Yeshiva World News

The only person who could write such a piece is one with firsthand information of the chareidi lifestyle, one who knows from the inside.

The last weeks in Eretz Yisroel have been accompanied by what many feel has been an unprecedented hate campaign against the torah tzibur, the chareidim. The animosity according to many has far surpassed that seen several months ago when the media pushed the inequality of women in the chareidi camp, compelling women to seat in the rear of the bus, to take a back seat to life.

While hate for torah is not something created by chareidim if one is absolutely honest, one must arrive at the conclusion that the chareidi tzibur in Eretz Yisrael has done more than its fair share to feed the flames of discord.

Where were the tehillim and tears for Gush Katif? Where is the solidarity with the dati leumi? They may be wrong but isn’t it up to us to live by example. Have we become so entangled in our daily existence that we cannot see anyone’s pain other than our own?

While one needn’t subscribe to the hashkofa of Neturei Karta their rabbonim are to be commended for living a life true to their beliefs, and in this case, that mean no acceptance of state funds, no playing the game. For Shas, Agudah and Degel, they feel they can walk the tightrope that permits them to be deputy ministers, seemingly giving an air of legitimacy to accepting treif money, treif by their standards.

How can you dare to expect anyone outside our little fold to understand? Yes, we are in galus and yes, the world is not perfect but in Eretz Yisrael avreichim are paid by the national government to sit and learn, and this does not exist anywhere else in the world to the best of my knowledge.

Enough of the general chareidi public throwing around its haughtiness and adherence to gedolei yisrael, for the same gedolei yisrael live a life of mesirus nefesh and modesty, unlike many who label themselves chareidim. Before you jump to submit a comment take a deep breath and think, not about your chavrusa who stands on line in Bnei Brak on erev shabbos for a free subsidized challah in the hope of having a bit extra, but about all those whom we all know simply wear the outfit but the black and white in their case is barely skin deep. You don’t want these guys marrying your children any more than any other ill suited prospect, because in your heart you know they have long abandoned the chareidi lifestyle. So I ask, what are they doing for Klal Yisrael?

And where were you this last shabbos, in kollel or the Mountains? Let’s be honest before we condemn others for most of the people I know, our lives have not yet achieved a level of 25/7 Torah.

Regarding our gedolim, Rav Shteinman Shlita, Rav Kanievsky Shlita and others, for those unable to read this because they adhere to the calls to abandon the tuma of the internet, that’s fine. Tens of thousands attended the Internet conference and jokingly, we all saw the photos of people in the stands playing with their smart phones – so who is the hypocrite know?

If you are among those about to comment, get off your horse and get real. Anyone who does not understand the koach of the avreichim learning will most likely not ‘get it’ any time soon. The point, those learning are undoubtedly keeping us going, like it or not, and the government recognizing this does not make it any more or less factual.

No less factual is the painful realization that too many people in chareidi dress are an embarrassment and simply wasting valuable time. We attend lectures by experts to understand why the young are going off the derech. Well, do you think keeping them in beis medrash where they don’t fit, not permitting them to work, not permitting them to enter the IDF. Hello, does anyone get it – they have been decreed to exile in their own community, outcasts in black and white. Everyone loses.

While Shaul Mofaz and Ehud Barak simply don’t get it and unlikely they ever will, they are not entirely wrong. For MK Gafne to get up at a chareidi conference in his utter arrogance and shout “If Bibi does not get it we will go with Ahmed Tibi on this”. How outragous – to link with the former advisor of Yasser Arafat! This is how shameful we are. Are you reading this? You have time to read this? Why aren’t you taking part in the three-day around-the-clock learning? The point is that we live in the real world, yes for avreichim the torah world, but for many others, perhaps most of us, the world that includes dealing with mundane matters.

It’s time to acknowledge the good that exists in secular Eretz Yisrael today – like it or not, and that is simply a fact that must be recognized. It’s time for dialogue and perhaps even compromise for if we can reach Tisha B’Av speaking with one another, we may actually accomplish a great deal, no less than round-the-clock learning.

Baruch Oberman is a proud Jew who made Aliya 5 years ago and now resides in Jerusalem.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

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There can be no doubt that with the impending arrival of the Three Weeks the efforts of draft chareidim into the IDF against the position of gedolei torah shlita will result in a stepped-up campaign against the chareidi tzibur in Eretz Yisrael coinciding with the beginning of the Three Weeks. Unfortunately, the prominent media coverage of the Plesner Committee continues to feed the sinas chinam against the chareidi tzibur as many public officials wishing to bash the chareidim are granted a forum to do so.

The chareidi draft has been positioned atop the national agenda – so much so that a planned meeting between Kadima leader Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) that was canceled was also blamed on the chareidi draft issue. While no one can explain just what the connection is, Kadima officials blame Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for canceling the meeting between Mofaz and Abu Mazen due to the pressure from Mofaz surrounding the Plesner Committee and the chareidi draft. The official reason for the cancelation of the meeting comes from the PA, as Abu Mazen backed out, apparently due to a vibrant Facebook campaign in the PA opposing the meet.

Kadima MK Avi Dichter, a former ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) director, told Israel Radio on Sunday morning 11 Tammuz 5772 that he monitors the Arabic media and to credit the prime minister with such “wide sweeping powers that he could persuade the PA to cancel a meeting with Mofaz because of differences surrounding the Plesner Committee would be absurd”. Dichter, who is not a fan of the prime minister, admitted that any effort to connect the Plesner Committee and the canceled meeting was simply not in the realm of reality.

Nevertheless, with the Plesner Committee appears locked in dispute surrounding the chareidi draft. Plesner and his colleagues from Kadima want the new draft law to include monetary and penal consequences for draft dodgers, both on the yeshiva and personal level. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remains the voice of moderation, adamantly opposed to individual sanctions against avreichim in the hope of keeping his coalition intact. Mofaz, who heads Kadima, recently entered the coalition over going to national elections under the banner of compelling all chareidim “to share the burden”. Mofaz is not showing any sign of agreeing to modify his stance.

It is difficult to predict what the committee will announce this week and what will pass into law via the Knesset. It does appear however that on August 1, 2012, some 60,000 avreichim may be listed as AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave) from the military is a new law is not passed or if the new law demands all the avreichim enter the IDF or national service.

Committee Chair MK Plesner is releasing statements to the media applauding the committee’s mission, to compel everyone to “share the load”. That said, the committee members have decided the new law being legislated will not address Israeli Arab citizens since they feel the High Court of Justice decision invalidating the Tal Law only applies to chareidim [and hesder yeshivot] and since the court did not include Arabs in the decision, the committee feels this is not part of its mandate.

Arab MK Jamal Zahalka spoke to Israel Radio Sunday morning as well and he too joined in the chareidi bashing. He explained that for one thing, the Druse community does serve in the IDF by-and-large, and has received nothing in return. He went on to explain the Israeli Arab community remains a step child and while chareidim receive cities like Betar and Kiryat Sefer, the Arabs must fight for every inch of land. He decried the fact that Arab citizens who remain loyal are simply ignored as a result of discriminatory policies while chareidim, who don’t even serve in the military receive government assistance on a silver platter. He feels that until such time the Druse community is treated fairly there is no place to speak about drafting Arabs since the community does not receive a fair share of the government budget pie.

As we prepare to observe the mourning period that marks the beginning of Churban Bayis, followed by the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av the timing speaks volumes as at this most difficult and painful period a government of the State of Israel seeks to empty the batei medrashim, to silence the tens of thousands who study torah and protect Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael. HaRosh Yeshiva HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita and other gedolei yisrael have called the Plesner Committee a “gezeiras shmad” and the Rosh Yeshiva instructed Degel HaTorah MKs not to participate and not to lend a hand in any way to send a clear message, that the chareidi tzibur will not cooperate and not compromise when it comes to efforts to uproot limud torah in Eretz Yisrael.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, puts me in mind of the old proverb: Be careful what you wish for. Democrats on a victory lap should watch their step, because John Roberts may have given Mitt Romney a gift. The impact on the health system will be much smaller than the political fallout, because with or without Obamacare, the American health system will continue to unravel — quickly if Romney is elected, slowly if Obama is re-elected.

First the policy, then the politics:

Obamacare is simply incapable of doing what it is supposed to do — provide nearly universal care at an affordable and sustainable cost. The problem is that three years ago, in his futile efforts to win over Republicans (remember the embarrassing courtship of Olympia Snowe?), Obama gutted the law before it was even passed. He made the private insurance companies the linchpin of the new system, and promised them millions of additional customers and billions of taxpayer dollars. He also did nothing to rein in the profit-oriented delivery system that rewards providers on a piecework basis for doing tests and procedures. So with all the new dollars flowing into the system and no restraints on the way medicine is practiced, the law is inherently inflationary.

Although there are some provisions to curb the worst abuses of the insurance companies, such as excluding people with preexisting conditions, there is nothing in the law that would stop insurers from raising premiums. A senior executive of the industry’s trade association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, told me privately that that’s exactly what the companies will do if regulations cut into their profits. Thus, costs under Obamacare will almost certainly rise even faster than at present. No reform can work well or very long if its costs are unsustainable.

In fact, it is unlikely that Obamacare will ever be fully implemented as it stands. If Romney is elected, with a Republican Congress, it will be quickly overturned. If Obama is re-elected (and I hope he is, despite my disappointment in his health plan), it will come apart more slowly. But unravel it will, as costs rise and it becomes clear that there are still tens of millions of Americans priced out of the system.

Here’s how the unraveling will look:

Many of the uninsured who are subject to the mandate to purchase private insurance will choose to pay the penalty/tax instead. That will lead the insurance companies to raise their premiums, demand that the penalties be greater, or both. Deductibles and co-payments will increase to the point that many people will have insurance they can’t afford to use. (This is the case in Massachusetts.) Many employers will simply stop offering health insurance, since our high unemployment means workers no longer have the leverage to demand it, or they will stop insuring dependents (thus avoiding having to cover grown children to age 26). In addition, because insurers have a strong financial incentive to evade the new regulations requiring them to take all comers, it will take a huge bureaucracy to monitor them.

Next year, states are supposed to set up insurance exchanges to pool risks and offer a menu of approved insurance plans for individuals and small businesses. But they are unlikely to be functioning by 2014, as called for in the law, either because Republican states simply refuse to set them up and hamper federal efforts to step in, or because of the administrative complexities. Some states may also refuse to accept the funds to expand Medicaid, as called for in the law, since the Supreme Court found that they could opt out without losing their existing federal Medicaid funding. Here again, the bureaucracy necessary to aid and monitor state compliance will be huge, diverting resources from health care. In addition, there are likely to be multiple legal challenges to nearly all provisions of the law.

Obamacare partially offsets the costs of federal subsidies to insurance companies and Medicaid costs by cutting Medicare reimbursement to providers. That means hospitals and other health facilities will take a hit, and many are already struggling.

So that’s how it will unravel. There will be efforts to patch it up as we go along, but because Obamacare leaves our current inflationary system largely in place, they are unlikely to be successful.

Now for the politics. Even though the Supreme Court decision will have little long-term effect on our health system, the political ramifications will be great. To be sure, it’s a victory for Obama, but that will be evanescent. Now the Republicans are on the offensive, and greatly strengthened by John Roberts’ insistence that the mandate is a tax, not a penalty. Remember how hard Obama tried to avoid the T-word? Republicans are adept at painting Democrats as tax-happy, and Roberts has helped them to do just that. Pundits wonder what got into the Chief Justice. Was he just trying make the Supreme Court appear to be above politics, given all the recent evidence that it’s not? Or did he do a favor for Romney and the Republicans?

It’s very hard to read, but I think the Democrats would have been better off if the Supreme Court had overturned Obamacare, and I think it would have been better for our health system, as well. The base would be energized, and Democrats would take the offensive. More important, no one would be under the illusion that the health system has been successfully reformed, as many good liberals now are. That mistake will become clear as the system unravels. Democrats will suffer the death of a thousand cuts, rather than a quick blow that could be blamed on our politicized Supreme Court. If the law had been struck down, we could have started right away to work on an effective reform.

The only way to provide health care to all Americans at an affordable cost is by instituting some form of publicly-administered nonprofit system like those in other advanced countries. After all, they manage to provide universal care at less than half the cost, on average, and their costs are rising more slowly. I have long advocated expanding Medicare (which is a single-payer program) gradually by lowering the eligibility age one decade at a time, while phasing out for-profit health facilities and changing doctors’ fees to reward primary care more and specialist care less.

On July 22, 2009, Obama said in a press conference, “Now, the truth is that unless you have what’s called a single-payer system in which everybody is automatically covered, then you’re probably not going to reach every single individual.” Bingo. Too bad he didn’t hang on to that insight, and use his rhetorical skills to make the case strongly to the American public. If he had fought for single-payer health care at the beginning of his administration, while he had both houses of Congress, and mobilized public opinion behind it, he might have made it. After all, the only thing members of Congress need more than industry money is votes.

Marcia Angell, M.D.Physician, Author, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Medical School

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

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The Plesner Committee announces it is simply carrying out its duty based on the decision of the High Court of Justice that invalidated the current Tal Law. A new law must be in place by the court-set deadline, August 1, 2012. This is the mission of the Plesner Committee, to set the guidelines that will govern how many avreichim may continue torah study and how many will be compelled to serve in the IDF or an approved national service.

What is certain from the onset is that the committee will arrive at its conclusion, the Knesset will legislate some form of new law, and the chareidim will continue learning as instructed to do by Gedolei Yisrael Shlita. What is also certain, albeit most unfortunately, is that any decision to compel avreichim to leave their beis medrash will be met with resistance, unprecedented resistance and total non-compliance. The timing is uncanny as we prepare to enter the Three Weeks; the so-called Jewish government of the State of Israel is devising a plan to empty the batei medrashim of the country as Israel faces unprecedented threats on several borders, from Iran, Hizbullah in the north, and Hamas in the south. Those who run the country brazenly believe in the “koach b’otzim yodi”, that the skills of IAF pilots and mesirus nefesh of infantry soldiers can get the job done without the cloak of protection provided by torah study.

One should commend the growing number of shomer shabbat soldiers and officers in the IDF, those who cling to their beliefs of defending the Jewish Homeland as torah-observant Jews, those who do not study fulltime, while their partners in defense occupy the benches of a beis medrash to give the added push, to provide the umbrella of protection that has protected the Jewish People throughout the millennia for without the latter chas v’sholom our future is bleak.

Instead of focusing on achdus as the Three Weeks is ushered in we will be highlighting the chasm that divides, and in essence, the dispute does not surround dati leumi or chareidi, but the commitment to Hellenism, Herzl’s vision of a state, a secular state which happens to have Hebrew as its national language. The battle is not about glatt or rabbanut, but about kosher and treif!

The Knesset brilliantly pits the kippa sruga against the black yarmulke, distracting us all from the real enemy, those wishing to strip Eretz Yisrael of all its kedusha, those who bring hundreds of thousands of Russian goyim to dilute the demographic realities of the growing frum populations.

Our rulers are truly panicked but not because of Iran or Hamas but by the demographic realities, that the “settlers” and the chareidim” will soon be the ruling majority and while these two communities do not always see eye-to-eye, there is agreement that torah, as interpreted by the respective rabbonim reigns supreme and the erev rav that has run the modern state is vanishing to the ranks of assimilation and the Diaspora.

The decedents of Herzl have long left the Holy Land, opting to enjoy the fleshpots of a goyish lifestyle while frum Jews of all walks of life understand the mission and the zchus associated with living in and fighting for Eretz Yisrael. Ben-Gurion granted the deferment for several hundred avreichim to continue learning, and many debate what his position would be today as there are tens of thousands but for the rabbonim shlita, this too is irrelevant since the matter has been decided by gedolei yisrael shlita.

While the chareidim cling to learning and fulltime torah study, the dati leumi are to be commended for the understanding of the sanctity of the land. Young couples that marry are willingly forgo the comforts of an apartment and tangible physical possessions, preferring to live in a caravan home to settle the land, to distance Yishmael from the holy land by creating facts on the ground. There are also those who settle areas of Yerushalayim that have been occupied by Arabs for too long, areas including Shimon HaTzaddik and Maale Zeitim, who endure daily hardships as a result of their hostile surroundings, all in the name of redeeming the land.

If only these two camps could unite, the Plesner Committee would truly remain powerless. Instead, they permit the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy that was seen in 2005, when the brilliant military strategist Ariel Sharon did just that. It began with delegitimizing and then by dividing. Who knows, perhaps if a half million chareidim protested then, Gush Katif would still stand today. Who knows?

What is certain is that if the two camps unite today there will be sufficient numbers entering the IDF and the batei medrashim will be full as well, and this formula is one that can bring success, but instead, we are permitting the erev rav to divide and conquer once again. If shabbat observant residents of Eretz Yisrael unite, the others will fall by the wayside, Jews and Arabs alike. Our division is what fuels their anti-torah battle. Simple as that!

For Barak, Bibi, Peres and others, enjoy your last days in power for future has been sealed by those who betrayed Eretz Yisrael and HKBH. History will judge you for who you are, opting to turn your prayers to the White House and not the Kosel, the international community and not Gedolei Yisrael. History will remember those who sought a Nobel Prize at the expense of Eretz HaKodesh and its inhabitants. Those who accept a Medal of Freedom as Jonathan Pollard languishes in prison. What a Chilul Hashem!

This is the lesson of the Three Weeks, achdus among the torah-observant community, to unite against the erev rav, and perhaps this is the lesson the Plesner Committee will teach us.

Baruch Rosenblatt, Israel

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

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There are those who believe that Israeli President Shimon Peres is motivated by securing his lofty place in the annals of history, and by most accounts he has done an admirable job. Peres is revered by world leaders and is among a handful of people who can pick up a phone and speak with heads of state in many countries.

Peres’ modus operandi may be what compelled him to bestow Israel’s Presidential Medal on former US Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, who was no friend of Israel and no friend of Soviet Jews, but he is a Jew, one who married a non-Jewish woman.

The elderly retired senior US statesmen traveled to Israel to receive the award as he and Peres, both Nobel Prize laureates took advantage of the photo op which is now world news. Peres referred to Dr. Kissinger as “a brother” speaking of the “the tremendous effort you made to help us on every occasion as a great statesman and as a great Jew.”

For Mr. Peres, rewriting history is a daily event, a man who still boasts the successes of his failed Oslo Agreement, an event that has resulted in unprecedented Arab terror and bloodshed in Eretz Yisrael, an event that yielded Peres international fame and glory, not to mention a Nobel Prize and megabucks for the Peres Peace Center.

Like Mr. Peres, Kissinger learned in his political career the value of using the magic “peace” word, a word that earned them both international fame and prestige despite the failures of many of their efforts.

Serving as secretary of state under US President Richard Nixon, Kissinger in 1973 opposed pressuring the former Soviet Union to release the Jews held behind the Iron Curtain as part of the détente process the Russians so badly yearned for.

In conversation with Nixon shortly after a meeting with Golda Meir on March 1, 1973, Kissinger stated, “The emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union is not an objective of American foreign policy, and if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern.”

In the 1973 Yom Kippur War it was the same Secretary Kissinger, Peres’ “brother” who delayed telling President Nixon about the start of the war to keep him from interfering. On October 6, 1973, the Israelis informed Kissinger about the attack at 6:00am. Kissinger waited about 3 and a half hours passed before he informed Nixon.

When America conducted the largest military airlift in history to assist Israel on October 12, 1973, Nixon made that decision over the objections of Kissinger, Peres’ “brother”.

So once again, the world’s senior statesman, President Shimon Peres makes the news, bestowing a presidential medal on a colleague shortly after he received America’s Freedom Medal from President Barak Obama. When asked to link his willingness to receive the prestigious American medal to the release of Jonathan Pollard Mr. Peres declined. Perhaps it really is all about kovod.

Baruch Oberman is a proud Jew who made Aliya 5 years ago and now resides in Jerusalem.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

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As YWN reported this past Monday, many elected officials gathered to denounce NYC Councilman Charles Barron’s long track record of Anti-Semitic, and hateful rhetoric against people of various backgrounds – and his antagonistic stance towards Israel. Among those attending and speaking were former NYC Mayor Koch, Councilman Greenfield, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, Councilman Mike Nelson and a number of community leaders.

On the day after the press conference, a blog called “The Local“, which is a blog hosted by the NY Times website, posted a photo of the gathering of politicians with the caption “A lot of white people condemning a black person”. It then listed the group of politicians.

The blog post also made sure to write about these “self-proclaimed supporters of Israel [who] headed to the Museum of Jewish Heritage to condemn would-be Congressman Charles Barron for a life of anti-Israel rhetoric”.

The story fails to mention (among many other examples) that Charles Barron, the “black person” that the “group of white people condemned”, famously said that nothing would give him greater pleasure than walking down the street and slapping the first white man he saw.

Yes, this is the group of “white people” who stood up to a racist, anti-white, anti-Semitic hate monger.

It should be noted that the headline of this blog post originally said “A lot of white people condemning a black person”. It was soon changed, but still listed as a caption under the photo.

This is highly offensive and totally unacceptable from a news organization affiliated with The New York Times.

[Click image above to see a screenshot of the website]

Charles Katz is an attorney practicing criminal law in New York.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

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[The following Op-Ed was written by Tevi Troy – & appears in the Washington Jewish Week]

Walter Sobchak described his Sabbath observance in the Coen brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski by saying, “I don’t roll on Shabbos.” I’m not much of a bowler, but I don’t roll on Shabbos, either, and neither do I fly. This became a problem on Friday afternoon when trying to return home from meetings in Boston for Shabbat with my family. The captain announced over the loudspeaker: “Ladies and gentlemen, there are funnel clouds in D.C. The airports will not open until 9 p.m.” Uh oh. Shabbat was starting a little after 8, and even though I had made it to the airport in plenty of time, with a flight scheduled to land a full two hours before sundown, the prospects for making Shabbat at home disappeared in that moment.

I called my spiritual adviser, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, and asked him for advice. He told me to get off the plane and go to the Cambridge Chabad. He would call ahead before I got there. My friend Jason, who lives next door to the Chabad House, called the rabbi there as well.

Even though I had no choice, this was a difficult thing to do. My wife Kami had invited 16 guests for Shabbat lunch, and my parents would be visiting. I desperately wanted to be home for Shabbat. Rabbi Shemtov told me to put that behind me: “You are either shomer Shabbos or you are not.” He was right, of course. I got off the plane and found a cab headed to Cambridge.

At Shabbat dinner, I spoke to 100 students and alumni in for Harvard Business School reunion weekend. I told them about my experiences keeping Shabbat while working as a senior White House aide, including the time five years ago when I had a similar question. During the Katrina disaster, President Bush declared to his senior staff that there would be no weekend. We would all be expected to work the entire time. As a Sabbath observer, I wondered what to do. Of course, I called Rabbi Shemtov and asked his advice. He thought about it for a few moments and then said the following: There are three reasons why you should not work on this Shabbat, despite the exigent circumstances. The first is halachic, or related to Jewish law. The principle of pikuach nefesh — the notion that saving a life would allow one to violate Shabbat – does not apply in this circumstance. Your work in the White House, important as it may be, is not physically and directly saving specific lives. You would not personally be putting the water bottles in the mouths of those in need.

Second, he said, as a prominent shomer Shabbat Jew, you are a symbol to other observant Jews in Washington. If you work on Shabbat, even in this case, their bosses might tell them that they have to work on Shabbat as well. So working on Shabbat, even in these circumstances, would put other observant Jews in a difficult position.

Third, from a personal perspective, your colleagues and bosses respect you for your observance. Indeed, a few years earlier, I went to work for the Bush campaign doing debate preparation, even though campaigning is usually a seven day a week job. I told my superior at the campaign that I was reluctant to take the job given my Sabbath observance. To his credit, he responded that he would rather have me six days a week than someone else for seven. Given the support I had received in the past, how could I now violate Shabbat, even for this very good reason? Furthermore, Rabbi Shemtov added, if I worked on Shabbat in these circumstances, colleagues might wonder what other circumstances would lead me to violate my principles. What if there were a legislative crisis or budget disaster? Would I work then? No, said Rabbi Shemtov. The thing to do is to remain true to your principles.

I listened, leaving the West Wing for Shabbat, but working the rest of the weekend. It was an important lesson then, and remains so to this day. As the Zionist thinker and writer Ahad Ha’ Am said, “More than Jews have kept the Sabbath, the observance of the Sabbath has kept the Jews.” It is the observance of traditions like the Sabbath that have kept the Jewish people together through thousands of years of exile.

In this graduation season, as young Jews leave school and enter the workplace for the first time, it is important for them to remember to be true to their principles; to stick up for who they are. The combination of hard work mixed with a commitment to tradition remains the best way to make one’s way in the world, especially in these uncertain economic times.

Tevi Troy is a visiting senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. A former senior White House aide and deputy secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush administration, he also served as the White House Jewish Liaison.

As a follower of YWN I often read the comments posted by readers, which for me are representative of the chareidi community. Judging by many of the comments I boldly assume most of the readers who post their feelings are younger than I, a second generation survivor, that is to say a child of survivors. I also believe most are not living in Israel. This is based on my vibe, not factual data.

For me, prior to landing in Israel 29 years ago my life was in the Washington Heights area of NYC, the area which was a safe haven for the Yekkes, a community of survivors. When growing up both my wife and I used to think that everyone has a number on their hand for that was our reality. As we grew older and met people outside the community we realized this is not so.

We grew up in the shadow of Yasser Arafat, the arch terrorist who brought the world airplane highjackings, the 67’ war, 73 war, First Lebanon war and Islamic terror, which continued to escalate to reach its pinnacle on 9/11.

We vividly recall the tears that streamed down the faces of survivors when Israel was in a perilous situation, for they realize the significance of an accessible Jewish Homeland even while in galus. They were among the fortunate ones who got out, and they carry that hakoras hatov for being counted among the witness who live to tell of the atrocities.

I don’t wish to belabor the point but I would like to share my feelings with you, the readers of YWN around the world. I would classify myself somewhere between chardal (chareidi dati leumi) and chareidi. When I lived on a yishuv in Shomron for 15 years they called me chareidi, and when I was in Har Nof, I was chareidi light.

The point is we do not require labels nor should we be compelled to identify with one ‘camp’ or another. For me, if growing up in the USA and then moving to Eretz Yisrael have taught me anything, it is that those who wish to see Am Yisrael disappear do not discriminate and they blow up buses with any yid on board. Hitler, Arafat, Ahmadinejad and others are equally pleased to murder dati leumi Jews as chareidim and chilonim. My late father z”l taught me at a young age that the Jew haters do not discriminate.

You do not have to be a fan of the Zionist state of Israel to have a modicum of derech eretz, and even hakoras hatov, for the state with all its problems and shortcomings is host to the most Torah study that we have ever known. This is big and that Torah study is not limited to Mir or Ponevezh. The IDF is also a source of pride for the Jewish People, and while it has a very long way to go, its level of kashrus and Torah observance has increased significantly since I served many years ago.

If you do not wish to stand at attention for a memorial siren, fine – but have a bit of compassion for the yid at your side who identifies with this. For him, not standing still is tantamount to spitting on his son’s kever, a son who was blown up by terrorists or fell in the line of battle. We all do things that are not “Jewish” and we do not learn 24/7. We go out to eat, visit the Catskills during the summer, take a hop on an ATV or visit an amusement park during chol hamoed. These are “goyish” too yet no one shouts so grow up and have some respect. I dare say you would stand still on the street if the goyim demanded it, rightfully so, so why not for a fellow Jew? Baruch Hashem an avreich knows enough Torah by heart that he can recite a mishna or Tehillim during that time.

One just needs to visit the Har Herzl military cemetery today, Memorial Day, and then you can look up and thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu if you are among those who do not personally feel the pain, firsthand pain, one of the bereaved families of the over 22,000 soldiers who fell or the thousands of terror victims killed or maimed for life. Not everything that differs from our way has to be treif! This is about kovod, simply respecting another, and during the days between Pesach and Shavuos this is a most appropriate way to go.

I read the genuine concern on the website during the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead, and saw the chareidi community reciting Tehillim round-the-clock. Well guess what, these are the same soldiers you davened for then but unfortunately, not all of them made it, not all of them returned home, and some came home missing body parts.

My wife and I have some children who served/serving in the IDF and some who prefer the kollel chareidi route. We are fine with both. Last week, of the 13 eligible children and in-law children (eligible referring to their ages), number 10 proudly entered the IDF.

Some are combatants, some officers, some career officers and some not in the front lines; but they have one thing in common with the guys who are learning – they are all doing what they perceive as the most they can do for the Jewish People. I know the critics mean well but if you have to bash the state in an open forum, please at least be considerate enough to move to Eretz Yisrael and do it here, as a member of the country, and do not be brazen enough to continue sitting wherever you may be abroad and with righteous indignation labeling those you perceive as “Zionists” as the biggest problem facing the Jewish People.

Remember, it is easy to love one another after Zaka tends to the bodies from a Number 2 bus but what about when we are not at war!

Respectfully, Yechiel Spira (Israel)

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

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The latest episode in so-called Neturei Karta’s history of meeting with and marching alongside the enemies of the State of Israel – their participation in the March to Jerusalem from Jordan and Palestinian Land Day commemoration in Lebanon – must give us pause for reflection.

Of course, it is reprehensible to show support for terrorism of any variety, or to honor the memory of a terrorist with blood on his hands. But I wish to carry the criticism of this fringe group a step further. One of their stated purposes is to soften the Arabs anger at Jews by showing them that at least some Jews, in particular Orthodox Jews, oppose Zionism and the State of Israel. By claiming to represent us all, they aim to save us all from a would-be attacker. My question is: just how do they expect to succeed in this mission, when every action they take elicits condemnation from just about the entire Orthodox Jewish world? Do they think the Arabs will really believe that they represent anyone but themselves?

If these people are really serious about their goal, they must stop acting on their own, and seek out support from the Gedolei Hador for everything they do. If Gedolim tell them that their current approach is wrong, then they must follow the Gedolims guidelines for the right way to get the message out. As long as they don’t do that, they are doing more harm than good, because the picture of four Jews joining an Arab march while the rest of the Jewish people condemns them is enough to convince anyone that almost all Jews are pro-Israel.

Which brings me to my question for the larger frum Jewish world: where are we? What are we doing to let the Arab world know that we are not pro-Israel? Good, the Neturei Karta of Yisroel Dovid Weiss is fake and wrong, but where is the real Neturei Karta? We, the frum Jews of the world, know that it was not our idea to make a state, fight wars against the Arabs or arouse their anger. We are peaceful people. But how are the Arabs going to know that if we don’t find some way to tell them?

Yesterday, Rav Nochum Weissfish was attacked by an Arab youth with an axe as he walked in the streets of Yerushalayim. Two weeks ago, a rabbi and three Jewish schoolchildren were murdered in France. The perpetrators were evil murderers, but anyone with common sense knows that when there are murderers walking around, you have to make sure not to get caught in the crossfire. You have to distinguish yourself clearly from those whom the murderers hate. These innocent Jews could have been any of us. To a terrorist, we all look the same. What are we doing to address this problem? Where are we?

Name withheld by request.

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[By: Isaac Abraham]

In today’s society, “Freedom of Speech” is used to justify, excuse, and defend otherwise insensitive and often inaccurate statements.

So too, in regard to the recent billboard erected by the American Atheists that proclaims in English adjacent to the name of God (spelled in Hebrew only) that, “You know it’s a myth and you have a choice.”

In advertising, the golden rule is make your message short, clear and direct — do not leave them guessing, do not leave them confused. Truth in advertising wins over the people and keeps them, so it is said.

Surprisingly, the message of these so-called proud non-believers is not very clear at all.

The billboard message is that “it” is a myth, but does not identify what “it” is. One can only speculate why this is so — but could it be because the atheists themselves do not know? As to the “choice” the billboard advertises, that is not identified either and all of us are left wondering what message is being sent.

The message cannot possibly be “join us atheists” or “atheism is good.” That is not what the billboard says. And why does it not say that? After all, American Atheists director David Silverman maintains he hopes to reach atheists “trapped” within the strict religious Jewish community of Williamsburg. So why not say that — loudly and clearly?

Perhaps the atheists are not confident in what they stand for. Maybe deep down they have reservations about their non belief. Or worse (for the cause of atheism), maybe some of them do believe!

On reflection, this billboard is demonstrative of the enormity of the insecurity atheists suffer.

How ironic it is that the first sixteen words of the First Amendment, which enshrines freedom of religion, precede the right to freedom of speech.

Many people find this billboard offensive and disrespectful. And, make no mistake, it is. Belief, religion — call it what you may — by their own admission is not a matter for atheists.

Just imagine what a positive contribution the atheists could have done to make this world a better place instead of paying for this billboard. They could have used their money to help orphans, the disabled and the homeless.

As for Mr. Silverman, who refers to himself as a “former Jew”, that term is an oxymoron. In Judaism, if you are born a Jew, you die a Jew! How unfortunate for Mr. Silverman!

Isaac Abraham is a Williamsburg civic leader.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

Reprinted from Brooklyn Daily with permission from the author.

In an interesting conversation with the Politcker yesterday, Assemblyman Dov Hikind claimed that he received calls from US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Bob Turner just minutes apart after Turner announced that he would take on Gillibrand for US Senate in her upcoming campaign for re-election this November.

Per Hikind each had called to ask for Hikind’s support in the upcoming Senate race between the Liberal Senator Gillibrand and the Conservative Congressman Turner. Hikind told the Politicker that he was not yet ready to make an endorsement. This may come as a surprise to many of Hikind’s constituents. Hikind, famously, waited until six days before the end of Bob Turner’s election to enthusiastically endorse Bob Turner in the race for US Congress – after all polls projected to an overwhelming victory for Turner. Hikind declared at the time “I am supporting Mr. Turner because this is a rare opportunity for all those living in the 9th Congressional District, myself included, to send a message to President Obama about his failed, disastrous economic policies and his reckless policies toward Israel.”

Which begs the question: has Obama got the message? We’ll find out when Hikind makes his decision on who to endorse.

(Dov Gordon – YWN)

What makes a good public servant? Do they have to look like you? Act like you?

I have known Lew Fidler for over 25 years. He has always worked hard to serve our community. And politics always took second place to his integrity.

I have heard his opponent claim to be “one of us.” Are we that politically naive?

I’ve looked carefully at his opponent’s material. In material sent to the frum community, he wears a yarmulke. But he sends mail to the Russian community and his head is bare. After Madoff, scam artists and crooked politicians, are we going to be fooled again?

Lew Fidler lives in Sheepshead Bay with his wife and two sons. His home is modest. He never used politics to make himself wealthy. He works hard to pay his bills just like you and me. He is a traditional Jew who is proud of his faith.

He isn’t frum and doesn’t pretend to be. But when Jewish students were threatened at Brooklyn College, Lew stepped in to defend them. He did this long before he was elected to the City Council. He gained no political benefit, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Lew knows the danger of apathy. He knows Jewish history. That’s what makes him one of “us.”

Lew has spent the last decade as a City Councilman supporting and protecting our community institutions, yeshivas and mosdos. His opponent doesn’t even come close to matching Lew’s service to our community.

Some are trying to make this election a referendum on the so-called marriage bill. It’s true that our community was disheartened when the bill passed last year. But Lew Fidler had nothing to do with that bill. In fact, it is David Storobin’s friend, Republican Sen. Dean Skelos, and those who support him, who are most responsible for allowing this bill to get to the Senate floor. If Sen. Skelos and the Republicans in the majority refused to allow this bill to the floor, it never would have passed. But they buckled to pressure, and now we have this law.

Mr. Storobin is using trickery and deceit to fool our community. Lew Fidler never attacked David Storobin, but Mr. Storobin has been untruthful about the facts. Lew simply asked why Mr. Storobin would allow his writings to be linked to racist websites. Mr. Storobin has still not answered those very important questions.

Like so many in our community, I’m a conservative voter. But I know a scam being perpetrated on our community when I see it. And the Republican candidate in this election is doing exactly that.

Lew Fidler will fight for us in Albany, like he’s fought for us at City Hall. You can take that to the bank.

Shlomo Z. Mostofsky is an attorney and the immediate past president of the National Council of Young Israel.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

[By: Congressman Bob Turner]

I recently had the pleasure of visiting our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel. As the only fully fledged democracy in a region of hostile neighbors and dictatorships, the Israeli people have a full appreciation of the risk which the current Iranian regime represents. They understand that something must be done to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, and the fundamental threat an Iranian nuclear bomb presents to the United States and its allies.

The American people deserve an honest assessment of the Iranian regime and its intentions. I, and many of my congressional colleagues, call the ayatollahs’ government what it is; a radical, illegitimate, terrorist dictatorship. It oppresses its people at home and it backs radical terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas abroad. Since the 1979 Revolution, and the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the radical government of Ayatollah Khomeini and his heirs has been the chief state sponsor of terrorism within the Middle East and the broader world.

Even a brief overview of the past thirty years shows the depravity of the regime. In 1979, Khomeini’s followers seized the United States’ embassy in Tehran and held the 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days. During the long 1980 – 1988 Iran-Iraq War, the Iranian regime attacked American shipping and American interests in the Persian Gulf. The most heinous of these attacks was carried out by the Iranian-puppet group, Hezbollah, on the American military barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983. 241 American servicemen died. Even during a so-called “reformist” period in the 1990’s under President Mohammad Khatami, the regime backed an attack on the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia. 19 American servicemen were killed.

Under Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Khameini, and the heinous current President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the regime’s support for terrorist groups from Lebanon to Venezuela has continued – and their not-so clandestine nuclear program has gone forward at full bore. The American government, our European allies, and international agencies like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) all agree that the Iranian nuclear program – claimed by the regime to be nothing more than the development of nuclear power – is really geared towards the development of a weapon.

Estimates for when an Iranian weapon could be completed range from by 2014 to as early as next year. The IAEA confirmed on January 9, 2012, that Iran now has the capability to produce 20 percent enriched uranium, which is used solely for the creation of fissile material. The recent revelation that Iran will soon begin enrichment of uranium at a second major site ensures that, if unchecked, they will have the bomb sooner rather than later. Combined with recent Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s major shipping lanes – this nuclear escalation represents a clear and present danger to the United States, and an existential threat to our Israeli ally.

The Administration’s response to this ever-growing threat has been lackluster to the point of negligence. There are four steps which the President can immediately take in order to respond to this threat.

First, the President must use all of the tools at his disposal to enforce sanctions on Iran. The National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law in late 2011. One of the bill’s provisions gives the President the authority to institute strict sanctions on the Iranian Central Bank. He should do so immediately. Additionally, H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011, was passed by a wide, bipartisan majority of the House on December 14, 2011. It gives the President the authority to impose even more severe sanctions on the Iranian Central Bank and to restrict its access to international credit markets. The bill has stalled in the Senate, and the President needs to urge Senator Reid to bring it to the floor as soon as possible.

Second, the President can take another look at his recently announced cuts to the Department of Defense. Strategic cuts to unnecessary programs can and should be made. However, the cuts announced will drastically reduce the size of the military and the ability to fight multiple conflicts simultaneously. We cannot afford across the board defense cuts at a time when the Iranian threat is clearly growing and when the risk to American strategic interests in the Middle East is increasing. Drastic defense cuts seriously hamper our potential for a military response.

Third, the United States must continue to push our international partners to increase pressure on the ayatollahs. President Obama must ease the fears of allies – particularly in Central and Eastern Europe – who depend on Iranian oil supplies about shortages and work with the Saudis, Kuwaitis and other friendly producer nations to ensure that global supplies will not suffer in the event of increased tensions. He must also continue to put pressure on Iran’s major trading partners; China and Russia. Both nations have been increasingly uncomfortable with the Iranian regime’s headlong rush to build a nuclear weapon, and the President must work to bring them fully into our camp.

Finally, the President should get fully behind anti-regime movements and activists in Iran. He failed to quickly support the democratic Green Movement following the rigged 2009 Iranian Parliament elections, and the regime has increased its crackdown on any and all who dream of a free and democratic Iran. Mr. Obama should make it clear to the ayatollahs where the United States stands and with whom it stands.

We face an increasingly aggressive Iranian regime. It meddles in Iraq and Afghanistan, threatens America and its allies on a regular basis, and, ominously, is expanding its ties with the dictatorial regime of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and his sidekick in Bolivia, Evo Morales. Between Iranian ambitions abroad and their ever-growing nuclear program, we are rapidly approaching a point of no return. Once the first nuclear weapon is completed, it will be too late for mere sanctions and negotiations to stop the ayatollahs’ ambitions.

Now is not the time for President Obama to lead from behind. It is time to show some real leadership by demonstrating a willingness to keep all options on the table and standing firmly beside our allies before it is too late.

Congressman Bob Turner (NY-09)

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[By Jennifer Haberkorn - Politico]

The HHS secretary is poised to become one of the most high-profile and political posts next year if a Republican wins the White House.

The job could catapult the career of a politician able to say he or she helped take down “Obamacare.” But there’s also a risk that whoever lands the position won’t be able to meet such high expectations.

“There are so many ways that the secretary — if he or she wants to play hardball, and in this case, will play hardball with Obamacare — would be able to slow down” the law, said Tommy Thompson, who was former President George W. Bush’s HHS secretary for four years and is now running for the Senate in Wisconsin.

The secretary likely would face a contentious confirmation process. And the focus on how the health care law will — or won’t — be implemented will likely overshadow the many other HHS responsibilities and its jurisdiction over nearly one-quarter of the federal budget.

In the Senate, Republican views on a nominee “are going to be based on, ‘What are you going to do as secretary to get rid of Obamacare?’” Thompson said.

Thompson refused to speculate on who might be placed in the job, but POLITICO spoke with some top conservative health policy thinkers about who might end up on any Republican presidential shortlist:

Gov. Bobby Jindal — The two-term governor’s state, Louisiana, has taken one of the strongest positions against implementing the health care law, and Jindal also has some serious health care policy credentials that might dilute some of the likely Democratic opposition.

At the age of 25, he was appointed secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals where, according to his campaign website, he turned the state’s Medicaid program from a $400 million deficit to a $220 million surplus in three years. He got national attention as staff director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, chaired by then- Rep. Bill Thomas and then- Sen. John Breaux. In 2001, he was confirmed as Bush’s assistant secretary of HHS for planning and evaluation, the chief policy adviser.

Jindal has been a vocal opponent of the health care law, a credential that would please the right. He returned an exchange planning grant in March and Louisiana was the second state to announce it wouldn’t create a state exchange. Louisiana is also part of the 26-state lawsuit against reform. But according to HHS, the state did accept a $1 million ACA grant to monitor insurance rates.

Jindal endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who called him “just a brilliant guy when it comes to policy issues dealing with health and human services.” But the ties to Perry won’t mean that other Republicans won’t take a look. Given his leadership against the health law and his policy depth, he’s likely to end up on any Republican president’s HHS shortlist.

Mark McClellan — He’s the first name that comes to mind for many Republican health policy folks. He led both the FDA and CMS under President George W. Bush and has friends all over Washington. While he has strong relationships on Capitol Hill to ease a confirmation process, he is also far from a firebrand against “Obamacare.”

“I don’t think there’s anybody in health care who has more respect from both sides of the aisle than Mark,” said Gary Karr, a former CMS spokesman who now works in the medical device industry.

McClellan, a medical doctor and an economist, also worked in Treasury during the Clinton administration early in his career. Now he’s director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings, trying to figure out how to improve health care delivery, among other vexing health care problems.

“He’s the pre-eminent active Republican thought leader when it comes to health care,” said one former Bush administration HHS appointee who didn’t want to be named. “That’s a very obvious one.”

While he has the policy creds and experience in the FDA and CMS, he’s been supportive of the health care reform law, while issuing caveats that it could have done more to address costs. That alone could delete him from any Republican shortlist, especially if it belongs to Gov. Mitt Romney, whose Massachusetts health care law may put additional scrutiny on his HHS pick.

Tevi Troy — Troy has a résumé deep with health and domestic policy experience and has a record of opposition to the reform law. He’s also advising the Romney campaign.

Troy has an extensive policy background, having led George W. Bush’s Domestic Policy Council and serving as deputy secretary of HHS, where he was No. 2 to Secretary Mike Leavitt. He’s now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

But he doesn’t appear to have the political chops that would likely be necessary to navigate the confirmation process on Capitol Hill.

“Certainly in terms of Republican intellectual health policy circles, he’s very highly regarded,” said one Republican health policy source who didn’t want to publicly speculate on a shortlist. “Given what a huge deal this spot is going to be, are they going to want someone who’s a political heavyweight?”

Gail Wilensky — The former head of Medicare and Medicaid is another Republican with sterling health policy expertise, but whose qualified embrace of the health care law could hurt her chances for the HHS job. She’s also generally regarded as more of a moderate than most of the Republican presidential contenders.

Wilensky directed Medicare and Medicaid and was a senior health and welfare adviser for President George H.W. Bush in the early 1990s. She also was the chairwoman of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission from 1997 to 2001.

“She’s absolutely going to be mentioned,” the former HHS appointee said. “How realistic it is, I have no idea. But in terms of the big thinkers who are out there who played in a previous administration and understand the nature of it, she’s a name that’s certainly going to be out there.”

Wilensky has been supportive of the law, with caveats. In 2010, Wilensky wrote: “As important and sweeping as the legislation is, it represents no more than a first step on a path to reaching universal coverage and reform of the health care delivery system.”

Mike Huckabee — The former Arkansas governor and one-time presidential hopeful has been out front on repealing the health care law, even leading an effort to petition the Senate to vote on repeal again. He also has been vocal about healthy living and wellness.

“In the case of a Romney administration, it would be the ‘Cabinet of rivals’ idea,” the Republican health policy source said. “He has the personal story of losing weight and wrote a book about prevention and wellness. Plus, for someone like Romney, he brings strong social conservative credentials.”

One of the Republican candidates — The presidential field is full of folks who say they want to repeal “Obamacare.” Current or recent candidates including Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry have all spoken about the importance of repeal. Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman have, too, but none of them — a former House speaker, a libertarian opponent of government agencies and a former ambassador to China — seem likely picks to lead HHS. One other guy unlikely to get the job if he’s not the nominee: Mitt Romney, who has faced attacks from all the other presidential contenders about his real interest in repealing the law.

(Source: Politico)

As discussed in the previous column, following the borrower’s non-payment of the mortgage for a period of about 2 to 3 months, the lender usually sends a Default Letter. After the Default Letter, the lender or their attorney then goes ahead and sends an Acceleration Letter (please refer back to the previous column for definitions of a Default Letter and Acceleration Letter). Although the Acceleration Letter usually states that unless the lender receives the FULL repayment of the loan, including all unpaid principal, interest, late fees, etc… within 30 days of the date the Acceleration Letter that the lender will commence an action to Foreclose, usually (though far from always) there is 60 to 90 days period before the lender initiates the Foreclosure action. The smart borrower, however, will, upon receipt of the Default Letter or, at the very least, upon receipt of the Acceleration Letter, contact an attorney experienced in the area of Foreclosure Defense in order to be advised as to how to proceed.

An action to Foreclose is commenced in New York by the lender’s attorney drafting a Summons and Complaint and serving the summons and complaint on the borrower as well as other parties (usually referred to as “Additional Defendants” or “Additional Parties”) that legally need to be put on notice of the pending foreclosure. It is important to stress that the fact the lender does not serve Additional Defendants will, in most cases, not be a defense for the actual borrower. In addition to the Summons and Complaint, the lender’s attorney will file what is known as a “Lis Pendens”, which just means that there is an action pending against the borrower and the property that is encumbered by the mortgage. The purpose of the Lis Pendens is to put any persons that may have a claim to the property on notice that there is a legal action currently pending that may affect the property.

As with most Summons and Complaints in New York, the defendant is “summoned” (that is, required) to answer the Complaint and to serve a copy of the Answer to the Plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after the receipt of the Summons and Complaint if personally served (the definition of what personally served is broad and needs to be discussed with an attorney) or within thirty (30) days of receipt of the Summons and Complaint if the defendant is not personally served within the State of New York (such as by the process of “Nail and Mail”, where after the process server is unsuccessful at serving the defendant personally, the Summons and Complaint is “nailed” to the door and a copy of the Summons and Complaint is sent by mail to the defendant’s address). While there are certain cases where the defendant has a longer period to file an answer (such as where the defendant is an active servicemember and qualifies for Active Military Service protections, most defendants will fall into the 20 or 30 day bracket).

In the next several columns, we will be discuss various possible defenses and counterclaims that should be considered as part of an Answer in a Foreclosure proceeding.

Alexander Gofer is the managing partner of the Gofer Law Group and can be reached at 212-480-3400 ext 101 or via e-mail: Alexander@goferlaw.com The Gofer Law Group is a full service Law Firm with location is Long Island, Manhattan and Williamsburg, focusing Foreclosure Defense, Private Lending, Residential and Commercial Real Estate Transactions and Joint Venture Agreements.

By: Yossi Gestetner

No, I have not yet retained an Attorney. But yes it is time to end this “tradition” of Iowa voting first in Presidential Elections in form of caucuses followed a week later by the New Hampshire Primary.

Many pundits like to point out that the winner of Iowa does not always go ahead to win a party’s nomination. This is true. However, Iowa – a state with three million people where minorities are steeply underrepresented compared to the rest of the nation – does indeed help shape the outcome of the nomination. Tim Pawlenty is gone due to Iowa, and Rick Perry may be out of the game by the time people read this also due to Iowa. Then comes New Hampshire, a state with a mere 1.3 million people where minorities are also grossly under represented, and the winner of the nomination is predicable from there onward.

This craziness has to stop for two simple reasons:

First, the above two states according to the 2010 Census have a total population of 4.36 million people, which is less than 1.5% of the country’s 308 million people. If the big states are ready to be controlled by the small ones, we may as well dissolve the House of Representatives where the bigger states have more representatives (versus the Senate which is in place to give more power to the smaller states).

Second and more importantly, Blacks and Hispanics are a mere 7.9% in Iowa and are a poor 3.9% in New Hampshire, versus 28.9% of the nationwide population. On the flip side, the two states respectively consist 91% and 93% of Whites and they get to decide who will be the President of a country where Whites are only 72.4% of the population. These differences should be grounds for discrimination and Civil Rights lawsuits to force the parties to change the system in a way that more states, reflective of the overall population, get to vote on the first day of a presidential campaign.

As far I am concerned, many redistricting maps are adjusted due to minorities being under represented by smaller margins than the above stats. Therefore, if political leaders do not have the courage to end the system by simply admitting the silliness of giving for a few hundred thousand people the power over 300-plus million people, then indeed this should be stopped on the grounds of civil rights discrimination. I intend to God-willing further review this issue with Federal Law and Civil Rights experts.

(Source: Gestetner Updates)

Continuing with the previous installment if Foreclosure Defense, we will now discuss what should be done when served a borrower is served with Foreclosure action. As a caveat, it is vital that I mention that the information that follows is just the basic information and does not replace the advice and counsel of an attorney knowledgeable in Foreclosure Defense or one or more not-for-profit Foreclosure clinics that I discussed in my previous columns.

As a recap of the previous column and to just serve as a quick review, the basic path of a foreclosure in New York is as follows: After the borrower is about 2 to 3 months late with mortgage payments, the Lender usually sends a letter that the borrower is in default (for convenience sake, we will refer to this as the “Default Letter”). While the form of the Default Letter various with lender to lender, the Default Letter usually states that the borrower has multiple option until “Right of Redemption” period (which will be discussed in future installments of this column) ends. Namely, the borrower can pay all the arrears and become current on the loan, negotiate a loss mitigation with the lender (such as loan modification, forbearance or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure), sell the mortgaged property, negotiate a short sale (again, an area which will be thoroughly discussed in upcoming future columns), refinance the mortgaged property (something very difficult to do as usually borrowers who are in this stage of the game have very low credit rating) and, finally, file for Chapter 7 or 13 Bankruptcy.

Usually, within 30 days after the lender sends the Default Letter, the Lender, or, in some cases, the attorney that has been hired by the lender, sends what is known as the “Acceleration Letter”, which basically means that the borrower’s reinstatement period and the options that were made available to the borrower in the Default Letter are no longer available. Instead, the Acceleration Letter states that unless FULL payment of the loan, including all unpaid principal, interest, late fees, etc… is not received within certain amount of days (usually 30 days) the lender will commence an action to Foreclose.

In the next installment of this column, we will discuss what a borrower should do as soon as he or she received a Foreclosure Summons and Complaint and the timeframes involved.

Alexander Gofer is the managing partner of the Gofer Law Group and can be reached at 212-480-3400 ext 101 or via e-mail: Alexander@goferlaw.com The Gofer Law Group is a full service Law Firm with location is Long Island, Manhattan and Williamsburg, focusing Foreclosure Defense, Private Lending, Residential and Commercial Real Estate Transactions and Joint Venture Agreements

The following is from Aish.com:

How dare you?

How dare you spit on an 8-year-old schoolgirl and terrorize her as she walks to school? I don’t care what she’s wearing; spitting, verbal abuse, and threats of violence cannot be tolerated.

How dare you call yourself a Hareidi, God-fearing Jew? Your despicable actions are diametrically opposed to Judaism. You are a thug and a hooligan whose conduct, in the words of the statement from Agudath Israel of America “is beyond the bounds of decent, moral – Jewish! – behavior.”

How dare you put us in a position where we need to state loud and clear that we condemn your loathsome actions. We do not share the same theology; we resent having any association with you that necessitates our stark denunciation.

How dare you wear the garb of a religious Jew and create a massive Chillul Hashem, a desecration of God’s name, where uninformed Jews and non-Jews around the world mistakenly believe media distortions that you somehow represent religious Jews in Israel. You are like the kippah-clad thief who dines on pork; he cannot call himself a ‘religious’ Jew. You refuse to listen to rabbinic leadership and your actions are causing irreparable harm to the Jewish people.

How dare you – through your reprehensible actions – turn off Jews who are curious to learn about their Jewish heritage.

How dare you reject the Torah’s way of “love your fellow man” and instead erect barriers of hate and intolerance.

Perhaps you should try following the example of a real Torah Jew, the great Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, of blessed memory.

A non-religious Israeli couple was married for 12 years and could not have children. They were distraught and decided to seek counsel from the renowned Rosh Yeshiva. It was a hot summer day and the couple knocked on the door. The woman was wearing her typical summer attire and was not modestly dressed.

Rebbetzin Finkel opened the door and greeted the couple. “How wonderful that you came to meet my husband!” Then she turned to the wife and warmly said, “You know, my husband is a great scholar – he learns all day. When I go in to speak with him, I wear a shawl out of respect. Why don’t you come with me and see if I have one for you, too. I think I even have a perfect piece of jewelry to match. And we’ll go in together to speak to him.”

They entered his study and told the rabbi why they had come. Rabbi Finkel had great difficulty talking due to the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s. He mustered his strength and said to the woman, “You and I have a lot in common. We both know what suffering is.” He began to sob, along with Rebbetzin Finkel. Then the couple started crying.

Rabbi Finkel spoke with the couple for a while, offering words of comfort. He then took their names, and vowed to pray for them.
No yelling, no threats, no spitting. Just love, respect and compassion of one Jew for another.

Maimonides writes (Laws of Character Development, 6:7) that the only way to draw people close is through love. That is how the Almighty relates to us, and that is how He wants us to relate to others.

Abandon your hate and choose the Torah’s path of warmth and understanding.

I dare you.

(Source: Aish.com)

[By Rabbi Y. Eisenman]

We have heard the news and perhaps seen the pictures.

The facts are not disputed.

A little eight year religious Jewish girl was attempting to walk to her school.

A group of (how many and who they represent is open to debate) Orthodox Jews verbally assaulted and spit at the young Jewish girl.

The focal point of this contentious issue is Naama Margolese, an eight year old pony tailed, bespectacled second-grader who is now afraid of walking to her religious school for fear of other Jews who have spat on her.

“When I walk to school in the morning I used to get a tummy ache because I was so scared … that they were going to stand and start yelling and spitting,” the pale, blue-eyed girl said softly in an interview with The Associated Press Monday. “They were scary. They don’t want us to go to the school.”

It is obviously beyond the purview of this piece to decipher the intricacies of Israeli politics.

I cannot tell you how much of this media coverage is accurate and how much is anti-Semitic media hype.

I leave that issue to individuals who are better equipped and better informed than me to explain.

Has this issue led to unfair media bashing and of a mass grouping of ‘non-groupable’ peoples into one mindless mass of black-‘hatted’ men? Perhaps.

However, that is not my issue.

In my solitary mind, the only thing which irks me and causes me no rest is my constant inability to avoid the ubiquitous Elephant which invades my mind and soul.

The Elephant is ever-present and pervasive; he appears at all hours and breaches the confines of my mind as only an Elephant in the Room can.

What is this Elephant which causes me to feel unsettled and spiritually restless?

As I catch my breath and wipe away my tears please bear me as I recall a historically authenticated incident.

The event occurred in the 1930s in the Holy City of Yerushalayim.

The participants in the story are:

Rabbi Moshe Blau: an Agudas Yisroel activist and a 6th generation of the Old Yishuv. He was the editor of Agudah’s local weekly, Kol Yisroel, and was the brother of Rav Amram Blau of Neturei Karta. From 1933-1945, Rav Blau headed the Chareidi community in Jerusalem, working with Yishuv leaders in its dealings with the British Mandate authorities. (Chinuch.org)
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld: (1 Dec 1848 –26 Feb 1932) was the Chief and co-founder of the Edah HaChareidis, the Chareidi Jewish community in Jerusalem, during the years of the British Mandate of Palestine.(Wikipedia)

Needless to say, neither of the above mentioned ‘Ultra-Orthodox’ Jews supported ‘Modernity’ or anything associated with it.

Both fought hard to maintain the ‘Old-Yishuv’ and its strict standards of modesty and gender separation.

The Incident*

*This incident is recorded in the auto-biography of Rabbi Moshe Blau; “Al Chomosaich Yerushalayim”; Netzach Publishing, Bnei Brak, 1967. Pages 114-115.

The narrator is Rabbi Moshe Blau himself and this entire chapter deals with Rabbi Blau’s relationship with his Rebbe, Rabbi Zonnenfeld:

“One day I left Shaarei Zedek Hospital in his (Rabbi Zonnenfeld’s) company. It was Tu B’Shevat (In the Zionist movement, Tu B’Shevat was (and is) a big event as it celebrates the people’s connection to the land- this comment is my own).

I noticed that from far away that students from the secular non-religious schools were approaching us; boys and girls (emphasis added by me), male and female teenagers (emphasis added by me), with the Zionist flag at the front of each group; the ‘workers songs’ (the Zionist were closely associated with the ‘Workers Movements: me again) coming from their mouths.

They were walking four abreast and the people on the street were pushed to the sides of the road.

I knew that that the sight of a few thousand boys and girls from non-religious schools walking in a parade immodestly dressed and without gender separation would cause Rabbi Zonnenfeld pain. Therefore I said to him, “The parade of children from the (non-religious) schools is coming; perhaps the Rebbe wants to go back into the hospital building?”

“No”, was his answer. {He then asked :}

“Are these not Jewish children?”

We were pushed to the side of the road as was everyone else.

The parade continued as each school marched in its own contingent with the sound of their songs penetrating the air.

I see that Rabbi Chaim Zonnenfeld is murmuring with his lips. I bent my ear [towards him] and I hear him saying and repeating: May the Lord add upon you, upon you and upon your children. Blessed are you to the Lord (Tehillim 115; 14-15) until the entire parade passed us.”

Rabbi Zonnenfeld was not a Zionist.

He did not approve of mixed activities.

He did not approve of ‘Modern’ approaches to Judaism.

However, he never lost sight of that one single truth which was in the forefront of all of his actions: “Are these not Jewish children?”

The Elephant Appears

One day I went to visit the Bostoner Rebbe* Zt”l.

[*Levi Yitzchak HeLevi Horowitz (born 3 July 1921, Boston, Massachusetts, died 5 December 2009. He was the first American-born Hasidic Rebbe and a champion of Orthodox Jewish outreach, reaching out to many students in the Boston area through his New England Chassidic Center. He was also the founder of ROFEH International, a community-based medical referral and hospitality liaison support agency. (Wikipedia)]

He spent over 45 minutes with me and told me many, many important things.

In the midst of our conversation he related to me that he recalls when his oldest son Rav Pinchus Dovid was born- the nurse brought him to see the baby.

It was soon after the Holocaust and the festering wound of genocide was fresh on every Jew’s flesh

The Rebbe’s holy and clear eyes began to tear as he looked at me and said, “As I gazed into the face of my new born Jewish child I could not help but wonder with amazement, “What type of human being would want to kill such an innocent baby?”

My eyes are tearing and my heart is breaking as I finally give expression to the Elephant in My Room which stalks me.

“What type of Jew spits on a Jewish girl?”

“Are these not Jewish children?”

May Hashem heal our festering wounds.

Rabbi Y. Eisenman is the Rabbi of Congregation Ahavas Israel in Passaic, NJ.

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