South Florida Jewish Home

FEB. 10 – FEB. 23, 2011

ARAB REVOLT PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

• • • Kosherfest – February 13-17• • •

A Publication of the South Florida Jewish Community / Distributed in Dade , Broward and palm Beach Counties

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FEB. 10, 20115

>> Community

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS 7

>> World News

ARAB REVOLT 30

SFJH WORLD REPORT 26

>> Israel

MAYOR’S VISION OF JERUSALEM 24

>> Parenting

MRS. HEBEL’S TOP TEN TIPS 48

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN 28

WHEN YOUR CHILD IS IN TROUBLE 48

>> Torah Portion

FROM THE RABBI’S DESK 23

>> Homemaking

AUSSIE GOURMET 47

>> Humor

SAY WHAT 43

KIDS 36

CENTERFOLD 34

>> Politics

OBAMACARE 44

>> Kosher Dining Guide 37

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FROM THE EDITORS

We hope everyone enjoyed a refreshing winter vacation. While the pace here in town was slowing down for many during the long awaited break, across the globe chaos was erupting. The Arab revolt in Egypt captured

the attention of all and has been in the spotlight of all media coverage. Our wise Rabbis have been quoted saying, “world history is Jewish history.” When there is unrest in the world, particularly the Middle East, our prayers for our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel intensify. Yehudah Bromberg, in his premiere South Florida Jewish Home appearance takes you through the various Arab countries mauled in violence. His analysis of the Arab tendency to revolt, its history and effect on Israel and America will give you a better understanding of the people occupying the daily headlines.

Not so far from Cairo is a beautiful peaceful city, dear to us all, Jerusalem. In this issue, Nir Barkat, Jerusalem’s Mayor, expresses his vision for the ancient city. And if you love Israel but want to settle outside the capital, make sure to check out Gedalia Borvik’s informative article about the new ‘big’ city of Modi’in.

As always you will fi nd innovative and entertaining articles pertaining to parenting and education. Also enjoy our regular features highlighting health, lifestyles, homemaking and more. Our community happenings section is getting bigger and more interesting every issue – we are honored to bring the pulse of this great community into your homes. Sit back, relax and enjoy all of the above and of course - some great jokes, hard hitting politics and highlights from Israel and around the world.

We hope you enjoy the latest issue of The South Florida Jewish Home. We are always looking for your comments and suggestions; you can contact us anytime at [email protected]

The EditorFebruary 10, 2011

Dovid GutmanPUBLISHER/[email protected]

Bentzi ItzkowitzMANAGING [email protected]

Chana BilletSarit LasrySarki GalbutAD SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Danny KayShlomo KayDESIGN & PRODUCTION

4180 N. 42nd AvenueHollywood, FL 33021phone: 305-767-3443fax: [email protected]@sfjewishhome.com

The South Florida Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly magazine.Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the pub-lisher or editor.. The South Florida Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSYocheved OrlofskyIdo Stern Naftali HalpernChaya Hinda AllenSusie FishbeinEffie SussmanSteve NicholRabbi Efrem GoldbergRabbi Perry Tirschwell Chana BÕ let Jeffrey (Yitz) SternJenny HazanReuven AraziBenji SternGabe SeghiKeli Musa

The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

‘Our Home – And Yours’

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FEB. 10, 20117

More than 650 guests from throughout South Florida joined the Jewish Federation of Broward County at its Annual Community Campaign Celebra-tion (CCC). In attendance were an array of elected offi cials and dignitaries, as well as prominent busi-ness leaders who came together to learn more about how the Federation lends a helping hand to those in need and to hear stories from featured speaker Joshua Malina. Ma-lina, star of TV’s West Wing and p r o d u c e r of Celeb-rity Poker Showdown, a d d r e s s e d the audi-ence with entertaining tales of Hol-lywood (Cali-fornia!) and also spoke of his personal passion for Jewish causes and Tikkun Olam (“repair the world”).

“Joshua Malina was both entertaining and en-lightening, and gave a lively – and often very funny – presentation to a full house,” said Eric B. Stillman, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Bro-ward County. “As a Jew, he was able to connect with people in the audience in a very real way, and his sense of commitment is wonderful.”

The evening also included a salute to Carrie and David Schulman, long-time supporters of the Jewish Federation of Broward County. The Schulmans’ com-pany, Mass Mutual Financial Group/DBS Financial Group was the presenting sponsor for the event, which featured emotional stories of several people

who have come upon diffi cult times and are struggling to manage. Through pro-grams supported by the Federation, these people have been helped, their lives have improved and they have been able to get past the worst of their problems to become more self-suffi cient and able. The stories were heart-felt and all too true.

“When you hear real stories, and see real people, it is impossible not to feel moved,” added Stillman.

This year marked the tenth anniversary of the CCC, and Board Chair Karen Zemel

acknowledged guests who had attended ev-ery year. Both Stillman and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz addressed the crowd, and urged

everyone to support Israel, and its right to exist, and to be very aware of the unrest in the Middle East.

The CCC is an annual event that serves as the Federation’s largest single fundraiser, with $1.3 mil-

lion committed this one night. The dollars raised at the CCC provide the foundation to the an-nual campaign, and supply es-sential money to meet the needs of Jews wherever they live.

Past speakers at the CCC in-clude Former Governor and Sen-ator Bob Graham, Professor Alan Dershowitz, Governor Charlie Crist, and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel.

The Jewish Federation of Broward County acts in concert with its net-

work of benefi ciary agencies to lend them a helping hand,; safeguard and address local educational and social service needs; perpetuate Jewish tradition and heritage; and ensure the continuity and survival of Israel, and Jewish communi-ties around the world.

2011 Community Campaign Celebration A Great Success!Actor and Producer Joshua Malina wows the crowd – $1.3 Million Committed

Eric B Stillman Karen Zemel Joshua Malina Laura Goldblum

Michael and Monique Shafir, Marissa and Kevin Feig

Carolyn Shapir, Jason Oletsky, Joshua Malina, Sheri Schultz

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Adrienne Frank

COMMUNITYHAPPENINGS

The Sha’arei Bina family—students, parents, fac-ulty and the larger community—will be recognizing the individuals who were most directly involved in the foundation and development of the school at their fi rst Melavah Malka, scheduled for February 26, 2011 at 8:00pm at Highland Lakes Synagogue 2600 NE 209th Street, Aventura, FL, 33180.

The school will be recognizing “The Group of Thirteen”: Rabbi Elchonon Abramchik, Mrs. Goldie Berman, Dr. & Mrs. Jean-Jaques Edderai, Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Kirat, Dr. & Mrs. Mark Pomper, Dr. & Mrs. Gary Rosenbaum, Mrs. Yael Sprung, Rabbi & Mrs. Neal Turk

The theme of the event is “Blueprint for Success,” recognizing the vision, leadership and determination of the “Group of Thirteen,” whose mesirat nefesh has turned the dream into our reality.

The school is deeply committed to the ongoing success of Sha’arei Bina and the excellent education that it provides the girls and young women of our

community. It would give Sha’arei Bina great pleasure if the community would graciously agree to participate in the school’s worthy cause by placing an ad in the journal, recognizing the efforts of the Group of Thirteen.

Your ad may be treated as a tax-deductible

business expense or as a charitable contribution (please consult with your accountant).

For further information, please contact the offi ce at 305-956-3755.

Sha’arei Bina’s First Annual Melavah Malka

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• Elegantly appointed guest rooms complete with Egyptian cotton linens, Italian marble bathrooms, and42” HD TVs

• Gourmet Glatt Kosher Dining by Avi Abikzer of Genadeen Caterers, supervised by the ORB of Broward and Palm Beach Counties

• Daily poolside barbeques anda lavish tearoom

• A magnifi cent Rees Jones golf course

• Discounts to exciting nearbyentertainment attractions

The food…the service…the luxury…it’s all here!

For early reservation discounts or more information, please contact Alan Berger at:

1-877-PESACH4 (1-877-737-2244) or 516-734-0840

Email: [email protected]

Visit our website at www.passovergrandgetaways.com

• Three pool areas, lazy river, and water slide

• Exciting Day Camp Program

• Cantor-led or private Seders

• Featured Scholar-In-Residence:Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, Founder and Director of NJOP, and Rabbi at LincolnSquare Synagogue

• A 24,000 sq. ft. Guerlain Spa

• Fully equippedfi tness center

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This February, Aventura Turnberry Jewish Cen-ter under the leadership of Chairman of the Board William Landa, President Laurence Herrup, Rabbi Jonathan Berkun, Cantor Da-vid MucÚ ick, and Executive Vice President, Dr. Amir Baron, will be hosting “A Weekend of Song” with Cantor Meir Finkelstein, including a concert, Shabbat din-ner and Shabbat morning guest cantorial appearance. Cantor Finkelstein, an internationally renowned performer and pianist, is one of the best documented compos-ers of contemporary Jewish music. He collaborated with Steven Spielberg and created the score for the Visual History Foundation’s award-winning docu-mentary fi lm “Survivors of the Holocaust,” and he has performed alongside Alberto Mizrahi and David Propis as one of the “Three Cantors” to sold-out au-diences. In 1995, he premiered his “Liberation” can-tata, a large-scale orchestral and choral work written for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Cantor Finkelstein will be performing for the third time at ATJC on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 6:30pm with a Pre-Glow Cocktail Party for spon-sors beginning at 5:30pm. ATJC’s Cantor David MucÚ ick has performed with Cantor Finkelstein and expressed: “We are thrilled to welcome back Cantor

Finkelstein. Our community has truly enjoyed his concerts and hearing him perform familiar cantorial

songs as well as popular show tunes for the past 3 years. As a Cantor, it is always

a pleasure sharing our bima with him when he joins me and our

professional choir for Shabbat morning services.” Concert

tickets are $18 for ATJC members, $25 for non-members, and sponsorships

begin at $180. On Friday, February 18, 2011, ATJC’s Friday

Night Live services, beginning at 6:30pm, will in-clude spirited musical songs and prayers with Rabbi Jonathan Berkun and Cantor David MucÚ ick with special guest Cantor Finkelstein accompanying them to continue the “weekend of song.” Joey Freeman will also join the congregation as the featured speaker for Friday Night Live and Shabbat morning services. Joey is a student Senator for the Associated Students of the University of California and will discuss Jewish activism on college campuses. Friday Night Live and Saturday’s Shabbat services are always free and open to the community. Friday’s catered Shabbat dinner is $40 per adult and $25 per child (under age 13). The weekend of song will continue on Saturday, Febru-ary 19, 2011 at Shabbat morning services, which are from 8:30am – 12:00pm. Both Cantor Finkelstein and Joey Freeman will be featured. For more infor-mation or to RSVP, contact ATJC at 305-937-1880 or

[email protected], or visit www.atjc.org. Calendar ListingCantor Meir Finkelstein will be appearing at

Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center in February. He will be performing in concert on Thursday, Febru-ary 17, 2011 at 6:30pm. Tickets are $18 for ATJC members and $25 for non-members. Cantor Finkel-stein will also be featured at ATJC for Friday Night Live services, followed by a catered dinner on Friday, February 18, 2011 beginning at 6:30pm. The cost for dinner is $40/adult and $25/child (under age 13). Student Senator for the Associated Students of the University of California, Joey Freeman, will also join ATJC for the weekend and will discuss Jewish activism on college campuses. Both Cantor Finkel-stein and Joey Freeman will also be featured guests at Shabbat morning services on Saturday, February 19, 2011 from 8:30am – 12:00pm. For more informa-tion or to RSVP, contact ATJC at 305-937-1880 or [email protected], or visit www.atjc.org.

Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center is a vibrant and diverse con-servative congregation in the heart of Aventura and home to Tauber Academy. This exciting multi-cultural and multi-gen-erational community was recently recognized as one of the “top Ten Jewish Neighborhoods” in the United States. Under the spiritual guidance of Rabbi Jonathan Berkun and Cantor David MucÚ ick, ATJC provides a stimulating environment for long standing members as well as newcomers to the area. Encom-passing spiritual, social, educational, and cultural program-ming for all ages, ATJC is the center for Jewish life in Aventura.

A “Weekend of Song” at ATJC with Cantor Meir Finkelstein

After only three years since the fi rst Ben Gamla Charter School opened in Hollywood, Florida – Ben Gamla has opened its third school on Miami Beach. Principal Ari Haddad believes that the success is a testimony to the need that the Ben Gamla Charter School fulfi lls. “I believe that if you combine small classes, a warm and nurturing en-vironment and rigorous academic standards, with an excellent Hebrew curriculum – and offer this all for free – you are able to produce an amazing school, which is what we have done”. There are currently close to 1,000 students at the three cam-puses in Hollywood, Plantation, and now Miami Beach.

The fi rst Ben Gamla Charter School opened in Hollywood, Florida in 2007 with a great deal of parental support. As the county’s fi rst Hebrew-English public charter school, it quickly fi lled to capacity with children seeking a quality dual lan-guage education. The K-8 school is now ranked as an “A” school by the State of Florida and has been accredited by the Southern Association

of Colleges and Schools. Encouraged by parental demand, a Plantation campus serving students in grades K-5 opened in August 2009. That campus is now full and has a waiting list.

The new Ban Gamla on Miami Beach is fol-lowing a similar pattern. “We are now accepting registrations for the 2011/2012 year and we are fi lling up quickly” said Principal Haddad.” I am very happy with both the amazing parental sup-port we have encountered on the Beach and by the incredible demand for what we are offering”. “I believe that this is just the beginning of the Ben Gamla movement and that we will be adding a Middle School and High School in the next couple of years”.

Ben Gamla Miami Beach is located at 1211 Mar-seille Drive on Miami Beach. Parents and students interested in learning more about this dual language program are invited call the school at 305-469-9331and schedule a tour.

Ben Gamla Charter School Opens 3rd School on Miami Beach


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Costco Wholesale, North Miami Beach will be hosting a Kosher Fest from February 13, 2011 thru February 17,2011. There will be free Glatt Kosher samplings throughout the day.

Costco is a membership warehouse club dedicated to bring-ing members the best possible prices on quality brand-name merchandise. With hundreds of locations worldwide Costco provides a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of specialty departments and exclusive member services, all de-signed to make the shoppers experience a pleasurable one.

Costco North Miami Beach has now expanded their kosher

section with more Glatt Kosher items. They now have a Kosher meat section, carrying items such Empire chicken and turkey, as well as Solomon’s Premium Kosher Meats. Other items to be found there are TNUVA products imported from Israel, Kosher cheese, sliced deli meats and much, much more. Many of Cost-co’s Kirkland own brand products are kosher as well.

If you haven’t been to Costco lately, now is the perfect time! Take advantage of this free preview and kosher event. The qual-ity and savings are amazing!

J O I N T O D A Y ! BECOME A NEW COSTCO MEMBERA N D R E C E I V E U P T O A

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Receive a $20 Costco Cash Card when you join as a new Executive Member.AWARENESS CODE: 22947 • COSTCO CASH CARD ACTIVATION: 321342

OR, receive a $10 Costco Cash Card when you join as a new Gold Star Member.AWARENESS CODE: 22946 • COSTCO CASH CARD ACTIVATION: 335973

Offer is only valid when you join in person with a Costco representative, and expires on March 31, 2011. Valid only for new members for their first year of membership. Limit one Costco Cash Card per household. Offer is nontransferable and may not be combined with any other offer or coupon. • A Gold Star Membership is $50 a year. An Executive Membership is an additional $50 upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes a free Household Card. • Costco accepts cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT, Costco Cash Cards, Costco Credit Cards and American Express.

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Costco Wholesale at North Miami Beachinvites the local Jewish Community to come and previewour new Glatt Kosher Department: February 13 - 17.Kosher samples will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.For additional information contact the Membership Dept at (305) 944-8711.

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HONORING:

BOCA RATON SYNAGOGUE 21ST ANNUAL JOURNAL DINNERMONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011

CONGREGATION B’NAI ISRAEL, BOCA RATON AT 6:30 PM

DR. RONI & GINI RAABThe Raabs have been members of BRS for nearly 20 years. In their role as pioneers, Roni and

State of Israel.

ALAN & SUSIE BERGER

STAN & JOY SMITH

For more information regarding placing an ad in the Commemorative Journal or to purchase tickets to attend the Annual Journal Dinner, please contact Matthew Hocherman via email at [email protected].


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FEB. 10, 201113COMMUNITYHAPPENINGS

Palm Beach, Florida –Palm Beach Synagogue is offering a Hebrew Reading Crash Course to all members of the {city} Jewish community. The course is designed to teach those with no basic knowledge of the Hebrew language how to read Hebrew in ten easy lessons. Palm Beach Synagogue is offering the course in an effort to inspire unaffi liated Jews to be-come more involved in Jewish life.

An estimated four million American Jews are not affi liated with any religious denomination or institu-tion. For many such Jews, the inability to read He-brew and understand the synagogue services is an effective barrier to active participation in Jewish life. By teaching them to read Hebrew and making them feel comfortable in synagogues, the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP), sponsor of the Hebrew Reading Crash Course, hopes to open the door to Jewish growth and commitment for thousands of previously uninvolved or marginally affi liated Jews.

“The Hebrew Reading Crash Course opened a new dimension in my life,” said Larry Diamond, a Manhattan businessman. “Before the Crash Course, I rarely set foot inside a synagogue except for wed-dings and Bar Mitzvahs. I felt like a fi sh out of wa-ter because I couldn’t even read the writing over the holy ark. Thanks to NJOP, I now attend synagogue every Sabbath, and I am overjoyed that I can pray along with the rest of the congregation in the original Hebrew text.”

The fi ve week Hebrew Reading Crash Course, which begins on Monday, February 7, 2011, at Palm Beach Synagogue in Palm Beach is geared toward “Jewish beginners,” as well as those who feel left out during synagogue services, unable to follow or ap-preciate the liturgy. The course begins with learning the Hebrew alphabet and covers basic reading skills, preparing the participant for the exciting experience of reading and understanding the prayerbook and

other Jewish texts. Those who complete the course will be able to read Hebrew and gain a rudimen-tary understanding of the prayers in their original language. For more information about the Hebrew Reading Crash Course call Palm Beach Synagogue at 561-838-9002 or NJOP at 800-44-HEBRE(W).

Your opportunity to master Hebrew Reading and follow along with Synagogue Services is here.

Mondays at 7:30 pm, February 7 through April 11.

Palm Beach Synagogue120 North County RoadPalm Beach, Florida 33480

Certifi ed Hebrew Reading Teacher Sign up now!561-838-9002 x 4Complete Course: $18 ( including books)

PALM BEACH SYNAGOGUE OFFERS HEBREW READING CRASH COURSE

The underlying format of ‘Spa for the Soul’ is a tribute to the female, Holocaust Survivors among us. Certainly the light, power and strength emanating from their feminine souls, enriched by the magni-tude of the adversity they survived, sparks recognition of the Courage, Heroism and Spiritual Wealth that Chana Weisberg will be discussing, at our luncheon, Sunday, February 20.

Chief Rebbetzin Vicky Riskin, of Efrat, Israel and her husband, Rabbi Riskin, are the pillars of strength that seeded the

growth of Lincoln Square Synagogue and the entire Jewish Revival on the Up-per West Side of Manhattan, nearly thirty years ago. Rebbetzin Riskin will be sharing her inspirational story of uprooting their deep-planted seeds from their

upper west side community to the replant-ing for Jewish growth, in Efrat, Israel.

Palm Beach Synagogues ‘Ladies who Lunch’ invites all feminine souls of our community to join us for a delicious, gourmet lunch and natural smoothie bar. Following our wonderful keynote speak-ers as they warm our hearts and stimulate our minds, our souls will be sparked, as we are entertained by a lovely musical presen-tation.

Couvert: $36, Reservations are Required . Please contact: Palm Beach Syna-

gogue, 561-838-9002, ext. 4 or by email offi [email protected].

‘Spa for the Soul’Stimulate Your Mind , Warm Your Heart, Spark your Soul, Nour-

ish Your Body - Sunday, February 20 10:00 am -1:00 pm

Vicky Riskin

Chana Weisberg

Yachad/The National Jewish Council for Dis-abilities (NJCD) presents a “Special Needs Family Day” on Sunday, February 13 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at JARC Florida, 21160 95th Avenue South in Boca Raton. The event is co-sponsored with The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Department of Special Needs, as part of Yachad’s month-long NAIM program, which empha-sizes Inclusion in the broad Jewish community.

Registration is required, and space is limited. Registration is $18 per family, with lunch included

The Keynote address of Family Day will be given by Dr. Rona Novick, world renowned child behavior therapist who specializes in bullying.

Family Day is part of North American Inclusion

Month (NAIM), a time frame originated by Yachad specifi cally designated to raise awareness and to de-velop sensitivity of what it means for those who live with disabilities, and how to Include them within the greater Jewish community. Other events taking place in Florida for NAIM can be found on the of-fi cial website, www.njcd.org/naim.

Activities throughout the day:Full day of youth programs provided by Levi’s

JCC for both children with special needs and for sib-

lings with typical function (sports; games; and arts and crafts);

Hear from leading experts on a wide variety of topics (including: “Information on Benefi ts Coordination and Long Term Planning;” “The Medicaid Waiver Program;” and “Caregiver Sup-port”);Presentation by Laura Pincus, Director of Excep-

tional Student Education of Palm Beach County, on the wide variety of programs and services available in the county;

To register and for more information, contact Tzippi Rosen at (561) 364-1416 or fl [email protected]; or Michelle LaRocque at (516) 852-3175 or [email protected].

FLORIDA YACHAD PRESENTS “SPECIAL NEEDS FAMILY DAY,” FEBRUARY 13

IN BOCA RATON, AS PART OF NORTH AMERICAN INCLUSION MONTH

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It’s no surprise to the Jewish community that Dade county’s #1 rated after-school program hap-pens to be run by Chabad! An educational consult-ing company hired by Miami-Dade to rate all county after-school programs, has rated Chabad Chayil’s program one of the best. After spending two weeks observing and analyzing every aspect of Chabad’s program, Cynthia Serure, president of A Gift for the Soul, Inc. concluded that program was exem-plary. “This program scored at the top on virtually all analytical criteria including quality of staff, student-teacher interaction, and curriculum,” said Serure. “It is a model program.”

The Hebrew After-School, as its known, is more than just a once a week Talmud Torah. Its an all en-compassing daily after-school program geared to-wards Jewish children in public schools who have no formal Jewish education. In addition to Jewish His-tory, Holidays, Traditions & Parsha; they offer Jew-ish Art, Ceramics, Drama and Taekwondo. Chabad is now running the program for the third year out of the

Aventura Waterways K-8 Center in Highland Lakes, Monday-Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pre- and after-Hebrew school programs including homework help, tutoring and music are available from 1:30 to 3:00 & 4:30-6:00 p.m. for a nominal fee.

“This program offers a fi rst taste of Jewish learn-ing in a creative, joyful, hands-on and interesting way. We want to impart a sense of tradition using modern and innovative teaching tecÚ iques,” says school director Layah Kievman. “This is a Hebrew School where kids can’t wait to come!” “My children Ziv and Keren are with the Hebrew school for the second year & they love it” said Mazal Yehezkely. “The have really nice teachers and a great group of staff. I can’t thank them enough”.

Chabad attracts children ages 5-13 from 7 schools and is extremely popular in the area. They have a waiting list for the younger classes and are working hard to get their own location so they can expand accordingly.

“This wonderful program has brought tremen-dous joy to my son” said Joanne Bendavid. “He has never been excited about school until the chabad program started. I originally signed him up for 2 days a week, but after just 2 weeks of attending the program he told me he wanted to go everday and that he loved it so much” said the mother of 7 year old Adam. “I am so thrilled that this program is available and teaches the real values of judaism in a fun and loving environment. I hope to be a part of it for many years to come.”

“A Hebrew School is no substitute for a day-school, but for the thousands of Jewish children at-tending publics schools, it’s their best option”. “Its only a matter of funding, and we’ll likely have as many as 1,000 kids enrolled within the next few years” projects Kievman. Chabad seeks sponsors to subsidize the cost of this amazing program.

“We seek to ensure that every single child has access to a Jewish education,” states Rabbi Kievman who together with his wife runs Chabad of Highland Lakes. “we want them to know who they are, where they come from... and we want them to take pride in it and love it”!

To learn more about the program or to register, please visit He-brewSchool.info or contact school director Layah Kievman at (305) 770-1919 or [email protected]

Dade County’s #1 After-School Program... A Kidush Hashem! By Morris Levy


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Miami Beach, FL — December 19, 2010 —

Hard-pressed families in the South Florida Jewish

community have a new fi nancial lifeline of hope.

A group of community leaders have joined forces

to create Keren Hachesed Miami Inc., a free-loan

society launched to provide interest-free loans to

local families.

Keren Hachesed Miami Inc.was founded by

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Smith, a member of the Mi-

ami Beach Community kollel, Rabbi Gavriel Kos-

kas, leader of Congregation Magen Dovid in Surf-

side, and Shimon Segelman, a member of the

Miami Beach community.

“The organization was formed to help people

with interest-free loans in time of need,” said

Rabbi Smith.

The new loan bank serves two important

functions. Community members facing a fi nan-

cial crisis can apply for an interest-free loan. Oth-

ers seeking to do a good deed—a mitzvah—can

provide funding to the loan bank. Those who

provide fi nancial support to Keren Hachesed Mi-

ami Inc. have the security of knowing that their

loans to the organization are used with respon-

sibility and compassion. This process enables

community members and neighbors to help each

other, while preserving the dignity and pride of

each borrower.

“People can loan money to the organization,

while knowing we are looking after the best interest

of all parties involved,” said Rabbi Gavriel Koskas.

The interest-free bank is built on the Biblical

concept of chesed or kindness, which includes

providing emotional or fi nancial support to those

in need. Chesed also involves a shared commit-

ment to the community based on duty, loyalty

and compassion, according to the founders of

Keren Hachesed Miami Inc.

“This is truly a community organization,” Mr.

Segelman said. “The money used to make the

loans to our community members comes from

other members in the community who loan the

money to the organization as a way to help their

neighbors.”

For additional information, please con-

tact: Rabbi Smith 305-534-9351

Email:[email protected]

Interest-Free Loans to Families in NeedThe Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School

| The Ben Lipson Hillel Community High School Cel-ebrates 40 Years

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL – The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School | The Ben Lipson Hillel Com-munity High School’s Board of Governors voted this week to appoint Rabbi Pinchos Hecht as next Head of School, upon recommendation of the Head of School Search Com-mittee. Rabbi Hecht will be-gin a spring 2011 transition with Dr. Adam Holden who has been Head of School since 2006.

“We are preparing the Jewish leaders of tomorrow in the Jewish day schools of today,” said Hillel Chairman Jorge Woldenberg. “In Rabbi Hecht, Hillel has found the Head of School with the vi-sion, experience, passion, and academic accomplishment to further this good work. We are thrilled to welcome him to our Hillel family.”

Rabbi Hecht comes to Hillel from Ohio’s Fuchs Mizrachi School, 2006 recipient of the national No Child Left Behind Award. By the end of Rabbi Hecht’s 10 year tenure as Head of School, Fuchs Mizrachi en-joyed growing enrollment, a new academic building and an endowment. Previously, he served as Head of School at the Hebrew Academy of Greater Washing-ton, where he twice led the School to garner the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence. Through Rabbi Hecht’s headship, they welcomed record enrollment and cam-pus renovation.

Rabbi Hecht received his bachelor’s degree from Adelphi University, a master’s in education from Amer-ican University and a master’s in religious education from Hebrew Theological College. His rabbinic ordi-nation is from Yeshiva Gedola.

“Understanding Hillel’s strategic plan, vision and philosophy, I see that this school is ready to raise the bar even higher as a leader in education,” Rabbi Hecht observed. “I am eager to join such a talented faculty and to continue to develop the work already started by the administrative team.”

Upon the School’s 40th anniversary, the appoint-ment of Rabbi Hecht marks the next chapter of the School’s strategic plan, building on the growth of re-cent years. Committed to setting the standard for 21st century Jewish education, the school consistently has surpassed academic, operational and fiscal goals over the past five years. Today it is an International Bac-calaureate World School Candidate, Columbia Uni-

versity Project School and a Reggio�Emilia�inspired preschool, all within a program built upon traditional Torah values.

“Rabbi Hecht is, quite simply, one of the finest Jewish Heads in the nation,” Dr. Holden said. “It has been an honor to prepare the school for leadership of his caliber. Our goal always has been to strive for excellence in educa-tion, and Rabbi Hecht person-ifies it – he is the consummate educator.”

“This is such an exciting time for Hillel,” Rabbi Hecht emphasized. “In a time when enrollment is up, surveys show increased confidence from families and faculty, cam-pus construction is ongoing and ruach is strong, Hillel has accomplished so much. And I believe that now it is ready for even more. I am committed to enriching the school and extended communities with a commitment to rigorous academics, meaningful Judaics and comprehensive programs

beyond the classroom.”

From early childhood through college admission, Hillel cultivates and inspires students’ interests and talents to prepare them for college admission. By engaging students in meaningful religious and cultural experiences, Hillel strives to deepen commitment to Judaism, the Jewish people and Israel. For information, visit www.hillel nmb.org.

Hillel Names New Head of School

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The Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy is pleased to announce the building of a gymnasium on its Miami Beach campus with groundbreaking set for this summer. A dream is fi nally becoming a reality through the generosity of a group of do-nors. Hebrew Academy Development and Alumni Relations Director, and Hebrew Academy alumnae, Robyn Malek, shared, “I am so inspired by the do-nors that have stepped forward to fulfi ll a longtime dream of the Hebrew Academy. It is a privilege to be surrounded by people that believe in the vision and sustainability of the school.” Miss Malek believes, “By having a gym on campus, we are securing the stability of the school today and generating new en-ergy for the future and even, G-d willing, my own children one day.”

Currently, the Hebrew Academy Athletic De-partment must rent off-site facilities to host home games for its successful volleyball and basketball programs. A school gymnasium will not only cut that cost but will also generate revenue through ticket sales and rental of the facility to outside or-ganizations. Ami Eskanos, Director of Admissions and Institutional Advancement, states, “The exis-tence of a gym on property will elevate school spirit, drive the school forward with increased program-ming and improved facilities and will ultimately at-tract potential students. Research data indicates that the number one requirement of a school from the viewpoint of a student is the availability of adult ac-

tivities and the number one adult activity students look for in school is athletics. A gymnasium sends a clear message that, in addition to academic rigor, we take athletics seriously, and we do.”

The planning phase and building of a gym is both an exciting and huge undertaking. Nonethe-less, buzz around the Hebrew Academy campus is infectious, especially amongst the students. He-brew Academy sophomore and student athlete, Bari Gordon, enthuses, “I think having a gym right on our campus will build school spirit, make game at-tendance go up, and make home games feel more like home with our own Warrior mascot on the fl oor. Everyone is extremely excited about the gym and it makes the idea of winning districts even bet-ter.” Miss Gordon further adds, “A new gym will also increase and improve our athletic program by motivating more kids to participate.”

If you are interested in sponsorship op-portunities contact [email protected]

Hebrew Academy Announces New Gymnasium

left to right: Jenny Tepler, Alyza Behar, Shoshy Mond, Bailey Frohlich, Hailey Dobin, Michelle Freund and Coach Robyn Malek.

Yachad held it’s inaugural Junior Yachad Event at Jerusalem Pizza in N. Miami Beach. Everyone made their own pizza’s and a great time was had by all. For information on future events please call Esther Anton - 305-761-0608.

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“They say the color orange represents passion and excitement. The color orange, which represents these two vital feelings, is also the color of the Team Yachad running shirts. Passion...excitement… Yachad. I’m going to make an assumption that the color choice wasn’t an accident. This past Sunday, 77 people got together. Seventy-four of them ran 13.1 miles. (And three ran 26.2.) If you calculate the math, that’s more than a thousand miles run, skipped, walked, crawled...all in order to shout to the world that ‘I BELIEVE IN INCLUSION.’

Not only is the belief in inclusion important. I have never, in my entire life, seen so much passion and excitement from anyone. I have never seen people willing to get out of their comfort zone to shout out to the world that Yachad is an incredible organization. I have never seen anything so special and amazing. I have never been more inspired in my life. All repre-sented by the color orange? Pretty awesome, no?” From Eliana Shields, high school junior, Baltimore

Let’s hear it for Team Yachad! Seventy-seven runners from all over North America and from as far away as Israel gathered in Miami last Sunday for the ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon. The runners were not only engaging in strenuous exercise, but were raising money for Yachad, the Orthodox Union’s program which provides unique social, educational and recreational programs for individuals with learning, developmental and physical disabilities.

This was the second consecutive year Team Yachad participated in the event, and the growth in number of runners and funds raised was most impres-sive. Last year, 30 participants raised $25,000; this year, the 77 runners produced more than $85,000.

Yachad is the fl agship program of the OU’s National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD). The runners competed under the slogan, “We’re Running Hand in Hand,” to emphasize their message of reach-ing out to those with disabilities to be included in the greater Jewish community and mainstream activities they otherwise may not have had a chance to partici-pate in, such as a half or full marathon.

The race also served as a kickoff for Yachad’s Second Annual NAIM, North American In-clusion Month, in which communities across North America are staging special events to get out the mes-sage of Inclusion, a message that was reinforced by each of the Team Yachad competitors.

“Our participation in the marathon is fast becom-ing one of the annual Yachad program highlights,” declared Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, National Director of Yachad/NJCD. “Yachad staff, high school partici-pants, Yachad members and community members all coming together b’Yachad to run for themselves, to run for each other and run for Yachad. There is amaz-ing energy as members of the Yachad family from all over the country come together to raise much needed

scholarship funds to help more children and adults with disabilities experience Inclusive summer pro-grams, Israel experiences, communal participation, and so much more.”

Each runner was charged with raising $3,000 in his or her community. In exchange, they received round-trip air transportation to Miami, hotel accom-modations, guaranteed race admission and payment of all associated fees as well as Shabbat meals and pre-and-post race parties. The team stayed at the Newport Beach Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, where they were joined for Shabbat by the South Florida Yachad Chapter, whose members cheered the run-

ners as they passed the fi nish line. Besides a local delegation, the runners

came from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Il-linois, Ohio, Texas, Michigan, California, Colorado, Indiana, Canada – and yes, Israel. One does not run 13.1 miles (a few competitors ran the full marathon) without preparation, and Yachad provided the New Yorkers with certifi ed training coaches. Jasmine Gra-ham, CEO of Pace for Success, Inc. andMelissa Dain, who accompanied Ms. Graham, provided custom-ized plans for each runner they worked with.

Besides the South Florida Yachad members, other Yachad members were involved, including Chana Esther Sabbagh (Brooklyn, NY) and David Orlansky (New York, NY) who were members of the logisti-cal team. Aaron Winston, a Yachad member from Dallas, ran the half- marathon. Moussia Bronstein, Yachad member from South Florida was pushed in a racing stroller by Rebecca Schrag, Assistant Program Coordinator, Scarsdale, NY, and also by Shlomo Fr-ishman, a high school student from Chicago.

The very same Shlomo Frishman raised the most money, more than $5,800. Elan Baskir of Boston fi nished fi rst among the Team Yachad runners and 870th overall (out of more than 15,000 half-mara-thoners). “As I crossed the fi nish line, I had tears in my eyes and waved to all the Yachad supporters – an unmatched experience,” Elan said. “Everyone should run a marathon.” Next year, he will either run the full

marathon or push someone for the full marathon in the race. “Can’t wait!” he said.

Speaking of the full marathon, Adam Rosen of Boynton Beach, FL, Yisrael Gold of Miami and Mi-chael Sutton of Brooklyn, NYdid just that, complet-ing the full 26.2 mile course.

Yachad staff members participated as well, in-cluding Eli Hagler, Jillian Schutkin and Chani Her-rmann, together with Laya Pelzner and Penny Pa-zornick from OU Synagogue Services, and Shoshana Cohen from OU Kosher.

Aviyah Rosenwasser, a Chicago high school stu-dent who is actively involved with the local Yachad

chapter, explained why she undertook the exertion of training and running such a long distance. “Run-ners, especially long-distance runners, have a lot of time to think about why they run,” she said. “At some point you start to question yourself, why are you running? And you wonder if you should con-tinue to get out there! When that happened to me, whether during training or during the marathon it-self, the same answer kept popping up in my head --YACHAD!! YACHAD!! YACHAD!! To me, there is no greater motivation than this. As you run you think about all the benefi ts that come out of just running these 13.1 miles. Yachad, an organization dedicated to enhancing the life opportunities of in-dividuals with disabilities. to me is one of the most incredible organizations in the world, and as you

cross that fi nish line, you have this self- satisfaction, and you think to yourself - I DID IT!! and I did it for Yachad. In my opinion, there is no greater way to give back to an organization you love.”

Ilan Levine, a high school senior from Colum-bus, Ohio ran the half marathon as his fi rst Yachad event. “Every runner that morning crossed the fi nish line for a reason, but our goal stretched way past that last mile. Running for Yachad allowed me to realize the potential in each and every human being and that you do not necessarily need to be athletic or brilliant to make a big impact. This was a true and unique experience that will continue to grow on me for a long, long time.”

Yachad Assistant Director Eli Hagler was involved in race preparations from beginning to end, in ad-dition to running the half-marathon. He declared, “It was an amazing experience and opportunity to be able to run the ING Marathon and Half Marathon with 76 other members of Team Yachad. We spent a wonderful Shabbat together with South Florida Yachad and that continued through the marathon as they all came to cheer on our runners crossing the fi nish line. From the beginning planning stages through the last departure fl ight taking off, it was tru-ly a wonderful experience working with the Yachad team putting this event together. We look forward to next year’s race on January 29, 2012.”

TEAM YACHAD RUNS FOR INCLUSION, AS TEENS AND STAFF RUN HALF AND FULL MARATHONS IN MIAMI TO BENEFIT A WONDERFUL CAUSEBy Stephen Steiner

Members of Team Yachad proudly display their medals, post-race

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This past week, the Douglas Gardens Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged Thrift Store on Hallandale Beach Boulevard has been renamed the Brauser Mai-monides Academy Thrift Store. Successfully operating for more than 25 years in the current location, the Douglas Gardens Store has more than 13,000 square feet of pre-owned clothes, household goods, electronics, and a large selec-tion of furniture.

The store has recently received a facelift, including a new sprinkler system, more lights, new paint, and a new sign refl ecting the name change that will be installed later this month. All of the renovations, as well as a new base of donations, has BMA excited for the opportunity. Tzvika Segall, owner of the property, is partner-ing with BMA because of what the school pro-vides to the Jewish community of Hollywood. “I am happy to be working with BMA because I know the proceeds will directly benefi t Jewish

education, and there is nothing more important than that,” Segal said. The store is currently accepting tax-deductible donations of pre-owned cloth-

ing in good condition (including children’s clothing), household items, toys, electronics in working condition, and furniture of all sizes. Donations can be dropped off directly at the store. Larger donations, such as furniture, can be picked up at your home. Call the store to schedule a pick-up time. BMA hopes to even-tually have a drop-off location at the school as well. For any questions regarding donations or for specifi c questions about the store, please call the store and not the school directly. The store is located one-quarter mile west of 1-95 on Hallandale Beach Blvd.

BMA Thrift Store3194 Hallandale Beach Blvd.

Pembroke Park, FL 33009(95z4)981-8245

Introducing the New BMA Thrift Store

Young Israel of Greater Miami announces that world renowned Rabbi Mordechai Becher will be the guest speaker at their 53rd Annual Dinner which will take place on Sunday evening, February 20,2011 at the Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus in North Miami Beach.

Rabbi Becher is senior lecturer for the Gateways

Organization, one of the fastest growing and most successful Jewish adult education providers in North America. His exper-tise in applying clas-sic Jewish concepts to contemporary life has made him a much sought-after lecturer around the world. He has lectured for the UJA, Jewish Federa-tions, The Zionist Or-ganization of Ameri-can, Hillel and is on the speakers bureau of the Israeli Consul-ate in New York.

Rabbi Becher re-ceived his rabbinic or-dination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Chief Rabbi of Jeru-salem. He taught at Ohr Somayach, Neve Yerush-alayim and Darchei Binah in Jerusalem for 15 years, was a chaplain in the Is-rael Defense Forces and taught a number of Rab-binic training program. Rabbi Becher’s latest book, Gateway to Juda-ism: The What, How, and Why of Jewish Ufe is now in its fi fth printing. He re-

sponds to thousands of legal, ethical, and

ph i losoph i -cal questions posed to him on the popu-lar website, AskTheRabbi.com.

Being hon-ored at this event are two generations of Young Israel s u p p o r t e r s MiDor L’Dor: Ms. Marlene Kalchman along with her son and daughter-

in-law, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Kalchman; Or. & Mrs. Carl Salzman along with their son and daughter~ in-law, Dr. & Mrs. Damon Salzman.

For more i n f o r m a t i o n contact the Young Israel offi ce at 305-651-3591.

RABBI MORDECHAI BECHER TO SPEAK AT YOUNG ISRAEL OF GREATER MIAMI 53RD ANNUAL DINNER

Since 1957

Maison MauriceJewlery

241 Worth AvePalm Beach Florida, 33480

Phone 561-655-5441 • Fax 561-655-1150 [email protected]


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Chabad of South Broward, leaders in Jewish education, social ser-vices and outreach in South Florida for over 30 years,has opened yet another social ser-vice project, The Friendship Circle.

The Friendship Cir-cle is based on the Mitzvah(commandment) of V’Ahavta L’Reacha Kamocha, “to love your fellow as your-self.”, The Friendship Circle carries out that concept in life-changing ways by: Engaging children and teens with special needs through a full range of experi-ences. Supporting parents and members with much needed respite and support. Enriching, inspiring and motivating teens to share their time and talents with others. And connecting teen volunteers, children with special needs, and their families to the Jewish community through educational and social opportu-nities. By fulfi lling its mission, the Friendship Circle is helping to build a better world for children with special needs, one good deed at a time.

The Friendship Circle is today’s fastest growing

Jewish organization for children with spe-cial needs. With over 79 locations world-wide the Friendship Circle has cultivated friendships between 5,000 special children and close to 11,000 teen volunteers. The Friendship Circle’s unique approach brings together teenage volunteers and children with special needs for hours of fun and friendship. These shared experiences em-power the children, our special friends, while enriching the

lives of everyone involved. Our special friends blossom and gain the confi -dence they need to make the most their abili-ties and talents. Their teen volunteers learn the priceless value of giving, the curative power of friendship, and the vital importance of integrat-ing children with special needs into our communi-ties. Their parents and siblings receive much-needed respite and support from the Friendship Circle com-munity, and all those who assist us. The Friendship Circle links volunteers, children, parents, staff, and supporters in a seamless circle of friendship that makes miracles happen every day.

Nothing makes children feel better about them-

selves than spending time with friends that truly care about them. Remarkable bonds are forged between the children with special needs and their teenage

“Friends”. The volunteers’ commitment and willingness to give of their

time gives us hope for the fu-ture, reminding us that, de-

spite what many people believe, today’s young

men and women are responsible and car-ing.In addition while

our volunteers help others, they also have a lot of fun. The Friend-

ship Circle rewards their altruism with a vigorous,

round the year program of exhilarating social outings, incen-

tives and activities just for them. To reg-ister as a volunteer or for more info please email Dassy Tennenhaus at [email protected] or 954-558-7269.

Chabad of South Broward Headquarters in Hallandale Beach, oversees twelve Chabad Centers in Broward County, and over forty agencies at their headquarters.

THE FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE OPENS IN SOUTH BROWARD!

The Weinbaum Yeshiva High School (WYHS) sprung into ac-tion after the terrible catastrophe that took place in Israel in the Carmel Forest. 42 people died, 25,000 people were evacuated, many homes were lost, and more than 12,500 acres of forests de-stroyed. According to Jewish National Fund (JNF) reports, fi ve million trees were lost in the fi re.

WYHS alumna Danielle (Kowal ’04) Weil and her husband Uri spoke to the entire student body by via skype. The Weils live in Kibbutz Nir Etzion in the hills above Haifa and were evacuated during the fi re. Danielle and Uri described the beauty of the forest in which they lived and the utter devastation in the wake of the blaze.

Student Council Vice President of Community Outreach Amy Glaun (’12)

then kicked off “Operation Northern Renewal: From Black to Green”. The school is selling “leaves,” one for $10, two for $18 or fi ve for $36. For every $500 that the school raises, JNF will plant a garden of trees in the Carmel Forest in WYHS’ name.

The leaves adorn our beautiful tree in the school’s lobby which was created by WYHS’ talented Artistic Coordinator of Special Projects and Events, Mrs. Loren Stein. To date, the WYHS family has raised over $2,000.00. Now the students have the opportunity to help restore what Israel has lost.

For more information on this special project, con-tact WYHS Chesed and Tzedakah Coordinator Mrs.

Lysee Stein at [email protected] or 561-417-7422.

From Green Boca to Black Haifa

B”H. BASHERT, an acronym for Blessed Are Singles wHo Enjoy and Respect Torah, is a new dynamic Torah study havurah for Jewish singles of all ages, denom-inations, knowledge levels, and affi liations, living, visiting, or working in South-east Florida and the Treasure Coast. It is a project of the Palm Beach Synagogue, and is an offshoot of its existing single’s group, Jewish Palm Beach Singles (JPS). It is also associated with the Meetup Group Jewish Singles and Friends, Boca Raton Synagogue, and Boca Raton JCC. Networking and associations with other Jewish singles groups are welcomed, as the goal for this havurah is to be supported by the Southeast Florida and Treasure Coast Jewish Community, thus allowing Jewish singles to more easily meet their BASHERT (soulmate) locally. Jewish experience and knowledge are not necessary: All you need is a willingness to learn, have fun, meet new people, and connect with your BASHERT, G-d willing! The event is free,

but sponsorships and donations are welcome. Light refreshments will be served. The next event is Sunday, February 13 at 6:00-8:00 pm at Boca Raton Syna-

gogue, 7900 Montoya Circle, Boca Raton. Rabbi Phillip Moskowitz will speak on EMUNAH LEADS TO LOVE. Please also plan to attend BASHERT on Sunday, February 27 at 6:00-8:00 pm at Palm Beach Synagogue, 120 North County Road, Palm Beach. Rabbi Leibl Stolik will speak on ANIMAL LOVE. Parking is on street or behind Green’s Pharmacy. There will be plenty of opportunity to socially inter-act and to ask questions.

Events are held the second Sunday of every month in Boca Raton and the fourth Sunday of every month in Palm Beach, except for April and May because of the holidays. Events will still be held these months but on different days.

RSVP TO: 561-838-9002 ext. 4 (Offi ce at Palm Beach Synagogue)

Palm Beach Synagogue:Bashert

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Fairly Legal - Farfetched FunDenise Tamir, Esq. Certifi ed Circuit Civil and Family Mediator

From the minute I heard about the USA network’s new series Fairly Legal, I have been waiting with wide eyed anticipa-tion for its premiere. As I read the series synopsis about Kate Reed, a “recovering attorney who, frustrated with the rigid-ity of the legal system, quit practicing law to pursue justice from a different angle,” I instantly felt a kinship. I was practicing personal injury attorney until I took a hia-tus to raise my children years ago. Rather than rigidity, it was the cost and pace of litigation and what I saw it do to the par-ties involved, that lead me to pursue a full time career as a mediator when I returned to the workforce. I was curious to see how they could make my new profession exciting enough for a weekly TV series.

USA did it the way they have done it in their other shows; by using the featured profession as a contrivance to take a quirky, funny, or clever character into the lives of complete strangers to solve their problems. Burn Notice (spy), Royal Pains (doctor), In Plain Sight (US marshal), White Collar (con artist), and Psych (a very observant police consultant) all employ the same formula. I don’t know why I thought this show would present a more accurate picture of what me-diators really do than Royal Pains does for doctors.

In the fi rst few minutes of the premiere episode, our heroine, Kate Reed, mediates a hold up by convincing the robber to ac-cept $50.00 worth of beer and beef jerky to walk away. She then mediates a contract for her deceased father’s law fi rm with a father and son who don’t see eye to eye on their company’s future. That case spills over into an auto accident DUI involving the son and an African American Yale University bound teenager whose future is jeopardized by the accident. A fourth case, thrown in for its comic relief, involves a wedding proposal gone awry when the bride lost the heirloom engagement ring and the groom sues the confederates he hired to handle his wacky

proposal scheme. As expected, using intellect, wit, and

chutzpah, Kate Reed resolves all four far-fetched cases by shows end and still has time to sleep with her lawyer ex-husband, do bat-tle with her lawyer/ step mother/boss, have lunch with her lawyer/brother, and shmooze with her lawyer/father’s ashes for good mea-sure. Do you see a pattern here? The only non lawyer in her life is her legal assistant. She is also jailed for contempt, for arriving four minutes late to a hearing, by a judge who seems to take it a little too personally that our heroine left the legal profession to pursue one that is merely “Fairly Legal.”

So how accurate a picture of mediation does Fairly Legal present? Unfortunately, not very. At one point, Kate’s nemesis judge describes a mediator as “a referee in a game with no rules except the ones agreed to by the parties.” Though I don’t know about California where Fairly Legal supposedly takes place, Florida has had a very well es-tablished mediation system for decades. The Florida Supreme Court regulates the train-ing, certifi cation, rules, and discipline of mediators. The judge’s resentment of her defection from law is also not typical. Many lawyers in Florida are also mediators (as are many retired judges). Mediations in Florida are now required in all divorce and foreclo-sure cases and ordered frequently by judges in most other cases.

Kate’s mediation skills are also a bit ex-aggerated. Mediators will generally present an opening statement to set the right tone and explain the process to the parties. Kate jumps right in as if the parties know exactly what to do and in true TV Land fashion, the parties respond in kind. Also, 1 or 2 pointed questions are rarely enough to elicit all of the issues involved in a confl ict. It usually takes some time and careful reading of the parties’ interaction and body language for a mediator to get to the heart of the matter and help the parties craft a solution. Perhaps in order to save time, Kate conducts all the mediations

with the parties in one room. Though it can be done this way for the right cases, most mediations require some private meetings, called caucuses, with the individual parties.

Much like the popular courtroom dramas on TV, Fairly Legal must condense the ‘legal’ part in order to make room for the drama and comedy. A real mediation can take sev-eral hours to several days, not the minutes the show suggests. Just as a real trial is dis-appointingly boring to the average viewer who grew up with Law and Order, I fear a mediation in real time would probably bore most people after seeing the rapid fi re pace with which our Kate zips through and solves people’s problems.

So what do I think about the show over-all? On the one hand, I am grateful to USA for marketing mediation as means of resolv-ing confl ict and saving me a lot of time and expense doing so. Rallies were held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco promoting the series with participants sporting signs that read “Get Kate, Mediate” and “No Litigation, Only Mediation.” Fairly Legal will popularize a profession that is still new and not well un-derstood. On the other hand, I worry that Fairly Legal will do for mediation what LA Law and its progeny did for the legal pro-fession; create unreasonable expectations of glamour, excitement, and success in the cli-ent’s mind that few in the professional will be able to live up to.

Denise Tamir is a Family Mediator with The Family Law Cooperative, a group of caring professionals who offer a cooperative approach to divorce and other family disputes. We guide couples through the confusing and emotionally charged divorce process in an atmosphere of mutual respect and dignity. Our team includes Florida Supreme Court cer-tifi ed family mediators, mental health experts, children’s therapists, parent coordinators, fi nancial planners, and ac-countants to provide you with the support services you need to navigate the complex issues you may be facing including: parenting and timesharing plans, child support agreements; marital settlement agreements; marital asset valuations, di-visions of assets and debt; spousal support, and post dissolu-tion matters. We can be reached at the Family Law Coopera-tive at 954-927-4097.www.Familylawcooperative.com

FINANCE


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A few weeks ago, I read that Warren Buffett, one of America’s most infl uential investors, likened this country’s escalating fi scal woes to “an economic Pearl Harbor”. In my practice, I fi nd that my clients are handling the fi nancial crisis in ways that they never thought they would. Some talked about screaming at their spouses and children, while others talked about drinking to take the edge off at the end of the day. But the majority talked about the depression they are trying to fi ght. Feeling stuck and overwhelmed, their resources seem limited given all that is going on in the world. And no one ever wants to feel like they are stuck where they don’t want to be. Doing something for themselves can sometimes seem out of the question.

A different Buffett, Jimmy, the musician and savvy businessman once mused, “if life gives you limes, make margaritas”. Inspired by the words of the Mayor of Margaritaville, today I did just that! A close friend of mine and I closed up shop and headed down for a daycation to the Florida Keys to enjoy the therapeutic healing of the water, sun, sand and good conversations with friendly locals.

In South Florida, just like any other big city, we get stuck in our day to day life, the fast pace of tran-

sitioning between work and personal time and the blending of the boundaries between the two. But for a few hours, my phone went unanswered, my emails went unchecked and my stress melted as my friend and I took the time for some much needed rest and relaxation.

There is much to be said about the types of thera-pies for the myriad of physical or emotional chal-lenges out there. Perhaps one of the most misunder-stood and under utilized resources is the practice of having a mental health day . According to a poll of over 1,000 employees, ComPsych, a provider of em-ployee assistance programs, reported that eighty-two percent of employees have taken a mental health day to help cope with overwhelming stress in their pres-ent life.

Unfortunately, many people miss the point of how to utilize one of the best resources available to them. A simple but profoud mental health day or daycation, can be the most rejuvinating and insight-ful personal experience in today’s economy. A men-tal health day doesn’t have to cost anything, doesn’t have to be preplanned, and certainly doesn’t have to be hours away from where you are. These dayca-tions, may just be what you need to get out from un-

der the pile of stress, reevaluate your priorities in life or even just spend those extra few hours of time with your friends and family that you always feel guilty not doing. Its that change of environment that can allow new and helpful perspectives to fl ood in.

Right now, the most important thing you can do for yourself and your family is to incorporate little opportunities for self care. Many of us may have even neglected this part of our lives before the world was thrown into its most recent perils. The question you need to ask yourself is “how can I take advantage of even the smallest opportunity to make this situ-ation better for everyone around me and especially myself?” Be it a new hobby, enjoying free live music, tapping deeper into your spiritual practice, or even a daycation. The “changes in latitudes, changes in atti-tudes” philosophy of Mr. Buffett is certainly a healing prescription we all can benefi t from right now.

Jason Wasser, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Thera-pist who practices in Hollywood, FL and sees clients from Miami Beach to Boca Raton. He works with children,adults, individu-als, couples and families. He can be reached at 954-925-3191 or [email protected]

The Power of a DaycationBy: Jason Wasser, LMFT

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Having had the opportunity to play for the

Green Bay Packers for 5 seasons would be the

most logical reason. Of course I have to men-

tion the history of the team; so

many great players, all those

championships, and who

can forget Vince Lombardi,

the famed head coach of the

Packers in the 1960s?

As a high school kid I used

to listen to Vince Lombardi’s

motivational cassette tapes to

pump me up before football

games and track meets. Lom-

bardi had claimed that Forrest

Gregg was the fi nest player he’d

ever coached. Amazingly, I was

coached by Forrest Gregg for 2 of

my 5 years as a Packer! Those that

have had the chance to visit Green Bay

and/or take in a Packers game at Lam-

beau Field would concur, the fans and

the people are truly real, genuine and just

so loyal to those Packers. These are all very sound

reasons why I should love the Packers, however,

there is another reason – the main reason.

During my rookie year, when it was offi -

cially announced that I made the team, I re-

ceived a phone call from Lou Weinstein,

a local Green Bay businessman. Mr.

Weinstein invited me out to

his country club for lunch.

I accepted not knowing

what or why this man

wanted to meet me and

buy me lunch. During

our lunch Mr. Weinstein

said he read about me the

previous week in the Jewish Press

in an article listing the 5 jews that

were in training camp that summer.

He also read about me in the Green

Bay Press Gazette as it announced

the fi nal Packer roster for 1986.

Mr. Weinstein went on to ask me

if I needed anything. I was taken

aback, did I need anything? I was 23

years old at the time, living in a motel

across the street from Lambeau Field

with $9.00 dollars in my pocket

and a suitcase of clothes. Who

picks up the phone and asks

a perfect stranger out to lunch and ask if he needs

anything? Mr. Weinstein, that’s who. He also invited

me to synagogue for the upcoming Rosh Hashanah

(Jewish New Year) holiday. Mr. Weinstein knew what

the Torah says about the obligation and the privilege

for one to reach out to another and ask, “Do you need

anything? How can I help you?” When was the last

time you asked a perfect stranger, “do you need any-

thing, how can I help you?”

That’s why I love the Green Bay Packers. Go Pack

Go!

Alan “Shlomo” Veingrad had a seven-year career as an offensive lineman in the NFL, fi rst with the Green Bay Packers and then the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he won Super Bowl XXVII. Veingrad’s presentation style and post-retirement experience in business have made him a much sought after speaker. Many organizations whose management seeks to lead their organi-zations by exemplifying a culture of personal and professional achievement blended with a higher purpose call on Veingrad to speak to their employees. Veingrad has captivated religious audiences around the world, bringing his transformational, in-spirational messages of personal excellence, leadership, team play and spiritual connection. For more information, please visit www.AlanVeingrad.com. For Media Inquiries and book-ings; please contact [email protected] 954 205 6369.

Why I Love the Green Bay Packers

Orthodox Union President Dr. Simcha Katz today announced that Gerald M. Schreck of Brooklyn, NY has been

reappointed Chairman of the OU Communications and Publications Commission. The Commission oversees the work of the Communications Department, which includes design, marketing, public relations and publications, most notably Jewish Action, the OU’s award winning quarterly magazine.

“As Chairman of this division for the past few years, I’ve had the pleasant task of working with an unusual group of professionals who produce high quality communications materials and especially the Orthodox Union’s fl agship publication, Jewish Action Magazine,” Mr. Schreck said. “My role has been to provide direction to the OU’s outreach to the media and to the organization’s various constitu-encies, and I believe we demonstrate state-of-the art skills and strategies in getting the Orthodox Union’s message out to the world.

“Regarding Jewish Action, we have succeeded in upgrading the covers and the magazine’s graphic look, along with offering a wider range of articles

that appeal to our readers. My goal for the future is to leverage those successes and to widen our reach by adding to our circulation. Every Jewish house-hold should be getting Jewish Action.”

Dr. Katz and David Olivestone, OU Senior

Communications Offi cer, who interacts on a daily basis with Jewish Action Editor Nechama Carm-el, declared in a statement: “With his own ex-tensive background in advertising and marketing, and with his innate sense of how the relation-ship between lay leaders and professionals should be maintained, Jerry has proven himself to be a hugely valuable resource for us in the past, and we very much look forward to his continued input, advice and support.”

Mr. Schreck brings a fascinating background to the position. With a BA in English from Yeshiva University and an MA in English from NYU, he was a radio news writer/reporter for WNEW/Metrome-dia, which at the time, in the heyday of AM radio, was a legendary station with an iconic group of per-sonalities. He went on to hold senior marketing po-sitions with Macmillan and Doubleday Publishing Companies; he then spent ten years at Citicorp be-fore establishing Response Dynamics Inc, a market-ing consulting fi rm serving a wide range of clients, including banks and publishing companies. More recently, he has been involved in transitional hous-ing and real estate development.

Gerald M. Schreck Reappointed Chair Of OUCommunications And Publications Commission


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Last night, I attended a dinner in Palm Beach where for-mer United States Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, was featured as the guest speaker. He attempted to answer the question of whether or not the events in Egypt are good for the Jews. As Israel and Jews around the world closely mon-itor the situation unfolding in Egypt, we have just begun the joyous month of Adar. Jewish Law teaches us that if one has a court case they should schedule it during the month of Adar since it is a time of Mazel for the Jewish people. This is true every year but even more so this year, which is a leap

year, a “pregnant year.” This year Adar doubles in size and there are a total of 60 “Adar days.”

The Lubavitcher Rebbe points out that the number “60” represents the power of transformation. A rule-of-thumb in Torah law is the “nullifi ed by sixty” principle. For example, if a piece of non-kosher food accidentally falls into a pot of kosher food, the undesirable element is “nullifi ed” if the Kosher food is sixty times greater than it.

Thus, the Rebbe concludes, in a year blessed with a double, 60-day Adar, all undesirable elements are nullifi ed by the transformative joy of Adar. By increasing our happiness during this month we can drown out any potential for sadness.

But there is more that we can do. We can add in our Torah, Tifi llah and Tzedakah on behalf of our brethren in Israel. We can also be more active on behalf of Israel.

Let me suggest one way we can all support Israel. Last year, I attended the

AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington D.C. I experienced the joy of stand-ing together with 8,000 people who drop everything they are doing for three days because they care deeply about Israel. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT TO BE-LIEVE IT.

At the conference, we heard fi rst hand from world leaders about the chal-lenges and opportunities facing Israel. We also learned how each and every one of us can make a difference and help Israel. We had the opportunity to lobby congress on important legislation affecting the U.S.- Israel relationship. This year, I will be leading a delegation from the Palm Beach Synagogue on May 22 to attend the 2011 conference. I invite you to join me and others from all 50 states to show your solidarity and support for Israel. Just go to www.AIPAC.org to learn more and sign up.

In these critical times for Israel, as Israel is being surrounded on all sides by mortal enemies, it behooves us to act as one people with one voice in sup-port of Israel. At AIPAC you witness Jews from all backgrounds, walks of life and denominations joining as one. It is one of the most inspiring and uplifting experiences you will ever have.

This year is 5771- which in Hebrew is: tof, shin, ayin, alef, which is an acronym for T�hei SÚ at Am Echad--it shall be the year of Jewish unity. With Achdut we will receive all the blessings from Hashem and enjoy true Simcha.

With warm wishes,

Rabbi Moshe Scheiner

There is a story told that when Thomas Edison was about to release the light bulb to the world, the owner of a large candle stick company approached him and offered him a large sum of money to drop his invention. Edison refused, so the offer went up. This went on back and forth until, at one point, Edi-son punched the man in the face and threw him out of his home. “Why did you hit me,” asked the candle stick company owner. “You came too close to my price,” answered Edison.

The adage that “everything has a price” used to pertain to almost everything. But it was always un-derstood that the opportunity to do a mitzvah and the heavenly rewards associated with the mitzvah was a coveted prize reserved for the one doing it. Not any more.

Meet the creators of www.BuyAMitzvah.Com. They have managed to give everyone the opportu-nity to reap of the rewards of the mitzvah without actually having to perform the mitzvah. “In a world fi lled with mind numbing instant gratifi cation and a total blindness to the real mechanism of life and its rewards, Jewish men and women have become lost to the power of doing good deeds”, explains one of the creators of the BuyAMitzvah site. “They equate doing a mitzvah with taking mom out on mother’s day, planting a tree in Israel and giving a donation to the “United Way”. All good and noble deeds – but

not a mitzvah.”As explained on the site, a mitzvah is any of

the collection of 613 commandments or precepts in the Bible and additional ones of rabbinic origin that relate chiefl y to the religious and moral con-duct of Jews. “These are good deeds that G-D has commanded Jews to perform and G-D has promised enormous rewards both in our daily lives and in the next world.”

“The problem”, explains another co-creator and partner of the site, “is that many of us do not have the time, or the opportunity, or the will to perform mitzvahs. How many of us get around to visiting a hospital ward or have the time to visit a nursing home? How many would love to help clothe poor children, help a widow, buy tefi llin for a poor Bar Mitzvah boy, say the entire book of Psalms, separate Challah, etc…but just can’t or won’t get the chance to do it? Now you can have it done for you.”

Indeed, the site has grown in popularity as those far removed from religion re-examine their lives and look for a possible link to their heritage by doing a mitzvah. It could be the mitzvah of saying Kaddish for someone who has died, or helping a desperate widow support her family, or even sending a Jewish child to camp for the summer. These all have far reaching effects on the receiver and the giver. And face it…we all could use a little heavenly assistance –

a little help from above.The site offers a choice of 26 mitzvahs, each one

explained and, when bought, done by a Torah obser-vant Jew who will do the mitzvah in the name of the buyer and dedicated for his or her specifi c reason. Once the mitzvah is completed, the buyer receives a confi rmation that the mitzvah was done. The site also offers those sitting comfortably in South Florida and (those sitting uncomfortably in New York) the ability to have their prayers and thoughts placed into the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem. The Kotel has long been a bastion of hope and prayer for Jews throughout the world and one can easily submit a prayer on the site and have it sent to Israel and placed among the holy stones. Every mitzvah bought is also placed in their “Book of Mitzvahs” which can be viewed by everyone visiting the site.

The creators of the site are hoping that the site will bring an awareness of doing mitzvahs and the great rewards that are connected to them. “People go to the casinos and bet their money on the hope of going home with a profi t. In most cases they lose it all. Doing a mitzvah is a sure bet and one which pays guaranteed dividends.” Some of the mitzvahs are costly and some are affordable to almost everyone. The BuyAMitzvah staff hopes to have one thing in common with Thomas Edison, and that is to bring more light to the world.

www.BuyAMitzvah.Com Can You Buy a Mitzvah?...You Can Now.

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I am a Jerusalemite who spent 15 years in the high-tech sector, taking Israeli companies and ideas into the global marketplace. I retired seven

years ago, and since then have been working for a shekel a year promoting and developing the city of Jerusalem.

Two thousand years ago there was already over a thousand years of Jewish history in Jerusalem. Two-thirds of the Tanach happened here. Everywhere you put a shovel in the ground in Jerusalem you will fi nd Jewish roots going back two and three thousand years.

Jerusalem has a population of 800,000 people today, which will grow to a million people 20 years from now. The current population ratio is one-third Muslim, two-thirds Jewish, and two percent Chris-tian. We anticipate that growth will be proportional to the current ratio, and all municipal planning is de-rived from that assumption.

While Jerusalem is the heart and soul of the Jew-ish people and the capital of Israel, it is also important for over 3.4 billion Christians and Muslims through-out the world.

A Potential for Ten MÕ lŠ n Tourists a YearThe vision I have for the city is to return Jerusalem

to the role it played two and three thousand years ago as a world center -- a destination for pilgrims and believers throughout the world. I meet people on my travels who say in an apologetic way that they have not yet been to Jerusalem, that it is a place they would like to visit at least once in their lifetime. Our vision is to develop Jerusalem so it can fulfi ll that role -- to de-velop tourism, to be a cultural center, and to exploit the spiritual potential of the Holy City.

While Jerusalem hosts just over two million tour-ists a year, my goal is to reach ten million a decade from now. Paris, London, Rome, and New York have over 40 million tourists a year. By increasing the num-ber of tourists that visit the city, we will gain on a

number of fronts. First, we will gain ten million am-bassadors. People who come to the City of David ex-cavations or the Western Wall tunnels, or who travel to the holy sites, whether they be Christians, Mus-lims, or Jews, if they come with an open mind, they will understand the power of the city of Jerusalem. Many people have the Bible in their homes, where Jerusalem is mentioned many times.

Ten million tourists a year is the equivalent of 140,000 new jobs for the city, and this is relevant for both the Jewish and the Arab populations. It is one of the ways to get Jerusalem out of its poverty. It is an economic incentive that can unite many people around a common vision.

Exploiting the potential of the city is also a good way to fi ght emigration. We have learned that when people have good jobs, they will stay in the city, en-abling stability. There is room for everyone in Jerusa-lem -- Arabs, Jews, ultra-Orthodox, and secular -- and we have to develop the city in a way that will enable the different populations to stay and enjoy the power of the city.

Making a Wall-to-Wall CoalitŠ n WorkLet me share some of the methodology of how I

work in the city of Jerusalem. We have a council of 31 members and in the fi rst month I formed a co-alition that included 30 members, which was un-precedented. In a way Jerusalem is a microcosm of what is happening in the country, and I believe that forming relationships between the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox community and the secular, and sit-ting together on practically every problem that arises, brings solutions to the problems. Not everyone is always happy with the decisions we make, but the methodology of sitting together and focusing on the common denominator works.

The way I manage the municipality is not politi-cal but through professional management, where we

share thoughts and bring professional solutions in the same way as when I managed in the business world. After a year as mayor, I can tell you that this does work.

Developing a Unique CityBecause Jerusalem is a 3,000-year-old city, we

have patches upon patches of history about which we have to be very considerate. There are over 3,000 buildings designated for preservation in the city of Jerusalem.

At the moment we do not have the correct ratio between business and residential areas, and there is a large gap in terms of buildings for public needs, such as schools, synagogues, and community centers. In the past, in western Jerusalem, too many building permits were issued to change areas designated for hotels and commerce into residential projects, where-as in eastern Jerusalem, too many neighborhoods were built illegally at a rate with which the munici-pality and the government could not keep up. When new neighborhoods were built illegally, this created a huge gap in infrastructure, including roads, public buildings, and public land.

The average income of Jews in Jerusalem is about $16,000 a year. In the center of Israel, this fi gure is approaching $30,000 a year. The average income for Arabs in Jerusalem is about $4,000 a year, but in the West Bank it is less than $1,000 a year. When a young Jewish graduate from Hebrew University sees that the job market is not strong in the city, he migrates out of Jerusalem. However, when the Arabs in the West Bank see that the job market in Jerusalem is so much better than where they live, this encourages Arab mi-gration into Jerusalem.

We are now concentrating on implementing the master plan for Jerusalem which has been developed over the past decade under the administrations of former Mayors Olmert, Lupoliansky, and myself. The

The Mayor’s Vision for Jerusalem I Am a Jerusalemite

by Nir Barkat


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fi ve years in the local and district planning committees, and now practically everyone is working according to this plan, although it is not yet offi cial. The plan includes expansion of residential areas in Jerusalem, including the natural expansion of existing neighbor-hoods. We intend to expand Gilo and Ramat Shlomo and other Jewish neighborhoods, as well as Arab neighborhoods such as Issawiya and A-Tur, in order to take care of the needs of all the different sectors in Jerusalem.

Two of the challenges I face are to come up with clear policies and transparency. I have opened up all of the committee meet-ings in the municipality to the public, so that today anybody can sit in on every com-mittee, except for the security committee. I have also shared the city’s development plans with different administrations -- the American, the British, and whoever else is interested.

For 2.000 years, Jerusalem did not enjoy the de-gree of freedom of religion that it has had since it was reunited 43 years ago.

I told the American administration that I hope no-body is actually expecting that a building freeze will happen in Jerusalem or that a freeze should be only for the Jewish population. This would be illegal in Israel and unconstitutional in most democratic coun-tries around the world. When the municipality ap-proves a building permit, by law we are not allowed to ask if the resident is Jewish, Muslim, or Christian, and I believe that is exactly the status in the United States. In the next 20 years, with an expected popu-lation growth of 200,000, we anticipate a need for 50,000 apartments -- one-third for the Arab popu-lation and two-thirds for the Jewish population. We will do everything we can to make this happen.

Jerusalem must stay united. There is not one example in the world of a divided city that ever worked. We have to upgrade the quality of life for all residents, and we must keep Jerusalem undivided.

For 2,000 years, Jerusalem did not en-joy the degree of freedom of religion that it has had since it was reunited 43 years ago. As a matter of fact, when Jerusalem was in Jordanian hands, synagogues and churches were desecrated or destroyed. Today, every religion manages its own sites. It is a strategy and a deeply-held be-lief within the municipality and the Israeli government that we must enable people to practice their faith in their own way in the city of Jerusalem. The only limited re-ligion in Jerusalem is Judaism, where by law Jews are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount.

Fixing Forty Years of NeglectThere is a misconception that most of the build-

ing is on the Jewish side of Jerusalem and most of the demolishing is on the Arab side. The reality is that Jews usually do not build illegally, which is why the price of housing on the Jewish western side of the city is very high. People aren’t building illegal houses

because they respect the law. Unfortunately, in many cases, the mentality of the Arabs is to fi rst build il-legally and then apply, or not apply, for a building license. The reality is that it becomes very diffi cult to serve the Arab population in such a situation.

This is the result of 40 years of neglect, where the planning process was not fully functioning and mu-nicipal services were not fully available. The reality is that a lot of buildings were built totally illegally in areas where they should never have been allowed. Today there are about 20,000 illegal buildings in the Arab neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem.

The challenge is to fi x this. We are doing a pilot project in the area of Silwan -- a small Arab neighbor-hood that consists of 659 buildings, only six, or one percent, of which have permits. Silwan is situated on a hill zoned for buildings up to two stories high, and 50 percent of the structures there are over two stories.

We are faced with three options. The fi rst is to continue ignoring the situation and thus further en-able illegal building. But the municipality cannot

properly serve any neighborhood the size of Silwan that was never planned. Another alternative would be to deal with the 99 percent of the buildings that are illegal, but that doesn’t make any sense either. So what we have done is to re-plan the neighborhood and allow up to four stories. We are also busy work-ing on the infrastructure, to improve the roads, the areas for schools, and to add lots of kindergartens and other municipal services. By re-planning the whole

neighborhood, we are trying to address the management of this neighborhood in a professional manner for the benefi t of the residents.

In Silwan there are 41 Arab-owned buildings and one Jewish-owned build-ing - Beit Yonatan -- over four stories high. To demonstrate equality before the law, we must treat all of the build-ings over four stories high the same. My recommendation is to shave all of the buildings that are over four stories, and not single out only the Jewish-owned building for government intervention. To go after one building is discrimina-tory and my recommendation to the government is to deal with all residents exactly the same, whether they be Jew-

ish or non-Jewish.I would be interested to hear what Mayor Bloom-

berg would do if somebody built an illegal structure in the middle of Central Park or anywhere else in New York. The Jewish population in Jerusalem is punished if it does not obey the law, and justifi ably so. But sometimes I hear the world say that the Jew-ish population has to obey the law while the Arab population does not.

There are extreme cases in which people building illegally damage the public interest of the population that lives in the area, or damage the municipal inter-est in encouraging tourism, for example, and in these cases we have to make sure that the law is obeyed. Over the last decade there were 100 demolitions of illegal buildings a year in Jerusalem: 40 were Jewish-owned and 60 were Arab-owned. This is in spite of the fact that there are many thousands of illegal Arab structures and much fewer illegal Jewish structures. The bottom line is to uphold the law, while at the

same time providing proper planning for all of these areas. The courts should get involved only in the serious cases that cannot be fi xed by re-planning.

In addition, when people build houses, the government charges them extra to help pay for the infrastructure to the house and around the neighborhood - sewers and roads and sidewalks. This is standard procedure throughout the world. But what happens when a whole neighborhood is built illegally? Nobody ever collected the money to develop the neighborhood. It is even more challeng-ing because if I want to develop Silwan and I take the money from other municipal funds, the residents of other neighborhoods will go to the Supreme Court and challenge this, saying they already paid their share for in-frastructure.

The challenges are a little more complicated than people think, but we are going to make it happen and it starts with proper planning. After the 2009 war in Gaza, the world collected $4 billion to help build the infrastructure of Gaza. I suggest they chip in $1 bil-lion, and we will make sure the money goes directly to investment in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusa-lem to improve their quality of life.

Silwan

Ramat Shlomo

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CHICAGO, IL - Al Gore Explains ‘Snowmageddon’ Question:If the planet is warming, why is a third of

America locked in a long, almost never ending, deep freeze, with record-low temperatures as far south as the Mexican border?

Answer:Self-proclaimed planetary climate czar Al

Gore thinks he has answer.In a response to a question posed by Fox

News’ Bill O’Reilly - Gore blogged, “As it turns out, the scientifi c community has been ad-dressing this particular question for some time now, and they say increased heavy snowfalls are completely consistent with what they have been predicting as a consequence of man-made global warming.”

Gore basically blamed everything on glob-al warming when he indicated that he believes

a rise in global temperatures is creating “all sorts of havoc,” from hotter dry spells to colder winters and ever more violent storms. This is even endangering certain species of animals and leading to forest fi res and fl oods.

Meteorologist Art Horn noted to FoxNews.com, “If one actually studies the history of weather over the last 2,000 years, you see mas-sive storms, amazing heat, brutal cold waves, devastating droughts, terrible fl oods and di-sastrous hurricanes—none caused by global warming.”

“Gore has no appreciation for large natural variability in weather,” Horn said.

Other scientists were quick to defend Gore, arguing that the extreme cold weather is a logical, expected outcome for our warm-ing planet.

NETANYA ISRAEL - $100 Million Dollar Fire Destroys IKEA’s First Israeli Store

A multi-million dollar fi re destroyed IKEA’s Is-raeli fl ag-ship store in the c o a s t a l city of N e t a n y a early Sat-u r d a y morning. B”H no one was injured, and an investiga-tion is underway. IKEA offi cials said they are not aware of any threats or criminal ele-ments operating against it.

The fi re which caused an estimated

NIS 350,000,000 in damage appears to have been caused by an electri-cal mal-function.

IKEA’s chairman in Israel, Ron Ha-D a s s i ,

said he hopes the store will be rebuilt by the end of this year. A second store operates in Rishon LeTzion, south of Tel Aviv, and a third store is planned in the Haifa area.

NEW YORK – Coming Soon… 2 Points on Your Drivers License for Cell Phone Convictions

Starting later this month, failure to use a hands-free de-vice will be a 2-point moving violation. While this violation always carried a fi ne, now it will also place 2 points on your driving record.

The DMV provided some statistics to support the rule change:

- In 2007, 312,445 tickets were issued for cell phone violations, resulting in 273,743 convic-tions. In 2008, 316,293 tickets were issued, re-sulting in 273,976 convictions.

- Numerous studies have confi rmed that dis-tracted driving, such as driving while talking on a cell phone, signifi cantly contributes to accidents and fatalities on the State’s highways.

- AAA reports that each day distracted driving is a contributing factor in 4,000 to 8,000 crashes on our nation’s highways.

- The National Highway Traffi c Safety Ad-

ministration (NHTSA) reports that nationwide in 2008 5,870 people died (representing 16% of all highway fatalities) and an esti-mated 515,000 were injured due to distracted driving.

- The number of persons who reportedly are distracted at the

time of the fatal crashes has increased from 8% in 2004 to 11% in 2008. NHTSA estimates that at any given time during daylight hours, approxi-mately 11% of drivers are using some type of cell phone.

- The Institute for Highway Safety reports that drivers who use hand-held cell phones are four times as likely to be involved in car crashes result-ing in injury to themselves.

- A Carnegie Mellon Institute study concludes that driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%.

WORLD WORLD REPORTREPORT

NEW YORK - $5M Suit over Jimmy Carter’s ‘Palestine’ Book

A group of dis-pleased readers fi led a $5 million-plus suit against former Presi-dent Jimmy Carter over his book “Pales-tine: Peace Not Apart-heid.”

The Manhattan federal court fi ling claims the 2006 best-seller “is fi lled with demonstrable false-

hoods, omissions and knowing misrepresenta-tions intended to promote Carter’s agenda of anti-Israel propaganda.”

The class-action suit charges Carter and pub-lisher Simon & Schuster with breach of contract, unjust enrichment and

deceit for promoting the $27 hard-cover “as a work of non-fi ction.”

NEW YORK - First iPad-Only Newspaper Hopes To Be a Game-ChangerNews Corp. launched its most ambitious

effort yet to re-invent the way news is deliv-ered and consumed with the introduction of The Daily— the fi rst national news publica-tion designed specifi cally for Apple’s iPad.

“New times demand new journalism,” CEO Rupert Murdoch said as he unveiled the publication, a slick blend of text, photos, vid-eo, audio and interactive features.

Subscribers will pay 99 cents a week, or $39.99 a year, for The Daily, which will pub-lish 365 days a year. iPad users who download the software application to access The Daily can charge the subscription to their iTunes accounts, making this the fi rst application at Apple’s App Store that directly handles sub-scriptions.

The Daily is a visual wonder with features

including 360-degree photographs, a table of contents loaded with images for different sto-ries, interactive graphics and video. Users can also tailor their content to follow their favorite team, topic, story etc… They also can listen to stories read aloud by professional orators.

Some of the content will be available on other websites, but executives say that users will only be able to take full advantage of the interactive features via the iPad.

News Corp. says that it will invest about $30 million this year to produce The Daily. It initially will generate most of its revenue from subscription payments and they hope ad sales will grow enough to provide a 50-50 balance.

Initial advertisers include HBO, Macy’s, Paramount, Pepsi Max, Range Rover, Verizon and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

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ISRAEL - Mice Trained to Detect Terrorists An Israeli start-up claims it can

train mice to sniff out explo-sives at security checkpoints. The company, BioExplorers, claims that mice have a keener sense of smell than dogs, and can be trained to identify the odor of explosive material and react.

“BioExplorers systems are based on combining the hyper-sensitive olfactory capability of rodents with the care-free reliability of a hi-tech machine system,” the fi rm explains. “Many millions of years of evolution made the olfactory system of rodents incredibly sensitive, quick and specifi c - as this is their main sense used for foraging, mating and avoiding predators.”

In the new system, the mice are completely

invisible to the people being checked. The “Bi-osensors,” as the trained mice are called, are

housed inside an enclosure and are trained to identify a specifi c odor as unpleasant, and react to it by moving into a different compartment, away from the smell.

“Rodents are known to remember dozens of different odors and differentiate them from thousands of other odors,” the website explains. “Each of the 4-8 rodents in the system will be trained to react to all

the relevant odors.”News of the counter-terrorist mice is dis-

turbing an Arab population already concerned that Israel is using vultures and sharks for security purposes (as previously reported in the TJH World Report). In 2008, Palestinian Authority newspapers claimed that Israel was using rats with supernatural abilities to chase Arabs out of Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM - Group Battling Gas Priceswith Horse-Drawn Carriages

Israel - Mem-bers of the Chasdei Naomi organization, which provides food to the needy, are protesting the recent gas price hikes by re-placing the cars used for their meal distri-bution with horse-drawn carriages.

Volunteers loaded the meals on to carriages and delivered them to needy families at minimal cost

and without the need to stop to refuel. The Chareidi organization explained that this was as much a protest of rising fuel prices in Israel as it was a way to cut operational costs.

On Wednesday the price of regular

gasoline reached a record high NIS 7.26 ($1.97) per liter or $7.45 a gallon.

WEST BANK - Huckabee: No Palestinian State in West BankMike Huckabee, a front running,

potential 2012 U.S. presidential can-didate, said on a trip to Israel that if Palestinians want an independent state, they should seek it from Arabs — not Israel.

Huckabee said Jews should be allowed to settle anywhere through-out the biblical Land of Israel — an area that includes the West Bank and east Jerusalem. He called the de-mand on Israel to give up land for peace an “unrealistic, unworkable and unreachable goal.”

“There are vast amounts of ter-ritory that are in the hands of Mus-

lims, in the hands of Arabs. Maybe the international community can come together and accommodate,” he said in a meeting with reporters.

Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and a presidential con-tender in 2008, is expected to seek the Republican nomination to run against Obama in 2012.

He said any peace agreement has to recognize that “the Jewish people have indigenous rights to the land in which they occupy and live and it goes back not 60 years or 80 years but it goes back 3,500 years.”

JERUSALEM - Israel Pledges Steps to Boost Palestinian EconomyJerusalem – Prime Minister Binyamin

Netanyahu has said that Israel will take steps to spur economic growth in the Palestinian areas. As usual, the Palestinians dismissed his statements, saying that the confi -dence-building gesture they are looking for is an Israeli settlement freeze.

Following the takeover of Gaza by Hamas in 2007 Israel and Egypt have re-stricted access to the territory. In recent months, Israel has eased some of the re-strictions, including approving the import of some badly needed raw materials for in-ternational reconstruction projects.

The steps announced by Netanyahu in-cluded Israeli permission for several infrastructure projects in Hamas-ruled Gaza, including electricity and desalination plants. Netanyahu also offered to hold negotiations with President Mahmoud Ab-bas on developing a natu-

ral gas fi eld off Gaza. “I don’t delude myself for a second

that an economic peace is a substitute for political peace,” Netanyahu said. “We need both and I hope that Abu Mazen (Abbas) will heed my call and enter direct negotia-tions with us.”

UK’S CAMERON: Europe Must Wake Up On ExtremismEurope must stamp

out intolerance of West-ern values within its own Muslim communities and far-right groups if it is to defeat the roots of terror-ism, British Prime Minis-ter David Cameron said Saturday. Cameron said in Munich that European governments have been too tolerant of groups that speak against democracy or reject equal hu-man rights.

He added that Britain had found that many convicted terrorists were infl uenced by non violent extremists and not necessarily those in-volved in encouraging plots.

“We won’t defeat terrorism simply by the ac-tions we take outside our borders. Europe needs to wake up to what is happening in our own countries,” Cameron told the conference.

“We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run coun-

ter to our values,” Cameron said. “We have encouraged different cultures to live separate lives, apart from each other and the main-stream.”

Cameron said a culture of tolerance had allowed both Islamic extremists, and far-right extremists,

to build support for their causes. “We’ve been too cautious, frankly even fearful, to stand up to them,” he said.

Mohammed Shafi q of the Ramadhan Foun-dation — a British Muslim youth group — said that by suggesting that there was widespread intolerance within their religion, Cameron has risked angering Muslims

“Singling out Muslims as he has done feeds the hysteria and paranoia about Islam and Mus-lims,” Shafi q said. “British Muslims abhor terror-ism and extremism and we have worked hard to eradicate this evil from our country.”

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128 JEWISH THOUGHT: Practical Applications

Clothes Make the Man Debbie Greenblatt

On a recent trip, I asked my daughter to pick out a magazine at the airport newsstand she thought would be appropriate for me; to my amusement, she came back with the Ladies Home Journal. As I

perused the magazine (I don’t think I have read a LHJ in the last decade), I was surprised to see a feature about different types of women who choose to wear modest clothing. The article discussed the clothing of a devout Hindu, Conservative Christian, Orthodox Jew and a Muslim. Each woman was pictured in her dress and given the opportunity to explain her choices. The women spoke articulately and several women expressed that their clothing are meant to remind them of the relationship they have with the One Above.

Clothes are important to most people. We know that the way we present ourselves in the world will elicit a response and will infl uence the way people regard us. If our clothes are unkempt, we will be seen as a “schlepper.” When we wear the latest styles, we are perceived as “with it,” knowing what is going on. Since much of a person’s identity is based not on what he thinks of himself or on what others think of him but rather on what he perceives others opinions of him are, the emphasis on clothing becomes understandable. Since teenagers are in the process of forming that self-perception, their clothing take on even more signifi cance and they can’t possibly leave the house unless they have the right thing to wear.

The Torah also seems to puts an emphasis on clothing. Much of Parshas T’tzaveh is about the details of making the vestments for the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. And most unusually, the To-

rah states the pur-pose of these gar-ments -- they are “ L’ k a v o d u’litiferes,” “for hon-or and for beauty.” The pasuk further says, “Make Aharon’s garments to sanctify him and to make him a Kohen for me” (Exo-dous 28: 2-3). Rashi ex-plains that the vestments of the Kohen actually help make him into a Kohen. In other words, “the clothes make the man”.

How can we understand the Torah’s emphasis on something that seems exter-nal? The Kohen’s job is to be the spiritual bridge between the individual Jew and his Creator. What do clothes have to do with that? And how do clothes help make him worthy of that task?

Garments are referred to by our Sages as “l’vush.” Even in Modern Hebrew, to

get dressed is l’hitlabesh, which is simply another form from the same word root. Chazal explain that just as the body wears clothes that are an expression of the person, the soul is also “dressed” in a way that gives it expression. The clothing

of the soul is the middot, the character traits of the person. Each person has a higher, spiritual soul and an animal or lower soul. The higher soul is connect-ed to the highest spheres of spirituality, and the lower soul is connected to the body. The middot form a bridge between the higher soul and the physical body, allowing the body to perform mitzvot in this world from a deep place within and to be transformed by the fulfi llment of those commandments.

A Rabbi shared a story with me recently that illustrated this point. He was studying with a completely secular Jew who had no connec-tion to Torah, but is a really nice guy. Sam shared with Rabbi Baruch that he had recently started doing well in his business. Rabbi Baruch told Sam that a Torah response to his situation would be to take on some small thing as a way of acknowledging that the source of his

good fortune is the One Above. Sam looked skeptical. He was not looking for devotion. ”Look” said the Rabbi, “I will teach you

a blessing. It takes less than fi ve seconds to say, and you just need to say it once a day.” He proceeded to teach Sam how to say the blessing “Shehakol ni’hiyeh bedvaro.” He taught him when it is said and that it means that everything is created

through His words. “OK,” said Sam, mostly because he didn’t want to disappoint the Rabbi, who sounded so sincere. Just a few

days later, Rabbi Baruch got a call from Sam. “Once a day? I want to say the blessing all day long. It is transformative!”The Kohen Gadol has to “wear” garments that are an expression of two

middot, kavod and tiferet. In other words he has to dress his soul, or actualize his potential to develop these characteristics, so that he can fulfi ll his duty as the High Priest. His clothing is indispensable because it helps him ac-cess the inner attributes necessary for his Offi ce. The Torah is teaching us that clothing infl uence not just other’s perception of us, but our perception of ourselves. The more meaningful the image we see of ourselves when we look in the mirror, the more likely we are to work towards actualizing that value and making it real. The ”l’vush” becomes both the means to and the expression of the glory of the High Priest.

It is interesting to note that the word “kavod,” “honor,” is used in Psalms to mean soul as in “Ura K’vodi” -- “Awaken my soul” (Psalms 57:9). The gar-

ments of the High Priest were for the sake of his soul.Every person has a soul that has within it the potential of being G-d like. The

part of Him that He blew into us enables us to be like Him, capable of mimicking His attributes. One of the tools that were given to us to help us along that journey is clothing. Clothing is meant to diminish the emphasis on our body so that we can remember that we are more soul than body. After all, the body is temporary, the soul is forever. Though the body changes and ages, the soul remains untainted.

Our material clothing can express the clothing of our soul. Through our dress we can express dignity, caring for others by not having to outdo them, being in touch with reality by dressing appropriately for the occasion at hand, our commit-ment to a value system, and on and on. The clothing we choose can express our higher self or our lower self. The Talmud comments that “l’vush” is a contraction of “lo b’osh” –“don’t be shamed.” The shame of a person is that his eternal soul should be in service of his temporal body and not the other way around. Which part of us ends up in charge depends largely on what we see in the mirror. Our Creator has tried to present us with a meaningful image that can be refl ected back at us and motivate us. When He took us for His people He said, “And you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a sanctifi ed nation.” He sees each of us as fi lling a priestly role. Our challenge is to see that in ourselves. Maybe our clothing can help.

Debbie Greenblatt’s mission is to educate, inspire, excite and motivate Jewish women with the wisdom of our Torah. To contact Debbie, join classes and/or to attend upcoming speaking engage-ments please visit www.deardebbie.com.

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FEB. 10, 201129FINANCE

The annual tax forms such as forms W-2 and 1099 have been trickling in over the last couple of weeks and you should have received most of them by now. The forms K-1 are probably not in yet, however, the accountants for the businesses you are invested are probably beginning to work on them now. Some will be received in a few weeks; others may not arrive for a few months, extensions and all. Either way, the ques-tion is what should I do now?

If you own a business, regardless of the type of entity (Corporation, S Corporation, LLC, Partner-ship…) you are required to keep a full set of books and records. That means recording all transaction and any related adjustments (such as depreciation). The result will be a set of fi nancial statements. There may be other reasons to have fi nancial statements, such as a bank loan, to report to outside investors, or even if some day you plan to go public. There are also differ-ent levels of assurance that accountants can attest to if needed. For income tax purposes though, the simplest level is income tax basis fi nancials. All of the tax forms you receive in the name of your business as well as all bank account, investment account, loan, credit card and fi nancial product statements should be reconciled to the fi nancial statement balances for any differences. Once that is done a tax return for the business can be prepared. If you recently started a new business or need help with this you should contact a certifi ed public accountant, such as me.

For individuals, the most important step to take now is to gather all those statements you received and put them all in a folder or large envelope stored in a designated place. While many people already

have their own system in place, some procrastinate. Whether it is collecting the data, setting up the fi le, or even touching an envelope, some people have an aversion to anything having to do with taxes. I have prepared returns for people who have put off fi ling tax returns for years out of fear they will owe money and they didn’t know how they would pay for it. In most cases, when all is said and done, there are of-ten credits that they were unaware of and they end up receiving refunds. If you are more than two years behind you should have the late returns done as soon as possible as some credits and payments expire at the end of three years.

What happens if you miss reporting some of these on your tax return? The Internal Revenue Service is receiving a copy of these forms. They have a comput-erized matching program. If your tax return is missing information from a tax reporting statement the odds are very high that you will receive a notice. Anyone who does not want to deal with tax forms certainly would not want to deal with a tax notice.

It is a good idea to set up a tax folder for the up-coming year as well, so that next year you will be all set when the tax documents start arriving. There are also some tax documents that you may receive throughout the year which should go in this fi le as well, such as receipts for charitable contributions.

There are more detailed methods of retaining your records and documents, which is a good topic for a fu-ture article. For now let’s focus on the 2010 tax return.

Once you collected all your data you should put it in order so you can see if anything is missing. The order I suggest is the same as the order the items will

appear on the tax return. If you use a tax preparer or CPA you can request a tax organizer, if they have not furnished one already. If you are using the same tax preparer as last year they should be able to supply you with a pro-forma organizer that will include lines for all the items included on last year’s return. The organizer is a summary of the items in the return. It asks some basic personal information about you and your dependants followed by questions regarding pos-sible tax related transactions, which may lead to ad-ditional tax savings. It then gives a formatted place to list out multiple tax forms such as W-2’s and 1099’s. It is a very helpful tool as it gives your data an order and it gets you thinking as to what you may have not included. A well completed organizer is a big step in obtaining and accurate and complete tax return.

The last step in the gathering process is to contact your tax preparer to set up an appointment to meet and prepare your return. If you would like an orga-nizer for my preparation of your tax return please do not hesitate to contact me.

Gerald L. Mayerhoff, CPA, PFS practices tax and accounting fo-cusing on taxation of individuals, trusts, estates and closely held businesses in Hollywood, FL. He is a Certifi ed Public Accountant in the states of Florida and New York, holds the Personal Finan-cial Specialist (PFS) designation from the AICPA and a Master’s of Science in Taxation from Pace University. He can be reached at [email protected].

The above information is for your read-ing pleasure. It should not be relied upon as tax advice. You should always consult your

tax advisor for your own tax situation.

Time to Gather Your Tax DataBy: Gerald L. Mayerhoff, CPA, PFS

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TUNISIA

“We have made history,” proclaimed one proud Tunisian as their leader fl ed the country in the middle of the night. “January the fourteenth will go down as a great day for Tunisia, the day we changed the country forever!”

The protests began in mid-December when a Tunisian named Mohamed Bouazizi attempted to sell vegetables on the streets of his village without a license. After police confi scated his produce, Mo-

hamed Bouazizi committed suicide creating a cata-lyst for the people to demonstrate against the cor-rupted social and economic government created by President Ben Ali.

Tunisia’s dictator, Zine El Abedine Ben Ali, ruled his people with an iron fi st while he dabbled in ex-cessive corruption, even more than others in the cor-rupt government. Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi as well as other members of the family have been ac-cused of illegally transferring funds abroad, accord-

ing to justice minister Karoui Chebbi. As 33 people of Ben Ali’s family were arrested, Karoui Chebbi com-mented, “No one will be above the law.”

Ben Ali ruled for twenty three years before be-ing thrown from offi ce in a mere twenty three days. Force was Ben Ali’s fi rst stance to quell the rebellion and dozens were arrested and slaughtered. As the protests grew stronger, Ben Ali shifted to appease-ment and he ordered a lifting of the media restric-tions and ordered troops not to use live ammunition.

ARAB REVOLTPAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Martin Luther King JR. (1929-1968)

Dictatorship is a power that is dependent upon the silence of the people. This month we have witnessed the defying outcry by the oppressed citizens of Egypt, Yemen, and the outside world. Military backup has been reinforcing the curfews and after two weeks of protest we are only now starting to see signs of the tensions dissipating.

By Yehuda BrombergProtesting against Ben Ali in Tunisia

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FEB. 10, 201131His attempts failed and as demonstrations

reached the country’s capital city, Tunis, Ben Ali and his family fl ed to Saudi Arabia.

In a country where the police are detested, it remains up to the army to assert control over the country in crisis. Tanks guard state television head-quarters, government buildings and main road in-tersections.

Feelings of rejoicing and accomplishment run high amongst the Tunisian people amidst the tur-moil and insecurity. The people’s success at ousting Ben Ali is having ripple effects in other regions such as Egypt and Yemen where similar demonstrations have taken form.

EGYPT

Barely an hour had passed before the news of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s departure from offi ce and the domino effects were already stirring up unrest outside the Tunisian embassy in Cairo Demonstrators opposed to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stormed the outside of the embassy in front of heavily armed riot police.

“Ben Ali, tell Mr. Mubarak we have the airplane waiting for him to leave too!” Egyptian opposition members chanted.

In 2008 the cost of bread in the city of Mahalla set off cries of protests and the people ripped and tore down posters of President Mubarak posted in public areas. The situation is bleak for the Egyptian people as nearly twenty percent of the eighty million citizens live on two dollars a day. Joe Saddi, the head of Booz-Allen’s consulting operations in the Middle East, says that for Egypt to succeed it needs India-level growth rates of at least 8 percent as opposed to the current fi ve percent average.

Mubarak fi rst appeared on national television in an attempt to convince the people he is listening and will change the cabinet, but with no sign that he him-self would resign. After President Obama told him he should not run in elections in the fall, Mubarak conceded. The World Tribune reported that “analysts and government sources said the speed with which President Obama withdrew his support for the Mubarak regime has astounded the Jewish state as well as its Arab neighbors.” The United State’s strong support behind the demonstrations may severely un-dermine American loyalty in the eyes of its allies.

Angry protestors storming the streets with Molo-tov cocktails and rocks aren’t Mubarak’s only prob-lem right now. For the fi rst time ever, Egypt is seeing a growing number of rebels that are fi ghting their battles on the web. “We are Egypt’s youth on the In-ternet!” this elusive and resilient group declared last Friday night. As of today, Egypt is still disconnected from the 21st century as Facebook, Twitter and all cell phone access was shut down across the country following the outbreak of demonstrations. Try as he might, Mubarak still cannot silence the shrewd pro-testors hacking the web who have been dubbed the “Keystroke Revolution.”

Time will tell if Mubarak will hang onto his posi-tion or choose to fl ee as did Tunisian’s Ben Ali. Shafi r Gabr, an Egyptian businessman, spoke the thoughts of Mubarak’s defenders when he said, “I don’t think

our leadership is going to blink.” Mubarak advocates say he is an entirely different breed of dictator than Ben Ali. Whether Mubarak will stay or not, current events reveal that he is willing to put up the fi ght of his career, even at the sake of terrible fi ghting.

In a display of shocking violence that went on before a world-audience, anti-government protest-ers and pro-Mubarak supporters clashed in Tahir Square. ABC News reported that men on horseback and camels fl ooded the square, throwing stones and burning bottles of gasoline, all while the Egyptian army stood by motionless. Gunfi re fi lled the air and it was not long before the historic ground of Tahir

Square was wrecked beyond recognition. After the dust had settled, anti-Mubarak demonstrators had once again taken control of the square that they that have dubbed, “Freedom Square.” When nighttime came, the military upped its original request of “Ev-eryone go home,” to “Leave Tahir Square!” Many felt that the next stage in this drama would be a military showdown with the demonstrators.

Journalists situated in Cairo were told to leave the area which was steadily turning into a hotbed of fi ghting. David Goodman of The New York Times wrote that one of Al Jazeera’s offi ces had been burned down by “a gang of thugs.” Journalists were being chased through streets, beaten to rags, and still the fl ow of live coverage continued from Tahir Square. White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, condemned the Mubarak government, calling the bullying and violence of the journalists, “completely and totally unacceptable.” The reports revealed that more than a dozen reporters were being detained by the Mubarak government.

S u m m i n g up the situation in Egypt, the front page of the Beirut located newspaper, Al Akhbar, read; “It has blown up in Egypt. Today all eyes are focused on the mosques in the land of Egypt.”

JORDAN

For the fi rst time in the de-cade-old rule of Abdulla II, demonstrations

broke out demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai and a change to the restriction of political expression in the region. The people are tired of economic hardship and they also demand the right to elect the prime minister who is presently selected by the king.

“We want change!” Slogans and banners declared as thousands marched in the streets in central Am

Mubarak’s pledge not to run again does not satisfy the protesters

Pro Mubarak supporters fighting back

continued on next page

REVOLT from page 30

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man in peaceful demonstrations. In a regime where criticism of the king is forbidden, the spotlight has been on his government. Recent months have seen a remarkable increase in attacks on restrictions of freedom by students and journalists.

The latest move on the king’s behalf to temper public frustration was to proclaim $125 million in subsidies for fuel and basic goods as well as an in-crease in civil servant pay.

YEMEN

Yemen is the Arab world’s poorest country that is torn between the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the opposition, Islamists. Pro-testors want a guarantee that President Saleh will not

remain in offi ce when his term ends in 2013 and that his son will not supersede his father’s position. Protestors swore to continue the demonstrations for weeks to come until the 32-year-old American backed government of Ali Abdullah Saleh has fallen.

Says Shawki al-Qadi, an organizer and lawmaker of the Yemini protest, “We are telling them either he delivers real political reforms or we’re going to de-liver him out of power… He’s closed all the doors of hope. The only glimmer of hope is in the streets.”

Unlike the demonstrations taking place in other parts of the Arab world, the protests in Yemen have been mainly peaceful with only a number of arrests. Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemini Embassy spokesman in Washington said, “The Government of the Repub-lic of Yemen strongly respects the democratic right

for a peaceful assembly. We are pleased to announce that no major clashes or arrests occurred, and police presence was minimal.”

HISTORY REPEATS

To know what happened in the year of 1914 is to understand the events unfolding before us in the 20th century. The demonstrations across the Arab world are nostalgic echoes of the very fi rst Arab re-volt.

The year was 1914 and as World War I raged across the globe, the Ottoman Empire joined with the Central Powers against the Allies. The Ottoman Empire had long shed its pluralistic and Islamic pol-icies from 1908, and fi ercely upheld a ban against use of the Arab language and its teaching in schools. The Empire further threatened the Arabs as they underwent the construction of the Hijaz Railway, which would connect Damascus and Mecca, allow-ing Turkish troops to enter the Arab homeland.

The hero of the Great Arab revolt was Sharif Hussein bin Ali, king of the Arabs and the Emir of Mecca. Backed with the promise of British of-fi cials who pledged their support for a united Arab kingdom, Sharif Hussein launched a revolt to res-cue Arabs from the Turkish oppression. Sharif Hus-sein’s sons led their fi erce warriors into battle and by 1918 Emir Faisal’s troops had liberated Damascus from the Ottoman rule. As the battles continued, the Arab forces gained control over all of modern Jor-dan, most of southern Syria and almost the entire Arabian peninsula.

At the conclusion of the war, the British refused the Arabs their single Arab state, but the Great Arab Revolt was still a remarkable achievement that won Arab sovereignty over Arabia, Iraq and Transjordan. Like the revolt in 1916, the Arabs are tired of op-pression and injustice. The ripple effects of the Great Arab Revolt have stirred the hearts of the Arab civil-ians and once more they take a stand against rulers they no longer see fi t to lead. The only question that remains for the Arab world is, “Who’s next?”

OBAMA PRAISES THE REVOLT

“The will of the people proved more powerful than the writ of a dictator.” U.S. President Barak Obama said in his State of the Union address. “And tonight, let us be clear: the United States of America stands with the people of Tunisia, and supports the democratic aspiration of all people.” David Ignatius of the Washington Post summed up the U.S. posi-tion, “It’s an easy revolution to like, and U.S. offi cials have wisely endorsed the protestors’ goals of open-ness and reform.”

In regards to the situation in Egypt, analysts are scratching their heads trying to fi gure out why America is not extending a hand to Mubarak. Presi-dent Mubarak is the U.S.’s most prized and power-ful ally in the Middle East and if he goes down, the future could look bleak for the region. Many suspect that if Mubarak is removed from offi ce, the extrem-ist Islamic group, The Muslim Brotherhood, may take control over the country. Ten percent of Egypt’s population is Christian and they are in deep doubt

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the Muslim Brotherhood would be as sympathetic to them as Mubarak has been through his presidency. “Obama threw Mubarak to the dogs,” wrote Eitan Haber in Yediot Aharonot.

SILENCE – ISRAEL’S RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has or-dered complete silence from his government about the situation in Egypt. Silence may be Israel’s public face right now, but there is obvious concern over the stability of the single country that cooperates most with Israel amidst other Arab nations threatening war. The Muslim Brotherhood is known to have expressed an anti-Israel sentiment and there is defi -nitely worry in Israel. Clearly it is Israel’s desire that America does not side with the protestors aiming to jettison President Mubarak.

“The peace between Israel and Egypt has lasted for more than three decades and our objective is to ensure that these relations will continue to ex-ist.” Prime Minister Netanyahu said after a cabinet meeting on Sunday. Mubarak has maintained peace with Israel through eight different Israeli leaders and the demonstrations in Cairo are a direct threat on Israel’s leverage in the Middle East. With Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah and Gaza ruled by Hamas, an Egypt controlled by The Muslim Brotherhood is dangerous for the Israeli state. Amongst all the Arab countries, Egypt possesses the most powerful army, many of their troops being trained by the American Corps.

The news of Mubarak’s promise not to run for re-election in the upcoming elections is bad news for Israel, but there still remains a hope that the newly appointed Vice-President, Lieutenant-General Omar Suleiman, takes power. In the last twenty years, Gen-eral Omar Suleiman has acted as mediator between Israel and Hamas and he has thus far restrained The Muslim Brotherhood.

According to the Booman Tribune, the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is not necessary to protect Israel from attack. He writes, “Israel is now a clearly nuclear-armed country, and their military is much stronger now relative to Egypt than it was in the 1970’s.”

Not everyone is so sure… One Israeli offi cial told the Associated Press, “If there is a regime change, Israel will have to reassess its strategy to protect its border from one of the most modern militaries in the region.”

WHAT WILL TOMORROW BRING?

Freedom is great, but the following question gnaws at all the demonstrations and cries for jus-tice: Who will replace the current leadership of these countries and will they be any better? Will this all be a replay of the Iranian revolt which in the aftermath was considered by many Iranians as a “wild moment” that did not give them what they sought?

Agency reports say that a senior Iranian cleric drew a parallel of the demonstrations unfolding across the Middle East to the 1979 Iranian revolution. Of course, observing Iran years after the revolution,

we see a country driven by radical people and a govern-ment that offers the citizens anything but freedom. Will America be kicking itself in years to come just as Ronald Reagan famously expressed in 1979 that it was a mistake to support the demonstrators in Iran?

The real issue, essentially, boils down to the following dispute: can these protesting Arabs run their country better than the current dictatorship? In an exclusive interview with Christiane Amanpour, an ABC News reporter, Mubarak said, “If I resign today, there will be chaos.” The Egyptian President blamed the Mus-lim Brotherhood for starting all the violence. Mubarak re-sponded to Obama’s request to step down immediately, stating, “You don’t understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now.” He added that he was “very unhappy” about the clashes in Tahir Square. In

response to the overwhelming cries for the 82-year old Mubarak to leave, he responded,

“I don’t care what people say about me. Right now I care about my country, I care about Egypt…” Mubarak has no plans on fl eeing and bravely added that he plans to die on Egyptian soil.

Mubarak may provide his citizens with security, but the people can’t see the good their President has given them through the list of their complaints. Who cares if somewhere in the future radical, hateful Is-lamists rule Egypt- right now there’s no bread on the table and while hardworking citizens are eking out two dollars daily, the upper-class people are driving through the muddy streets in shiny luxury cars. One protestor claimed, “I’d follow Vladimir Lenin if he came and led me!”

As the newspapers run screaming headlines of the fl aming crisis and the internet buzzes with the clever blogs of Middle East analysts, no one can know what tomorrow has in store. Every minute there are new developments and as every hour passes, the entire world is waiting with bated breath for the inevitable outcome. Here’s hoping for the best, and realizing that ultimately, everything is orchestrated by the One Above.

Yehuda Bromberg is a freelance writer who has written for vari-ous Jewish publications. Please forward comments to editor@fi vetownsjewishhome.com.

Time to rethink some of the Middle East’s strategic alliances

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DOWN2. The Real Thing.4. Your’e in good hands.5. Let’s build something together.7. Like a good neighbor,______ is there.8. Breakfast of Champions.9. An________ a day keeps the doctor away.10. It’s everywhere you want to be.12. He keeps going and going and going.13. Obey Your Thirst.16. Good to the last drop. (2 words)18. The best part of waking up....20. Got______?23. Built___________ tough.

ACROSS1. The world’s local bank.3. Be all that you can be.6. We try harder.11. Don’t leave home without it14. You can do it. We can help.15. The ultimate driving machine.17. All the news that’s fi t to print. (And a whole lot

that’s not fi t to print..at least in my opinion).19. Kid tested, mother approved.21. Fly the American way.22. The Citi Never Sleeps.24. Rice Krispies slogan.25. How do you spell relief?

On a beautiful summer morning Stacey was strolling through the park when she noticed a really old man

relaxing on a park bench. Sitting down near him, she commented that he seemed really healthy and alert. “How do you keep yourself healthy?” she asked. The old man responded, ”It’s simple: I smoke two packs of cigarettes a day. I eat fast food. I never exercise. And I drink a lot.”

“Wow,” exclaimed Stacey, “and how old are you?”

“I’ll be 27 next month,” replied the man.

(Submitted by: Darra Klein)

Answer to Riddle:

The letter ‘e’, which is the most used letter in the alphabet, is missing from this paragraph.

Submitted by: (Submitted by: Aviva Greenstein)

You Gotta be Kidding!

CAN YOU GUESS THE PRODUCT?

ANSWER KEY

For advertising opportunities please call

954-635-5509 or email to [email protected]


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FEB. 10, 201135Riddle:

Question:

How quickly can you fi nd out what is so unusual about this paragraph? It looks so ordinary that you would think that nothing is wrong with it at all, and, in fact, nothing is. But it is unusual. Why? If you study it and think about it, you may fi nd out, but I am not going to assist you in any way. You must do it without coaching. No doubt, if you work at it for long, it will dawn on you. Who knows? Go to work and try your skill. Par is about half an hour.

Answer below

INTELLIGENCE TEST1: Do they have a 4th of July in England?

a) Yes b) No

2: How many birthdays does the average man have?

a)1 b) 65 c) 7

3: Some months have 31 days; how many have 28?

a) 1 b) 2 c) 12

4: How many outs are there in an inning?

a) 1 b) 3

c) 6 d) 9

5: Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow’s sister?

a) Yes b) No

6: Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the total?

a) 2 0 b) 25 c) 70

7: If there are 3 apples and you take away 2,

how many do you have?

a) 1 b) 2 c) 3

8: A doctor gives you three pÕ ls telling you to take one every half

hour. How many minutes would the pÕ ls last?

a) 60 b) 90 c) 120

9: A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 die. How many are left?

a) 8 b) 9 c) 17

10: How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?

a) 2 b) 6

c) 9 d) 12

1) A- In England, much like America July 4th comes after July 3rd. Everything else

about the place is backwards though.

2) A- Every person has 1 birthday…duuhh.

3) C- Last I checked each month has at least 28 days, although we wish August had

60 and January had 2.

4) C- A full inning has 6 outs, 3 for each team.

5) B- It would be pretty hard for a dead person to get married.

6) C-70 (30 divided by 1/2 equals 60).

7) B- Unless someone stole one of the apples from you, you have the 2 that you took.

8) A-60 - Start with the 1st pill, 30 minutes later take the 2nd,

then 30 minutes for the 3rd.

9) B-9 - Why don’t you think about this one a little more.

Maybe read the question again.

10) D-12. There are twelve 2 cent stamps in a dozen!

WISDOM KEY

8-10 Correct: You are very smart. Probably a bit of a book worm.

4-7 Correct: You are intelligent. But you need to not shoot from the hip.

1-3 Correct: You are just having a bad day. Treat yourself to some ice cream then try again.

Guess Who

There was little to disguise what these two had been up to moments be-fore police pulled them over. Would-be burglars Matthew McNelly and Joey Miller’s master plan had one tiny flaw --their ‘disguises’ comprised of masks drawn on their faces with permanent marker pen.

Police stopped their car after a witness reported two men ‘with painted faces’ were trying to break into a house in Carroll, Iowa. The caller added that the pair were wearing dark, hooded tops and had driven off in a big white car.

Police soon spotted a 1994 Buick Roadmaster matching the descrip-tion and stopped it at gunpoint. Inside they found the two men, both of whom had what appeared to be masks, beards or moustaches scrawled on to their faces. McNelly, 23, and Miller, 20, were both charged with attempted second-degree burglary.

INTELLIGENCE TEST

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BAGEL TIME 3915 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140305-538-0300 Supervision: Circle K

CAFE VERT 9490 Harding Ave. Surfside, FL 33154305-867-3151 Supervision: OK

JERUSALEM PIZZA 761 NE 167th Street North Miami Beach, FL 33162305-653 6662 | Supervision: Kosher Miami

JONAS PIZZA 2530 NE Miami Gardens Drive North Miami Beach, FL 33180305-918-8998 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

NEWTIME Moroccan and Spanish cuisine 2120 N.E. 123rd Street North Miami Beach, FL 33181305-891-6336 Supervision: Kosher Miami

PRIME SUSHI 726 Arthur Godfrey Road Miami Beach, FL 33140305-534-0551 Supervision: Kosher-Miami Cholov Yisroel

PRIME SUSHI 18250 Collins Avenue Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160786-284-8430 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

RITZ RESTAURANT 1678 NE Miami Gardens Dr. North Miami Beach, FL 33179305-354-9303 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

SEVENTEEN 1205 17 Street Miami Beach, FL 33139305-672-0565 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

SHEM TOV’S PIZZA 514 41st Street Miami Beach, FL 33140305-538-2123 Supervision: Kosher Miami

TASTI CAFE 4041 Royal Palm Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33140305-675-5483 Supervision: Kosher Miami Dairy

WEBER CAFE 3565 NE 207th Street Aventura, FL 33180(305) 935-5580 Supervision: Kosher Miami

41 ON THE BAY 4101 Pinetree Drive Miami Beach, FL 33140305-535-4101 Rabbinic Supervision: Kosher-Miami

ASI’S GRILL AND SUSHI BAR 4020 Royal Palm Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33140305-604-0555 Supervision: Kosher Miami

AVENTURA PITA 18129 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura, FL 33160305-933-4040 Supervision: Kosher Miami

B & H PIZZA 233 95th Street Surfside, FL 33154786-245-5557 Supervision: Kosher Miami

CHAI WOK 1688 NE 164 Street North Miami Beach, FL 33162305-705-2110 Supervision: Kosher Miami

CHINA BISTRO 3565 NE 207th Street Aventura, FL 33180305-936-0755 Supervision: Kosher Miami

CINE CITTA MIAMI 9544 Harding Avenue Surfside, FL 33154305-407-8319Supervision: OK

DECO SUBS 3919 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140305-672-7285 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

ELIES CAFE 145 East Flagler Miami, FL 33131786-594-0196 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

ELSIE’S CAFE Located in the North Miami Beach JCC 18900 NE 25th Avenue North Miami Beach, FL 33180305-778-5946 Supervision: Kosher Miami

GIGI’S CAFE 3585 NE 207th Street Aventura, FL 33180305-466-4648 Supervision: Kosher Miami

GRILL TIME 16145 Biscayne Blvd. North Miami Beach, FL 33160786-274-8935 | 305-491-3325 Supervision: ORB

HARBOUR GRILL 9415 Harding Avenue Surfside, FL 33154305-861-0787 Supervision: Kosher Miami

J CAFE 18900 NE 25th Avenue North Miami Beach, FL 33180305-778-5946 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

JONA’S GRILL & BAR 2520 NE 186th Street North Miami Beach, FL 33180305-466-0722 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

KIKAR TEL-AVIV RESTAURANT Chinese and Continental CuisineCarriage Club North 5005 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33140305-866-3316 Supervision: OK Laboratories

LUL GRILL CAFE 18288 Collins Avenue Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160305-933-0199 Rabbinic Supervision: OK

ASI’S 4020 Royal Palm Ave Miami Beach, FL 33140305-604-0555 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

NEW TIME 2120 NE 123 Street North Miami, FL 33181305-891-6336 Supervision: Kosher Miami

ORIGINAL PITA HUT 5304 41 Street Miami Beach, FL 33140305-531-6090 Supervision: ORD

PISTACHIO GOURMET GRILL 740 41 Street Miami Beach, FL 33140305-538-1616 Supervision: Kosher Miami

PITA LOCA 601 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139305-673-3388 Supervision: Kosher Miami

South Florida Kosher Restaurant Guide

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PITA PLUS 1883 Biscayne Boulevard Aventura, FL 33180305-935-0761

RARE STEAKHOUSE 468 W 41st Street Miami Beach, FL 33140305-532-7273 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

SHALOM HAIFA 18533 W. Dixie Hwy. North Miami Beach, FL 33180305-936-1800 Supervision: ORB

SHALOM HAIFA RESTAURANT 18533 W. Dixie Hwy Aventura, FL 33180305-945-2884Supervision: ORB

SUBWAY 18900 NE 25th Ave North Miami Beach, FL 33180305-663-9883 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

THAI TREAT & SUSHI & BOMBAY GRILL 2176 NE 123rd Street North Miami, FL 33181305-892-1118 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

THE FAMOUS PITA BURGER BAR 18798 W Dixie Hwy North Miami Beach, FL 33180305-682-9692 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

WEST AVENUE CAFE 959 West Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139305-534-4211 Supervision: Kosher Miami

AVIGDOR’S MOZART CAFE 4433 Stirling Road, Hollywood, FL 33021954-584-5171 Supervision: ORB

BON AMI CAFE 5650 Stirling Road Hollywood, FL 33021(954) 962-2070 Supervision: ORB

CAFE EMUNAH 3558 North Ocean Dr. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308954-561-6411 Supervision: ORB

DAIRY BITES 660 W Hallandale Beach Boulevard Hallandale, FL 33009954-457-2700 Supervision: Kosher-Miami

JP BISTRO Pizzeria 5650 Stirling Road Hollywood, FL 33021(954) 964-6811 Supervision: ORB

SARA’S 3944 N 46th Street Hollywood, FL 33021954-986-1770 Supervision: ORB

AT HAGI 5800 Stirling Road Hollywood, FL 33021954-981-7710 Supervision: ORB

HOLLYWOOD DELI 6100 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, FL 33024(954) 608-5790 Supervision: ORB

L’CHAIM MEE CHINA ORIENTAL RESTAURANT 3940 North 46 Avenue Hollywood, FL 33021954-986-1770 Supervision: ORB

LEVY’S KOSHER OF HOLLYWOOD 3357 Sheridan Street Hollywood, FL 33021954-983-2825 Supervision: ORB

PITA GRILL CAFE 658 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. Hallandale, FL 33009954-455-2118 Supervision: ORB

PITA PLUS 2145 Stirling Road Hollywood, FL 33312954-241-2011

PITA PLUS 3801 N. University Dr. Sunrise, FL 33351954-741-5844

SUNRISE PITA & GRILL 2680 N University Dr. Sunrise, FL 33322954-748-0090

SUNRISE PITA TOO 5650 Stirling Rd. Hollywood, FL 33021954-963-0093 Supervision: ORB

EUROPEAN CORNER CAFE 7300 Camino Real Boca Raton, FL 33433561-395-1109 Supervision: ORB

JCC CAFE American 9801 Donna Klein Blvd at Cultural Arts Center Boca Raton, FL 33428561-852-3200 x 4103 | Supervision: ORB

JON’S PLACE OF BOCA Pizzeria 22191 Powerline Road Boca Raton, FL 33433561-338-0008 Supervision: ORB

ASIA Sushi, Wok, Grill 7600 W Camino Real Boca Raton, FL 33433561-544-8100 Supervision: ORB

BOCA PITA EXPRESS Middle Eastern Israeli cuisine & grill 7185 N. Beracasa Way Boca Raton, FL 33433561-750-0088 Supervision: ORB

GRILL TIME RESTAURANT Fusion Steak House 8177 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33434(561) 482-3699 | Fax: (561) 487-4044 Supervision: ORB

ORCHIDS GARDEN 9045 La Fontana Boulevard Boca Raton, FL 33434561-482-3831 Supervision: ORB

SAGI’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 22767 US Highway 441 Boca Raton, FL 33428561-477-0633 Supervision: ORB

MAOZ VEGETARIAN Town Center Mall 6000 Glades Road #1175 Boca Raton, FL 33431561-393-6269 | Fax: 561-393-6532 Rabbinical Supervision: National Orthodox Rabbinical Organization

South Florida Kosher Restaurant Guide


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COLLAPSEVANDALISMWATER

DAMAGE

FLOOD HURRICANE WINDSTORM FIRE

ROOF LEAK


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‘‘Joe Lieberman is writing a book about the

Jewish Sabbath called “Gift of Rest.” I hear he’s

been working on it 24/6.’’ – Jimmy Fallon, 2/4/11

‘‘President Mubarak came out of the presiden-

tial palace today and saw his shadow; six more

weeks of rock throwing.’’ – Jay Leno, 2/2/11

‘‘Chicago is expecting 20 inches of snow. Rahm

Emanuel says he’s happy he doesn’t really live

there.’’ – Jay Leno, 2/1/11

Astronomers say that 8 years from today an

asteroid has a 1 in 200,000 chance of hitting

Earth. About the same

chance Sarah Palin has

of becoming President,

so it’s pretty scary either

way.’’ – Jay Leno, 2/1/11

‘‘Egypt has responded to

hundreds of thousands

of protesters by shutting

down the internet. Listen,

if you want people to stay

home and do nothing, turn the inter-

net back on.’’ – Conan O’Brien , 1/31/11

‘‘Vice President Joe Biden has suggested to peo-

ple out of work to just ‘hang in there.’ What a

diff erence two years makes: Remember ‘hope

and change’? Now it’s ‘hang in there.’ ‘’ – Jay Leno,

1/31/11

‘‘A social networking revolution has started in

Saudi Arabia. Over 10 million Saudis are now

online. In fact, the most popular social network-

ing site for women in Saudi Arabia: ’Cover-Your-

Facebook.’ ‘‘ – Jay Leno, 1/26/11

‘‘The terrorist group Hezbollah has taken control

in Lebanon, and opponents have declared a ’Day

of Rage.’ Or as it’s known in the Middle East,

’Tuesday.’ ’’– Conan O’’Brien, 1/26/11

‘‘JoÚ McCain and JoÚ Kerry naturally paired off

[at the State of the Union address] as their other

colleagues grew tired of their yearly tradition

of reciting their own state of the union address

under their breath.” – Jon Stewart, 1/26/11

‘‘Did you hear about the State of the Union

address drinking game? You listen to the speech,

and every time you think about the actual state

of the union, you take a drink. It helps.” – Jimmy

Kimmel, 1/25/11

‘‘The Republican response to the speech was

fairly gracious. They said it was a pretty good

speech for a foreigner.” – Jimmy Kimmel, 1/25/11

“Say WHAT?”2011 Comic Relief

A collection of notable quotes

Once, right before I was about to begin a pre-sentation about karate, a man from the audience ap-proached me. “Karate is terrible for yeshiva students!”

Immediately thereafter, another man approached, and said, “Wow! I think karate is just what yeshiva students need!”

“I agree,” I said. “But that man just told me that he thought karate should not be taught to yeshiva stu-dents.”

“Oh, you mean that man. He can’t think for him-self. He just repeats whatever he hears others say!”

It is for the benefi t of yeshiva stu-dents that I must point out the myths and truths of karate, so that what they think about karate should be based on facts.

What karate is NOTKarate is not a violent or aggressive

sport. Karate students do not hurt each other. They are warned against using karate to initiate any aggression. There are no losers in karate. Students’ goals are not to win any contests, or beat any team. And there is nothing about karate that is in con-

fl ict with Torah and Judaism.So what IS karate about?

Karate is about self-discipline. The objective of karate students is to improve themselves, (while not beating others). People who practice karate may experience improved listening skills and heightened ability to focus and maintain eye contact. Consid-er how this aspect of karate can improve both scholastic performance and social interaction.

• Karate includes relaxation and medi-tation exercises, optimizing breathing.

• Karate exercises im-prove coordination and balance skills.

• Karate increases muscle strength and fl ex-ibility.

• Karate enables one to become profi cient in self-defense (whether it is against stranger danger or for schoolyard defense tactics).

• It is not surprising, therefore,

that karate increases self-esteem.

In summary, karate can maximize the realization of one’s potential function in daily life.

When yeshiva students learn karate – an art that is associated with the secular world -under the su-

pervision of a professional instructor who is shomer mitzvos you have a unique environment that pre-pares young people for a life of Torah Im Derech Eretz in a remarkable fashion.

Sensei Meir Breuer is a registered and NY state licensed occupational therapist. He has been a martial arts stu-dent of Yeshiva University’s Professor Haim Sober for over 25 years and currently holds a 3rd degree black

belt. In addition, he has been training privately with Master Daniel Segarra, a high ranking martial artist who is certifi ed as a tactical master instructor in personal safety, family protection, child safety and more. Meir can be reached at 516-582-5657 or [email protected]

KARATE: Truths and Myths By: Sensei Meir Breuer, OTR/L

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144 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE

There is a great debate raging—in and out of the courts—regarding the constitutionality of Obamacare. To date, two federal courts ruled

that it is constitutional, and two federal courts ruled that it is unconstitutional. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of the United States will make the fi nal determination.

The point of contention is that starting in 2014 Obamacare will re-quire every individual who does not have health insurance to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty for not doing so. This provision is known as the “individual mandate.” This mandate is the lynchpin to the whole Healthcare bill, because without it there is no way for Obamacare to work for the following reason: Obamacare requires that insurance companies insure individuals with pre-existing health problems at the same insurance rate as healthy individuals. Therefore, it makes sense for a healthy individual to not purchase health insurance be-cause he knows that when he gets sick or faces a medical emergency he will be able to purchase health insurance at that point due to the pre-existing con-ditions’ provision.

One way of looking at it is, imagine if a fi re insurance company was forced to issue coverage to any house regard-less of the condition of the house. Any smart home-owner wouldn’t insure their house prior to having a fi re. All they would do is, in the event of a fi re, they will fi rst call the fi re department, and then immedi-ately call the fi re insurance company and say, “My house is on fi re and I want to purchase fi re insurance; are you ready to take my credit card number?”

Obviously the fi re insurance company wouldn’t be able to last for even a day. Spreading the risk is what keeps insurers in business. The fi re insurance company is only able to pay out claims because only a

miniscule amount of houses that they insure actually have fi res.

The same idea applies to health insurance. The health insurance companies are now being forced to insure people who have expensive medical bills, hence costing the insurance companies outrageous

amounts of money. If healthy people were not obli-gated to purchase health insurance, then insurance companies would be forced out of business because there would be no way to spread the cost of the risk.

The “individual mandate” is an effort to resolve the problem because it forces everyone to purchase health care insurance.

Regardless of whether one believes in Obamacare or not, the million dollar question is: Is the “individ-ual mandate” constitutional? If it is not constitutional then it will be struck down by the Supreme Court,

even if there is an altruistic purpose for its enactment. The Constitutional grants certain limited power to

the federal government. All other powers belong to the individual states. In fact, the 10th Amendment, which says that any power not delegated to the feder-al government is reserved for the states, was enacted

to allay fears that the new national gov-ernment might seek to exercise powers not granted to it. (Most laws in our daily lives are actually state mandated laws).

Article 1 of the Constitution contains a provision, known as the “Commerce Clause,” which granted Congress the authority to regulate commerce among the states. This provision was imple-mented because in the late 1700’s there were many trade restrictions and barri-ers between the states. The framers of the Constitution were concerned that each state would legislate according to its own interest and needs, thereby stifl ing eco-nomic growth of the union as a whole. The Commerce Clause was therefore enacted in order to ensure uniformity among the states. As per the Commerce Clause, Congress has the power to regu-late activities that substantially affect commerce between states.

However, Congress’s power is not limitless and the Courts have grappled with the parameters of what Congress can and cannot do under the guise of the

Commerce Clause. The reason Obamacare sparked such an important constitutional debate is not merely because the law is politically polarizing. It is because this is the fi rst time that Congress has ever attempted to implement a law which actually forces individuals to conduct a specifi c activity.

Proponents of Obamacare rely primarily on two Supreme Court cases. In one case, the Supreme Court upheld a law which limited the amount of wheat farm-ers were allowed to grow (even if they were growing it for personal consumption) because the

By: Naftali Halpern

continued on page 78


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amount of wheat in existence has an aggregate effect on the price of wheat throughout the United States. In another case, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress can prohibit the growing of medicinal mari-juana in California because even the growth for per-sonal use in California can have an aggregate effect on the national supply and demand.

Proponents argue that just like in those two cases Congress enacted legislation because of the aggregate effect that the legislation would have on the national economy, so too the government can force every in-dividual to purchase health insurance because of the aggregate effect it will have on the national economy.

Opponents of Obamacare say that the key word in this debate is “activity”. They argue that never in the history of the United States has the government, under the guise of the Commerce Clause, forced an individual to conduct a specifi c activity. Certainly, they concede, if an individual is engaged in certain activities- such as in the wheat and medicianl mari-juana cases- the government may have a right to regu-

late those activities, but to say that the government can mandate that one engage in an activity is beyond the powers granted to the federal government by the Commerce Clause and is an egregious power grab.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Tribe summarily noted that the individual mandate does not present a novel con-stitutional issue, as it relates to the Commerce Clause. However, he failed to acknowledge that this would be the fi rst instance where the federal government would actually force every citizen to actually engage in a spe-cifi c activity.

One federal judge pointed out that if Congress were allowed to force an individual to buy health in-surance then Congress can also require every citizen to eat broccoli every day because that would make ev-eryone healthier, and would ultimately decrease our national healthcare costs.

The opponents argue that allowing Congress to force individuals to conduct activities which can po-tentially have a positive effect on the economy is be-

yond the scope of the Commerce Clause and can lead to the erosion of freedom.

In fact, during oral arguments on the constitution-ality of Obamacare in one federal court, the attorney arguing on behalf of the Obama administration was asked whether he agrees with Dean Erwin Chemerin-sky of University of California, who stated that “Con-gress could use its commerce power to require people to buy cars.” The attorney answered, “Maybe Dean Chemerinsky is right.”

This is a clear illustration of what could happen if Congress were allowed to enact laws which force people to engage in specifi c activities. And this is why this debate has ignited passionate arguments on both sides of the issue.

Now that you know what the main constitutional debate is you can wait with the rest of us for the Su-preme Court to hear the case and make the fi nal deci-sion. In the meantime, you can at least know what the issues are and maybe impress your boss at the next cocktail party.

OBAMACARE from page 64

Many patients come to me on one or more medi-cations without ever being counseled on potentially dangerous interactions with their medications and certain foods. The most commonly known interaction is between grapefruit juice and grapefruit products and the statins (cholesterol lowering medications). What many people are unaware of is the fact that certain chemicals in grapefruit products can interfere with the enzymes that metabolize various medica-tions in your digestive system. This can result in more medication in your body, and could lead to dangerous levels. Avoid consuming grapefruit products within four hours of taking your medications. The follow-ing chart lists a few prescription medications that can have serious interaction with grapefruit products, so check with your doctor on how to proceed:

There are numerous other foods and herbs that have potentially harmful interactions with various medications, here is list of some important ones.

1. Leafy Green Vegetables: Those that are

high in vitamin K should not be consumed in great quantities while taking blood thinners like Couma-din. They could interfere with the effects of the drug and cause blood clotting.

2. Orange Juice: Should not be consumed when taking antacids containing aluminum, the juice increases the absorption of the aluminum. Orange juice and milk should be avoided when taking antibi-otics.

3. Aged Cheese, fava beans, sauerkraut, Italian green beans, some beers, red wine, and overly ripe avocado: should be avoided by people taking MAO antidepressants. The interaction can cause a fatal rise in blood pressure.

4. Black Licorice: should be avoided by peo-ple taking Digoxin. Together they can result in irregu-lar heart rhythms and cardiac arrest. Licorice and di-uretics can also produce dangerously low potassium levels.

5. Garlic capsules combined with diabetes medication can cause a dangerous decrease in blood

sugar. Garlic also has anti clotting properties, so check with your doctor if you are on anticoagulant drugs.

6. St. JoÚ ’s Wort: is a popular herb used for the treatment of mild depression. The active ingre-dient is hypericin, which is believed to exert a simi-lar infl uence on the brain as MAO inhibitors. Those taking St. JoÚ ’s Wort should avoid the same foods as those taking MAO inhibitors.

7. Alcoholic Beverages: They tend to increase the depressive effects of medications like antihista-mines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and narcotics. It’s best not to consume any alcohol when taking pre-scription medications.

8. Caffeine: Asthma drugs and caffeine togeth-er can cause excessive excitability.

The next time you want a romantic glass of wine or some freshly squeezed grapefruit, make sure to take into account the seemingly unconnected medications you also consume. Our medical access is growing and unfortunately harmful effects inevitably result. Most Americans do not realize the serious implications that come as consequences from the interactions between the items they put into their systems. It is sagacious of people taking these medications to write down a personalized list of all the foods that may impair the desired goal of their prescriptions. Keep this list on you when you sip your morning coffee or drink your slightly chilled juice!

Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a masters degree in Nu-trition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, and can be reached at [email protected]

Examples of grapefruit-medication interactions TYPE OF MEDICATION MEDICATION NAMEAnti-anxiety Buspirone (BuSpar)Anti-arrhythmia Amiodarone (Cordarone)Antidepressant Sertraline (Zoloft)Antihistamine Fexofenadine (Allegra)Anti-retroviral Saquinavir (Invirase), indinavir (Crixivan)Anti-seizure Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol)Calcium channel blocker Nifedipine (Procardia), nimodipine (Nimotop), nisoldipine (Sular)Immunosuppressant Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune),

tacrolimus (Prograf ), sirolimus (Rapamune)Statin Simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), atorvastatin (Lipitor)

Food and Drugs: An Unfriendly Mix?NUTRITION & FITNESS by: Aliza Beer

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As someone who works with teens and young adults engaged in behavior antithetical to our lifestyle, I am often asked “Why?” What

makes a child “leave it all behind” and abandon the lifestyle, teachings and infl uence of family and community?

“Why?” is not as important as asking, “What can we do?”

Every parent at some point has recognized a mo-ment that he or she wished could be taken back. Usu-ally, it’s pretty simple. A child asks a parent to tuck him in at night, and the parent responds, “I’ll be up-stairs in a minute.” But then the phone rings, or an email has to be answered, and before you know it, the child is asleep – without his nighttime hugs. Feel-ing guilty that he or she allowed something to come before those precious moments - isn’t as important as changing the behavior so that a ringing phone or email doesn’t come between parent and child again.

Of course, there’s a world of difference between bedtime ritual for toddlers and the challenges faced by parents of children engaged in risky behavior. And because each family and situation is different, we need to acknowledge that there is no one solution that will fi t every child and family.

FIVE STEPS FOR FAMILIES IN CRISIS

It’s important to emphasize that Madraigos’ ap-proach is to see each family as its own universe. We seek solutions rather than impose them. Our profes-sional staff works with families to defi ne goals and then seek approaches to meet them. At the same time, our work has shown us that there is some basic advice to offer families whose teen or young adult children are either engaging or at risk for maladaptive behav-ior.

Step 1: Acknowledge the ProblemAcknowledging that a child is acting in a way that

is antithetical to one’s own life and beliefs, may be the most emotionally wrenching and diffi cult task of parenthood. Parents must walk a very fi ne line, giving older children space while making expectations clear. Every word is weighed and heavy with consequences. How do you show a child who is engaged in anti-social behaviors that he or she is loved, but that his or her behavior is unac ceptable?

Step 2: Step BackIn practice, it requires an amazing amount of

strength for parents caught in turbulent situations to step back, even for a little while. It might mean that a child will stumble and make mistakes. There could be implications for siblings. It’s possible that the mar-riage itself will be tested.

Step 3: Decide on an ApproachGetting from point A to point B is usually not as

easy as it seems. How many times has your GPS navi-gation system announced “Recalculating” because you’ve made a wrong turn? And those of us who still

ask for directions know that they can change with each new person and query.

Parents need a comprehensive, well-thought-out approach that meets the needs of every person in the family. They need to be on the same page. And once they make a decision, they need to act as a team and support one another to maximize success.

Step 4: Get ProfessŠ nal AssistanceWhen children have medical illnesses, we seek

out the appropriate medical experts. If a teen or young adult is suffering emotionally and spiritually to the point of acting out with destructive behavior, the same response is warranted.

Parents need to assemble a team that will help them deal with all the repercussions of their child’s behavior. It may require psychologists, social work-ers, a trusted Rav, and/or educators. Get advice. Lis-ten. Make your plan.

Madraigos’ goal is to be a resource for teens and families as they navigate this diffi cult road. We are there for as long as parents or children need us, offer-ing suggestions and referrals, listening, and providing continuous support. Our network of professional re-sources offers many choices for intervention.

The Madraigos program is designed to not only stop destructive behavior, but to get to root of the emotional, social, academic or family issues that may have caused it or continue to feed it. Our case manag-ers, all credentialed professionals, provide assessment and referrals to appropriate psychotherapists, coun-selors and rehabilitative programs.

High school students fi nd a positive, non-judg-mental, supportive environment at our recreation center. The center is fi lled every night with young people engaged in safe activities that are supervised by caring and involved staff members and volunteers.

Post High School men are invited to participate in our innovative Bais Medrash Tal Techiya program housed at Sh’or Yoshuv. Tutoring, classes that foster personal growth, and traditional learning are a bridge back to a life and values that might otherwise be left behind.

Madraigos also offers unprecedented support to families. Professionally facilitated groups for siblings and parents provide tools for self-improvement. The warm, accepting environment provides a non-threat-ening stage for emotional and spiritual growth.

Step 5: Stay InvolvedIt’s sometimes diffi cult for parents to stay involved

in their child’s life when he or she is engaged in de-structive behavior. It’s painful, but it’s necessary. It’s diffi cult to watch children stumble and yet still be part of their lives. Communication becomes diffi cult as parents wonder how to frame messages so they will be heard, even if they aren’t heeded just yet.

The Alter of Kelem reminds us that when Hashem wrote the Torah, he placed the parsha of Mishpatim immediately after Yisro, where we learn of the spec-tacular occurrence at Mt. Sinai. After this spiritual high point, the Torah lists the mitzvos of bayn adam

l’chavero, between man and his fellow man. The Al-ter explains that this is a proof that Hashem wrote the Torah. Had man penned the Torah, the parsha would begin with a discussion of laws by focusing on one of the positive aspects of behavior, for example, free loans or another type of chesed. Instead, we learn about an eved Ivri, who our holy commentators de-fi ne as a Jew who stole and now must make restitu-tion. We learn that he is not incarcerated, but rather, he sleeps in the house of his master and receives pref-erential treatment.

The Alter asks an obvious question. Why begin with the eved Ivri? When parents have a problem with a child, they focus their attention on him. The eved Ivri is Hashem’s problem child, and Hashem’s atten-tion is given to him. Rather than write the son off, we need to show love, respect, and care.

The strategies are not as simple in today’s world, but the message is clear. Love your child even as you detest the behavior. Work as a team. Get professional assistance and support. Don’t give up. Stay focused on the “What can we do?” instead of on “Why did this happen?” Let’s work together to fi nd the right so-lutions and step-by-step help our struggling teens of today become the leaders of tomorrow.

May we all see our children grow and succeed to the best of their abilities.

Rabbi Dov Silver is the Founder and Executive Vice President of Madraigos. Madraigos is a 501c3 not-for-profi t organization that provides a wide array of innovative programs and services for hundreds of teens and young adults who engage in at-risk behaviors. Madraigos has offi ces in New York and Chicago, and is a resource for communities across the country For more infor-mation, visit www.madraigos.org

Taking the Right Steps When Your Child is in Troubleby Rabbi Dov Silver


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FEB. 10, 201147The Aussie Gourmet The Aussie Gourmet Recipe

MELT AWAY SPARE RIBS

METHOD: 1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except onions.2. Place onions at the bottom of a 9x13. Lay the meat on top of the on-

ions, pour the marinade over and let marinate for 2 hours.3.3. Baakee ccovovere eded aat t 35350 0 foor 1½½ - 2 houourss

Title: Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes from The Bride Who Knew Nothing

Author: Jamie Geller

Publisher: Feldheim Publishers

Pages: 312

Hardcover $34.99

Five years after her wedding, Jamie Geller is juggling a career and running a busy household - and she still has no time to cook!

As her family and career rapidly grew, Jamie set out to learn how to cook with children around, how to cook meals that kids would eat (while not boring adult family and guests) and how to do it all without losing her cool.

Quick and Kosher: Meals in Minutes brings you over 100 of Geller’s favorite meals along with incredibly valuable tips and tools. She will help you stock your shelves with key cookware and turn your kitchen into a comfort zone. Her girl-next-door attitude and poignant and comedic commentary make this a book you’ll want to take from kitchen to couch to curl up and enjoy. Jamie’s homemaking ideas and hilarious anecdotes will enhance your home and lighten your heart.

Best of all, the recipes in this book tell you how much total time to allow for “PCS” - that’s to Prep, Cook & Serve - the full meal. You’ll fi nd out how much you can do in just 20, 40, or 60 minutes, and there’s a special holiday chapter too! What’s more, all the recipes are combined into full, balanced menus, so you’ll know that you’re serving your family and guests meals that are nourishing, as well as scrumptious and enticing. Jamie’s fabulously creative food pairings and exotic interpretations of traditional fare make this cookbook a must-have for your busy kitchen!

Highlights of “Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes”:• 217 all new triple tested recipes• 134 full color photographs • Over 100 balanced menus• Delectable entrees with suggested side dishes and/or beverages• Wine Recommendations for each meal!• 20 Minute Meals, i.e. Bowties with Salmon and Peas in Lemon Dill Sauce served

with an exquisite Melon Salad• 40 Minute Meals, i.e. Polenta Stuffed with Mozzarella alongside Fennel and Cel-

ery Salad• 60 Minute Meals, i.e. Veal Scallopini with Tomato Chutney accompanied by Gar-

lic Orzo with PeasYou don’t have to be Kosher to love Jamie Geller’s newest collection of quick

recipes from around the world. Whether a gourmet or a gourmand, or just over-whelmed by demands of a busy life, let Jamie Geller, the author of the popular Quick & Kosher cookbook series come inside your kitchen—and to the rescue.

Jamie Geller is the bestselling author of QUICK AND KOSHER: Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing (2007), an internationally syndicated food and lifestyle columnist, an award-win-ning television producer, a motivational speaker, and the host of popular Internet cooking shows “Quick & Kosher” and “Simply Kosher.” She is also the Chief Marketing Offi cer for Kosher.com, the world’s largest online Kosher supermarket. Jamie’s blog, blog.kosher.com, offers a cornucopia of illustrated recipes and a host of information about Jewish holidays and culinary traditions. Jamie, her husband and their four children live in Monsey, New York.

QUICK & KOSHER MEALS IN MINUTESFrom The Bride Who Knew Nothing

“Think of her as a kosher Rachel Ray.” - Ellen Kanner, Miami Herald

Book Review

Naomi Nachman

I was given this recipe by a dear friend from Brooklyn. She used to make this recipe only when special friends came over, or for visits from her grandchildren. After I got married, she invited me and my new husband

over for dinner and we were honored to be her special guests as she served us this most delicious meat dish. Many years later, she gave me this recipe and I, too, make it only on special occasions (Shabbat dinner, yom tov . . . or whenever I see the spare ribs on sale!). My family loves it a lot and I have even made it with veal spare ribs and boneless spare ribs.

It’s quick and simple to make and it doubles easily and freezes really well too.

Naomi Nachman moved from Australia approximately 19 years ago and, in 2004, started “The Aussie Gourmet” to cater weekly and Shabbat/Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities. Naomi is also sought after to teach cooking classes throughout the NY/NJ Metropolitan area (from Scarsdale to Boro Park, Manhattan to Teaneck, the Hamptons and Connecticut. . . . and of course, The Five Towns). She has also taught classes in Florida, Australia and Israel. Naomi is a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, a cooking CD and a variety of newspaper articles. Naomi currently lives in Woodmere, NY with her husband and 4 daughters.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire

sauce• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce• 4 gloves crushed garlic

• 3 cups ketchup• 1/2 cup water• 2 large onions cut into rings• 2 pounds spare ribs

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1. KNOW WHEN TO ADVOCATE - It is often very difficult to know when to speak up on behalf of your child. If you speak up too often, you are a nudge. If you don’t speak up often enough, you are a negligent parent. So when do you decide to speak up? When your child’s welfare is at stake. If your child is consistently unhappy, being bullied, or not learning as he or she should be, you must call. If you simply prefer things to be another way, but there is no harm done, live with it. Your child will learn to cope with different types of situations and people (something you want), and you won’t “use up” the teacher or principal (something you really don’t want!).

2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK - Coming pre-pared with facts is a key factor in advocating successfully. Gather as much information as you can, with specific examples, to present a full picture of your concern. Take the time to find out what is “normal” in this school to know to what degree your child is having a problem and to anticipate what the school’s perception will be. When necessary, get a professional opinion or evaluation to strengthen your mes-sage.

3. AVOID THE BLAME GAME - It really doesn’t matter what could have or should have been, only what will be from now on. Speaking in anger or putting people on the defensive is a surefire way to guarantee the failure of your mission. The better you make people feel, the more likely they are to want to accommodate you. The past is not going to change by harp-ing on it and frankly, if you do, the future won’t change either!

4. DO ADVOCATE; DON’T ANTAGONIZE - Successful advocacy requires good communi-cation skills. You will need to convey a message of displeasure with the status quo without leaving an impression that you are displeased with the people involved. Therefore: (1) It is critical that your child be the sole object of discussion (2) Use “we” language, as in: “WE all want to see the bullying end, right?” and “I know that WE all want to see her succeed this year”. Reach out to the teachers and principal and turn them into your partners. (3) Start by sharing your appreciation for something that is going well. This sets a positive mood for the whole meeting and diminishes the defensiveness that may result

from sharing a concern.

5. CHOOSE THE RIGHT ADDRESS - Teachers resent when parents go over their heads to prin-cipals and principals prefer that you not go to the Board of Directors. Equally so, principals don’t appreciate your complaints against them to their teachers and Board members don’t like being criticized to their principals. Respectful communication mandates that you try to speak directly to the source, at least as a first stop. Only move on if you tried your best but it is just not being resolved. And when you do it, tread cautiously.

6. SET UP AN APPOINTMENT - If you want to get someone’s full attention, you need to catch them at a time that they can give it to you. Make an appointment to speak, even if it is going to be on the phone. When you show respect for the teacher’s time and recognize that she has other obligations, you will not only have a more focused discussion, you will also generate greater goodwill.

7. START WITH THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION - When parents share their con-

cerns or their perception of a problem, they are essentially asking for partnership. When parents begin by demanding spe-cific solutions, they can be misunderstood as telling the teacher or principal how to run the school. Certainly you can have suggestions in mind, but wait until the other party has come to understand and appreciate the problem or has even had a chance to share their own ideas of what can be done. Remember: it’s not about getting your way, it’s about getting the job done!

8. ASK FOR A PLAN - Let the teacher or principal know early on that your goal for the meeting is a clear plan of action. Advocacy is not venting; you want to end the meeting with a viable plan in place for what is going to be done, who will do it and the timeline for it to be done. Without this, you have no guarantee that anything will change.

9. BACK OFF IF YOU NEED TO - As impor-tant as it is to recognize the need to advocate is the importance of recognizing the need to back off. If it’s not going well, step back and let it go… for today. Then go home and think about why it did not go well. Did you come across too aggressive? Did you not present the issue clearly? Or is this person unable/unwilling to listen? You may need to try again with a differ-ent approach or you may need to go to someone else. But one thing is certain. Continuing an argument will not resolve your problem and can even make it worse.

10. FOLLOW UP - Teachers and principals are very busy and very underappreciated. A fol-low up call to say thank you for taking the time to talk and to check up on the progress of whatever plan you put into place will be appreciated by everyone.

Mrs. Estee Hebel, MsED, is the General Studies Princi-pal of Shalom Torah Academy, a preschool through eighth grade day school, in Morganville, NJ. Mrs. Hebel has over 15 years of experience in education and educational leader-ship. She is also a dynamic teacher trainer who has taught a graduate course in educational research. She presents in-novative hands-on training workshops on a wide assortment of teaching methods, classroom management, motivational tecÚ iques and strategies for encouraging self-directed and higher-level learning. To learn more about her workshops or to schedule one, you can contact her at 732-536-0911x12 or [email protected].

Parenting TIPS

Mrs. Hebel’sTop Ten TipsFOR BEING YOUR CHILD’S

ADVOCATE

from sharing a concern

8pmnadda

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954-635-5509 or email to [email protected]

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