlor w/fireplaces, high ceilings, 2 stairwells,
with aphasia. This legislation was sponsored by Sen- 25 Broadway, Elmwood Park, NJ lower level w/separate entrance offers living room, bedroom,
2 baths, kitchen & patio, beautiful East Hill property
ate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Senator Bob
Martin H. Basner, Realtor Associate
Gordon, along with Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri ALPINE/CLOSTER
TENAFLY RIVER VALE ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS TENAFLY CRESSKILL
Huttle, and Assemblymen Tim Eustace and Gordon
(Office) 201-794-7050 (Cell) 201-819-2623 Orna Jackson, Sales Associate 201-376-1389
894-1234
768-6868 666-0777 568-1818 894-1234 871-0800
Johnson.
This is a great tribute to Mikes memory and Elaine

M M
for paving the way, Assemblywoman Huttle said.
May their good works and advocacy continue in FORT LEE THE COLONY
perpetuity!
Mike Adler, was a businessman, philanthropist, and
co-founder of the Adler Aphasia Center, along with

Happy Mother's Day

his wife Elaine. With campuses in Maywood and West
Orange and Aphasia Communication Groups located
throughout the state, their programs are considered
the gold standard worldwide for long term post-reha-
bilitation aphasia therapy.
The establishment of the Mike Adler Aphasia Task
A FABULOUS LIFESTYLE AWAITS YOU BY APPOINTMENT
Force will ensure there are appropriate informational 24 hour concierge Valet parking Movie theater t TEANECK t
resources and support systems available in New Jer- State of the art health club with indoor and outdoor pools
sey to assist people with aphasia and their families. A Close to everything And more
13-member task force will be created whose purpose 3 BR 3.5 Baths. High floor. Hardwood floors
will be to: monitor the prevalence of aphasia in the throughout. Laundry. $559,900
state; assess the unmet needs of people with aphasia 3 BR 2.5 Baths. Total renovation. Master bath with
and their families; identify and facilitate the establish- jacuzzi and steam shower. All new windows. $665,000
ment of aphasia support groups and other resources
designed to assist in satisfying these unmet needs; and Wishing you a Happy Mothers Day
provide recommendations to the governor and legisla-
ture for legislation or other action that would further Allan Dorfman
facilitate support for New Jerseyans living with aphasia Broker/Associate
and their families. 201-461-6764 Eve
201-970-4118 Cell
201-585-8080 Office
Realtorallan@yahoo.com
Charm Brick & Stucco Tudor Col. All Large Rms. LR/Fplc, Form
Englewood Spring Fest DR, Den, Updated Kit. 3 BRs, 1 Full + 2 Half Bths. Plyrm Bsmt. 127'
Deep, Priv Yrd. 2 Car Gar. $429,000

On the eve of Mothers Day, Downtown Englewoods

Let Us Finance Your C Club Area. Spacious Colonial. 3 BRs, 2.5 Bths. Grnt Eat in Kit,

House Purchase
Game Rm Bsmt. $449,900
Spring Fest offers shopping at local stores and dining Lov Exp Col. Prime Loc. Many Updates. Updated Kit. 3 BRs, 2
at local restaurants, music, and a plant sale. Shoppers Updated Bths, Fin Bsmt. Gar, Deck, H/W Flrs, C/A/C, Fenced Yrd. Rm
will enjoy special promotions while enjoying spring Direct lender to Exp. $375,000
weather. Merchandise will include mens, womens 2 to 3 day approval For Rent. Updated 1 BR Apt. New Kit & Bth. Polished Oak Flrs.
and childrens apparel, shoes, jewelry, art, hair prod- Lg LR, Din Rm/Den. Use of Yrd. $1,295/month + Utils. Credit
ucts, makeup, accessories, pianos, and water. Closings within 30 days Check+Realtor Fee Req. No Pets. Imm Occ
More than 50 stores and restaurants will showcase Northern NJ Appraisers ALL CLOSE TO NY BUS / HOUSES OF WORSHIP /
the best of Englewood. The event will be rain or shine. HIGHWAYS / SHOPS / SCHOOLS
There will be free metered parking. FHA loans w/55% debt ratio
For Our Full Inventory including
Sponsors are The City of Englewood, Englewood Credit scores as low as 580 Details & Pictures, Visit our Website
Economic Development Corporation, Investors Bank, www.RussoRealEstate.com
and Northern Valley Press Group.
For more information, visit www.englewoodnj- (201) 837-8800
chamber.com, or call (201) 567-2381.

More than 409,000 likes.

Daniel M. Shlufman
Sign up for the Larry DeNike
President Managing Director Like us on Facebook.
MLO #6706
Jewish Standard daily newsletter! MLO #58058
ladclassic@aol.com dshlufman@classicllc.com

Visit www.thejewishstandard.com Classic Mortgage, LLC

Serving NY, NJ & CT
and click on SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY
25 E. Spring Valley Ave., Ste 100, Maywood, NJ

JewishStandard 201-368-3140
N E W J E R S E Y R O C K L A N D
MLS
www.classicmortgagellc.com #31149
facebook.com/jewishstandard

JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 45

Real Estate & Business
New logo for United Hatzalah
In an effort to raise awareness and create a
stronger visual presence in the community,
United Hatzalah has rebranded its vehicles
and uniforms with a new logo, embracing the
color orange which has been widely under-
stood as representing the organizations
3,200 EMS volunteers around Israel.
Explaining why the organization chose
to rebrand at this time and to this color, Eli
Beer, president and founder of the organiza-
tion, said, I remember when I was a kid sav-
ing peoples lives wearing the star of life and
dressed in orange. I was inspired by those
symbols and the volunteers who wore them.
Beer said that the change of color and logo
is more than a strategic maneuver to allow
the volunteers to be recognized more easily
in the field. Rather, it is a message to those
in need of help.
SELLING YOUR HOME?
Call Susan Laskin Today
To Make Your Next Move A Successful One!
BergenCountyRealEstateSource.com
2017 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.
J
immy
the Junk Man
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
WE CLEAN OUT:
Basements Attics Garages Fire Damage
Construction Debris Hoarding Specialists
WE RECYCLE
CALL TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE
201-661- 4940
We do not transport solid or hazardous waste
46 JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017
Our organization is expanding by leaps
and bounds and we felt that it was time
to embrace the new growth and develop-
ment that we have thankfully been blessed
with, he said. That is why we are chang-
ing, to embrace the changing place that the
organization has taken in the awareness
of the Israeli populace and the interna-
tional community.
We chose the new logo and the new color
because of the meaning that they each pos-
sess for us and our volunteers. Since Opera-
tion Protective Edge, our volunteers have
often been called angels in orange by those
we treat. I, together with our volunteers,
look at our uniforms, logo, and shield with
reverence and pride. The juxtaposition of
the international EMS symbol for the Star
of Life mixed with the Star of David are the
Cell: 201-615-5353
Ravel Academy in France. She has sung
two symbols that define us as a national
EMS provider in Israel. The six arms of
the Star of Life represent the six ideals
of EMS first responders which are detec-
tion, reporting, response, on scene care,
care in transport, and transfer to defini-
tive care.
The Star of Life is a universal symbol
of emergency medical care. The Star of
David is our national symbol. Combin-
ing these two elements reminds us of the
messages that we as an organization, as
Renowned voice instructor guides local singers
at BergenPAC Performing Arts School
While singing well requires a certain
amount of natural talent, its also a craft
that can be developed with proper train-
ing and commitment. The Performing
Arts School at bergenPAC has one of the
finest voice instructors around ready to
help students take their talents to the
next level in soprano Nadine Herman.
Her students have gone on to study
at leading conservatories and universi-
ties like The Julliard School, Manhattan
School of Music, New England Conser-
vatory of Music, Oberlin Conservatory
of Music, the Eastman School of Music
at University of Rochester and the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Theyve also performed on Broad-
way and at the Spoleto Festival USA,
Chauttauqua Opera and NJPAC, while
some have signed with major record-
ing labels.
Herman received her bachelors and
masters degrees from of Temple Univer-
sity and The Julliard School, respectively,
along with an Artists Diploma from the
on grand stages throughout the U.S. and
Europe, including performances at Lin-
coln Center, The Abbaye de Royaumont,
Festival di Trieste and the BKA in Berlin.
I have been very fortunate to have
been able to teach incredibly gifted
singers who are not only blessed with
well as individuals, of the personal focus
on patient care, providing national cov-
erage with a three-minute response time
free of charge and keeping an eye on con-
tinuing to develop our model internation-
ally and responding to international cri-
ses when needed. These are the values
that we want to symbolize through our
new logo and print proudly on our ambu-
lances, uniforms, trauma and medic bags,
our personal vehicles, and even on the
clothing that we wear, he said.
The new
Hatzalah logo
combines the
Star of Life
and the Star
of David.
beautiful natural voices, but with the
discipline and work ethic you need to
succeed in this business, Herman said.
Also I have been lucky to have received
a first-rate musical education and a
career which allowed me to travel the
world to sing and bring these experi-
ences to my students.
Herman, who has taught in New York
City and is the Musical Director and
voice teacher at the Newark School of
the Arts, is now available in Englewood
for private lessons.
The key focus for aspiring singers,
regardless of whether they want to do
show tunes, opera or pop, is the same,
she said.
I try to give them good technique.
It doesnt matter what type of singing,
Herman said. It all comes down to
the technique.
She also tries to impress upon her
students the importance of commit-
ting intensely to their craft because the
results will follow.
I enjoy seeing the progress and see-
ing my students succeed, Herman said.
Ive always been goal-oriented and
worked to succeed at the task I set. I
want to see them do the same.
For more information on studying
voice with Herman, visit www.bergen-
pac.org/education.
 To all mothers, mothers-to-be, and mothers fondly remembered
Ruth Miron-Schleider
We take this opportunity to honor youon this special day
Broker/Owner
MIRON PROPERTIES
Happy Mothers Day from our family to yours!
TENAFLY TENAFLY TENAFLY TENAFLY
M SO SO AC OF
A
4 GNI LD LD CE FER
TO BR FI ! ! PT
W /4 CE ED
NH B N
OU TH T !
SE
!

61 GORDON AVENUE $5,700/MONTH 30 OXFORD DRIVE 1 KNICKERBOCKER ROAD 27 SUFFOLK LANE

ENGLEWOOD ENGLEWOOD ENGLEWOOD ENGLEWOOD

EA CE B
R PI LIS JUS
CO HI ST CO NTE ICK CT
SE UR TE T
LO LL LO R H TT ES D!
NI NI AL IN QU
AL AL L G! E
! !

493 WHITEWOOD ROAD $968,000 132 LYDECER STREET $999,900 234 CEDAR STREET $1,740,000 160 LINCOLN STREET $2,985,000

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS

SO SO CO EX
LD LD SO MIN CO TRA
! ! ON G NS OR
TR DI
! UC NA
TIO RY
N!

35 KARENS LANE 48 VAN NOSTRAND AVENUE 301 BOLZ STREET $1,380,000 9 CAMBRIDGE PLACE $1,998,000
TEANECK TEANECK TEANECK TEANECK
SO SO SO SO
LD LD LD LD
! ! ! !

368 WINTHROP ROAD 580 OGDEN AVENUE 750 RIVER ROAD 203 CARLTON TERRACE

FORT LEE FORT LEE FORT LEE FORT LEE

J SO SO J
SO UST LD LD SO UST
LD ! ! LD
! !

NORTHBRIDGE PARK, #5-F THE PALISADES, #2507 THE COLONY, #12-L ATRIUM PALACE, #10-P

Contact us today for your complimentary consultation!

T: 201.266.8555 M: 201.906.6024
Ruth@MironProperties.com
www.MironProperties.com/NJ JEWISH STANDARD MAY 12, 2017 47
 a p p y
D a y
H s
e r
o t h y o u r
A M I L Y
M f r o m
R K E T F
M A
A R
C ED