My uncle, the Count of Valmadonna

By Michael Orbach

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

My father, a theology professor turned software developer, a man who is generally inured to the trappings of wealth, has a favorite story regarding my great uncle Jack. Once while my father was dining at my uncle’s London home, my great uncle finished the main course, then placed his expensive china plate on the floor and called his dog. The dog, a runt named Toddy who pawed my uncle’s leg mercilessly throughout the meal, licked the plate clean.

My great aunt Ruth, needless to say, was not pleased.

My great uncle is Jack Lunzer, whose collection of 13,000 rare Hebrew books and manuscripts, collectively known as the Valmadonna Trust Library, was put on auction at Sotheby’s this past week for an asking price of $40 million. It is widely considered to be the finest collection of Hebrew books in private hands, all of which Jack amassed over six decades.

On the Calendar 2-27-09

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Cedarhurst – Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst and Bnei Akiva North America are happy to announce the launching of a new Bnei Akiva chapter in the Five Towns.

Helping survivors of Lawrence fire

A mother and three of her children died in this building in North Lawrence. (Photo by Andrew Vardakis)

Orthodox institutions pitch in, 20reach out, in time of need

By Michael Orbach
Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

A fire that killed four members of the same family in North Lawrence last week and left nearly two dozen others homeless has triggered an outpouring of sympathy from local people and institutions, including the Orthodox community.

Marena Vanegas, 46, her son Saul Preza, 19, and daughters Andrea, 13, and Susanna 9, were killed when a fire broke out in their North Lawrence apartment.

Obituary: Rabbi Moshe Weitman, Dean of TAG, 82

Rabbi Moshe Weitman z"l

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Rabbi Moshe Weitman z”l, the first and only dean of Torah Academy for Girls in the Far Rockaway yeshiva’s 45-year history, passed away Sunday after battling cancer for several years. He was 82.

Thousands of people were present at a funeral for Rabbi Weitman at TAG on Monday morning, but in accordance with his written instructions, no hespedim (eulogies) were delivered.

Sports: Yeshiva basketball championship to be held in Lawrence

By Mayer Fertig

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

The Yeshiva basketball league season will go down to the wire in Lawrence.

Opinion: Fighting false accusations against Israel

In My View

By Elizabeth Berney, Esq.
Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Words can be very powerful and can be very destructive. History has shown us the incredible damage that a false accusation can cause.

Avi Shafran: Heretics and humility

Opinion: Right Angle

By Rabbi Avi Shafran

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

A bicentennial as jubilant as this year’s hasn’t been seen since the commemoration in 1976 of our nation’s birth. The current year-long birthday party being celebrated in essays, articles and symposia honors Charles Darwin.

David Seidemann: The little black book

Opinion: From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

The other day a friend called me and asked if he could send a Rabbi from Israel to my office to solicit a donation. Before I could answer, he said, “Before you say no, let me tell you a story about another Rabbi.” Here is what he shared with me.

The Kosher Bookworm: Purim potpourri

A review of seasonal literature to learn from

Reviewed by Alan Jay Gerber

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

With Shabbos Shekalim and Rosh Chodesh Adar now behind us, our minds, hearts and yes, our pocketbooks are once again focused upon the most joyous of holidays, Purim.

Five Towns Democrats elect new club president

Odelia Goldberg, an attorney from Lawrence, is the new president of the Five Towns Democratic Club. (Photo courtesy Odelia Goldberg)

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Odelia Goldberg, a Lawrence attorney, was recently elected co-president of the Five Towns Democratic Club, to serve alongside Steve Anchin.

Goldberg, a working mother of three, made an unsuccessful bid for the State Senate in 2006,

Bnei Akiva Zionist youth movement opens Lawrence-Cedarhurst branch

By Baruch Spier
Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

A new Bnei Akiva Shabbos afternoon program began Feb. 21 at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, combining recreational activities with educational values for a group of 50 boys and girls.

Parshat Terumah: The main sanctuary

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Parshat Terumah always begs the question: If the instructions for the Mishkan (Tabernacle/Sanctuary) were only for the single time and place of the wilderness, why are we given all of the details in the Torah?

Letter to the Editor 2-27-09

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Praise for ‘Defiance’

To the Editor:

Congratulations to Yaffi Spodek on a very well written article (‘Defiance’ hits close to home; Feb. 20, 2009).

Editorial: The humiliation of the working poor

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Almost more than anything else, she looked like she needed a hug. But myriad other considerations aside, that wouldn’t happen because it might have drawn attention to the hurried whispers of a conversation she and a stranger were conducting behind a checkout counter at Target Monday night. They were behind the magazine rack trying to keep out of sight of her 10-year-old son, and the stranger’s two children waiting on the next aisle; all the more so after she burst into tears and fought to regain her composure.

He had noticed her first but pretended not to, so as to not embarrass her. It was almost 10:00 p.m., just before closing, and she was at the checkout accompanied by her son, and a baby carriage, seeming to wish the floor would open beneath her as the cashier carefully counted a large pile of change.

The stranger and his daughter and son moved to the next aisle. He was studiously ignoring the scene playing out four feet to his left when suddenly she appeared, and motioned for his attention. He walked over and she, trying to sound casual, said, “How would you like to do a mitzvah (good deed)?”

He understood at once that the pile of change had not gone far enough; he reached for his wallet.

The incredible case of “The Unusual Suspects”

CAST AND CREW OF "THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS" by Samara Siskind (from top, left to right) Ashley Schwartz, Rivi Wartenberg, Lowell Brazin, Gary Willig, Matthew Zborowski, Dylan Stark, Avi Gil, Rebecca Rubin, Danielle Finkelstein, Lauren Hoffman, Marissa Snitkoff, Jesika Rozeberg, Jacqui Geller, Leor Barelli, Robyn Steinerman, Raquel Heller (Bottom) Alexander Mehl, Avichai Vazana and Ben Kaye (Not Shown) Josh Abramowitz, Shaindy Rosenberg, Danielle Snyder

By Jennifer Winkler
Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Based upon this title, I bet you think you are about to read about a crime, a mystery, or, perhaps, about a few possible felons.

Jewish Star as it appears in print for 2-27-09

Click here for the print edition of The Jewish Star for Feb. 27, 2009

Sports: Karate king

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

The Jews of Megillat Esther, in exile in the 127 provinces ruled by King Achashverosh, were undisciplined and ignored Mordechai’s warning to stay away from the king’s bacchanalian bash.

Sports: Victory for HANC

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County Varsity Basketball team won the 2009 Houston-Yaffee Basketball Tournament. Varsity teams from Atlanta, Houston, Ida Crown (Chicago), Yavneh (NJ), Kushner (NJ) and HANC participated in the tournament. HANC, led by Coach Elliot Steinmetz and Assistant Coach Richie Hochhauser, went undefeated and beat the Ida Crown team in the championship 59-40. HANC players Seth Hochhauser, Michael Hurtes, Daniel Kirshblum and Benji Ritholtz were selected for the tournament All Star game.

Yemen’s Jews living in danger

Rabbi Moshe al-Nahari, HY”D, outside his home in Raidah, Yemen. Al-Nahari was a teacher and a leader of Yemen’s Jewish community before he was murdered by a Muslim in December. (Photo courtesy Reuven Schwartz)

Efforts to help based in Far Rockaway and Five Towns

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

Yochi Sabri hasn’t seen his father and four of his siblings in nearly nine years. The Sabris are some of the 350 Jews living in Yemen, part of a dwindling community under threat from neighboring Arabs.

“It is very scary and very tough,” said Yochi, who lives in Bayswater and owns the K4 pizza store in Far Rockaway.

He also serves as a rabbi at Beth Shalom, a local Yemenite congregation, where he reads the Torah and answers questions from congregants, teaching them halacha (Jewish law) and about Yemenite customs and traditions. He said he worries constantly about his relatives in Yemen.

Dinner season is upon us

Mayer Fertig

Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769

So your best friend and her husband are receiving a well-deserved honor from the shul, school or organization to which they devote so much time — or maybe they just couldn’t think fast enough on their feet to politely decline. Either way, this time of year almost everyone has an invitation to a fundraising dinner (or six) on their kitchen counter.

Here is a sampling of some upcoming fundraisers and how you can make your reservation:

• Hebrew Academy of Long Beach on Saturday evening, March 7, 2009 at 8:45 p.m. at HALB’s Woodmere Campus. E-mail: dinner@halb.org

• Yeshiva of South Shore on Sunday March 8, 2009 at Cong. Knesseth Israel, the White Shul. Email: banquet@yoss.org

• Young Israel of Oceanside on March 8, 2009 at Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center. Email: harcocoat@aol.com

• Manhigut Yehudit on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at Sands of Atlantic Beach. Email: www.jewishisrael.org

• Cong. Beth Sholom on Sat. evening, March 14th, 2009 at Cong. Beth Sholom in Lawrence. Email: execdir@bethsholom.us

• One Israel Fund on Monday March 23, 2009 at Bridgewaters (South Street Seaport, NYC). Email: dinner@oneisraelfund.org

Book review: Cassandra Misreads the Book of Samuel (& Other Untold Tales of the Prophets) by Gidon Rothstein

Reviewed by Miriam Abraham

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Following up on his unique and fascinating 2005 biblical fiction book, Murderer in the Mikdash, Rabbi Gidon Rothstein has completed a new collection of short stories depicting the life and times of prophets.
Most are from the Old Testament but one is a prophetess in a longer Greek mythology novella and another is a prophet who lives in our modern day secular world.

Slice of Life: Soy sauce recipes

By Eileen Goltz
Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

As an experiment, a foodie friend suggested that I replace the salt I
used in some of my recipes with a splash of soy sauce. “Soy sauce,” I
repeated, in a tone meant to convey interest while simultaneously
rolling my eyes to convey skepticism. “OK, I’ll try that.”

That’s Life 2-20-09

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Dear That’s Life:

Here I am back at my computer at midnight, too wired to go to sleep
although I’m really exhausted. I’ve been out at an evening meeting again, one that I dreaded

Editorial: Hugo Chavez: thorn to the U.S., threat to the Jews

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

History repeats itself, particularly if we help it along by not paying
attention. This is something we should all know by now.

Letters to the Editor 2-20-09

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Back and forth on infection control at a bris

To the Editor:

By calling for different standards in the way brisim are performed (Raising bar on bris practices; Your Health; Feb. 13, 2009), it seems that Rabbi Avi Billet has fallen into the same trap that many others have in recent years — using current medical knowledge and practice to invade areas of psak halacha (rulings of Torah law) and minhag yisroel (Jewish custom).

Opinion: Doing what’s right for your at-risk child

Safety first, religion later

By Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Dear Rabbi Horowitz,

You [have written] that, “Your primary responsibility is to provide
for the needs (and wants) of your children.” Do you feel that this
applies to grown children as well?

Seidemann: A man of many hats

Opinion: From the other side of the bench

David Seidemann

By David Seidemann

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 27 Shevat 5768

A few years ago I attended a wedding in Williamsburg. As I always do, when I attend a wedding at that particular hall, I leave my keys and car in the care of and under the watchful eyes of the valet parking group.

To be young, Jewish and unemployed

By Michael Orbach
Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

At a small event in Washington Heights, 60 young Jewish accountants,
lawyers and computer programmers discovered a new paradigm: to be
young, religious and out-of-work.

Boos for Paterson plan to sell wine in supermarkets

Fears that liquor stores would be wiped out by grocers and big box competitors

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Governor David Paterson’s budget proposal to allow grocery stores to sell wine has local sellers up in arms. The plan could generate over $100 million in franchise fees for the state but has met with fierce opposition from many who fear that supermarkets’ whole-sale appeal and buying power would destroy small, privately owned liquor stores, including many that stock kosher varieties.

Chazanim tune up for Pesach

Cantor Sherwood Goffin of Lincoln Square Synagogue at the mid-winter conference of the Cantorial Council of America in Kew Gardens Hills last Sunday. (Photo by Judah S. Harris)

By Judah S. Harris
Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

A group of 45 chazanim (cantors) and others interested in the nusach of tefilla joined last Sunday’s Mid-Winter Conference of the Cantorial Council of America, an affiliate of Yeshiva University’s Belz School of Jewish Music.

‘Defiance’ hits close to home

The legacy of the Bielski brothers lives on in Woodmere

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of Feb. 20 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

The best revenge: Bielski survivors and their children and grandchildren at a September screening of “Defiance” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan’s Battery Park. (Photo courtesy Jakow Bielski)

Jordan Bielsky of Woodmere can now add actor to the growing list of credentials on his resume. The law school-bound 22-year-old recently played a Polish collaborator who is killed by Zus Bielski (Liev Schreiber) in the movie “Defiance.”

Based on the book by Nechama Tec, “Defiance” tells the true story of the Bielski partisans, a group of brothers who fought the Nazis in the Belarussian forests near Novogrudok, saving 1,237 Jews during the Holocaust.

Long Island unites B’lev Echad — Locals committed to global learning initiative

A B’Lev Echad committee meets at SKA to prepare the week’s activities. (Photo courtesy SKA)

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Thousands of Long Island residents, including many students, will participate in a worldwide siyum on Rosh Chodesh Adar, Feb. 24, marking the first yahrtzeit of the victims of the massacre at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav.

Through the efforts of B’Lev Echad, an apolitical grass-roots organization run by volunteers, more than 35,000 participants have been recruited to learn Torah and perform mitzvot in memory of the eight young men who were murdered. As the B’Lev Echad campaign nears its final days, its momentum is steadily increasing,

On the Calendar 2-20-09

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

News in brief: Talansky requests rejected; OU, Agudah stimulus complaints; UN reform

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Talansky requests rejected

Israel’s state prosecutor has rejected a request by Five Towns businessman Moshe Talansky to testify in a closed courtroom.

Only Simchas in The Jewish Star 2-20-09

The Jewish Star as it appears in print 2-20-09

Click here to see The Jewish Star issue of 2-20-09 as it appears in print

Parshat Mishpatim: A minor financial arrangement

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

In the Jewish life that we live, it is fair to say that we put a lot of stock in the teachings of the rabbis of old. Without their teachings and expositions, Judaism as we know it might look very different.

Shafran: Blowing the new kashrut’s cover

Opinion — Right Angle

By Rabbi Avi Shafran

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Anyone who raised an eyebrow at charges that the “Hekhsher Tzedek” kosher-certification initiative recasts the very concept of kashrut might want to aim an eye at the Feb. 6 Wall Street Journal.

Photos: Darchei construction; HALB enters the majors

Visible progress at Darchei building

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Construction is underway for Yeshiva Darchei Torah's new complex on its campus in Far Rockaway. The building’s steel frame is expected to be completed by early May. (Photo by Moshe Benoliel)

HALB enters the major leagues

HALB students joined the Major Leagues when they recently teamed up with former professional athletes Ron Darling, Adam Graves, and Mark Jackson at the Second Annual Meridian Present’s Otsar All-Star Spectacular, held at Aviator Field in Brooklyn. The students pitched in by assisting with soccer, baseball and basketball clinics for participants in Otsar programs, which preceeded the professional clinics the athletes gave for contributors and their children. Otsar provides programs and services for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Confronting bias on campus

Poster available on Israeli Apartheid Week website

Portrayals of Israel as apartheid state coming soon to a college near you

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) 2009 will arrive in communities worldwide beginning March 1 and continue through March 8.

Now in its fifth year, the annual anti-Israel campaign has experienced steady growth since its debut in Toronto in 2005, expanding to 44 cities this year, including New York, which is participating for the third time.

Huge gift of poultry won’t go far enough in Far Rockaway

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Met Council head William Rapfogel (left) announcing a gift to kosher food pantries of 50,000 pounds of chicken and turkey products from Empire Kosher. (Photo by Mayer Fertig)

50,000 pounds to Met Council from Empire Kosher

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

A kosher food pantry in Far Rockaway is expected to be among those sharing 50,000 pounds of chicken and turkey products to be donated by Empire Kosher Poultry this year.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the gift to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty at a news conference last Friday at the Oneg Shabbos kosher food pantry in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

“One of the most difficult things to provide for people who are kosher is protein, with the exception of tuna and tofu,” said William Rapfogel, who heads the Met Council. “Maintaining a steady supply of kosher chicken has always been extremely tough for us in the past.”

Former Long Islanders vote in Israel election

Chaim Grushko stands in front of a Likud poster in Givat Shmuel. (Photo by Baruch Spier)

By Baruch Spier

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Chaim Grushko, like many Israeli voters, was uncertain whom he would vote for in the Knesset elections in which Tzipi Livni and the Kadima party appeared to be the winners Tuesday night.

“There is no one party that best reflects me,” said Grushko.

Grushko is a second-year law student at Bar Ilan University. He grew up in Cedarhurst,

Seidemann: The life of a master

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

My mother, may she rest in peace, also had eight children. But unlike that woman in California, my mother had a husband, a home and a job.

Shafran: Unbearable

Right Angle

By Rabbi Avi Shafran

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

A winter flurry of “Dear President Obama” letters — in the forms of op-eds and paid advertisements — have swirled around the public square in the days since the 44th president of the United States was sworn into office.

Some of the open letters have concerned Mr. Obama’s economic stimulus plan; others, United States relations with Iran; others still, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whether the President pays any attention to the multitudinous missives is anyone’s guess. But if I had his ear (or his BlackBerry contact information), I think my own message would consist of a simple video clip.

Editorial: Ain’t nobody here but us chickens

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

The Senate and the House of Representatives are hammering out a compromise version of the economic stimulus package. The apparent goal is a vote and passage by Monday, President Obama’s deadline.

The Kosher Bookworm: Abraham Lincoln: “The Tribute Of The Synagogue” by Emanuel Hertz

A timely review on the 200th birthday of the 16th President

Reviewed by Alan Jay Gerber
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Throughout history, heads of state, whether elected, appointed or anointed, have served as the personification of their people and their civilizations.

Opinion: Find a new friend, despite a disability — Your Health 2-13-09

In My View
By Peggy L. Gurock
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

He or she might be a neighbor. Or a classmate. Or a relative. But chances are, your child knows someone of the same age with some sort of disability.

Seeking Jewish penicillin, Breast cancer teleconference & HAFTR’s little doctors — Your Health 2-13-09

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

What need have we for medicine if chicken soup is simmering on the stovetop?
An exaggeration, perhaps, but chicken soup is credited with remarkable restorative properties.

Cutting special ed costs in New York — Your Health 2-13-09

By Michael Orbach
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

The findings of a commission dedicated to capping New York State property taxes have stirred fears of heavy cuts to special education programs, but officials of Dist. 15 and members of the Lawrence School board say they are not concerned.

Longevity and the law — Your Health 2-13-09

By Gideon Bari

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

It is often quite striking to think about the longevity associated with so many of our early Biblical personalities. No doubt many of us have memories of studying Bereishit as young children. At that time, we could not imagine

A healing harness — Your Health 2-13-09

Charles Loesch, a bilateral amputee, is starting to walk again thanks to the innovative harness system at Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing facility's new Stroke and Amputee Center. (Photo courtesy Grandell Rehab)

New rehab treatment for patients in Long Beach

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Teresa Collin, a former sergeant in the NYPD, has not been able to walk for nine years. She recently took her first steps using a ceiling-based rehabilitation harness, a new treatment to help recovering patients at the Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Teresa’s remarkable progress is matched by fellow patient Charles Loesch, a bilateral amputee who is now walking with a walker, after just six weeks of using the innovative 55-foot long rail harness. The harness is part of Grandell’s new Rehabilitation Stroke and Amputee Center which opened last month at its facility in Long Beach, the first New York State skilled nursing care center to have this equipment in-house.

Survivor with vivid memories at Woodmere Rehab — Your Health 2-13-09

Sophie Blum in her room at Woodmere Rehabilitation and Health Care Center with Leba Sonneberg, director of marketing and community relations, Feb. 4, 2009. (Photo courtesy Woodmere Rehab)

A conversation about the war years with Sophie Blum, 94

By Malka Eisenberg
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Sophie Blum, age 94, davens three times a day, fasts every fast day and goes to shul every Shabbat in her wheelchair, as a resident of Woodmere Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, but the specter of her younger days

Emotional marathon — Your Health 2-13-09

Tova Plaut with children Jake and Raquel after running a marathon in Miami to raise money for Chai Lifeline. (Photo courtesy Tova Plaut)

By Yaffi Spodek
Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Tova Plaut of Cedarhurst and her children, Jake and Raquel, were among 230 other runners on Team Lifeline who participated in a marathon held in Miami, FL on Jan. 25 to raise money for Chai Lifeline. Howard Adelsberg of Great Neck also ran together with his son, Jonah, a 10th grader at HAFTR

Battling bulimia by Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski — Your Health 2-13-09

By Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

A fairly common condition that is often overlooked is bulimia. Bulimia is an eating disorder more common in young women than in men. It is estimated that as many as 20 percent of teenage girls may be bulimic, but cleverly conceal the problem so that even their parents are unaware of it.

Bulimia is characterized by episodes of secretive excessive eating (bingeing) followed by inappropriate methods of weight loss,

The Jewish Star as it appears in print 2-13-09

Click for The Jewish Star  PDF for the issue Feb. 13, 2009

On the Calendar — 2-13-09

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Letters to the Editor — 2-13-09

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

We’ll always have Havana

To the Editor:

Please convey my deepest appreciation to Miriam Abraham for her excellent article, “Return to Cuba” (Feb. 6, 2009).

Only Simchas in The Jewish Star — 2-13-09

Parshat Yitro

A different perspective on Yitro

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Rashi says Yitro had seven names (18:1). Some of the commentaries question this, because Reuel and Putiel seem to be other people, and Chever seems to be a descendant of Keini. In any case, one of the names of Yitro is “Chovav,” because, as Rashi says, he loved the Torah (chovav means to love).

Raising bar on bris practices — Your Health 2-13-09

Opinion

By Rabbi Avi Billet

Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

Relative to other surgeries, bris milah is a simple procedure, with a surprisingly low risk rate. At the same time, an incision, an open wound and the removal of skin tissue necessitate precautions which will minimize danger to the child. The parents and the mohel must be on the same page on this latter point.

In an operating room, a surgeon takes many precautions to minimize the chance of bacterial infection reaching the patient. Mohels should be held to these same standards when operating on infant boys. It is understood, of course, that the public nature of the ceremony makes complete sterility an impossibility. Nonetheless, we are a far cry from where standards should be.

The sterility litmus test can be broken down to five components: how instruments are sterilized, how they are laid out for bris use, how the mohel cleans his hands, whether sterile gloves are worn when dealing with the open wound and how metzitzah is done.

Surgeons sterilize packaged instruments in a machine at 273° Fahrenheit, and avoid opening the “sterility guaranteed” package until surgery time.

Yeshiva University denies Madoff link as 60 are laid off

By Michael Orbach and Mayer Fertig
Issue of Feb. 13, 2009 / 19 Shevat 5769

This is an updated version of the exclusive story posted Monday Feb. 9, 2009

Yeshiva University laid off 60 employees this week in a move that a spokesman described as part of its continuing response to the global economic downturn.

President Richard Joel made the grim announcement in a letter to the “Yeshiva University Community,” which was obtained by The Jewish Star and first reported on its Web site Monday night.

The cuts will be made across the university’s Manhattan campuses, as part of an effort to trim the budget by $30 million, Joel said.

Other employees were offered compensation packages to leave their jobs without being laid off; some will voluntarily work fewer hours; all salaries across the university are frozen, said Rick Matthews of the public relations firm Rubenstein & Associates. The firm was retained in the wake of the Bernard Madoff debacle in December.

Madoff, the former chairman of Yeshiva’s Sy Syms School of Business, and the $110 million Yeshiva first estimated had been lost to his alleged Ponzi scheme, were not a factor in the layoffs, Matthews said.

“The endowment had already been impacted significantly by the global economic downturn,”

Breaking News: Yeshiva University announces layoffs

Feb. 9, 2009/15 Shevat 5769

An updated version of this story is posted here

The Jewish Star has learned that Yeshiva University will lay off 60 employees. This follows the announcement several months ago of millions of dollars in losses incurred in the debacle involving Bernard Madoff, former chairman of Yeshiva’s Sy Syms School of Business.

President Richard Joel made the grim announcement Monday in a letter addressed to the “Yeshiva University Community,” obtained by The Jewish Star.

The cuts will be made across the university’s Manhattan campuses in an attempt to trim the budget by $30 million, he said.

An angry YU employee who lost her job on Monday spoke to The Jewish Star on the condition that she not be identified.

“They affect the little people, the people that make the university run. The administration is the bread and butter of the university. Had all the senior staff taken a two percent cut it wouldn’t have been necessary to cut all these jobs for the people that aren’t making that much money… Richard Joel makes half a million dollars a year. Why didn’t he take a pay cut? ”

Breaking news: Aish HaTorah founder Rabbi Noach Weinberg, passes away at 78

Rabbi Noach Weinberg zt"l 1930-2009 (photo courtesy aish.com)

Feb. 5, 2009/ 11 Shevat 5769

Rabbi Noach Weinberg zt”l, the Brooklyn-born dean and founder of Yeshiva Aish HaTorah, who was responsible for the return of thousands of Jews to traditional observance, died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 78.

A brief statement on the Aish Hatorah website said, in part, “Rabbi Weinberg lived with the reality that all the revealed things are our responsibility. If masses of Jews are assimilating, it’s our responsibility to bring each and every one back. If there is a threat to the Jewish Nation or to the Western world, it cannot  be ignored.”

On the Calendar 2-6-09

Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Cedarhurst - The “Sunday Night Torah Lecture Series” in memory of Shari Siman-Tov z”l is held weekly at 8:00 p.m. at Congregation Shaare Emunah,

Only Simchas in The Jewish Star 2-6-09

Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Miriam L. Wallach: That’s Life 2-6-09

Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Dear That’s Life,

Do not tempt the root canal gods. Whenever you may feel the need to compare jury duty or anything else to getting a root canal, please resist the temptation. It’s just not worth it.

Chesed in action: Rabbi Steven Moskowitz

Rabbi Moskowitz (right) and his HAFTR students organized a charity drive to provide clothing, toys and household appliances to a needy Jewish family. (Photo courtesy HAFTR)

Rabbi Steven Moskowitz organizes ski trips, coaches basketball, makes a mean cholent, and teaches his students that doing chesed is not a one shot deal, but a lifelong commitment

By Lisa Schiffman
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Rabbi Steven Moskowitz in motion is a marvel in the art of multi-tasking.

Underdressed and going to court

A view of the billboard that will become the subject of a lawsuit this week. Image has been modified by the editors prior to publication. (File photo by Michael Orbach)

Lawsuit over billboard on Rockaway Turnpike

By Michael Orbach
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

A lawsuit was to be filed this week against the owner of a building on Rockaway Turnpike that houses a gentleman’s club, and the company that operates the club. A locally infamous billboard on the building’s roof features a young woman wearing practically nothing and numerous requests that the billboard be modified or removed have not been met.

Gaza war analyzed in Woodmere

IDF officer speaks at Young Israel

By Malka Eisenberg
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Hundreds of men and women filled the main sanctuary of the Young Israel of Woodmere on short notice Motza’ei Shabbat to hear an Israeli reserve officer discuss the goals and accomplishments of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.

Nassau police brief rabbis

Legislator Jeff Toback addresses community leaders at a security briefing Jan. 29 in Cedarhurst. (Photo by Maryola Dannebaum)

‘No active credible threats’ reported

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Nassau County has the lowest crime rate of any county in the United States populated by over a million people,

Parshat Beshalach: Give me freedom — not death

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

If you’ve never read Virginian Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech in its entirety, your time would not be wasted if you read it

Opinion: Rabbi Herschel Billet on The age of the Earth and Jewish tradition

In My View

By Rabbi Herschel Billet
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Recently a video circulated on the Internet in which a prominent Torah scholar responded impatiently when asked by a member of his audience to clarify the disparity between the traditional Jewish calendar year of 5769 and the scientific dating system, which speaks of the age of the earth in numbers exponentially higher than 5769. Essentially he went on to attack a prominent rabbi/author (without referencing his name) who suggested that indeed it is not contrary to traditional Jewish faith to maintain that both 5769 and scientific numbers are reasonable and can coexist.

When I went to high school there were several approaches as to how to deal with the section in the biology textbook that dealt with the age of the Earth. Suffice it to say that then, as now, the contradiction was there. One approach was the Scissors and Paste/Black Out Method. Essentially, this method excised the offending section from the book. It was efficient, but intellectually unsatisfactory.

Azriel Ganz: The Jewish charities crisis, part two

Where do we go from here?

By Azriel Ganz
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

In my previous essay, I suggested that in order for Jewish charities to survive the current economic downturn, they would have to do three things: Develop a strategic focus, cut costs and be more transparent. Interestingly, in addressing how we, as donors, should react to the economic crisis vis a vis Jewish charities, I think that we can employ the same tools to achieve the best results.

A note: charitable giving, tzedakah, is governed by a complex set of halachot (Jewish laws). I am not qualified, nor do I attempt here, to offer halachic guidance. I am merely suggesting a set of high level guiding principles. Each person should consult with his or her Rabbi in determining how to comply with the halachot of tzedakah.

Strategic Focus

In good times, many of us are happy to give tzedakah without much thought or focus. While this is never ideal, we are blessed to be in such a position. In difficult times, our resources are limited and our giving is more of a zero-sum game; each dollar we give to one organization is a dollar that cannot go to another.

David Seidemann: Getting it right the second time around

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

So Justice Roberts flubs the oath and the Democrats call a “do over.” Can you do that in politics? And what about the executive orders Mr. Obama signed before the “do over?” What about the parade and the inaugural balls? Maybe all those have to be redone? Just think about how many Americans we could put back to work staging the whole affair again.

Editorial: Nasty views on The View

Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

It’s a mystery why anyone would go out of her way to record “The View,” the ABC daytime yenta-fest.

Slice of life: Applesauce recipes for Tu B’Shvat (or any time)

By Eileen Goltz
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

OK, so you spent the day at the orchard picking way too many apples and now you gotta do something with them.

The Jewish Star as it appears in print 2-6-09

Click here to see the print edition for Feb. 6, 2009

Avi Shafran: Hypocrisies, imagined and real

Right Angle

By Rabbi Avi Shafran
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

I hope my wife and kids don’t find out that I consider it kosher to force 16-year-old girls to work 20 hours a day.

In fact, I was shocked at myself for having said such a thing –– or, at least, I would have been had I actually said it.

Let my people go!

Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

Pre-schoolers at Yeshiva of South Shore’s Hollander Early Childhood Center studied the 10 plagues

First stop in the new world

The Bialystoker Synagogue on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is a designated New York City landmark which is also included on the National Register of Historic Places. (Photo courtesy Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy)

Revisiting the past on the Lower East Side

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of Feb. 6, 2009 / 12 Shevat 5769

The Lower East Side of Manhattan was home to a vibrant community of Jewish immigrants between 1880 and 1924; for many Jews, it was their first stop in America.