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Matisyahu’s post-Chabad spirituality to shine at BergenPAC concert

No more black and white

COMMUNITYLocal groups take action on gun violenece 16

REMINISCENCE Ed Koch, 1924-2013 18, 26

N E W J E R S E Y

JewishStandardFebruary 8, 2013 · Vol. LXXXII · No. 20 · $1.00

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2 Jewish standard FeBrUarY 8, 2013

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENTJewish Standard (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 Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Periodicals postage paid at Hackensack, NJ and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Jersey Jewish Media Group, 1086 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Subscription price is $30.00 per year. Out-of-state subscriptions are $45.00, Foreign countries subscriptions are $75.00.The appearance of an advertisement in The Jewish Standard does not constitute a kashrut endorsement. The publishing of a paid political advertisement does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate political party or political position by the newspaper, the Federation or any employees.The Jewish Standard assumes no responsibility to return unsolicited editorial or graphic materials. All rights in letters and unso-licited editorial, and graphic material will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and subject to JEWISH STANDARD’s unrestricted right to edit and to comment editorially. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. © 2013

FYIA puzzle for our readers — what do you think?We are pleased to be able to offer you the Jerusalem Post crossword puzzle.

This puzzle was created by David Benkof, who has been making them since 1999. He creates them regularly for the Jerusalem Post and other Jewish newspapers; so far, twice he’s had a puzzle pub-lished in the New York Times as well.

Benkof’s puzzles draw on every aspect of Jewish life, from Israeli cities to Jewish holidays to Hollywood luminaries to famous rabbis to Yiddish expressions. He delights in occasional use of Jewish word-play, misleading and trickery. Examples:

A reader seeing a 4-letter entry for “Conservative Cantor?” might think about a woman chazzan, but the answer is ERIC Cantor, the House Republican Majority leader.

A reader seeing a 7-letter entry for “Where to find a nun in December” might think about churches and Christmas, but the answer is DREIDEL, because the Hebrew letter nun is found there.

Benkof is from St. Louis. He made aliyah in 2010 and lives in Jerusalem.

You can find our first puzzle on page 38 of this issue.Then we want to hear from you.Please let us know if you are interested in our continuing to pub-

lish crossword puzzles. Drop us an email at [email protected]. If enough readers want the puzzle, we will continue to run it.

We look forward to hearing your verdict.–Joanne Palmer

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PAGE 20

If synagogues wish to prosper in the 21st century, the emphasis need to be creating core members.

Alan Mark Levin, Fair Lawn

CANDLELIGHTING TIME: FRIDAY, FEB. 8, 5:03 P.M.SHABBAT ENDS: SATURDAY, FEB. 9, 6:05 P.M.

NOSHES .................................................................................................. 4BRIEFLY LOCAL .................................................................17OPINION .............................................................................................. 18COVER STORY....................................................................24TORAH COMMENTARY ..................................37CROSSWORD PUZZLE ....................................38

ARTS & CULTURE ........................................................39GALLERY .........................................................................................43LIFECYCLE ...................................................................................44CLASSIFIED ..............................................................................46HOME DESIGN ....................................................................48REAL ESTATE ...................................................................... 49

Contents

NATIONAL

Obama to visit Israel 29

ARTS & CULTURE

‘Lore’ of the German losers 39

LOCAL

After Sandy, recovering memories 15

LOCAL

Reuniting survivors 6

LOCAL

‘It actually tastes good!’ 14

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JEWISH STANDARD FEBRUARY 8, 2013 3

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Jewish standard FeBrUarY 8, 2013 5

Survivors reunited through local programMarla Cohen

Olga Jaeger and Marta Felberbaum both grew up under Nazi occupation, in the same region, now part of western Ukraine, an area that frequent-

ly changed hands between Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. Both women were sent to Auschwitz as teenagers.

But it wasn’t until they ended up in a Displaced Persons Camp in Bamberg, Germany, each trying to make her way to the United States, that they met.

Separated by an ocean when Felberbaum left for America, they kept in touch through letters. They later worked in the same factory in New York, but over time they lost touch with one another.

That is, until Café Europa, a program of Jewish Family Service of North Jersey, brought them back together about eight years ago.

“It’s an opportunity to get together,” Felberbaum said of the program. “We used to go to Teaneck at a restaurant with two other girls. But it’s getting harder and we’re getting older. So at least we get a ride. It’s simpler.”

The monthly program of Jewish Family Service of Northern New Jersey offers aging Holocaust survivors a chance to get together. The program, held at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center on the first Tuesday of each month, varies, with lunch, a ride, and a rotating program of lectures, musical performances, and films.

But it is a long way from Uzhorod, where Felberbaum was born, to Fair Lawn, where she now lives. Her father was a wholesaler of wine and whiskey, buying directly from vineyards and producing his own kosher wine.

“We were religious people,” she said.She, her mother, and three sisters were deported to

the Uzhorod ghetto, and later, when she was 16, all were sent to Auschwitz. When they arrived, and the cattle car door opened after a grueling trip, her father “disappeared right away.

“I was scared I would lose my mother right away, too.”She did. As they passed through Josef Mengele’s

infamous selection, she and her sisters were selected to live. But her mother was told to go to the right, and Felberbaum still rues the moment she left her mother’s side. Although no one was certain what fate lay in store for them, Felberbaum had an inkling when a Jewish capo pointed ominously to a chimney. “See that,” Felberbaum recounted him saying. “You came in through the door and you’ll go out through the chimney.”

In the waning days of the war, Felberbaum was liberated while on a train en route to another work camp. It took her three months to make her way home, which was under the control of the Soviet Union. Eventually, she was reunited with her sisters. They survived by selling cigarettes, loose tobacco, and white flour — goods that they could salvage from a store their father had owned befor the war — to the Red Army soldiers who occupied the town.

Felberbaum left home, realizing there was little future for her there. She found her way to the DP camp, and there, housed in a long building where the German cavalry had once kept its horses, she found others like her, hoping for a future, looking to leave Europe behind.

“I always say to Olga I had the nicest time in my life in the DP camp,” Felberbaum said. “I was young. I didn’t

have to worry about food. I was working.”“I wouldn’t call it a good time,” Jaeger said dryly.

“When each holiday time came, I cried. I needed my parents. I had to fend for myself.”

Despite their different take on that time, Felberbaum and Jaeger have an easy camaraderie, born from shared language and similar history. They consult each other for the right English word when they cannot find the

right Yiddish, German, or Hungarian one. They finish sentences for one another about their time together in the camps, and really, their views about that time are not so disparate.

“There is a Slovak expression, ‘I don’t have nothing and don’t care about anything,’” Jaeger said. “It was an easy life.”

Jaeger traveled a path similar to her friend’s. Born in Bilke — a small town now part of Ukraine, about an hour and a half from where Felberbaum lived — she and her family got through the war in relative quiet until Nazi ally Hungary invaded in April 1944. As they were finishing the Passover seder, there came a knock at the door. The Hungarian police ordered them to pack a suitcase and head to the town synagogue. From there, they were sent to the ghetto in Beregszasz, Hungary, then to a brick factory, and eventually to Auschwitz, where they separated Jaeger, her mother, and her sister from her father and two brothers.

One morning, the guards took her mother and some children away, telling Jaeger that her mother would be

Community

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Marta Felberbaum, left, and Olga Jaeger at a recent meeting of Cafe Europa at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center.

Olga Jaeger is at the bride’s left, and Marta Felderbaum is at her right, in a wedding held in the Bamberg DP camp.

A common area at the Bamberg DP camp when the two women lived there.

see SurvivOrS page 36


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watching them. “It was a hoax,” Jaeger said. They were not caring for children. As her mother left, she told her elder daughter, “‘Take care of Olga, she’s still a kid.’

“I was crying,’” Jaeger said. “I miss my mother.”Another selection process came, and this time, Jaeger,

then 15, was pulled out with the children. She wanted to go with her sister, who pulled her in front of a barracks and yanked open the door. They both hid there.

“This is how I survived,” said Jaeger. “My sister saved my life.”

After that she worked in a munitions factory from July 1944 through the following April. The end of the war was approaching, although the inmates did not know that until the English bombs fell. A few days later, the British liberated the camp.

Jaeger never returned home. She and her sister were cared for by the British in Czechoslovakia, then crossed the borders illegally between Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Germany several times before ending up in the same DP camp as Felberbaum in 1946.

In the camp, they became part of a group of young women who shared similar experiences. The group of friends would attend films in town each week, buying the tickets on Friday before Shabbat. Watching soccer matches and attending concerts replaced hard labor. They attended weddings and celebrated holidays, as each waited for word that she could depart for America.

Jews liberated by the Americans and British had priority for immigrating to North America. Jaeger spent six weeks in the camp before getting the green light to go to Canada. She went to New York with the help of the United Jewish Appeal, which then sent her to Atlanta, where she attended school. Felberbaum sent letters urging her friend to stay in school. “You were lucky,” she noted wryly.

Felberbaum eventually came to New York to live with relatives. She worked in a garment factory aligning zippers, seams, and plaid patterns for 12 cents per item of clothing. She married in 1951. She attended Jaeger’s wedding four years later, but eventually they lost track of each other when Felberbaum moved to California. They met again when the JFS program put them in touch with one another.

JFS has run Café Europa for more than 11 years. It is funded by the Conference of Material Claims Against Germany, which provides some restitution and support for the survivors of the Shoah. Because the funding is limited, JFS helps subsidize the program, according to the organization’s executive director, Leah Kaufman.

The program attracts up to 80 people each session, although holiday programs like that for Chanukah will bring out nearly 100. “It’s a place they can come to where there’s an unspoken language,” Kaufman said. “These are people who understand [one another] without them having to talk about it.”

The group provides socialization, allowing elderly survivors — the youngest are in the 80s — to connect with one another, and it provides a social network after the loss of a spouse. The program also allows JFS to identify and form relationships with the survivors in order to better serve them, Kaufman said.

“They all look forward to this one day a month,” she said. “If it were up to many of them, they’d like to see it meet more often.”

Survivors From page 6

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Fair Lawn student leads the line-up in Bar-Ilan comedy

AbigAil Klein leichmAn

The student-run Bar Ilan Acting Society at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University is described on its web-

site as “a means for the shy to become outgoing, the nervous to find courage and those who have a dream to find a means to fulfill it.”

Eighteen-year-old Levi Rybalov of Fair Lawn has BIAS to thank for fulfilling his dream of playing the lead on stage.

“My first acting experience was in the annual eighth-grade Holocaust play at Yavneh Academy [of Paramus] in 2008, where I played a German spy living in Havana,” Rybalov said. He graduated from Fair Lawn High School last year and is spending his gap year as a student in Bar-Ilan’s Israel Experience (or XP) program.

Rybalov won the role of Devon in BIAS’ January production of the comedic farce “Missing the Mark” by Michael Maxwell. The story follows a pair of high school-age swindlers posing as Hollywood producers trying to scam rich wannabe actresses. Inevitably, the plan backfires.

Devon is one of those con men.“The character I played was a conniving,

manipulative, cunning, heartless con artist trying to steal money from a bunch of almost oblivious women. He fit my personality rather well,” Rybalov joked. “Although the character didn’t have much substance, he was a lot of fun to play,” he added.

The XP program accepts no more than 100 overseas students each year, and encourages them to integrate into campus life as much as possible. When he’s not acting, Rybalov spends his mornings in Jewish study seminars and his afternoons in academic courses at the university’s Ramat Gan campus, just north of Tel Aviv. He can transfer the credits he’s earning to the Macaulay Honors College at Lehman College in the Bronx, where he will begin his freshman year of college in the fall.

“I’m not entirely sure what I will major in next year,” he said. “I enjoy history and chemistry, and it also wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to study physics next year. I hope to continue acting as a hobby.”

The Yavneh drama was a turning point for Rybalov, the son of Alla Granovsky of Fair Lawn and Alexander Rybalov of

Israel. “I had been curious about theater but never did anything about it. After the Holocaust play, I wanted to do it more often,” he said.

During his years at Fair Lawn High School, Rybalov acted in a variety of drama club productions, including a Shakespearean comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing,” and a tragedy, “Othello.”

Asked if the experience of putting on a play was much different in Israel, Rybalov noted that the director was extraordinarily laid back. “We just had so much fun at practice and he was very relaxed, but it came out really well,” he said.

The troupe, including other English-speakers among the general student body, rehearsed about 40 to 50 hours for the two-night presentation. Most Bar-Ilan freshmen are at least three years older than those in XP, because they’ve completed military or national service before starting college.

“I think I was the youngest by far, and I think I was the only one with experience,” Rybalov said. Any singing involved? “Oh God, no, nobody wants to hear me sing,”

he replied with mock horror.His previous experience paid off,

however. “During the performance, one of the back doors to the stage wouldn’t open and I couldn’t get on to the stage so I just called out ‘I’m stuck!’ and the entire audience broke out with laughter.”

Theater is not the only extracurricular activity in which Rybalov has participated. One particular highlight was kayaking and hiking in the Golan Heights at the beginning of the program. I enjoyed every minute.”

What does he like best about Israel? He doesn’t have to think for more than half a second. “Better weather, better food.”

Levi Rybalov in “Missing the Mark” Courtesy BIAs/BAr-IlAn unIversIty

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8 JEWISH STANDARD FEBRUARY 8, 2013

Kosher power to the people?Jerusalem rabbi behind controversial community kashrut certification to speak in Teaneck

LARRY YUDELSON

When newly ordained Rabbi Yosef Leibowitz

left Yeshiva University in New York to assume his first pulpit in Berkeley, California, some 40 plus years ago, his classmates jokingly bought him a gas mask.

At the time, the University of California’s Berkeley campus was in the news for student protests, which Governor Ronald Reagan was suppressed by sending out National Guard helicopters armed with tear gas.

Now Leibowitz’s son Aaron is in the family business (Yosef’s father also was a rabbi, with a New York congregation), serving a community in Jerusalem as well as running a small yeshiva. Perhaps fittingly for someone raised in Berkeley in that turbulent time he finds himself embattled, taking the side of free speech against governmental authority. Though, in a move Ronald Reagan’s libertarian economic advisors might approve, he is also fighting against a government-enforced monopoly — in particular, the Israeli rabbinate’s control over kashrut supervision. The free speech issue is this: Can a restaurant declare itself

kosher without buying the certification of the official rabbinate, and paying its inspectors?

The battle is not likely to bring on tear gas or rioters; for now, the struggle is taking place in small restaurants and newspaper columns and Facebook groups; ultimately, it may spill over into the courts and then, perhaps, Knesset legislation. But just as

the Berkeley struggles heralded a new American era — a time of protest, fewer limits on speech, and the rising star of Governor Ronald Reagan as the voice of the conservative backlash, Leibowitz’s struggles over kashrut both exemplify and herald a changing balance between religious observance, Israeli society, and government regulation.

Leibowitz’s yeshiva, Sulam Yaakov, as well as the synagogue he led, is in the Nachlaot neighborhood in Jerusalem, which he describes as “a little bit like the Greenwich Village of Jerusalem, with a very interesting mix of out-of-the box people.”

If Nachlaot is Greenwich Village, then Salon Shabazi is a prototypical Village coffee shop, designed to be part living room for students living in apartments too small for socializing, part cultural salon. It’s the sort of place where you can find a musical act featuring a modestly dressed, apparently Orthodox female singer, two bearded-and-capped musicians, and two more musicians who appear secular. Not long after Salon Shabazi opened, Leibowitz noted that young people with kipport were

frequenting the cafe — and that it had no kashrut supervision.

“I understood that they had ideological objections to the legal requirements for kashrut supervision. I proposed we build a community-based, trust-based supervision,” he said.

In his vision of kashrut, rather than the restaurant paying a supervisor, and answering to him in terms of which suppliers from whom to buy, supervision would be a learning opportunity. He would study the laws of kashrut with the restaurant owners, they would be open with their customers about their standards of observance, and the kitchen would be open for customers to inspect.

What would happen in the restaurant would mirror what happens in a kosher home, where a family maintains a kosher kitchen without hiring an outside supervisor.

Leibowitz’s neighborhood efforts coincided with a trend unfolding across Jerusalem. A couple of Orthodox students had started a Facebook page called “Kosher without certification” to publicize restaurants and coffee shops in the city that claimed to be kosher but chose not to have the chief rabbinate’s certification. He publicly endorsed the effort. “I support the right of any restaurant to claim that they’re kosher and place the

Who: Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz, dean of Sulam Yaakov – The Beit Midrash for Community Leadership Development

What: A talk on “Alternative kashrut in Jerusalem”

Where: The Jewish Center of Teaneck

When: Wednesday, February 13, at 7:45 p.m.

Too many words, too little time

Rabbi Leibowitz will be appearing at Limmud, the convention of Jewish learning that will meet in East Brunswick next weekend. And while he

will discuss the issue of alternative kashrut supervision, he also will deal with the question of making prayer meaningful. He will lead a “Slow Down Shacharit” ser-vice and a session called “Too Many Words! Why the Siddur is Broken, and How We Can Fix It.”

“Many people experience the siddur as having too many words. Its challenging for many people, even people who are fluent in Hebrew,” he explained.

It’s not a question of the service taking too long. “Sincere spiritual practice requires time,” he said.

Rather, “The heart likes things simple. There’s very little room left in our liturgy for the simplicity of spending some time with a word before I have to move on to the next.”

Leibowitz has been experimenting with “creative formats” to serve as a gateway into prayer.

“I’m looking for the quality of the words, not the quantity of the words,” he said.

One particular place where he likes to swap quantity for quality is the Psukei d’Zimra portion of the morning services. “These preliminary psalms carry a minimal level of obligation. It’s not like the recitation of the Shema.”

Usually, these dozen psalms are “mumbled over the course of a couple of minutes.” But Leibowitz said that “the true obligation is the connection to the divine, not mumbling words.

“Pick one psalm, and read it through, and discuss it. Let people express what different parts mean to them. Then contemplate a few minutes in silence. Maybe take one word from the psalm and chant it over and over again.

“Conversation and study works well for people with more intellectual sensibility. For more spiritual and New Age-y type of folks, spending 20 minutes just chanting one word over and over again can be very

powerful and connecting.”Leibowitz has been running occasional services

like this in Jerusalem living rooms. He started by approaching a “non-religious family” and asking them to invite their friends for “for an hour and a half on a Shabbat morning. It was halachic. The men and women sat separately. All the things that are absolute halachic obligations we said, but there’s so much that is not obligatory, that it left a tremendous amount of time for contemplation, for song, for meditation. At the end of the session, without fail there was a volunteer to host the next one.”

Liebowitz said the feedback has been “extremely encouraging,” both from people who had never been at Shabbat services “and people who had come their whole life. It’s heartbreaking the frustration people express after a lifetime of prayer while never feeling it’s something they want to do.”

–Larry Yudelson

Aaron Liebowitz

Performers at Salon Shabazi, reminiscent of a Village coffee shop.

See KOSHER POWER page 35

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responsibility on the consumer to learn about the level of supervision the restaurant employs,” he said.

“A big part of the campaign is to transfer more responsibility for kashrut to the consumer. Now the consumer tends to rely on a piece of paper from the chief rabbinate that says everything is kosher. The problem is very often the certificate isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The level of supervision is very inconsistent. Standards are minimal. The fact that the mashgiach” — the supervisor — “is on the payroll of the restaurant creates a huge conflict of interest.

“Let’s open up the market for certification and let the agencies compete for the consumer’s faith,” he said.

There is one set of alternative supervisions: That of the various charedi courts, collectively known as “badatz.” But, Leibowitz said, they don’t provide a model for a free market in kashrut supervision. It’s not clear what standards the rabbinate uses when it approves another supervision; the supervising court has no transparency in the standards it employs; and because they are only allowed as an additional certification, “anybody who subscribes to those agencies is basically employing two kashrut agencies. There’s no challenge to the monopoly the chief rabbinate has over the industry,” he said.

Not surprisingly, the rabbinate has not ignored the challenge. It has issued citations to the restaurants that are advertising themselves as kosher without certification. In turn, the restaurants have refused to pay the fines.

“Everyone is waiting to see how it plays out,” Leibowitz said. “There are huge legal questions as to whether the citations are enforceable. In most cases, the

rabbinate has dropped the case before it came to court.”As drafted by the Knesset, the kashrut law is anti-fraud

regulation, not religious legislation. Some lawyers argue that because it’s an anti-fraud law, there has to have been actual fraud if violators are to be punished. If the food is kosher but uncertified, it is not fraud to call it kosher, according to this interpretation. That means that the rabbinate would have to prove that the non-certified restaurants actually are not kosher.

Liebowitz said his alternative certification project reflects real, and “huge,” changes in Israeli, and particularly Jerusalem, society.

“There’s a large community of young people who grew up in Orthodox homes and have gone what we used to call ‘off the derech’” — off the path — “but still hold dear a lot of the values they grew up with. That’s one trend. The other trend is young secular Israelis who are reclaiming a relationship to tradition. There’s a growing community of autonomous observance. There are many people who want to eat kosher food, but don’t wear kipot, don’t feel the need for a rabbi to tell them it’s kosher.

“It’s an exciting thing. It reflects a drawing close of the Israeli populace around a shared ground of valuing Jewish identity.”

Liebowitz sees a “remix” of Jewish identity in Israel, exemplified by political parties such as Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid putting rabbis and Orthodox representatives onto their lists.

“We no longer can assume somebody’s practice based on what they look like. That’s huge. That’s good news. I hope that heralds an end to the disenfranchisement which has been directed at the non-observant community from their Jewish identity and their Jewish roots,” he said.

Kosher power FROM PAGE 8

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Hearts in the uttermost westOnetime intermarried ridgewood family, now all Jewish, moves to hawaii

Joanne Palmer

When we last heard from them, 10 years ago in May, the Armstrongs — Sandra,

Donald, and their three children — had just moved from Ridgewood to Oahu.

Their story, as chronicled in the Jewish Standard on May 2, 2003, had been dra-matic enough to start with. Donald, who worked on Wall Street, the son of a retired U.S. Army general, a Presbyterian, mar-ried Sandy Zimmerman, a somewhat apathetic Jew. Their initial attempt to bring their children up in both religions gradually grew into a family growing ever

more actively Jewish. Donald studied Judaism and he learned a great deal, but he was always on the outside.

And then he was inside. Guided by two husband-and-wife Conservative rabbi couples — Rabbis Noam Marans and Amy Roth, and then Gil and Batya Steinlauf, both men in turn rabbis of Temple Israel and Jewish Community Center — Donald converted, becoming a Jew.

In April 2003, Donald and Sandy Armstrong had a second wedding cer-emony, this one under a chuppah. The next month, they went west. Very far west. To the end of the western world.

Sandy Armstrong has written a book, “A Jewish Girl and a Not-So-Jewish-Boy,” about her family’s experience as it went from being interfaith to sharing a strong single faith, and about what it is like to be Jewish in a place she describes as sound-ing very much like paradise.

They moved not knowing exactly what to expect, she reports. “We went because Donald had been an Army brat, and he lived here, in Hawaii, through part of mid-dle school, when his father was stationed in Viet Nam. Those were some of the best years of his life.”

And now he had just lived through some of his most confusing years. He had worked in finance on Wall Street; in the aftermath of September 11 he lost his job. He took the “nice severance package” he was offered by his former employers, got his and his wife’s children’s enthusiastic assent, bought a house in Hawaii, sold their house in New Jersey, and moved. “Neither of us had jobs when we got there,” Armstrong said.

“It was like jumping off a cliff into the ocean. You just jump, and know you’ll land okay.

“It was sort of like Lech Lecha,” the Torah portion where God tells Abram to “go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

In Hawaii, Donald Armstrong “got a job working blue-collar construc-tion,” Sandy Armstrong said. “This was a Wall Street guy. He rarely did anything around the house. We hired everyone for everything.” But he started helping out the construction crew that was remod-eling the house they had bought — “I called him one day, and he said, ‘I can’t talk, I’m welding the bathroom!’” — and that turned into a job, from which he is

now retired. Sandy Armstrong, who had earned an undergraduate degree in edu-cation from Rutgers, became certified to teach special education in Hawaii, and she now heads a Head Start inclusion kin-dergarten class.

The Armstrongs’ Jewish life has grown, too. Donald Armstrong is now president of their shul, Congregation Sof Ma’arav, a Conservative shul that “is the western-most synagogue in the western hemi-sphere,” his wife reported. “We are the last ones to close the gates on Yom Kippur.”

Sof Ma’arav takes its name from the fa-mous 11th-century Spanish poet Yehuda HaLevi, who lived in what was the west-ernmost part of the known world, and certainly the westernmost Jewish com-munity. “My heart is in the East, and I am in the uttermost West” — b’sof Ma’arav” he wrote, soon before he took the trip toward Israel, dying either before or as he reached his goal. (Details of his death are buried in legend.)

The shul was established more than 40 years ago, Armstrong said. It does not employ a rabbi or cantor, although Mel Libman, a retired Conservative rabbi, is an active member who helps out with life-cy-cle events, including conversions. Donald Armstrong used his Wall Street-honed ne-gotiation technique to help the shul buy a cemetery, and Sandra Armstrong teaches Hebrew. Donald learned to read Torah, and he often does so.

“When we lived in New Jersey, Don rarely made it home for Shabbat dinner,” Sandra Armstrong said. “It was always me and the children.

“Now, he’s always here.”Shabbat dinner often is outside, under

the stars.

The Armstrongs find that it is not hard to keep kosher in Hawaii. The local su-permarket stocks kosher meat, and the climate demands lighter meals anyway, with more vegetables, rice, and fish.

Many Jews come to Sof Ma’arav on va-cation, and many of the local Jews’ friends and family visit, so there are often visitors filling out the 80-family congregation’s pews. It has hosted Shoah survivors and survivors of the illegal immigration ship Exodus in 1947. “The combinations of family members, guests, and friends from the East Coast truly has been amazing,” Armstrong said. “We are the hub of the Conservative movement in the middle of the ocean.”

The shul does not have a building. Services usually are held in the local Unitarian church, but when holidays con-flict, “we have services right here, on our lanai,” she said. “We have a Torah [scroll] in our home. It has become a member of our family, and we love it.

“Standing outside in my yard during services and listening to the music com-ing from my living room is an indescrib-able joy.”

As strongly as she feels about the won-ders of Hawaii, Sandy Armstrong feels even more passionately about Judaism. “About 50 percent of Jews are intermar-ried, and only about 25 percent of their children are raised as Jews,” she said. She wants people to know about the outcome of what used to be an intermarriage; what was possible for her also is possible for them.

“Why not chose Judaism?’ she said. “Go for it. Raise your kids to be Jewish. Why not choose Judaism over Christianity? It’s a wonderful religion.”

An ocean away, Donald and Sandra celebrate their new Jewish life. Photos courtesy sandra armstrong

Going to Hawaii with no job, Sandra Armstrong now is a special education teacher.

Caption Photo credIt

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‘A college for grown-ups’JCC University gears up for third semester

Lois GoLdrich

Bergen County residents no longer have to travel to New York for high-quality educational programs, says

Kathy Graff, director of new initiatives at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly and coordinator of the JCC University.

“We’ve got the same quality programs and we’re more convenient,” Graff said, announcing the third semester of what she calls “a college for grown-ups.”

“When you go to college, you don’t have a context for learning,” she said, explain-ing that most people who go to the JCC’s educational venture are recent retirees, “trying to figure out what to do with their second act.

“We provide a way to keep learning at a time when you’re ready to receive it,” she said. “Hopefully, we’re giving [attendees] new ideas and filling their time in a pro-ductive way.”

Graff said that the project, created by JCC program director Carol Leslie, includes six sessions, each featuring two presenta-tions. The spring semester drew about 70 participants.

“Many people who attended previous sessions are returning with friends,” Graff said, noting that the winter semester — six consecutive Thursdays from February 28 to March 21 — will include presenta-tions ranging from “Arthur Miller’s Willy Loman: Relevant Then, Relevant Now” to “Emerging Microbial Diseases and Their Likely Paths.”

Past sessions also have explored di-verse topics, from counterterrorism to the changing face of communications.

The program, open to JCC members and nonmembers, has brought in students from towns throughout Bergen County.

“We’re getting people from all over, even Rockland County,” Graff said. “We’re pleased that they are traveling for this.” In addition, she said, the program has attract-ed equal numbers of men and women.

Graff said she has a lot of help in plan-ning programs, working with a task force of eight active JCC members.

“We try to present a wide variety of topics and seek out top professors and experts in their fields,” she said. “We have conversations about interesting topics and we search to find the best people to do the presentations. We’re constantly looking at what’s out there, what’s new, and the hot topics of the day.”

Graff said that what sets the JCC University apart is that “attendees not only hear high-quality presentations but have an opportunity to meet like-minded people and form a community. We have a popula-tion of adults who are really interested in learning new things and hearing different perspectives. This lets them stay involved in what’s going on and continue to learn.”

JCC member Buddy Tell of Cresskill, a member of the JCC University task force, credited Graff with bringing in exciting

ideas but noted that the planning group is not run in a “dictatorial” manner.

“We want to bring people in who are topical and particularly interesting as well as people who can introduce a bit of con-troversy,” he said, noting that if task force members don’t think someone is the right choice, they’ll let Graff know.

“We may say no, that won’t fly,” Tell said, noting that the people on the task force represent exactly the population Graff is aiming to reach. “If you don’t have people that stimulate you, you’re not coming back.

“Adults, basically retired people, need stimulation during the course of the week,” he continued. “You don’t want to go run-ning to New York. You can get it here, and be part of this community.”

He noted that the question-and-answer session that follows each presentation is particularly interesting.

“We don’t have dummies,” he said. “People really get with it. They get up and argue with the presenters. We always go overtime.”

The presenters enjoy that as well, Graff said.

“Presenters love our audience,” she said. “They get so much back. They’re ea-ger to come again.”

She said that the task force tries to put together a balanced program, including both hot-button issues and offerings in theater, music, and art.

Noting the high quality of presenters, she said that “we haven’t had any duds — we’re lucky like that. We’re not bringing in people whose hobby is the topic and they like to talk about it. We’re bringing in top experts. We want credentials.”

Graff said she’s learned that the people attending her program “really like politics. So we try to have an element of that. We also know that sometimes people think something might not be interesting to them but then they try it and find out that it is. So we may go the unconventional route.

“Our success encourages us to try new things.”

For more information about the JCC University, call Kathy Graff at (201) 408-1454.

Buddy Tell asks a question after a talk at the JCC University. Courtesy jCCotp


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‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’then learnin’ about what comes next — rituals for death and mourning

AbigAil Klein leichmAn

EMERSON – Cong. B’nai Israel’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” workshop series begins on Sunday, February 10, with a discussion of Jewish customs and traditions about death, funerals, shiva, and unveiling.

Three subsequent Sunday morning sessions will cover funeral arrangements, estate planning, Jewish views of the after-life, and how to run a shiva minyan. All are open to the public free of charge.

Rabbi Debra Orenstein explains that the idea for the synagogue’s latest adult-ed series came from congregants who recently have suffered the deaths of family members, as well as the untimely death of a beloved con-gregant a year and a half ago. She will lead the sessions, along with the shul’s Cantor Lenny Mandel and guest speakers.

“People were getting a lot of exposure to Jewish mourning customs but did not feel as informed as they wished to be,” she said. “A time of tragedy, when you are absorbed with your own grief, is not when you have the power or energy or inclination to attend a class about these rituals.

“We felt that preparing for death and mourning is

something Jews want and need to know about more deeply. When the time inevita-bly comes for you to draw on that prepara-tion, the resources and the rituals will be more meaningful for you,” she continued. “Most of us have at least a superficial ac-quaintance with shiva and mourning, and we tend to feel its usefulness, compassion, kindness, and healing, but there is a sense that we haven’t gotten deeply into it.”

Orenstein, a Conservative rabbi who was editor of Jewish Lights’ “Lifecycles,” a book series that began in 1994, also sat on the Rabbinical Assembly committee that

designed rituals and prayers for childbirth, pregnancy, and miscarriage. “I have a career-long interest in how lifecycle events help us connect to God, Torah, and com-munity,” she said.

An article she wrote about the Jewish mourning pro-cess for a Catholic publication on interfaith rites of death will be among the texts upon which she will draw for the series, along with biblical, talmudic, and other contem-porary sources.

In the opening session, Orenstein will present a timeline detailing what happens in traditional Jewish

observance after a death, why it happens, and how those observances play out in different people’s lives. “Sometimes you have expectations and then in the mo-ment things might be a little different,” she said. “We’ll be peppering these discussions with individual stories.”

The workshop will address people’s concerns about what to do immediately after hearing of a close family member’s death. “People have said, ‘I have been to shiva minyans, but when my parent died I didn’t know what to do first. Cover the mirrors? Call the doctor?’ This is an attempt to give step-by-step, practical tools — but at the same time, the spiritual meaning behind everything.”

The second workshop, to be held March 3, is called “With a Little Help From my Friends.” It will feature a panel discussion about buying plots, selecting a funeral home, preparing for funerals, prepaying for funerals, and bringing a body back from out of state. Barry Wien, co-owner of Eden Memorial, will lead that session. Louise Reich, an estate planning and administration attorney and congregation member, will focus on living wills, health proxies, and preparing an estate. Orenstein and Mandel will discuss organ donation, bequests, and chari-table donations.

The third session, on April 14, will delve into Jewish

Rabbi Deborah Orenstein

A necessary conversationLegislator supports effort to help fund adult briefs

lois goldrich

Over the past year, Marlene Ceragno has been trying to start a conversation about adult

absorbent products.But unfortunately, said Ceragno, a rec-

reational therapist at the Senior Center of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, “There’s been no movement on the stigma front. I recently spoke at a Rotary Club meeting and at first they couldn’t look me in the eye. But it’s a conversation that has to get started. We didn’t talk about dementia years ago and now we do.”

Still, progress is being made. In August, the JCC brought together legislators in-terested in helping seniors meet the costs of purchasing absorbent products. One of them, State Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (District 37), has taken the idea to Trenton.

Ceragno spoke enthusiastically about Huttle’s bill, Concurrent Resolution 166, which asks Medicare to help fund adult absorbent products.

“That is my dream,” Ceragno said. “For Medicare — not just Medicaid — to help seniors who live solely off Social Security checks to help pay for these very expen-sive items.”

“Adult incontinence is a growing concern as our population ages,” Huttle wrote in an email to the Jewish Standard.

“Access to incontinence products can help senior citizens remain in their homes and communities longer.”

Ceragno, who recently received her master’s degree in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts, is her 90-year-old aunt’s primary caretaker. She said that she had been shocked to learn the high cost of absorbent products.

Invited to testify at a senior needs’ hearing last year, she realized that the problem was widespread, with some seniors forced to choose between inconti-nence products and food.

“The latest information from the New Jersey Foundation on Aging shows that 25 percent of seniors in the state cannot cover basic needs such as food, so they certainly can’t afford” these products, she said.

Huttle’s resolution “asks for Medicare to consider funding these products for people like my aunt, who get too much Social Security to qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford basic needs.” While the bill has passed its first vote in the Assembly health committee, she said, “where it goes from there, I don’t know. I think it has a long way to go.”

Ceragno said that her goal is for the United States to emulate Australia, which provides funding for these products

through a system like that used for food stamps. In the meantime, after doing research on diaper banks around the country, she has embarked on public educational efforts, spurring the launch of adult briefs drives throughout the community.

One drive, held last summer at the JCC, netted some 6,000 absorbent prod-ucts. Another, held in September at

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, brought in more than 1,000. Ceragno also was helped by a donor working with the Red Cross and Somebody Cares America who heard about her efforts and provided her with 1,500 briefs.

“It was a windfall,” she said, noting that it took two cars to bring the products to Englewood’s Center for Food Action,

Rabbi Meir Berger and Marlene Ceragno at the New Synagogue of Fort Lee.

see KNOCKiN’ page 32

see LegiSLatOR page 32


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beliefs about the afterlife. “It’s surprising to me how often people say, ‘I didn’t know Jews believed in the afterlife,’ so it’s important to communicate the history and philoso-phy of those ideas and open it up for conversation and questions,” Orenstein said.

In the final session, “Leader of the Pack,” set for April 12, Mandel will train anyone 13 or older how to lead a shiva minyan.

“We’re a very musical synagogue, so the committee named each session after songs,” Orenstein explained. “It’s a tough topic, and they wanted to make it accessible and friendly. We also want to communicate that you can think of these ideas in a way that will enhance your life.”

In the spring, the synagogue will host its next adult-ed series on lifecycle events, “All You Need is Love.” The ses-sions will be: “One and One Make Two,” about brit milah, baby-naming, and conversion of non-Jewish babies; “Do You Want to Know a Secret,” looking at “invisible life pas-sages” such as coming out (or learning that your child is gay), having a miscarriage, sending your last child out of the nest, and achieving remission of a disease; and “Got to Get You into My Life,” dealing with Jewish wedding rit-uals and traditions, and the issue of interfaith marriages.

Each 10 to 11:30 a.m. session is self-contained. People planning to attend are asked to RSVP to [email protected] or (201) 265-2272, and to bring a nonperishable food item to contribute to the congregation’s interfaith food drive. Collection bins are in the lobby of the syna-gogue at 53 Palisade Ave., Emerson.

For more information, call (201) 265-2272 or go to www.bisrael.com. 5603345

which distributes them.This month, the New Synagogue of Fort Lee is spon-

soring a drive for the entire community.“I felt that my rabbi” — Meir Berger — “has always

been a champion for seniors,” she said, explaining that while he had been enthusiastic about the idea at first, he also was somewhat afraid of offending members of the congregation.

“I explained that it’s not for our congregation [but] that we’re a drop-off point for all of Fort Lee and sur-rounding communities,” said Ceragno, who added that she hopes that as people see the project moving forward, other communities will host drives as well.

Audrey Cole, a synagogue administrator working on the project with Berger, said that the rabbi, “always an ad-vocate for seniors, knows how expensive these products are. When Marlene asked him to host the drive, he saw it as another way to help seniors.”

Cole said that while the collection has not yet formally begun, the bin, which stands in the synagogue’s front foyer, already is full.

“We’re getting a phenomenal response,” she said.“People go through these products so quickly,”

Ceragno said. “They have to decide from month to month whether to buy food or absorbent products. Someone told me that a relative missed a simcha be-cause of this.” Since there are no programs that offer financial assistance to seniors in need of adult briefs or other incontinence products, “millions of senior adults are becoming unnecessarily homebound,” she said.

To learn more about this subject, go to www.facebook.com/adultcarebrief.

Knockin’ From page 12

Legislator From page 12


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‘It actually tastes good!’The Kosher Food and Wine Experience offered many treats at Chelsea Piers

JOSH LIPOWSKY

You might think that Mordy Herzog, executive vice president of Royal Wine Corp. in Bayonne,

has a favorite wine. He doesn’t, and he doesn’t think you should either.

“It’s not about what is the most exciting wine, it’s about what you like,” he said. “And the fun and challenge that I put out to my customers is find what you like, find what you enjoy. Don’t find what people say is the best. Find the wine that suits you.”

Herzog’s challenge was resolutely accepted on Monday night at Royal Wine Corp.’s Kosher Food and Wine Experience at New York’s Chelsea Piers. The event drew 2,000 kosher industry insiders, members of the press, and people looking for a night out on the town. For Bayonne-based Royal Wines, the annual event is more than just a showcase of 200 wines it distributes — it’s an opportunity to expand the public’s knowledge.

“The story of kosher wine has just begun and we think there is a great, great journey ahead of us,” Herzog said. “When you look around, what you see is happy people. That’s what this event is about, happy people enjoying themselves.”

Herzog Wine Cellars debuted a new 2010 single vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, which retails for about $75. The excitement of the new wine, general manager of wine operations Joe Hurliman said, was heightened by the opportunity to talk about it with experienced and novice wine drinkers alike.

“You get the story from the winemaker,” he said. “They try a wine and look at you and smile. You get that positive response. What more could you ask for at an event like this?”

For Fran Greenman of Madison, Wisc., in town for just a few days, the event “proves that kosher food and wine actually tastes good.”

“It’s nice to dress up every once in a while and take the baker’s clothes off,” said Adam Steinberg, co-owner of Zadie’s Kosher Bakeshop in Fair Lawn, who was there with his wife, Jessica, and business partners Eric Mercado and Josh Steinberg.

For first-timer Henry Frank of New York, the draw was “the food and wine, but mainly the food,” he said, noting that “sausage seems to be a big thing here, and it’s excellent.”

Sausage was easy to find, but bacon substitutes seemed to be the hot trend this year. Teaneck’s Gotham Burger, a first-time attendee at the show, offered BFLT Bites, with applewood-smoked maple-glazed beef fry. Et Al, opened in December in Vauxhall by Seth Warshaw of Teaneck’s ETC Steakhouse, served a

lamb bacon-wrapped poached pear, while Brooklyn-based meat company Jack’s Gourmet sampled FLT — Facon, Lettuce, Tomato — sandwiches.

The event, Warshaw said, “allows us to come to the New York scene and present what we have, and hopefully they like it.”

At the Silverleaf Caterers table, chefs set up a Brazilian churrascaria station, grilling seasoned steak and marinated chicken on rodizio swords in the style of the Brazilian barbecue, demonstrating a new feature for weddings and b’nai mitzvah. After hearing about the churrascaria style, Jack Wasserman, who runs Silverleaf, the catering arm of Teaneck’s Butterflake, sent his chefs to learn the techniques.

“A lot of people love our stuff and want to know how this can translate into an event for them,” he said. “That’s why we do this.”

The expo appeals to many audiences, according to Menachem Lubinsky, CEO of Lubicom, a kosher industry monitor and host of the annual Kosherfest industry expo in the Meadowlands. Lubinsky was on the lookout for new trends and innovations in kosher wine and food.

“It’s all part of the upscaling of kosher,” he said. “This event, more and more restaurants are appealing to this crowd. It’s part of an entire universe of developing kosher to the next level. It’s become a big social event because of people in the area who are interested in better wines and better food. This is a good place to see a good sample of it.”

“It’s a great event that celebrates the growth of the kosher industry and reiterates that market is being driven by Jewish kosher consumers,” said Elie Rosenfeld, CEO of Joseph Jacobs Advertising, which represents kosher giants Empire and Manischewitz.

The assorted carving stations slicing up fresh, hot brisket, pastrami, and corned beef were big draws for Rabbi Levi Stone, who came down from Westport, Conn., with his wife, Chanie, but the sweeter wines, like Teal Lake and Moscato d’Asti also grabbed his attention.

In addition to what he described as the never-ending delicacies, KFWE provides “just an unbelievable feeling of togetherness and unity and good kosher food,” he said. “What more could you ask for?”

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14 JEWISH STANDARD FEBRUARY 8, 2013

Seth Warshaw of ETC Steakhouse in Teaneck offers samples to visitors. PHOTOS BY JOSH LIPOWSKY

Rabbi Levi and Chanie Stone ventured from Connecticut to Chelsea Piers.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach of Englewood enjoys a glass of wine.

Avi Rhoades, who used to live in Teaneck, has a great time sampling food and drink.

Joe Hurliman manages wine operations for Herzog Wine Cellars.

FLTs are Facon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. Facon, as its name implies, is faux bacon.

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Photo fixesOperation Photo rescue restores storm-damaged pictures — free

Joanne Palmer

After people’s homes were devastated by Superstorm Sandy, often they needed new boilers, or roofs, or drywall. They couldn’t

rebuild without those things, and they couldn’t live without them.

But there is very little sentiment attached to a boiler, or a roof, or drywall. They are interchangeable func-tional objects.

Photographs, though — that’s some-thing else entirely.

Many people lost the records of their lives, and of their parents’ and grandparents’ lives as well. Floodwaters took black and white photos and left them sodden masses of brown; color pictures often turned into a bright swirl of indecipherable color.

Photographs are not necessary, the way boilers or roofs or drywall are, but when they are destroyed people feel less whole.

My parents live in Oceanside, on Long Island’s south shore, just a few miles from the beach. When the storm hit, the ocean surged up Long Beach Road and almost filled their basement. Everything in it was destroyed. They replaced the boiler and the drywall (their roof was fine), but they simply piled the ruined pictures in a heap and left them sitting. It was too dispiriting to look at them, but it was somehow too disloyal, too much like giving up, to throw them away.

There might be something more symbolic than a damaged picture left to rot, but it’s hard to come up with it.

And then, help! From Kansas, of all places.My mother read an article in Newsday, Long Island’s

only remaining daily, about Operation Photo Rescue. It’s a group that uses pretty amazing technology, com-bined with highly skilled volunteers’ experience and instinct, to restore ruined photographs.

And it is free. These volunteers offer their service out of a combination of basic goodness and the excitement of the technical challenges the work provides.

The group was begun to help fix some of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina in 2005; its founders recog-nized that they could help rebuild people’s lives through

their combination of technology and art. There have been a great many floods in recent years, and not only the coasts are vulnerable. Rivers have overflowed their banks, demolished levees, and ruined the towns built up alongside them with depressing regularity, even as politicians argue about climate change. There is a real emotional and psychological need for the services of-fered by Operation Photo Rescue.

People can bring the group up to 20 storm-damaged photos. Those originals are photographed and re-turned within an hour or so; the copied images, care-fully made with high-end equipment (in New York, it was done with a hugely expensive machine lent to Operation Photo Rescue by the Metropolitan Museum of Art), are put in virtual folders, where volunteers, who could be anyplace in real life, take them out and fix them. There is no risk to the originals, which are back

safely in their owners’ hands.Margie Hayes, now the organization’s president, had

been a technical writer before she was displaced in the economic turmoil of 2008. She’d always been fascinated by art, so she retrained as a graphic artist.

We met her on Sunday at the School for Visual Arts in the Flatiron neighborhood, surrounded by art sup-ply stores and precious artisanal coffee shops. The vol-unteers wore white gloves to handle the photographs, probably both because they didn’t want to cause them any further harm and because they didn’t want to come into contact with mold. (My parents had left the photo-graphs to dry under glass, which is not ideal, I learned later; it kept them from tearing, but it caused some of the pigment to stick. If your photographs get wet, you should remove them carefully from their frames while they still are wet and put them carefully on a towel to dry.)

Hayes, an open and cheerful woman, is from Kansas. This was her first trip to New York; she was there from Friday until Monday, and could spare time to see al-most nothing. (I was able to take out my iPad to show her Madison Square Park and the improbable glory of the Flatiron Building; they were close enough that I hope she managed to see them.) She was doing in-take, assessing the photos and explaining the system. She rejected one of ours, a rectangle that eventually we realized was Andy and my wedding picture. Andy’s Moroccan kippah was vaguely visible at the top, and my white dress a blur of slightly lighter color. There wasn’t enough detail left for anyone to work with, she said.

But the others all could be fixed. They were pocked and puckered but technique, knowledge, and imagina-tion will save them.

Soon — she couldn’t say when — we will get an enve-lope with hard copy prints, and we will drive them back out to Long Island and present them to my parents. Another part of their lives will have been restored.

Thank you, Operation Photo Rescue.

Four grandchildren, in a photo that suffered only mild water damage. It will be fixed.

“Many people lost the records of their lives, and of their parents’ and grandparents’ lives as well.”

First Person

‘These dead shall not have died in vain’Local interfaith groups work to try to contain gun violence

Joanne Palmer

The question of gun violence man-ages to be both divisive and unify-ing. Although many gun owners,

including many Jews, bristle reflexively when the subject is broached, it also draws many unexpected groups together.

Joel Mosbacher, rabbi of Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, a Reform synagogue in Mahwah, convened a meeting of local clergy in January. It was meant to be the first of a series of meetings, and gave participants the chance to hash out ideas and come to an action plan about which

they all could agree. True to his word, on Sunday he held the next meeting — this one was for local activists, both clergy and lay, to set strategy.

At the same time, local activists, organized primarily by the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County and including a large number of Jews, have been holding a vigil every Sunday afternoon at Chestnut Street Plaza on Cedar Lane in Teaneck.

Although these two groups developed separately in response to the same stimulus — the murders in Newtown, Connecticut — they have now joined forces.

The vigil’s goal “is asking people to go to their town councils and their mayors to join Mayor Bloomberg’s group,” — New York City’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has founded a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns — “and for town councils to pass resolutions to support Obama’s campaign to reduce gun violence,” Steven Tencer said. Tencer, who lives in Teaneck,

supports the group actively and has been at most of its vigils. “So far we’ve been successful in New Milford and Fair Lawn.” Teaneck’s town council voted to pass the legislation on Tuesday.

When they first began, the vigils drew about 80 people, Tencer said; now, weeks later, after the first shock has worn off, still about 30 to 40 come.

Each week, another clergy member organizes the vigil. Two Sundays ago, that task fell to Rabbi Steven Sirbu of Temple Emeth in Teaneck. Last Sunday, Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky of Congregation Beth Sholom, also in Teaneck, took charge.

From left, Rebecca Miller, Rabbi Elyse Frishman, Louis Lever, and Bari Hopkins face the camera, and from left, Louis Milgrom, Naomi Gamorra, and Lisa Summers watch them at Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes.

Marc Abel, a congregant at Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, speaks at the meeting there on Sunday.

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Rabbi Joel Mosbacher

Rev. Steve Huston

see GUN VIOLENCE page 33

“It’s a time for the community to come together and express their feelings about the need to curb gun violence.”

— Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky


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Rev. Steve Huston

“It’s a time for the community to come together and express their feelings about the need to curb gun violence, and also to check in, on a practical level, to find out what’s going on,” Pitkowsky said.

Each leader can shape the vigil when it is his or her turn, he said. Last week, he read a few lines from the Declaration of Independence and the last section of the Gettysburg Address. “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us,” he began, reading Abraham Lincoln’s profoundly moving words, “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.…”

We cannot say that everyone who was shot dead was a hero, Pitkowsky said, and in fact it is a misuse of that word to use it in that way, but “I hope that we can learn from their deaths, grieve them, and hopefully make the world a better place.”

Mosbacher said that “there were 13 communities of faith” at the meeting he held in Mahwah, “including Jews, Christians, and Sikhs. The NAACP” — the civil right organization whose initials spell out the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — “was there. There were about 125 people from various communities. We got together to strategize about how to bring about sensible gun violence prevention legislation.”

The goal now, he said, “is to meet with all of the New Jersey congressional delegation. We want to work with people across the state.”

The group is not trying to take away people’s guns, he stressed. “Some people feel they’d like to take a more aggressive view, but our sense is that we want to try for things that we actually can win, such as background checks, limits on ammunition clips, and a ban on assault weapons.

“We’ve been explicit and clear in every forum, including this last one, that it’s not about taking guns away from responsible gun owners,” Mosbacher continued. “It is about trying to ensure people’s safety.”

Joy Kurland, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, was at the Mahwah meeting. Although the JCRC has not yet had a chance to vote on the issue at a board meeting, “certainly the rabbis and other people have been involved, so we are involved,” she said.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the JCRC’s umbrella organization, is holding its annual plenum in Washington, D.C., March 9 to March 12, and “a resolution not just on gun violence but also mass violence, which encompasses the gun issue as well as the whole mental health issue,” will be on the agenda there, she said.

Another participant at the Mahwah meeting was the Reverend Steve Huston, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Ramsey.

“I got involved in the meeting initially because Rabbi Mosbacher invited me, and after Newtown I felt it was time I needed to stop being in the shadows and come out in front and speak out,” he said. “We were coming back from a family Christmas dinner, got off the highway to avoid traffic, and ended up driving through Newtown. The heaviness of driving through that town was so palpable, I thought, ‘I need to do something, I just don’t know what it is.’” Then he got the call from Mosbacher.

Huston is from Oklahoma. “I grew up in a hunting family,” he said. “When I was not old enough to hunt, I was the hunting dog; my dad would shoot the birds” — generally doves — “and I would run out to the field and grab them. When I was old enough, my father would pick me up after school, the shotguns would be in the back of the car, and we’d go out to the field and shoot, and then come home and clean them up and cook them for dinner.

“I enjoyed the time with my father. We’d hunt ducks and geese, and a lot of it was the long drives with my father. That was part of our relationship, and it was wonderful to have that opportunity.

“I also grew up in scouting. Part of what we did was skeet shooting and target shooting and learning gun safety. A member of our church was our shooting instructor. It was a very normal part of growing up.

“It wasn’t until I got married that I realized that other people didn’t grow up that way.”

Huston’s wife is from New York, and “we made the decision that when we had children” — they have two — “we wouldn’t have guns in our house.

“I remember being 8 or 9 years old, at a friend’s house, getting hold of his father’s pistol. I realized that I had to not do anything with it, but I don’t want it to be part of my children’s growing up.

“We don’t want to have accidents, and those kinds of accidents happen all the time.”

He is not antigun, Huston said. “I don’t necessarily believe that arming everyone is the solution, and I don’t believe that taking everyone’s gun away is the solution, either.

“Part of the reason for my entering this conversation is to help lead a discussion about finding some place where we can all agree to move forward.

“In many ways, our police forces have become paramilitary forces, because the arsenals that they are facing on the street are increasing. They look more like military than like police. At some point, we have to stop and figure out how to move in a different direction.

“I don’t know what that direction is, but I know that we have to do something.”

Gun violence From page 16

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Rinat dinner set for early MarchCongregation Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck will hold its annual dinner on Sunday, March 3, at 5 p.m., at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck. Debbie and Orin Golubtchik are the guests of honor. Felicia Grossman will receive the Sruli Guttman Service award and Josh Sultanik is the Young Leadership awardee. For information, call (201) 837-2795 or go to www.rinat.org.

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Briefly local

Tribute concert honors memory of Stephanie Prezant“Songs She Loved,” an eve-ning dedicated to remem-bering Stephanie Prezant and her “enthusiasm for life,” is set for Saturday, February 9, at 8 p.m., at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly.

Stephanie Iris Prezant, 22, was from Haworth and a senior at the University of Delaware when she died on April 29 after a rock climbing accident at the Mohonk Preserve in New York State. She was survived by her parents, Elana and Jeffrey Prezant, a brother, Jonathan, a sister, Jacqueline, and her grandparents, Tania and Philip Horn, and Louise and Howard Prezant. Rabbi Mordecai Shain, executive director of Lubavitch on the Palisades, conducted her funeral, held at the JCC.

The concert will feature live music by friends and family, including her father on guitars and vocal; her brother on keyboard and vocals; her uncle, Bob Prezant, on drums; and her cousins, Zach Prezant on bass, and Sarah Fortinsky, vocals. Other musicians will include Shlomi Pilo on keyboard and vocals; Udy Kashkash on guitar and vocals; Ronen Milkay on saxophone; Arlene Gould on vocals; Uri Kleinman on bass; and Gal Gershovsky on drums. Special performers include Nancy Follender, vocals, with Diane Honig, piano; and Erel Pilo, vocals.

The concert costs $30 a person. Funds raised will help support the Stephanie I. Prezant Maccabi Fund at the JCCOTP, which “encourages today’s youth to embrace athletics and sportsmanship with the same passion that she embraced them.” For information, call (201) 408-1406.

Stephanie Prezant Courtesy JCCotP

Debbie and Orin GolubtchikPhotos Courtesy Cry

Felicia Grossman Josh Sultanik

Heshe and Harriet Seif Photos Courtesy etzion

Etzion honorary dinner March 10The Etzion Foundation will honor Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush), in celebration of his upcoming 80th birthday, at its an-nual dinner on March 10 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan. Heshe and Harriet Seif of Englewood are guests of honor. Rabbi Yehuda and Michelle Sarna also are being honored; he is Alumnus of the Year. For infor-mation, call the Etzion Foundation at (212) 732-4874.

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein

OU opens local officeThe Orthodox Union’s Institute of Public Affairs has moved to a new office in Teaneck to house its New Jersey operations. Its public affairs staff expanded to advocate in New Jersey in 2011, concentrating on day school educational affordability initiatives. Before moving to Teaneck, the staff worked from OU headquarters in Manhattan.

According to Josh Pruzansky, the institute’s New Jersey state director, “The purpose of the creation of the New Jersey office was clear — to find a way to help ease the financial strain on families sending their children to Jewish day schools. In order to obtain what we seek in Trenton we need to increase our voting turnout. That is why we are coming to the community.”

The new office is at 696 Palisade Avenue; there will be satellite offices as well. For information on the OU’s IPA opening a satellite office in a community, or to become involved with the OU’s educational affordability initiative, call 855-NJ-VOTES (658-6837) or go to www.njvotes.org.

Klatskin Baker among nature center honoreesCharles Klatskin and Bruce Baker will re-ceive the Tenafly Nature Center’s highest honor, “The Founders Award for Conservation,” at the organization’s annual dinner and silent auc-tion on Sunday, March 3, at the Clinton Inn in Tenafly. Honorary chair Jen Maxfield, a Tenafly na-tive and local newscaster, will serve as emcee.

Charles Klatskin and Bruce Baker worked together in 1976 to finalize the funding to preserve 274 acres of woodlands atop the Palisades. At the time, Klatskin was a leader of the Jewish Community Center of Englewood, the forerunner to the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly. Klatskin, representing the JCC, was able to secure the final $1 million necessary to bridge the remaining financial gap — in exchange for a 29-acre parcel where the JCC would build its new center.

TNC will present the Volunteer of the Year award to Paul Keyes, a local landscape architect, and special thanks and recognition will be extended to the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference for its work helping to maintain TNC’s seven miles of trails and for its efforts to re-open trails after Superstorm Sandy.

For tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and information on ads for a commemorative journal go to www.tenaflynaturecenter.org/Annual-Dinner.


Taya Schwartzbard sits with her father, Adam Schwartzbard, at morning minyan and says the Shema at the World Wide Wrap at Temple Emanu-El of Closter last week. The World Wide Wrap is a project of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs. BruCe Pomerantz

CareOne at Teaneck hosts ShabbatonAri MArkowitz

Last weekend, nine boys from the Torah Academy of Bergen County spent Shabbat with our residents at CareOne at Teaneck.

The Shabbaton began with a Kabbalat Shabbat ser-vice that carried over into Shabbat dinner that many of our residents shared with the TABC students. Dinner was filled with zemirot and many of the residents sang along and afterward Rabbi Duvy Nachbar from TABC gave a shiur (lecture) for residents, students, and community members.

Shabbat day began with morning services followed by an elaborate hot kiddush with chulent, different types of kugels, and zemirot with residents of CareOne, TABC students, and community members.

On Shabbat afternoon, a group of 33 students from the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey and their rab-bis joined the TABC students to play board games with our residents. A group of 10 boys visited a resident with dementia and sang to her. Her face glowed as she tried to sing along.

Shabbat concluded with Mincha, s’udah sh’lishit, and Maariv.

One resident said: “I haven’t experienced a Shabbat like that in a very long time.” CareOne at Teaneck strives to give residents a homelike feeling while receiving the quality care they require.

Ari Markowitz is the assistant administrator at CareOne at Teaneck.

Bruce Baker, left, and Charles Klatskin at the Tenafly Nature Center.Courtesy tnC

The halachah of selling armsShlomo m. Brody

A ccording to recently released data, Israel export-ed approximately $7 billion of military equip-ment in 2012, mostly to the United States and

Europe, but also to Southeast Asia and South America. This is no doubt a lucrative enterprise, but is it the right thing for the Jewish state to be doing from the point of view of Jewish law?

Halachah frowns on store owners who sell guns to irresponsible or violent customers. The notion that salespeople may simply close their eyes to the potentially harmful or unethical use of weapons remains foreign to Jewish law. But how does this apply when it is a question of countries and armies?

Legal perspectives on this question evolved in the course of the talmudic period and in later centuries, with Jewish law ultimately concluding, albeit somewhat hesitantly, that it is permissible to sell weapons to nations that will use them responsibly and protect the safety of Jews. Although the talmudic sages initially had drawn up an exhaustive list of weapons that it was forbidden to sell to pagan nations, a later passage in the Talmud raises the question “Why then do we sell them [weapons] nowadays?” Rabbi Ami’s answer is, “We sell [them] to the Persians who protect us.” By the 5th century, it seems, Jews in Babylonia were selling arms to local authorities, reflecting a generally cooperative relationship with them. Christine Hayes has argued that exceptions to the gun sale ban might have already existed in the land of Israel in the 3rd century, as a parallel text in the Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi Avodah Zarah 2:1) seems to indicate. In that text, the Talmud asserts that the prohibition applies only to cities where no Jews live. Once Jews live there, weapons sales remain permissible either because they will serve to protect Jewish as well as non-Jewish residents or, alternatively, because the peaceful habitation of Jews within the city shows that these Gentiles are not hostile to them.

Medieval commentators explained this Persian dispensation differently, possibly in partial reflection of their position within their own society. Rabbi Menachem

EditorialA proud Jew remembered

It was 1968, a year of turmoil and assassinations, when civil rights and military might were issues fought out in the streets and on campuses, at lunch counters and

in boardrooms.The politics of New York City was undergoing great

change. Ever since the mid-19th century, “the machine” controlled it all, from who sat on a judge’s bench to who collected the neighborhood garbage.

That began to change with the defeat several years earlier of Carmine G. DeSapio, the longtime boss of Democratic politics in Manhattan. He had been the Democratic district leader in Greenwich Village, but his power reached far beyond, from City Hall to the governor’s mansion, and at times into the White House itself. He was powerful enough to make it to the cover of Time magazine in 1955.

Powerful men make powerful enemies, and DeSapio made one in particular: former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She blamed him for ruining her son’s political career and dedicated herself to bringing him down.

In 1961, a group of dedicated reformers, in part egged on by Roosevelt, managed to unseat DeSapio. He tried comebacks in 1963 and 1965, both times losing the dis-trict leader’s race to Edward Irving Koch, whose own seat of power was a first-floor loft that housed the Village Independent Democrats. The VID was the hub of reform politics in the city, and Koch was one of its most powerful engines.

1968 also was the year after Israel had won the June 1967 Six-Day War and had taken the west bank, Gaza, and parts of the Golan Heights. At the time, Israel’s only concern was to modify its borders sufficiently to fend off the next attack. It was anxious to return the overwhelming majority of the land it had seized in routing the attacking armies of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. In a sense, it was hold-ing the land hostage. Make peace, it said to the Arab states, and you can have it all back, with some adjustments for “safe and secure boundaries,” as United Nations General Assembly Resolution 242 termed it.

Israel, however, was doing other things in Gaza and the west bank. The Arab states had forced the Palestinian refu-gees of 1948 to live in the most disgusting conditions in what was laughably called “refugee camps.” There was no running water, no electricity, no decent housing, no de-cent anything. Israel, therefore, began to build new camps beside the old ones. It opened new schools for the local population’s children — and for those of the refugees.

The land may have been held hostage to negotiations — negotiations the Arab states rejected in their infa-mous “Three No’s” declaration in Khartoum (“no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel”) — but Israel saw the administered territories as one huge humanitarian aid project.

That is not how some saw it in the United States, how-

ever. Especially on the far left of the Democratic Party in New York and around the nation, there was a movement to label Israel a colonizing aggressor and an occupier, un-deserving of aid or support.

Koch was running for a seat in Congress, seeking to represent the so-called Silk Stocking District (officially known as the 17th Congressional District) that had been Mayor John V. Lindsay’s Upper East Side fiefdom until he was elected mayor in 1966.

There was also a campaign to the side and below the 17th, in the 19th C.D., which was represented by a fiercely pro-Israel Leonard Farbstein. The 19th was known as the “fishook district,” because that is what it resembled. It ran from the Upper West Side down to 23rd street, over a couple of blocks and down to 14th street to the East River, taking in all of lower Manhattan.

Sen. Eugene McCarthy, a Minnesotan, was seeking the Democratic nomination for president, challenging fellow Minnesotan Hubert H. Humphrey.

One evening at the VID, there was a candidate’s forum. Allard K. Lowenstein was there, representing McCarthy. Bella S. Abzug was there, large floppy hat atop her head, testing the waters for a possible future run against Farbstein. Other notables were there, as well, all dedicated to ending the war in Vietnam.

Some, however, also were dedicated to ending United States support for Israel (a campaign they and their al-lies would take with them to the floor of the Democratic convention later that year in Chicago). It was not only that they saw Israel as a colonizer and a racist state, but they saw taking on Israel as a way to defeat Farbstein, whom they labeled “Mr. Israel.”

Lowenstein and Abzug were silent as these New Democratic Coalition minions began their anti-Israel tirade. Neither agreed with it or them, but neither wanted to upset potential supporters. (Abzug, for her part, was fiercely pro-Israel; she saw no parallel to Vietnam; as she once told Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, when he challenged her, Israel’s cause was a just one.)

Koch was not silent, however. The district leader and congressional candidate in the WASPish tony district (he was running against Whitney North Seymour, a man who fit perfectly into the district’s exclusive society, but who nevertheless lost the race), raised his powerful frame, and cut the NDC crowd down to size. Israel was not the issue, he said; the three no’s was the issue. Turn the three no’s into three yesses, and see how quickly Israel would move toward peace. Israel, he said, was a state surrounded by enemies who would destroy it.

He was a proud Jew, he said, and he was proud of the Jewish state. And he would not allow it to be libeled for any reason by anyone.

His passion silenced the room.Yehi zichro baruch. May his memory be for a blessing.

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Rabbi Shlomo M. Brody teaches at Yeshivat Hakotel, writes a column for the Jerusalem Post, and directs the Tikvah Israel Seminars for Post High School Students. He will discuss “Halachah and Gun Control” at Teaneck’s Congregation Rinat Yisrael at 8 on Sunday night.

Op-Ed

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Staying in love with IsraelAlAn ElSnEr

When I was 16, I fell in love — not with a girl but with Israel.

That summer, my family and I visited for the first time, a three-week trip that left me entranced. On the last day, August 29, 1970, I wrote in my diary: “As soon as I came, I had the idea that this is the country for me, and this feeling increased every day I was here until now I know this is my home.”

My love affair only deepened through subsequent kibbutz summers, volunteering for a year during the Yom Kippur War and the eight years I lived in the coun-try. And even after I left, my love never waned.

But developments in recent years have increasingly prompted me to ask, what is it exactly about Israel that I love? Am I in love with the Israel of 30 or 40 years ago, or with the fantasy of an Israel that may never have truly existed other than in the heroic descriptions of the pio-neers and the half-real world of Leon Uris?

There’s a song by Yonatan Geffen and David Broza that expresses this:

“They say it was great here before I was born; And ev-erything was wonderful, before I arrived.”

The song goes on to list many of the classic images of Zionism’s heroic past: a pioneer riding a white horse guarding the hills of Galilee on a dark night; Trumpledor fighting off marauders and sacrificing his life; little Tel Aviv miraculously sprouting on golden dunes; kib-butzniks wearing short pants; evenings around camp-fires passing the finjan.

Of course, legends are legends for a reason. King Arthur’s Camelot would have been a cold, stinking place where life was nasty, brutish, and short had it ever exist-ed. And it’s naïve to expect life to live up to one’s expecta-tions at age 16. Nobody stays 16 forever.

In reality, Israel has found so many ways to preserve the dream under incredibly difficult circumstances. Tel Aviv today is far more vibrant and dynamic, and much more beautiful than it was when I lived there in the early 1980s. Israeli high-tech and pharmaceuticals are a wonder of the world; its drip agriculture offers hope for millions. So many of its people are incredibly creative, inventive, entrepreneurial, humanistic, cultured and compassionate.

But there is another side to Israel, which for me came increasingly into focus during the recent election cam-paign, although I was somewhat reassured by the vote itself. This is the Israel that is triumphalist, riven by reli-gious conflicts, exclusionary, hostile to women, skeptical about democratic rights, and downright racist toward Arabs.

Take for example Moshe Feiglin, who had a promi-nent place in the Likud-Beitenu parliamentary list and who has outlined a plan to pay Palestinian families $500,000 each to emigrate. Feiglin once told an inter-viewer: “You can’t teach a monkey to speak and you can’t teach an Arab to be democratic. You’re dealing with a culture of thieves and robbers. Muhammad, their prophet, was a robber and a killer and a liar. The Arab destroys everything he touches.”

One could dismiss Feiglin as an aberration — but he’s not. He clearly represents the sentiments of many thousands of Israelis.

Speaking in the documentary “The Gatekeepers,” former Shin Beth chief Avraham Shalom bluntly said

Alan Elsner, a former Reuters journalist and author, is vice pres-ident for Communications at J Street, a pro-Israel, pro-peace advocacy group.

Ha-Meiri took a moral approach. We need to do our share to help our society, he maintained, arguing that the original prohibition applied only to the godless barbarians of yesteryear. Others made more pragmatic calculations: We need their help now, and we hope they won’t later turn their weapons against us (Nimukei Yosef). Maimonides formulated this dispensation in terms of an alliance: “If Jews live among idolaters and have established a covenant with them, it is permitted to sell arms to the king’s servants.” In the 13th century, Rabbi Yitzchak of Vienna further deemed such a sale permissible even if the local ruler was at war with a city known to have a Jewish population, though he hoped that no harm would come to those Jews (Or Zarua Avodah Zarah 132). Others argued that no unvarying rule could be made, since the nature of Jewish-Gentile relations varied according to time and place (Riaz al ha-Rif). It remains clear, however, that this was not a mere theoretical discussion: Many sources affirm that Jews throughout the Middle Ages sold weapons or their components to their Gentile neighbors, because it benefited both parties and because they believed that the non-Jews in any case could acquire weapons by other means.

These talmudic dispensations allowing the sale of weapons to non-Jews developed at a time when the Jews lacked a sovereign state. What are the implications for the State of Israel’s arms industry? One of the first scholars to address this question was Rabbi Chaim David Halevi, Tel Aviv’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi. In a brief responsum written in the late 1970s, he cited the rationales offered by Maimonides and Meiri in arguing that any sales made to allies would secure mutually beneficial results. While noting that Israeli sovereignty placed Jews in a radically different position from the one they occupied in 5th century Persia, he nonetheless contended that the medieval justifications made it “absolutely permissible” for Israel to sell weapons to friendly nations in exchange for strategic benefits (Aseh Lecha Rav 1:19). Rabbi J. David Bleich reached a similar conclusion, though he indicated his uncertainty as to whether current Israeli policy fully complied with halachic criteria: “Sale of arms to nations allied with Israel by means of a formal or informal security pact would be justified. Absent such agreement, arms sales would be forbidden unless absolutely necessary by virtue of other considerations in order to protect life, e.g., as part of a barter arrangement designed to secure material necessary for self-defense” (Tradition 20:4). Those “other considerations,” of course, might be interpreted quite broadly. It would certainly justify Israel’s bribing Ethiopian and Sudanese leaders with weapons in the 1980s to free Ethiopian Jews. But would it justify arms deals with rogue nations or unethical leaders who offer indirect political favors or assistance in covert activities? And what happens when the sales are made simply to obtain revenue in order to keep the arms industry in the black?

These concerns led other scholars to raise serious objections to the Israeli arms industry in the early 1980s. Rabbi Yehuda Gershuni contended that international arms sales could be justified only when they involved nations that had Jewish citizens to protect or would adhere to principles of ethical warfare. Otherwise, Israel was providing a “stumbling block” that encouraged unethical behavior by aiding and abetting rogue nations. The fact that these countries could buy weapons from other dealers could not justify any Jewish participation in the shedding of blood, especially if the Israeli weapons were deemed uniquely advantageous. Dr. Meir Tamari, a senior economist at the Bank of Israel and a pioneering figure in Jewish business ethics, leveled a more trenchant critique. The Israeli arms industry had become an industrial behemoth, he argued, and had expanded far beyond what is required by military necessity. He further warned that its clandestine arms trade would embroil Israel in very dubious business, a warning that was partly vindicated when Israel’s role in the Iran-Contra affair was revealed. Most significant, Tamari bemoaned

the fact that economic considerations, as well as moral carelessness, had led to the sale of Israeli arms, via direct or indirect channels, to such countries as Chile, Iran, South Africa, and North Korea, whose human rights records were poor, to say the least. Indeed, it should cause great shame to the Jewish state to learn that Israeli-made weapons (almost certainly without governmental approval) arrived via eastern Europe in Rwanda during the height of the massacres of the Tutsis in the mid-1990s, despite the fact that the defense ministry had banned sales to that country.

Yet defenders of the Israeli arms industry, including Rabbis Yaakov Epstein (Techumin 11) and Joseph Polak (Tradition 24:3), have responded that even when mistakes are made, the legacy of the Persian and medieval European scholars fully legitimizes selling weapons to foreign nations if the goal is to buttress Israel’s own defense. Just as medieval Jews sold weapons to their neighbors hoping that the weapons would not be used later against them, so Israel must remain active in weapons exports and hope that what it sells will be used only as appropriate. Although military exports bring Israel into murky moral waters, they are merely part of the complexity of foreign affairs in a world in

which swords, not plowshares, continue to hold sway. Fortunately, in the last decade, Israel has made great strides in supervising the sale of Israeli-made weapons, including the creation of a Defense Expert Control Agency. This development followed American critiques of aborted Israeli arms sales to China but grew more generally from a greater international awareness that genocide can be prevented only if the world tightly regulates its weapons. Thus, Israel has pledged not to sell weapons to human rights abusers and taken further measures to prevent shady figures from becoming intermediaries.

Yet there is no doubt that military exports will continue to play a major role in Israeli foreign affairs. Take Israel’s covert war against Iran. Beyond sanctions and cyberwarfare, Israel has used arms exports to strengthen its strategic hand against Iran. Russia, for example, canceled the sale to Iran and Syria of S-300 long-range anti-aircraft missiles, which military experts deemed critical to stopping foreign attacks on Iran. A few weeks later, Israel announced a new sale to Russia of unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, which the Russians realized they needed in 2008, after Georgia used Israeli-made drones were used against them effectively. Similarly, Israel continues to provide drones to Azerbaijan, where tensions with Armenia might explode into a broader conflict. Yet Azerbaijan also borders Iran, thereby providing Israel with a central location for reconnaissance and possible refueling in the event of an air strike. Of course, arms sales always remain a gamble, as today’s ally might turn into tomorrow’s foe. America learned that when it armed Afghanistan against the Soviets; Israel today worries about what will done with the arms it previously sold to Turkey, and who will ultimately control the American weapons sold to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among others.

Can halachah provide a definitive answer to this political and moral dilemma? Perhaps not. But it does provide a framework of values to consider when setting policy. We must hope that Israeli officials will take these principles into consideration and that Israeli voters will ask themselves which candidates combine the strategic wisdom and moral fortitude to manage Israel’s booming defense industry appropriately.

This article was first published by Jewish Ideas Daily (www.jewishideasdaily.com), and is reprinted with permission

see staying page 20

“Yet there is no doubt that military exports will continue to play a major role in Israeli foreign affairs. ”

Opinions expressed in the op-ed and letters columns are not necessarily those of the Jewish standard. include a day-time telephone number with your letters. the Jewish standard reserves the right to edit letters. Write to Letters, the Jewish standard, 1086 teaneck Road, teaneck, nJ 07666, or e-mail [email protected]. Hand-written letters are not acceptable.

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Losing dues?Please let me express my objection to “Time for Jews to lose the dues?” (January 18).

What is not understood by the Synagogue Leadership Initiative is that a synagogue is neither a club or a res-taurant, it is a religious community. To eliminate mandatory dues or make it dependent on services rendered will do two things.

First, it will devalue the whole value of membership by making it free in many cases as people attach value in depend-ing on how much they pay. Secondly, it eliminates individual responsibility for the operation of the community by shift-ing responsibility onto a few. People who legitimately cannot afford dues should not be excluded but members who can afford it should pay their dues.

Rather than attracting people who did not wish to pay their fare share, if synagogues wish to prosper in the 21st century, the emphasis need to be cre-ating core members. In other words, getting the member you already have more involved in Jewish tradition and synagogue life. Having more core mem-bers is the most effective way of bringing in others.

Alan Mark LevinFair Lawn

Humanity and compassion“Bring more love” (February 1) is a wonderful piece! I was very moved by Ms. Sturm’s humanity and compassion. These people were fortunate to have her with them as their lives in this world were ending.

Sondra WaxAventura, Florida

What about the cat?“Bring more love” (February 1) was a beautiful and touching story about leav-ing the world. Lisa Sturm related it in a moving way.

I was troubled, though, by the part about Anna’s cat. I hope it found a good home after Anna passed away. That’s what a “noble alley cat” who’d been res-cued deserves.

Michael GreenblattWayne

He did very wellAs a lover of history, I read the movie review of “Koch” last week (February 1). Eric A. Goldman’s review brought back memories of the times I had the privi-lege of meeting Mayor Koch and being in his company. Kudos to Neil Barsky for his film in capturing the mayor and his activities.

Meeting Mayor Ed Koch was an ex-perience. He was a unique person who had a great love of New York City, this na-tion, and Israel. He never lost his Jewish heritage. He was outspoken, frank, feisty, had a great sense of humor, and always spoke his mind. He was an original with a quick, keen mind.

Mayor Koch was never afraid to say what was on his mind and he loved a good debate. No matter what one’s political connection, Ed Koch was a compelling personality, never dull and always offered his perspective on a wide variety of issues.

As he liked to say, he was a “liberal with sanity.” To me, he will always be mayor of the greatest city and a true New York iconoclast.

He took care of his own headstone, quoting Daniel Pearl’s final words: “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I

am Jewish.” How ironic that both men died on a Friday, February 1, 11 years apart.

As the review notes, the film ends with the mayor standing at the entrance to the bridge — the Queensboro Bridge — that now bears his name. “Whatever you want to say about Ed Koch, he truly bridged the gap and again made New York the Big Apple, cultural capital of the World.”

Ed Koch will be sorely missed. I will always remember the first words he said to me — “How am I doing?”

Grace JacobsCliffside Park

Sons of pigs and apesBen Cohen is correct when he says that Mohammad Morsi’s belief that Jews are “sons of apes and pigs” is “authentically held” and that asking him to recant “is like asking Hitler to apologize” (“Morsi’s anti-Semitism reveals more about us than him,” January 25). However, Mr. Cohen does not explain (and perhaps does not understand) why the belief is so strongly held. The Koran (believed to be the literal word of God by Morsi) states: “Whomsoever God has cursed (i.e., the Jews; see Sura 5:64 and 2.89) … He is wroth and made some of them apes and swine” (Sura 5.59-60). Other Sura calling the Jews apes include 2.65 and 7.166.

Leon TaubFort Lee

Who are the leaders?In his op-ed “In Support of Obama and Hagel” (February 1), Rabbi Barry Schwartz cites the need for a two-state solution no less than five times. I doubt many would argue with his sentiment if it could truly lead to an enduring peace. However, when Rabbi Schwartz goes on to say that without a political agreement, “both Israelis and Palestinians will con-tinue to lose hope, abandoning leaders who speak of compromise,” he loses me. I’m fairly certain that among the leaders Rabbi Schwartz is referring to on the Israeli side are Ehud Barak and Ehud

Olmert, both of whom, one publicly, the other behind the scenes, made very gen-erous land offers in the name of peace. But who are the Palestinian leaders who have spoken of compromise who are ref-erenced in that sentence? Yassir Arafat responded to Barak’s peace overture by starting the second intifada. Abbas simply walked away from Olmert’s of-fer. How serious could either have been about peace and compromise if they didn’t even make a counter offer? Has any Palestinian leader ever spoken to his people about the need for compromise and peaceful coexistence to gain state-hood, and along with it a healthy, vibrant economy?

There is a reason why the Jews of Israel, eternal optimists who stand to benefit greatly from a peaceful resolu-tion to the Palestinian conflict, become less and less interested in talks with their neighbors over time.

Robert IslerFair Lawn

Gun violence is not epidemicJoanne Palmer’s January 11 story, “Doing something about gun violence” begins with a falsehood (“Gun violence has become an epidemic in this country…”) and goes downhill from there. The truth, according the FBI’s Uniform Crime Statistics, is that gun violence has gone down significantly over the past 20 years, despite the expiration of the assault weapons ban in 2004. Further, the ma-jority of gun violence takes place in in-ner cities, with guns that are purchased illegally, and in most cases the victim AND the assailant have prior crimi-nal records. If “gun control” worked, Chicago, which has both a handgun ban and the dubious distinction of having the highest gun murder rate in the coun-try, would be a crime-free utopia. Jews, who know better than most the conse-quences of being defenseless, should resist all efforts at further restricting the right to own firearms. History has an aw-ful habit of repetition.

Ron SoussaMontville

that Israel has lost its way. “The future is very dark,” he warned, after 40 years of a harsh occupation that in his view has degraded the morals of both the occupiers and the occupied.

What’s perhaps most distressing about Israel’s current direction is that almost everyone, even on the political left, seems to have given up on peace. Even in its darkest days, Israelis once believed, as Naomi Shemer sang, that peace was not a dream and would come, if not tomorrow, then the day after. That vital optimism

seems to have all but disappeared.I understand that after the trauma of

the second intifada and the perceived failure of the Gaza withdrawal, people are suspicious and cynical. I understand that constant rocket attacks make people angry and defensive and disinclined to take risks. But really, what is the alternative to peace?

The attitude of many seems to be that the status quo is quite bearable, even when few believe it’s sustainable in the long term. There’s a fin-de-siècle feeling in some Tel Aviv circles, a feeling of “let’s party all night as long as we can” while

others bury themselves in work and family and simply prefer not to think about the future beyond next week or next month.

What the last few years crystallized for me is that it is possible and even necessary to absolutely divorce my love of Israel from its current politics. That, in fact, is what our biblical prophets did by appealing to our better selves. Prime ministers, like the kings of ancient Judea, come and go — but the idea of what Israel represents remains. We can love Israel and still oppose settlements and occupation and the denigration of

women and minorities. For me, it’s the only way to stay in love.

Every lover idealizes the object of his or her affections, and I guess that at this point I’m more in love with what Israel was — but also in what it can still become — than with many aspects of what it is today. The Israeli national anthem says, “We have not yet lost hope…” and I have not. I would no more stop loving Israel than I would abandon my wife if, God forbid, she became sick.

It’s easy to be in love when you are 16 and full of idealism. The trick is sustaining that love throughout a lifetime.

Letters

staying From page 19

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Kaplen JCC on the PalisadesLifeyour Center for The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades is a barrier free and handicapped accessible facility.

February 8th, 2013 Shevat 5773 ”ג | | Welcome תשע ברוכים הבאים

READERS’CHOICE

2012

1 stPlace - 3 Years in a Row

Kaplen JCC on the Palisades | 411 E. Clinton Avenue | Tenafly, New Jersey 07670 | 201.569.7900 | www.jccotp.org Find us onfacebook.com/KaplenJCCOTP

For more information contact Stacy at 201.408.1484 or [email protected]

The Purim Carnival will open at 12 pm for families with children with special needs

Cotton Candy, Popcorn & more!Visits from some of your favorite characters!

Train Ride, Junior Bounce & more for pre-schoolers! Moon Bounce & Double Slide for the big kids!

Fun for Everyone!Suggested entrance donation: $1 per person or a non-perishable food item

to be donated to the Center for Food Action

Fee for 4 sessions: $100 JCC members, $125 non-members Fee for 2 sessions: $60 JCC members, $75 non-members

Info call Kathy 201.408.1454 or Esther 201.408.1456

JCC UniversityCollege for Grown-Ups

שמח! פורים

Sunday, February 24, 1-4 pm

Lavish Lunches2013

Save

Th

e D

ate Join us for

our annualculinary

adventure

Tuesday,March 12th

withMelissa Ben-Ishay

owner & creator ofBaked by Melissa

For further information, please call Sharon Potolsky 201.408.1405 or email [email protected]

Rubach Family Purim Carnival

Keep Learning!

4 Thursdays, February 28-March 21, 10:15 am-2:15 pmFebruary 28 Arthur Miller’s Willy Loman: Relevant Then, Relevant Now with Professor Ben Nelson A Crash Course on Beethoven’s Symphonies with Michael Reingold

March 7 Emerging Microbial Diseases and Their Likely Paths with Dr. Richard Roberts Mmmm Chocolate! Specifically American Artisan Chocolate with Grace Lissauer

March 14 Comparative Religion with Rabbi Kimmelman Public Art—Engaging, Provocative and Controversial with Ayelet Aldouby

March 21 Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes with Maria Konnikova The Psychology of Greed with Dr. Carole Campana

JS 020813_JS 020813 2/2/13 9:30 AM Page 1

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LegaL Notice

To merchants who have accepted Visa and MasterCard at any time since January 1, 2004:

Notice of a 6+ billion dollar class action settlement.

Notice of a class action settlement authorized by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

This notice is authorized by the Court to inform you about an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit that may affect you. The lawsuit claims that Visa and MasterCard, separately, and together with banks, violated antitrust laws and caused merchants to pay excessive fees for accepting Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards, including by:

•Agreeing to set, apply, and enforce rules about merchant fees (called default interchange fees);

•Limiting what merchants could do to encourage their customers to use other forms of payment through, for example, charging customers an extra fee or offering discounts; and

•Continuing that conduct after Visa and MasterCard changed their corporate structures.

The defendants say they have done nothing wrong. They say that their business practices are legal and the result of competition, and have benefitted merchants and consumers. The Court has not decided who is right because the parties agreed to a settlement. On November 27, 2012, the Court gave preliminary approval to this settlement.

The SeTTlemenT Under the settlement, Visa, MasterCard, and the bank defendants have agreed to make payments to two settlement funds:

•The first is a “Cash Fund” – a $6.05 billion fund that will pay valid claims of merchants that accepted Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards at any time between January 1, 2004 and November 28, 2012.

•The second is an “Interchange Fund” – estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion – that will be based on a portion of the interchange fees attributable to certain merchants that accept Visa or MasterCard credit cards for an eight-month “Interchange Period.”

Additionally, the settlement changes some of the Visa and MasterCard rules applicable to merchants who accept their cards.

This settlement creates two classes:

•A Cash Settlement Class (Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class), which includes all persons, businesses, and other entities that accepted any Visa or MasterCard cards in the U.S. at any time from January 1, 2004 to November 28, 2012, and

•A Rule Changes Settlement Class (Rule 23(b)(2) Settlement Class), which includes all persons, businesses, and entities that as of November 28, 2012 or in the future accept any Visa or MasterCard cards in the U.S.

WhaT merchanTS Will geT from The SeTTlemenT

Every merchant in the Cash Settlement Class that files a valid claim will get money from the $6.05 billion Cash Fund, subject to a deduction (not to exceed 25% of the fund) to account for merchants who exclude themselves from the Cash Settlement Class. The value of each claim, where possible, will be based on the actual or estimated interchange fees attributable to the merchant’s MasterCard and Visa payment card transactions from January 1, 2004 to November 28, 2012. Payments to merchants who file valid claims for a portion of the Cash Fund will be based on:

•The money available to pay all claims,

• The total dollar value of all valid claims filed,

•The deduction described above not to exceed 25% of the Cash Settlement Fund, and

• The cost of settlement administration and notice, money awarded to the class representatives, and attorneys’ fees and expenses all as approved by the Court.

In addition, merchants in the Cash Settlement Class that accept Visa and MasterCard during the eight-month Interchange Period and file a valid claim will get money from the separate Interchange Fund, estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion. The value of each claim, where possible, will be based on an estimate of one-tenth of 1% of the merchant’s Visa and MasterCard credit card dollar sales volume during that period. Payments to merchants who file valid claims for a portion of the Interchange Fund will be based on:


•The total dollar value of all valid claims filed, and

•The cost of settlement administration and notice, and any attorneys’ fees and expenses that may be approved by the Court.

Attorneys’ fees and expenses and money awarded to the class representatives: For work done through final approval of the settlement by the district court, Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneys’ fees in an amount that is a reasonable proportion of the Cash Settlement Fund, not to exceed 11.5% of the Cash Settlement Fund of $6.05 billion and 11.5% of the Interchange Fund estimated to be $1.2 billion to compensate all of the lawyers and their law firms that have worked on the class case. For additional work to administer the settlement, distribute both funds, and through any appeals, Class Counsel may seek reimbursement at their normal hourly rates, not to exceed an additional 1% of the Cash Settlement Fund of $6.05 billion and an additional 1% of the Interchange Fund estimated to be $1.2 billion. Class Counsel will also request reimbursement of their expenses (not including the administrative costs of settlement or notice), not to exceed $40 million and up to $200,000 per Class Plaintiff in service awards for their efforts on behalf of the classes.

www.PaymentCardSett lement.com

Si desea leer este aviso en español, llámenos o visite nuestro sitio web.

JS-23


LegaL Notice

To merchants who have accepted Visa and MasterCard at any time since January 1, 2004:

Notice of a 6+ billion dollar class action settlement.

Notice of a class action settlement authorized by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

This notice is authorized by the Court to inform you about an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit that may affect you. The lawsuit claims that Visa and MasterCard, separately, and together with banks, violated antitrust laws and caused merchants to pay excessive fees for accepting Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards, including by:

•Agreeing to set, apply, and enforce rules about merchant fees (called default interchange fees);

•Limiting what merchants could do to encourage their customers to use other forms of payment through, for example, charging customers an extra fee or offering discounts; and

•Continuing that conduct after Visa and MasterCard changed their corporate structures.

The defendants say they have done nothing wrong. They say that their business practices are legal and the result of competition, and have benefitted merchants and consumers. The Court has not decided who is right because the parties agreed to a settlement. On November 27, 2012, the Court gave preliminary approval to this settlement.

The SeTTlemenT Under the settlement, Visa, MasterCard, and the bank defendants have agreed to make payments to two settlement funds:

•The first is a “Cash Fund” – a $6.05 billion fund that will pay valid claims of merchants that accepted Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards at any time between January 1, 2004 and November 28, 2012.

•The second is an “Interchange Fund” – estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion – that will be based on a portion of the interchange fees attributable to certain merchants that accept Visa or MasterCard credit cards for an eight-month “Interchange Period.”

Additionally, the settlement changes some of the Visa and MasterCard rules applicable to merchants who accept their cards.

This settlement creates two classes:

•A Cash Settlement Class (Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class), which includes all persons, businesses, and other entities that accepted any Visa or MasterCard cards in the U.S. at any time from January 1, 2004 to November 28, 2012, and

•A Rule Changes Settlement Class (Rule 23(b)(2) Settlement Class), which includes all persons, businesses, and entities that as of November 28, 2012 or in the future accept any Visa or MasterCard cards in the U.S.

WhaT merchanTS Will geT from The SeTTlemenT

Every merchant in the Cash Settlement Class that files a valid claim will get money from the $6.05 billion Cash Fund, subject to a deduction (not to exceed 25% of the fund) to account for merchants who exclude themselves from the Cash Settlement Class. The value of each claim, where possible, will be based on the actual or estimated interchange fees attributable to the merchant’s MasterCard and Visa payment card transactions from January 1, 2004 to November 28, 2012. Payments to merchants who file valid claims for a portion of the Cash Fund will be based on:


• The total dollar value of all valid claims filed,

•The deduction described above not to exceed 25% of the Cash Settlement Fund, and

• The cost of settlement administration and notice, money awarded to the class representatives, and attorneys’ fees and expenses all as approved by the Court.

In addition, merchants in the Cash Settlement Class that accept Visa and MasterCard during the eight-month Interchange Period and file a valid claim will get money from the separate Interchange Fund, estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion. The value of each claim, where possible, will be based on an estimate of one-tenth of 1% of the merchant’s Visa and MasterCard credit card dollar sales volume during that period. Payments to merchants who file valid claims for a portion of the Interchange Fund will be based on:


•The total dollar value of all valid claims filed, and

•The cost of settlement administration and notice, and any attorneys’ fees and expenses that may be approved by the Court.

Attorneys’ fees and expenses and money awarded to the class representatives: For work done through final approval of the settlement by the district court, Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneys’ fees in an amount that is a reasonable proportion of the Cash Settlement Fund, not to exceed 11.5% of the Cash Settlement Fund of $6.05 billion and 11.5% of the Interchange Fund estimated to be $1.2 billion to compensate all of the lawyers and their law firms that have worked on the class case. For additional work to administer the settlement, distribute both funds, and through any appeals, Class Counsel may seek reimbursement at their normal hourly rates, not to exceed an additional 1% of the Cash Settlement Fund of $6.05 billion and an additional 1% of the Interchange Fund estimated to be $1.2 billion. Class Counsel will also request reimbursement of their expenses (not including the administrative costs of settlement or notice), not to exceed $40 million and up to $200,000 per Class Plaintiff in service awards for their efforts on behalf of the classes.

www.PaymentCardSett lement.com

Si desea leer este aviso en español, llámenos o visite nuestro sitio web.

1-800-625-6440 • info@PaymentCardSett lement.com

hoW To aSk for PaymenTTo receive payment, merchants must fill out a claim form. If the Court finally approves the settlement, and you do not exclude yourself from the Cash Settlement Class, you will receive a claim form in the mail or by email. Or you may ask for one at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com, or call: 1-800-625-6440.

oTher BenefiTS for merchanTS Merchants will benefit from changes to certain MasterCard and Visa rules, which will allow merchants to, among other things:

•Charge customers an extra fee if they pay with Visa or MasterCard credit cards,

•Offer discounts to customers who do not pay with Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards, and

• Form buying groups that meet certain criteria to negotiate with Visa and MasterCard.

Merchants that operate multiple businesses under different trade names or banners will also be able to accept Visa or MasterCard at fewer than all of the merchant’s trade names and banners.

legal righTS and oPTionS Merchants who are included in this lawsuit have the legal rights and options explained below. You may:

• File a claim to ask for payment. You will receive a claim form in the mail or email or file online at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

• Excludeyourselffrom the Cash Settlement Class (Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class). If you exclude yourself, you can sue the Defendants for damages based on alleged conduct occurring on or before November 27, 2012 on your own at your own expense, if you want to. If you exclude yourself, you will not get any money from this settlement. If you are a merchant and wish to exclude yourself, you must make a written request, place it in an envelope, and mail it with postage prepaid and postmarked no later than May28,2013 to Class Administrator, Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement, P.O. Box 2530, Portland, OR 97208-2530. The written request must be signed by a person authorized to do so and provide all of the following information: (1) the words “In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation,” (2) your full name, address, telephone number, and taxpayer identification number, (3) the merchant that wishes to be excluded from the Cash Settlement Class (Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class), and what position or authority you have to exclude the merchant, and (4) the business names, brand names, and addresses of any stores or sales locations whose sales the merchant desires to be excluded. Note: You cannot be excluded from the Rule ChangesSettlementClass (Rule 23(b)(2) Settlement Class).

• Object to the settlement. The deadline to object is: May 28, 2013. To learn how to object, see: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com or call 1-800-625-6440. Note: If you exclude yourself from the Cash Settlement Class you cannot object to the terms of that portion of the settlement.

For more information about these rights and options, visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

if The courT aPProveS The final SeTTlemenT

Members of the Rule Changes Settlement Class are bound by the terms of this settlement. Members of the Cash Settlement Class, who do not exclude themselves by the deadline, are bound by the terms of this settlement whether or not they file a claim for payment. Members of both classes release all claims against all released parties listed in the Settlement Agreement. The settlement will resolve and release any claims by merchants against Visa, MasterCard or other defendants that were or could have been alleged in the lawsuit, including any claims based on interchange or other fees, no-surcharge rules, no-discounting rules, honor-all-cards rules and other rules. The settlement will also resolve any merchant claims based upon the future effect of any Visa or MasterCard rules, as of November 27, 2012 and not to be modified pursuant to the settlement, the modified rules provided for in the settlement, or any other rules substantially similar to any such rules. The releases will not bar claims involving certain specified standard commercial disputes arising in the ordinary course of business.

For more information on the release, see the settlement agreement at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

The courT hearing aBouT ThiS SeTTlemenT

On September 12, 2013, there will be a Court hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement, class counsels’ requests for attorneys’ fees and expenses, and awards for the class representatives. The hearing will take place at:

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York225 Cadman PlazaBrooklyn, NY 11201

You do not have to go to the court hearing or hire an attorney. But you can if you want to, at your own cost. The Court has appointed the law firms of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP, Berger & Montague, PC, and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP to represent the Class (“Class Counsel”).

QueSTionS?For more information about this case (In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1720), you may:

Call toll-free: 1-800-625-6440Visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com Write to the Class Administrator:

Payment Card Interchange Fee SettlementP.O. Box 2530Portland, OR 97208-2530

Email: [email protected]

Please check www.PaymentCardSettlement.com for any updates relating to the settlement or the settlement approval process.

SJS-24

Cover story


Larry yudeLson

The artist formerly known as a chasidic superstar will be appearing in Englewood

on Tuesday night.And though you won’t see peyos, you will most likely

hear a song named after the Ba’al Shem Tov, the 18th century founder of chasidism.

It was just over a year ago that Matisyahu — the stage name of Matthew Paul Miller — posted a picture of himself shorn of the long beard, side curls, and black hat that defined him when his first record was released in 2004.

“No more Chassidic reggae superstar,” he wrote on his website when he unveiled his new look.

“At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity … to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules — lots of them — or else I would somehow fall apart.”

Now, however, “I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.”

The very title of his subsequent album, “Spark Seeker,” released last summer, indicates that he hasn’t put aside things of the spirit. But now he sees himself as on an ongoing spiritual quest, perhaps less certain that the answers are outside him.

In the song “Bal Shem Tov,” he put it like this:

Search heaven and the seven seasThe answer lies inside youYou know it won’t come easyYou’ve got to find your own truth

(The song is also on “Spark Seeker: Acoustic Sessions,” re-leased last week as Matisyahu kicked off the month-long acoustic tour that brings him to Bergen Performing Arts Center on February 12. For would-be listeners interested in checking out the singer but not normally inclined to-ward contemporary reggae or rap, the album provides a gentler introduction to the music of Matisyahu, as well as a preview of how he will sound.)

On the original album version of “Bal Shem Tov,” before singing, speaking in Yiddish, he recites the story, famous in Chabad circles, of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s dream, in which the founder of chasidism meets the Messiah and asks him when he will come. The Messiah replies: “I will come when the wellspring of your teachings have been spread throughout the world.”

“My understanding of it,” Matisyahu said in an interview with the Jewish Standard this week, “is the Messiah says you have to do the work here, in this world. It’s not like something mystic is going to happen and save everybody.”

“A lot of people are waiting for the Messiah, waiting for Godot. They’re waiting for an event, they’re waiting for the end of the world, the end of the Mayan calendar, for this thing or that thing that is going to shake everything up.

“Change happens from within. We can change. We can become different people. We can expand and grow and evolve. It seems to me — at least it’s my understanding of this vision the Ba’al Shem Tov had — that the Messiah was saying, ‘I’m not coming until this change has happened within people, within this world. I’m not the savior.’

“The teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov are about the oneness of God and the connection that God has to this world. The basic stuff. There’s a lot of teachings, but the basic gist of it is in every religion, and what everyone spiritual is trying to do, to be a better person. There’s no chidush, nothing new going on here. The Messiah is not going to save the world. The world has to save itself. Then the revelation of God will be here,” he said.

In his song Buffalo Soldier, from “Spark Seeker,” he puts it like this:

Don’t judge a book by the coverEvery single being in this world is your brotherWhen I look upon the page and uncoverAncient words that teach me to love ya!So we burn to return to the motherAnd we yearn to unlearn all they told ya about yourselfWho you are, what you should be,I’m gonna be free leave it up to me!

This might not sound radical. But compare it to “King Without a Crown,” from his first album, “Shake Off the Dust... Arise,” which reached 37 on Billboard’s pop chart:

Hashem’s rays fire blaze burn bright and I believeOut of darkness comes light, twilight unto the heightsCrown Heights burnin’ up all through till twilightSaid, thank you to my God, now I finally got it rightAnd I’ll fight with all of my heart, and all a’ my soul, and

all a’ my might•

And I sing to my God, songs of love and healingI want Moshiach now, time it starts revealing

till spiritual after all these yearsMatisyahu to play acoustic concert at BergenPAC this week

For Matisyahu’s Chabad supporters, there was disap-pointment, anger, and disbelief when he shaved his beard. His recent concerts have continued to draw a cha-sidic cohort — but they only jump up and begin to sway to the music at the end of the concert, when he sings his older songs.

He rejects the suggestion that there’s an inherent rejection there.

“Maybe they don’t know the new record. Maybe they’re not familiar with those songs. Maybe they were more

An acoustic evening with Matisyahu

Where: Bergen Performing arts Center, 30 n. Van Brunt street, englewood

When: tuesday, February 12, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com or 201-816-8160

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till spiritual after all these years

For Matisyahu’s Chabad supporters, there was disap-pointment, anger, and disbelief when he shaved his beard. His recent concerts have continued to draw a cha-sidic cohort — but they only jump up and begin to sway to the music at the end of the concert, when he sings his older songs.

He rejects the suggestion that there’s an inherent rejection there.

“Maybe they don’t know the new record. Maybe they’re not familiar with those songs. Maybe they were more

familiar with the older songs. People have opinions about things. Does it mater really? Do you think it matters?”

Some argue that the essence of Yiddishkeit is to answer a question with a question. Matisyahu hasn’t lost that spirit.

Why is he performing acoustic?“Why not?” he replies.For Matisyahu, going unplugged means a backing

band of acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and cello — as opposed to the classic dub trio of drum, bass, and guitar.

And it’s a chance to reconnect with older songs.“When I do it acoustically, I come back to the words, I

come back to the voice. It reconnects me to myself and to the inspiration of the song,” he said.

“I’m always redesigning songs. As a musician trying to stay inspired by the music that you make, I

find it important to sing the songs and perform them differently, while still holding the integrity of the songs. People will know it’s the same song, but I’m changing certain things around.” He pushes back against the effort to choose a favorite song.

“I don’t have favorites in general. I don’t have a favorite kid. I don’t have a favorite food. I don’t have a favorite friend. I don’t have a favorite parent. I don’t really understand that concept of favorites. Things are good for different times,” he said.

Nor would he recommend a “typical” one.If someone wants to sample just one song off the

new album, “I would tell them to put on the record and close their eyes and push the forward and back buttons a bunch of time and whatever song it comes to is the song they were meant to hear.”

A bearded Matisyahu on a 2006 album cover; above, Matisyahu today.


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Ed Koch, 1924-2013Pugnacious new Yorker, passionate Jew till his dying day

Ron Kampeas and URiel Heilman

One of the proudest moments of Ed Koch’s life came during a trip to Israel in 1990, in the midst of the first Palestinian intifada.

Koch recently had left City Hall after 12 years as mayor of New York City and was touring Jerusalem when a Palestinian threw a rock at his group, striking Koch in the head. The ex-mayor was bleeding a bit but wasn’t really hurt, and he mopped up the wound with his handkerchief.

The incident would become one of Koch’s favorite stories, the moment, he would say, when “I shed a little blood for the people of Israel.”

It was reflective of the pugnacity of the man who served three terms as mayor of New York, spent nine years in Congress, earned two battle stars as an infan-tryman in Europe during World War II, wrote 17 books, and spent the last two decades of his life as a lawyer, talk show host, professor, and even restaurant critic, working almost to his last day.

Koch, 88, died of congestive heart failure early on the morning of Friday, February 1, at New York-Presbyterian Columbia Hospital. He had been hospitalized twice in

recent weeks to drain fluid from his lungs. His death came on the same day that “Koch,” a documentary about his life, opens in theaters nationwide. (The film was reviewed in last week’s Jewish Standard, also dated February 1.)

Tributes to Koch immediately poured in from all corners of the Jewish world, including the Israeli ambas-sador to the United States, and both sides of the political aisle.

“Mayor Koch was a passionate and principled leader and an outspoken defender of Israel and the Jewish com-munity,” Matt Brooks, the director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said. “He chose principle over politics and didn’t engage in partisan bitterness.”

The National Jewish Democratic Council hailed Koch as a “consummate and proud Jewish Democrat who ad-vocated fiercely for the U.S.-Israel relationship and the progressive domestic policies in which he truly believed.”

Famous for greeting constituents with “How’m I doin?,” the Jewish mayor presided over some of the city’s most difficult years, from 1978 to 1989, and helped spur the recovery that would flourish under one of his succes-

sors, Rudy Giuliani.Edward Irving Koch was born in the Bronx on

December 12, 1924, to Jewish immigrants from Poland. The family moved to Newark when he was 9, after his father’s fur shop closed during the Depression, but re-turned to New York in 1941 when business picked up again. After high school, Koch enrolled at City College and worked as a shoe salesman, but his studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the army in 1943.

He served in the infantry, and after the war he spent time in Bavaria helping replace the Nazis who occupied public posts with non-Nazis, according to the New York Times. He was discharged in 1946 and went to law school at New York University.

Koch got his start in politics as a Democratic district leader in Greenwich Village, then worked his way up to City Council, and in 1968 he beat incumbent Whitney North Seymour Jr., a Republican, in a race for Congress. Though he served in Washington for nine years, Koch remained a creature of New York, saying he got the bends whenever he stayed away from the city for too long, ac-cording to the Times.

In 1977, Koch ran for mayor, upsetting Abraham Beame, another Jewish mayor who oversaw a fiscal crisis that brought New York to the edge of bankruptcy. Upon taking office, Koch immediately set to cutting the mu-nicipal budget, trimming the city’s workforce, reaching a settlement with unions, and securing federal aid that had been denied to Beame. In his second term, he turned the $400 million deficit he had inherited into a $500 million surplus.

He won a third term with 78 percent of the vote, but then things went sour. His administration was beset by a series of corruption scandals, rising drug-related vio-lence, and burgeoning racial tensions. Koch became the target of black ire for closing a hospital in Harlem — a move he later conceded had been a mistake — and for saying that Jews would be “crazy” to vote for the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the 1988 presidential primary, given Jackson’s support for Palestinians and his 1984 reference to New York as “Hymietown.”

After losing his bid for election to a fourth term in 1989 when David Dinkins bested him in the Democratic primary, Koch retired into a happy existence as a Jewish Yoda, blessing or cursing political figures as he saw fit, not always hewing to the prescripts of the Democratic Party.

Mayor Koch brought a sense of humor to a tough job.

“Mayor Koch was a passionate and principled leader and an outspoken defender of Israel and the Jewish community.”

— Matt Brooks, Republican Jewish Coalition director


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ed in a positive way the policy of the U.S. on the Mideast,” Koch wrote supporters in an email.

Last year, Koch enthusiastically en-dorsed Obama in a long video released just before the election — an appear-ance Jewish Democrats credit with help-ing boost Obama’s Jewish numbers in Florida, a critical swing state.

Yet in recent weeks Koch turned on Obama again, making no secret of his disappointment in Obama’s choice of Chuck Hagel, a former Republican sena-tor with a fraught relationship with the pro-Israel community, for secretary of defense.

“Frankly, I thought that there would come a time when he would renege on what he conveyed on his support of Israel,” Koch said of Obama in a January 7 interview with the Algemeiner, a Jewish publication. “It comes a little earlier than I thought it would.”

Rabbi Joe Potasnik, the executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, said Koch told him his hero was Harry Truman, another Democratic Party leader who was not afraid to defy his base. “He admired independence,” Potasnik recalled in an interview on Friday.

Koch, who never married, held twin passions he guarded ferociously: the Jewish people and New York.

After the stone-throwing incident in 1990, Koch took the stone and the bloodstained handkerchief to a frame shop, but the shop lost the stone and substituted a fake — which Koch spotted immediately. He was placated only by a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who praised him as “the first eminent American to be stoned in the Old City.” Instead of the stone, Koch framed Shamir’s letter, along with a photo of his wound.

Koch’s tombstone is engraved with his name, his years as mayor, the Shema prayer, and the final words of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter murdered in Pakistan on Feb. 1, 2002, the same date Koch died: “My father is Jewish. My mother is Jewish. I am Jewish.”

His chosen burial place is a nonde-nominational churchyard at the corner of 155th Street and Amsterdam Avenue — selected because he could not imagine spending eternity outside Manhattan.

JTA Wire Service

In his later years, Koch seemed to swing like a pendulum between Democrats and Republicans, and both sides eagerly sought his political imprimatur.

He endorsed Giuliani, a Republican, in his successful mayoral bid in 1993 against Dinkins. He often shared the stage — and sometimes took it over — at endorsements for other Republicans, in-cluding New York Gov. George Pataki, Sen. Al D’Amato, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (who was only a part-time Republican).

Koch stumped hard for George W. Bush’s presidential reelection in 2004, and was not afraid to tell baffled Jewish Democrats why: Bush had Israel’s back, Koch said.

Four years later, Republicans hoped to win a repeat endorsement for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), but Koch, alarmed at what he saw as Republican plans to de-grade the social safety net he had cham-pioned as a congressman in the 1970s, instead threw in with Barack Obama.

Almost as soon as Obama became president, however, Koch became one of his biggest Jewish detractors, lacerating the president with criticism for his per-ceived coolness to Israel.

“I believe we are seeing a dramatic change in the relationship between the United States and the State of Israel that adversely affects the State of Israel and it is being orchestrated by President Barack Obama,” Koch said in early 2010, after a cool meeting between the president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The president, when he invited the prime minister of Israel, Netanyahu, to the White House, was extremely rude to him, treated him as though he were a Third World tyrant.”

In 2011, Koch endorsed Republican Bob Turner for a special election to fill a vacant congressional seat in New York in what had been seen as a safe Democratic district, even though the Democratic contender, David Weprin, was both Jewish and stridently pro-Israel. Turner won, and many credited Koch’s endorse-ment with tipping the scales during the campaign. When Obama subsequently retreated from criticism of Israel’s settle-ment policies, Koch claimed credit.

“I believe the recent vote in the 9th Congressional District in New York affect-

Koch was a fervent supporter of the Jewish people and Israel.

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Perlman and HelfgotConcert to be a milestone for new Barclays Center

Chavie Lieber

Who knew the man behind the Brooklyn homecomings of Jay-Z and Barbra Streisand

had a thing for heimische melodies?Bruce Ratner, the developer and

majority owner of the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, which opened last September with a Jay-Z show and hosted borough native Streisand a month later, holds a special place in his heart for can-torial music.

“My parents are both from eastern European descent, so that type of Jewish music is in my blood,” Ratner said. “I grew up going to my Conservative synagogue in Cleveland, where they had an amazing cantor who I absolutely loved to listen to. And as I got older, I was always buying cantor CDs. The music is just so refined.”

Ratner, the chairman and chief execu-tive of the real estate development firm Forest City Ratner Companies, is taking personal pride in having spearheaded ef-forts to put on the first Jewish event at the venue: a February 28 concert featuring the renowned Israeli-born violinist Itzhak Perlman sharing the stage with Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot. The Barclays per-formance follows the pair’s collaboration, “Eternal Echoes: Songs and Dances for the Soul,” an album of Jewish music that was released in August.

In an age where klezmer music has gained a following in the downtown jazz scene and Yiddish culture has experi-enced something of a revival, Ratner is optimistic that between Brooklyn’s hip-sters and its chasidim, the show will find an audience.

“I know not everyone listens to canto-rial music today, but if they really listen, they’ll find such a history behind it,” said Ratner, who became acquainted with Perlman 30 years ago when their daughters attended private school in Manhattan together. “Growing up, can-tors used to be treated like rock stars, and I think kids today unfamiliar with it will really find this concert enjoyable.”

A century ago, it was hardly uncom-mon for cantors to perform at venues like Barclays. Such cantors as Yossele Rosenblatt and Zeidel Rovener were mainstream stars, recording popular re-cords and gracing the stages of Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall.

Only about a third of Barclays’ 19,000 seats are going to be made available for the Perlman-Helfgot show, but it’s still likely to be one of the largest cantorial concerts in the United States in nearly a century.

“I can’t think of anything as big as Madison Square Garden after Rosenblatt or Rovner in the ‘20s,” said Neil Levin, the artistic director of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music in Los Angeles.

Fans long have been taken with

Perlman, who as a boy was crippled by polio, yet became one of the premier classical musicians of his generation, straddling classical and pop in a way that many of his classical peers can only envy. Perlman appeared at President Obama’s first inauguration and on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning 1993 film “Schindler’s List” — not to mention on “Sesame Street.”

Perlman recalls the first time he heard Helfgot’s voice — at a concert in Israel.

“I thought, ‘That would sound excel-lent with a violin!’” he said. “I later ap-proached him backstage and said, ‘We must make some music together.’”

With barely a month until the show, Perlman said he and Helfgot have not yet decided what they will play, but it proba-bly will include a mix of new material and old favorites — and certainly the classic crowd pleaser “My Yiddishe Mama.”

Their show is the first concert being self-promoted by the Barclays Center, but Ratner says he plans to host more Jewish events.

“Making more events for the Jewish community is really important to me,” Ratner said. “It’s something that I’ve al-ways wanted to do, since the Brooklyn market is so big, and I’m going to treat these events a little more differently.”

Barclays will designate certain sections for gender-segregated seating in an effort to draw Orthodox patrons and is bring-ing in kosher food purveyors. Some of the proceeds will go to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty as well as the Perlman Music Program, a school for gifted musicians in Manhattan.

“The whole thing is very exciting,” Perlman said. “I just hope things go well. One time, an audience member got sick during my performance, and I couldn’t help but think he was placed there as a critic.”

JTA Wire Service

Israel-born American violinist Itzhak Perlman, left, will perform with Manhattan’s Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on February 28. It will be the new arena’s first Jewish event. Lisa-Marie

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PAMPER YOURSELF!Obama to visit Israelwill his planned israel trip revive israel-Palestinian peacemaking?

Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON – Is President Obama’s plan to visit Israel a sign that he’s ready to take another shot at Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking?

The White House announced Tuesday that Obama would visit Israel in the spring, his first trip there as president. He did go there in 2008, when he was a candidate for the Oval Office. This trip also will include meetings with Palestinian Authority leaders and a visit to Jordan, the White House said.

Obama spoke of the visit in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 28. The White House did not announce dates.

The announcement appears to be a signal that the president is serious about peacemaking, said David Makovsky, an analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which has close ties with the Obama and Netanyahu governments.

“Part of the problem is that on all sides, there’s disbe-lief that peace is possible,” Makovsky said. “He wants to engage both societies about why you can’t give up. He wants to engage on the gut level with Arabs and Israelis in a way he hasn’t until now.”

In a region where symbols are important, Obama’s failure to visit during his first term as president was taken by his opponents as a sign that Israel was not a high pri-ority for him. It did not help Obama’s popularity in Israel when he omitted the Jewish state from a June 2009 visit to the Middle East that included a major speech in Cairo and a stop in Saudi Arabia.

As much as anything else, the spring trip may be about reaching out to Israelis.

“I’m excited that President Obama is coming this spring to reaffirm the deep ties between Israel and the United States,” Dan Shapiro, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said in a message in Hebrew on Twitter.

Netanyahu may have his own reasons for welcoming such a visit now. For one, a U.S. president on Israeli soil sends an unmistakable message to Israel’s enemies that America stands with Israel.

It also helps Netanyahu politically. Netanyahu emerged weakened from Israel’s January 22 elections, and aides have told the Israeli media that they believe voters stayed away from the prime minister over con-cerns about his rapport with Obama.

The two leaders have had something of a fraught relationship. There have been philosophical differences about Israel’s settlement enterprise and the Palestinians, disagreements about the red line for Iran’s nuclear pro-gram, and perceived snubs on both sides.

During a March 2010 White House meeting, Netanyahu was denied a photo opportunity with the president, and Obama interrupted their meeting to eat dinner. Last year, Netanyahu gave an enthusiastic reception to Obama rival Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign.

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In recent days, Netanyahu has indicated that he wants to establish a coalition government that leans more to the center than his last government. He also has identi-fied diplomacy with the Palestinians as one of his top priorities.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Obama’s choice for

NEWS ANALYSIS

www.jstandard.comsee obama to visit page 30


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secretary of state, John Kerry, said in his Senate confir-mation hearing that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace would be his twin priorities in the job. Kerry since has announced his own plans to visit Israel next month, and among his first calls in his new job were conversations with Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“It’s a new beginning. Obama can have a serious discussion with the Israeli prime minister at a time he’s heading a new government,” said Dennis Ross, a counsel

at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who was Obama’s top Middle East adviser until a year ago.

“The president is interested in connecting with the Israeli public. It allows him to show he cares about the peace issues, but allows him to do so while discussing all the issues, including Iran, Syria, and Egypt.”

Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. negotiator who now is vice president of the Wilson International Center for Scholars, says both Obama and Netanyahu are being driven to a rapprochement by exigency: Netanyahu by his weakened political position and Obama by preserv-ing his legacy.

“One guy is caught in circumstances which require improvement, and the other guy knows if he wants to get anywhere he’s going to have to figure out if he can work with Bibi,” Miller said, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

Debra DeLee, the president of Americans for Peace Now, said in a statement that Obama’s visit will give him an “opportunity to directly address the people of Israel and lay out a compassionate, pragmatic vision for a fu-ture Israel that enjoys security and peace, and that it is a respected member of the community of nations.”

But Danielle Pletka, vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, said that if Obama is going simply to advance a peace process that many Israelis and U.S. law-makers believe is stuck because of Arab intransigence, he’s running a fool’s errand. It would be more useful, she said, for him to use his Israel trip to discuss strategies at a time of Middle Eastern turmoil.

“If he’s president of the United States, he’s going to talk about Iran and Hezbollah and Syria,” Pletka said. “If he’s the president of Barack Obama’s dream house, he’ll talk about the peace process.”

JTA Wire Service

President obama, shown visiting the Western Wall in July 2008, is expected to visit israel this spring. Avi HAyon/FlAsH90/JTA

obama to visit From Page 29

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Hezbollah-linked terrorists blamed for Burgas attackTwo men with links to the terrorist organization Hezbollah were implicated in a terrorist attack in Bulgaria that killed six, including five Israelis.

Hezbollah also financed the bomb attack on a tour bus full of Israelis last July, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told reporters on Tuesday following a six-hour Cabinet meeting. Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev did not confirm nor deny reports that Bulgaria would blame Hezbollah and Iran for the terrorist attack before Tsvetznov’s news conference.

“There is a significant progress, but the investigation is still not over,” Plevneliev was quoted as telling the Sofia news agency after a meeting Tuesday of Bulgaria’s Consultative Council for National Security.

Israel has blamed both Hezbollah and Iran for the at-tack, which also killed the Israeli tourists’ Bulgarian bus driver. Iran has denied responsibility and accused Israel of staging the attack.

A Bulgarian finding that Hezbollah was linked to the attack could lead to its classification as a terrorist group in the European Union.

The U.S. Congress in recent weeks has called on European bodies to join the United States, Israel, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in designating Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

British and Dutch officials pressed last year for con-certed EU action against Hezbollah, a major player in the Lebanese government, but other nations including France have resisted efforts to blacklist the group in an apparent effort to maintain good relations with Beirut.

French rapper Booba ‘cyber-lynched’ for mentioning Shoah

Dozens of anti-Semitic messages were left on the Facebook page of the popular French rapper Booba for vowing in a new song to avenge the victims of the Holocaust.

Booba, the son of a Muslim father from Senegal, raps in a song titled “Master Yoda” that was posted Saturday on his Facebook page, “We’ll avenge like victims of slav-ery and the Shoah.”

Among the 4,340 comments left on his post were com-ments denying the Holocaust and calling for a new geno-cide against the Jewish people, in violation of French law on hate speech. Some comments used pejoratives against Booba, the stage name of 36-year-old Eli Yaffa, for mentioning the Holocaust.

A user identified as John Ken’Nabii wrote, “Fook the Shoah, invented by Zionists to legitimize Israel.” And from another user, Bassim Abir: “Fook your mother, you and the Shoah, we piss on all the Arabs that listen to you.”

JSS News, a French Jewish news site, termed the state-ments “cyber-lynching.”

Dozens of comments contained the phrase “shoa-nanas,” a combination of the Hebrew name for the Holocaust with the French world for pineapple. Coined by the anti-Semitic comedian Dieudonne, it is used as a code word for denying the Holocaust seen to be too vague to violate France’s law forbidding it.

On January 24, a French court ordered Twitter to divulge details of French users who made similar comments.

The post containing “Master Yoda” received 1,413 “likes” on Facebook. Booba has sold more than 1 million albums in France.

JTA Wire Service


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U.S. judge dismisses Long Island eruv lawsuitOne of three federal lawsuits filed in connection with a proposed eruv enclosure in a suburban New York beach community was dismissed.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Wexler dismissed a suit brought by a group of Jewish residents on Long Island opposed to the construction of the eruv,

an enclosure that permits religious Jews to carry items in public on the Sabbath, the New York Times reported.

Proponents of the eruv in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., are affiliated with the Orthodox Hampton Synagogue, which has had repeated run-ins with local residents fear-ing an influx of Orthodox Jews to the seaside community.

Four projects supporting diversity receive Natan GrantsFour Jewish community projects in the United States, Mexico, and Uruguay will receive grants from the Natan Fund and the ROI Community.

On Monday, the Natan Grants for ROI Entrepreneurs announced the grants. Totaling $37,000, they are given to support innovative ideas for diversifying Jewish life.

The grants are going to:• Amy Beth Oppenheimer’s Faces of Israel program,

which uses an educational film to focus on questions of Jewish identity, religious pluralism, and civil liberties.

• Fabian Schamis’ Nefesh, a new school in Uruguay’s Punta del Este Jewish community that is addressing children’s needs and strengthening ties within the local community.

• Isidoro Hamui’s Mexican Merkaba Fest, which aims to create, promote, and explore local and foreign art-ists and share Jewish culture and music with the greater

Mexican society;• And Robert Saferstein’s Friday Night Lights project,

a series of Shabbat dinners for gay Jewish profession-als highlighting charitable organizations assisting the LGBTQ community.

The new partnership between Natan and the ROI Community, a member of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network, was initiated as a way of integrating Natan’s young philanthropists with ROI’s global network of emerging entrepreneurs and in-novators, the groups said in a statement issued Monday.

The Natan Fund provides early-stage funding for cre-ative approaches to challenges facing the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The ROI Community provides tools, support and space for Jewish innovators.

JTA Wire Service

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StandardA new

is on its way!Standard

is on its way!

D’var TorahMishpatim: Winston Churchill and the ancient rabbis agree

Rabbi Ronald Roth

Fair Lawn Jewish Center/Congregation B’nai Israel, Conservative

A fter the grand revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai, this week the Torah portion consists of a long series of laws and rules. Some are much

more mundane than the inspirational statements in the Ten Commandments. One simply reads, “Mid’var shek-er tirchak — Keep far from a false matter.” (Exodus 23:7)

Isn’t it obvious that we need to be distant from lies?A comment on truth and falsehood from a Midrash

in Yalkut Shimoni Bereshit 3 says the following, “The letters of the word truth [emet in Hebrew] rest on two legs [the letters of that word aleph, mem and tav when printed in Hebrew each touch the line beneath them in two places], while the letters of the word falsehood [sheker in Hebrew] have only one leg [as the letters for that Hebrew word are shin, kof, and resh, which when printed in Hebrew each touches the line underneath them only once.] Truthful actions stand firm [on two

legs], actions based on falsehoods do not [they wobble and fall on their single leg].”

The Midrash does not stop at this point for they know there are far too many lies in our world and truth does not always triumph. It continues: “The letters of emet are far apart [they are the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet], whereas the letters of sheker are bunched together [they follow each other in the Hebrew alphabet].” The Midrash concludes with something we all know to be accurate: “Truth is hard to attain [since its letters are distant] but falsehood is readily at hand [just as its letters are next to each other].” Or as Winston Churchill said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

The rabbis were aware that while ultimately truth stands firm, lies are easily proclaimed and all too of-

ten believed. Therefore the Torah reminds us not just to avoid them but to keep far from them. That is often hard to do. Think of all the statements made during the recent Presidential campaign. I don’t care which candi-date you backed, you know that many of the words in the ads shown on television supporting him were exag-gerated if not questionable. We assume that political speech is not always credible. We also know that many people get away with falsehoods and that is, pardon the expression, the gospel truth.

I would like to believe that the world reflects a saying I recall from my childhood that “Cheaters never pros-per.” The rabbis of ancient times knew how tempting it is to cheat and to lie, and how easy it is to get away with it. I hope that each of us will be truthful and not be tempted to lie. We should only live in a world where those who are honest do prosper.

ERIC A. GOLDMAN

During the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman gave orders to evacuate the city of Atlanta and then burn it to the ground, a hor-

rendous moment in history recreated in the classic 1939 film, “Gone with the Wind.” The townspeople appealed to the general, telling him that there were pregnant, sick, and old people there. In response, the fierce and deter-mined Sherman simply responded that “War is cruelty and you cannot refine it, and those who brought war in this country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out.” Most Americans see the victory of the Allied armies in World War II as a victory over tyranny, but what of those on the other side who suffered at the war’s end?

It is hard for us to feel great compassion for the Germans who were vanquished in a hard-fought war that stemmed the tide of fascism. Most Americans regard World War II as a just war. In “Lore,” an Australian, British, and German co-production, writer/director Cate Shortland turns the point of view away from what we are used to seeing in cinema — what the camp survivors, who were left homeless, often without family, had to endure. Instead, she looks squarely at the children of a high-ranking Nazi officer and his wife, who choose to leave their children behind and flee as the war ends and Allied forces sweep the Motherland. But what of the children? What responsibility must they bear? What is to be their fate?

In November, Israeli filmmaker Chanoch Ze’evi’s “Hitler’s Children” was screened at the Teaneck Film Festival. It is a documentary study of the children of many of Hitler’s top lieutenants (and was reviewed here on November 9.) What happened to those children? How

did they deal with their legacy? Ze’evi asks the questions and the people he interviews tell of their disdain for their fathers, how they suffered, and how it took much time for them truly to comprehend the extent of their parents’ partnership with evil.

Cate Shortland draws on Rachel Seiffert’s “The Dark Room,” a novel with three stories, each told from the perspective of a young person trying to make sense of Nazi Germany. Her film presents the story of four young children, led by the eldest, 14-year-old Lore (Saskia Rosendahl), who set out on a terrifying journey across the devastated landscape in an effort to reach the safety of their grandmother’s home, more than 500 miles away. We are witness to brutal postwar conditions as the children make their way across forests, back roads, and countryside, seeking food and shelter in a precarious environment where uneasy townspeople eye them with suspicion. As they journey, they see photographs posted by the Americans and Russians showing the horrors the Nazis had engineered. At first, there is total disbelief. Clearly this is Allied propaganda! But just as the German nation begins to understand the reality and ramifications of Nazi actions, so do the children struggle to understand the complicity of their parents.

“Lore” is a study in trauma, the anguish of a nation trying to come to grips with its collusion in a disastrous war and a policy of genocide and mass murder. These four children, whose father was a hero just a few years earlier, now must come to grips with what had taken place under his watch and with both of their parents’

active participation. Lore and her siblings grew up trusting their parents and believing in their abhorrent Nazi ideologies. In this story, Shortland wanted us to understand Lore, “her lack of empathy, her romantic determination to keep believing, even when Germany was suffering defeat.” This might be difficult for us to conceive, but Shortland does an impressive job introducing us to the maturation of this gregarious and thoughtful young woman, who has been raised always to obey, never to question. Even as Lore gains the protection of Thomas (Kai Malina), a man who appears to be a Jewish survivor of the concentration camps, the epitome of everything that she has been taught to hate, she still holds onto her prejudicial beliefs. What will change her?

Cate Shortland is an Australian who has spent a great deal of time in Germany and in post-apartheid South Africa. She questions Australia’s uneasy relationship

with its colonial past and struggles with issues of memory, collaboration, and responsibility. She says that in crafting her film, she also was deeply affected by the stories her Jewish husband’s grandmother, who left Berlin in 1936, told her about Germany.

As we have seen over the last decade and a half, young Germans continue to struggle on film with the legacy that their grandparents left the world. Shortland, working with British and German producers and fine young German actors, shot this film in German (with English subtitles) and on German soil. She wants to continue the discussion. “Lore” will make you think and try to understand — and that is not easy.

The film opens today at the Lincoln Plaza and Angelika theaters in New York.

Eric Goldman reviews cinema for The Jewish Standard. You can follow him on twitter: @drgoldman.

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‘Lore’German children abandoned in postwar Germany look for home

Abandoned by their parents, Lore and her siblings cross a devastated land.

Lore confronts her parents’ Nazi beliefs.

Despite protection of a camp survivor, Lore retains her prejudices.

Australian Cate Shortland questions her own coun-try’s past.

Arts & culture

Calendar

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Or offers a Purim-themed morning, with music, stories, crafts, and snacks, for 2- to 6-year-olds and their parents, 11:15 a.m. 56 Ridgewood Road. (201) 664-7422 or www.templebethornj.org.

Purim in Wyckoff Temple Beth Rishon holds its annual Purim carnival, 11:30 a .m. Food, games, activities, and music and dance. Proceeds support the TBR youth group. 585 Russell Ave. (201) 891-4466 or bethrishon.org.

Purim in Paramus The Jewish Community Center of Paramus hosts its annual carnival, with games, moonwalk, food, and prizes, noon-2 p.m. Wear costumes. East 304 Midland Ave. (201) 262-7691.

David Broza Raanan Cohen

David Broza in Closter The New York Board of Rabbis presents David Broza in concert at Temple Emanu-El, 6 p.m. The Jewish Standard is among the sponsors. Proceeds benefit New Jersey Superstorm Sandy victims. 180 Piermont Road. Jessica Di Paolo, (212) 983-3521 or [email protected].

monday [february 11]

Heart disease in women Dr. Sarah L. Timmapuri and registered dietitian Susan Kraus lead a discussion “Heart Disease: What Women Want to Know,” for the sisterhood of Congregation Beth Sholom in Teaneck, 6:30 p.m. Light supper. 354 Maitland Ave. (201) 833-2620.

tuesday [february 12]

Networking in Paramus Jewish Business Network holds a breakfast at Whole Foods Market, 8:15 a.m. 300 Bergen Town Center. www.jbusinessnetwork.net.

Rabbi Ziona Zelazo CouRtesy JFsnJ

Celebrating love Rabbi Ziona Zelazo discusses “Love is in the Air: Cupid, Cherubim, and Us,” for Café Europa, a program of Jewish Family Service of North Jersey, at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center, 11 a.m. Made possible by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, and private donations. 10-10 Norma Ave. (973) 595-0111 or www.jfsnorthjersey.org.

and Josh Rabinowitz. 515 Cedar Lane. (201) 530-5665 or www.chaikotapas.com.

Movie Toni Braxton and David Julian Hirsh star in “Twist of Faith” on Lifetime, 8 p.m.

sunday [february 10]

Film in Leonia Congregation Adas Emuno offers “Bagels and Boxing.” After “Impact-Jewish Boxers in America” is screened, at 9:30 a.m., producer/director James Ford Nussbaum will discuss his film, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at some of America’s great Jewish boxers. Bagels and coffee. 254 Broad Ave. (201) 592-1712 or www.adasemuno.org.

Benefit spinning “Ride to Provide” raises money for local food pantries and family service organizations. Sponsored by Temple Emanu-El of Closter, it is at CORE Fitness, Closter, 9:45-11:45 a.m. Each rider’s goodie bag holds water, Gatorade, healthy snacks, and a shirt. 91 Ruckman Road. (201) 750-9997 or [email protected].

Responding to anti-Israel rhetoric Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck hosts a program for Jewish high school juniors and seniors on how to respond to anti-Israel rhetoric on college campuses, 10:15 a.m. Co-sponsored by Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey’s Jewish Community Relations Council, Stand Up For Israel, the Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies, and the New Jersey Anti-Defamation League. Light lunch; dietary laws observed. 1650 Palisade Ave. www.jfnnj.org/jcrc.

Author in Hoboken Aili McConnon tells the story of Gino Bartoli, the most famous Italian athlete of his generation, and his heroic actions saving lives during the Holocaust in the book “Road to Valor: A True Story of World War II Italy, The Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation” at the United Synagogue of Hoboken, 10:30 a.m. Brunch. 115 Park Ave. (201) 659-4000 or [email protected].

Toddler program in Tenafly As part of the shul’s Holiday Happenings program, Temple Sinai of Bergen County offers a Purim-themed morning, with music, stories, crafts, and snacks, for 4-year-olds and their parents, 10:45 a.m. 1 Engle St. (201) 568-6867 or [email protected].

Toddler program in Washington Township As part of the shul’s Holiday Happenings program, the sisterhood of Temple Beth

friday [february 8]

Shabbat in Teaneck The Jewish Center of Teaneck offers Carlebach-style davening at 5 p.m. On Saturday morning, Rabbi Lawrence Zierler discusses “The Green Torah: Judaism and the Environment” with participants at his tisch after the 9 a.m. service. Kinder Shul for 3- to 8-year-olds, while parents attend services, 10:30. (201) 833-0515 or www.jcot.org.

Shabbat in Closter Rabbi David S. Widzer and Cantor Rica Timman of Temple Beth El lead a Purim-themed tot Shabbat, 5:15 p.m., with songs, stories, and crafts. Chinese dinner at 5:45. 221 Schraalenburgh Road. (201) 768-5112.

Shabbat in Paramus The JCC of Paramus hosts a catered Shabbat dinner, 6:45 p.m.; services at 8:30. East 304 Midland Ave. (201) 262-7691 or [email protected].

Shabbat in Emerson Congregation B’nai Israel holds its monthly intergenerational drumming circle to celebrate Purim, 8 p.m. Drums provided; participants can bring their own percussion instruments. 53 Palisade Ave. (201) 265-2272 or www.bisrael.com.

saturday [february 9]

Shabbat book discussion in River Edge Temple Avodat Shalom offers a discussion of “The Zookeeper’s Wife” after services that begin at 10:30 a.m. as part of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey’s “One Book, One Community.” Stella Teger, TAS’ executive director, joins congregant Barbara Markowitz in a dialogue about “Let Us Not Forget,” a memoir by Markowitz’s mother, Irene Teger. Teger’s story parallels “The Zookeeper’s Wife.” 385 Howland Ave. (201) 489-2463 or www.avodatshalom.net.

Comedy in Wayne Congregation Shomrei Torah offers comedy with monologist Jon Fisch; Sherry Davey, who recently was named one of the “Top 10 Comedians in NYC” by Improper Magazine, and Moody McCarthy, 7:30 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres

and dessert; beer and wine for sale. 30 Hinchman Ave. (973) 696-2500.

Cabaret in Wyckoff Temple Beth Rishon offers a cabaret with classical, Broadway, opera, contemporary, jazz, classic rock, Jewish and American folk music, along with tap dancing by the Syncopated Seniors Tap Dance Troupe, 7:30 p.m. Participants include congregants Gale Bindelglass, Jimmy and Linda Cohen, Phyllis Cole, Jenna Daniels, Adam Friedlander, Hannah Haas, Kerry Holder, Mark Kantrowitz, Judy Kessler-Stein, Jane Koch, Arthur Mamber, Ilan Mamber, Andrew Mordoff, Daniel Polevoy, Ted Prosnitz, Jamie Rosenblum, Sylvia Rubin, Jack Seidenberg, Jo-Ann Skiena Garey, Fern Wilensky, Lindsay Wyck, and Alice Yoo. Wine, cheese, and desserts. BYOB. 585 Russell Ave. (201) 891-4466.

Eli Lebowicz

Josh Rabinowitz

Comedy in Teaneck Chai Ko Tapas Fusion Steakhouse & Sushi hosts Rosh Chodesh Adar Comedy Night, with dinner and a show, 8-10 p.m. Comedy by Eli Lebowicz


David Weinstone and The Music for Aardvarks Band will perform two concerts for children at The Jewish Museum in Manhattan, Sunday, February 10, 11:30 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. Adults are asked to accompany their children. (212) 423-3337 or TheJewishMuseum.org. CouRtesy JM

Leket Israel, Israel’s national food bank and largest food rescue network, sells printed Purim cards. Every dollar that is donated provides 10 people with one pound of fruit and vegetables. It costs $36 for 18 cards and envelopes, $70 for 36, $90 for 54, and $170 for 108. Unlimited Purim ecards and video cards are available for $18. To order, call Elena at (201) 331-0070, ext. 2, or go to www.leket.org.il/english/.

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Matisyahu CouRtesy BeRgen PaC

Matisyahu in Englewood Matisyahu performs at the Bergen Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. (201) 227 1030, www.ticketmaster.com, or www.bergenpac.org.

thursday [february 14]

Networking in Jersey City HudsonJewish hosts a Jewish business networking breakfast with the Tribe, at the Museum of Russian Art, formerly the CASE Museum, 8:30 a.m. 80 Grand St. Joshua Bernstein, [email protected].

singles


Pre-Purim party Celebrate Rosh Chodesh Adar at a pre-Purim singles party for modern Orthodox singles, 23-32, at Shaarei Orah — The Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, 8:30 p.m. “Sephardi Panoply” includes a multimedia trivia game and Middle Eastern dishes. Co-sponsored by YUConnects and Yeshiva University. 1425 Essex Road. (516) 603-8141 or www.yuconnects.com.


Brunch in Caldwell New Jersey Jewish Singles 45+ meets for a pre-Valentines Day meet and mingle brunch at Congregation Agudath Israel, 11:30 a.m. 20 Academy Road. (973) 226-3600, meetup.com (use group name) or [email protected].


The dating world The Orthodox Union Singles Connection and Congregation Shearith Israel of Manhattan present “Text, Email, Phone, or [Gasp] In-Person Conversation: Matching the Medium to the Message in the Dating World,” for singles, 22-35, 7 p.m. Moderators include Marc Goldmann, founder of Saw You at Sinai; social worker Naomi Mark; Helen Greenfield, Saw You at Sinai matchmaker; dating coach Sandy Weiner; matchmaker Baila Sebrow; and Michael Feldstein, a member of the Singles Task Force Committee at YU Connects. Refreshments. 2 West 70th St. (212) 613-8300 or www.oucommunity.org.

Bender, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The fair includes a moon bounce, an obstacle course, slides, games, spin art, balloon animals, magicians, clowns, hair and make up booths, cotton candy, and prizes. A food court will sell dairy items. 19-10 Morlot Ave. (201) 791-7676.

in new york


Purim concert Acclaimed kids band Mama Doni, led by Doni Zasloff Thomas, celebrates Purim at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 2 p.m. Original songs and a costume parade, for children 3 to 10. Crafts from 1-4. 36 Battery Place. (646) 437-4202 or www.mjhnyc.org.


Playwright speaking Jesse Eisenberg (Oscar-nominated actor for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network”) speaks with novelist and Fordham law professor Thane Rosenbaum at the 92nd Street Y, 8:15 p.m., about his play, “The Revisionist,” opening this month at the Cherry Lane Theater. 1395 Lexington Ave. (212) 415-5500 or www.92Y.org.

Hadassah meets The Pascack Valley/Northern Valley Chapter of Hadassah meets at Jewish Home Assisted Living in River Vale, 2:30 p.m. The chapter’s “Hadassah Players” performs a version of “The Calendar Girls.” Refreshments. 685 Westwood Ave. (201) 664-1488.

friday [february 15]

Shabbat in Teaneck Temple Emeth offers musical services, 8 p.m. 1666 Windsor Road. (201) 833-1322 or www.emeth.org.


Rummage sale in Washington Township Sisterhood of Temple Beth Or holds a rummage sale, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. On Monday, “Bag Day,” fill a small bag for $3, a large one for $6, 4-8 p.m. 56 Ridgewood Road. (201) 664-7422, ext. 10, or www.templebethornj.org.


Pre-Purim in Fair Lawn Shomrei Torah hosts a pre-Purim extravaganza, “Living and Loving Life,” in memory of Josh


Or offers a Purim-themed morning, with music, stories, crafts, and snacks, for 2- to 6-year-olds and their parents, 11:15 a.m. 56 Ridgewood Road. (201) 664-7422 or www.templebethornj.org.

Purim in Wyckoff Temple Beth Rishon holds its annual Purim carnival, 11:30 a .m. Food, games, activities, and music and dance. Proceeds support the TBR youth group. 585 Russell Ave. (201) 891-4466 or bethrishon.org.

Purim in Paramus The Jewish Community Center of Paramus hosts its annual carnival, with games, moonwalk, food, and prizes, noon-2 p.m. Wear costumes. East 304 Midland Ave. (201) 262-7691.

David Broza Raanan Cohen

David Broza in Closter The New York Board of Rabbis presents David Broza in concert at Temple Emanu-El, 6 p.m. The Jewish Standard is among the sponsors. Proceeds benefit New Jersey Superstorm Sandy victims. 180 Piermont Road. Jessica Di Paolo, (212) 983-3521 or [email protected].


Heart disease in women Dr. Sarah L. Timmapuri and registered dietitian Susan Kraus lead a discussion “Heart Disease: What Women Want to Know,” for the sisterhood of Congregation Beth Sholom in Teaneck, 6:30 p.m. Light supper. 354 Maitland Ave. (201) 833-2620.


Networking in Paramus Jewish Business Network holds a breakfast at Whole Foods Market, 8:15 a.m. 300 Bergen Town Center. www.jbusinessnetwork.net.

Rabbi Ziona Zelazo CouRtesy JFsnJ

Celebrating love Rabbi Ziona Zelazo discusses “Love is in the Air: Cupid, Cherubim, and Us,” for Café Europa, a program of Jewish Family Service of North Jersey, at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center, 11 a.m. Made possible by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, and private donations. 10-10 Norma Ave. (973) 595-0111 or www.jfsnorthjersey.org.

Spreading Purim cheer in Israel and abroad

Celebrate Purim with festive cards to support Reuth Medical Center in Israel. The 350-bed state-of-the-art rehabilitation and chronic care hospital treats soldiers and terror victims among its many patients. Inpatients and outpatients are offered the latest techniques in chronic pain management and have access to quality-of-life programs including music, drama, animal, and garden therapies. It costs $18 for 5 cards, $36 for 10, and $72 for 25. Call (212) 751-9255.

Sponsor Mishloach Manot for Jewish American troops stationed abroad through Kosher Troops. It costs $18 for 10 cards and $36 for 22. Call (845) 354-7762 or [email protected] or [email protected].

Kosher vodka for Purim or anytimeWith the spirit of celebration, southern California-based King REX Spirits has produced 100 percent American-made vodka, derived from American-grown corn. The company uses a revolutionary all-natural patented technology to remove impurities, resulting in a crystal clear vodka. The nose has a mild hint of a sweet corn base that leads to a gentle finish. The vodka is gluten free and OK Kosher certified.

The unique handcrafted bottle is embellished with a golden crown and Swarovski crystals. It is for sale online at Liquorama.

Purim event in TeaneckAll are welcome to the Berkshire Bank in Teaneck’s Purim cele-bration. The event on Thursday, February 14, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the bank, 517 Cedar Lane in Teaneck, includes pizza, ha-mantashen, and raffles. For in-formation, call Sharona at (201) 287-0008.


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Central Park race benefits halachic organ donationThe second annual Halachic Organ Donor Society Race will take place on Sunday, March 3, at 10 a.m., in Manhattan’s Central Park. The race will raise money for the HOD Society. There will be 5K and 10K races for adults and preteens, l8 to 12; walkers are welcome. Prizes, including an iPhone and iPad will be awarded to the top three finishers in both categories. A roundtrip ticket to Israel will go to the person who raises the most money for HODS.

HODS’ mission is to save lives by increasing organ donations from Jews to all of humanity. HODS raises awareness of halachic (Jewish legal) support for organ donation and provides a halachic organ donor card. HODS has saved more than 200 lives, educated more than 330,000 Jews about organ donation, and recruited hundreds of rabbis who now carry organ donor cards.

To register, go to www.hods.org/race, email [email protected], or call (212) 213-5087. All participants also will have the option of creating an internet fundraising page to raise funds toward the fee instead of paying it themselves.

Purim production in TeaneckBenny Berlin, the popular Kinder Shul (Shabbat children’s program) leader at the Jewish Center of Teaneck, has produced a play with a new take on the Purim story. The family-centered production will be performed on Sunday, February 17, at 10 a.m., at the Jewish Center of Teaneck. Its all-star cast features residents of the “She-li” group home performing lead roles.

The intergenerational program is co-sponsored by the JCT with the Chabad House and Congregation Shaarei Tefilah.

Call (201) 833-0515, ext. 200, or go to wwwjcot.org.

Benny Berlin, seated, pictured with, from left, Ari Schnipper, youth director of Congregation Shaarei Tefillah, and actor Tzachi Frankel. CouRtesy JCt

Prayer series in TeaneckThe Teaneck General Store and the Jewish Community Council of Teaneck continue a free lecture series with Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Diamond. On February 14, he will ask, “When Do We Get to Complain? Contrasting Psalms and the Siddur.” On February 21, he will tackle “Preparing for Prayer: Traditional and Contemporary Techniques for Entering Prayer.” Both are at 7:30 p.m. at the Teaneck General Store.

Eliezer Diamond is the Rabbi Judah Nadich Associate Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he teaches Talmud and rab-binic literature.

Call (201) 530-5046 or [email protected].

Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Diamond CouRtesy tgs

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gallery

1 Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly celebrated Cynthia Powell’s

18th anniversary as its accompanist and choir director. An abbreviated Shabbat service was followed by a concert with the Stonewall Chorale; Powell also is that group’s artistic director. Here, the shul board president, Neal Klauser, gives Powell a gift of appreciation. Ophelia a.

YudkOff

2 Children in the Glen Rock Jewish Center Nursery School celebrated

Tu Bi-Sh’vat by making tree centerpieces and sampling different fruits. COurtesY

GrJC

3 In anticipation of Tu Bi-Sh’vat, participants of the Gallen Adult

Day Health Care Center, including Angel D’Arminio of Paramus, pictured, worked on creating artistic trees. COurtesY Gallen

4 Students from the David Rukin Early Childhood Center Nursery School

at the Bergen County YJCC celebrated Tu Bi-Sh’vat with a seder. YJCC Chief Executive Officer Gary Lipman joined the celebration. COurtesY YJCC

5 Staff members at the Jewish National Fund recently visited Emek

HaShalom (Valley of Peace) Nature Park in Israel. The nonprofit organization Lotem, a JNF partner, provides accessible hikes and outings at the ecological farm to those with special needs and leads nature clubs for people who are confined to the indoors. Lotem also works with groups from abroad, including Yachad. JNF staffers, pictured, made olive oil in an oil press that is accessible to people with special needs in a Tu Bi-Sh’vat workshop. COurtesY Jnf

6 The Puppy and Chick class at Gan Yaldenu Tots in Bergenfield had a Tu

Bi-Sh’vat party. COurtesY GY

7 Andrew Mester, a seventh grader at Gerrard Berman Day School and a School of Rock of

Wayne participant, sang lead vocals during a recent fund-raising performance at the Canvas Clash in Boonton. To mark his becoming a bar mitzvah, he helped organize the event with all proceeds benefiting Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine. The facility supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families by providing a free camp experience, including accommodations, meals, onsite medical services, and recreation activities. COurtesY GBds

8 The Jewish Community Center of Paramus recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. At a

Shabbat service, members of three of the founding families — Henry and Lola Weber, Irene Reiss, and Lotte and Fred Buff — told some stories of those early times. A luncheon followed. Here, they stand in front of the cornerstone of the building, which dates to 1959. COurtesY JCCp

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Lifecycle

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MOHELRabbi Gerald Chirnomas

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MediterraneanPickles

Birth

Sydney Howard DeNardoSydney Howard DeNardo was born on January 9 at Greenwich Hospital to Leigh Jennie and Frank DeNardo of Upper Nyack, N.Y. Named for his grandfather, Howard Salzberg of Englewood Cliffs, he weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and joins a brother, Luca DeNardo. Their grandparents are Joan Salzberg and Richard Frieder of Closter and Dianne and Frank DeNardo of Putnam Valley, N.Y., and Jane and William Watson of Ardsley, N.Y., are the great-grandparents.

Mazal tov

Mazal tov to Marianne Goodman, Robin Koval, Lisa Schwartz, and Heidi Walker, who celebrated be-coming adult b’nai mitzvah at Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff during Shabbat services on February 2. Orientation for the next class is set for Tuesday, February 26 at 7 p.m.

B’nai Mitzvah

Emily KatzEmily Katz, daughter of Roni and Michael Katz and sister of Ricky, Daniel, and Jason, cel-ebrated becoming a bat mitz-vah on February 2 at Temple Emanu-El in Closter.

Sammie MosesSammie Moses, daughter of Stacey and David Moses of Haworth, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on February 2 at Temple Beth El in Closter.

Gabrielle Pogrebinsky

Gabrielle Pogrebinsky, daughter of Karina and Paul Pogrebinsky of Woodcliff Lake, twin sister of Justin, and sister of Isabella, 8, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on February 2 at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake.

Justin Pogrebinsky

Justin Pogrebinsky, son of Karina and Paul Pogrebinsky of Woodcliff Lake, twin brother of Gabrielle, and brother of Isabella, 8, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on February 2 at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake.

Matthew Zachem

Matthew Ross Zachem, son of Andrea Glickhouse and Harvey Zachem of Ridgewood and brother of Jeffrey, celebrated be-coming a bar mitzvah on February 2 at Temple Israel and Jewish Community Center in Ridgewood. His grandparents are the late Hannah and Sam Glickhouse of Teaneck and the late Elaine and William Zachem of New York City.

oBituaries

Sylvia AckermanSylvia Ackerman, née Maurer, formerly of North Bergen and Coconut Creek, Fla., died January 30 at the Jewish Home at Rockleigh.

Predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Harry, she is survived by daughters Dianne, Janet Siegel (Phillip), and Linda Bleiweiss (Steven); a brother, Alvin Maurer; five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Contributions can be sent to Autism Speaks. Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors, Hackensack.

Rachel BergerRachel “Rae” Berger, 95, of Paramus, formerly of Delray Beach, Fla., Whippany, Bergenfield, and Hackensack, died January 29.

Predeceased by her husband, Reuben, she is survived by children, Jo-Ann Winterfield (Harvey) of Teaneck, and Allan (Susanne) of Randolph; five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Donations can be made to the Lupus Foundation. Arrangements were by Louis Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.

Nanu DavisNanu Davis, 84, of Cliffside Park, died February 3. Arrangements were by Louis Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.

Samuel MoskowitzSamuel Moskowitz, Ph.D., 86, of Leonia, died February 3 at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

Born in the Bronx, he was a World War II Army veteran and a psychologist.

Predeceased by his wife, Gwen, in 1989, he is survived by children, Andrew of Washington, D.C., Jon of New York City, and Susan of Leonia.

Arrangements were by Eden Memorial Chapels, Fort Lee.

Arlene R. PellerArlene Peller, 67, of Paramus, formerly of Staten Island and Queens, died January 30.

A graduate of City University of New York, she earned a master’s from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work and an ABD from New York University. She was a self-employed licensed clinical social worker and a professor at Montclair State and Bloomfield colleges. She was a member of the National Association of Social Workers.

Surviving are her husband, Melvin; children, Judy Carmeli (Jeff), Robert (Shoshana), and Darrin (Jessica); and nine grandchildren.

Donations can be made to the American Diabetes or the American Heart associations. Arrangements were by Louis Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.

Ira Rubin Ira Stephen Rubin, 82, of Edison, formerly of Elmwood Park and Paramus, died on February 6 at JFK Medical Center in Edison.

Born in the Bronx, he was a self-employed mathematician in the computer industry.

He is survived by his chil-dren, Eric of Elgin, Ill., Lori Beth Kimmel of Manalapan, and Jeffrey of Boca Raton, Fla.; and four grandchildren.


Hortense SchreiberHortense Schreiber, née Fink, 94, of Elmwood Park, died February 5 in Hackensack.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, she was a homemaker. Predeceased by her husband, Louis, in 2000, and a son, James, in 1982, she is survived by her son, Ron, of River Edge.

Arrangements were by Robert Schoem’s Menorah Chapel, Paramus.

Obituaries

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Gary Schoem – Manager - NJ Lic. 3811Thelma SpivackThelma Spivack, née Goresky, 88, of Franklin Lakes, formerly of Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., died February 2 at home.

Born in Montreal, she is survived by children, Ellen Frey of Franklin Lakes, Berel of Virginia, and Simon of New York City; a brother, Henry Goresky of Canada; and four grandchildren.


Arthur WeisArthur Martin Weis, 87, of Montclair and Allendale, died January 20.

A Navy veteran, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy and after an honorable discharge he graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and joined Curtiss-Wright. A patent attorney, he graduated from Rutgers Law School and invented a nuclear thermionic fuel cell used as a power supply for spacecraft in the 1960s. He was the founder of Capintec Inc., a supplier of nuclear medical equipment systems, and received lifetime achievement awards from the Society of Nuclear Medicine.

He was active in the Passaic Jewish community serving as president of Beth Shalom Reform Temple and Temple Emanuel of North Jersey.

He is survived by his wife, Bernice; a son, Eric (Fern); a sister, Marcia; and grandchildren Joshua and Sarah.

Donations can be sent to the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, Jewish National Fund, or the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel. Arrangements were by Jewish Memorial Chapel in Clifton.

Jane ZimelJane Zimel, 59, died on February 2, 2013 in Saddle Brook.

Born in Paterson, she worked in the Paterson school system for over 30 years. She graduated from Emerson University and earned a master’s from William Paterson University.

She is survived by a sister, Helena Wilson (Dr. Howard); a niece, Emily H. Wilson and cousins Deborah Zimel Margolis, Eleanor Miller, Dorey Neilinger, and Douglas Feltman.

Arrangements were by Robert Schoem’s Menorah Chapel, Paramus.

This week’s Torah commentary is on page 37.

Jewish books illustrated by Sendak sold at auctionTwo rare Jewish books illustrated by Maurice Sendak were sold at auction days before the posthumous publi-cation of a new book he wrote.

At Swann Galleries in New York, “Good Shabbos, Everybody” by Robert Garvey sold for $1,440, and “Happy Hanukah Everybody” by Hyman and Alice Chanover sold for $1,920. The books were published in the 1950s by the United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education; Sendak’s immensely popular “Where the Wild Things Are” came out in 1963.

“The books were real finds for Sendak collectors,” said Christine von der Linn, senior specialist of art and illustrated books for Swann, adding that they were in unusually good condition and both were signed by Sendak.

Sendak’s newest book was published Monday, nine months after his death last May. “My Brother’s Book,” published by Harper Collins, combines poetry and art. It is the last book he wrote. A tribute to his brother Jack, who died 18 years ago, it is a lyrical work that deals with separation, longing, and reunion.

The auction last week, part of a sale of books and art by 20th century illustrators, included the sale of a rare first edition of “Where the Wild Things Are” for $18,000 that includes a humorous inscription to Reed Orenstein, a friend and collector of Sendak’s work who died in 2010. The first edition was among 62 lots of Sendak items from Orenstein’s collection.

One of the more comprehensive collections of Sendak’s work held by private collectors, this was the first of Sendak’s work to come on the market since his death, according to von der Linn. Other items in the sale included another rare first edition of “Where the Wild Things Are” without an inscription that sold for $6,240.

While some people initially criticized “Where the Wild Things Are” for what they saw as its overly dark im-agery, the tale of how a rebellious boy hero, Max, tames the dark and ghoulish creatures that inhabit many chil-dren’s nightmares was instantly popular among chil-dren. The book, which has sold more than 10 million copies and been translated into 15 languages, made the Brooklyn-born son of Jewish immigrants one of the most influential children’s writers of the 20th century.

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home designKitchen remodeling checklistMark J. Donovan

A kitchen remodeling checklist is paramount if you want to have a successful kitchen remodel.

A top-level checklist is composed of a sequence of tasks that should be per-formed in order to achieve a success-ful outcome. I say “sequence” because a specific order in working through a remodeling project is essential. If you don’t follow the proper steps, you inevita-bly will spend more time and money and experience more headaches and hassles in completing your kitchen remodel.

At the top of your checklist should be defining the objectives of your kitchen remodel. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with your new kitchen in regard to features and space, how much money you want to spend on it, and when you want it completed. Answering those three basic questions will help you to establish a top-level budget and a timeline for completing the project.

Next on the checklist is to develop a set of kitchen design plans and the key elements that you want to incorporate into those plans. For most homeowners, it makes sense to work with a professional kitchen designer, as they can provide you with wonderful tips on the latest kitchen cabinetry and countertop features — and actually can generate detailed kitchen design plans for you.

The most important element of a kitchen remodeling project — or any ma-jor home remodeling project for that mat-ter — is hiring the right contractor. Hiring the wrong contractor often leads to large cost overruns, schedule delays, and ma-jor frustrations. In the worst cases, it can lead to the project never being completed and the contractor stealing from you by buying excess materials for your project and then skimming the materials for an-other job. Make no mistake: These types

of problems are very common when the wrong contractor is hired.

Consequently, when you embark on a kitchen remodeling project, make sure your checklist includes a thorough pro-cess for hiring the right contractor. Often the kitchen designer can help in this process, as well. Whatever you do when it comes to hiring a contractor, make sure to check the references of each prospec-tive contractor and study pictures of their complete projects. If it is at all possible, go out and visit one of their most recently completed projects. Also, make sure they are a licensed kitchen remodeling contractor in your state and that they are properly insured. Finally, keep in mind that the more thorough a contractor’s bid, the more accurate it is likely to be in terms of cost and schedule. Look for quality bids that include detailed schedules and a complete bill of materials.

Once your kitchen remodeling plans are in place and you know what the ex-pected costs are for your project, visit your local building inspector to pull any necessary permits. Failing to pull the nec-essary permits could cost you greatly in terms of steep fines and hassles.

With permits in hand, you can begin to do the actual remodeling work. A well-planned kitchen remodeling project should take only a couple of weeks to complete. During the actual remodeling phase, talk with your contractor about once a day to see whether there are any issues that must be addressed and to ensure that the project is on track for an on-time completion.

By following this top-level checklist, your chances of a successful kitchen re-model skyrocket. Enjoy your new kitchen!

Creators.com

Mark J. Donovan’s website is http://www. HomeAdditionPlus.com.

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Allan Dorfman Broker/Associate

201-461-6764 Eve201-970-4118 Cell

201-585-8080 x144 [email protected]

The Colony in ForT lee

Serving Bergen County since 1985.

■ 1BR 1.5 Baths. Updated. $134,900

■ 1BR 1.5 Baths. Total renovation. $229,900

■ 2BR 2.5 Baths. B Line (East and West). Total renovation with laundry. $599,000

■ 3BR 2.5 Baths. High floor renovated. “Owner says sell!” $499,000

■ RENTAL 1 BR 1.5 Baths. Renovated. $2200 per month.

AMY AXELRODLicensed Real Estate [email protected]

(Bergen County bred, Manhattan resident)

Looking to buy, sell or rent in NYC?…all you have to do is call Amy!

(Bergen County bred, Manhattan resident)

AMY AXELROD Licensed Real Estate [email protected]

Looking to buy, sell or rent in NYC?…all you have to do is call Amy!

240 Grand AvenueEnglewood, NJ 07631

[email protected]

355 Broad Avenue, Englewood4 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bathrooms. Lot size 100 x 146.

Near houses of worship. $605,000

EnglEwood East hillofficE ExclusivE

Real Estate Associates

Ann Murad, ABR, GRI Sales Associate, Silver Level 1997 2000, 2002, 2009, 2011, 2012 NJAR Circle of Excellence Gold Level, 2001, 2003-2006

Office: (201) 573 8811 ext. 316 Direct: (201) 664 6181, Cell: (201) 981 7994

E-mail: [email protected] 123 Broadway, Woodcliff, NJ 07677

Each Office Independenty Owned and Operated

“ANNiE GEtS it SoLd”

Interest Rates Are At An All Time Low!

Please contact us for refinance options to reduce the payment on your current mortgage or for a new loan

to purchase a home.

Classic Mortgage, LLCServing NY, NJ & CT

25 E. Spring Valley Ave., Ste 100, Maywood, NJ

201-368-3140www.classicmortgagellc.com

MLS #31149

Larry DeNikePresident

MLO #[email protected]

Daniel M. ShlufmanManaging Director

MLO #[email protected]

ProminentProperties.com90 County Road | Tenafly, NJ 07450 | 201.568.5668

10 Offices Serving Northern and Central New JerseyEach Office Independently Owned & OperatedEQUAL HOUSING

O P P O R T U N I T Y

Big Slice of Heaven $649,000Exquisite large 3-bedroom, 3-full bath apartment (aprx. 2250sf) with huge terrace, commanding panoramic views of NYC & GWB, and gorgeous sunset & mountain views to the west. It’s time to treat yourself to the luxury lifestyle, hotel-like services and accommodations that are uniquely The Plaza in Fort Lee.

Philip Soo & Susy M. SooSales Associate & Broker/Sales Associate

551-265-7521 [email protected]

Stunning Victorian · Englewood, NJ

Fully Renovated Victorian on approx 1.22 acres of beautifully landscaped property! 6 BRs/6.5 Baths. Gourmet Kitchen,

Covered Porch, Formal Dining Room, 4 Fireplaces, Carriage House, In-ground Heated Swimming Pool,

Gleaming Hardwood Floors and Much More! For a private showing, contact

Doris Cohen, Realtor®/Sales AssociateProminent Properties / Sotheby’s

C: 201-218-0731 • T: 201-585-80801608 Lemoine Ave., Fort Lee • www.ProminentProperties.com

Open HOusesteaneck

1231 Longfellow Ave 1-3 PM $314,900Everything Is DONE!! Room For All. LR/Fplc, Music Rm, FDR, Sunlit, Mod Kit. Study. 4 BRs, 2 Bths. Fin Bsmnt/Summer Kit. C/A/C.

78 Oakdene Ave 2-4 PM $319KBeautiful Col. on Landscaped Prop. Spacious & Bright. Porch, LR/Fplc, FDR, EIK, 3 BRs, 1.5 Bths. FinBsmnt. H/W Flrs. Walk to NY Buses, Shops, Parks & Houses of Worship.

For Our Full Inventory & Directions Visit our Website

www.RussoRealEstate.com

(201) 837-8800

READERS’CHOICE

2012

FIRST PLACEREAL ESTATE AGENCY

FEB 10TH OPEN HOUSES 330 Edgewood Ave, Tnk $845,000 2:00-4:00pm688 Forest Ave, Tnk $444,900 1:00-3:00pm145 Sussex Rd, Bgfld $310,000 12:00-2:00pm

JUST SOLD189 Lindbergh Blvd, Tnk 1487 E Terrace Circle, #1, Tnk

V&N - NOTABLE HOMEExquisite, glass-domed entry hall w circular staircase & curved banister. Surfaces in kit & baths include onyx, marble & granite. Double butler’s pantry, front/back staircase. All brs are ensuite, master br w fplc & balcony. $3,850,000

Upscale Location! Classic Col w custom renovations. LR/fplc, large FDR, double appliance Chef’s Kitchen, 2.5 baths, full Guest Suite in fin bsmnt. $699,000

FOLLOW V&N TEAM ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

www.vera-nechama.com201-692-3700

REAL ESTATE & buSinESS noTES

Caring for aging parentsAre you a member of the Sandwich Generation, juggling career, home life and the needs of aging parents? If so, “Caring for our Aged Parents,” a program sponsored by Holy Name Medical Center, will address many of your concerns, including nutrition, socialization, helpful re-sources, and the importance of caring for yourself in the midst of it all.

The free program is Monday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Marian Hall at the Medical Center. Presenters include a nurse, a dietician, and a social worker. To register call the hospital at 1-877-HOLY-NAME (1-877-465-9626) or visit www.holyname.org.

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FRIEDBERGTM

EQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNITY

768-6868ALPINE/CLOSTER

871-0800CRESSKILL

666-0777RIVER VALE

568-1818ENGLEWOODCLIFFS

894-1234TENAFLY

Visit us on the Internet to learn more about our properties and services:

www.friedbergproperties.com

CongratulationsTo Our Top Achievers

For 201We Move Nationally & Internationally

3221854-01FreidbergThu Jan 19, 20123x8.5processPat GriffinsubniteBarbara

This ad is copyrighted by North Jersey Media Groupand may not be reproduced in any form, or replicatedin a similar version, without approval from North Jersey Media Group.

2

Ravit Advocat

Nicole Idler

Miriam Kim

Lavdrim Cami

Orna Jackson

Miriam Lambert

Farrah Feggelle

Soci Kayserian

Nana Landi

Eleen Gong

Skip Kelley

Margaret Martini

Jennifer Hamani

Gabrielle Kemavor

Catherine Olsen

[email protected] · [email protected] · www.MironProperties.com/NJ

Each Miron Properties office is independently owned and operated.

Contact us for your complimentary consultation

Jeffrey SchleiderBroker/Owner

Miron Properties NY

Ruth Miron-SchleiderBroker/Owner

Miron Properties NJ

10 LEXINGTON COURT 184 SHERWOOD PLACE 360 AUDUBON ROAD 248 CHESTNUT STREET

386 CUMBERLAND STREET 249 EVERETT PLACE 300 BROAD AVENUE 167 VAN NOSTRAND AVE

121-B E. PALISADE AVE 350 ELKWOOD TER 113 E. HUDSON AVE 400 JONES ROAD

370 ELKWOOD TER 280-290 E. LINDEN AVE 136 E. HAMILTON AVE 98 HILLSIDE AVE

289 SUNSET AVENUE 571 NEXT DAY HILL DR 440 ELKWOOD TER 139 CHESTNUT STREET

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

NJ: T: 201.266.8555 • M: 201.906.6024NY: T: 212.888.6250 • M: 917.576.0776

★ENGLEWOOD SHOWCASE★

SELLING YOUR HOME?

Call Susan Laskin TodayTo Make Your Next Move A Successful One!

©2013 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.

BergenCountyRealEstateSource.com Cell: 201-615-5353

201-837-6220VillageHomesNJ.com

Marc SteinBroker/Sales Associate

Cell 201-522-9733

Liora KirschSales Associate

Cell 201-679-2230

$399,000HASTINGS STREETTEANECKPrime location situated on a 50x120 lot. 3 large bedrooms, 1.5 Baths. Lots of room to expand.

NEW

LISTIN

G!

UNDER CONTRACT143 Frederick Place, Bergen� eld

379 Newbridge Road, Bergen� eld495 Sagamore Avenue, Teaneck

RECENTLY SOLD

244 Knickerbocker Road, Dumont594 Maitland Ave, Teaneck

1269 Sussex Road, Teaneck368 Winthrop Road, Teaneck

Sale at Les Tout PetitsLes Tout Petits, the girls clothing designer, is having a back room sample sale on Friday, Saturday, and Monday. The sale features bathing suits, resortwear, special occasion dresses for spring events, and new leggings, and sportswear. Sold in better specialty stores from Manhattan to Malibu, the items are priced up to 70 percent off retail. The store is at 600 Grand Avenue, Ridgefield. (201) 941-8675.

Save 30% at Judaica HouseThe Judaica House, located in Teaneck, has been in business since 1974, and is one of the country’s largest and old-est Jewish book stores. Their annual 30 percent off sale is now in progress. All Hebrew and English titles, including cookbooks, reference books, children’s books, prayer books, bibles, and gen-eral titles are now on sale. Prices are at or below online prices, and a “closeout” section offers discounts as high as 70 percent.

The sale ends Friday, February 22.

Marrow drive in Teaneck on SundayAkiva Lipshitz will host a donor recruit-ment drive at his bar mitzvah celebration party to register potential bone marrow donors at Congregation Bnai Yeshuran in Teaneck on behalf of the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. The drive will ben-efit patients suffering from various blood cancers and diseases who are in need of a bone marrow transplant. The drive, scheduled on February 10, will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Testing is fast and painless. Although there is no cost for a volunteer to join the marrow registry, there is a $60 lab pro-cessing fee for each kit. Gift of Life relies on the generosity of donations to help offset these costs. If you are between the ages of 18 and 60 and in general good health, you are eligible to be screened and join the worldwide registry for patients in need. A simple swab from the inside of your cheek is all it takes to determine if you are a match.

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[email protected] · [email protected] · www.MironProperties.com/NJ

Each Miron Properties office is independently owned and operated.

Contact us for your complimentary consultation

Jeffrey SchleiderBroker/Owner

Miron Properties NY

Ruth Miron-SchleiderBroker/Owner

Miron Properties NJ

10 LEXINGTON COURT 184 SHERWOOD PLACE 360 AUDUBON ROAD 248 CHESTNUT STREET

386 CUMBERLAND STREET 249 EVERETT PLACE 300 BROAD AVENUE 167 VAN NOSTRAND AVE

121-B E. PALISADE AVE 350 ELKWOOD TER 113 E. HUDSON AVE 400 JONES ROAD

370 ELKWOOD TER 280-290 E. LINDEN AVE 136 E. HAMILTON AVE 98 HILLSIDE AVE

289 SUNSET AVENUE 571 NEXT DAY HILL DR 440 ELKWOOD TER 139 CHESTNUT STREET

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

SOLD!

NJ: T: 201.266.8555 • M: 201.906.6024NY: T: 212.888.6250 • M: 917.576.0776

★ENGLEWOOD SHOWCASE★

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RCBC

*

Duncan HinesYellow Cake Mix

16.5 oz.

$1.99

Fresh & HealthySliced Cheese

All Types

2 for $5

Apple & EveApple Juice

64 oz.

$2.99

Amnon’s Regular Large Slices Pizza

Frozen 36 oz.

$9.99

Krasdale Granulated Sugar4 lb.

$2.89

Hunt’sTomato Sauce

8 oz.

2 for $1

Dannon YogurtAll Flavors

6 oz.

59¢

Stern’sHamantashen

18 oz.

$3.99

* While supplies last the week of February 10.

Mashgiach Temidi / Open 7:00 am Sunday through Friday · Now closing Friday at 2:30 pm

1400 Queen Anne Rd · Teaneck, NJ · 201-837-8110

Now Serving French Toast and Real Fruit Smoothies

at Lazy Bean

FullPurim

Selection

and Real Fruit Smoothies ow Serving French Toast

and Real Fruit Smoothies

Selection

ow Serving French Toast and Real Fruit Smoothies

Selection