It was 9: 58 p.m. Sunday evening. The day before, Syria launched its assault on Homs. It is said that anywhere between 217 and 260 people were killed by Bashar al-Assad’s forces on that first day. On Sunday, it is estimated that an additional 60 people were killed. Read More »
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Jewish Standard 
Free speech for all?
Muslims can call for sharia law, condemn the United States as “The Great Satan,” call for the destruction of Israel, and shout down speakers at college forums — but heaven forbid that anyone should speak ill of the “Religion of Peace.” Muslims raised a ruckus because Lt. Gen. William G. Read More »
In re Alinsky
Not revealed in last week’s editorial “Primary Concerns” is that Saul Alinsky authored the book “Rules for Radicals.” He taught that radicals do not flaunt their radicalism, but infiltrate the system from within. Read More »
Neither menches nor mentschen
In an article in the Jan. 27 issue about the closing of the Gittelman Day School, the word “mensches” appeared as part of a quote. There is no such word in German or in Yiddish. In the Feb. 4, issue the error was repeated on page 3, but by the time we got to page 8, the error was corrected. Well almost, but not quite. Read More »
Arab anti-Semitism, from indifference to complicity
WASHINGTON – Anti-Israel sentiment in the Middle East is not merely characterized by sharp political differences. It mimics and is fueled by the most defamatory and dangerous of historical anti-Jewish themes. For confirmation, we need look no further than a widely published political cartoonist, a Jordan-based Palestinian named Emad Hajjaj. Read More »
Racism’s antidote
Let Ethiopians tell their stories — and let us listen Over the past weeks, protests have spread throughout Israel calling for a response to racism targeted at the country’s Ethiopian community. Sparked by a Channel 2 story on discrimination in Kityat Malachi, citizens have taken to the streets to show their outrage at the status quo. Read More »
A values-voice for Congress?
Let me state this clearly. Despite some news reports, I am not a candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s Ninth Congreessional District. I am considering becoming a candidate, however, and I so informed the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCPO). People considering becoming candidated had until Jan. Read More »
A charedi hero’s plea
JERUSALEM — The recent violence in Beit Shemesh and in Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighborhood has led me to speak out against the so-called “sikrikim” in the harshest possible terms, equating their actions to terrorism. Read More »
Yitro: A considered climb
One would have expected the laws that follow the Aseret HaDibrot, the Ten Commandments, to be of great urgency and importance. Yet the two laws that follow are not only seemingly mundane and prosaic but greatly misplaced in this arena of high moments. Read More »
High (school) drama
Sarah Gordon (Advisor), Ilana Teicher, Tamar Novetsky(Captain), Jared Cotter (Host, “The Challenge”), Chana Garbow, Talia Moss and Yaffa Cohen (Alternate). Bzzzzz! With the press of a buzzer, Tamar Novetsky signaled that she knew the answer to the physics question. Read More »
Kicking off a super Sunday
For many, Super Bowl Sunday starts with a mitzvah lesson Cantor Israel Singer teaches sixth graders at Temple Emanu-el of Closter about the mitzvah of t’fillin. It is hard to know which program will stir up the most emotion this Sunday — the Conservative movement’s World Wide Wrap, or the Giants and the Patriots going at it in the Super Bowl. Read More »
Kicking off a super Sunday
In a country where “football” means soccer, you would think the Super Bowl would be a relic of the past for U.S. émigrés. However, for many of them the annual NFL championship game is cause for a party, complete with nachos and subs. Read More »
Kicking off a super Sunday
Big game pits teams owned by big donors When the New York Giants and New England Patriots take the field for Sunday’s Super Bowl, most of the country will focus on the athletes wearing the jerseys. However, from a Jewish perspective, the story behind these football franchises comes from those wearing suits in the owner’s box. Read More »
Kicking off a super Sunday
With less than a minute to play in the biggest football game of his life, Jewish punter Josh Miller wanted a sandwich. “I was hungry,” he said in an interview, recalling one of his many thoughts from Super Bowl XXXIX, when his New England Patriots edged the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21. Read More »
A ‘seven-step program’ for youths
• Minimize your personal rewhen your child complains of mistreatment by peers. Listen attentively and sympathetically; then begin brainstorming coping strategies. • Encourage your child verbally rather than resorting to reward and punishment. • Note even minor improvements in your child’s personal conduct and express your appreciation for them. Read More »
A ‘seven-step program’ for youths
#1: You shall love your fellow man as yourself #2: You shall not hate your brother in your heart #3: You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind #4: Open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to the needy in your land #5: You shall Read More »
Saluting women in the arts
“Apples & Onions” by Ludlow Smethurst “Power of Squares: Salute to Women in the Arts” with mixed media and paintings is on display at the Waltuch Gallery of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly this month. A meet-the-artist reception will be on Sunday, Feb. 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. Read More »
A cappella in Englewood this Shabbat
Magevet, the premier Jewish, Hebrew, and Israeli a cappella group of Yale University, will be at Congregation Kol HaNeshamah for Shabbat services tomorrow at 9: 45 a.m., on the premises of St Paul’s Church in Englewood. A kiddush lunch will follow. (201) 816-1611 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) . Read More »
An apology
I am writing this letter with respect to a complaint filed against me by Rich Siegel and returnable before the Teaneck Municipal Court. The purpose of this letter is to publicly apologize to Mr. Siegel for my conduct. I have asked Mr. Read More »
History repeats
A Palestinian mufti and the U.S. election WASHINGTON – A Palestinian mufti has called for violence against Jews, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is demanding Palestinian leaders disavow him, and America’s presidential race could be affected. That could be the lead sentence of a news report from last week. Read More »
Primary concerns
The targeted telephone call pulled no punches. “As governor of Massachusetts,” a voice told Jewish voters in Florida, many of whom are survivors of the Shoah, “Mitt Romney vetoed a bill paying for kosher food for our seniors in nursing homes. Read More »
Lessons learned
The Jews of Bergen County can breathe a sigh of relief, now that a suspect in the synagogue firebombings has been arrested. Still at large, however, are those responsible for the December graffitti attacks against synagogues in Maywood and Hackensack. There are still people around who hate Jews enough to act on it. Read More »
Choosing trees over love
A ‘new year’s’ filled with relevance My column this week is adapted from an earlier version. Sometimes, what you have already written about a subject or issue is worth repeating rather than rewriting. This Wednesday, Feb. 8, is Tu Bi-Sh’vat, aka the New Year for Trees, Judaism’s millennia-old “Earth Day.” Less than a week later comes Feb. Read More »
R-e-s-p-e-c-t
Politicians take note: Honor must be earned “For not as a human sees ; humans see only what is visible, but the Lord sees into the heart.” — I Samuel 16: 7 It is not hard to mistake the outside for the inside. We do it all the time. Shine and sparkle often distract us from inner shallowness. Read More »
B’shalach: The bitter and the sweet
The great Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer, composer of “Jerusalem of Gold”, penned the following lyrics to another song entitled “Al Kol Eleh (For All of These Things)”. I offer a non-literal English translation: “…Every bee that brings the honey / Needs a sting to be complete / And we all must learn to taste the bitter with the sweet. Read More »
‘We are Klal Yisrael’
The Jewish community is sick. We, all of us, have been attacked on the basis of one thing — our religion. They, the attackers, the anti-Semites, do not distinguish between charedim, chassidim, datim, Satmar, Orthodox, traditional, conservadox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, Renewal, or even secular Jews. To them, we are all one. Read More »
Got it backward
While reading last week’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah Supplement, I was sadly struck by the “checklist for advance preparation,” which began with the following: “Three Years in Advance: Join a congregation/book the date for the sanctuary; put your child on the learning and mitzvah track. Read More »
Baby gemach fundraiser
The Teaneck Baby Gemach, in partnership with the sisterhood of Congregation Arzei Darom, holds a fundraiser on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the shul at 7 p.m. Cindy Livesey, a coupon expert, offers “How to be an Extreme Couponer: A Living Rich with Coupons Workshop.” The suggested donation is $18. Read More »
Girl Scouts offer religious awards
Jewish Girl Scouts can earn special religious awards including Lehavah for second and third grades; Bat Or for grades fourth through sixth; Menorah for seventh- through ninth graders; and Emunah for tenth through twelfth graders. They can be earned on their own or with a group and are offered by the National Jewish Committee on Girl Scouting. Read More »
Haiti: Two years later
A swift and massive Jewish response followed the 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010, that caused more than 250,000 deaths and at least as many injuries in Haiti. The Jewish Federations of North America partnered with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to funnel millions of dollars of contributions to help in the relief work. Read More »
Arrest made in two synagogue attacks
Authorities do not believe there is a connection between a recent string of anti-Semitic attacks and a batch of anti-Semitic fliers mailed out to synagogue and communal leaders last week. Read More »
Arrest made in two synagogue attacks
The North Jersey Jewish community breathed a sigh of relief earlier this week after the arrest of a suspect in the firebombing and arson of two area synagogues, but communal leaders continued to urge caution and vigilance. Two weeks ago, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey (JFNNJ) held a security briefing for Jewish communal leaders. Read More »
Rockland day school to close
Benjamin Shull, rabbi of Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake, said his fifth-grade son, who has attended Rockland County’s Reuben Gittelman Hebrew Day School for two years, was devastated by news of its closure. “He started there when he was in third grade,” said Shull. “He had a wonderful experience. Read More »
Making book on Judaica
The Seforim (Books) Sale, Yeshiva University’s annual student-run event, has become the largest Jewish book sale in North America. This year it is scheduled for Feb. 5-26 in Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave., Manhattan. Read More »
Nothing Spartan in lifelong friendships
Moe Liss chronicled friendships that began at camp and spanned decades. When Moe Liss met his Camp Veritans charges on the first day of camp in the summer of 1951, the just-out-of-high school counselor could not know that he was forging friendships that would last for over 60 years. Read More »
Sentencing solution
On Jan. 12, there was a major meeting in Bergen County regarding the recent swastikas and the attempted murder of a rabbi and his family. Read More »
The truth about Obama’s record
Thank you for setting the record straight on President Obama’s record on Israel. Unfortunately, it seems that whenever he has chosen not to march lockstep with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he has found himself and his administration subject to specious claims of hostility towards Israel. Read More »
What, no balance?
The JTA article by Zach Silberman on the Rothman-Pascrell race in your Jan. 13 issue was unbalanced in Rothman’s favor. Rothman and Pascrell have virtually indistinguishable voting records on Israel-related matters. In his 15 years in office, Pascrell has written and spoken publicly affirming his personal commitment to the State of Israel. Read More »
Overboard on Obama
The Jewish Standard went way overboard in its Jan. 6 article on President Barack Obama. It appeared to be more campaign literature than honest reportage. I would be remiss if I let that article go by without response. Since becoming president three years ago: • Obama has shifted U.S. Read More »
Have your say, please
We are grateful to Jewish Standard readers for their response to a survey about reinvigorating the Bergen County YJCC. The request for input from the community was made in a Dec. 9 article about the strategic planning process that the YJCC is currently undergoing (Bergen Y in transition). Read More »
You’re welcome
Thank you Jewish Standard for the wonderful support you gave the Adlers and The Belskie Museum in your Jan. 13 issue. We had the largest attendance of any show in the last 12 months, with 173 people coming to the opening. Thank you so much. Read More »
Who will go?
As the parasha begins, the Egyptians have had it. They can’t stand the suffering anymore. They demand of their leader to let the Israelites go free. “And the servants of Pharaoh said to him: ‘Until when will this one be a stumbling block to us? Send out these people that they may worship Adonai their God. Read More »
A rabbi’s ban
Mistrust of evangelicals is the issue By right, I ought to thank Rabbi Immanuel Schochet for banning my book “Kosher Jesus,” because doing so further propelled it up the international bestseller lists, even in pre-publication. Read More »
When truth is cast aside
This past week, we had a reminder of what can happen when truth is bent way out of shape, and the resulting lie then repeated over and again until it gains an unchallengeable veneer of veracity. Read More »
A night for the wondering Jew
Next Saturday evening, Feb. 4, the North Jersey Board of Rabbis will present “Sweet Tastes of Torah III.” On this night, people from all across northern New Jersey will come together to study topics of Jewish interest as taught by our community’s talented and knowledgeable rabbis. Read More »
Our stake in ‘Beit Shemesh’
We here must work to bridge Israel’s sectarian divide BEIT SHEMESH — It is raining as I write — a rare, cold, hard rain that is welcomed by Jerusalemites who know that it is good for them and the country. Water, like patience, is a treasured commodity here in Israel: temporarily inconvenient, but better for you in the long run. Rain is a blessing. Read More »
Israel confronts its secular identity
Back of the bus puts crucial debate on front burner Suddenly, it seems, gender segregation is everywhere in Israel — buses, army bases, Jerusalem sidewalks, Beit Shemesh schoolyards and, above all, the front pages. What is going on here? Let’s start with the buses. Read More »
The obscenity of a misused image
No one has the right to exploit the memory of child Holocaust victims It is virtually impossible to imagine anything more reprehensible than the recent spectacle of charedi Orthodox Jewish boys wearing yellow stars of David and simulated striped black-and-white concentration camp uniforms at a demonstration in Jerusalem. Read More »
Ohel to honor Assemblyman Schaer
New Jersey Assemblyman Gary Schaer will receive the Legislator of the Year award at Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services annual gala dinner, “Cherish the Children,” on Sunday, Feb. 12 at the New York Hilton Hotel. Read More »
Love and hate in Bergen County
In the wake of last week’s attack on a Rutherford synagogue, social media is helping create a new sense of security there. Adam Wolf, a West Orange resident who works in real estate, grew up in Rutherford and his parents live two blocks from Temple Beth El, the site of last week’s firebombing. Read More »
Shul trip to Israel
Beth Am Temple in Pearl River, N.Y., offers its fifth trip to Israel leaving Thursday, Feb. 16. The all-inclusive cost of the relaxed-pace trip is $3,959 per person. Tour highlights include walking tours of Jerusalem, ascending Masada, floating in the Dead Sea, and visits to Roman ruins, the Western Wall, the Golan Heights, and Tel Aviv. Read More »
YJCC program guide online
The Bergen County YJCC’s Winter-Spring 2012 Program Guide, featuring classes, special events, and programs, is available online at http: //www.yjcc.org . Programs are for infants through senior adults, with many classes beginning this month. Call (201) 666-6610. Read More »
Concert in Wayne
Matthew Fishteyn Courtesy Wayne Y The Wayne Y continues its Sundays Backstage at the Y series with pianist/composer Matthew Fishteyn, 18, performing “Mystery Man,” on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. (973) 595-0100, ext. 237. Read More »
Chorus performing in Tenafly
The Young People’s Chorus at Thurnauer performed at the JCC Thurnauer School of Music’s 2011 Gift of Music Gala Benefit Concert in February. Eugene Parciasepe, Jr. The Young People’s Chorus at Thurnauer, the student choir of the JCC Thurnauer School of Music, will perform its winter concert on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Read More »
Author in Fort Lee
Rabbi Simcha Weinstein Courtesy Chabad Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, author of the award-winning “Up, Up and Oy Vey!” will be at Chabad of Fort Lee on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. His latest book is “Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st Century. Read More »
Sephardic music in Ridgewood
Cantor Caitlin Bromberg, left, Gerard Edery. Photos Courtesy Temple Israel Temple Israel and JCC of Ridgewood will launch its new series of “Winter Music” with Sephardic music by folklorist Gerard Edery, his ensemble, and Temple Israel’s cantor, Caitlin Bromberg, on Saturday, Jan. 21. Read More »
Author at Paramus school
Stanley Fischman Photos courtesy BPY Ben Porat Yosef in Paramus will celebrate the launch of Stanley Fischman’s (BPY’s director of general studies) new book “Seven Steps to “Mentchhood,” at the school, on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8: 15 p.m. Fischman will also discuss “The Virtue of a Principle-Driven Life. Read More »
Elisabeth Morrow violinists perform with Joshua Bell
Classical music superstar/Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell will perform at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. Read More »
Love and hate in Bergen County
A few minutes of hate give way to many days of love and support Pessy and Nosson Schuman and their children, ranging in age from 7 to 15. Their lives could have been lost when their home was firebombed. Read More »
Love and hate in Bergen County
Neighborhood watch organizations are nothing new, but a group of security professionals five years ago decided to localize the idea even more by creating Community Security Service, a volunteer organization that trains members of Jewish organizations in vigilance. Read More »
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