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THE JEWISH VOICE
AND OPINION
Promoting Classical Judaism
January 2007
Vol. 20 • No. 5
The Intra-Fada: Have Israeli Arabs
Joined the War against Israel?
Israeli-Arab leaders demand that Ramat Aviv revert
to its pre-1948 name “Sheikh Munis”
t the beginning of De70,000, 60 percent of whom
cember, an Israeli-Arab
today are Muslims. Neighwas arrested before he was
boring Nazareth Illit (Upper
able to execute an attack modNazareth) has a population of
eled on the 2002 Park Hotel
44,000 Israeli Jews.
Passover massacre in NetanAccording to press acya. The 17-year-old resident
counts, the Israeli-Arab teenof Nazareth allegedly planned
ager was acting on behalf of
to carry out a bombing that
the Al Aqsa Brigades, a terrorhe hoped would blow up the
ist group associated with PA
packed lobby or dining room
President Mahmoud Abbas’s
of Upper Nazareth’s Plaza
Fatah faction of the PLO.
Hotel. He told Israeli police he
It is unclear if the teenhad chosen the location due to
ager intended to be a suicide
its popularity with Israeli Jews
bomber or if he planned to
and its light security.
plant the explosives in the hoA traditionally Christiantel and detonate it remotely.
Arab city, Nazareth, located
New Wave of Terror
in Northern Israel, in the
His behavior may be
Galilee, has a population of
continued on page 48
A
Olmert Flip-Flop.... ....................... 3
Kol Ami: Holocaust Denial?.......... 4
The Current Crisis.......................... 5
Oratorio Terezin........................... 18
News from Touro......................... 22
Intern for NORPAC..................... 24
Cooking Up a Kosher Storm........ 26
Tevet/Shevat 5767
The Palestinian Intra-Fada:
Civil War with Jews in the Middle
T
he always-verbal, oftenviolent struggle between
the two major factions of
the Palestinian Authority
turned particularly bloody
last month as the body count
on both sides mounted and
leaders looked outside the
beleaguered, cash-deprived
PA territories for economic
and political support.
Dozens of Palestinians on
both sides have been shot and
killed or wounded in street
incidents that remind observers of the lawless wild west or
mobster-controlled cities.
Several attempts at
ceasefires did little to quell
the violence.
The actual differences be-
tween the Hamas and Fatah factions have more to do with style
than substance. Both are eager to
obliterate Israel, but while Hamas
favors the violent destruction of
the Jewish state, Fatah is willing
to allow diplomatic policies to
realize the same end.
Under its long-time leader, the late Yasir Arafat, Fatah
was considered secular as opposed to the blatantly Islamist
Hamas. In recent years, however, Fatah, and especially
its militias, such as the AlAqsa Martyrs Brigades, have
shown themselves every bit
as committed to Islamist extremism as are Hamas and
Islamic Jihad.
Left, a Fatah gunman loyal to PA President Mahmoud Abbas
and, right, a Hamas gunman carrying a rocket launcher face
off against one another in Gaza
Inside the Voice
Wine Appreciation 101................ 29
Iran Reichastan............................ 30
Israel’s Peril................................. 31
Israel’s Strategic Value................. 33
Simon Feil’s Passion.................... 34
The Log........................................ 40
New Classes................................. 45
Mazal Tov.................................... 47
Trial Run Bus............................... 60
Ess Gezint: Tu B’Shevat Fruitcake... 66
Index of Advertisers..................... 73
Honor the Professional................. 75
Letters to the Editor..................... 76
Walk to Shul................................. 79
Page - The Jewish Voice and Opinion
January 2007
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Tevet/Shevat 5767
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Page - Olmert Has Flip-Flopped again:
“Convergence” Is Resurrected as a New, “Softer” Saudi Plan
ast month, there were
indications that Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert’s “convergence plan,” which calls
for the unilateral withdrawal
of Israel from most of Judea
and Samaria and the expulsion of tens of thousands of
Jews from their homes and
communities, may be resurrected—this time by Saudi
Arabia.
Although Israel and
Saudi Arabia have no official
diplomatic relations, US Ambassador to Israel Richard
Jones revealed that the two
countries have been holding
high-level secret talks on the
issue of terrorism.
Denying that he had any
details on the meetings, Mr.
Jones suggested that the Olmert government is taking a
second look at the long-rejected Saudi “peace plan” proposed in 2002 at a meeting of
the Arab League in Beirut and
publicized by New York Times
columnist Tom Friedman.
“I think [the Israelis]
recognize that Saudi Arabia’s policies have evolved
in recent years and that Saudi
Arabia is now more interested, and more on the side of
peace. The Israelis are warming to that,” said Mr. Jones.
Similar Plans
Defense Minister Amir
Peretz said the Saudi plan,
which calls for Israel to surrender all the land restored to the
Jewish State in the 1967 SixDay War, could be the basis
for an agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Olmert
has made similar statements.
In return, the Saudi plan
offers recognition of the State
of Israel by Arab countries.
The only differences between the Saudi plan and Mr.
Olmert’s “convergence” map
is that the Israeli prime minister would like not to surrender heavily populated Jewish
areas such as the Jerusalem
suburbs of Neve Ya’akov and
Ma’aleh Adumim.
The original Saudi plan
called for the newly created
Palestinian state to be given
eastern Jerusalem as its capital, including the Old City
with the Temple Mount.
Weakened Israel
According to various
reports, including one by the
Qatari-based Al Jazeera, the
contacts between Israel and
Saudi Arabia began soon after Israel’s perceived defeat
in last summer’s war with
Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Mr. Olmert has publicly
praised Saudi Arabia for its
regional peace plan and for
its position opposing Iran’s
continued on page 6
THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION, Inc. ©2007; Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: Susan L. Rosenbluth Phone (201)569-2845
Managing Editor: Sharon Hes, Advertising: Rivkie Lichstein
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January 2007
Kol Ami: Holocaust Denial?
By Susan Rosenbluth
In his 1982 PhD dissertation, “The Secret Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement,” PA
President Mahmoud Abbas wrote that it was “the interest of the
Zionist movement to inflate the figure [of Holocaust deaths]
in order to gain the solidarity of international public opinion.”
Abbas, who is now being hailed as a moderate peace-maker,
claimed “many scholars,” after “debating” the issue, have concluded that “only a few hundred thousand” Jews died.
At the Open House of the new Yeshivas Ohr Yosef Torah
High School of Bergen County in Paramus, The Jewish Voice
asked prospective parents: Why has Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad been widely condemned for denying
the Holocaust, but not Abbas?
Y
It’s all political. The media wants the American public to sympathize with Abbas,
but not with the Iranians.
Debbie Caplan
New York, NY
Most people are unaware
of Abbas’s beliefs about the
Holocaust. If they knew what
he had written, they would be
just as upset at him as they
are at Ahmadinejad.
Carl Guterman
Monsey, NY
The Jews in Israel have
decided to work with Abbas
despite his views on the Holocaust, because, just like in business, it is sometimes better to
work with the devil you know
than with the devil you don’t
know. That’s just the reality.
Yehoshua Kamensky
Monsey, NY
Abbas’s doctoral dissertation is “just” an historical
event. But Ahmadinejad is
current events, and, unfortunately, that is much more
interesting to the media and
most of the public.
Daniel Schwartz
Passaic, NJ
F
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache”
ar be it from us to tell you how to plan your Sunday afternoons, but, if the emails making the rounds speak true, the
nine or ten Neturei Karta-niks in Rockland County are about to
be spammed by a “loud and legal protest” against their inglorious presence at the Iranian Holocaust Deniers Confab last month.
The rally organizers are aptly calling it “Operation Screwball.”
On Sunday, Jan. 7, at 1pm, the organizers are inviting everyone—but especially those who favor black hats (so don’t
hesitate to put one on)—to rally with them in front of Neturei
Karta headquarters in Monsey. You can get not only that address, but also the home addresses and phone numbers of all
the Neturei Kartna-niks who snuggled up to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The organizers have listed them on their website,
www.e-agle.com/nk/
And who are the organizers? It’s our bet they’re probably
other hareidim who are just furious with the Neturei Karta-niks
for making all those with black hats and beards (to say nothing
of those who live in Brooklyn or Monsey) look awful. It’s one
thing to vilify Israel, we guess, and quite another to play pupik
with those who believe Hitler didn’t murder Jews, but should
have. Ahmadinejad’s motto seems to be: the Holocaust didn’t
happen and we’re going to stage another one just as soon as
possible. Adolf Hitler, call your office.
***
He may not be a Holocaust denier, but Don Imus and his
staff would probably feel right at home reading Der Stürmer and
cozying up to the crew in Iran. At the beginning of December,
Imus engaged in some banter on his program about some singers
he wanted to bring on (“The Blind Boys of Alabama”) against the
better judgment of his station supervisors, whom Imus referred to
as “the Jewish management at whoever we work for.”
The show’s executive producer, a regular on the show, then
said, regarding first the supervisors and then the Blind Boys,
“Even if you wear a beanie, how can you not love these guys?”
Imus’s co-host, Larry Kenney, who had just finished doing his
impersonation of the Rev Jerry Falwell, suggested, “They probably were trying to push a more Semitic group on you. I don’t know,
maybe the Paralyzed Putzes of Poland, or something like that.”
“You can’t believe what goes on behind the scenes, at least with
me with these people. And fortunately, I don’t care,” said Imus.
We don’t either, Don, but we wish the guys who wear
“beanies” at WFAN, who produce the morning show, and MSNBC, who simulcast it, did.
***
The Conservative movement, which just gave its hechsher
to openly homosexual rabbis, is now toying with the idea of
telling the poor benighted Orthodox community that its current
level of kashruth supervision is, well, treif. The Conservatives
want to establish their own “tsedek hechsher” to make sure
food meets standards of “social responsibility,” particularly in
the area of workers’ rights. The Conservatives are not pretending to know whether the food is kosher according to traditional
kashruth standards, so any product they certify will probably
have to bear a “real” hechsher as well. The question is: If pig
farmers treat their animals humanely and pay their workers
minimum wage, can chaza feeselech have the Conservative
rabbis’ hechsher? Makes as much sense as ordaining an openly
homosexual rabbi.
S.L.R.
Flip-Flopping
nuclear development program. The Israeli prime minister said he admired Saudi
King Abdullah’s “wisdom
and sense of responsibility”
and his efforts in the region
“both those made publicly
and others as well.”
When asked by Yediot
Achronot if he had met with
senior Saudi officials, Mr. Olmert said only, “I don’t have
to answer every question.”
The Saudis on the other
hand flatly denied meeting
with Israeli officials.
“Softer” Plan
There is some speculation that the Saudis are trying
to create a “softer” version
of their plan, which might be
acceptable to the PA’s Hamas
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Jordanian sources told
Ha’aretz new elements include an Israeli withdrawal to
“temporary lines” and a Palestinian five-year ceasefire,
January 2007
continued from page 3
during which the two
sides would carry
out negotiations and
engage in economic
cooperation.
The
original
Saudi plan called
for Israel to grant all
Arabs who left their
homes in 1948 and
1967, as well as their
descendants, a “right
of return.” The result
would mean millions
of Arabs flooding Israel, ending its status
as a Jewish state.
Neither the Fatah nor Hamas branch of the
PA has relinquished that “right
of return,” and it is unclear if
any new Saudi proposal will
in any way “soften” that part
of its plan as well.
No “Right of Return”
Mr. Olmert has not given
any indication that he now
plans to accept the Palestin-
ian “right of return.”
In a recent policy speech
which angered not only members of the right in Israel, but
also his own Kadima party, Mr.
Olmert promised the Palestinians that in exchange for an end
to terrorism, the establishment
of a government that will recognize Israel, and the release of
kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad
Shalit, he would be ready to
grant the PA a contiguous and
independent state on the West
Bank and Gaza, the release
of “many” terrorists currently
incarcerated in Israeli prisons,
and the “evacuation of many
territories and [Jewish] communities that were established
therein.”
To get this, Mr. Olmert
said, the Palestinians would
have to relinquish their demand for the “right of return.”
That was a deal breaker.
“We reject any deal that
does not recognize the right
of return,” said the Damascusbased Hamas deputy leader
Moussa Abu Marzouk. “The
Palestinian people will never
give up this sacred right. Our
people have been fighting for
58 years to achieve the right of
return for all those who were
expelled from their homeland.”
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Razi Hamad accused
Mr. Olmert of “trying to bypass the core of the Palestinian cause, namely the right of
return for the refugees.”
Common Enemies
Analysts say there are
reasons, in addition to his
speech, to believe Mr. Olmert
is considering the Saudi plan,
which can be seen as an extension of his own convergence
plan with the added benefit of
it not being unilateral.
Just recently, Saudi and
US defense officials, including
Vice President Richard Cheney,
met for the most comprehensive
talks the two countries have
had together in years. The discussion reportedly centered on
the growing threat from Iran’s
rapidly developing offensive
power and concerns about
the international Al Qaeda
terrorist organization, issues
that worry Israel as well.
Last month, Saudi officials publicly launched a
campaign that is purportedly
geared to teaching children
the dangers of terrorism. The
kingdom’s education department said it is trying to combat the culture of terrorism
that tries to engage young
children in martyrdom activities.
Party of Withdrawal
Before 2005, Mr. Olmert
was a member of the rightwing Likud party. Then he
veered left and joined former
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s
Kadima Party, which was
formed for the sole purpose
of supporting Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza
in 2005. Under Mr. Olmert,
Kadima is now the party that
supports withdrawal from
Judea and Samaria.
Last month, 200 residents of the Samarian community of Migron, located
near Beit El and Psagot, were
continued on page http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - Page - The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Flip-Flopping
January 2007
told that they will be expelled forcibly
from their homes unless they reach a
“voluntary evacuation” agreement with
the Olmert government.
Peace Now, the radical left-wing
group dedicated to ending Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria, brought the
issue of Migron to court, claiming it was
built on private Arab land. The land is
officially listed that way, but, residents
say, before Peace Now sought the Arabs
out and encouraged them to make their
claims, they had not done so.
“Restraint”
The prime minister has come under
continuous political attack, including
strong calls for his immediate resignation, not only from the right, but increasingly from the center as well, for his
perceived mismanagement of the war in
Lebanon last summer and his insistence
on a policy of “restraint” regarding a
ceasefire with Palestinians in Gaza. It is
estimated that since the ceasefire went
into effect on November 26, more than
60 Qassams—an average of two each
day—have fallen in Sderot and other Negev communities bordering Gaza.
Most of the mortars, which are usually timed to land just when children are
going to school, have caused a great deal
of material damage, but few casualties
beyond shock and panic.
But on Tuesday, December 26, a
Qassam that landed in Sderot seriously
wounded two 14-year-old boys when
the rocket hit their residential building.
It had been the seventh rocket fired that
day, one of which had landed near a
strategic site in the southern port town
of Ashkelon. The other rocket attacks
caused no casualties.
“Pinpoint”
In response to the attack on the boys,
Mr. Olmert agreed to allow the IDF to
conduct “pinpoint operations” against
Qassam launching cells, which means
soldiers can take action against specific
terrorists when they are detected.
Military sources said the new policy
would not even help reduce the number
of rockets fired at western Negev communities, let alone stop them.
“Pinpoint operations are a step in the
right direction, but really only partially.
Security forces must be allowed to control the area in a more effective manner,”
said Maj-Gen (ret) Yiftah Ron-Tal.
Mr. Ron-Tal warned that it is extremely difficult to spot terrorists in the act of
launching rockets and almost impossible
to attack them once they are identified.
Like other senior IDF officers, Mr.
Ron-Tal criticized Mr. Olmert for turning down a proposal to allow Israeli
forces to cross the Gaza border and create a security buffer zone.
Helping Hamas
Labor MK Danny Yatom, a former
head of the Mossad intelligence agency
and a candidate to lead the Labor party,
also called for an end to government
restraint. He said Israel must respond
sharply to the terrorists to ensure that
they have a reason not to violate any future ceasefires.
Even Mr. Peretz, leader of the leftwing Labor Party, said it was uncertain
that preventing the IDF from operating
against the Qassams was actually “working to the benefit of the moderates.”
The head of Israel’s Military Intelligence research division, Yossi Beidetz,
told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas is benefiting from the ceasefire.
“They are continuing to smuggle,
dig tunnels, and exercise military maneuvers learned from Hezbollah. They
are bolstering their ground defense systems, and they are getting help from Syria and Iran with their military plans. If
this continues, we have to consider what
the situation on the ground will look like
in a year,” he said.
Brig-Gen Sami Turjeman agreed,
telling the committee that, in another
few months, the IDF will have to deal
“with military capabilities of the terror
organizations that we haven’t been familiar with until now, especially in the
realm of anti-tank missiles.”
Preventing Unity
Mr. Olmert argued that a military response to the rockets could unite the warring Hamas and Fatah factions against
Israel. He also pointed out that the 60
rockets that have fallen in the month
since the ceasefire was announced, is less
than the 250 rockets that were launched
the month before.
Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin said Islamic Jihad and renegade Fatah factions
were the groups responsible for most of
the Qassam rocket fire and that while
members of Hamas were not launching
the mortars, the Hamas government was
unlikely to try to stop them.
According to reports in the Israeli
press, the groups firing the rockets have
another motive besides hatred of Israel.
Israeli intelligence sources say Hezbollah
troops are smuggling Iranian cash into
Gaza which is then offered to terrorists
directly, on an attack-by-attack basis.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Hezbollah is paying “thousands of dollars”
for each Qassam rocket fired at Israel.
“Sometimes they are paid before the
attack and sometimes they submit a bill
to Lebanon afterwards and the money
gets transferred a short while later,” a security official told the Post.
Letting Them Through
In addition to the problems with
terrorism from Gaza, there have been
scores of other terrorist incidents in
Judea and Samaria, most of which have
gone almost unreported in the media.
These range from stone throwing to
stabbings and shootings. Dozens of Jews
have been injured.
Nevertheless, as a concession to
PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Mr. Ol-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
mert was initially willing to eliminate 57
checkpoints (some reports say the number was closer to 400) through which
Palestinians in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza
were compelled to pass. Eventually Mr.
Olmert settled on easing inspections at
16 checkpoints and completely eliminating 27 roadblocks.
Israelis admit that the roadblocks
make life uncomfortable for the Palestinians, most of whom are not terrorists,
but, according to the IDF, 60 percent of
all would-be suicide bombers are stopped
at checkpoints. The military identifies
these roadblocks as one of the country’s
chief defenses against terror.
Page - Checkpoints Work
Dozens of Palestinians trying to
enter Israel with knives and explosives
have been arrested at the checkpoints,
thwarting their terrorist intentions.
Two weeks before Mr. Olmert ordered the checkpoints dismantled, a terrorist cell was caught with a large supply
of explosives as its members attempted
to cross the Eyn Bidan checkpoint just
east of Shechem (Nablus). According to
Arutz 7, when that checkpoint was removed briefly nine months ago, a terrorist passed through and later, dressed as
a religious Jewish hitchhiker, murdered
Page - 10
Flip-Flopping
four Israelis. The checkpoint
was re-established, but now
will be removed again.
“The checkpoints work.
It’s that simple. It’s how we stop
terrorism,” said deputy Chief of
Staff Moshe Kaplinsky.
The strong disapproval
expressed by the military
prompted analyst Aaron
Lerner of the IMRA news
agency to suggest Mr. Olmert
might be guilty of “reckless
endangerment.”
Cash and Arms
Other concessions made
by Mr. Olmert include the
transfer of $100 million in frozen PA taxes, the transfer of
more than $7 million to Palestinian-run hospitals in Jerusalem, and permission for Egypt
and Jordan to provide Mr. Abbas’s forces with weapons for
Fatah’s struggle with Hamas.
After Egypt, with Israel’s
permission, transferred 2,000
Kalashnikov rifles, 20,000
rounds of ammunition, and
2 million bullets to Fatah
through the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC),
another terrorist group which
cooperates with Hamas, said
those arms would be used
against Israel.
“We vow to show the
Israelis very soon the weapons they lately channeled to
[Fatah forces] will be directed against the occupation,”
January 2007
continued from page said Muhammed Abdel Al, a
spokesman for the PRC.
Turned on Jews
According to Mr. Al, all
PA security services, including those supposedly loyal to
Mr. Abbas, include “activists
affiliated with all the Palestinian groups, including ours
and Hamas.”
“At least a third of the
workforce in the security apparatuses are affiliated with
the resistance movements,”
he said, adding that members
of the security services have
also sold weapons to Palestinian terror groups.
Israel’s past experience
points to the accuracy of
Mr. Al’s statements. “Israeli
soldiers and citizens will be
killed by these weapons,”
predicted Likud MK Yuval
Shteinitz, former chairman of
the Knesset Foreign Affairs
and Defense Committee.
Prisoner Exchange
During his first meeting
with Mr. Abbas, Mr. Olmert
stuck to the original Israeli
demand that captured IDF
soldier Gilad Shalit, held
since June 25 by several Palestinian militant groups in
Gaza, would have to be released before any Palestinian
terrorists held in Israeli prisons would be freed.
But by the end of December, Mr. Olmert was discussing the release of some
prisoners as a gesture to Mr.
Abbas, even before Mr. Shalit
was let go. A cabinet source
told Reuters Mr. Olmert had
said, “The time has come for
flexibility and generosity, and
Israeli policy could be different than what has been said in
past meetings.”
Part of that flexibility
seems to be a willingness to
release Palestinian terrorists
who have been responsible
for violence against Jews,
those whom Israelis say
“have blood on their hands.”
Mr. Abbas wants all
11,000 Palestinian prisoners
incarcerated by Israel to be released. Mr. Olmert is reportedly considering releasing 1500.
Bethlehem
Mr. Olmert has also committed Israel to convening a
joint committee to discuss
allowing the terrorists who
laid siege to Bethlehem and
the Church of the Nativity in
2002 to return to the PA.
In that incident, for more
than 30 days, some 150 Fatah
terrorists held an equal number of Christian clergymen
hostage, trashed the church
and its holy books, and, in the
words of one of the victims,
“stole everything.”
To the great relief of
Bethlehem’s Christian community, 13 of the ringleaders
of the siege were deported to
Cyprus and then dispersed to
European countries. Twentysix were sent to Gaza.
Now Mr. Olmert seems
intent on allowing them to
return, as a way of boosting
Mr. Abbas’s popularity.
Judea and Samaria
Another issue on which
Mr. Olmert has wobbled is
the Palestinian demand that
Israel extend the ceasefire
to Judea and Samaria. Originally, Mr. Olmert told Mr.
Abbas the Palestinians must
first demonstrate an ability to
uphold the truce in Gaza.
Then Mr. Olmert issued instructions that, even
in Judea and Samaria, IDF
soldiers were to “moderate”
their activity.
The security establishment
said the new policy would endanger Israeli citizens.
“Collaborating”
Many Israelis, but especially residents of Sderot,
have reacted with outrage
to Mr. Olmert’s concessions. National Union MK
Dr. Aryeh Eldad accused the
prime minister of “collaborating,” and his NU colleague,
MK Tzvi Hendel called Mr.
Olmert “disgusting.”
Dr. Eldad said that by
giving money to the PA while
the Palestinian government
held a kidnapped Israeli soldier and allowed rockets to
be fired at Israel, Mr. Olmert
was “ in violation of the law
banning the funding of terrorism, and is collaborating
with Israel’s enemies.”
Mr. Hendel said he had
“no expectations from a man
who is so devoid of morality
that in the middle of a terrorism war, and amidst threats
of murderous terrorism from
every direction, he is not
embarrassed to promise the
enemy the expulsion of the
Jewish residents and the establishment of a terror state.”
Looking for Ways
The Almagor organization, which represents victims of Arab terror attacks,
announced that it will present
a petition to the High Court
against the plan to transfer
the tax funds.
“Olmert has no way to
ensure that the money will
not reach Hamas,” said Meir
Indor, the leader of Almagor.
Asked how Mr. Olmert
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 11
Page - 12
Flip-Flopping
January 2007
would prevent the funds from helping
Hamas, his spokeswoman, Miri Eisen,
was vague. “The money itself will not
be transferred to the Hamas-led government, and right now we are looking for
the right way to be able to transfer the
money for different humanitarian issues,” she said.
Recognizing the Flag
When Messrs Olmert and Abbas met
at the prime minister’s official residence
in Jerusalem on December 23, the two
shook hands and kissed each other on
the cheek. They took seats opposite each
other at a long table set for a meal with Is-
raeli and Palestinian flags as centerpieces.
It was the first time an Israeli prime minister had recognized the flag of Palestine.
After the meeting, Mr. Olmert’s office
issued a statement saying they had met “in
a good and friendly atmosphere” and had
“expressed their willingness to cooperate—as genuine partners—in an effort to
advance the peace process between Israel
and the PA and to reach a solution of two
states living side by side in peace and security, according to the Road Map.”
Mr. Olmert has described Mr. Abbas
as “an adversary” with whom Israel can
do “business.” The concessions, Mr. Ol-
mert said, were necessary to strengthen
Mr. Abbas so that he can fight Hamas
and make peace with Israel.
Bowing to Pressure
Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline
Glick disagreed, saying if Mr. Abbas
were really interested in peace, he would
be asking Israel to do whatever possible
to escalate the fight against terrorism.
“He would prefer that [terrorists] rot
in jail and not be released to enjoy the
freedom to kill again. In other words, if
Abbas were interested in peace he would
be doing precisely the opposite of what
he is doing,” she said.
She accused Mr. Olmert of bowing
to pressure from the Bush administration, which has demonstrated its interest
in having Israel make concessions to Mr.
Abbas while avoiding discussions with
Syria, which the US is seeking to isolate.
No Concessions
Mr. Olmert’s concessions have been
dismissed by the PA’s Hamas government as worthless.
PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zafar, a member of Hamas, told students at
the Islamic University in Gaza that the
solution to the conflict is not the creation
of a Palestinian state, as formulated by the
Saudi plan, in the territories won by Israel
in 1967, but rather the “total liberation of
all Palestinian lands,” a popular Arab euphemism for all of the State of Israel.
Referring to Mr. Olmert, Mr. Zahar
said even Israelis have begun to question
whether Israel will continue to exist in
the next few decades.
A Religious Battle
Mr. Zahar’s Hamas colleague, PA
Deputy Director for Religious Affairs
Salah Alrakab told the students that Islam forbids signing a peace agreement
with Jews, because “the conflict with
Jews is a religious, existential struggle
and is not a conflict over borders.”
The Jews, he said, have no claim to
the land of Israel except the Torah, and
that, he continued, “has already been
proven to be a forgery.”
He said liberation of the land will
be accomplished only by jihad and the
“general mobilization of the Islamic nation,” which, he said, is the shortest way
to restore Palestinian rights and “shrink
the greed of the Jews.”
S.L.R.
Palestinian Intra-Fada
Red Lines
Some are calling the all-but-civilwar violence between Hamas and Fatah
“the intra-fada.”
While some Palestinians have bristled
at the thought that Israel is secretly enjoying the Arabs’ bloodletting among themselves, many Israeli officials believe the
Hamas-Fatah strife could result in a major
escalation of anti-Israel terror attacks.
“When the Palestinians fight among
themselves, their way out is always to
just join forces and fight against their
common enemy—Israel,” said a senior
security adviser to Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz.
Iranian Support
Hamas, which has long been supported by Iran and Syria, further entrenched
itself in that axis last month during visits
to Damascus and Teheran by Hamas’s PA
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
According to Iranian media, during
his four-day visit to Iran, Mr. Haniyeh
promised his hosts he would not bow to
pressure to recognize Israel and would
continue fighting against the Jewish state.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahma-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 13
dinejad showed his pleasure by promising the Hamas government financial,
military, and moral support. He advised
Hamas to “lower its profile and calm
the situation” because “in four months,
we’re going to issue a statement that will
dramatically change the strategic balance in the Middle East.”
According to Israeli intelligence,
the Iranians have promised to make an
“important announcement,” at the next
Persian new year, which begins the third
week in March 2007.
Shiite Messiah
Most analysts believed the announcement would have something to
do with Iran’s plans to develop nuclear
weapons. It now seems the announcement may relate to a triumphant religious prophecy, currently appearing on
an Iranian official state media website,
heralding the return of the Shiite messiah
during the spring equinox.
According to that website as well as
another from the Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting (IRIB) company, Imam Mahdi will appear “all of a sudden” in Mecca
where he will form an army 10,000 strong,
to defeat Islam’s enemies in a series of
apocalyptic battles. Finally, the Mahdi will
overcome his archenemy in Jerusalem, “the
Islamic holy city in Palestine that is currently under occupation of the Zionists.”
According to the IRIB, the Mahdi, a
descendant of the Prophet Mohammed,
will reappear on earth with “the Prophet
Jesus, who will act as his lieutenant in
the struggle against oppression and establishment of justice in the world.”
Aid Boycott
Because Hamas, which won control
of the PA parliament in elections last January, has refused to pay even nuanced lip
service to the so-called Road Map composed by the US, Russia, the European
Union (EU), and the UN, its PA government is viewed as openly terrorist and
has not received funding or foreign aid
from the Western powers.
The international aid boycott has
kept Hamas from paying the salaries
of 165,000 civil employees, including
about 80,000 members of the security
forces, 40,000 teachers, and some 15,000
health care workers. Doctors and nurses
Page - 14
have been on and off strike
for weeks.
Whenever there has
been money, Hamas has paid
its own militia, the so-called
“Executive Force,” while
neglecting members of the
regular security forces, many
of whom are loyal to Fatah
leader Mahnoud Abbas, who
serves as the elected PA president.
Promised Aid
Mr. Haniyeh is hoping to
make up for the loss of Western
funds with support from Iran and
Syria. According to the Hamas
website, Iran has promised the
Hamas government $250 million in aid for a number of projects, including salaries.
According a report in
Ha’aretz, the decision by Hamas
to take funds from Iran was
made comparatively recently.
Last July, Hamas officials debated the issue, recognizing that,
if they agreed to solicit and accept Iranian aid, the US would
view Hamas as associated with
the “axis of evil.” Hamas would
also be duty-bound to accept advice from Iran.
“It has become clear that
Hamas has left principles
aside and has concentrated on
the money,” said Ha’aretz.
In Qatar, Mr. Haniyeh
received a promise that he
would receive $22 million
to pay the salaries of teach-
January 2007
ers and 11,000 employees of
the health ministry, as well as
funding for projects, such as
the establishment of an Islamic bank with an initial capital
of $50 million; a Palestinian
“sports city,” and a project
called “The Islamic Religious
Endowment of Jerusalem,”
which would allot $7 million
per month to residents of “occupied Jerusalem.”
Even the US and EU
have managed to provide
hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for the Palestinians, delivered by non-governmental organizations and
other groups that bypass the
Hamas government.
Western Support
Mr. Abbas and Fatah, by
contrast, are now openly supported by the US and EU as
well as by purportedly proWestern Arab states such as
Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi
Arabia. Now added to that list
is Israel, under the left-wing
Kadima government run by
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Mr. Abbas, who served as
Prime Minister of the PA under
Mr. Arafat, has publicly accepted the Road Map, but has done
virtually nothing to implement
any of its requirements, including stopping pro-terrorism propaganda in the PA media and
disarming terrorists.
Mr. Abbas’s Western
supporters and apologists excuse his inaction by pointing
to his increasingly weak position politically among residents of the PA, especially
since the death of Mr. Arafat.
Mr. Abbas’s pro-Israel critics point out that his Fatah organization’s bloody battles against
Hamas in Gaza show that the PA
president is not weak at all.
“When he wishes to confront Hamas, he is more than
capable of doing so. The reason peace has eluded us is not
because Abbas is weak but because he doesn’t want peace
with Israel. He will battle
Hamas to enhance his power,
but not to secure chances of
peace with Israel. Far from
the key to ending the Palestinian jihad against Israel, Abbas
is part of the problem,” said
Jerusalem Post columnist
Caroline Glick.
Anti-Terrorism Act
Nevertheless, US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice has announced that she
will be requesting tens of
millions of dollars from Congress to further arm and train
militias loyal to Mr. Abbas.
British Prime Minister Tony
Blair has called on the international community to empower Mr. Abbas by funding
him and arming his troops.
On Thursday, December
22, US President George Bush
signed the Palestinian AntiTerrorism Act, which had
been passed by both houses of
Congress. It forbids direct aid
to the PA as long as it is run by
Hamas, but it specifically permits funding to Mr. Abbas.
The bill creates a $20 million fund to promote democracy, human rights, freedom of
the press, and peace between
Israel and the Palestinians.
Following a Pattern
More than one observer
has noted that the in-fighting
between Hamas and Fatah is
similar to the budding civil
wars between different Muslim factions in Iraq and Lebanon. But whereas in those
countries the battles are between Sunni and Shiite factions, in the PA, both Hamas
and Fatah are Sunni.
Israel’s defense establishment has not ruled out the possibility that Hamas might use
the current situation as an excuse to “cleanse” Gaza of Fatah officials and supporters in
order to establish an independent radical Islamist government without any connection
to Mr. Abbas or his Mukata
headquarters in Ramallah.
Some say this is not as
far-fetched as it sounds. Since
the beginning of the Oslo
intifada in 2000, the West
Bank and Gaza have become
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 15
Page - 16
almost completely severed,
turning into two quasi-separate political entities: Judea
and Samaria controlled by
Fatah, and Gaza by Hamas.
Prisoners’ Document
On the political side,
Mr. Abbas has been trying
for months to persuade Mr.
Haniyeh to join with him in
a national unity government,
which would allow Western
economic support to start flowing again. The only stipulation
is that Hamas would have to
agree, at least in principle, to
a two-state solution with Israel (which means recognizing
Israel, even if only temporarily) and to forswear violence
against the Jewish state.
Fatah has asked Hamas
to accept the so-called Prisoners’ Document, a plan devised by Palestinians serving
sentences in Israeli jails for
having engaged in terrorist attacks. The prisoners demand
January 2007
that Israel expel more than
500,000 Jews from Judea,
Samaria, the Golan Heights,
and eastern Jerusalem, including the Old City and the
Temple Mount; remove the
billion-dollar security fence;
and repatriate not only the newly created Jewish refugees but
also all Arabs who left Israel in
1948 and their relatives.
Israel would also have
to “liberate” all Palestinian
prisoners who have murdered
and maimed Jews.
Writing for Arutz 7, Ezra
HaLevi and Hana Levi Julian
pointed out that the Prisoners’
Document is simply a restatement of the so-called PLO
“phased plan” which was adopted at the 12th session of the
Palestinian National Council
in Cairo in 1974. It calls for
the PLO to work towards attaining statehood on parts of
Israel and then using those areas as bases for further attacks
until an all-out war to destroy
Israel becomes possible.
The Prisoners’ Document
recognizes its basis in the
“phased plan,” referring to it
as “the Cairo Declaration.”
Same Result
Thus far, Hamas has rejected the Prisoners’ Document, even though its demands, if followed, would
certainly lead to the demise
of the Jewish state. Fatah has
steadfastly insisted that, in
any peace agreement, Israel
would have to recognize the
“right of return” of millions
of Palestinian refugees and
their descendants to take possession of the homes and villages they abandoned in 1948
and 1967. Even if all terrorist
violence ceased, this alone
would spell the end of Israel’s
identity as a Jewish state.
Hamas’s objections to
the Prisoners’ Document are
its calls for negotiations with
Israel, its ambiguity on the
need for Israel’s demise, and
its suggestion that Palestine be
built “with nationalism and democracy as the basic features.”
Hamas refuses to recognize
any goal other than “Islamic
liberation of occupied Muslim
land and the re-establishment
of the Caliphate.”
But even when Mr. Abbas
agreed to delete the references
to nationalism and democracy,
Hamas refused to accept the
document. Like Mr. Abbas’s
supporters in the West, including members of Mr. Olmert’s
government in Israel, Hamas
maintains that the Prisoners’
Document “implicitly” recognizes Israel because it calls for
an end to violence against Jews
inside the so-called “Green
Line,” the pre-1967 borders.
According to the Prisoners’ Document, Jews outside
the “Green Line” in Judea,
Samaria, eastern Jerusalem,
and on the Golan would
still be fair game for terrorists. Jews inside the “Green
Line” would have to absorb
millions of Arabs exercising
their “right of return.”
Mr. Haniyeh has made
clear that he and Hamas not
only reject Israel’s right to
exist, they support its destruction by terrorism.
Mr. Haniyeh told Mr.
Abbas he would welcome
the formation of a national
unity government with Fatah
if its purpose was “to foil the
American-Zionist plot.”
Hudna
In what may have been a
sop to Mr. Abbas, Mr. Haniyeh said Hamas was prepared
not to negotiate with Israel, but
to enter into a 40-year hudna,
or temporary truce, if Israel
would leave all of Judea and
Samaria, including Jerusalem,
and allow all Palestinian refugees and their descendants to
return to their former homes
in Israel proper.
Before the Israelis could
react, Mr. Abbas rejected the
proposal, explaining that he
“is against a state with temporary borders.”
Similarly, according to
Hamas’s English website,
Mr. Haniyeh turned down an
American proposal to form a
Palestinian state with temporary borders within two years.
“Washington
should
recognize the Palestinian
people’s legitimate rights
including establishment of a
fully-sovereign Palestinian
state with Jerusalem as its
capital, release of all prisoners, and return of refugees,”
said Mr. Haniyeh.
New Elections
The violence between
Hamas and Fatah increased
last month after it became
clear that Mr. Abbas would
be calling for new elections.
While the US and the
Olmert government have en-
dorsed the call for new elections as a way to reinstate a
PA government amenable
to negotiations with Israel,
Hamas views the proposed
elections for president and
parliament as an attempt to
turn back the clock on their
electoral victory last year.
Maintaining that the call
is illegal and tantamount to
a coup, Hamas said it would
boycott any new elections,
which would render them
meaningless.
Mr. Haniyeh said Hamas
did not fear being left out of a
“puppet government” Mr. Abbas would try to install. “Hamas
leaders prefer martyrs’ deaths to
cabinet portfolios,” he said.
“War on Allah”
Hamas’s parliamentary
chairman, Dr. Khaled AlHaya, said that in calling for
new elections, Mr. Abbas
had declared war not only on
Hamas, but also on Allah.
This is a common mantra
heard among Hamas members and supporters. They believe it was Allah’s will that
Ariel Sharon had a stroke and
that Mr. Olmert replaced him,
because, they say, Mr. Olmert
allowed what Mr. Sharon
never would have permitted:
elections in which Palestinians residents in Jerusalem
were allowed to participate.
According to this belief,
if there had been no elections
in Jerusalem, there would have
been no elections at all, and then
Hamas would not have won.
The gist, they say, is that Allah
wanted a Hamas victory and
anyone who now acts against
the Hamas government is going
against the will of Allah.
Drafted Candidate
PA Foreign Minister
Mahmoud Zahar, also a
member of Hamas, said he
would support new elections,
but only for PA president to
replace Mr. Abbas.
“If he has tired of the
Tevet/Shevat 5767
presidency and leadership,
Abbas can step aside and
hold new presidential elections,” said Mr. Zahar.
In fact, since his election
to a four-year term in 2005,
following the death of Mr.
Arafat, Mr. Abbas, 71, has repeatedly stated that he would
not seek another term. But
Fatah legislator Nabil Shaath,
who serves as a member of the
Fatah Central Committee, said
the party will draft Mr. Abbas
as chairman and presidential
candidate, if, in fact, new elections are actually held.
Possibly to retaliate for the
unpleasant remarks made about
Mr. Abbas and new elections,
Fatah gunmen targeted Mr.
Zahar’s convoy on the streets
of Gaza City as it was leaving
his office. While Mr. Zahar escaped without injury, one of his
bodyguards was wounded.
A few hours later, Hamas
gunmen attacked Mr. Abbas’s
Gaza City home. The PA
president was not at home.
Page - 17
Illegal Election?
Undeterred, Mr. Abbas insisted that, as president, he has
the constitutional right to call
for new elections. “I can do it
whenever I want. The dismissal of the government is not a
declaration of civil war. They
don’t scare us,” he said.
Most Palestinian legal experts agree with Hamas, that
Mr. Abbas can legally dismiss
only himself. The precedent
for this, they said, were the
elections held after Mr. Arafat, who had been president,
died. Those elections were
held for the presidency only,
which Mr. Abbas won. Parliamentary elections, which
Hamas won by a large majority, took place a year later.
Mr. Abbas’s supporters
argue that because Palestinian law does not explicitly
prohibit the president from
ordering an early vote, he has
the right to do so.
No Date
Page - 18
F
January 2007
Oratorio Terezin: Something Beautiful from the Horror
ifteen thousand Jewish
children passed through
the gates of Terezin Concentration Camp during World
War II. Of these, only about
100 survived. But from this
horror,
British-Canadian
composer Ruth Fazal has
created something beautiful:
Oratorio Terezín, a powerful
work for large orchestra, chorus, and soloists that commemorates and celebrates the
lives of these children.
The work weaves together children’s poetry (that
miraculously survived the
ghetto of Terezin and has
been published in a book
titled “I Never Saw Another
Butterfly”) with passages
from the Hebrew scriptures.
Oratorio Terezin will
have its US premiere on
Wednesday, February 7,
2007, at 8 pm at the Tilles
Center for the Performing Arts (on the C. W. Post
campus of Long Island University in Brookville, New
York) and in Carnegie Hall’s
Isaac Stern Auditorium (57th
Street and Seventh Avenue)
on Thursday, February 8,
2007, at 8 pm.
Hope and Affirmation
This life-affirming work
juxtaposes children’s and
adult’s voices against the backdrop of the symphony orchestra. Through various abstract
voices, including the Divine,
the Prophet, and the Voice of
Suffering, feelings of fear and
abandonment are conquered
by expressions of hope and the
affirmation of life.
The young singers’
There is no date for the
proposed new elections. That
will require the Palestinian election committee to determine
how long it will take to prepare
for balloting. According to Mr.
Abbas’s chief of staff, Saeb Erekat, the bureaucracy will make
it impossible to hold elections
before mid-2007.
That delay works to
make Mr. Abbas appear
weak. In addition, there are
indications that the Fatah
Central Committee does not
want early elections because
preparation for the concerts
has been not only musical,
but has also included Holocaust education and cultural
awareness and exchange.
Ever since its world premier
in November 2003 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, this
work has been accomplishing Ms. Fazal’s mission: to
bring together people of all
ages from around the world
in mutual understanding.
Some of the survivors
of Terezín whose poetry
was published in “I Never
Saw Another Butterfly,” are
expected to attend the New
York performances.
“Model Jewish Town”
In 1941, the small town
of Terezín, located northwest
of Prague in Czechoslovakia,
was converted by the Nazis
it fears the party’s chances of
gaining a majority of the parliament are thin and that Mr.
Abbas will even have trouble
holding onto the presidency
against Mr. Haniyeh.
IDF intelligence sources
believe the two factions will
eventually agree to new elections, primarily because, according to polls, 61 percent
of the Palestinian people
would welcome them.
But that does not mean
they have tired of Hamas and
now want Fatah. Many ob-
servers—as well as Hamas
spokesmen—insist that, in
new elections, Hamas may win
by a bigger margin than the terrorist group enjoyed a year ago.
According to Israel’s Shin
Bet chief Yuval Diskin, Fatah’s
chances of winning the election would be close to zero.
According to polls, the
most popular Fatah candidate is
Marwan Barghouti, who is currently serving five life terms in
an Israeli prison for his role in
murdering more than 30 Jews
during the Oslo intifada.
into a transit concentration
camp for Jews. Their goal was
to present Terezín (formerly
known as Theresienstadt) to
the outside world as a “model
Jewish settlement” – a resortlike atmosphere with stores,
a café, bank, kindergarten,
school, and flower gardens.
It was all propaganda.
In reality, Terezín was an
overcrowded way-station to
the death camps. The transports arrived regularly and
took both adults and children
to the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Many died in Terezin
itself, as overcrowding bred
untold misery and disease.
Many of those kept as
prisoners in Terezin were musicians, writers, poets, artists,
and intellectuals. Even in the
Campaign Tactics
Mr. Abbas’s chief campaign tactic will be to tempt
Palestinian voters with promises that a Fatah election victory would mean Western financial aid to pay salaries.
Mr. Haniyeh is clearing
hoping Iranian funds will
rescue Hamas, allowing salaries to be paid without Western aid. But even Iran’s $250
million—if in fact it is ever
released—will not suffice to
cover a deficit totaling hun-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 19
Page - 20
Terezin
January 2007
horror of their situation, their
creativity could not be stifled;
they and their children used
art to transcend the pain.
From 1941 to 1944, over
15,000 children were numbered among thousands of
Jews who were held captive in
Terezín. While regular schooling was prohibited, classes
were held clandestinely, and
the children were encouraged
to paint and write.
Love Song
In the summer of 1998,
Ms. Fazal, the daughter of
an Anglican vicar, was given
“I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” a collection of poetry
and art by children from the
Terezin concentration camp
from 1941 to 1943.
Inspired by the book, she
says she felt compelled to memorialize “the children’s naiveté and hope, beautiful in contrast to the awful suffering.”
“I created Oratorio Terezín
as a love song of hope, in the
midst of darkness,” she says.
Classical Training
Born and educated in
England, Ms. Fazal began
her musical studies on the piano and violin. She received
a scholarship to study the violin and composition at Dartington College of Arts, and,
from there, went on to study
the violin at the Guildhall
School of Music in London.
After graduating with
honors from the Guildhall, Ms.
Fazal won a French Government Scholarship to study violin
in Paris with Nell Gotkovsky.
Since arriving in Toronto
in 1975, Ms. Fazal has performed with all the major orchestras in the city including
the Toronto Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, and the
National Ballet, as well as being actively involved in many
chamber music ensembles.
She has frequently performed
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on CBC Radio and currently
serves as concertmaster of all
three orchestras of the Mississauga Symphonic Association, including the acclaimed
string orchestra Sinfonia Mississauga, as well as concertmaster of the Elora Festival
Orchestra and the Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir Orchestra. She is also first violinist of
the Lorien String Quartet.
Christian Faith
A renowned Christian
singer, songwriter, and keyboardist, Ms. Fazal has traveled extensively across North
America as well in Europe
and Africa. She has recorded
18 albums of her songs and
instrumental music.
Her first classical composition, “The Seven Last
Words of Christ,” a concerto
for spoken voice and violin
with orchestra, premiered in
2002, when it was performed
and recorded.
In 2003, Oratorio Terezín was given its world premiere at the Toronto Centre
for the Arts, followed by a
European tour in 2004 and a
tour to Israel in 2005. It has
been presented in Bratislava,
Slovakia; Vienna, Austria;
and Brno and Prague, in the
Czech Republic.
Thus far, the work has
been received with great enthusiasm and acclaim.
Catalyst for Understanding
Performances have featured the Bratislava Boys
Choir, the Canadian New
Streams Children’s Choir, and
Israel’s Bat Kol Children’s
Choir, all singing together.
The Oratorio Terezín
performances in Bratislava
and Prague were the catalysts for a public forum in
both the Slovak and Czech
Republic Parliament on the
subject of the Holocaust and
antisemitism. Forum partici-
pants included leaders and
representatives of the Jewish
and Christian communities,
politicians, historians, and
Holocaust survivors.
On Holocaust Memorial
Day in May, 2005, an Oratorio Terezín performance
took place in Tel Aviv, as
the main cultural event for
Yom HaShoah. An audience
of more than 2500 filled the
hall, including hundreds of
Holocaust survivors who
were granted free admission.
Performances followed in Jerusalem and Karmiel.
A CD recording of the
2003 Toronto world premiere
performance is available at
www.oratorioterezin.com.
Tickets Available
In New York, the work
will be led by conductor
Kirk Trevor, and will feature
the Young People’s Chorus
of New York City joined by
singers from Toronto’s New
Streams Children’s Choir and
the Bratislava Boys Choir.
The performances will
also feature an adult choir
consisting of the Toronto
Mendelssohn Singers and
the Perspectives Ensemble.
The soloists include soprano
Teresa Maria Gomez, tenor
Huw Priday, and baritone
Nathaniel Watson.
Tickets for the Tilles Center performance range from
$20 to $45, and are available
at the Tilles Box Office, or by
calling TillesCharge at 516299-3100 or online at www.
tillescenter.org.
Tickets for the Carnegie
Hall performance range from
$25 to $55 and are available at
the Carnegie Hall box office
or by calling CarnegieCharge
at 212/247-7800; or online at
www.carnegiehall.org.
Discounted tickets for students and seniors are available
for both performances.
Y
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 21
Page - 22
O
January 2007
Touro College: Health Career Fair and New Faculty
n December 7, 2006,
representatives
from
Touro’s planned College of
Pharmacy, which anticipates
opening in fall 2008, and the
High School for Health Careers and Sciences in Washington Heights, held a Health
Career Fair to introduce juniors and seniors to career
opportunities in pharmacy
and other health professions.
The event supported
Touro College’s goal of expanding the profession’s
“pipeline” by developing an
interest in pharmacy at an
early school level.
Also participating were
the Pharmacists Society of the
State of New York, the New
York City Chapter of the New
York State Council of Healthsystem Pharmacists, Rite Aid,
Touro College’s School of
Health Sciences, and the nursing program at New YorkPresbyterian Hospital.
Underserved Population
Approximately 250 students took part in the event,
which was organized by high
school principal Harris Marmor, assistant principal Altagracia Acosta, and Touro
College of Pharmacy dean
Dr. Stuart Feldman. Rite Aid
generously provided support
for the program.
The planned Touro College of Pharmacy will be located at 230 West 125th Street
in Harlem. The College will
offer the Doctor of Pharmacy
(Pharm.D.) degree.
Actively engaged in the
community, the curriculum
will focus on developing the
skills to serve underserved
populations and providing
pharmacy services to a diverse society. Further in-
formation can be found at
www.touro.edu/pharmacy.
20 New Faculty Members
While plans are going
forward for the College of
Pharmacy, Touro is also continuing to build and strengthen
its already existing schools.
Last month, Dr. Bernard
Lander, founder and president
of Touro, announced that the
college had hired more than
20 highly qualified, full-time
faculty members to teach at
the undergraduate level in a
broad range of departments
and schools operated by Touro College.
The new staff was the
result of a multi-year faculty
hiring plan that called for
new teachers in a variety of
disciplines, including sociology, psychology, biology, political science, management,
and language and literature.
“We are extremely proud
of our new additions and
expect they will bring additional vigor to our already
distinguished faculty,” said
Dr. Stanley Boylan, Touro’s
vice president of undergraduate education and dean of
faculties.
The new faculty members include Prof Robert S.
Bressler, who will serve as
chairman of the Biology Department at Lander College of
Arts and Sciences—Flatbush.
Dr. Bressler joins Touro
from the New York College
of Podiatric Medicine, where
he served as professor of
anatomy and, for many years,
chairman of the Anatomy Department and dean of Basic
Sciences. He has also taught
at the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine, the City University of New York, and the New
York College of Osteopathic
Medicine. His Master’s and
Doctorate are from NYU.
Sociology and Psychology
Another new member
of the faculty is Prof Mervin
F. Verbit, who will serve as
Tevet/Shevat 5767
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Page - 24
January 2007
NORPAC Offers Internships for High School Seniors and College Students
N
ORPAC, the nation’s
largest political action committee working to
strengthen the US-Israel relationship, has just announced
that its internship program,
open to highly motivated college and high school students
in the New York-New Jersey
area, is prepared to accept applications.
Qualified high school
seniors as well as college
Touro
students are invited to apply
for this unique program. The
internship offers students the
opportunity to participate in
the democratic political process strengthening both the
United States and Israel.
Under the guidance of
NORPAC mentors, interns
will have the opportunity to
research cutting edge issues
that affect the US-Israel relationship and meet regularly
with members of the US Senate and the House of Representatives to share views on
issues that are vital to both
Israel and the US.
The internship is designed to offer students an
educational and stimulating
hands-on political experience
while simultaneously serving
the community.
The program requires
a minimum commitment of
120 hours (approximately 810 hours per week) over the
course of a semester. In the
past, this has satisfied the senior year work study program
required by many yeshiva and
day school high schools.
For more information,
go to http://www.norpac.net/
home/intern.html For questions, contact Jefferyw@optonline.net or docdad@aol.
com.
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from Long Island University,
and his doctorate in psychology from Fordham.
Psychology and Poli-Sci
Also in psychology, Assistant Prof Rebecca Soffer
is teaching at Lander College of Arts and SciencesFlatbush. After receiving her
master’s and doctorate from
Yeshiva University, Dr. Soffer taught on the pre-school,
high school, and college levels. She has worked privately
as a developmental interventionist and a developmental
evaluator and research associate at the Institute for Basic
Research in Developmental
Disabilities in Staten Island.
Michael Rear has joined
as an assistant professor of
political science at the Women’s Division of Lander College of Arts and Sciences—
Flatbush, and Lander College
for Women. He has taught
American politics, comparative politics, international
and Middle East politics,
political science, history, and
other social sciences at Hofstra University and the New
York Institute of Technology.
He also worked as a research
assistant at the Ralph Bunche
Institute of the UN.
Dr. Rear obtained his
master’s and doctorate from
CUNY with a dissertation
entitled “Between Empire
and State-Building: Ethnic
Conflict, UN Intervention,
and the Post-Colonial State
after the Cold War.”
Former Fulbright
Assistant Prof Karen Sutton is teaching Modern European History and Humanities
at the Women’s Division of
the Lander College of Arts
and Sciences—Flatbush and
Lander College for Women.
She has previously
taught US history, modern
world history, ancient civilization, the Holocaust, and
Jewish history in 19th century
Germany and Austria, at the
Fashion Institute of Technology, Fordham, and the State
University of New York.
A former Fulbright recipient, Dr. Sutton earned
her doctorate in history at the
University of Illinois. Her
dissertation was on “German/Lithuanian Collaboration in the Final Solution,
1941-1944.”
Since its founding in
1971, Touro College has
grown exponentially and is
currently education more
than 23,000 students in New
York, California, Florida,
Nevada, Jerusalem, Moscow,
and Berlin. The school has
had a profound impact on the
lives of its students as well
as on the Jewish and general
communities.
Y
deputy chair of the Sociology Department. With his
special interests in the sociology of religion, contemporary Jewry, and research
methodology, Prof Verbit
taught at Brooklyn College
(prof of sociology and director of the CUNY/Brooklyn
College Program for Study
in Israel), and has held visiting appointments at Bar
Ilan, Hebrew, Tel Aviv, and
Yeshiva Universities, as well
as at the Jewish Theological
Seminary of America. He has
been teaching at Lander College for Women.
Joining him in the Sociology Department will be Assistant Prof Joyce Robbins, who
will serve at Touro’s New York
School of Career and Applied
Studies. She wrote her Master’s thesis at Tel Aviv University on Israeli women soldiers
and the politics of “non-mili-
tary” roles in the 1950s. Her
doctorate is from Columbia
University. Her research interests include political sociology, social theory, the welfare
state, economic sociology, and
cultural sociology.
In the Psychology Department, Associate Prof Dr.
Alan M. Perry has joined the
faculty to teach at Lander
College for Men. Before
coming to Touro, he worked
as deputy director of mental
health services on Rikers Island and as director of psychological services at Kings
County Hospital Center.
He has worked for 30
years as a consultant, psychologist,
rehabilitation
counselor, and clinical instructor in a number of settings, including hospitals,
mental health centers, and
schools. He received his master’s in clinical psychology
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 25
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January 2007
Jerusalem School of Kosher Culinary Arts:
Cooking Up a Gourmet Kosher Storm and Giving Kids a Second Chance
B
efore they made aliyah
three years ago, Rabbi
Mordecai Weiss and his wife,
Ellie, were warned that moving to Israel, especially with
nine children, most of them
teenagers and pre-teens,
could be fraught with, as he
puts it, “challenges.” Fortunately for the former director
of Friends of Lubavitch of
Bergen County, the solution
to one of those challenges
was found at the Jerusalem
School of Kosher Culinary
Arts (JSKCA).
Established in 2004 by
Yochanan Lambiase to answer the growing need for
kosher hotels, holiday packages, restaurants, and catering, JSKCA, under the
kashruth supervision of Rav
Landa of Bnei Brak, is the
world’s first strictly kosher
cooking school. In addition
to a list of short programs, it
offers fully certified and degree courses in patisserie and
culinary arts and restaurant
management.
For many families, including the Weisses, it serves
as an elegant trade school
where some “kids at risk”
can find their calling,
Its students come from
all over the world and represent the entire spectrum of
Jewish affiliation.
A Second Chance
Housed in a Tuscanystyled three-story building
with four kitchens and 16 fully equipped cooking stations,
JSKCA is located in Moshav
Mesilat Zion, just 15 minutes
from Jerusalem, where the
school sponsors a student-run
restaurant and take-out.
A new project this year
is the preparation of daily
meals to be distributed to
poor, often underfed, Jews in
Jerusalem.
Rabbi Weiss calls the
school amazing, and he credits it with giving his son Levi,
a second chance.
Too Difficult
According to Rabbi
Weiss, Levi, for whom school
had always been an “issue,”
was one of his and his wife’s
major concerns in making
aliyah.
“We enjoyed our fair
share of parent-teacher meetings, but, thank G-d, he had a
nice group of friends and excelled in sports,” says Rabbi
Weiss.
The Weisses’ hope was
that the move to Israel would
provide Levi with a new start.
After attending an Ulpan
High School in Jerusalem,
he transferred to a school in
one of the Judean communities neighboring the family’s
home in Mitzpeh Yericho.
“But the difficulties of
learning a new language,
compounded with a new culture, were just too difficult
for him to overcome,” says
Rabbi Weiss.
America and Back
All the problems they
hoped would be left behind returned. Although he refrained
from going into the “gory
details,” Rabbi Weiss made
clear Levi’s problems centered on poor judgment calls
and a budding assortment of
inappropriate friends.
After only one year in Israel, Levi returned to America
to finish high school, which
he did. He also found employment at one of Teaneck’s
food establishments.
When he returned to Israel, he applied and was accepted to JSKCA. He had
met the requirements: he was
over 18, had a proven interest
in (the school sometimes calls
it a “passion for”) cooking,
and a desire to follow Jewish
laws concerning food.
Many Programs
The school, which, following Jewish law, maintains
separate men’s and women’s
programs, offers courses from
baking and buffet catering
to wine-and-spirits, and includes desserts; dining room
service; food safety, service,
and styling; meats, nutrition,
poultry, salads, and more.
Toward the end of the
school year, students are
placed in six-week internships at reputable kosher
establishments around the
world.
During the summer
months, the school offers
programs for teenagers and
adults. There are two fivesession seminars on a variety
of culinary topics, including
“How to Use Knives Properly in Salad Composition,
Appetizer, Mayonnaise, and
Vinaigrettes.”
Many Cuisines
The school also offers
students the chance to learn
“The Art of Modern French
Cuisine” (Chicken Cordon
Bleu with Hot Mango Sauce,
anyone?), “Cuisine of the
Italian Riviera” (how about
Potato Gnocchi with Bell
Tomato and Salami Sauce?);
and “Wonders of the Wok”
(“Exotic Vegetable Tempura”
and Sweet Wontons with Toffee Sauce).
Just when you might
consider checking your cholesterol levels, the school
offers “Time for Something
Healthy,” with courses on
how to prepare wheat berry
bread, sautéed marinated
tofu in mango and chili with
mixed leaf salad, taramasalata with bran blinis, and fresh
water fish baked in a bag with
ginger and sweet potatoes.
Another summer program, for adults only, is a foursession wine-tasting seminar,
which includes the history of
grape and wine production in
Israel and elsewhere.
Affordable
The cost for all JSKCA
programs is, by design, affordable, and to keep it that
way, the school accepts donations.
A 10-month certificate
program costs $10,000. A
five-session summer seminar is $185 (each class runs
two and half hours, and the
school suggests participants
bring aprons and wear comfortable shoes). The four-session program for girls ages
12-16 is $92.
The 10-month, full-time
course is taught in English
and follows the English National Vocational Qualification curriculum.
Emphasizing Practice
In the morning, the 35
full-time students (many of
them Americans and Canadians) study halachic aspects
of food preparation as well as
catering theory. Afternoons
are devoted to food preparation and become increasingly
intricate as the course progresses.
The emphasis is on practice. “There’s too much theory and not enough practical
experience in many culinary
schools. We’re not making
PhD scholars in soup making.
We’re making chefs,” says
Mr. Lambiase, 36, who serves
as the school’s principal.
“They are serious about
what they are doing, and it
shows,” says Rabbi Weiss.
Dream Fulfilled
For Mr. Lambiase, JSKCA represents the fulfillment
of a long-time dream. Friendly and outgoing, he was born
into a secular-Jewish family
that had already produced
three generations of chefs.
His father, grandfather, and
great-grandfather had all
been chefs at elegant hotels
in Italy.
His road to Yiddishkeit
followed his passion for
cooking.
In 1985, Mr. Lambiase,
who today frequently sports a
smock, pinstriped apron with
matching pants, and a large
velvet kippah, began training at the Westminster Hotel
in his native England. After
three years of training with
Jamie Oliver, he had earned a
bachelor’s in Business Management, and decided the
best way to continue his culinary education would be as
an apprentice for renowned
French chef and media personality Paul Bocuse.
“I called him up and
asked if I could train with him
Tevet/Shevat 5767
at his restaurant in Lille,” he
recalls.
Mr. Bocuse said, sure,
the only problems were the
six-month waiting list and
the fee: $2,000 for one week.
Armed with little except
chutzpah, Mr. Lambiase, then
just 18, simply went to the
restaurant and offered to become a dishwasher. In short
order, he became a student.’
When he returned to
London, Mr. Lambiase,
who, at the time was calling
himself Jon-Ren, he worked
with celebrity chef Raymond
Blanc and at The Ritz and The
Savoy Hotels in London.
Discovering Kosher
Finally, fate took a hand,
and he was invited to become
a chef for London’s Schaverein Kosher Caterers.
“It was a whole different
world to me,” he says.
Like cooks from time
immemorial who discover
kosher cuisine, Mr. Lambiase
was faced with the challenge
Page - 27
of coming up with new recipes. “I couldn’t just throw
butter in my sauces or sprinkle cheese on my chicken,”
he says.
Moving to Jerusalem
The experience in a kosher kitchen ignited his desire
to discover more about his own
connection to Judaism, and,
before long, his observance
grew in areas beyond food.
When he married and
moved to Jerusalem, his culinary training and interest in
kosher cooking took him to
the Sheraton Plaza in Jerusalem and buoyed Israel to new
heights in international competitions. He won medals at
international Hotelympia competitions and represented Israel
at the Culinary Olympics.
Becoming something of
a celebrity chef himself, he
has appeared in the media
and given frequent cooking
demonstrations in London,
New York, and Los Angeles.
Page - 28
Cooking Up a Storm
Seeing a Need
Eventually, he became
chef-manager of the kitchens
of the Genesis Center (Reishit) Yeshiva in Bet Shemesh, where his responsibilities including catering for the
yeshiva and handling parties
of 500 and more.
He soon realized that
while some of the yeshiva
students were interested in
cooking and catering, there
was no place for them either
to learn or hone their skills.
“The choice was either
to learn on the job or study at
a treif school, an experience
many Jews can do without,”
says Mr. Lambiase.
Food and Socializing
Too many Jewish wouldbe chefs find themselves
frustrated in treif cooking
schools where they cannot
eat what they prepare. One of
JSKCA’s first teachers, Danny Reicher who, like Rabbi
Weiss, had made aliyah from
Teaneck, told the Jerusalem
Post that he recalled the “horror” of watching an instructor at the Culinary Institute
of America (CIA) pull out a
huge lobster.
Mr. Reicher described
his time at the CIA as “a very
long two years.”
“Training as a chef is a
very sociable experience, and
the social and cultural life re-
January 2007
volves around food. In most
culinary schools, you get fed
two or three times a day. I ate
bowl after bowl of salad for
two years—it was a very frustrating experience,” he said.
Eating Everything
That was not Mr. Lambiase’s experience. When he
was in training, he “ate everything and anything.”
“It didn’t bother me in
the slightest. But when I became frum later on, I realized
I couldn’t have learned what
I learned if I had been observant at the time,” he says.
JSKCA was born when
Mr. Lambiase hit on a solution: a cooking school for observant Jews.
“Food is so important in
Jewish life. We must open the
industry to observant Jews
who want to excel in the field
of cuisine,” he says.
Energized at KosherFest
Although he had been
tinkering with the idea of a
kosher cooking school since
1993, it took a visit to the
2003 New York KosherFest
for him to convert thoughts
to action. Surrounded by
thousands of booths filled
with gourmet kosher foods,
Mr. Lambiase realized his
idea would work.
“There’s been an explosion in the kosher food market in the past ten years. All
these products that never used
to be available to the kosher
chef are now everywhere.
Gourmet kosher is where
we’re headed,” he says.
While Levi Weiss, who
graduated from JSKCA with
honors, is now working as a
chef in Israel, Mr. Lambiase
expects his students to find
their way into many different positions within the kosher food industry. Some,
he says, will become professional food and wine waiters;
others will become kashruth
supervisors. All will be instructed in the skills of business management, necessary
for starting their own food
businesses.
It is no secret that more
restaurants close because
they were mismanaged than
because of faults in the kitchen. Many kosher restaurants
believe the full-time kashruth
supervisors they are forced to
employ would be much more
valuable if they also knew
how to help in the kitchen.
Trade School
But while Mr. Lambiase
certainly views his school
as a cultural and artistic enterprise, there is also the
satisfaction to be derived by
helping young people like
Levi Weiss. Mr. Lambiase
acknowledges that many of
his students are not academically inclined.
“They’re not cut out for
desk jobs. We’re putting frum
people in the workplace, giving them a trade,” he says.
Once students graduate,
they are entitled to JSKCA’s
extensive job placement services. Many employers looking for qualified kosher chefs
have learned that they can go
to JSKCA and be matched with
qualifying chefs. Mr. Lambiase
also has a long list of contacts
in the field which he puts at his
students’ disposal.
“Our students have been
placed all over the world on
five continents,” says Mr.
Lambiase,
Helping
There are many ways
to help JSKCA in its regular
programming as well as in
the new project to feed Jerusalem’s hungry. The school
welcomes work placements
for students during the school
term as well as during vacations, especially in Pesach
hotels and summer camps.
Companies are also welcome
to sponsor students’ uniforms, equipment, textbooks,
and touring opportunities.
Guest chefs and lecturers
from the world of kosher food
are always invited to visit
JSKCA and lead workshops
for students and the public in
the school’s food theatre.
Mr. Lambiase acknowledged that funds are needed
to subsidize student tuition
fees and grant scholarships
where necessary.
Those interested in any
aspect of JSKCA can visit
the school’s website: http://
www.jskca.org.il/. Tax deductible donations can be
made out to Ezrat Israel, and
sent to 18 Barrie Drive, New
Hempstead, NY 10977.
“It is a very worthwhile
cause,” says Rabbi Weiss,
who, on behalf of his son, is
very glad JSKCA was there.
Mr. Lambiase described
all assistance to the school as
“a way to influence the next
generation of kosher chefs
and caterers.”
“My greatest joy will
be having the head chef of a
kosher restaurant coming out
to greet his guests, and everyone realizing that the guy
who prepared this delicious
meal was an Orthodox Jew,”
he says.
S.L.R.
Tevet/Shevat 5767
How to Taste a Wine: Wine Appreciation 101
By Kevin Roche and David Schwartz,
Queen Anne Wine & Spirits Emporium, Teaneck, NJ
P
erhaps at a party you’ve
seen someone standing
with a glass of wine held
carefully by the stem, swirling it gently and then sniffing mightily with his nose
buried in the glass. Is this
swirler-sniffer a pretentious
wine snob putting on airs, or
is he really appreciating and
enjoying his wine?
Our taste buds can tell us
only if something is sweet or
sour, salty or bitter. The appreciation of a glass of wine
involves much more than the
sense of taste. Maybe it should
be called “wine appreciation”
rather than wine tasting.
There are three steps in
evaluating a wine: appearance, smell, and taste.
Appearance
The first step in evaluating a glass of wine involves
the sense of sight. The color of
a wine tells a lot about it. First,
it can vary tremendously, even
within the same type of wine.
White wines are not
actually white; they range
from pale green to yellow to
brown. A more intense hue
in a white wine usually indicates more flavor and age.
However, if the color is too
dark it may mean the wine
has gone bad. Although time
improves many red wines, it
ruins most white wines.
Red wines are not just
red but can range from a pale
cherry to a deep brick color.
Red wines usually become
lighter in color as they age.
Tilt the glass slightly and look
at the edge of the wine. A purple tint will indicate a young
wine, while an orange to amber cast indicates maturity.
“Legs”
Different grapes produce
wines of differing color intensities. For example, Pinot
Noir tends to be pale, while
many other red grapes, especially while young, tend to be
an inky purple-black.
Swirling the wine does many
things; visually it allows observation of the body of the wine.
“Legs” is a little-used
term that refers to the oily
droplets of wine that run down
the inside of the glass after the
wine has been swirled. “Good
legs” can indicate a thicker
body, a higher alcohol content, or sugar level. “Good
legs” can mean something
else, too, so there are too
many exceptions to use
it as a rule.
Nose
The second step,
“smell,” is a little
trickier. Swirling the glass
throws the wine up onto the
side of the goblet and increases the surface area
of wine in contact with
the air. This releases molecules
in the wine allowing one to
smell the aroma, also called
the “bouquet” or “nose.”
The agitation of the wine
also helps. To swirl effectively, fill the wine glass less than
half full. Be gentle, in order to
bring the wine up onto the side
of the glass without spilling. If
you find you are spilling wine,
place the base of the glass on
the table and use a few good
circular motions on the table
top to get the wine swishing
and the aromas going.
Don’t be bashful. Stick
your nose into the glass and
take several small sniffs and
a deep whiff. The aroma of
the wine should (if it’s there)
fill your nostrils.
Take Time
Now stop and notice the
characteristics of the smells
coming out of the glass. It will,
at first, be difficult to describe
verbally what you are smelling, but after sniffing many
wines you will begin to notice
similarities and differences.
Sometimes a certain smell
will be very strong and there
will also be hints of other scents.
Take your time. Labeling an aroma will help you remember it
better. If you keep a notebook of
your wine impressions, the next
time you encounter that wine
you won’t have to purchase it to
know if you will like it.
The aromas we are looking for fall into two categories,
primary and secondary. Young
wines have only primary aromas
related to the grape variety
and the initial aging process. These aromas are
often fruit related; therefore wines are described
as smelling of blackcurrants, raspberries, or maybe simply as ‘fruity’. (Some
of these descriptions can be
attributed to an overactive
imagination of the copywriter.)
If a wine has been aged
in oak casks for a considerable time, there may also be a
slight “oaky” scent.
Good red wines are allowed
to age and improve. This results
in the development of secondary
aromas. Many consider these to
be more earthy or musky.
The Best Part
Savoring the bouquet of
a wine is arguably the most
enjoyable part of the experience, even more than actually
tasting it. Many aromas may
be generated by a glass of fine
wine, complexly intertwined
in a most delicate manner.
The aromas take on many
different forms; only rarely
does a wine smell of grapes as
we know them. Table grapes
are a very different fruit than
the grape varieties (varietals)
used for wine making.
Smelling the wine and appreciating its nose gives us a
Page - 29
good inkling of how the wine
is going to taste in the mouth.
Remember, most complex
taste sensations are olfactory.
Taste
We are finally about to taste
the wine. This also is divided into
three parts: initial taste, primary
taste, and aftertaste or finish.
The initial taste is the first
impression. This is when the wine
sends a message to your taste
buds. Is the wine sweet? How
astringent (dry) is it? Is there any
hint of bitterness? These are the
wine’s first messages.
Next comes the primary
taste. Without worrying about
looking silly, slosh the wine
around and draw in some air. This
is so the aromas from the wine
in the mouth spread through the
chemo-receptors in the upper airways. It is these sensations from
the nasal receptors that we use to
“taste” the wine.
Body and Texture
Next we examine the
body and texture of the wine.
Is it light or does it have some
body? Is it smooth or harsh
when you swallow?
Finally and possibly most
important is the aftertaste or
finish. This is the taste that remains in your mouth after you
have swallowed the wine. How
long does the taste last? Is it
pleasant? A good wine should
have a long lingering finish
that continues to reveal hidden
nuances about the wine.
The longer the finish, the
more time you have to enjoy the
wine. As a general rule, young
wines (inexpensive) don’t have
much finish. The length of finish is one way to determine the
quality of a wine.
We have only generally
discussed what is involved in
tasting wines. You will discover that there are some wines
that you really like and others
that you would just as soon
pass up. Price is not always a
reliable guide to quality. Y
Page - 30
January 2007
SYRIA
GOLAN
WEST�
BANK
GAZA
IRAN
EGYPT
SINAI
Iran:TheFourthReichastan
The Hamas-Hezbollah-Syria-Iran-Iraqi Insurgency Axis:
“Loose” Chump Change or a “Fourth Reichastan”
by Mark Langfan
It is warmly comfortable to lazily scan the HamasHezbollah-Syria-Iran-Iraqi Insurgency Axis as a disparate and discrete group of political/terrorist movements. For to otherwise view the insidious amalgam as
a single coherent military and political machine would
be to admit to an unthinkable and dark reality: that there
currently exists a waxing nuclear capable Fourth
Reichastan which is about to devastate and lay waste to
the Judeo- Sunni-Christian-Buddhist-Hindu world.
Such a conclusion would tear the false veneer that now
exists which isolates the Iraqi, Hamas and Hezbollah
insurgencies from each other and from Syria’s and
Iran’s vital military and sovereign support of both. The
grim reality is that the Hamas/ Hezbollah War and the
Iraqi insurgency are two sides of the same coin that has
as its fount the growing Iranian Fourth Reichastan Axis
against America and the world.
Therefore, the only question is whether such an
Iranian Fourth Reichastan exists. Now all manner of
“experts” will collectively say “Pshaw!” They will
piously intone the canard that “Syria is Sunni and Iran
is Shiite,” therefore, there can’t possibly be a functional “Axis.” However, historically, in the ante bellum
tides of WWII, did Germany and Italy have to have
exactly aligned interests to effectively function as a military “Axis”? No. In fact, in today’s terms Syria is the
“Italian” or weaker element and Iran is the “German” or
stronger element of the new Fourth Reichastan Axis. In
a hauntingly eerie similarity, in the “Thirties,”
Mussolini looked almost as Hitler’s equal partner in the
Axis just as Assad now looks like an equal partner of
Iran. The reality then is as the reality now, then, there
was only one Fuehrer and now, that one “Fuehrer” is the
collective Iranian Mullahs’ Council. Iran is in fact using
Syria, as Germany used Italy, to facilitate its early
strategic moves in the “Thirties” so that in the “Forties”
Iran will come to rule. Iran’s ignition of the illogical and
unnecessary Hezbollah war may not be to tactically fog
the Iranian nuclear issue but to strategically irrevocably
push Syria into its loathsome embrace as Germany
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 31
Page - 32
Iran
January 2007
pushed Italy into its Axis in the Spanish Civil War.
In short, the seemingly disparate elements of the
emerging Fourth Reichastan supply each other as an
axis, defend each other as an axis, and fight for each
other as an integrated axis: therefore, they’re an axis.
Just because Iran has not openly fired missiles from its
soil at Israel doesn’t mean its supply of materials and
manpower and technical “advisors” and spiritual “permission” is not the essential and sovereign underpinning for Hezbollah’s open warfare on Israel. Likewise,
just because Iran has not sent actual Iranian soldiers in
actual Iranian uniforms into Iraq to openly kill
American soldiers does not mean that Iran’s logistical,
monetary and manpower supply to the Iraqi insurgency
as a sovereign power, has not effected a critical tipping
point destabilization in Iraq. Such a silent war by Iran
against America in Iraq is clearly aimed to cause
America’s catastrophic military defeat in Iraq. Clearly,
the Iranian malevolent elemental efforts in Gaza,
Lebanon and Iraq arenas are not just isolated meddling
but are a purposeful, and integrated and focused warfare with the specific intent on destroying American
military and strategic vital interests.
If in fact there exists a Fourth Reichastan, the consequences are stark, dramatic and dire. Most importantly, Syria, a modern reincarnation of fascist Italy, immediately becomes the de jure enemy of America. Syria is
the critical enabling supplier of both the Iraqi insurgency and Hezbollah insurgency is no longer a dirty little secret ignorable by America. Syria is in fact the key
supplier and sovereign territorial safe haven which supports the insurgency wars of Hamas, Hezbollah and
Iraq. Syria is then an active purposeful belligerent
against both America and Israel and not just a passive
“innocent bystander.”
In fact, America’s and Israel’s disconnectedly treating Syria like an “innocent bystander” to the Hamas,
Hezbollah or Iraqi insurgency wars will insure a twin
defeat of Israel in its war of attrition with
Hamas/Hezbollah and of America in its war with the
Iraqi insurgency. Assad Junior will see his open support
of both fronts as not only “costless” to his regime but
his very empowering legitimacy. Assad will thereby be
mistakenly emboldened, as was Mussolini, to redouble
his resupply efforts and further fan the flames of both
conflicts. In reality, America needs to ply Assad the
same tough love with which Reagan, through Bush,
wooed Khadafi. That may be all that is needed to roll up
Iran’s baby faced junior partner in crime and to cut the
Insurgencies’ key supply lines. Otherwise, America’s
and Israel’s disastrous inaction with respect to Syria
will allow Assad Junior to delude himself into thinking
himself as the king maker Assad Senior instead of as
what he really is, an Iranian pawn.
America’s failure to immediately effect a militarily
and political response to the reality of the Fourth
Reichastan now will be even more irrevocably devastating to world peace and security than America’s ignoring
the Third Reich’s exponentially strengthening axis of
the Thirties. In the Thirties, there were vast defensive
oceans and Germany did not possess either a nuclear
potential or vast access and control of oil. Today, the
exact opposite is true: Iran has a burgeoning nuclear
potential and the Iranian Fourth Reichastan sits on vast
natural oil reserves. Additionally, Iran sits astride tottering and cowering Sunni paper kingdoms whose massive strategic natural resources are necessary for today’s
global economy. As such, Iran possesses and exerts
incalculable economic leverage over the superpowers
of China and Russia. Finally, one must add to this
volatile mix the sorry fact that MAD does not act as a
deterrent to Iran but an incentive. In sum, this is not a
pretty picture.
Today, Iran correctly sees Israel’s existence as a de
facto projection of American military power and as the
sole remaining obstacle to its future hegemony of the
Middle East and the world, as Hitler saw Great Britain
as the sole obstacle to his hegemony of Europe. Iran has
learned from Germany’s mistake in WWII and
Saddam’s mistake of the “Nineties,” and is not wasting
anytime or energy to occupy a defeated France or to
consolidate a fractured Middle East before it attempts to
destroy America’s WWII forward base equivalent of
Great Britain: Israel. In fact, the ostensible balkanization of the oil rich Sunni Kingdoms provide a false
appearance of strategic division which masks Iran’s true
amassing strength. Iran’s ultimate destruction of Israel
will cripple America’s ability to wage a winnable World
War against Iran before that war even begins.
Consequently, America can expect unrelenting hot and
cold wars of attrition by Iranian proxies against Israel to
rid itself of that sole obstacle to what will be its total
Middle East domination. Unless America’s games out,
takes action and protects itself and its allies against the
possibility of a Fourth Reichastan now, the “Thirties”
may rapidly become the “Forties,” or even the “Fifties”
where Iran will have won.
Mark Langfan has had published numerous articles
on Israel’s military affairs.
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 33
ISRAEL'S STRATEGIC VALUE
AH
POST 9/11 TERROR WAR SCENARIO
1
BEFORE
HE
ZB
O
LL
A demilitarised Palestinian West Bank /
Gaza State will turn Israel from a U.S.
Strategic Asset and Bulwark to Middle
East Terror that is able to defend itself,
into a defenseless U.S. liability, inviting
attack - unable even to defend itself, let
alone project American military power.
2
1. ISRAEL as a self-defensible U.S. strate-
gic asset: With the Golan Heights (a), the
West Bank mountain range (b) and the
Gaza Strip (c) under Israeli military control,
Israel is immune from a short- to mediumterm existential threat.
AFTER
2. ISRAEL as an indefensible U.S. strategic liability, inviting
attack: Without the Golan Heights, the West Bank mountain range
and the Gaza Strip under Israeli control, but instead under hostile
Arab control, Israel will be strategically vulnerable and exposed to
a short-term existential threat. Such a conflict will be fueled by continued Arab terrorism against Israel.
3. ISRAEL: the First Domino
SUNNI
IRAQ
SHIA
IRAQ
3
Without the natural mountain defenses of the Golan and West Bank
mountains, and with Israel’s ability to mobilize degraded, Israel would
be easily destroyed and occupied by Syria and Egypt. Even a heavily
militarized Palestinian State will be unable to militarily contain either
the Syrians or the Egyptians. Hezbollah, the Syrians and the Egyptians
will all vie for the occupation of the coveted Jerusalem.
4. JORDAN: the Second Domino
SUNNISTAN
SHIASTAN
Without Israel as its strategic protector, Jordan would be easily
encroached by the militarily powerful Hezbollah, Syrians,
Egyptians and Shiastan/Iran. Syria currently sees Jordan as
Southern Syria and will fulfill its vision of Manifest Destiny.
4
5. SAUDI ARABIA: the Third Domino
SUNNISTAN
SHIASTAN
5
With the militarily powerful but oil-poor Egyptians and Syrians,
and Shiastan/Iran on Saudi Arabia's northern border, Saudi Arabia
will cease to exist. Without the Suez Canal under friendly occupational control, the Western powers will be unable to resupply or
defend Saudi Arabia.
Page - 34
C
January 2007
Simon Feil: Dramatic Passions and a Passion for Drama
all it “theater of the kitchen,” “poker playhouse,”
Off-Broadway, or YouTube
movies; just make sure it incorporates a sense of drama
with just the right amount of
humor and a dash of social
conscience. Sometimes it’s
“Sushi with Simon” (in early
fall, it’s “Sushi in the Sukkah
with Simon”), or it might be
“Poker with Simon.”
The “Simon” in question
is Simon Feil, a 30-year-old
New York actor who grew
up in Boston and Fair Lawn,
graduated from the Frisch
Yeshiva High School, spent
a year at Yeshivat HaKotel
in Jerusalem, and is currently
making a name for himself in
theatre—that is, when he’s
not rolling raw fish or teaching innocents how to place
their bets.
“I love acting, but I’ve
got a few bread-and-butter
sidelines,” he says.
Coming to the House
“Sushi by Simon” has
a growing number of clients who call on Mr. Feil to
teach individuals and groups
how to prepare this healthful
and fun kosher cuisine in the
comfort of their own homes.
“Once you’ve learned
how to prepare your own sushi, you find you can enjoy
it at a fraction of the cost of
a restaurant, not to mention
impressing your friends with
your newly won culinary
skills,” says Mr. Feil.
For about the price of a
kosher sushi dinner party at
a restaurant, Mr. Feil comes
to the house, teaches the host
and guests how to prepare
and create kosher sushi rolls,
and makes sure there’s plenty
to eat once the lesson is over.
Just Bring Fun
All kosher ingredients
(cucumber, avocado, salmon,
and tuna), tools, and instruc-
tions are included in the price,
which runs $35 per guest for
parties of nine and more. For
groups under nine, there is a
flat fee of $300.
When guests leave the
party, each takes home a free
sushi mat so practicing can
continue.
Where does he do this?
The short answer is “anywhere.” “As long as there are
tables, chairs, an electrical
outlet, a water source, sink,
and garbage can, we’re set,”
he says. “And no cooking experience is required. All you
need is a sense of fun.”
Now five years old, “Sushi by Simon” parties have
been held in corporate offices, private homes, and shuls
throughout Manhattan. Mr.
Feil has been the guest chef at
Makor, the 92nd Street Y, and
the JCC on the Palisades.
Learning in London
He actually learned his
craft in London while studying
theatre as an exchange student
from Rutgers. “I was on a student budget and ridiculously
poor, which would be hard
enough in London, but I also
keep kosher, which made it
even more difficult,” he says.
Even pizza was too expensive, but, he says, kosher
fish was relatively easy to
find, and rice was cheap.
“I do love to cook—I
love Thai and Indian cuisine
as well as barbecue and any
meat dish—and so learning
to make sushi made perfect
sense. At the time, it was
pure survival and fun; I had
no thoughts about making it
a business,” he says.
Poker
That trip to London also
gave him the opportunity to
learn poker. “I got my head
handed to me by a now-famous classmate, and thought
nothing more of it,” he says.
In fact, he left London
pretty convinced that gambling was “ridiculous, a stupid waste of time and hardearned money.” But that was
before a friend took him to
Las Vegas. On the night before they flew home, he found
himself at 4 am at a 50-cent
minimum table and doubled
his money in 45 minutes.
“All of a sudden, I was
like, ‘Hey, I get why this is
fun,’” he says.
As a young Jewish single
on the Upper West Side, he
was invited one motzei Shabbat for a friendly poker game.
“The atmosphere was
great—a little trash talk,
but it was fun and with just
enough of an edge to keep it
interesting. I started playing
monthly and then weekly.
I found it a great rush and I
enjoyed the challenge of the
game,” he says.
Tee Shirts
Now he finds he can channel that sense of fun and enthusiasm into teaching the game
to others. Many of his clients
are, like Mr. Feil himself, former Hebrew day schoolers.
In fact, he knows his
crowd so well, he is currently
creating a tee-shirt line for
them. “Some of the shirts will
have broad appeal; but others
will be closely aimed at the exday-school crowd,” he says.
It’s a pretty good bet that he
knows his audience. One of the
shirts will say “I (heart) Mussar.” He’s still working on the
“Bais Yaacov Swim Team.”
Love of Teaching
It’s the same kind of
humor that drives one of his
more recent theatrical endeavors: a short, award-winning film entitled “Passover
Noir.” Now available on
YouTube, the film is a sendup of the 1940s, low-key,
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 35
Page - 36
Simon Feil
January 2007
black-and-white Hollywood
crime dramas—with a very
funny Pesach twist.
He is not the first to recognize the kinship between
acting and teaching, and it is
not surprising that, for him, the
real excitement in poker and
cooking is dramatic education.
He has taught Hebrew school
“for years,” and has created an
educational/storytelling piece
for the Board of Jewish Education called “Inside Abraham’s
and Sarah’s Tent.”
“I dress up as Avraham
and tell the story of Terach
and the idols and the ‘Lech
Lecha’ journey from Haran
to Canaan and other episodes
to kids of all ages. It’s a blast
and I love it,” he says.
Finding Work
Whether its sushi, poker,
or tee shirts, Mr. Feil exudes
a sense of drama. He is a
graduate of the Mason Gross
School of the Arts at Rutgers,
where he majored in acting.
In his senior year, the school
sent him and his classmates
to London, where, he says
the focus was on the classics,
speech, and voice. “That British sort of thing,” he says.
His training has paid off.
Since graduating from Rutgers, he has found work OffBroadway, in regional theatre,
in films, and commercials.
But he readily acknowledges the difficulties of trying
to balance a career in the theatre with an observant-Jewish
lifestyle. The conflicts became
clear as soon as he left the Jewish worlds of Frisch and Yeshivat HaKotel for Rutgers.
Balancing Act
He had always been involved in theatrical performances at Frisch, but the day
school did not require him to
make choices. Rutgers did.
“How to balance my
time between helping to de-
velop the Jewish community
on campus and preparing for
class, rehearsing, and performing, all of which are my
lifeblood. Not to mention the
subtle tensions raised by my
teachers’ lack of understanding of my observance and its
implications—or lack thereof—for my work,” he says.
He recalls teachers who
told him he was “wasting his
talent with this religious stuff,”
and one in particular, whom he
suspects was raised in an observant-Jewish household herself, who told him that “throwing away” Jewish observance
was the only option.
“She sat me down to explain that she had thrown it
away, too, and that was really
the only choice if you wanted
to be an actor. I couldn’t be
as angry with this gentle old
woman as I had been with
others, but I respectfully explained to her that this was not
an option for me,” he says.
Another teacher who
accused him of thinking too
much instead of “doing,” informed him that he was being
“too Talmudic.”
Dividing Time
But the biggest hurdles
weren’t philosophical, they were
the pragmatic nuts and bolts of
learning how to divide his time.
“How could I perform on
Friday night, Shabbat, when I
should be in shul and at Shabbos dinner? And how could I
not perform on a Friday night
if I was in the fine arts program
for acting when undergrads
were lucky enough to get cast
in the first place? Not performing on Friday nights meant not
performing, and, for me, that
was not an option,” he says.
The result, he says, was
a performance in which he
learned to straddle the two
worlds. On Friday evenings
and Shabbat mornings, he
Simon Feil
would go to shul if at all possible and stay for dinner if he
could, timing his departure to
leave sufficient time to walk
to the theatre and change
into costume, warm up, and
perform. On Shabbat, he performed without makeup.
“Leaving was always
a tearing moment for me. I
wanted more than anything
to be an actor but, sometimes, I would feel: not tonight, not at that moment.
And yet I knew I had made
my choice. I would leave
with a last song on my lips
or with a last bite of food and
a quick benching and I was
gone. The animal leaving his
skin behind and my mindset
already changing as I began
my walk, shifting focus from
the comfortable, easy going
spirituality of Shabbat to the
focused, determined energy
of a performer and a student.
Some nights were easier than
others. Other nights it was all
I could do to keep from crying as I walked,” he says.
Inner-City Confrontation
He recalls one particularly difficult night when,
because of a scheduled performance, he left dinner
immediately after making
hamotzei. “I walked out into
the night practically cursing
myself for the choices I had
made. I was even angry at Gd for making me feel so conflicted, for creating two such
opposing forces in my life. I
was angry,” he says.
Walking through downtown New Brunswick, Mr.
Feil says he suddenly realized
his spiritual conflict might
not be the only one he would
face that night. The inner-city
neighborhood was also menacing, and as he walked down
a dark street, his body “rigid
with anger and confusion,”
he saw a man sitting on his
porch with the lights off.
As Mr. Feil passed the
house, the man stood up
and walked to the top of
his stairs. “I’m not a small
man—I’m six feet and weigh
200 pounds—but I was wearing a suit and my kippah, and
I didn’t want to get into a
confrontation,” he recalls.
But that was not what
the gentleman had in mind.
He gestured to the top of his
head, to the spot where a kippah would be had he been
wearing one, and asked Mr.
Feil, “You believe in G-d?”
Mr. Feil hesitantly answered, “Yes.”
The man broke into a huge
smile, and pointed to himself
excitedly. “Me too. I believe
in G-d, too,” he said, and came
down the stairs to hug Mr. Feil,
“clasping me like a brother.”
Exuberance in G-d
Telling this story years
later, Mr. Feil still feels the
wonder he experienced that
night. “I couldn’t and still
can’t believe he did that or that
I let him do that,” he says.
Nevertheless, he says,
the experience allowed him
to relax as “this utter stranger
held me, his exuberance in Gd and finding kinship wove a
comfort blanket around this
utterly weird event.”
“And as he pulled back,
still smiling, some of his exuberance stayed with me and my
Tevet/Shevat 5767
mood lifted. I smiled back and
continued walking to the theater,
happy, thinking what strange
forms angels take and that they
are not always miraculous or supernatural,” says Mr. Feil.
Playing a Nazi
The balancing act has not
gotten much easier. In 2005,
he found work in a piece he
affectionately calls “Boozy.”
Its full title is “Boozy: the
Life, Death and Subsequent
Vilification of Le Corbusier
and, More Importantly, Robert Moses.”
After doing well at the
Ohio Theater on Wooster
Street in Manhattan, it moved
Off-Broadway to the Culture
Project on Bleeker Street. Mr.
Feil, the only observant-Jewish
cast member, played a Nazi.
Ironically, when the play
unexpectedly moved OffBroadway in May, he had to
cancel a scheduled March
of the Living trip to visit the
camps in which so many members of his own family had per-
Page - 37
ished. He was supposed to go
with his mother to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the
end of World War II.
“A little gallows humor
anyone?” he says. “In the
show, I wore a full Nazi uniform with a swastika and everything. I’m actually named
after my mother’s brother
who was killed in Auschwitz,
so she, understandably, would
not come to see the show.”
He grimaces, “Lovely.”
The only redeeming factor, he says, is that Stephen
Sondheim came to see the
show and liked it “a lot.”
Davening Nazi
One of Mr. Feil’s favorite theatre stories comes
from “Boozy’s” tech weekend, the long, grueling days
before the opening when all
the lights and sound cues are
perfected. On Friday night,
when the cast was given a
dinner break, Mr. Feil went
to find a quiet corner to daven
Page - 38
Simon Feil
January 2007
and then make kiddush.
The spot he found was not
as secluded as he had planned.
His producer—who was also
Jewish—came in just as Mr.
Feil was saying the Amidah. Although the producer apologized
and left promptly, later Mr. Feil
heard him telling others how he
had “rounded the corner to see
Goebbels davening Ma’ariv.”
“It was a fitting tribute
to the man, one I’m sure that
has him turning in his grave
and, as my mother said when
I told her the story, ‘pishing,’” he says.
More recently, he performed in “Wingman” in
Manhattan. “It was a fantastic
experience, but quite draining both religiously and emotionally,” he says, explaining
that he had to juggle performances around Sukkoth and
Simchat Torah. In addition,
he says, the character he
played was “so unpleasant, I
gave myself nightmares.”
Even worse, he says,
after his wife saw a performance, she waited a good five
minutes before hugging him.
“Mixed Marriage”
In June 2004, Mr. Feil
married Tehilah Eisenstadt.
Originally from Long Island, Ms. Eisenstadt studied
at Pardes in Jerusalem and is
currently working for a dual
Master’s degree in Midrash
and Informal Education.
“We joke that we are a
mixed marriage. She davens
at Kehilat Hadar, when she is
not running the Tot Shabbat
at Ansche Chesed, and I’m
co-president of Kehilat Orach Eliezer—KOE,” he says.
KOE just hired a woman
to serve as “rosh kehilah.”
“She is not a rabbi and does
not have that title, nor does
she wish to,” says Mr. Feil.
Paying the Bills
He doesn’t describe
himself as a “feminist,”
but, rather, as someone who
“wants to see a Judaism that
makes me proud to be a human being, and that requires
a little fine tuning.” He hopes
to be able to support himself
and his family as an actor,
performing material and telling stories “I find meaningful
and relevant.”
To pay the bills, he recognizes he may have to continue doing commercials and
voice-overs. But even there,
he often manages to include
some Yiddishkeit. His was
the voice on the DVD for
Agudas Yisrael’s most recent
Siyum HaShas.
In a print ad for Manhattan
Mini Storage, he was featured
as a homosexual physician.
“The best part was when
folks who did not understand
that it was just an acting gig
would come up to Tehillah
and say: ‘So I didn’t know Simon was a doctor,’” he says.
Film
He still harbors a distant
goal of starting a Shomer
Shabbos theatre company that
does plays that deal with Jewish values. “That’s a broad category for me. It does not mean
only literally Jewish stories or
characters,” he says.
But before he follows
through on that thread, he
says, he wants to explore
the film medium some more.
He’s already starred in a
number of films for NYU
and independent studios.
Recently, a film in which he
was involved, entitled “The
Dawn Chorus,” was shown
at the Columbia University
Film Festival and took home
the Best Student Narrative
Award at the Austin Film
Festival. It was just accepted
by the Sundance Festival.
“I played an Orthodox
Jew. Go figure,” he says.
Many Successes
He also hopes to continue running his own businesses, such as the sushi
and poker classes. “I enjoy
them—especially when they
are successful,” he says.
For information on any
of Mr. Feil’s projects, he can
be reached at a variety of
websites. For sushi, it’s www.
sushibysimon.com; for poker
is www.PokerAtYourPlace.
com; and for acting, it’s www.
simonfeil.com.
“Sure, I’d love to make
money, but it’s more about
feeling successful with them,
and money is certainly one
indicator of that,” he says.
He has a few more business ideas “in the hopper,”
and some of them, he says,
“have more social values that
I’m excited about.”
Kosher Conscience
There is, for example,
Kosher Conscience, “a humane kosher meat cooperative based on the Upper West
Side and soon to expand to the
rest of NYC and beyond.”
“If you are interested in
beef, lamb, chicken, and turkey that is treated humanely,
adhering not only to the letter of kashrut law but also the
spirit of tsar baalei chayim,
this is for you,” he says.
All of “his” animals are
pasture- or grass-fed, transported comfortably, and
shechted in a manner “designed to cause no stress, no
hoist and shackle or pens.”
“In short, the animals are
allowed to live the way they
normally do, healthy and
comfortably, bypassing many
of the issues with mass industrial slaughter,” he says.
Those interested can
reach the sushi-making, poker-playing actor-and-ethicist
at www.KosherConscience.
com
S.L.R.
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 39
Page - 40
Fri., Jan 5
Bears from Bergenfield
School Contest, to see which
school can collect the most
stuffed animals and which can
create the best bear logo design,
stuffed animals for children in
Israel, participants and judges
are needed, contest runs through
mid-April, 201-385-3325
End The Madness Teaneck Shabbaton for singles up
to 30 years old, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, through Sat. Jan
6, admin@endthemadness.org
Khal Chassidim of Highland Park Shabbaton, with
the Bostoner Rebbe HaRav
Levi Yitzchak Horowitz and
the Chuster Rav HaRav Pinchas Dovid Horowitz, Rabbi
Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, Edison, through Sat., Jan 6, 732937-5904 or 732-690-4546
Oneg
with
Malcolm
Hoenlein, Cong Beth Abraham,
Bergenfield, 8pm
Sat., Jan 6
“Preparing to Be a Bat
Mitzvah,” Rebbetzin Peshi
January 2007
Neuburger, private home in Bergenfield, 3pm, 201-384-0434
“Of Civics and Rabbinics: Jewish Perspectives on
Aspects of Democratic Government—The
Foundation
of Governmental Authority:
Hobbes, Locke, and the Rabbinic Tradition,” Rabbi Tzvi
Sinensky, Cong Ahavath Torah,
Englewood, 4pm
Melava Malka Reunion for
Camp Oh!Manuyot for the fine
and performing arts for Orthodox girls grades 4-8, YMHA,
Clifton, 7pm, 973-779-2980
Scavenger Hunt, spons
by Young Israel of Teaneck,
7:30pm, 201-862-9597
“The World of the University: Jewish Considerations,”
Dr. Gil Perl and Rabbi Dr Eric
Lankin, Rabbi Pesach Raymon
Yeshiva, Edison, 7:45pm
Mikva Melava Malka,
Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth,
8pm, 908-289-5245
EMUNAH Art Auction and
Buffet Dinner, Cong Ohr Torah,
Edison, 8pm, 908-906-9499
2 -6 Grade Ice Skating
Fundraiser for the Koby Mandell Foundation, to help those
in Israel whose lives have torn
apart by racism, spons by Congs
Beth Aaron, Beth Abraham, Bnai
Yeshurun, Keter Torah, Netivot Shalom, Rinat Yisrael, and
Young Israel of Teaneck, The Ice
House, Hackensack, 8-9:30pm
Café Tif, with Yossi Newman and Dovid Stein, Cong
Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 8pm
Tennis, Games, and Food,
spons by Cong Ahawas Achim
Bnai Jacob and David, at Columbia
Racquet Club, Florham Park, 8pm
Film: “Afula Express,”
discussion led by Ravit Turjeman, JCC, Tenafly, 8:30pm
nd
th
Sun., Jan 7
“Topics in Contemporary
Halacha,” Community Synagogue of Monsey, 9am
Blood Drive for Those
Over 18, Cong Ahawas Achim
Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 9am-1am
“Bagels and Baseball,”
Murray Chass, Raffle of graded and ungraded baseball cards
and memorabilia, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 9:15am,
201-794-1353
Arts and Crafts for PreKK Girls and Boys, Cong Beth
Abraham, Bergenfield, 9:30am
Cooking and Baking for
PreK-K Girls and Boys, Cong
Beth Abraham, Bergenfield,
9:30am
Simcha Dancing for Girls
Grades 1-2, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 9:30am
Girls Grades 1-3, Cong Beth
“The Parenting Journey:
Create an Individualized Parenting Plan Based on Self-Understanding and Effective Behavioral Principles,” Basya
Gutmann, Jewish Family Services, Clifton, 10am
Rockland County Bar/
Bat Mitzvah Fair, ASHAR,
Monsey, 11am-3pm
Kol Kehulaseinu Sports-
The Log:
and Crafts Event for SpecialNeeds Children Ages 4-14,
Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School,
Teaneck, 2pm, 201-916-9055
AIPAC, Michael Sachs,
Cong Kehillat Kesher, Englewood, 4:30pm
Tomche Shabbos of Rockland County Dinner, honoring
Florie and Shai Gasner and Alexander Rindner, The Atrium,
Monsey, 5:30pm
Raffle Party, YMHA,
Union, 6pm
“Jews and Food: Preventing and Dealing with Eating
and Weight Problems in Our
Families,” YMHA, Highland
Park, 7pm, 732-249-2221
“Life is a Test,” Rebbetzin
Esther Jungreis, Kehillat New
Hempstead, 7pm
Atara Girls Night Out,
spons by Cong Keter Torah, at
Le Sabon, Teaneck, 8pm
“Let’s Talk Some Loshon
Hara,” Rabbi Daniel Feldman, for post-high school single women, Ohel Teaneck, 8pm,
201-692-3972
Mon., Jan 8
Film: “Annie Hall,” discussion and bag lunch, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 10:30am
“My Yiddish Mama Is
Driving Me Crazy,” support
group for those with aging parents, YMHA of Union County,
Union, 7:30pm
“Tefellah:
Explanation,” Rabbi Glaser, Cong Ohav
Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm
Teaneck Women’s Choir
Organizational Meeting, Batya
Harris, private home in Teaneck,
8pm, Batya613@aol.com
Yoga for Women, Robin
Diamond, Cong Ahavat Achim,
Fair lawn, 8pm
“A History of Israel: War
and Balfour,” Rabbi Steven
Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm
“Shabbat in the Kitchen,”
Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, Cong
Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:30pm
TV: “Antisemitism in
the 21st Century: The Resurgence,” PBS, 10pm
Tues., Jan 9
Skits and Interactive Dis-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 41
“Separate Yourself Not from the Community”
cussions, Mental Health Players, at Café Europa Social Program for Holocaust Survivors,
spons by Jewish Family and
Children’s Service of North Jersey, Fair Lawn Jewish Center,
11am, for transportation and information 973-595-0111
“Coping with the Stress
of Caregiving—Understanding Changing Roles,” Caregiver Support Series, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 1:30pm,
201-837-9090
Challah Baking Workshop, Jani Kovacs Jonas, YMHA,
Union, 7pm, 908-289-8112
“A Face of Aliyah: Ethiopia,
Israel, and the US, and Chassida
Shmella Ethiopian-Jewish Community of North America,” Bizu
Riki Mullu, spons by the UJA, private home in Wyckoff, 7:30pm,
201-488-6800
Yeshivat
Beit
Hillel
(YBH) of Passaic Open House
for Prospective Parents, Passaic, 7:30pm
“The Book of Joshua,”
Rabbi Neil Winkler, Young Israel of Fort Lee, 7:45pm
Infant and Child CPR
Class for Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers, Cong
Ahavath Torah, Englewood,
7:45pm, 201-567-1468
Shiur on Kindness, Shmuel
Greenbaum, for women, Cong
Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm
Wed., Jan 10
“Parent Concerns: Sibling Rivalry, Separation Issues, Discipline, Toilet Training,” Debbie Schuster, MSW,
JCC, Tenafly, 9:30am
“Taking the MTV Challenge” for Post Bar/Bat Mitzvah Children 12-14, Rabbi Ronald Price, Cong Netivot
Shalom, Teaneck, 7pm
“Positive Jewish Parenting: Developing Positive SelfEsteem and Coping with Peer
Pressure,” Dr. Aviva Biberfeld,
spons by the Orthodox Union
Dept of Community Services and
the Dept of Counseling and Psychological Services at the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, at
RYNJ, River Edge, 7:30pm
Caregivers’
Support
Group for Those Involved in
the Care of an Older Adult
Who Is Physically Frail or
Suffering from Memory Loss,
Vivien Green Korner, JCC,
Tenafly, 7:30pm
Fair Lawn Shidduch
Meeting, private home in Fair
Lawn, 8:15pm, 201-791-9024
“Our Children’s Hashkafa Questions: What Are They
Really Asking—Winning Our
Children’s Minds to the Beauty and Truth of Yiddishkeit,”
for men and women, Rabbi Daniel Mechanic, Ohel Rivka Hall,
Passaic, 8:15pm
Wednesday Night Kollel,
Rabbi Yacov Tendler, Community
Synagogue of Monsey, 8:30pm
Thurs., Jan 11
Caregivers’
Support
Group for Those Involved in
the Care of an Older Adult
Who Is Physically Frail or
Suffering from Memory Loss,
Vivien Green Korner, JCC,
Tenafly, 11:15am
Second Generation Information and Discussion Group, Jewish
Family Service, Teaneck, 7pm
“Brain Gym,” Physi-
cal Movements That Enhance
Learning and Performance
in All Areas, David Eri, Jewish
Montessori Day School, New
Milford, 8pm
Fri., Jan 12
Jewish Community Relations Council Darfur Student Conference, Felice Maranz, Drew University, Madison,
8:30am-2pm, 908-889-5370
Oneg Shabbat Lecture,
spons by Cong Ahavat Achim,
Fair Lawn, private home in Fair
Lawn, 8pm, 201-797-0502
Scholar-in-Residence
Rabbi Kenny Brander, Cong
Beth Abraham, Bergenfield,
through Sat., Jan 13
Shabbaton for K-3rd Graders, Friday night dinner with
Grades 2-3, Shabbat lunch with
Grades K-1, Cong Rinat Yisrael,
Teaneck, through Sat., Jan 13
Carlebach Congregation
of Teaneck Shabbaton, Rabbi
Moshe Stepansky, all meals and
davening at the American Legion
VFW Hall, lodging provided, 201708-6629, through Sat., Jan 13
Page - 42
The Log
January 2007
Sat., Jan 13
Parent-Child Junior Congregation Minyan and Kiddush,
Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 9am
Humongous Kiddush after Teen Minyan, Cong Bnai
Yeshurun, Teaneck, 11am
Rabbi’s Tish: Cholent,
Kugel, and Conversation,
“Can I Afford To Be Jewish Today? Sticker Shock and Jews in
Hock,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler,
Jewish Center of Teaneck, noon
Cong Ahavat Achim Sisterhood Book Club: “A Woman in Jerusalem” by A.B. Yehoshua, private home in Fair
Lawn, 3pm, 201-797-0502
“Halachos of Tznius,”
Shoshana Sperling, Yeshiva
Passaic Torah Institute, 7:30pm,
973-249-9567
Parent Teacher Council
of Kushner Hebrew Academy
and Kushner Yeshiva High
School Melave Malka, honoring Pnina Popack and Michal
Robinson, Livingston, 7:30pm
Achieving Change Through
Torah: “Ahavas Chesed Module,” Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Cong
Ohr Torah, Edison, 8:30pm
Motzei Shabbos Madness
Swim and Gym, YMHA, Clifton, for the family, girls swim
and boys gym, 7:30pm; girls
gym and boys swim, 8:30pm
Movie Night, Englishtown
Synagogue, West Orange, 8:30pm
Velvel Pasternak: “A Joyous Celebration of Chasidic
Music,” Cong Bais Torah, Suffern, 8:30pm, 845-352-1343
Sun., Jan 14
“Topics in Contemporary
Halacha,” Community Synagogue of Monsey, 9am
Arts and Crafts for PreKK Girls and Boys, Cong Beth
PreK-K Girls and Boys, Cong
Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 9:30am
Girls Grades 1-3, Cong Beth
Cultural Celebration of
Israel: Children’s Activities,
Entertainment, Israeli Shuk,
Food, Lectures, Lautenberg
JCC, Whippany, 11am-5pm
Chug Ivrit Hebrew Club,
for intermediate to advanced
Hebrew speakers, spons by Hadassah, private home in Highland Park, 11am, 732-819-9298
Children’s Theatre: “The
Pied Piper,” JCC, West Orange,
1 and 4pm
Cong Ohav Emeth Journal Dinner, honoring Larry and
Shelly Jacobs, Carl and Karen
Hochhauser, and Rabi Zvi Weiss,
Holiday Inn, Edison, 5:30pm
Rosenbaum Yeshiva of
North Jersey Dinner, honoring Joy and Barry Sklar, RYNJ,
River Edge, 5:30pm
Jewish Movie Night: “The
Syrian Bride,” YMHA, Union, 7pm
Mon., Jan 15
Yom Iyun: Teaching Modern Israel, Dr. Kenneth W. Stein
and staff, YJCC, Washington
Save the Date!
The First Annual Arutz 7 Concert
Feb 18, 2007 at 7:30 PM
at The Jazz at Lincoln Center,
Frederick P Hall, Manhattan
• Abie Rotenberg
• Slomo Sincha
• Chaim Dovid
• Cantor N. Hershtik
For tickets:
arutz7concert.com
Twnshp, 8:15am
Bonei Olam of Lakewood
Dinner, featuring Rav Yissocher Frand and honoring Rabbi & Mrs. Shmuel Zev Brown,
Rabbi and Mrs. Yehuda Levin,
and Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe
Gestetner, to help infertile couples conceive halachically, Lake
Terrace Ballroom, Lakewood,
5:30pm, 732-942-7773
Mazal Shidduch Group, private home in Edison, 8:30pm, 732572-6878 or SCHL18@aol.com
Tues., Jan 16
of Caregiving—Time-Management Strategies,” Caregiver Support Series, Jewish Family Service,
Teaneck, 1:30pm, 201-837-9090
“The Self-Aware Child:
Strategies for Organization in a
Fast-Paced World,” Dr. Rebecca
Mannis, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm
Shidduch Meeting, singles
of all ages should submit an application and have a sponsor
for this meeting, Cong Israel,
Springfield, 8pm, 973-467-4923
Wed., Jan 17
“The Rambam and Medicine,” Sara Greenberg, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 10am
Israel Mission, spons by
Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland
Park, through Mon., Jan 29,
732-247-0532
Thurs., Jan 18
Ladino Club, Enrique
Levy, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm
It’s All about Love: “Love
and Other Impossible Pursuits;” and “Tolstoy Lied: A
Love Story,” Ayelet Waldman
and Rachel Kadish, JCC, Tenafly,
reception, 7:30pm, lecture 8pm
Fri., Jan 19
Rosh Chodesh with the
Rebbetzin: A Shiur for Women, Rebbetzin Ruth Glasser, private home in Passaic, 8:15pm,
(973) 779-1452
Sat., Jan 20
Hadassah Family Night
with the NJ Nets, Continental Airlines Arena, E Rutherford, 8pm, for
tickets Wifey90@optonline.net
Jewish
Mediterranean
Song Night, Chazan Moshe Tessone and Ensemble, Cong Etz
Ahaim, Highland Park, 8:30pm
Sun., Jan 21
Volunteer to Distribute Food and Kindness to the
Needy at Eva’s Kitchen in Paterson, leave Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton 10am, 973-471-5273
“Fiddler Tales,” Yiddish Theatre for children, JCC, Tenafly, 2pm
Activity for girls and boys
in grades 1-6: Roll some sushi
and roll around the ice skating rink, spons by Chabad Center of Passaic County, Wayne, 26pm, 973-694-6274
Film: “Obsession,” the
free world is still unprepared to
face the unwavering commitment
of Islamist terrorists who have
pledged their lives to our destruction, moderated by Prof Jonathan
Golden, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm
Mon., Jan 22
Film: “Radio Days,” discussion, and bag lunch, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 10:30am
“Love and Other Impossible Pursuits,” Ayelet Waldman, JCC, West Orange, 11am
“The Voyage from Family Disunity to Family Greatness and the Emergence of the
Jewish Nation: Insights into
the Conflict between Cain and
Abel,” Rabbi Eugene Kwalwasser, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am
Tues., Jan 23
NCSY Winter Break Trip
to Los Angeles, for grades 9-12
in Teaneck, return Sun., Jan 28,
201-862-0250
“Coping with the Stress of
Caregiving—Gaining Strength
from Others,” Caregiver Support
Series, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 1:30pm, 201-837-9090
“The Book of Joshua,”
Rabbi Neil Winkler, Young Israel of Fort Lee, 7:45pm
Insightful and Practical
Workshop on Parenting: “Chinuch in Turbulent Times,” Rabbi Dov Brezak, private home in
Monsey, 8:15pm, 845-425-1075
Thurs., Jan 25
“Never Again: Commemorating UN Holocaust Remembrance Day by Exploring
the Theological Implications
of a Universally Recognized
Slogan,” Rabbi Steven Golden,
JCC, Tenafly, 8pm
Sat., Jan 27
“A Bedouin Experience:
Performance in Hebrew, Pitas,
and Fun Social Games,” JCC,
Tenafly, 8:30pm
Sun., Jan 28
UJA Super Sunday Fundraiser Telethon, Rosenbaum
Yeshiva of North Jersey, River
Edge, 9am-9pm
Deadline to order Young
Israel of Passaic Clifton Group
Tickets for the Nets Jewish
Family Day: NJ Nets vs Atlanta Hawks on Sun, Feb 4, free
kids jersey with each ticket, call
973-778-5998
“Raising Children and
Marrying Them Off: What
Is the Halacha? What Is the
Hashkofo?” for men and women, Rabbi David Eidensohn,
Beis Dovid Shul, Passaic, 8pm
Mon., Jan 29
Film: “Your Show of
Shows,” discussion, and bag
lunch, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 10:30am
“Everything You Wanted to
Know about Judaism but Were
Afraid to Ask: Dealing with
Teens and Young Adults,” Rabbi
Ely Allen, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm
Tues., Jan 30
of Caregiving,” Caregiver Support Series, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 1:30pm, 201837-9090
“Examining Eating Addictions,” for teens and their
parents, JCC, Bridgewater, 7pm
Hanukkat Ha-Bayit Dedication of the JCC MetroWest
Expansion and Renovation,
West Orange, 7:30pm
Wed., Jan 31
Last Day for Applications for JCC MetroWest Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, candidates must be Jewish; a native or current resident of Essex,
Morris, Sussex, or Union Counties; and outstanding amateur or
professional athlete or coach or
have contributed significantly to
the world of sports through a related field or profession, Lydia
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Neumann, 973-530-3466
“The Voyage from Family
Disunity to Family Greatness and
the Emergence of the Jewish Nation: Abraham and Sara—Who
Is the Real Shaker and Mover…The Patriarch or the Matriarch?” Rabbi Eugene Kwalwasser,
Celebrating Tu B’Shevat
for Children, JCC, Tenafly, 35 year olds, 4pm; 5-7 year olds,
5:30pm, also Thurs., Feb 1
Fri., Feb 2
Oneg Shabbat Lecture,
spons by Cong Ahavat Achim,
Fair Lawn, private home in Fair
Lawn, 8pm, 201-797-0502
Yeshivat Keren B’Yavneh
Alumni Shabbaton, Cong BethAbraham, Bergenfield, through Sat., Feb 3
Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Cary Friedman, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David,
West Orange, through Sat., Feb 3
Sat., Feb 3, Tu B’Shevat
Tu B’Shevat Seder, Rabbi
Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center
of Teaneck, 3pm
Tu B’Shevat Family Luau:
Food, Gym, and Pool, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 6:30pm
Tu B’Shevat Musical Tish/
Kumzits, Rabbi Itzik Aisenstadt,
spons by the Carlebach Congregation of Teaneck, American Legion/VFW Hall, Teaneck, 7:30pm
Tu B’Shevat Celebration,
Avram Pengas, Magda, and their
band, spons by the Israeli Club,
JCC, Tenafly, 8pm
Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David of West Orange Dinner, honoring Carol and Mark Goldberg, Freddy and Ellie Langer, and Michelle and Bennett Degen, 8pm
Melave Malka and Tu
B’Shevat Seder, spons by Bais
Yitzchok Chevra Thilim, at the
YMHA, Union, 8pm
Kabbalistic Tu B’Shevat Seder, Chabad House, Teaneck, 8pm
Q ’07, a Panoply-Style
Trivia Game for Young Professionals, spons by NCSY,
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Englewood, 8pm, 201-862-0250
Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, Solidarity Mission to
Israel: Kum Hithalech Ba’Aretz,
return Fri. Feb 9, 201-568-1315
Sun., Feb 4
Page - 43
Page - 44
The Log
January 2007
Boker Limmud, Morning
of Learning, Roshei Yeshiva
of Ma’ale Gilboa, Israel, Jewish
Center of Teaneck, 9am
Early Childhood “Daddy
and Me” Tu B’Shevat Program:
“Our Tree Named Steve,” Alan
Zweibel, JCC, West Orange, 11am
Hadassah Camp Fair,
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Englewood, 11am-3pm
Jewish Family Afternoon
with the Nets, Continental Airlines Arena, E Rutherford, tickets through Cong Keter Torah,
Teaneck, game starts at noon
Tu
B’Shevat
Seder,
YMHA, Union, 12:30pm
Mon., Feb 5
“History of the Modern Middle East,” Dr. Louise
Mayo, YMHA, Union, 1pm
“My Yiddish Mama Is
Driving Me Crazy,” support
group for those with aging parents, YMHA of Union County,
Union, 7:30pm
Men’s Health Night: Cancer and Prevention, Gabie Kaplan, RN, YMHA, Union, 7:30pm
“Tefellah:
Explanation,” Rabbi Glaser, Cong Ohav
Tues., Feb 6
“Coping with the Stress of
Caregiving,” Caregiver Support
Series, Jewish Family Service,
Teaneck, 1:30pm, 201-837-9090
“The Truth about Sexual Violence,” for teens and their
parents, JCC, Bridgewater, 7pm
Learn Child CPR, Chaya
Hayardeny, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm
“Eastern European Jewry,” Paul Lipz, JCC, Bridgewater, 7:30pm
Wed., Feb 7
“The Voyage from Family Disunity to Family Greatness and the Emergence of
the Jewish Nation: Abraham
and Lot—Family Responsibility,” Rabbi Eugene Kwalwasser,
“The Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights: A
Symposium,” Douglass College
Center, New Brunswick, 7pm
“The Response of the Mitnagdim,” Rabbi Neil Winkler,
Young Israel of Fort Lee, 7:45pm
Tefillah Discussion Group
for People Who Struggle with
the Idea of Prayer, Rabbi Ronald Price, Cong Netivot Shalom,
Teaneck, 8pm
Wednesday Night Kollel,
Rabbi Yacov Tendler, Community
Synagogue of Monsey, 8:30pm
Fri., Feb 9
Cong Rinat Yisrael Community Shabbat Dinner, Teaneck, 5pm
Scholar-in-Residence Rav
Dovid Cohen, Cong Beth Abraham,
Bergenfield, through Sat., Feb 10
Carlebach Congregation
of Teaneck Shabbaton, Rabbi
Nosson and Channa Schafer, all
meals and davening at the American Legion VFW Hall, lodging provided, 201-708-6629,
through Sat., Feb 10
Sat., Feb 10
Family Seudat Shlishit
and Havdala, Cong Ahavat
Achim, Fair Lawn, 4:30pm
Moriah School of Englewood Dinner, honoring Penny and David Rabinowitz, Min-
dy and Eli Davidoff, and Morah
Rachel Rubenshtein, 5:30pm
“Raising a Bas Melech,”
Rebbetzin Baila Stern, Yeshiva
Passaic Torah Institute, 7:30pm,
973-249-9567
Parenting Shiur, Dr. Norman Blumenthal, spons by Chai
Lifeline, at Cong Beth Abraham,
Bergenfield, 8pm
Layl Iyun, Rav Hershel
Schachter and Rav Mordechai Willig,
Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8:30pm
“Hester Ashteir Panai: A
Heroine’s Masquerade—Esther and Tamar,” Nishmat
Hatzafon Jewish Women’s Performing Arts Company, Mt Sinai Jewish Center, Washington Heights, NY, 8:30pm, NishmatHatzafon@gmail.com
“Who’s Up First? Prioritizing Family Needs,” Rav Hershel Schachter. Cong Ohr Torah,
Edison, 8:45pm
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 45
New Classes This Month
Sundays
“Philosophy of Rav Soloveitchik,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong
Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:30am
Topics in Halacha, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Cong Beth Abraham,
Bergenfield, 7:50am
Breakfast and Learn, Akiva Wolk, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck,
8:30am
Post-Shacharis Breakfast Mishnayos, Dr. Yossi Norowitz, Elmora Hills Minyan, Union, 8:30am
Chavrusah Program, Rabbi Avrohom Herman, JEC, Elizabeth,
minyan, 8:30am; breakfast 9:20am; chavrusah Learning, 9:30am
Advanced Talmud, Rabbi Steven Miodownik, Cong Ahavas
Achim, Highland Park, 8:45am
Adult/Child Breakfast and Learning Experience: “The
What, Why, and How of Tefillah,” Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck,
8:45am
Gemara Beitzah, Rabbi Y Love, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, 8:45am
Dunkin’ Daven for Grades 6-8, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 9am
Chofetz Chaim Women’s Learning Group, private home in
Teaneck, 9am, 201-836-1606
Talmud Berachot, Rabbi Posen, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland
Park, 9am
Chavurah: Shabbat, Rabbi Yablonsky, Cong Agudath Israel,
Highland Park, 9am
Talmud: Megillah, Rabbi Israel Botnick, Cong Ohav Emeth,
Highland Park, 9am
“Rediscover Halacha,” Rabbi Zvi Goldman, Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva Beis Medresh, Edison, 9:15am
Jewish Philosophy for Women, Rabbi David Bassous, Cong
Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, 10am
Prophets for Women: Melachim Bet, Rebbetzin Eichenstein,
Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 10am
Parenting Journey, Basya Gutmann, Jewish Family Service,
Clifton, 10am 973-777-7638
Gemara Gittin, Rabbi Schulman, JEC, Elizabeth, 10:15am
Become a Red Cross-Certified Lifeguard, including CPR, for
those over 15, YMHA, Clifton, noon
“Contemporary Jewish Issues,” Dr. Noson Gurary, Center for
Jewish Life, Rockland Community College, Suffern, noon, begins Jan
28, 845-574-4422
Rambam: Sefer Mada, Rabbi David Bassous, Cong Etz Ahaim,
Highland Park, 5pm
Father-Son Learning, Yeshiva Gedolah, Teaneck, 7pm
Ladies Cardio Class: Aerobics, Body Sculpting, and Kickboxing, YMHA, Clifton, 7:15pm, begins Jan 7
Talmud: Shabbat, Rabbi Klughaupt, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm
Gemara Berachos, Rav Emanuel Gettinger, Adas Israel, Passaic, 8pm
Derech Hashem, for men, Rabbi Yisroel Teichman, private
home in Bergenfield, 8:30pm, 201-385-2575
Mondays
Kollel Yom Sheini for Ba’al Ha-Batim, Rabbi Gidon Lane,
Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8am
Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Uri Goldstein, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair
Lawn, 9:15am
“Understanding the Hebrew of the Torah: The Book of Numbers,” Etia Segal, 9:30am, begins Jan 15
Mommy and Me, for moms and toddlers over 18 months, Ronit
Wenger, Kesher Community Synagogue, Englewood, 9:30am
Pre-Natal Yoga, YMHA, Clifton, 10am, begins Jan 7
Music for Babies, six months and older, Ronit Wenger, Kesher Community Synagogue, Englewood, 10:50am, 201-569-5144, begins Jan 8
Chumash for Women, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 11am
“Advanced Intermediate Hebrew Reading: First Book of
Samuel,” Etia Segal, JCC, Tenafly, 11:30am, begins Jan 15
Intermediate Yiddish, Rebecca Levine, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 12noon, begins Jan 29
“Contemporary Jewish Issues,” Rabbi Chanan Krivisky, Center for Jewish Life, Rockland Community College, Suffern, noon, begins Jan 29, 845-574-4422
Mother and Child Group, for mothers, infants, and toddlers, Esther
Bar-Shai, RNH Family Center, Riverdale, 2pm, 718-549-8100, ext 128
“Classical Jewish Ethics,” Rabbi Chanan Krivisky, Center for
Jewish Life, Rockland Community College, Suffern, 2pm, begins Jan
29, 845-574-4422
Women’s Tehillim Group, Ora Bloom, Cong Ahawas Achim
Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 7pm
Mentoring Moms Training, for older, experienced mothers to
help isolated and overwhelmed mothers referred by DYFS, Cindy Andrake and Cheryl Carroll, Volunteer Center of Bergen County, Hackensack, 7pm, begins Jan 22, 201-489-9454
Rambam, Rabbi David Waxman, Community Synagogue of
Monsey, 7:15pm
Intermediate Hebrew Ulpan, Aliza Aharoni, Lautenberg JCC,
Whippany, 7:30pm, begins Jan 29
Tehillim, private home in Monsey, 7:30pm, 845-425-3060
Shiur, Rabbi Shalom Baum, private home in New Milford
7:30pm, 201-907-0833
“Tea and Torah: Innate Powers of the Soul and Qualities of
True and Caring Leadership—Prominent Textual Torah Sources
Which Directly Relate to Circumstances and Decisions Encountered in Every Day Life,” Rabbi Asher Herson, spons by Chabad
Center of Northwest NJ, private home in Mountain Lakes, 7:30pm,
973-625-1525 x227 or 973-263-0490
Gemara: Masechet Brachot, Rabbi Akiva Block, Cong Keter
Torah, Teaneck, 8pm
Sefer Hamitzvot, Rabbi Eichenstein, Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva, Edison, 8pm
Beginning Talmud, Rabbi Kinzbrunner, Cong Ahavas Achim,
Highland Park, 8pm
Laws of Shabbat, Rabbi David Bassous, Cong Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, 8pm
Gemara Moed Koton, Rabbi Yaakov Neuburger, Cong Beth
Abraham, Bergenfield, 8pm
Women’s Tehillim Group, Young Israel of Fort Lee, 8pm
Parsha, Rebbetzin Eichenstein, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8pm
Talmud: Kesubot, Rabbi Israel Botnick, Cong Ohav Emeth,
Highland Park, 8:30pm
Hilchot Shabbat, Avi Bodlander, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland
Park, 8:30pm
Hilchot Tefillah, Dr. Presby, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland
Park, 8:30pm
Gemara, Rabbi N Liebster, private home in Passaic, 8:30pm,
973-778-7117
Weight Watchers, Sari Samuel, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck,
8:45pm, begins Jan 8, 201-836-6868
Overeaters Anonymous for Men, followed by Ma’ariv, private
Page - 46
New Classes
January 2007
home in Passaic, 9pm, regalkit@aol.com
Women’s Shiur in Chassidus, Aliza Krivisky, Chabad of Wesley Hills, Suffern, 9pm, 845-371-7505
Selected Teshuvoth of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, z”l, Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 9:10pm
Tuesdays
Halacha, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck,
7:45am
Davening and Breakfast with a Shiur, Rabbi Benjamin Yudin,
Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 7:45am
Advanced Hebrew Ulpan, Aliza Aharoni, Lautenberg JCC,
Whippany, 9:30am, begins Jan 30
Tehillim for Cholei Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael, private home in
Teaneck, 9:30-10:30am, 201-837-9682
Gemara, Rabbi Weinberger, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn,
10am
Chumash for Women, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas
Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 10am
Navi, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 11am
Chumash, Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair
Lawn, 11:15am
Lunch and Learn, Rabbi Abraham Mykoff, Cong Poile Zedek,
New Brunswick, noon
Lunch and Learn: “The Tanya, The User Manual for Your
Soul,” Rabbi Ephraim Simon, spons by Friends of Lubavitch of Bergen County, at the Pasta Factory, Teaneck, 1pm
Parsha for Women, Rebbetzin Esther Bayla Schwartz, private
home in Passaic, 1:15pm, drosekigel@aol.com
Parsha for Women, Rabbi Eliyahu Kaufman, Cong Ohav
Emeth, Highland Park, 1:30pm
Nanny and Child Group, for caregivers, infants, and toddlers,
RNH Family Center, Riverdale, 2pm, 718-549-8100, ext 128
“Jewish Traditions,” Dr. Noson Gurary, Center for Jewish Life,
Rockland Community College, Suffern, 7pm, begins Jan 30, 845-5744422
“The Drop-In Zone,” games, music, and food for teens, Eli and
Ashley Klapper, spons by NCSY, Teaneck Jewish Center, 7:30pm
Tehillim, Rabbi Emanuel Schwartz, Community Synagogue of
Monsey, 7:45pm
Kabbalah, Rabbi Avremel Kotlarsky, spons by Lubavitch of
Rockland, at a private home in New City, 8pm, 845-634-0951
Talmud, Rabbi Ron Price, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8pm
Tehillim, private home in Monsey, 8pm, 845-425-3499
Talmud: Sanhedrin, Rabbi Eliezer Kaminetzky, Cong Ohav
Chumash for Women, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas
Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm
Advanced Talmud: Mesechet Gittin, Rabbi Tony Glickman,
Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm
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“Beginners Yiddish: Vos is Dos?” Moshe Schreiber, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm
“The Kabbalah of Character,” Rabbi Moshe Miller, Chabad
House, Teaneck, 8pm, begins Jan 23
Men’s Only Swim, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 8-9:30pm
Talmud: Masechet Chulin, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai
Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm
Tehillim Shiur, Rachel Lerner, private home in Teaneck, 8:15pm,
201-287-1527
Shiur, Rabbi Daniel Feldman, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck,
8:30pm
“Tefillah,” Rabbi Yaakov Glaser, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton,
Passaic, 8:30pm
Parshat Hashavua, Rav Meir Goldvicht, Cong Bnai Yeshurun,
Teaneck, 8:30pm
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Avi Kamelhar, Cong Agudath Israel,
Highland Park, 8:30pm
Shabbos Halachos and Hashkafos, Rabbi Gedaliah Jaffe, Cong
Ahavas Yisrael, Edison, 8:30pm
Mishlei: Proverbs for Women, Dr. Presby, private home in
Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-572-6231
Chumash/Haskofah Shiur, Rabbi Yosef Veiner, live via satellite,
Cong Khal Zichron, Airmont, NY (845-356-7078); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 8:45pm
Gemara: Masechta Berachos, Rabbi Tuly Polak, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9pm
Igros Moshe, Rabbi Dr. Mel Zelefsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9pm
Orach Chaim, Rabbi Daniel Hartstein, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 9pm
Gemara, Rabbi Dr. Yacov Tendler, Community Synagogue of
Monsey, 9:30pm
Wednesdays
“Halacha,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck,
7:45am
Tehillim for Women, private home in Bergenfield, 9:30am, 201287-4441
Mommy and Me, for moms and babies of all ages, Passaic Torah
Institute, 9:30am
Mommy and Me, for moms and toddlers over 18 months, Ronit
Wenger, Kesher Community Synagogue, Englewood, 9:30am
Mishlei Shiur in Memory of the Seidenfeld Children, Rachel
Lerner, private home in Teaneck, 10:30am, 201-287-1527
Jewish Women’s University: Lunch and Learn, Rebbetzin Devorah Klar, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 10:30am-2pm
“Pulse of the Parsha,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center
of Teaneck, 11am
“Contemporary Jewish Issues,” Rabbi Chanan Krivisky, Center
for Jewish Life, Rockland Community College, Suffern, noon, begins
Jan 31, 845-574-4422
“Classical Jewish Ethics,” Rabbi Chanan Krivisky, Center for
Jewish Life, Rockland Community College, Suffern, 2pm, begins Jan
31, 845-574-4422
Bat Mitzvah Class, Rebbetzin Debbie Baum, Cong Keter Torah,
Teaneck, 7pm
Volunteers in Protective Services, training to provide guidance,
friendship, and support to abused and neglected children ages 2-18,
Cindy Andrake and Cheryl Carroll, Volunteer Center of Bergen County, Hackensack, 7pm, begins Jan 31, 201-489-9454
Tehillim Group for Shidduchim, private home in Passaic, 8pm,
973-473-1498
Chassidus Shiur for Women, Rabbi Yechezkael Landa, private
home in Clifton, 8pm, 347-613-4184
Parsha Plus and a Short Video Clip of the Lubavitcher Rebbe,
Rabbi Yisroel Goldberg, Chabad Lubavitch of Rockland, New City, 8pm
Classes for the Masses, Rabbi David Bassous, Cong Etz Ahaim,
Highland Park, 8pm
Talmud: Sukkah, Rabbi Shlomo Ziegler, Cong Ohav Emeth,
Highland Park, 8pm
Navi: Shmuel Bet, Rabbi Steven Miodownik, Cong Ahavas
Achim, Highland Park, 8pm
Tanach, Rabbi Scot Berman, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob
and David, West Orange, 8pm
Various Topics, Rabbi Yaakov and Rebbetzin Peshi Neuburger,
Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8pm
Chavrusah Program, rabbis from Lakewood, Cong Poile Zedek,
New Brunswick, 8:15pm
Gemara, Rabbi Duvie Weiss, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck,
8:30pm
Women’s Tehillim Group, private home in Passaic, 8:30pm,
973-777-0249
Gemara: Mesechet Taanit, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm
Minchas Chinuch Contemporary Laws, Rabbi Yisrael Hoffman, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 8:30pm
Partners in Torah for Women, Mrs. Drillman, Cong Agudath
Israel, Highland Park, 8:30pm
Bava Kama Shiur, Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, Cong Beth Aaron,
Teaneck, 8:30pm
Parsha, Rabbi Uri Goldstein, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn,
8:30pm
JACS, Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons,
and Their Significant Others, Jewish Family Service of PassaicClifton, in Clifton, 9pm
Mitzvas Asei of Shabbos, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm
Thursdays
Recording Jewish Lives: A Seminar in Creative Autobiographical Writing, Susan Dworkin, JCC, Tenafly, 9am and 5pm, begins Jan 4
Advanced Hebrew Ulpan, Aliza Aharoni, Lautenberg JCC,
Whippany, 9:30am, begins Feb 1
“Tomer Devorah: Walking in the Ways of Hashem,” for women, Rabbi Yisroel Teichman, to benefit the Jewish Renaissance Center, private home in Teaneck, babysitting available, 9:30am, 201-3852575
Lunch and Learn, Rabbi Abraham Mykoff, Cong Poile Zedek,
New Brunswick, noon
Advanced Yiddish, Rebecca Levine, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 7pm, begins Feb 1
Parsha, Rabbi Boruch Klar, Lubavitch Center, West Orange,
7:30pm
Gemarra Taanit, Rabbi Neil Winkler, Young Israel of Fort Lee, 7:45
Parshat Hashavua, Rabbi Eli Roberts, private home in Teaneck,
7:45pm, 201-837-9436
“Sefer Shemot: An In-Depth Analysis,” Rabbi Daniel Rockoff,
Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm
Halacha: Talmud Ta’anit, Dr. Presby, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm
Gemara Maseches Brachos, Rabbi Elozor Preil, Cong Beth
Abraham, Bergenfield, 8pm
Yiddish for Beginners, Rebecca Levine, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, 8:10pm, begins Feb 1
Advanced Talmud: Sukkah, Rabbi Busel, Rabbi Jacob Joseph
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 47
Yeshiva, Edison, 8:30pm
Chumash/Halacha Shiur, Rabbi Yissocher Frand, live via satellite, Cong Khal Zichron, Airmont, NY (845-356-7078); Cong Keter
Torah, Teaneck; Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 9pm
Meseches Beitzah, Rav Hershel Schachter, Cong Bnai Yeshurun,
Teaneck, 9pm
Men’s Shiur in Chassidus, Rabbi Chanan Krivisky, Chabad of
Wesley Hills, Suffern, 9pm, 845-371-7505
Hilchos Shabbos, Dr. Barry Finkelstein, Cong Beth Abraham,
Bergenfield, 9:30pm
Gemara, Rabbi Dr. Yacov Tendler, Community Synagogue of
Monsey, 9:30pm
Parsha, Rabbi Eichenstein, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park,
9:30pm
Halacha in the Weekly Parsha, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong
Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10:10pm
Fridays
Friday Light, pick up free starter kit to light candles, Lubavitch
Center, West Orange, 973-901-2266
Parshat HaShavua, Rabbi Scot Berman, private home in West
Orange, 8pm, 973-669-0079
Saturdays
Pirchei for Boys 6-11, Yeshiva Gedola of Teaneck, 2:45pm, 201833-0486
Overeaters Anonymous for Men, private home in Passaic, 3pm,
regalkit@aol.com
Mishmash: Food Fun, Torah, and Prizes, for children and
parents, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange,
6:10pm
Motzei Shabbos Shiur, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Zichron
Mordechai, Teaneck, 6:25pm
Parent-Child Learning, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield,
6:30pm
Motzei Shabbos Learning Program for Elementary School
Boys with an Adult, learning, snacks, and a raffle to win a mountain
bike, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 7pm
Mishmar Learning Program, includes pizza, donuts, prizes,
and raffles, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, Edison, 7pm
Navi Shiur, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, live via satellite, Cong Khal
Zichron, Airmont, NY (845-356-7078); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park; Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic; Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck,
8pm
New Minyans
Shacharis, daily, Young Israel of Fair Lawn, 7am
Mazal Tov
Mazal Tov to the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Alex Auerbacher,
Daniel Borenstein, Mitchell Gronowitz, Brett Hoffman,
Joshua Lankin, Yoni Lefkofsky, Jonathan Packer, Gavriel
Reichman, Adam Sandor, and Matthew Weinreich; and the
Bat Mitzvah Girls: Elissa Chava Bernheim, Elisheva Elbaz,
Chloe Fein, Deena Fuchs, Rebecca Levin, Leora Levitan,
Tamar Novetsky, Tamar Novogrodsky, Ayala Silverman,
Hennie Silverman, Michele Spielman, Shulamith Wasserman, Batya Weil, Chedva Weissler, and Rivka Zakheim
Mazal Tov to Sharon and Zvi Sebrow on being honored
by American Friends of Beit Orot
Mazal Tov to Dr. Daniel Pipes on his appointment as
William Simon Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy in Malibu, California, for the
spring 2007 semester.
Page - 48
Israeli Arabs vs Israel
emblematic of a new wave
of terror about to engulf the
Jewish state. While dozens of
Israeli Arabs have been connected to acts of Palestinian
terrorism, they had not usually been involved in actually
carrying out the attacks.
That, however, may be
changing. There is strong
evidence that, after 60 years
more or less on the sidelines,
the Israeli-Arab community
no longer sees itself as a minority trying to improve its
status in an economically
viable, democratic Western
country. These days, an increasing number of Israeli
Arabs see themselves as Palestinians who happen to be
living in Israel but who owe
their allegiance and efforts
to the Palestinian national
and religious war against the
Jewish state.
In other words, they
seem to have joined the battle
January 2007
against the Jewish state, following leaders such as Riad
Saleh, head of the radical Israeli-Arab Islamic Movement,
who routinely announces that
Jerusalem will soon be the
capital of an Islamic caliphate. Mr. Saleh often attempts
to whip Israeli Arabs into a
frenzy by warning of imaginary Jewish plots to destroy
the Muslim holy places on
Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
Destruction in Acre
On December 2, Israeli
Arabs destroyed a Talmud
Torah in the northern city of
Acre, painting Arabic graffiti
and swastikas on the walls,
destroying furniture, and
scattering holy books.
A mixed Arab-and-Jewish city, located between
Haifa and the Lebanese border on the Mediterranean
coast, Acre had been notably
quiet until recently. A few
days before the attack on the
synagogue, a band of Arab
youths assaulted and beat a
Jewish girl. Six months earlier, local Arabs burned trees
at the entrance to the Talmud
Torah, and during the recent
Simchat Torah holiday, Arabs surrounded and threatened students from the local
hesder yeshiva, where Torah
study is combined with service in the IDF. The Arabs
dispersed when a student
fired a gun into the air.
The December attack
on the Talmud Torah was
discovered by a Jew who arrived early for Shabbat services, and promptly called
the police.
According to Rabbi Avraham Shushan, who teaches at
the school, the lights were on
and the windows were broken. The walls were covered
with swastikas and the words
“Hamas” and “Allahu Akbar”
(Allah is great).
“It looked like Sodom
and Gomorrah. The vandals
went into the classrooms,
dumped out the equipment,
turned over the principal’s
office, and threw the Torah
books in all directions. They
took expensive equipment
worth thousands of shekels,”
said Rabbi Shushan.
Rabbi Yosef Yashar, the
chief rabbi of Acre, said it
reminded him of “Nazi Germany.”
Complacent Police
MKs from the National
Religious
Party-National
Union, who visited Acre in
November, said they consulted local police after becoming
aware of the increasing antiJewish activity on the part of
Israeli Arabs in the city. The
police told them the violence
and clashes were of a “criminal, not nationalistic nature.”
NRP-NU MK Uri Ariel
disputed that characterization,
pointing out that the episode
in the Talmud Torah “proves
the bitter reality that, in 2006,
antisemitic pogroms take
place in sovereign Israel.”
“The police in Acre must
give an accounting as to why
Arab rioters feel sufficiently
free to carry out such a despicable act. We won’t allow the
police to evade their responsibility,” said Mr. Ariel.
Turning Point
While many observers
maintain that there has been
growing evidence of IsraeliArab radicalization, others
say this past summer’s war
with Lebanon was a turning
point. When Hezbollah missiles fell on Haifa and other
cities in the North, Israeli Arabs cheered and then accused
the Jewish state of issuing a
“disproportionate response”
when it fought back.
After the war, many Israeli Arabs admitted to be
furious with Israel for laying
waste to Lebanon and bombing its civilians, with the US
for giving Israel the green
light and providing the Jewish
state with weapons, and with
Arab governments for essentially standing by and doing
nothing to help Hezbollah.
But the Arabs also expressed hope because, many
said, the war’s indecisive outcome indicated to them that Israel could be militarily defeated.
Many observers have
noted that since the war last
summer, Israeli Arabs have
become increasingly eager to
forego any grudging acceptance of Israel as an unwanted
reality, and to see themselves,
rather, as part of the Arab
world that will try to eliminate
the Jewish state entirely.
Harassment in Jezreel Valley
Police in the Jezreel Valley seem to be learning just
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 49
Page - 50
January 2007
that in the case of Amir Engle, a resident of one of the
farming communities who
leased and registered land
for the purpose of grazing his
cows. The only Jewish cowfarmer in the area, which contains seven Israeli-Arab villages, Mr. Engel said he has been
“constantly harassed by Arabs
with violence, threats, damage
to our property, and more. No
one could control them.”
Eighteen months ago, Israeli Arabs came with tractors,
tore down Mr. Engle’s posts,
and uprooted his entire fence.
“We found ourselves in
a real war,” he said, adding
that the Arabs threatened to
kill him if he did not pull up
stakes and leave.
Attempted Murder
The police did little until
this past October, when, while
on a routine patrol around his
cows, Mr. Engle was accosted by two local Arabs who
tried to abduct him. When he
fought back, one of the Arabs
pulled out a gun and shot him
in the leg and hand.
Seriously hurt, but alive,
he was still limping on crutches in early December, while
his wife, Rochelle, and sons
continued to graze their cattle.
“This is not our personal
problem. It’s a problem of the
lands throughout the State of Israel. Someone had better open
his eyes, because it’s a serious
issue. These Arabs think that
with violence, they will get our
land,” said Mrs. Engle.
Still 1948
Mr. Engle said it was naïve to believe the conflict between Jews and Israeli Arabs
ended in 1948.
“It’s always here—sometimes it’s more moderate and
sometimes it explodes. The
Arabs have not given up their
goal of wiping out their defeat
of 1948 and wiping Israel off
cont, from p.
the map. Ever since Oslo [the
Oslo Accords of 1993], they
see us as a weak foe, one that
is willing to give up everything
for two days of quiet—and
since then—their brazenness
and desire to take the land has
grown tremendously,” he said.
After the October attack
on Mr. Engle, the local police
“are finally investigating seriously,” said his wife, explaining that some suspects from
the Arab village of Tamra
have been arrested.
“For years, I would submit complaints to the police
here, and I got to know the
clerk pretty well. I would
always tell her that no one
is taking this seriously, and
it will end up in a bad way.
Now she tells me how right I
was,” said Mrs. Engle.
“Future Vision”
In early December, when
the Israeli-Arab teenager was
hatching his plot, the Arab
rioters were desecrating the
Acre Talmud Torah, and Mr.
Engle was helping the police track down his would-be
murderers, adult leaders of
the Israeli-Arab community
presented a series of demands
which, if accepted, would accomplish the same goal: an
end to Israel as a Jewish state.
At a conference in
Nazareth,
Mossawa—the
Advocacy Center for Arab
Citizens in Israel, presented
a position paper in which the
group claimed, among other
demands, the right to return
to villages which Arabs had
abandoned in 1948 and which
now are inhabited by Jews.
The paper, entitled “The
Future Vision of Palestinian
Arabs in Israel,” was one of
several similar studies that
have been published by a variety of mainstream IsraeliArab organizations. Like the
others, “Future Vision” main-
tained that, in addition to equal rights, to
which every Israeli citizen is entitled, the
Arab minority demands “group-differentiated rights.”
Bi-National State
Many observers pointed out that
“Future Vision” is an effort to show that
the leaders of the Arabs in Israel have no
loyalty to the State of Israel as a Jewish
state. Their goal is to establish a bi-national Jewish-Arab state on the territory
of Israel, or, preferably, a Palestinian
state on all the territory that now encompasses the PA and Israel.
At most, “Future Vision” would grant
the Jews half a state (the Jewish half of a binational Jewish-Arab state), while the Palestinians would gain one-and-a-half states
(all of Palestine as well the Palestinian half
of the bi-national state).
One of the conference participants, Dr.
Raef Zreik, complained that the “Future Vision” position paper was too mild. He insisted Israeli Arabs would not recognize the
right of Jews to a state of their own unless it
was part of an overall peace agreement with
the Palestinian people as a whole.
No Jewish State
It is not a new position. From 19992001, 12 Israeli Jews, led by Hebrew University Law Professor Mordechai Kremnitzer, and eight Israeli Arabs, led by Adel
Manna, director of the Jerusalem-based
Van Leer Institute Center for the Study of
Arab Society in Israel, tried to draw up a
Jewish-Arab covenant for the mutual benefit of both societies. Their efforts came to
a halt when the Arab side refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Some left-wing Israeli Jews, such as
Ha’aretz columnist Uzi Benziman, have
blamed the Israeli government for the Israeli-Arabs’ rage, claiming that the Arabs’
refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the
Zionist idea is “nourished by the foolish
and evil policy of discrimination adopted
by all Israeli governments.”
But many Israeli Arabs readily acknowledge that their argument has nothing to do with discrimination. They simply do not accept the legitimacy of the Zionist idea. Mr. Manna insisted that even if
there were no discrimination, Israeli-Arabs would still demand full autonomy.
No Jewish Symbols
The call for autonomy is at the heart
of “Future Vision”’s 10-point position
paper, which emphasized the demand for
Tevet/Shevat 5767
increased use of Arabic in Israel; an end
to the 1950 Law-of-Return that automatically grants Israeli citizenship to any Jew
(or for the addition of a Law of Return
for Arabs); and for a new flag (minus the
Star of David) and a new national anthem
that eschews Jewish sentiments. Hatikva
expresses the Jewish yearning through
the ages for a return to Zion.
“The state’s symbols, its flag,
and its national anthem are emotionally charged, public resources. The state
must give appropriate expression to the
presence of Arab citizens in Israel and
its historical relationship to the place,”
said the paper.
Page - 51
Writing in Ha’aretz, Avraham Tal noted
that the demand for a change in the Law of
Return means “opening the country’s gates
to hundreds of thousands of descendents of
residents of 1948 Palestine, so that the country will have a Palestinian majority.”
“A return to abandoned villages
means situating a quarter of a million
Israeli Arabs (as one ‘Future Vision’ estimates) in hundreds of rebuilt villages,
something that would alter Israel’s demography, create hundreds of new friction points, and foster ongoing internal
intra-ethnic conflict even after the external conflict is resolved,” he said.
Page - 52
He pointed out that
changing the flag and the national anthem to make them
express “the national uniqueness of the Arab minority”
would abolish—on the symbolic level anyway—Israel
as the Jewish national state.
“The next stage would
have to be changing the name
of the state,” said Mr. Tal.
Full Autonomy
While Mossawa acknowledged that Arabic is
already recognized as an official language of Israel, “Future Vision” demanded that
it be granted equal status to
Hebrew in every aspect of
public life, just as English
and French are recognized
in Canada. The group argued that as a truly bilingual
country, Israel must grant
“appropriate expression to
the Arab-Palestinian culture
in the public sphere, including noting Arabic names of
places and bestowing Arabic
names to public buildings,
streets, cities, and the like.”
“Future Vision” called
for Israeli Arabs to enjoy full
autonomy over their school
system. Many observers understood this to mean the
right to demonize Jews and
Israel, just as is done in textbooks and classrooms in the
Palestinian Authority.
Arutz Sheva maintained
that, by articulating this de-
January 2007
mand, the Arabs want to
demonstrate their birthright
to self-determination on the
land controlled by Israel.
“Future Vision” also
demanded guaranteed representation in Israel’s national
bodies, irrespective of the
number of votes Arab politicians receive in elections;
extra allotments of resources,
such as budget allocations,
land, and housing, to compensate for “past discrimination;” and ties with other
Arab countries, despite those
nations’ boycott of Israel.
“The Palestinian population in Israel must be enabled to freely maintain and
develop special ties—family,
cultural, economic, and the
like—with other members of
the Palestinian people and the
Arab nation,” said the paper.
“Corrective Justice”
Perhaps most importantly, “Future Vision” demands
“historic rights” for Israeli
Arabs. “Corrective justice
demands that Israel must
apologize and recognize the
Naqba—national Palestinian-Arab
catastrophe—of
1948 when the Arabs were
removed from their lands,”
said the paper.
This, the paper said, encompasses the right of “uprooted Palestinians”—about
25 percent of the current Arab
population of Israel—and
guarantees their “return” to
their original villages, most
of them now Jewish towns.
In addition, all assets of the
Muslim religious authority,
the Waqf, must be “returned”
and administered by the Israeli-Arabs’ community.
Many of these former
Arab villages engaged in
hostile actions before and
during the 1948 War of Independence.
In “Future Vision,” the
Israeli Arabs make the claim
that hundreds of destroyed
villages, in various parts of
the country, are theirs. According to the Israeli Arabs,
Jews will have to vacate pre1967 Israeli towns such as
Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva.
Other examples are the
Meggido Prison, which was
built on top of the abandoned
Arab village of Al-Lajun, and
the north Tel Aviv suburb of
Ramat Aviv, which was once
called Sheikh Munis.
According to Arutz Sheva, the Israeli Arabs know their
demand to “return” to these
places is unrealistic, but raising the issue is intended to help
the nationalist Arab cause.
New Arab Judges
Among the many jurists
participating in the IsraeliArab conference was Supreme Court Justice Salim
Jubran who said the existing
Israeli Basic Right of Citi-
zenship law must be amended to complete the constitutional protection of minority
groups. He objected to the
law’s restriction on the rights
of Israeli Arabs to marry Palestinians, a bill which Israeli
Jews say is important because
of its security ramifications.
Israeli Arabs who marry Palestinians can reside in the
PA, but the couple may not
live together in Israel proper
because Palestinians do not
have that automatic right.
Until recently, most Israeli-Arab judges tended to
maintain low profiles, were
reticent when it came to politics, and often handed down
stiffer sentences in criminal
trials than did Jewish judges.
That, however, has changed.
“Over the past year or
so, Jubran has ‘come out of
the closet’ as a radical Arab
anti-Israel nationalist. He now
publicly promotes ‘secession’
plans formulated by Arabs and
anti-Zionist leftist Jews according to which ‘Palestinian
Israelis’ will set up their own
parliament and own statewithin-the-state, will have
separate UN representation
and veto power over Israeli
government decisions. And
eventually, no doubt, their
own army,” said an observer
who asked for anonymity.
Mr. Jubran’s “open sedi-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 53
Page - 54
tion,” he said, has prompted
other Arab judges to follow
his lead. “In large part, all this
has been made possible by the
‘judicial activism’ imposed
on Israel by past Chief Justice
Aharon Barak. According to
their version of ‘judicial activism,’ judges are supposed
to introduce their personal
political agendas and biases
into their rulings and expound
their political ideology from
the bench, because they represent ‘enlightened opinion,’”
said the observer.
Radical Ideas
Perhaps most frightening for many Israeli Jews was
the knowledge that those participating in the formulation
of “Future Vision” were not
thugs who are likely to blow
themselves up on buses. The
participants were moderates,
but their arguments were
identical to those articulated
by the radicals and terrorists.
The paper was presented
as part of the week-long Second Annual Days of Mossawa Festival and Nazareth
Film Festival.
Mr. Ariel called it “a new
Declaration of Independence.”
“The Arab citizens understand the trend, and it encourages them to go out and
paint swastikas on yeshivot,”
he said, pointing out that, in
other Israeli cities with large
Arab populations, such as
January 2007
Ramle, Jaffa, and Lod, Israeli Arabs are independently
making these demands.
Enemies #1 and #2
Middle East expert Dr.
Daniel Pipes said these episodes are evidence that Israel’s “third and final enemy”
has joined the battle.
Israel’s enemy number
one, he said, are foreign states
who sworn to the destruction
of the Jewish state since 1948.
“Today, the greatest
threat comes from weapons
of mass destruction in Iran
and Syria. Egypt increasingly
presents a conventional arms
danger,” said Dr. Pipes.
The Jewish state’s second
enemy, he said, are Palestinians outside Israel. “Eclipsed
for two decades after 1948,
they moved to center stage
with Yasir Arafat and the
PLO. The 1982 Lebanon War
and the 1993 Oslo Accords
confirmed their centrality.
External Palestinians remain
active and menacing today,
what with terrorism, missiles
landing in Sderot, and a global public relations campaign
of rejectionism,” he said.
Enemy #3
He identified Israel’s third
enemy as the state’s Muslim
citizens. He said he refers to
them as Muslims rather than
Arabs because Arabic-speaking Christians and Druze “are
generally less hostile.”
In 1949, Israel’s 111,000
Arab citizens made up nine
percent of the state’s population. By 2005, they had increased ten-fold to 1,141,000,
16 percent of the population.
Israeli Arabs can be found in
all sectors of Israeli society.
They are physicians, attorneys,
Members of Knesset, academics, businessmen, judges (including a Supreme Court Justice), and an ambassador.
“This ascent, along with
other factors—enemies number one and two at war with
Israel, increased ties to the
West Bank, the surge of radical Islam, the Lebanon War
in mid-2006—emboldened
Muslims to reject the Israeli
identity and turn against the
state. Their blatantly celebrating Israel’s worst enemies evidences this, as does growing
Muslim-on-Jewish violence
within Israel,” said Dr. Pipes.
Terminating the State
Dr. Pipes saw “Future
Vision” as a call to terminate
the Zionist achievement of a
sovereign Jewish state, and he
was not surprised that Jewish
Israelis reacted negatively.
In Ma’ariv, Dan Margalit, capturing the widespread Jewish frustration
with the new Israeli-Arab
thinking, dismissed Israeli
Arabs as “impossible.”
“It’s very sad and a great
pity. We were wrong to har-
bor illusions. They are impossible,” he wrote.
Wasted Opportunity
Mr. Tal reminded Israelis
that, in 1947-1948, the Arabs
were given the opportunity to
establish an independent state
on part of the territory of Palestine. Their leaders refused
and instead tried to destroy
the fledgling Jewish state.
“The leaders of the descendants of the 1948 refugees
who are scattered in the Arab
states and elsewhere, are trying to repeat in a different way
the failed attempt of the 1948
generation, with terror from
outside and by nurturing a
separatist Palestinian narrative
from within,” said Mr. Tal.
The result of papers such
as “Future Vision,” he said,
will be “a deepening of the
rift and a heightening of the
hostility between Jews and
Arabs in Israel.”
Swearing Allegiance
Strategic Affairs Minister
Avigdor Lieberman, chairman
of the mostly Russian Yisrael
Beiteinu Party, believes one
solution is to insist that all Israelis—Jews and Arabs—be
required to pledge allegiance
to the Jewish state.
“Israel has the right to
demand full allegiance from
all its citizens. He who is not
ready to recognize Israel as a
Jewish and Zionist state can-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 55
Page - 56
January 2007
not be a citizen of the country. This applies to extremists of the Neturei Karta
as well as to the extremist factions of the
Islamist Movement,” Mr. Lieberman told
a group at the Saban Center for Middle
East Policy, which is associated with the
Brookings Institute.
Those who refuse to sign, he said,
may remain in Israel as permanent residents, with all the benefits of Israeli residence, including the right to work and
earn a living, as well as voting and running for office in local elections. They
would, however, be excluded from vot-
ing in national elections or being elected
to national offices.
No Collaboration
He has demanded official punishment for Arab MKs, such as Azmi Bishara, who, soon after the Lebanon War
last summer, illegally led a delegation
to Syria and Lebanon to express solidarity for the Arab side in the war. Mr. Lieberman called Mr. Bishara and his colleagues “enemy collaborators.”
Mr. Lieberman maintained that
Arab MKs who “declare Israel’s Independence Day as Naqba Day and raise
black flags,” are in violation of Israel’s
directive on terrorism. “According to
that bill, those who collaborate with terrorism must face the law,” he said.
He noted that the US government
would not allow anti-American activities
to be carried out by its government leaders. “It is unacceptable that a senator or
congressman assist Afghanistan during the
war or meet with Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda
leaders, express his support for their war
against the US—and then be allowed to
return to serve in Congress,” he said.
Denying Citizenship
While, thus far, most Israeli politicians show no inclination to follow Mr.
Lieberman’s suggestions, the State did
see fit to strip four Hamas lawmakers of
their Israeli citizenship. The four, including Hamas Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Mahmoud Tota, were all residents
of eastern Jerusalem.
When Israel’s Interior Ministry took
away their Israeli citizenship, the four
men petitioned the Israeli High Court to
have it reinstated.
Israel’s state representatives Gilad
Shirman and Yochi Gnessin argued that as
leaders of a party sworn to destroy Israel,
the Hamas members “seek to hold their Israeli identity cards in one hand while holding a gun aimed at Israel in the other.”
The court is set to rule on the matter
in January.
Transfer
Upsetting politicians on all sides of
the spectrum, Mr. Lieberman has recommended that Jews and Arabs in Israel be
separated, based on the Turkish-Greek
Cypriot model. According to Mr. Lieberman, it is the only way to achieve peace
in the region.
This call for “transfer,” while anathematic to left-wing Israelis, resonates for
many on the right who do not see any
other hope for Jewish security, especially
in light of the new Israeli-Arab denial of
the right of Jews to a state of their own.
“Israel has to do something. We are
at war, and we’re going to lose the Galilee, just like we’ve already lost Acre,
Nazareth, and Jaffa,” said right-wing
singer Ariel Zilber.
Some say the right-wing call for
transfer of Arabs is no different than the
left-wing call for transfer of Jews from
Judea and Samaria.
Trying to Win Friends
But not all Israelis agree, and some,
especially on the left, have tried to acquiesce whenever possible. For example, according to Israel Airports Authority (IAA) Director-General Gabi Ophir,
Muslims will soon be given a mosque at
Ben Gurion Airport.
As part of its passenger service improvement program, a 215-square-foot
room for Muslim religious services will
be built in the main terminal at the airport. Facilities for washing hands and
feet prior to entering the small mosque
will be provided outside the room.
The mosque will face the direction
of Mecca, and it will be carpeted and
contain copies of the Quran for use by
worshippers.
Other Arabic-language passenger
services recently initiated by the IAA
include a new informational website as
well as a special team to provide Arablanguage customer support.
Trying to Strengthen Ties
“The initiative to set up the prayer
room is an additional element in the efforts IAA is making in order to strengthen
ties with the Arab sector,” said Mr. Ophir,
explaining that the new addition is being
built in response to passenger requests.
Mr. Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu
colleague, MK Esterina Tratman, expressed dismay at the IAA project, calling it “self-destructive.” She maintained
that it “damages the symbols of Israel as
a Jewish state.”
Ms. Tratman characterized the plan as
part of a policy “to prove that we are part of
the family of liberals, but at a heavy price.”
“We honor every religion, but do the
US, France, and Spain also have mosques
in their airports?” she said, not bothering
to mention the situation in Muslim countries towards synagogues and churches.
If history is a guide, even efforts
such as Mr. Ophir’s are not likely to
elicit the intended warm feelings toward
Israel from Muslims determined to obliterate the Jewish state.
Fighting for Dorm Space
An example of that intransigence
is a current problem at the University of
Haifa in which efforts to appease Arab
students are now in direct confrontation
with the natural Israeli tendency to honor
those who serve in the IDF. The univer-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
sity, whose student population is about 20
percent Arab, has about 1,117 dormitory
spots. Half of the spots are automatically
allocated to overseas students, outstanding students, and a few from other special
categories, leaving 517 spots open to the
student body at large.
In 2005, the university published its
criteria for allotting student housing: Military service could provide a student with
20 points, approximately one-third of the
minimum needed to receive university
housing. Since Israeli Arabs do not serve in
the IDF, they were at a disadvantage, but,
the school pointed out, a substantial share
of the other criteria were likely to give
Arab students a distinct advantage: those
Page - 57
who live north of Kiryat Shmona or south
of Ashdod receive up to 28 points (most
Arab students come from the Galilee). In
addition, financial distress could give a
student an additional 25 points, a category
which also favored Arab students.
Arab students decided dormitory
rooms were a symbol of discrimination
against them. In late 2005, Adalah, the
Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in
Israel, filed suit in the Haifa District Court
against the large weight given by the university to military service, arguing that it
discriminated against Arab students.
The university argued that this criterion was not discriminatory and that
Page - 58
January 2007
its sole intention was to compensate students financially
for the three years they lost
in military service.
Soldiers Lost
Last August, Judge Ron
Sokol accepted Adalah’s position and instructed the university to remove military service
from its consideration for university housing.
The university is appealing to the Supreme Court.
At stake is nothing less than
whether an Israeli university
can consider the military or
national service of students
seeking to enroll. The university’s argument is that those
who serve in the IDF face a
disadvantage compared to
those who do not serve because soldiers lose out on
three years during which they
could be earning a living.
“Removing this criterion
would punish students who
served in the army,” says the
university’s appeal.
Economy or Service?
Judge Sokol rejected
that argument, stating that
economic status should be
determined on an individual
basis since some students
who serve in the IDF are in a
better financial position than
others who do not serve.
The university disagrees.
“Even if a discharged soldier
is in a slightly better economic situation that his colleague
who did not serve, in financial terms, he could have
been in a much better situation,” said Prof Ariel Bendor, the university’s dean of
students. “In any case, how
can the University of Haifa
be accused of discrimination when 30 percent of those
who receive student housing
are Arabs, even though they
comprise only 20 percent of
the student body?”
University of Haifa Law
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Professor Dr. Doron Menashe
put it succinctly: “Clearly
those who serve must be compensated. Adalah argued that
the Arab sector’s human rights
were harmed, but I ask myself, why are they ignoring the
harm to the soldiers’ rights?
Military service substantially
limits basic human rights of
the soldiers. It sizably restricts
their freedom of expression
and individual autonomy.”
Convenient Hanger
But not everyone at the
University of Haifa is on the
soldiers’ side. Dr. Menashe’s
law school colleague, lecturer Dr. Ilan Saban, called the
charge of “hurting soldiers”
a “convenient ‘hanger’ for a
variety of practices that favor
Jews over Arabs.”
Dr. Saban pointed out that
Israeli Arabs do not “choose”
whether or not to serve in the
IDF. He argued that there is
an “unwritten agreement” between Arab citizens and the
state whereby the Arabs “will
not act against the state even
though it stole their lands, and
the state will not require them
to enlist in its army.”
“It is convenient for everyone to adhere to this agreement, and, therefore, matters
cannot be settled through discriminating in student housing allocation,” he said.
Little Trust
However the matter is
adjudicated, it is not likely to
benefit the cause of mutual
understanding. In that regard,
however, Jews and Arabs do
not even agree on whether their
relationship is good or bad.
According to a poll conducted in mid-December by
the Angus Reid Global Monitor
Polls and Research Group, Israeli Jews and Arabs agree that
the relationship of trust between
the two sectors is bad, but Jews
think it is much worse than the
Page - 59
Arabs do.
T h e
majority of
Israeli Arabs felt the
relationship
between them
and Israeli
Jews was
Children of Acre along the oceanfront wall.
Some Arab leaders want to transform
“good” (47
these boys from fun loving children into
percent) or
teenage suicide bombers.
“very good”
proposals and those of “Fu(5
percent).
ture Vision” call for a split in
Only 14 percent of Israeli
the Jewish and Arab populaJews, however, thought Arabtions, Mr. Lieberman sees the
Jewish relations were “good,”
Jews continuing their Zionist
and a mere 1 percent thought
state, while “Future Vision”
they were “very good.”
sees that state obliterated.
How Bad Is It?
Mr. Lieberman has rejectA majority of Jewish reed the very premises on which
spondents said relations be“Future Vision” is based.
tween Jews and Arabs were
“What is the logic?” he asked
poor, but they were pretty
the New York Sun, of creating
evenly split on how bad the
one-and-a-half countries for
situation was. Almost 44 perPalestinians and “a half councent said the relationship of
try for the Jewish people.”
trust with Israeli Arabs was
“The diametrically op“bad” and 39 percent said reposed proposals of ‘Future
lations were “very bad.”
Vision’ and Mr. Lieberman
In contrast, only 28 perare opening bids in a long necent of Israeli Arabs said the
gotiating process that usefully
relationship between the two
focus attention on a topic too
groups was “bad” and even
long sidelined. Three brutally
less, 10 percent, said it was
simple choices face Israelis:
“very bad.”
either Jewish Israelis give up
Almost 10 percent of
Zionism; or Muslim Israelis
Israeli Arabs refused even to
accept Zionism; or Muslim
respond to the survey quesIsraelis don’t remain Israeli
tions, as opposed to just 1
for long. The sooner Israelis
percent of Jews.
resolve this matter, the betThree Choices
ter,” said Dr. Pipes. S.L.R.
While Mr. Lieberman’s
Page - 60
A Bus Ride into the Intra-Fada: Trial Run?
By Catriel Sugarman
t was a warm evening on Thursday,
December 15, and my thoughts centered more on the lecture I was about to
give to the Ra’anana Community Kollel
than on any potential dangers that might
keep me from getting there. One hundred “Modern-Orthodox” families were
spending a “long Shabbat” weekend together at the Nevei Élan Hotel in Ma’alei
Chamishi and, having completed a model of the Second Temple in Jerusalem a
number of years ago, I was scheduled to
speak on the Beit Hamikdash.
Contrary to my usual habit, I arrived
at the Tachanah Mercazit of Jerusalem
I
January 2007
(Central Bus Station) with plenty of time
to spare. This is necessary, because the
security surrounding the Tachanah Mercazit in Jerusalem is similar to that of an
airport anywhere else in the world.
After waiting in line for ten minutes,
I finally succeeded in inching my way to
one of the entrances of the building. Buffeted by people on all sides, I assured a
security man that I had no weapons and
dropped my backpack on a stand. Placing my wallet and coins in a small container on the side, I went through the
metal-sensitive electric gate, and a guard
passed a metal detector over my body.
Despite my precautions, I set off the
alarm and a red light flashed. Suspiciously,
the security man called me back and, glaring at a bulge in my front breast pocket, he
asked me if I “had anything else.” It was
my seldom-used cell phone. With a sheepish grin, I removed the offending instrument and placed it in the side container on
top of my wallet. This time I managed to
stride through the metal-sensitive electric
gate without arousing its fury.
Boarding
Collecting my wallet, coins, keys, and
cell phone, I followed the line to the right.
Under the watchful eye of more security
men, I placed my backpack on a moving
ramp that slowly passed under an X-ray
machine operated by a soldier. Apparently,
the contents of my bag—a laptop, a mouse,
various electrical wires, a pointer, and a
couple of notebooks—held no interest for
him and he waved me through. Having
(thankfully) passed the final barrier, I retrieved my backpack and entered the massive stone and blue Tachanah Mercazit.
Climbing a few stairs, I quickly came
to the escalators that took me to the Bus
Departure Area on the third floor where
I found Retzif (platform) 17 without any
difficulty. Bus 185 services a number of
communities in the “Jerusalem Corridor,” among them Ma’ale Hachamisha,
Kiryat Anavim, Telz Stone, the IsraeliArab community of Abu Gosh, and last
but not least, the Nevei Élan Hotel.
As departure hour approached, I
was surprised that there were almost no
people waiting for the bus, and when it
left the station, only a handful of passengers were aboard. Ensconced in the first
seat behind the driver, I turned around
and looked towards the back; almost all
the seats were empty.
Crowded Bus
I did not realize it at the time, but
unlike most inter-city busses in Israel,
the 185 picks up passengers in town
before leaving Jerusalem. After exiting
the station, the bus drove down Rechov
Malchei Yisrael, picking up passengers
on the way, and soon entered the bustling
Ge’ula section, where more people got
on. Boarding the rapidly filling bus were
bearded patriarchs with Gemarot, suited
yeshiva students with black hats, a group
of young women carrying books who
looked like they were going to a shiur
together, boys with pe’ot, girls with pigtails, and mothers with babies.
As we continued down Rechov
Yechezkel and up Rechov Yaffo, more
people came through the swinging doors:
obstreperous teenagers with backpacks,
older women burdened down with bags of
fruit and vegetables that they had bought
Tevet/Shevat 5767
in Machaneh Yehuda, the odd soldier.
By the time we passed Binyanei
Ha’umah on our way out of Jerusalem, there
was standing room only on the bus, and I was
very happy to have my front-row seat.
Making its way through the pinecovered Judean Hills, the bus made its
scheduled stops, and people started getting off. Soon, there were seats for all.
Abu Gosh
When we reached Abu Gosh, four
young Arabs got off the bus. They had
been sitting quietly in the last row; no
one had paid attention to them. They did
not exit from the rear door, but, rather,
walked the entire length of the bus and
got off in the front. The driver then
closed the door and the bus once again
started to move.
Within a few minutes, people seated in
the back of the bus started to cough violently. And then, the people in the seats ahead of
them starting to cough, and then the people
seated ahead of them. Babies were wailing. The “wave” of hacking moved to the
front of the bus, and when my throat went
raw and I, too, began to cough violently.
Because I was in the front of the bus, my
coughing fit was the last to start.
Passengers started screaming,
“Open the windows. Stop the bus!”
Page - 61
The driver did not have to be told twice.
He stopped the bus, opened the doors, and,
choking, we all spilled out and filled our
lungs with fresh air. It seemed like everyone in the milling crowd pulled out cell
phones to call husbands and wives to come
get them. The driver called the police.
Pepper Spray
It took a few minutes for us to understand what had happened.
While exiting the darkened bus, the
four Arabs had squirted pepper-spray on
the floor. They obviously knew it would
take a couple of minutes before the chemical took effect, allowing them time to get
off the bus and vanish into the night.
While we were waiting for rides (someone was kind enough to take me to the hotel), a woman explained that in the previous
two weeks, there had been three incidents
of one type or another on that same bus line;
this had been the most serious.
The police did not express much interest.
But the episode left me with this
thought: What would have happened if
the perpetrators of this attack (and this
was no prank) had used—or had been
furnished with—a more powerful poison? A whole busload of Jews could
have been gassed!
Y
Page - 62
dreds of millions of dollars.
Mr. Abbas and his supporters are betting the Palestinian people will want an
election to stop the chaos between Hamas and Fatah, and
will choose a government with
close ties to the West over one
that is being boycotted.
The Bush Administration is clearly supporting Mr.
Abbas. White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said the
US welcomed Mr. Abbas’s call
for fresh elections, expressing hopes it would quell the
factional violence and allow a
unity government to be formed,
one that will work with Israel.
“While the elections are
an internal matter, we hope
this helps bring the violence
to an end and the formation
of a PA committed to the
Quartet’s principles,” she
said, referring to the authors
of the Road Map
Self-Interest.
But principles seem to
have nothing to do with Mr.
Abbas’s intentions. While
he has criticized Hamas for
engaging in terrorism and
violence against Israel, he
has said nothing about the
inherent immorality and evil
of wanton attacks against civilians. Rather, Mr. Abbas’s
complaints focus on the negative political consequences
Palestinians have suffered as
a result of their terrorism.
January 2007
He has called for an
end to rocket attacks against
Israeli civilian populations
only “because it leads to the
cessation of investments in
the Gaza Strip.”
In fact, in recent months,
far more attacks have been
attempted and carried out
against Israelis by terrorists
linked to Fatah terror groups
than those linked to Hamas.
Many observers have
pointed out that the friction
between Fatah and Hamas is
rooted only in their competition for power and the prize
of representing the Palestinian
people. Until Hamas won elections last January, the Fatahdominated PLO was the Palestinians’ undisputed leader.
While in English Mr.
Abbas has blamed the PA’s
economic deterioration on
Hamas’s refusal to abide by
international agreements, to
recognize Israel, and to condemn terrorist attacks; he
has told Arab audiences that
Hamas’s refusal to recognize
the PLO as “the legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people” has led to the
area’s political isolation.
Murdering Children
The violence and hatred
on both sides of the Palestinian divide has reached proportions that most observers
believed the Arabs reserved
only for Jews.
On December 11, unidentified gunmen, assumed
to be associated with Hamas,
opened fire on a passing car
near a school in Gaza. Three
children, ages 10, 6, and 3,
and their 25-year-old driver
were killed.
Four others were wounded in the attack, which took
place on a street lined with
nine schools.
Only 6-year-old Lydia
Abu Eitta, a cousin of the
murdered children who was
getting a ride to school with
them, escaped death. She
survived because she ducked
when the assailants shot.
Targeted Father
The murdered children
were the sons of Baha Balousha, a high-ranking Fatah
figure in the PA’s General
Intelligence department. Mr.
Balousha, who has been involved in anti-Hamas activity, was not in the car.
A senior PA official
affiliated with Fatah told
Ha’aretz the killers knew Mr.
Balousha was not in the car
“because he never drove his
children to school.”
“They couldn’t get to
him to kill him, so they killed
his children instead,” said the
official.
The quadruple murder
came one day after Fatah
gunmen tried unsuccessfully
to assassinate PA Interior
Minister Said Siam of Hamas
as he drove by in a convoy.
On Wednesday, December 13, Bassam al-Fara, a 30year-old judge of the Islamic
court affiliated with Hamas,
was gunned down outside a
courthouse in the southern
Gaza town of Khan Yunis. A
few hours later, two Hamas
members were wounded
when a Fatah terrorist threw
a hand-grenade into a crowd
of Hamas men as they paraded through Gaza.
$35 Million
In the middle of December, Hamas terrorists took
over the Gaza-Egypt border
in a pitched gun battle against
the Fatah-loyal PA police
who are stationed there.
Tipped off by Israel, the PA
police managed to prevent
Mr. Haniyeh from smuggling
$35 million in cash, stashed
in suitcases with him, upon
his return from Egypt.
Bringing in cash in that
manner is one of the few
ways open to Hamas officials.
Using banks has become difficult because anti-terrorism
laws make it illegal for financial institutions to help Hamas
if they also want to do business in the US and EU.
In fact, there is no Palestinian law against transporting money as Mr. Haniyeh
did. Palestinian law simply
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 63
Page - 64
January 2007
requires the importer to declare it, and the European
monitors at the crossing are
required simply to apply Palestinian law.
Egyptian law was not
violated because the money
did not originate there; it just
passed through.
Nevertheless, the Fatah-linked police kept Mr.
Haniyeh at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza
for seven hours. He was allowed to enter Gaza only
after agreeing to leave the
funds, given to him by Iran,
in Egypt.
Maria Telleria, a spokeswoman for the European monitors at the crossing, said two
EU delegation officials would
be in charge of figuring out
what to do with the cash Mr.
Haniyeh was forced to leave
in Egypt. Israel Radio said the
money would be transferred
to the bank account of the
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 65
Arab League in Cairo.
Too Blatant
It was not the first time
Hamas officials had smuggled cash into Gaza, but it
was the first time Israel actively intervened to stop the
money flow. According to
Israeli government sources,
on previous occasions when
Hamas smuggled in cash, Israel had not had sufficient intelligence information to stop
it. This time, sources said,
they knew what was inside
the suitcases.
Jerusalem Post analyst
Herb Keinon suspected there
was more at play than just
good intelligence. “Diplomatic sources said there was
something so audacious in
Haniyeh going to Iran, pledging jihad forever, and coming
back with suitcases full of
cash, that Israel simply could
not turn a blind eye,” he said.
Vice Prime Minister Shi-
mon Peres told reporters Israel
prevented the money from entering Gaza because it was clear
it would be used to fund terror.
“It won’t go to the hungry
Gaza residents. It will go to the
tunnel diggers, to the weapons
smugglers,” said Mr. Peres.
Tunnels
Although Mr. Abbas has
promised Israel he would
shut down the tunnels, which
serve as a weapons pipeline,
to date, he has done nothing. The largely unhindered
weapons influx from Egypt
into Gaza has heightened
the threat of Palestinian civil
war, endangers Israel, and
has soured relations between
Egypt and the Jewish state.
In addition to weapons, the
illegal tunnels are conduits
for drugs and other contraband, such as cigarettes and
expired medicines.
Israel says, this year
alone, the tunnels, which
usually take about a month to
dig, have allowed terrorists
to import anti-tank missiles,
tons of explosives, and thousands of rifles. The terrorists
boast about already importing
longer-range Katyusha rockets plus the means to upgrade
their homemade rockets to
reach deeper into Israel.
Last October, according
to a Palestinian security official, cordite, a highly explosive propellant for anti-aircraft weapons, came through
the tunnels. One case was
reported in which the propellant exploded, accidentally
killing the buyer.
Not Just Commercial
The tunneling under
Rafah, a town split between
Gaza and Egypt, dates back
more than 20 years. Initially,
only commercial smuggling
was conducted, but after the
Oslo Intifada broke out in
Page - 66
January 2007
Ess Gezint: Tu B’Shevat Fruitcake
On Tu B’Shevat, which falls this year on Feb 3, we celebrate the “New Year for Trees” by eating different types of nuts and
fruits, dried and fresh. There are those with hard, inedible exteriors and soft, edible insides, such as oranges, bananas, walnuts, and
pistachios, and those with soft exteriors, but with a hard pit inside, such as dates, apricots, olives, and persimmons. Some fruits,
such as figs and berries, are eaten whole. According to some traditions, Tu B’Shevat is a good time to use the etrog from Sukkot.
You could use the etrog (citron) for the fruitcake recipe, but if you no longer have it, candied orange peel will work, too.
Y
Tu B’Shevat Fruitcake
½ lb margarine
¼ lb blanched, slivered almonds
1⅛ cups sugar
½ lb pecans, chopped
1¾ cups flour
3 cups dark raisins
3 oz grape jelly
1 cup sultana raisins
½ oz dark chocolate, melted
1 cup crystallized pineapple
½ tsp baking powder
or dried apricots
6 eggs, separated
2 cups candied cherries
Juice of ½ orange
1 cup candied orange,
¼ cup grape juice
lemon, or citron peel
¼ cup rum
Soak pecans and almonds overnight in orange juice. Soak
pineapple or apricots (cut into tidbits), cherries (quartered), peel
(cut fine), and washed raisins overnight in grape juice and rum.
Preheat oven to 275˚. Cream the margarine, adding sugar
gradually until no grains remain, about 15 minutes. Beat in egg
yolks. Stir in jelly and melted chocolate. Blend in all but ½ cup
flour and the baking powder. Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup flour
over fruit. Using your hands, add the fruit in small amounts at
a time, mixing well. Add almonds and pecans and any leftover
juice. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Grease and flour a large
cake pan or several loaf pans. Fill pans ¾ full with batter. Bake
for 2½ hours. Cake is done when the top is slightly dark. There
may be cracking on top and it may be somewhat springy.
Candied Lemon, Orange, or Etrog Peel
Peels from 3 large oranges or
1 tsp salt
4 large etrogs or lemons, 3 cups sugar
washed
Water
Score the peel on each fruit into quarters. Leaving the fruit
intact, pull the peel off in these quarter sections. Slice peel into
¼-inch-wide strips. Place strips in a saucepan, add salt, and cover with cold water. Heat and boil for 15 minutes. Pour off water
and add fresh water. Boil 20 minutes. Change water again and
boil another 20 minutes. Drain and cover with 2½ cups sugar
and 1 cup water. Simmer, stirring constantly, until all the syrup
has boiled away. Do not let the peels scorch. With a fork, lift
the peels from the pan and spread on wax paper. Roll peels in
remaining sugar. Let dry. Store in an airtight container.
September 2000, weapons
became the chief product.
Between 2000 and 2004,
Israel responded by bulldozing about 1,500 homes that
lined the borders and, thus,
served as covers for the tunnels. The action resulted in
leaving some 15,000 Arabs
homeless and gave Israel a
black eye in the media and
among human rights groups.
When Israel withdrew
from Gaza in the summer of
2005, some 900 tunnels were
operating. Now the number
ranges from 150 to 250.
When Israel was in
Gaza, digging a tunnel cost
about $100,000, and the diggers could command salaries
of about $3,000 per month, a
fortune by Gaza standards.
Now, workers dig tunnels in exchange for meals
and a promise of a small
share of the profit. Because
tunnels do not have to be as
deep as they were when Israel was patrolling, they cost
only about $20,000, less than
the profit to be realized from
a shipment of 100 rifles.
Sending a Message
It was through these tunnels that Hamas militants invaded Israel last June, killing
two soldiers and kidnapping
another, Cpl Gilad Shalit, who
remains in Hamas captivity.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean Mc-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 67
Cormack said Mr. Haniyeh’s
attempt to smuggle the cash
into Gaza “flies in the face of
the will of the international
community in terms of the
rules that it has laid down.”
According to Mr. Keinon, by preventing Mr. Haniyeh from bringing the money
into Gaza, “Israel sent a message that the unhindered flow
of cash from Iran into Gaza
was coming to an end.”
“Money will still likely
make its way through, but
from now on, it will probably
be more difficult—and not
only because Israel wants it so,
but because Abbas and those
loyal to him want it that way
as well,” said Mr. Keinon.
But many Fatah loyalists
did not see it that way. Senior
Fatah official Jibril Rajoub
said he was more concerned
about “the Israeli occupation”
than he was about the alliance
between Teheran and Hamas.
“The barrier on the way
to my home in Hebron, the
separation fence as you call it,
the Jewish settlements—all of
these disturb me much more.
What do I care about what
happens with Iran?” he said.
Well-Matched
If the friction spirals
into civil war, it is unclear
which side will command the
military advantage. According to Lt Col (res) Jonathan
Halevi, a researcher on the
Middle East and radical Islam, the current balance of
power would make it difficult
for either side to achieve a
quick resolution at low cost.
“Hamas has more power and
weapons in Gaza, but it would
be a mistake to underestimate
the military infrastructure
which is available to the security forces loyal to Abbas. In
the West Bank, Fatah has the
advantage,” he said
In the past, Fatah militias, often comprised of
Mr. Arafat’s—now Mr.
Abbas’s—elite Force 17
“Presidential Guard,” clearly
had the advantage over the
Hamas terrorists. But recently, IDF sources report, welltrained and well-equipped
Hamas fighters, especially
the “Executive Force,” are
being schooled in Iran.
The two groups now
seemed well-matched, competing with one another to
see which can kidnap and kill
more people.
Increased Forces
With US backing, Mr.
Abbas’s presidential guard
has grown to at least 4,000
troops, up from 2,500 when
Hamas first took power in
March. There are US plans to
expand the presidential guard
to at least 4,700 members.
Palestinian officials say the
force will eventually grow to
at least 10,000.
Less equipped and not
as well-trained are the PA’s
National Security Forces,
which also operate under Mr.
Abbas’s direct control. These
include Military Intelligence
and the Naval Police, which
are believed to have a combined force of 30,000. The PA
General Intelligence, which
operates under Mr. Abbas’s
control, is believed to have a
staff of 5,000.
The few members of
the PA’s security forces who
identify with Hamas are
caught in the middle and face
violence from both sides.
Jordanian Option
Last month, the US and
Israel gave their blessings to
a proposal by Mr. Abbas to
allow 1,000 members of the
so-called Badr Brigade, a
Fatah-dominated force based
in Jordan, into the PA territories to reinforce Mr. Abbas’s
guards. Similarly, the US has
encouraged European states
to commit non-lethal equipment, including vehicles, to
Mr. Abbas’s troops.
However, the Badr Brigade is reportedly not yet
ready to operate and none of
the other arrangements have
been finalized. In addition,
promises from the Saudis to
send funds to pay salaries
for troops loyal to Mr. Abbas
have not materialized.
Page - 68
January 2007
Washington has helped organize shipments of guns and ammunitions from Egypt
and Jordan to Mr. Abbas’s guards.
Hamas Secrets
Hamas, on the other hand, is much
more secretive about its numbers. It has
admitted that its Executive Force has
grown from 3,000 members to nearly
6,000, and consists mostly of members
of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. It also includes some members of allied terrorist factions such as
the Popular Resistance Committees.
Last month, dozens (some say hundreds) of Hamas gunmen left Gaza for
training in Iran that will be modeled on
the exercises provided to Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas over the past few years.
The training, conducted by Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, includes several weeks of experience firing anti-tank rockets, staging ambushes,
and conducting urban warfare.
Like the Hezbollah fighters who
trained in Iran, the Hamas troops will be
expected to pass on what they learned to
members who stayed behind.
Iran is also reportedly sending weapons
and military technology to Hamas, which is
working on improving the quantity, precision, and firepower of its Qassam rockets.
Countering Iran
To counter this effort, which seems to
be directed as much against Fatah as against
Israel, the US has pledged to step up its
training and arming of Mr. Abbas’s forces.
To accomplish this, the Bush administration has proposed a $90 million
aid package to forces controlled by Mr.
Abbas, a bill which is expected to pass
easily through Congress.
American counter-terrorism officials are already training members of
Mr. Abbas’s presidential guard at a facility in Jericho.
Mr. Abbas’s supporters are still not
certain how all this will stack up against
the help Hamas is receiving from Iran.
“Look at the Hamas militias, and you’ll
see they are better equipped than the
Palestinian police and the General Intelligence. We know the Hamas people are
paid,” said Shlomo Dror, Israel’s coordinator of activities in the territories.
Pressuring Israel
Some Israelis suspect that the Pales-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 69
tinian internecine violence as well as the
escalation of Qassam rockets fired into
Israel from Gaza are attempts by Hamas
to force IDF troops back into the strip.
Throughout the intifada, Palestinians argued that they could not conduct elections
as long as Israeli troops were on their land.
If Israel now feels compelled to return, it
would be a reason to cancel elections.
Some say this explains Mr. Olmert’s
politically unpopular position of restraint,
refusing to respond to the Qassams even
while Israeli residents of Sderot and the
Negev are under attack. As long as Israel
does not respond, Hamas cannot use Israel as an excuse to cancel elections.
But other analysts have suggested
that Mr. Abbas’s call for early elections
is not so much an attempt to pressure
Hamas as it is an effort to persuade Israel
to declare a full withdrawal to the pre1967 borders, including Jerusalem.
Fatah officials have long blamed
Israel and the US for “driving” Palestinians into the arms of Hamas. The Fatah
argument is if Israel withdraws from all
territory won in the 1967 Six-Day War,
Palestinians will no longer need Hamas.
“The key is still in the Israelis’
hands,” an anonymous PA official told
Yediot Achronot. “Without a serious diplomatic agreement, we will not be able to
fight against Hamas.”
Nothing New
The Fatah official explained to the
Israeli newspaper that Israel’s choice is
between “a just solution based on the
’67 borders, or, alternatively, a reality
in which Israel finds itself with a strong
Hamas and a crushed Fatah.”
“Without a real diplomatic solution, we will not be able to fight against
Hamas, which will be happy to claim
that recognizing Israel did not get Fatah
anywhere,” said the source.
The diplomatic solution Fatah is
pushing Israel to accept is the “Prisoners’ Document.”
Gestures
Thus far, Mr. Olmert has refused to
become involved in the internal PA debate.
However, after meeting with Mr. Abbas,
Mr. Olmert persuaded his government to
approve a transfer of arms to Mr. Abbas’s
forces as well as to release $100 million
in frozen tax rebates to Mr. Abbas’s office
and to ease travel restrictions on Palestinians by closing down checkpoints.
In addition, Israel will transfer about
$7.2 million to Palestinian-run hospitals
in Jerusalem.
These gestures, designed to bolster
Mr. Abbas in the eyes of Palestinian voters, may also include the release of more
than 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners, even before Cpl Shalit is freed.
But Israeli and American gestures
could backfire. Rather than helping Mr.
Abbas, they could damage him, robbing
Fatah of any legitimacy it still possesses
in the Palestinians’ eyes and transforming it in a quisling government.
“Hamas can already claim that Abbas is going around the world, but rather
than trying to collect money and support
for his people, he is instead going around
collecting weapons to fight Hamas,” said
Diane Butto, an independent Palestinian
political consultant.
Appealing to the King
Towards the end of December, the
situation, especially in Gaza, prompted
Mr. Olmert to ask King Abdullah of Jordan to try his hand at negotiating a ceasefire between the two sides. What happened next is unclear. According to some
reports, Mr. Abbas accepted the king’s
subsequent proposal, but Mr. Haniyeh did
not. According to this version, Mr. Hani-
Page - 70
yeh was not even invited to
discuss it.
DEBKAfile, a private
intelligence service based
in Israel, reported that King
Abdullah wanted Mr. Olmert to offer more perks to
the Palestinians than the Israelis were prepared to give.
The king then invited Messrs
Olmert, Abbas, and Haniyeh
to come to Jordan to discuss
their disputes.
According to DEBKAfile, Mr. Olmert refused the
offer, and when Mr. Abbas
arrived in Amman a few days
later without Mr. Haniyeh,
King Abdullah cancelled the
meeting, humiliating the Palestinian president, who left the
Jordanian capital abruptly.
Semantics
According to DEBKAfile, King Abdullah has resolved to have nothing to do
with the Olmert-Abbas track,
“which he regards at best as
a side-show of the main Palestinian power play.” According to DEBKAfile, the king
believes Israel’s concessions
to Mr. Abbas are “a pointless
exercise, unless Hamas is simultaneously addressed.”
To accomplish this, the
king issued invitations to
both Messrs Abbas and Haniyeh, but even that did not settle the friction between them.
Mr. Haniyeh worried that if
the two men arrived together,
January 2007
it would look as if the Hamas
leader was merely “accompanying” the PA president.
“If Haniyeh is accompanying Abbas, that means
Abbas is the ‘big man’ of the
visit. If he arrives separately,
then he is not accompanying
Abbas; he is taking part as
an independent leader,” said
Ha’aretz analyst Zvi Bartel.
Although at the end of
December, the date of the
proposed meeting had not
been set, it had been determined that the two PA leaders
would arrive separately.
Worried Leaders
It will mark the first visit
by a Hamas official to Jordan
since 1999, when the kingdom
expelled the organization’s
officials and closed its offices.
Earlier this year, Jordan again
had a falling out with Hamas
when the kingdom accused
the organization of smuggling
in weapons and explosives.
An unnamed “top PA official,” told the Jerusalem Post
that the governments of Jordan
and Lebanon had been in touch
with Hamas leaders because
they “are very worried that the
fighting could spill over into
their countries.”
“They urged us to work
to calm the situation because
they don’t want trouble at
home. There is no problem
with the Palestinians in Syria
because most of them are
opposed to Abbas and Fatah
anyway,” said the source.
Israel has also viewed these
developments with concern,
worried that Palestinian terrorists, especially in Lebanon,
could gain from the deterioration and launch attacks against
Israel’s North or promote Hezbollah’s attempts to overthrow
Mr. Siniora’s government.
Worried Parents
Residents of Gaza have
told reporters that conditions are
becoming intolerable. Bursts of
gunfire from all directions have
become routine, and fighting
continues even as victims are
transported to hospitals.
Like so many Israelis,
Arab parents in Gaza now
fear to send their children to
school. Those who can afford it, give their children cell
phones so that they can be in
constant communication, and
often insist that they take taxis
rather than roam the streets.
The problem in Gaza is
that few can afford such luxuries
anymore. Before Hamas formed
its government last March, midlevel civil servants earned salaries of $500 per month, making them relatively wealthy in
Gaza. Today, one of them told
the London Sun, they are lucky
to receive a few dollars only
when money gets smuggled in
through the tunnels.
Christian Victims
Caught in the middle of
the Muslim violence is the
dwindling Palestinian-Christian community, which has
been targeted by both factions.
In 1948, more than 85
percent of Bethlehem was
Christian. Today, about 88
percent of the city’s 60,000
residents are Muslims. There
are constant reports of religious persecution in the form
of murders, beatings, and land
grabs against the Christians.
When a rare job does become available, it invariably
goes to a Muslim.
The violence and bleak economic situation have prompted
many Christian Arabs to leave
for the safety of the US.
“I want to leave, but nobody will buy my business. I
feel trapped. We are isolated,”
said Joseph Canawati, the
50-year-old owner of Bethlehem’s now usually empty 77room Hotel Alexander.
His sister, her husband,
and their three children have
escaped to New Jersey
Blaming Israel
According to the Roman
Catholic Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarseh, the
city suffers from 65 percent
unemployment. During the
past six years, 50 restaurants,
28 hotels, and 240 souvenir
shops, many of them owned
by Christians, have closed.
Bethlehem’s hotel own-
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 71
Page - 72
ers, most of them Christian, estimate that
tourist numbers have fallen from a little
over 90,000 per month in 2000 to a little
more than 1,500 today.
Privately, most Christians blame the
poor tourism situation on the violence
caused by their Muslim neighbors. Publicly, the Christians say their isolation
is caused by Israel’s security wall, built
to stop suicide bombers. But the Christians know that, in 2004, half the Israeli
fatalities caused by suicide attacks were
committed by Muslim extremists from
Bethlehem.
Accusations
January 2007
Christians are not the only Palestinian Arabs who are fleeing. Those who
have been accused, fairly or unfairly, of
working, or “collaborating” with Israel
often feel forced to escape.
Palestinian human rights groups estimate that approximately one person a
day in the Palestinian territories is killed
having been accused of collaborating.
But very often the accusation is simply a
means for one person to take revenge on
another for a situation that has nothing to
do with Israel or collaboration.
That is not to say that Israel doesn’t
look for and need collaborators. The
Shin Bet has a network of “assisters”
who, Israeli officials said, have helped
save many lives, especially when they
are able to prevent suicide attacks.
Leaving Palestine
The fear of civil war and poor financial situation have prompted many
skilled and educated Palestinian Muslims to leave, too.
In the past six months, more than
20 factories have moved from Gaza to
Egypt and Jordan, taking with them 12
percent of Gaza’s scarce jobs.
Between June and October 2006,
more than 10,000 Palestinians emigrated
and, according to Ahmed Suboh, a PA Foreign Ministry official, another 45,000 are
preparing to leave, especially from Gaza.
Brain Drain
The travel industry, however, is doing
well. Travel agents in Gaza report a brisk
demand for visas to Cuba and Canada, because Palestinians are welcomed there.
According to an AP report, many
Palestinians with tourist visas to Cuba
actually do not plan to go there at all. Instead, they get off in transit at a European airport, rip up their Palestinian travel
documents, and seek asylum.
A PA security official told the AP
that travel agencies in Gaza frequently
arrange for fictitious invitations, hotel bookings, and Cuban visas for their
clients. The cost for this service used to
be $200. It is now $1500 because of the
high demand and increasing risk.
According to the AP, Palestinian, Egyptian, and European officials have begun to
tighten restrictions in an attempt to stem the
flow of illegals from Gaza. Travel agent Mohammed Mouin told the AP that 65 of his
clients with Cuban visas were sent back from
Egypt, but that many more were still trying.
This “brain drain” is the reversal of
a trend that developed in the 1990s, when
thousands of Palestinians returned to
Judea, Samaria, and Gaza from throughout the world. Many of them built homes
and established businesses, and now they
are leaving.
“What Israel couldn’t do by force, we
were able to do with internal dispute, lack
of leadership, accompanied by economic
pressure and the siege on Gaza,” said Palestinian pollster Nader Said.
S.L.R.
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 73
Index of Advertisers
Ads with Coupons
Dunkin’ Donuts...................................18
Teaneck Wine Cellar...........................69
Auto Leasing/Sales
DC Honda...........................................49
Auto Repair
Eli Auto..............................................36
Camps & Summer Programs
Gan Israel............................................12
Ma Tov Day Camp.............................51
Regesh................................................37
YM/YWHA Camps............................21
Car Service
Kismet Limo/Teaneck Taxi.................44
Caterers & Catering Halls
Prestige Caterers................................38
Cleaners
Handle With Care..................................3
Education
Maor Yeshiva High School.................65
Entertainment & Events
Thurs. nights: Wine Tasting.................48
Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes............71
1/28: Celebration Party Showcase......40
2/7,8: Oratio Terezin............................43
2/18: Arutz 7 Concert..........................42
4/29: Touro College Dinner.................39
Financial Services
Schenker & Rosenblatt, CPA.................5
Kosher Restaurant, Take-Out
Chopstix...................................52
Dunkin’ Donuts...................................18
Ma’adan Superbowl.............................9
Dougie’s Superbowl............................61
Levana................................................22
Noah’s Ark Superbowl...................17
Sammy’s NY Deli Superbowl.............55
Photography/Video
Charlie Aptowitzer.............................70
Hello Video........................................14
Mendel Meyers Studios......................80
Legal Services
Elder Law, Benjamin Eckman, Esq.....62
Elder Law, Lissner & Lissner...............16
Telecommunications
Chaim Braum........................................4
Liquor & Wine Store
Teaneck Wine Cellar...........................69
Medical Services
CareOne at Teaneck............................15
Fox Chase Cancer Program.................53
Home Health Care, Carefinders..........75
Ohel Northern NJ Office.....................23
Psychotherapy, Chana Simmonds.......75
Weston Assisted Living.......................
Miscellaneous
Ceramics By Design............................60
Commentaries.........58,64,68,74,78
Document Storage on Your PC............10
IConverted™ Video and Audio...........34
Selective Search..................................54
Musicians
Jeff Wilks............................................14
Shelly Lang.........................................28
Symphonia................................62
Real Estate.
Carol Weissmann.................................79
Joan and Bob Oppenheimer................79
Russo Real Estate................................79
Travel & Vacations
Emunah Israel......................................72
Gateways Passover..............................11
Hudson Valley Resort Passover...........24
Katz & Schick Passover......................57
Lasko Passover......................................7
Leisure Time Passover.........................19
Main Street Travel Center...................59
Majestic Resorts Passover...................35
MatzoFun Passover...............................8
Mendy Vim Passover...........................27
Palace Tours Passover...........................2
Passover Resorts..................................20
Presidential Holidays Passover...........50
Raleigh Poconos Passover...................13
Rocy Gap Lodge, MD Passover..........25
Spring Mountain Resort Passover.......63
Trader Winds Sandpiper Passover.......67
Graphic Artists
Make an Impact...................................75
Graphic Design Lessons......................70
Home Furnishings
Platon Interiors...................................41
Starr Carpet.........................................26
Home Repair/Maintenance
Yosef Avrahami, Gen. Contractor.......56
Selegman Roofing...............................75
Shalom Plumbing................................75
Teva Environmental Consulting.........79
Jewish Communities
Boca Raton, FL...................................60
Kosher Groceries
Food Showcase...................................66
Tell our advertisers:
“I saw your ad in
The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
To place your ad,
please call 201-569-2845
Page - 74
January 2007
Tevet/Shevat 5767
“Honor the Professional According to Your Need”
Page - 75
Page - 76
January 2007
Boycott BGU
As a recent immigrant to Israel from Northern NJ, I just
finished reading your December feature on the disgraceful and
treasonous behavior of Neve Gordon [“Accusations of Slander,
Plagiarism, and Holocaust Revisionism, Beyond Chutzpah: A
Tale of Steve, Neve, Alan, and Norman,” Dec 2006]. But my
outrage was less directed at him than at Ben Gurion University
(BGU), which endorses and defends his antisemitic and antidemocratic behavior.
BGU is increasingly earning its nickname as the “Israeli
University of Treason” and the “Bir Zeit of the Negev.” While
all Israeli universities have some anti-Israel and antisemitic lunatics on their faculties, all other Israeli schools have managed
to distance themselves from their treasonous extremists and have
publicly repudiated them. BGU is the only Israeli school that has
consistently backed and endorsed the rabid anti-Israel extremism
of its seditious faculty members, first and foremost Neve Gordon
himself, whose “academic career” consists of little beyond turning out anti-Israel hate propaganda and running his classroom as
an anti-Zionist indoctrination camp. The school is also home to
Lev Grinberg, Oren Yiftachel,, and dozens of others.
That such people are employed at a university named after the great David Ben Gurion is disgraceful enough, but it
also dramatically illustrates the fact that in most of the social
sciences and humanities departments at BGU, academic standards have simply been trashed and people are being hired and
promoted entirely on the basis of their fashionable anti-Israel
politics and ability to turn out anti-Israel hate propaganda.
In other words, BGU today is less interested in being a serious research institution than it is in being at the forefront of the
movement to see Israel destroyed!
Those of us who care about Israel must draw the logical
conclusion. We want our donations to Israel to be used to build
up the Jewish state, not tear it down. And that is why not a single dime should be contributed to BGU as long as Neve Gordon
and his seditious cronies are employed there.
Parents of college-age students should be urged to send their
children elsewhere to study. Representatives of BGU coming to
our communities should be treated as persona non grata.
Ben Weinstein
Herzliya, Israel
For Gilad, Udi, and Eldad
A campaign is in full swing to bring the plight of the Israeli kidnapped soldiers to the forefront. Now you can show your solidarity
with Gilad Shalit, Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser, and Eldad Regev.
The symbol of the campaign is a set of three dog tags, connected by a chain, bearing the names of each of the soldiers and
the dates they were kidnapped. Each set is $5. For every set purchased, a set will be sent to someone in Nahariya, the birthplace
and home of two of the soldiers.
Make checks payable to the UJA Federation of Northern
NJ and send to Ruth Siev, 111 Kinderkamack Rd, River Edge,
NJ 07661. I can be called at 201-488-6800, ext 221.
Ruth Siev
River Edge, NJ
Letters to the Editor
Assemblyman Gary Schaer Is a Kiddush Hashem
I read the story in the December issue on Assemblyman
Gary Schaer [“New Jersey’s First—and, Thus Far, Only—Frum
Assemblyman Uses the Art of Inter-Community Partnership”]
with interest and pleasure.
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Schaer last June and, since
then, have had the opportunity to spend time with him at various events I feel I can honestly say I have gotten to know him.
Recently, Mr. Schaer invited me to a political function with Gov
Jon Corzine as well as many other State and Federal elected officials.
One anecdote from that event stands out in my mind because I think
it represents the great regard in which Mr. Schaer is held.
I was standing with Mr. Schaer when Gov Corzine called
him over to discuss an issue. I didn’t follow the content of their
conversation, but the governor’s tone was unmistakable: It filled
with deference and esteem. The respect and reputation Mr. Schaer
has earned from the Corzine administration, other legislators, and
Passaic employees with whom he works as a Passaic Councilman, is not only admirable, it is a real kiddush Hashem.
I am proud to call Gary Schaer my friend and New Jersey
is fortunate to have him in the State Legislature.
Elie Y. Katz
Teaneck, NJ
Mr. Katz is the mayor of Teaneck
A Courageous Muslim On Trial for His Life
Thank you so much for the terrific article on Salah Uddin Shoaib
Choudhury [“Bangladesh Authorities Seek Death Penalty for Muslim Writer Whose Crime Is Seeking Peace with Israel,” Nov 2006].
I am flattered, but always when pictured at the same time as
my brother, Shoaib, I feel safe and not at all courageous. I only
answered, “Hineini.”
Shoaib is the courageous Muslim journalist on trial for his
life because he stood up to Islamists threatening his country and
continues to advocate for relations between Bangladesh and Israel, between Jews and Muslims.
As Shoaib’s principle defender, spokesperson, and brother,
I often receive articles and information about him. Because The
Jewish Voice is on-line, Shoaib was able to read the article himself
even before I did. Your strong courageous words, written in a free
society with a free press let him know he is not alone in his fight.
While Bangladesh’s mainstream media remain reliably biased in regard to Israel, Shoaib’s Weekly Blitz, with an online
edition at http://www.WeeklyBlitz.net, continues to publish fearlessly. At least one other Bangladeshi paper has joined him.
There is currently a House resolution calling on the Bangladeshi government to drop all charges against Shoaib. The
American Jewish Committee has joined in the effort to pass the
resolution, making it easy for everyone to urge their congressional representatives to support H.R. 1080 by going to http://
www.ajc.org and scrolling down a little to the “Take Action
Now” section on the right.
Our own Web site, http://www.InterfaithStrength.com, can
also get you there and has a great deal of information and articles about Shoaib and our common struggle.
Dr. Richard L. Benkin
Chicago, IL
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Page - 77
“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch)
Spring MT Resort & The Jewish Voice “Save” Chanukah
This past Chanukah, my sons wanted to do something special as a family rather than get individual gifts. Our respective
work and school schedules left us just an extended weekend to
accommodate their wishes. The lack of snow and time eliminated
most places we would have considered. But that very week, the
December issue of The Jewish Voice and Opinion arrived with a
large ad for the Spring Mountain Resort in Spring Glen, NY. We
all decided to give it a try and none of us were disappointed.
The hotel and grounds were lovely. It was enjoyable not to worry about a minyan or kosher food. At each meal there was a varied
option of main dishes that suited all of our tastes. There were interesting speakers and well known entertainment on Saturday night.
Best of all, my boys were so busy they didn’t have time
to whine or complain. They swam, played tennis, basketball,
mini-golf, racquetball, bowling, and assorted electronic games.
The hotel manager, Irving Fruchter, was on hand at all
times. He personally greeted all the guests, made sure everyone was aware of all the upcoming activities, and saw to it that
guests were enjoying themselves.
We would certainly return again when the opportunity arises.
Thank you Jewish Voice for delivering all those ads just
when we need them!
E. Spiegel
Teaneck, NJ
Don’t Just Protest, Learn
Early in December, I received a request to join a rally which
asked participants to “make your voice heard. Protest against
the Iranian Holocaust Denial Conference and raise a voice of
moral conscience.”
I wonder: Did it ever occur to any of the organizers or participants that a far more productive exercise would be to hold
sessions at synagogues and schools to explain what Holocaust
denial is, why it exists, who is behind it, what the agenda is, and
how to counter these lies and distortions?
Protests are great, but does anyone think the Iranians will call
off their next Holocaust denial conference because we protest?
Alex Grobman
Englewood, NJ
Dr. Grobman is a Holocaust scholar who frequently lectures on the subject and is especially interested in preparing
youngsters and adults to respond appropriately.
Family Court Injustice
Thank you so much for printing the series of articles
throughout 2006 on Family Court injustice. Hats off to Dr.
Amy Neustein and attorney Michael Lesher for their courageous, continuous, and unwavering commitment to the issue
that screams out to heaven for justice.
Judges often come into cases ill prepared and impatient,
and impose their job stress on litigants, promising sad decisions, adverse outcomes, and lengthy court processes unless a
settlement is reached between the parties.
The judge’s team leaders for dispute resolution echo the
remarks of the judge, forcing litigants to settle cases contrary
to the best interest of the children, because it is safer than gambling with an overloaded judge who will render a snap decision
without knowledge of all the specifics of the case.
This is the best-case scenario. The worse-case scenario is
when the judge has a pre-determined opinion from the beginning
and it colors the judgment handed down in the final decision.
Either way, the court is losing its credibility as a proper
avenue for resolution in the best interest of the children. Our
society suffers and the children pay a terrible price in the end.
The court does not only need reform, it needs a complete
overhaul. The process has begun because of your publication
and the great people willing to fight for justice for all.
Nadine Taranto
President, Jewish Women for Justice
Edison, NJ
Kosher Dining Group
Why dine alone? We are forming a kosher dining group for
singles 55 and older. If you’d like to join us, please contact me
at mildrednyc2000@yahoo.com.
Mildred Kalish
Riverdale, NY
The Jewish Voice and Opinion welcomes letters, especially if they are typed, double-spaced, and legible. We reserve the
right to edit letters for length and style.
Please send all correspondence to POB 8097, Englewood,
NJ 07631.
The phone number is (201) 569-2845. The FAX number is
(201) 569-1739.
The email address is susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com
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January 2007
Tevet/Shevat 5767
Live Where You Can Walk to Shul
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Jewish Voice and Opinion
PO Box 8097
Englewood, NJ 07631
ga
Address Correction Requested
January 2007
Periodicals
POSTAGE PAID
at Englewood, NJ
& additional offices

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