‘Armchair warrior’ from Woodmere shoots IDF jets in Nevada war games

What I did on my summer vacation

By Mayer Fertig

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 5769

Debora and Peter Steinerman of Woodmere did, for three hours last week,

Trouble in the Catskills

Kolko kicked out of one colony but finds another

By Michael Orbach
Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

In the Catskills this summer, worries about children’s safety are extending beyond the swimming pool.

Yehuda Kolko, the rebbe who pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangerment and who is suspected of abusing dozens of children in his teaching career, moved into a summer home at a development in South
Fallsburg, N.Y., on June 12. Pines Estates, where he is renting, is a popular summer destination for Orthodox families and is also inhabited year-round by families connected to the well-known Yeshiva of South Fallsburg, nearby.

On Kolko’s first Friday night there, a summer resident aware of Kolko’s history confronted him in the shul during Maariv and told him to leave the neighborhood quietly, a witness said. When Kolko refused, the man interrupted the tefilah to announce from the bima that Kolko was a child molester and posed a danger to children. When congregants protested, the

I’m thinking: The Israel missile crisis

Arrow II misses its mark

By Micah D. Halpern

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

The threat of nuclear attack by Iran is real; it is as palpable in the corridors of Washington as it is on the street of Tel Aviv – and London and Madrid and Cairo. The only way world leaders could close their eyes and sleep at night was with the knowledge that

After arrests, Sephardic community shudders

By Michael Orbach
Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

On a warm summer Friday in Great Neck — the morning after the
chief rabbi of Syrian Jews in America was perp walked for the cameras
with several other rabbis — Jenevieve Gold was angry.

“It’s a horrible thing that they did to the community!” she said, sitting in the office of Magic Home Realty. “People put their faith in them… How did they live on Shabbat?”

“You have to look at the positive…,” consoled Yvette Zubli, the Iraqi born-owner of the 30-year old real estate agency.

“What positive?” Jenevieve, an Algerian Jew, asked in exasperation,

Opinion: Defending criminals

Another reason for the destruction

By Chananya Weissman
Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

After five rabbis and more than a dozen other members of Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey were arrested last week, I found one Associated Press photo particularly striking. In that photo several

Seidemann: Finding your inner fiddler

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann
Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

Close to 3,000 performances over a 40 year span. Quite a run, or should I say dance, for Israeli-born actor Haim Topol playing Tevye in the all time classic, Fiddler on the Roof. When my parents took me to see Fiddler more than 40 years ago at the Ohio Theater, Zero Mostel was still playing the part, his beard and side curls struggling to dance in synch with his feet. Topol or Mostel, the story is ageless, the acting masterful.

Since then I have left the little “shtetel” of Columbus. I struggled to raise a Jewish family on foreign soil; watched my wife and daughters light the Shabbos candles, and yes, wondered aloud what life would be like “if I were a rich man”.

I am sure that in certain parts of the world Tevye and his challenges are still relevant and the story line plays its way out on a daily basis. But with the religious freedom and tolerance afforded to us here in America, with palatial homes here in the Five Towns

Opinion: Fighting summer amnesia

By Michelle Bergman
Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

The summer is whizzing by and camps are at their midway mark. Schools
everywhere are actively involved in planning for a successful 2009-2010 year, and hoping that “summer amnesia” won’t be too serious.

The Kosher Bookworm: Kindness and bereavement

How to respond to grief with chesed and Torah learning

By Alan Jay Gerber

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

Two recent books deal with the untimely death of a close one, each in a unique and different way.  One involves the victim of an act of

Editorial: Sins of our fathers

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

In April 2007, the Baltimore Jewish Times published the accounts of three victims of Ephraim Shapiro, a former congregational rabbi and principal of the Talmudic Academy in Baltimore. Their accounts of sexual abuse at Shapiro’s hands were harrowing. Shapiro, a revered member of the community, had unsupervised access to hundreds of children.

By the time the article ran, Shapiro had been dead for over seventeen years — he died of  Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1989. Phil Jacobs, executive editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times, characterized it correctly: Shapiro’s memory “remains ‘alive’ in the memories of so many. His collateral damage is everywhere.”

The Baltimore Jewish Times was heavily criticized for publishing the story. Two prominent rabbonim had asked that Shapiro’s name be kept out of print; Rabbi Moshe Heinemann  demanded that his community prohibit the Baltimore Jewish Times in their homes. Jacobs, a survivor of sexual abuse himself, was ostracized.

“I was running into nuances wherever I went. I got emails. I never had my life threatened but I was asked to leave town. It impacted my family; it impacted my participation in the Jewish community as a practicing Jew. It hurt a lot and it still does.”

Later, more victims came forward to report sexual abuse they suffered at Shapiro’s hands. The exact number of children molested by Shapiro remains unclear.

Less than a year later, Ephraim Shapiro’s son, Yisroel Shapiro, was convicted of almost identical sexual abuse charges.

Yosef Kolko was arrested two weeks ago on charges of sexually assaulting a minor at a day camp in Lakewood, New Jersey. One source involved in the arrest suspected that Yosef had been abused by his uncle, Yehuda Kolko, who is thought to be guilty of widespread sexual abuse.

Michael Sabo, whose case we detailed last week, attended Yeshiva Torah Temimah where Kolko taught, and a sleepaway camp where Kolko once worked. Asked if he was one of Kolko’s victims, Sabo told the Jewish Star that while he did not remember being abused and did not think he was abused, his therapist told him the abuse was “repressed.” By the time you read this, Tisha B’av may have ended. The month of Elul, and the Yamim Noraim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, are just ahead. We will again pray to be forgiven for our sins. This year, perhaps, we have new sins to add to our list — sins of negligence and ignorance, and through our negligence and ignorance, a new
culpability.

If there is anything we, as a community, can learn from these horrific events, is that wounds still bleed. They not only scar, but fester. Sexual abuse does not go away. Most of the victims of Kolko, Mondrowitz, and Shapiro will lead happy meaningful lives, carrying their tragedies like unwanted baggage. Some will become outspoken heroes who seek to prevent sexual abuse like Phil Jacobs and Joseph, the father of Sabo’s alleged victim. Still others will remain silent and keep their sorrow to themselves. And some may never find solace and may be accused of molestation themselves, creating still more
victims in a truly vicious cycle.

There is no moral to this story, nor is there a happy ending. There is only vigilance and caution. As a community, we have sinned. Our fathers have sinned. As last week’s Parsha states: “I, the Lord thy G-d, am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.”

We have only repentance left.

Letters to the Editor 7-31-09

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

Apology Needed

To the Editor:

Yaacov Gross’s statement that there is “absolutely nothing that Rambam

Closed for the Nine Days

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

Roughly half of all kosher meat restaurants in the area close during
the nine days, according to Elan Kornblum, publisher of Great Kosher
Restaurants Magazine. The Jewish Star caught up with the owners of

Briefs: Summer in the lab; Subway success; Touro accounting

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

Summer in the lab

Slice of Life: Glorifying the blueberry

By Eileen Goltz
Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

The Blueberry is one of my favorite fruits. Since it’s one of North America’s few native fruits I thought that it was wholly appropriate
that we celebrate, glorify, and eat as many of them as we can.

Since it’s a native plant it’s not surprising that North America is the world’s

Parshat Va’etchanan: Timing is everything

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

Halakhah can be defined as “Jewish law,” “a way of life” or, perhaps,
“the way we do things.” In one example of the latter definition, the
Shulchan Arukh (following the Tur) declares,

On the Calendar 7-31-09

Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769

Cedarhurst - On Tisha b’Av afternoon, Thursday, July 30, the Young
Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst (Corner of Spruce Street and Broadway,
Cedarhurst) will host a community-wide program

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 7-31-09

Click here for the print edition for July 31, 2009

(Then click the red link on the next page — it ain’t elegant, but it works)

Father warns other parents

Son’s accused molester free on bail, still has access to children

By Michael Orbach

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Michael Sabo is free on bail after pleading not guilty to charges of molesting the child of a family friend (The Jewish Star)

The father of a boy allegedly molested at age 6 by a neighbor  wants other parents to know: his son’s accused molester is free and still has access to children.

Michael Sabo, 35, a registered nurse from Marine Park, Brooklyn, surrendered to police on May 11th and pleaded not guilty to a single count of sexual abuse and three counts of child endangerment. He is accused of molesting the boy eight years ago. He is currently free on $50,000 bail.

“What bothers me the most is,

Shalhevet to get a second year after all

Cash and cuts cover projected $350,000 deficit

By Mayer Fertig

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Shalhevet High School for Girls will have a sophomore year after all, after parents scrambled to raise $150,000.

The “very generous donations,” and cuts to the bottom line — mostly from an expected lower rent at a new location, and parents’ willingness to carpool rather than incur the expense of school busing — mean that a projected $350,000 deficit seemingly will be covered. 40 girls are expected to attend the 9th and 10th grades in September.

“Contrary to the very wrong and disparaging notion that’s been floating around the community — painting these girls as, really, ‘Poor girls from Brooklyn,’ and worse — it’s those families who came up with the money,” said Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman. He voiced confidence that the school would be able to maintain needed funding through its early years.

Rabbi Friedman had been the Rosh Mesivta of Machon HaTorah and will now head Rambam and Shalhevet together with Rabbi Yotav Eliach. Rambam’s associate principal

This mashgiach doesn’t wear tefillin

Star-K and OU introduce kashrut courses for women

By Tova Ross

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

A Jewish woman’s place may be in the kitchen after all, but not just in her own kitchen.

The Star-K and the Orthodox Union both have begun to offer courses in kashrut education and administration specifically geared to women. They represent the first time such courses have been given

Remembering their faces

By Malka Eisenberg

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Max Stahl, a German medical student, greets Holocaust survivor Harry Engelman at an event at Yeshiva University High School for Girls.

One man recounted how the inmates of the Westerbrook concentration camp secretly baked matzo for Passover. Another survivor was among the 1800 Jews traded for tanks by the Germans. And one woman proudly told her story of how she smuggled gunpowder to help blow up a crematorium in Auschwitz.

Their stories and others were recorded by students in Central and MTA as part of “Names, Not Numbers,” an ongoing

Seidemann: Missing inaction

By David Seidemann

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

The opportunity was right there in front of me and I passed on it. Gone forever was the chance to undo whatever damage the man in the red t-shirt did to the woman

I’m thinking: Intrigue in Iran

Thawing relations with Egypt

By Micah D. Halpern

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

In the Muslim world, diplomacy is an art.  In the Western world, the art is interpreting Muslim diplomacy in order to predict not what was said, but what was really meant when

Letters to the Editor 7-24-09

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Joy and sadness

To the Editor:

Reading Bracha Goetz’s excellent piece (“Ba’alei Teshuva in co-pilot seat; July 17 2009) filled me with joy and sadness. Joy because we are so fortunate to

The Kosher Bookworm: Tisha b’Av reading for adults

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

By Alan Jay Gerber

The upcoming Fast of Tisha b’Av gives us an opportunity to re-learn and relive past tragedies of our people in a depth of scholarship that would benefit all. Learning from past error

That’s Life: Growing wind

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Dear That’s Life,

Before each major fast day my brother and I joke about the preparation our father goes through in anticipation of not eating. It is not a spiritual

Editorial: Spread the love

Editorial

Issueof July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Like many cosmetics companies, the public face of Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories is one of environmental consciousness, all natural, animal-safe and — is tree-huggy a word?

Honey, have you seen the house?

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Yeshiva of South Shore took a step toward the planned expansion of its Manfred and Jamie Lehmann Campus in Hewlett. A house that was adjacent to the campus was demolished, expanding playground space by 40 percent, according to the yeshiva’s calculation. Eventually the property on Haven Place, and another property owned by South Shore board members together with the yeshiva will be used to create a campus entrance fronting Peninsula Boulevard.

Parshat Devarim: Blind Justice

By Rabbi Avi Billet

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

One of the major ills of our times is our inability to accept people for who they are. We often tend to judge people based on exteriors or based on a

Only Simchas in The Jewish Star 7-24-09

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Engagements

• Engagement of Rivka Banayan (Monsey, NY) & Chananel Gez (Brooklyn,

On the Calendar 7-24-09

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

Oceanside – The Friedberg JCC is hosting a lecture on “The Baseball Talmud” on Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. Join author and radio personality

Sports: Inter-shul baseball

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

RESULTS

WEEK 3 – JULY 12

YIH                11        YINW                        10 * XTRA INNINGS

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 7-24-09

Click here for the print edition of The Jewish Star for July 24, 2009

(Then click the red link on the next page — it ain’t elegant, but it works)

Breaking News: Shalhevet H.S. for Girls reported saved

Rosh Yeshiva says money raised to cover deficit

By Mayer Fertig

Sunday July 19, 2009 / 27 Tammuz 5769 / Special to TheJewishStar.com

A last minute effort to save Shalhevet High School for Girls is a success, according to Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, who heads both Shalhevet and its older sibling, Rambam Mesivta.

In an e-mail to parents that was obtained by The Jewish Star on Sunday evening, Rabbi Friedman said, “based on Wednesday night’s meeting we have a wonderful group of talmidot for both the ninth and tenth grades.” A meeting attended by a reported 60 or so parents and Shalhevet faculty members was held late Wednesday

That’s Life: Hands-off the stomach!

Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

Dear That’s Life,

Several months ago, beyond exhausted after two days of Yom Tov, my four-year-old son, Naftali, was crying because he wanted his cousin’s candy ring. To calm him down,

Israeli exhibit brings the Olympics to life

By Noah D. Gurock
Exclusive for The Jewish Star
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

Scene from the opening part of the multi-media show, in which Shir is awed by the prospect of competing in the giant arena.

TEL AVIV-For Americans who watched Michael Phelps win eight gold medals last year at the Olympic Games in Beijing, or who remember Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson leading Team USA to the Gold in the 1992 games in Barcelona,

Editorial: Holding a grudge

Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

Some of the most deeply unpleasant people in the world are the ones who bear grudges. You know the type — she still badmouths you because

Micah Halpern: Enemy of my enemy

I’m Thinking

By Micah Halpern
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

When the Sunday Times of London reported that Israel has secured permission from Saudi Arabia to fly over Saudi airspace if and when it was necessary to attack Iran, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister denied

Seidemann: The lesson of giving is a keeper

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammux 5769

I took a week off from writing last week, as my wife and I were busy marrying off a daughter. O.K., so she isn’t our daughter, she is our niece. But it sure felt like we were marrying off a daughter. And no, we didn’t have to pay for the wedding

Opinion: Ba’alei Teshuva in co-pilot seat

In My View

By Bracha Goetz
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

We got on board because we were striving for truth, and guess what? We’re still striving! So please, make sure your seat belts stay fastened because we’re sitting beside you now, and we hope to take you right along with us!

It was the most idealistic and dedicated Jews who helped make us the people we have become. After deciding to be observant, however, we all inevitably realized that many frum people were not quite as purely committed as those who had initially inspired us. Varying degrees of disappointment and disillusionment are standard, but what happens after that is critical.

Witnessing “frum” people engage in corrupt behavior can be a deal-breaker for some, especially if the frum-appearing people wield authority in leadership positions. Unsavory business practices, the belittling of legitimate

Letters: What it feels like to survive abuse

Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

What it feels like to survive abuse

To the Editor:

I sat next to you in class, I live on your block. I went to your camp, I studied with you for tests. I am a regular girl.

A regular girl with a huge secret.

The Kosher Bookworm: What to read for the Three Weeks (part two)

The Legacy of Irving Bunim

By Alan Jay Gerber

Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

While the popular jingle goes, “Summertime and the living is easy,” for the Jewish people, the summertime has proven to a hot time of the year, literally as well as figuratively. Beginning

‘Tanach tour’ uncovers Jewish history at the Met

Guide responds to bible critics with answers ‘buried’ in plain sight

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 tammuz 5769

With an ancient sarcophagus in the background, Rabbi Yehuda Landy draws on Torah sources to illuminate Jewish history amid the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Photo by Mayer Fertig)

On a sunny afternoon in Jerusalem in 1987 Rabbi Yehuda Landy was explaining the finer points of the famous large-scale model of the Beis Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, then located at the Holyland Hotel.

From memory, he confidently marshaled a stream of disparate Biblical and Talmudic sources to make his points. His intended

Parshiot Mattos-Masei: Anger by design

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

As difficult as it is to comprehend warfare and the tactics required to ensure survival of your side, Biblical warfare is a different playing field in which G-d calls the shots. On the most simplistic level, the rules are

Study finds few day schools plan properly

YU study pinpoints areas for improvement

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

Harry Bloom designed a study to measure levels of long-range financial planning by Jewish Day Schools. (Photo courtesy YU)

Fewer than a quarter of Jewish day schools have a long-range financial plan. That’s the finding of an anonymous survey of the presidents of 70 Jewish schools. In addition, the presidents feel their boards of directors under-perform in the areas of fundraising and strategic planning,

Economy shutters popular post-HS program for boys in Israel, at least for now

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv visiting Yeshiva Ner Yaakov (Photo courtesy Yeshiva Ner Yaakov)

Yeshiva Ner Yaakov, a popular post-high school yeshiva in Israel for boys from modern Orthodox homes, will not reopen in September, The Jewish Star has learned.

Rabbi Yehoshua Liff, the Rosh Yeshiva who founded Ner Yaakov in 1988 called the decision “painful.”

“After holding major discussions about the reorganization of the yeshiva in order to remain open, and under severe economic pressure, we made a decision to not open up for this coming semester,” Rabbi Liff said Monday evening.

Ner Yaakov’s kollel program would continue to function

On the Calendar 7-17-09

Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

Cedarhurst – The Young Israel of Woodmere is hosting a lecture on Thursday,

Kulanu Movie Night on the Lawn

Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

It was like a drive-in but without the cars. Members of Kulanu’s Young Leadership relaxed in camping chairs in front of a big screen on the lawn of Ariel and Baruch Glaubach, in Lawrence, last Tuesday, July 7. Hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels and candy were served up by Barbara Goldenberg of Woodmere, a co-chair of the event. Local vendors including Herbal Mist, Gourmet Glatt, Gabe Boxer and Smart, Safe and Sound made donations that allowed all ticket and raffle sales to go directly to Kulanu and the programs and services it offers to children with disabilities. For information about Kulanu call 516-569-3083 or visit www.kulanukids.org.

Only Simchas 7-17-09

Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 7-17-09

Click to read the current issue of The Jewish Star

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HAFTR and Rambam to split

Dual effort to place Shalhevet girls, or possibly save new school

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769

Rambam Mesivta students danced on Fifth Avenue at the Salute to Israel parade earlier this year. (Photo courtesy Rambam Mesivta)

The three-year-old partnership between HAFTR and Rambam Mesivta formally know as Machon HaTorah is finished, according to Rambam’s president, Yaacov Gross.

“Looking at it from the perspective of a Rambam parent there is no need to have a Machon because there is absolutely nothing that Rambam is getting out of the relationship,” Gross said. His comments came a week after HAFTR said

That’s Life: Movie or Thumb Wrestling?

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Dear That’s Life,

Overheard at Fifth of July barbeque:
I went to high school to learn how to type; I went to college to learn

Only Simchas 7-10-09

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Is the wine worth the money? Psagot Merlot 2006

By Adam Neustadter
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

I admit it — I like drinking wine! But writing about it is a whole different ball game.

On the Calendar 7-10-09

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769
Fleischmanns, NY – Executive directors, fundraisers, development professionals, and organization lay leaders: take advantage of two days of seminars,

Letters to the Editor 7-10-09

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Father-son bond or tie?

To the Editor:

After a rained out Fathers’ Day (and every other day), I want to comment on the fascinating article about Joe Klein’s school project

Editorial: Zigzagging on foreign policy

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Things are not always as they seem, as anyone skilled in the art of sleight of hand can tell you — well, show you, actually.

When soldiers bundled Honduran President Manuel Zedaya onto a plane and expelled him

Opinion: Chummus Maleh

By Azriel Ganz
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

I wasn’t planning on speaking at my grandson’s shalom zachor. There were other people more qualified to speak and, in any event, with all the craziness

I’m thinking: Fresh start on controlling nukes

By Micah D. Halpern
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammux 5769

The IAEA, The International Atomic Energy Agency, is the organization charged with the responsibility of monitoring and policing nuclear programs

Opinion: Diffusing responsibilty

By Michael J. Salamon

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

On May 13, 1964, Catherine Genovese was murdered in Kew Gardens, Queens

The Kosher Bookworm: What to read for the Three Weeks (part one)

A time of year that helps teach us why Jerusalem is so important

By Alan Jay Gerber

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Jerusalem. Just the sound of the word should set off tremors of deep passion in the heart of every

Parshat Pinchas: Tying together loose ends

By Rabbi Avi Billet

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

A movie truism says that if you’re introduced to a character in the beginning of a film, even if the storyline does not seem to involve

Building freeze, politics affect young couples in Yehuda and Shomron

By Baruch Spier
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Former Far Rockaway resident Ari Singer and his wife, Rivka, can’t find a suitable improvement to their small basement apartment in Beit El,

Chabad shul in Mineola defaced

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Rabbi Anchelle Perl with swastikas sprayed on his shul. They were removed before Shabbos. (Photo courtesy Cong. Beth Sholom Chabad)

The young maintenance worker from Brazil didn’t know what a swastika was. She called Rabbi Anchelle Perl on Friday morning wondering about the freshly painted images on the front doors of Cong. Beth Sholom Chabad in Mineola: were they religious symbols? But most everyone else

Shoppers have no beef with kosher meat at Costco

By Malka Eisenberg
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Costco in Lawrence now stocks kosher meat from Empire. (Photo by Malka Eisenberg)

You won’t find the cheapest kosher meat in the Five Towns at a kosher supermarket. It’s actually at Costco on Rockaway Turnpike, believe it or not, vacuum-packed by a new sister brand of Empire Kosher Poultry, and jointly supervised by the OU and Star-K.

“Costco has taken a variety of cuts as tests into their Brooklyn and Five Towns stores to see how well they do,” said Elie Rosenfeld, a spokesman for EKB Kosher Beef, LLC of Mifflintown, PA.

First-cut brisket, rib steaks, ground beef and chuck roast are available

Rabbi Yakov Horowitz: ‘Hafganos’ begin at home

Time to stand up for true Torah Judaism

Editor’s note: Hafganah is a common Israeli term for protest; the plural is Hafganos. The headline refers to the violent protests that have dominated news from Israel in the past several weeks, in which anger over plans to open a Jerusalem municipal garage on Shabbos morphed into pitched battles between police and Orthodox Jews.

By Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

Let’s start with a simple multiple-choice question: What is a greater desecration of G-d’s name?

Summer’s first aliyah charter from JFK

After a long flight to their new home in Israel, Ronan and Leah Hillel, formerly of North Woodmere, deplaned with their six children. (Photo by Sasson Tiram)

Nefesh B’Nefesh flies families from Five Towns, others from 18 states, to new lives in Israel

By Laura Turetsky
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

By the end of the week Aliza and Yossi Battat expect to be living in a Petach Tivka apartment next door to Yossi’s brother.

The Battat’s, now former Cedarhurst residents, are among a number of local families that are moving to Israel — making aliyah — this summer with the assistance of the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization.

They and their four children and 226 other olim (immigrants) flew from JFK Monday

Ties that bind — Mashadi Jews meet in Jerusalem

Members of Great Neck’s Mashadi Jewish community attended a meeting in Jerusalem this week with over 200 Jews who share roots in Mashad, a northeast Iranian city where their 19th century ancestors faced persecution and forced conversions. Those ties have bound their descendants together in the modern day. At a time when political violence is unsettling their native Iran, Bahman Kamali, incoming president of the Global Mashadi Jewish Federation, and the organizer of the meeting, called on Mashadi Jews to reaffirm their commitment to their “distinct traditions and way of life that has always sustained us,” in the face of increasing Jewish assimilation worldwide. (Photo by Nachshon Philipson)

Correction: Important follow-up to ‘Purging Jewish History’

By Elizabeth Berney
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

My Op-Ed last week, “Purging Jewish History,” (In my view; July 3, 2009; see below) discussed how PLO, Fatah and Hamas governing

Shalhevet HS funding ended by HAFTR trustees

By Mayer Fertig
Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

The inaugural class of Shalhevet High School for Girls wraps up the school’s first year with a march up Fifth. Photo courtesy Machon HaTorah

Parents of girls who expected to attend Shalhevet High School for Girls in September, as incoming freshmen or returning 10th graders, were stunned on Tuesday to hear that the HAFTR board of trustees, which has been funding Shalhevet, voted overwhelmingly on Monday night to stop doing so. In all likelihood the decision will shut the school down after just one year of operation, though some parents expressed hope that it could be saved.

“Shalhevet is a victim of the tumultuous economic times that many not-for-profits, as well as yeshivot, are experiencing,”

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 7-10-09

TO SEE A PDF OF THE CURRENT ISSUE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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Sports: Inter-shul baseball 7-10-09

Issue of July 10, 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769

RESULTS
WEEK 2 — JULY 5
B.S.              14                YIH                2
YINW          13                ISLAND        3
SHTEEBL   10               RED                1
CHABAD    16                B.T.               12

STANDINGS             W       L
B.S.                               2        0
YINW                           2        0
ISLAND                       1        1
B.T.                               1        1
SHTEEBL                    1        1
CHABAD                     1        1
YIH                               0        2
RED                              0        2
SCHEDULE FOR WEEK 3 — JULY 12
FIELD 1                                 FIELD 2

9:00 AM    ISLAND  V  B.T.             YINW         V    CHABAD
10:30          RED         V  YIH             SHTEEBL V     B.S.

Celebrating America’s Scenery

By Judah S. Harris
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

Washington State

All photos by Judah S. Harris

The arrival of July 4th tells us that summer is finally here, and there’s no turning back. The sweaters you might have been keeping handy in case daily weather fluctuations failed to acknowledge the calendar can now be pushed back further into the closet or relocated to lower drawers of a bedroom dresser.

Washington Monument, Washington D.C.

But more significantly, America’s birthday, which this year is the 233rd,

Slice of Life: Pie for the Fourth of July

By Eileen Goltz

Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

Happy Independence Day! What better way to celebrate the red, white and blue this Fourth of July weekend than with a festive barbecue capped by a berry-filled pie for dessert.

My bestest friend Janice and I were walking (the only form of exercise besides eating that we’re not allergic to) the other day, contemplating, in our infinite wisdom, exactly what we thought the official food of the Fourth of July should be. While burgers, hot dogs, lemonade and ice cream all made our top 10 list,

The Kosher Bookworm: From the fourth book of the Torah to the Fourth of July

Sefer Bamidbar to the Founding Fathers

By Alan Jay Gerber
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

In Hebrew it is called Bamidbar. Translated, that would mean desert, but we know this fourth book of the Torah in English as the Book of Numbers. As “desert” we would think that this was a geography book.

I’m Thinking: The red herring of the Middle East

By Micah Halpern
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

The term “red herring” came into being in 1807. A reporter named William Cobbett used it to explain an erroneous news piece he wrote

Seidemann: Ilan Ramon’s birthday gift

From the other side of the bench

By David Seidemann
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

You can’t make this stuff up. Thirty-seven pages of an Israeli astronaut’s diary fell 37 miles to earth and landed, of all places, in Palestine, Texas. Google it, if you don’t believe me.

Hospice in Halacha

The overriding Jewish value of prolonging life

By Leon Zacharowicz
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

The recent article about an ordained Orthodox rabbi employed by a hospice (Where every day counts; June 26, 2009) was a welcome addition to these pages, but, as such articles often do due to space constraints, it glossed over the very complex issues involved in ‘end-of-life’ care, issues which have major implications for Orthodox Jews.

That’s Life: Starbuck’s Soothsayer

Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

Dear That’s Life,

It’s no wonder so much of my life happens at Starbuck’s: I drink too much coffee. But do not panic: it is all decaf.

On the Calendar 7-3-09

Issue of July 3 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

Summer in Long Beach

The Young Israel of Long Beach has organized several programs to service the large influx of families during the summer. Beginning on the Shabbos of July 4,

Parshiot Chukat-Balak: From victim to aggressor

By Rabbi Avi Billet
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

Imagine a group of strangers knock on your front door. They seem imposing. But they are nonetheless polite and assure you they mean no harm. For the sake of the parable, please accept their claim

Only Simchas in The Jewish Star 7-3-09

Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

Weddings

• Wedding of Nini Stein (Lawrence, NY) & Dani Ross (Lawrence, NY) — June 23, 2009

Letters to the Editor 7-3-09

Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

‘Most thorough’ award

To the Editor:

Before entering our family business, I spent 20 years as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York and Deputy Counsel at one of the State’s largest

Editorial: Blessings for a long, healthy life

Issue of July 3, 2009  / 11 Tammuz 5769

150 years for Bernie Madoff. If only modern medicine could keep him alive for that long. While so many of his victims

Abuse bill on hold but not dead

By Michael Orbach
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

In the latest twist over child sex abuse legislation, the New York State Assembly will meet in special session in September

Service cuts on track for LIRR; Kulanu graduates with HAFTR

Also in the issue of July 3, 2009:

Service cuts on track for LIRR

Kulanu graduates with HAFTR

Kulanu graduates with HAFTR

By Malka Eisenberg
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

In a show of unity and continuity, four Kulanu Torah Academy students joined with their HAFTR peers for a joint graduation ceremony

Service cuts on track for LIRR

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

The Woodmere LIRR station will lose its two ticket clerks in August leaving riders to purchase tickets from automated machines.

Riders of the Long Island Rail Road should take advantage of the personal customer service while they still can. Beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 18, ticket stations will close at 20 LIRR stations — including Woodmere, Cedarhurst and Hewlett

Wanted: a loving home

An increase in foster kids puts pressure on OHEL

By Yaffi Spodek
Issue of July 3, 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769

An image from a past OHEL ad campaign to recruit foster parents. (Image courtesy Ohel Family and Children's Services)

OHEL Family and Children’s Services has recently experienced a significant increase in Jewish foster children, leading to a greater need for foster parents.

“These are Jewish children who have for a number of reasons been removed from ACS [Administration for Children’s Services] in New York State and because they are Jewish children, have been directed to OHEL,” explained Derek Saker, OHEL’s director of communications. “The situation is very

See The Jewish Star as it appears in print 7-3-09

Click here for the print edition for July 3, 2009