SHABBAT SHALOM, GESHER SHALOM!


 
May 24th, 2019
 
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Shabbat Times: 
Candle Lighting
Evening service
Morning Service
Minha
7:56 pm
7:00 pm 
9:30am
7:30pm
 
  Forecast: 73/partly cloudy

IN THIS ISSUE...
Shabbat Kiddush
Join us for Kiddush on Shabbat. This is the perfect opportunity for us to experience community and get to know each other better.
 

Birthdays and Anniversaries 
Mitchell Shedlarz 
Alvin Cohen 
Alfred Strauss
 Irene Eisenstein
 Douglas Krakauer 
Kim Wasserman 
 Mordechai Warshavsky 
Jordan Weisner

Heidi Skolnik & Michael Glantz 
 Terry & Eran Gensler 
 Laurie & Richard Small-Levy 
Audrey & Scott Greenberg 
Sue Ann & Wayne Koby
 

   UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday 5/25
Morning Service 9:30 am
Minha, S'uda Shlishit (3rd Shabbat Meal), timely topic, Maariv and Havdalah 7:30 pm
Monday 5/27
Morning Service 9:00 am
Fort Lee Memorial Day Parade 9:45 am
Evening Service 7:45 pm
Thursday 5/30
Rabbi's Class 10:30 am
Visiting Scholar Mordechai Kedar "Insights into the
troubled Middle East" 12:45 pm
Friday 5/31
Bible Class 11:30 am


It's Memorial Day Weekend  and we sure use your help with our minyanim. 
Holiday weekends are notoriously difficult (not just in our congregation, but) across-the-board.
Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.
Sunday evening at 7:45 p.m.
Monday morning at 9:00 am 
and then we will walk over to the Community Center in time to march in the Memorial Day Parade

Monday evening at 7:45 p.m.

Torah Reading 742               Haftarah 759
B'HAR

The opening segment of our Torah portion deals with certain aspects of agricultural law that only apply to the land of Israel. The Sabbatical Year (Sh'mittah) regulations stipulate that every seventh year the farmer may not till the earth, and upon the completion of seven seven-year cycles, the fiftieth year, or Jubilee, is to be proclaimed. In the Jubilee year all land must revert to its original tribal ownership, and all Hebrew slaves are to be freed.
 
If ancestral land was sold because of financial hardship, the owner or another relative could buy back the property prior to the Jubilee. Only houses in walled cities were exempt from the Jubilee rules: they could be sold in perpetuity.
 
In keeping with one of the purposes of the Jubilee Year (economic protection of the impoverished), the Torah sets forth additional laws governing treatment of the poor: loans were to be made without charging interest; an Israelite slave (one who was sold or sold himself/herself into servitude due to indebtedness) was to be treated as hired help throughout his/her term of bondage.
 
The sidra ends with the admonition not to fashion idols, to observe the Shabbat and to revere the Sanctuary





Tonight: Evening service at 7:00 p.m.
Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.
Minha, Seudah Shlishit, Ma'ariv & Havdalah at 7:30 p.m.
During Seudah Shlishit we will read...
The Dual-Loyalty Canard by Daniel Mariaschin 
After 350 years, Jews know the truth: the US is better for its many ethnic Americans with cultural and bilateral ties to their ancestral homes


This Week's Yahrzeit Observances
We hope that our weekly listing of yahrzeit observances will serve 2 purposes:
1)     To remind those who have the yahrzeit for a second time, much closer to the date of the actual observance
2)     To alert friends and acquaintances that someone they know is observing a yahrzeit. We hope that you will show them your support by joining them at our minyanim, and helping to assure that Kaddish can be recited with a minyan 
     
 
Karl Sudakoff will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Lillian Sudakoff on Friday evening, May 24th
Barry Schwartz will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Helen Schwartz on Friday evening, May 24th
Roger Gershon will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Carl Gershon on Friday evening, May 24th
Lore Benario will be observing yahrzeit for her husband, Van Benario On Saturday evening, May 25th
Martha Frank will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Harry Mershon on Saturday evening, May 25th
Gerald Topiel will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Joseph Topiel on Sunday evening, May 26th
Rose Jakoby will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Getzel Bindiger on Tuesday evening, May 28th
Rose Jakoby will be observing yahrzeit for her mother, Leah Bindiger on Tuesday evening, May 28th
Adrian Osian will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Mathilda Osian on Tuesday evening, May 28th
Ethel Chesen will be observing yahrzeit for her father-in-law, Morris Chesen on Thursday evening, May 30th
Marcia Sherman will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Jacob Spirer on Thursday evening, May 30th
Linda Paulanski will be observing yahrzeit for her aunt, Sadie Dumanis on Thursday evening, May 30th
Rita Frazer will be observing yahrzeit for her mother-in-law, Tilly Frazer on Thursday evening, May 30th
 




Interesting and/or Important Reads
Rep. Josh Gottheimer Interviewed: BDS, Impeachment and the Democratic Left                                                         Josh Gottheimer pushes bipartisanship in a polarized landscape
By Ron   Kampeas                                                                                                 JTA
New Jersey's 5th Congressional District straddles the top of the state like an upside down V, its western line bordering Pennsylvania and eastern line bordering New York. Pennsylvania went for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, while New York reviled its native son. (The 5th went for Trump, but by the tiniest of margins, 0.1 percent.)
It looks like a yoke, and it can easily turn into one for a congressman who fails to maintain the delicate balance that satisfies its rural western and suburban eastern sectors. That's what happened in 2016 to longtime incumbent Scott Garrett, a Republican whose old-style conservatism, once seen as a natural fit for the largely rural district, suddenly seemed out of place as suburban Bergen County became more populous and diverse. Garrett's opposition to LGBTQ rights particularly helped do him in.
Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat and former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, later a Microsoft executive, defeated Garrett and appears not to be weighed down by the harness. A map of his district is the first thing you see walking into his Capitol Hill office.
Gottheimer, 44, promotes himself as a torch carrier for bipartisanship in a polarized landscape. In his first term he co-founded the "problem solvers" caucus: 22 Democrats and a like number of Republicans who aimed to change rules that inhibit bipartisanship. Following the 2018 election, in which Gottheimer was re-elected by a substantial margin, he withheld a promise of support for Nancy Pelosi's bid for House speaker until she agreed to rule changes that would strengthen moderates and marginalize hardcore liberals and conservatives.
Subscribe to Gottheimer's fundraising emails and you get a taste of his willingness to swing all ways: "Do you want someone who will claw our taxes back?" reads one. Others tout his solutions for climate change and defense of LGBTQ rights.
Gottheimer, who is Jewish, stakes out the right of his party on Israel issues. It's a posture that spurred an attack in The Intercept, which has become the flagship of the Democratic left. As a "problem solver," Gottheimer has become something of an expert on parliamentary maneuvers in Congress, and used them in an effort to get an anti-Israel boycott measure attached to a bill that would defund U.S. backing for Saudi Arabia in its war in Yemen.
The Intercept piece depicted Gottheimer as something of a condescending jerk in a meeting he had at the beginning of the new Congress with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a Palestinian American, where they discussed differences on Israel and the Palestinians. Gottheimer later told Jewish Insider he thought the meeting went well, an impression that Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., also a "problem solver" and Jewish, backed up. (Luria was at the meeting. too.)
(The latest in the back-and-forth on the Tlaib meeting underscores how Gottheimer has become a target for the left and the right: Ryan Grim, the Intercept writer, published another piece on Wednesday alleging that Gottheimer mistreats staff that was picked up by the Free Beacon, a GOP mouthpiece.)
I spoke for 30 minutes with Gottheimer in his office. It was a frank exchange, albeit one that started out slightly weird: An aide handed Gottheimer a printout of my last major article on the congressman, when he announced he would back Pelosi, and the first few minutes were taken up with his reading through it, chuckling at times.
Here are some takeaways:
He's happy with the Democrats' BDS compromise: House Republicans want their chamber to take up a bill that would make it easier for states to penalize entities that participate in anti-Israel boycott, or BDS. (The Senate has passed the measure.) Some Democrats back the bill, which garnered a majority of Senate Democrats, but some fear it infringes on speech freedoms. The caucus as a whole would prefer it not come to a vote. Instead, three Jewish lawmakers - Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. - are backing a nonbinding resolution that condemns BDS but also upholds speech freedoms.
I asked Gottheimer, given his strong support for the Senate bill, if the compromise resolution was too soft and if he would back moves to introduce the Senate bill in the House. (Republicans want to force a vote on the Senate bill, but they need Democratic signatures to get it on the floor.) He said his priority was seeing the softer resolution move forward, and cast his posture in terms of his support for bipartisan compromise.
"Let's not make light of something I believe is really important: It's a very important statement that the Congress should come around together and make," he said. "I think first we have to consider this piece of legislation, and then I'm hopeful we will do more."
The Senate bill with the anti-BDS measures also include provisions guaranteeing $38 billion in defense assistance to Israel over the next decade, support for Jordan and sanctions on Syria. Gottheimer suggested he backed Pelosi's strategy of breaking that bill into its components as a way to advance defense assistance for Israel while separating out the anti-BDS component.
"We're making sure we live up to our commitments on the MOU," the $38 billion memorandum of understanding the Obama administration signed with Israel in 2016. "You saw the influence of the Iron Dome just a couple of weeks ago and how many lives were saved." The defense aid goes in part to the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, which Israel deployed earlier this month when terrorists fired upwards of 700 rockets at communities there.
But he's not going to stop voting against BDS: Republicans have used anti-BDS provisions on multiple occasions in an effort to gum up major Democratic initiatives, employing the age-old strategy of attaching an unpalatable rider to a major bill. The Intercept piece cast Gottheimer as disloyal to the left for taking the GOP bait and pushing for an anti-BDS amendment that many of his colleagues would have rejected. That in turn risked killing the bill to end U.S. support for the Saudis in the Yemen war. Top Democrats, among them the most pro-Israel in the caucus, ignored the anti-BDS provision and the bill passed. Trump ultimately vetoed it.
"I felt very strongly that I'm not going to vote against an anti-BDS measure," he said. "I agreed with the measure and the resolution, and I did not believe it would undermine the [Yemen] legislation."
I pressed the second-term lawmaker: Adding the anti-BDS measure would have, under parliamentary rules, buried the Yemen bill. How is that support?
Gottheimer shrugged.
"Where is it now?" he asked of the Yemen bill. His reference was to Trump's veto; the Yemen bill was in any case doomed.
He won't stop calling out Tlaib and Omar, and Republicans, too: Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., have become the bugbears of Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats for backing BDS and comments seen as anti-Semitic.
Gottheimer defended taking Tlaib to task for her Israel-related comments, including suggestions that senators who backed the anti-BDS bill were doing it for donors and not out of conviction.
"We stand up to historic tropes and to comments we disagree with, and I believe it's very important to speak out and not be silent in the face of comments," he said. "I can show you a long list of comments that can be made from people on the other side of the aisle. There's hate across the spectrum."
The U.S.-Israel relationship should be untouchable: Tlaib and Omar are "the exception, not the rule" among Democrats, Gottheimer said.
"The rule here in the Democratic Party is that people are a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship," he said. "You can disagree with the leadership of a country but you can't, you should never disagree with the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship."
He backs Trump's Iran policy, and says Trump is not going to war: The Trump administration keeps adding reinforcements in the Persian Gulf, citing what its officials say is increased hostile Iranian activity against U.S. and allied interests. But the officials are vague when asked for evidence of increased Iranian hostility. Gottheimer, a member of the national security subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee, says he has learned enough through classified briefings to back the Trump administration.
"We need to be tough on Iran, I was against the Iran deal," he said, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal, and emphasizing a point of departure from much of the Democratic Party, which backed the deal. "Consistent with what you've read about in publications, the administration is not interested in going to war with Iran. I hold them to that, and if they have a change in strategy they would come to Congress for approval."
He loves him some political diversity: Gottheimer said working his diverse district is a blast. "I've got everything in my district which I love," he said. "I've got farms and cows, and I've got Hackensack [the Bergen County hub not too far from his suburban home]. It's a real microcosm in a lot of ways of a lot of places in" the United States.
AOC is not his enemy: Gottheimer rejects zero-sum politics within the caucus. He said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the firebrand leftist, is good for her Bronx-area district and he is good for his.
"Your job is to be rep of your district, and you should govern the way you ran and you should advocate for your district who you represent," the New Jerseyan said.
He won't talk impeachment: Pelosi is hanging tough on increasing calls from the caucus to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump for alleged improprieties revealed by special counsel Robert Mueller in his probe of Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
"It's critically important we have strong oversight and that our committees are able to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities," he said. Does that mean impeachment? "I think we need to have strong oversight, I'm not going to answer your question," Gottheimer said.
Anti-Semitism is a priority: Gottheimer is proud of the $1.5 million in nonprofit security grants he has secured for his district. He organized a call earlier this month advising nonprofits on how to apply for the money. Gottheimer, who has a printout ready of his actions to combat anti-Semitism, says it's critical to stop that scourge and other biases in their tracks.
"The hate, not just anti-Semitism - we're seeing Islamophobia, we're seeing white supremacism and other issues," he said. "We've got to make sure our religious institutions and schools are protected."
The intensity clearly spooks Gottheimer, whose rural supporters in the last election were targeted with swastikas. On Tuesday, the day we talked, a school in his district was daubed with a swastika. He called the superintendent to check in.
"It just feels like there's so much anger, people are in their microcommunities, people are pretty revved up - it's contributing. We're seeing such a significant increase not just around the world, but at home, acts of anti-Semitism," he said. "This is a significant, significant concern."

Is There Room in Academia for Honest Scholarship on Israel?   
Palestinians Need to Get Real about Israel   
Palestinians today need a Konrad Adenauer: a leader who can accept military defeat and painful territorial losses while building a prosperous future through reconciliation with the victors.                                       
How white supremacy and Islamist terrorism strengthen each other online - and in a deadly cycle of attacks       

In 1940, Adolf Hitler Faced a Most Unlikely Enemy: The Three Stooges                                     
Their prescient films pre-date Chaplin's The Great Dictator  
Who Are the Sacklers?                                                                                     

Israel
Dozens of Homes Destroyed as Israel Battles Major Wildfires  
Fires Consume Iconic Memorial Woods for Holocaust Victims Near Jerusalem                                                         Temperatures above 104 degrees sparked flames that destroyed one of the most diverse and beautiful woods in Israel's central region.                                                                                     

French Jew Leaves Israel $14.5 Million to Support Bereaved Families
Israel's Unique Support for Preserving Minorities' Identities
Israelis Take Gold and Silver at Baku, Azerbaijan Judo Grand Slam
Haredi Orthodox Mother of 5 from Jerusalem Wins Riga Half-Marathon  
Israel's Big Heart 
Israelis Aid Venezuelan Refugees in Colombia 
IsraAid is also supporting communities affected by the 2018 El Fuego Volcano eruption in Guatemala, the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico, and Hurricane Maria in Dominica and Puerto Rico.  

Israeli Rescue Teams Dig for Remains of Jewish Holocaust Victims in Belarus Building Site    
NATO and Israel Deepen Ties                                                                                 



Eurovision Was a Bust, But Here Are Some Highlights

Shalva-The Band (calmness, serenity, tranquility, peace)
The Shalva Band, made up of eight Israeli musicians who have various disabilities, was one of four finalists competing to represent Israel in Eurovision, but the group pulled out of the competition because some mandatory rehearsals conflicted with Shabbat, which some band members observe.                                                                                                   
Shalva-The Organization
Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities is dedicated to providing transformative care for individuals with disabilities, empowering their families and promoting social inclusion.
Shalva provides an all-encompassing range of services for thousands of people with disabilities from infancy to adulthood and their families. Shalva's comprehensive life-cycle programming provide leading-edge therapies, inclusive educational frameworks, social and recreational activities, employment training, and independent living, as well as respite and family support.
The Shalva National Center's advanced programs and facilities create new frontiers in disability rehabilitation, research, and inclusion; defining new standards in the field and impacting the world beyond those in Shalva's direct care.
Shalva gives equal access and opportunity to all participants regardless of religion, ethnic background, or financial capability.

The Real Winners of the Eurovision Are Israeli LGBTQ Youth      
Eurovision Israeli Entries Over the Years     
ISRAEL's Best Eurovision Songs
ISRAEL's Best Eurovision Songs
 

Ban Iceland from Eurovision!!!        



BDS / anti-Semitism / anti-Zionism           
German Parliament Deems BDS Movement Anti-Semitic   
Al Sharpton does Teshuvah??? (repents)
Al Sharpton Admits to Using "Cheap" Rhetoric About Jews 
Imam Omar Suleiman (who recently gave the invocation in the House of Representatives) also tries to do Teshuvah:  Rising Star Imam Omar Suleiman Has an Anti-Semitic Past. Has He Moved On?                             
 
Swedish Prime Minister Condemns Supporters' "Crush Zionism" Chants in Malmo
UK Minister Orders Universities to Crack Down on Anti-Semites
WHO
World Health Organization Singles Out Israel As Violator of Health Rights At Annual Meeting              
Five New Countries Voted Against  WHO's Anti-Israel UN Resolution 
Williams College Administrators Override Student Government's Rejection of Pro-Israel Group  
Separate and Unequal for Jewish Groups at Williams College  
Holocaust Revisionism at Williams College   
Patriots' Robert Kraft and Chelsea's Roman Abramovich Team Up to Fight Anti-Semitism 
The New German Anti-Semitism 
For the nation's estimated 200,000 Jews, new forms of old hatreds are stoking fear  



The Palestinians

Hamas vs. Israel's Intelligence Services 
Hamas Thanks Jeremy Corbyn for Message to Pro-Palestinian Rally in London 
Yair Lapid, co-leader of Israel's main opposition party, said: "Jeremy Corbyn, here is a free piece of advice: if Hamas is thanking you then you're on the side of terrorism."                    

New Palestinian Party Seeks PLO Reform
Flawed BBC Documentary Proves the Israeli Narrative
Two Prominent Palestinians Arrested for Attempted Terror Attacks
 "This is a serious incident involving a senior official in the Palestinian Prisoners' Ministry and an Israeli lawyer working in the Palestinian Prisoners' Office who carried out severe terrorist attacks using a Palestinian Authority vehicle used by Zakariya as part of his job in the prisoner's office," a senior ISA official said. 

Recent Attacks on Churches in Palestinian Authority 
35,000 Palestinians Left Gaza in 2018 



Iran / Syria / Hezbollah
"Walls Have Ears, An Analysis of Classified Syrian Security Sector Documents"                                              


Hi-Tech
Inside Israel's Crash-Landing on the Moon                                                                                                                           All systems were go. Then the little craft that could went dark. What now for the future of privatized space conquest in the Middle East?                                                                                    

The IDF's Medical Innovation Branch 





Pop Culture
One of Telemundo's Most Famous Soccer Announcers is a Proud Peruvian Jew
Sammy Sadovnik, who visits Israel every year, is one of the most recognizable voices of the Spanish language network's coverage.     

Labor Dispute Threatens Return of 'Shtisel' for 3rd Season  
The Gems of Yiddish Cinema                                                                                               
Rokhl's Golden City: Classic movies you can see on the big screen-and rarer curiosities you should seek out                                                                                                                                                                                                     





     












 

Year-Round Offerings: Families, Teens, & Adults
April 2019 / Nisan 5779

There are many ways to enjoy Ramah experiences year-round, whether it's with your own Ramah camp or with the Ramah mishpacha at programs throughout North America, Israel, and the world. Use these links or scroll down to learn more:

No prior Ramah affiliation is needed to participate in these programs, so please invite friends and family to join you, or forward this email to anyone who might be interested in these terrific program offerings!

New for 2019!
The Ramah Sports Academy Family Experience
From August 5-7, 2019,  Ramah Sports Academy, located on the beautiful campus of Fairfield University in Connecticut, will hold its first  RSA Family Experience, a sports program for families. This is a great opportunity for families to enjoy camp together. Open to families from any Ramah community and their friends! For more information,  click here, or contact  Dave Levy, camp director.
Travel with Ramah Israel Institute (RII) and Reshet Ramah
Poland Journey for Adults  | July 22-28, 2019

Summer Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Adventure in Israel  | Aug. 13-22, 2019  (New trip!)

Ramah Morocco Experience  | Sept. 8-19, 2019

Ramah Nyack Chanukah Family Trip to Israel|  Dec. 23, 2019 - Jan. 1, 2020  (all camps welcome)

Winter Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Adventure in Israel  | Dec. 23, 2019 - Jan. 1, 2020
Adult Camps & Retreats
Singles Weekend at Ramah Berkshires  (for singles in their 40s, 50s, and up) | May 24-27, 2019

Shabbat Plus at Ramah Poconos |  July 19-21, 2019

Ramah Darom Jewish Women's Getaway  | Nov. 10-13, 2019
Family Camps & Retreats
Ramah New England Family Camp  | May 24-27, 2019

Ramah Darom Summer Family Camp  | June 26-30 , 2019 and July 17-21, 2019



LimmudFest at Ramah Darom  (partnership with Limmud Atlanta and Southeast)  | Aug. 30  -   Sept. 2, 2019

Sukkot at Ramah Poconos  | Oct. 18-20, 2019

Ramah Darom Winter Break Family Camp  |  Dec. 27, 2019  -  Jan. 1, 2020
Families with Children with Disabilities

Ramah Darom Camp Yofi   | Aug. 7-11, 2019

Ramah Poconos Tikvah Family Camp  | Aug. 14-18, 2019

Ramah California Camp Ohr Lanu   | Aug. 15-19, 2019
Programs for Teens & Young Adults
Do you know a young adult struggling to find their path in life? Ramah is working to address mental health and wellness within the Jewish community.  BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy is our answer. Following a successful pilot season in Spring 2018, BaMidbar is open for year-round enrollment.








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