16 Jun Speak Your Vues

IDENTICAL REVISITED 

Dear Editor: Yes, people share their views with multiple outlets. However, they usually do not write an *identical* message. For example, a letter written to an editor typically does not contain “I posted this on this message board because…”,, etc. 

BM 

Editor’s Note: And your point is?

PLAYGROUNDS 

Dear Editor: Here is a letter I sent to DeBlasio I am writing to share my concern over the continued closure of NYC playgrounds. I ask that you order the NYC Parks Department to immediately unlock the gates and open our playgrounds. Over these four long months, we have asked more of New Yorkers than we ever thought we could. At great personal cost, they rose to the occasion and as a direct result, we did not just flatten the curve, we smashed it. Over this same period, we have all become better educated about the virus and its related risks. I commend the administration’s well-publicized tracking system through which New Yorkers have become accustomed to checking the daily numbers. With current numbers hovering around zero, we can no longer tolerate the excessive restriction of closed playgrounds. Play is how children grow physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally, it is critical to healthy child development. Barring children from play spaces for even one additional, unnecessary minute is unhealthy, dangerous and cruel. Keeping children isolated and cooped up was a necessary evil, ordered only because we were in a state of emergency. It was so intolerable that anyone with an option of escaping to suburban areas did so. The families that stayed and continued raising children in cramped urban living spaces need relief now. Children need to run and play. Parents need to give their children the space to do that. Playgrounds are the only answer. If we continue to deny children and teens healthy outlets for their youthful energy, the consequences will be disastrous and we will have only ourselves to blame. I encourage you to continue educating people about best practices, but give them the freedom to use their own best judgment. With everything going on in the world, let’s not make criminals of good parents and small children at play in the park. The Covid -19 pandemic caused many problems that require complex solutions. Mr. Mayor, this problem you can fix easily today. 

Sincerely, Simcha Felder 

Editor’s Note: I think the Mayor only understands lawlessness. Only after Heshy Tischler cut the locks of the playgrounds do the playgrounds stay open. The Nazi Mayor in consistant only if you break the law you get what you ask for.

MASKS 

Dear Editor: Hi, On page 67 last week in letters to the Editor you responded by saying Maybe it’s Time to Ditch the Masks. On what info is that based. It defies most Doctors Rabbis and govt mandates. WE ARE HORRIFIED. I guess you are ok with most Bubbies and Zeidies staying inside for an undetermined amount of time. Shame on you and others who have such short memories and don’t care about others. People will listen to you but I don’t know why Thanks a lot. 

J G 

Editor’s Note: All Drs will tell you that things are mandated by politics. We can go to protest without masks and no worries for Coronavirus. Where are all the spikes caused by protestors? It is a scam the Corona virus is gone for now and may come back in Nov so don’t throw out your masks yet. Read the Data and Numbers they can’t even twist it anymore.

MILSA DIBEDICHUSA 

Dear Editor: This letter was never printed anywhere.[I used to write in the JP, Yated, FJJ, and Hamodia, but I now like your colorful interesting entertaining newspaper Hatzlocha.] I have personally received many compliments on my letters, even recently, someone called me to thank me for the letter that you printed on Avraham Fried & Chazzen Helfgott. I once told Rav Shach ZTL a vort that I heard from my rebbe b’shem Rav Hutner ZT”L, how Talmei Hamelech made a mistake by putting all the talmidei Chachomim in separate rooms to translate the Torah into Greek. With Ruach hakodesh , they were able to all make the same changes [Elokim barah Breishis].He should have put them all together in one room! Rav Shach smiled [V’hamaven Yaven].I once visited the Steipler Goan ZTL and told him sun night that I’m leaving back to the States on yom shlishi. He gave me a bracha and walked me daled amos to the door. I had to yell into his ear that I was leaving Tuesday not tomorrow as he had said. He was right since it was after shkiah so it was yom sheini. [My Rebbe back in MLB said that he just wanted to make sure I leave!] The Satmar Rebbe ZT”L gave me back my $5 pidyon after he bentched it. He wouldn’t take money from a yeshiva bachur. When Chassiddim ask me what I had used the money for? I told them for a Mitzvah to visit the KOTEL! The Gabbai Rav Yossel Ashkenazy Z”L asked me if I want a shidduch? I thought to myself, no way. I am going to end up with a BP Satmar Hungarian. Guess what? I won all three for just $5! I visited my Father Z”L Rosh Hayeshiva, Rav Gustman zt”l who told me to save all the politics for the old men on the street corner. Rav Chaim Schmulevitz ZTL told my father by my Bar Mitzva to have nachas from me. Tzaddik Gozer V’HKB”H Mekayem! I once asked my Rosh Hayeshiva ZT”L who was bigger Rav Moshe or Rav Ahron? He answe3red me with a smile that If I can learn as much as Rav Moshe since Rav Aron was niftar I would also be a Godol! My rebbe in Eretz Yisroel, Rav Prag shlita was walking up the hill and I went out to offer him a drink of water. He told me that he would take a Rav Akiva Eiger sefer instead [Torah nimshal k’Mayim], so I took the cold drink of water and gave my Rebbe the sefer RA”E. There were ten of us visiting Rav Yaakov ZT”L on Sukkahs Chol hamoed. The Gabbai didn’t want us to stay for more than 15 min. Rav Yaakov who loved us from COS asked the gabbai that we should be entitled to 10 x 15. We ended up staying for 2 hrs! By Rav Moshe, I got a bracha Hatzlocha Rabba B’ruchniyos uv’Gashmiyos. {I’m working on the first part since the 2nd part comes easier.] The first time I watched Rav Yaakov learn was in camp for 3 hrs. I didn’t take my eyes of him, and he didn’t take his eyes off the Gemara. I didn’t learn a word but it was the best learning of my life. The same by Rav Moshe. I watched him daven and couldn’t concentrate on my own davening but it was the best davening of my life. I’ll never forget as long as I live the time me and my friend also named Moshe went to visit Rav Kreiswirth ZTL who was visiting in Matesdorf. We first rested on the bench and took off our hats jackets and ties to relax. All of a sudden we notice Rav Kreiswirth coming with his family. We quickly got up and put on our hats jackets and ties. When I turned around, I noticed Moshe had put on his 10 gallon hat backwards. I tried hinting to him, so instead of turning it around, he put down the back brim in front so that the entire brim around the hat is down. I had a stomach ache from laughter! I never laughed so hard in my life! My Menahel asked Rav Kreiswerth how to become an anav? Look into the Ktzos & RA”E! I heard from Rav Yaakov’s einekel, how one day in Slobodka, in walked a professor to listen in to Rav Moshe Mordecha Epstein ZT”L shiur. He was a fellow talmid by Rav Chaim Brisker ZT”L, and he was now working together with the famous scientist, Albert Einstein. The curious talmidim couldn’t contain themselves and asked him who was a bigger genius? He ans. “Rav Chaim was a better baal masber! 

RMS 

Editor’s Note: This is noy funny actually quite serious and definitely should be used as a learning example. Thanks for sharing.

PARKS 

Dear Editor: FELDER, EICHENSTEIN, YEGER URGE MAYOR TO OPEN PLAYGROUNDS Senator Simcha Felder, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and Councilman Kalman Yeger have been fighting to give NYC kids summer. Families raising children in cramped urban living spaces have responsibly heeded shelter in place orders over four long months. They need relief-NOW! This week Governor Cuomo lifted the order keeping playgrounds closed, but Mayor de Blasio has yet to open them. On Sunday, June 14th they will stand with children and parents to urge Mayor de Blasio to prioritize children and open our playgrounds and schoolyards. “Everything essential to children and healthy development is shut down. Playgrounds-not essential. Camps-not essential. Schools-not essential. It’s outrageous not to prioritize their reopening considering how essential they are. Keeping children isolated and cooped up can only be described as a necessary evil,” said Senator Felder. “Baruch Hashem, we flattened the curve. Now open these playgrounds!” “Playgrounds and school yards are essential to our children. They need a place to play that is safe.” said Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein. “I look forward to standing with Senator Felder and Councilman Yeger this Sunday in Kolbert Park to demand Mayor de Blasio end the madness and reopen our playgrounds immediately. Mr. Mayor, don’t leave our kids behind.” “Kolbert was my childhood park; the place my siblings and I, and later our children, spent thousands of hours. Former Councilman David Greenfield and I devoted years to ensure its much needed $4 million renovation. But for nearly three months we’ve endured the heartbreaking sight of a chained park, with children longingly looking through the gates. Enough is enough. Not everyone lives near Prospect Park or Central Park. Our neighborhood parks are small oases in a concrete city. It’s time to restore New York City’s parks to New Yorkers and to take the chains off our parks,” said Councilman Yeger. Experts agree that play is how children grow physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Play is how children communicate. Over the years, we have invested millions of dollars building playgrounds and revamping parks throughout the district, because these vital playgrounds and schoolyards are the only safe open spaces for children to play. Barring children from play spaces for even one additional, unnecessary minute is unhealthy, dangerous and cruel. 

ST 

Editor’s Note: Maybe work on opening camps and Shuls and schools for graduations. The parks can be opened by Heshy Tischler!

UNLOCK THOSE CHAINS 

Dear Editor: “Mayor de Blasio, unlock these chains! Open our parks!” A large group of parents with strollers, children on bikes and on foot, and even seniors, stood together with Senator Felder, Assemblyman Eichenstein and Councilman Yeger this morning at the locked entrance of Kolbert Park. With signs in hand they delivered a unified message to Mayor de Blasio- open our parks, playgrounds and schoolyards! “Everything essential to children and healthy development is shut down. Playgrounds-not essential. Camps-not essential. Schools-not essential. It’s outrageous not to prioritize their reopening considering how essential they are. Children across this city are outside playing, we cannot and will not stop that from happening. What we can do is give them a safe space, a contained space, where parents can watch them and do their best as parents to keep them safe. I believe that parents do a better job of that than the government, any day. Keeping these playgrounds chained while kids are playing in the streets, is unconscionable,” said Senator Felder. “After being cramped in city apartments for the last three months, playgrounds and schoolyards are essential to our children. They need a safe space to play that is safe,” said Assemblyman Eichenstein. “I was honored to stand with Senator Felder and Councilman Yeger at Kolbert Park in Midwood, calling on Mayor de Blasio to end the madness and give our children the one thing they are asking for-playgrounds. The Mayor must immediately reopen our playgrounds.” “Kolbert was my childhood park; the place my siblings and I, and later our children, spent thousands of hours. Former Councilman David Greenfield and I devoted years to ensure its much needed $4 million renovation. But for nearly three months we’ve endured the heartbreaking sight of a chained park, with children longingly looking through the gates. Enough is enough. Not everyone lives near Prospect Park or Central Park. Our neighborhood parks are small oases in a concrete city. It’s time to restore New York City’s parks to New Yorkers and to take the chains off our parks,” said Councilman Yeger. 

FT 

Editor’s Note: This is not the language of the Mayor and the Governor. They only understand protests that result in lawlessness!

BLACK LIVES MATTER 

Dear Editor: I would like to remind people in case they don’t remember that there is no “Only” in “Black Lives Matter”, but there is a “Too” at the end. Also, if being opposed to the police murdering people is the same as being opposed to the police, that is a reason to oppose the police! 

BLM 

Editor’s Note: What about Blacks killing Blacks why is there no outcry? Why only when Police do their job of arresting criminals.

HAKARAS HATOV 

Dear Editor: As the year comes to a close we wanted to give a big shoutout to all of the teachers and administrators of Prospect Park Yeshiva. Being stuck in quarantine is very hard for everyone, but you do a great job at making it so much easier. From all of our zoom classes, (which we know were not so easy for many of you to navigate at first) and shmoozes to fun activities you are always there for us. You make us feel comfortable to just pick up the phone and call if there is anything we feel like talking about, and make yourself available to help us in any way you can. To top it all off, thanks for an amazing color war week. You helped bring out everyone’s talents and gave everyone an opportunity to shine. This is not how we would have chosen to end our school year, but thanks for making it the best it can be under these circumstances. We love you! 

YBF 

Editor’s Note: Very nice all students and parents should express their kakaras hatov like you did.

TIME FOR ALIYAH 

Dear Editor: New York to observant Jews: Drop Dead and pay Taxes. The observant Jewish community is no longer welcome in New York. Our way of life is being trampled on, our needs are dismissed with ease, our vote is irrelevant and cannot change a thing. We are being mocked, humiliated, and relegated to third-class status with shockingly cocky dismissiveness by politicians who are often invited to our Synagogues and claim to be sworn friends of the Jewish people. I’m only 40, born, and bred in Brooklyn and I can still remember feeling like New York is for all practical purposes a Jewish city. Our community makes up a substantial portion of the city’s population. We are politically connected, with friends in high places who can get whatever is needed “done”. We run so much of New York’s economy, and make up an important part of its tax base. We believe we have the respect and consideration of city and State government since they understand and appreciate our contribution to New York. That’s what most of us thought. Then came Corona and everything we believed to be true about New York, turned out to be false. We learned that not only do we not have a special status in New York but inf fact we don’t even have equal status to other residents. As a matter of fact, we have no status, unless you consider taxation without representation a status. You see in the name of public health New York officials told us that: Our Synagogues must be completely shuttered until the time that the “Public Health Experts” decide they can reopen, which could be at any time or at no time. This was strictly enforced by NYPD who were very scrupulous at kicking people out of Synagogues if GOD forbid they found one in operation. We may not pay final respect to our beloved parents and grandparents who passed away. We were forced to hold no funerals at all or funerals with a handful of people. If you dared try to hold a funeral even if it was outside, even with the most extreme social distancing you had police cars follow you around until you dispersed. We were told we cannot visit our parents or grandparents in the hospital leaving many of them to die at the hands of careless or overwhelmed nursing staff. We were told our small and mediumsized businesses needed to remain shuttered until the time that the “Public Health Experts” decide they can reopen, which could be at any time or at no time; While big box stores were allowed to remain open. If any of us dared roll up the gate of their store more than a few inches they were handed a fine to the tune of thousands of dollars to make up for all the lost revenue the city has endured due to lack of parking tickets. We sat through all of this quietly. In our hearts, we knew it was wrong, at least some of it. We knew it was a gross overreaction. We knew these draconian limitations on life were extended well beyond what was necessary but we also understood that our city and state are run by progressive democrats and that comes with a price so we sucked it up and remained quiet. But then came the George Floyd protests. All of a sudden, Public Health was out the window. Social Distancing, nonexistent. Only small crowds under ten people, non-applicable. To add insult to injury the very same Public Health Officials who made up all those rules and city and state officials who made sure they strictly enforced, had an overnight change of heart and seemingly change of science facts and data. What was unacceptable for the Jews ie communal prayer and funerals as a start, was perfectly fine and encouraged for George Floyd protests. One NYC Public health official even went as far as saying that should there be an increase in Covid infections after the protests it can only be blamed on racism and not on the lack of social distancing exhibited by protestors. I must have missed it when the same official said that should there be a COVID outbreak as a result of large crowds at a Hasidic funeral it can only be blamed on antisemitism, oh you mean he didn’t say that? You see when it came to the Jews the Mayor had harsh words: “My message to the Jewish community and all communities ( I wonder who he meant by “all communities” because we never saw any enforcement of this kind against any of the other ALL communities, but I digress) is this simple, the time for warnings has passed”. Ooh what a tough guy this mayor is, against Hassidic Jews at a funeral, I must have just missed it when he stated the time for warnings has passed to the looters. Then just to twist the dagger a little more, we all saw the images of nurses all dressed up in PPE’s walking out of a Manhattan hospital entrance to clap for the protestors and support them. You remember those sweet nurses that were featured in ads telling us to stay home so that they may stay alive? You remember those sweet nurses that told us we can’t sit at the hospital bedside of our parents because of the public health risk? (only to later learn that untold numbers of our greatest generation were literally left for dead under the care of the sweet nurses of New York, but I digress again). Anyhow THOSE nurses were now cheering the largest middle finger ever given to public health guidelines while dressed in full gear. When an Orthodox journalist confronted the Mayor on his hypocrisy and double standard when examining his treatment of the Jewish community, its sensibilities and needs, vs the Goerge Floyd protestors, the son of a bitch didn’t even flinch. He went on a rant explaining to the reporter that 400 years of slavery simply overrule any and all other considerations, Science, Public Health, facts, data, be damned. But if those damn Jews put a minyan together all hell will break loose. As a side note last week, long after the George Floyd protests were upon us, those rebellious Jews in Williamsburg had more than ten children at once at a public playground. They forgot their George Floyd protest signs at home so guess what happened, I won’t keep you in suspense yep NYPD cleared them out. As looters were looting and destroying store after store in New York City with no one there to stop them, we remembered why there were no cops available for that. They were too busy handing out fines to store owners in Brooklyn who were guilty of the crime of trying to conduct business to feed their families and serve their customers after being denied that right for over three months. Then came the latest decree from Emperor Cuomo, Thou shalt not have any sleep-away camps this year. Why not? because I said so. George Floyd protests? Sorry, the answer is no. So now after three and a half miserable months, our kid’s summer plans for the next two months get trashed yet again. So how does it feel to be a proud New Yorker today? This city and state are the heart of Jewish life in America right? Let’s pause and think for a moment. What exactly do we get out of living here? We have to fund our own Ambulances and first responders because city ambulances arrive long after the pronunciation of death. We have to fund our own community security organizations because NYPD is simply not enough to keep our communities safe. We have to self-fund all of our schools because religious Jews have no right to expect that their children’s education is paid for like any other resident in the city. Oh I forgot there is one thing we do get and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it. We get an extra Garbage pickup in our neighborhoods on Erev Pesachdon’t say no one is thinking of us! Come on, that’s got to be worth a few billion dollars in taxes no? This city is a dump. They call it the big apple, the city that never sleeps. It should be renamed the big pothole or the city of rats. Why do we still live here? we shouldn’t. Here’s a crazy idea, We’ve all heard the word defund thrown around lately which got me thinking. I was thinking defund NY has a good ring to it. Let’s pack ourselves and our businesses up and Jexit NY to any place in America where entrepreneurs are appreciated and religious freedom is celebrated. I don’t know maybe some exotic place like Florida or Texas. Let’s domicile our businesses and residences in those states and bring all our tax revenues along. Even if we won’t receive any appreciation or notice at least we won’t be trampled on as we currently are in the big rotten apple. But just one favor to ask before we do that let’s all register our kids to public school for next year. Let’s see how New York figures out where to educate 100 thousand children overnight. I’m feeling a slogan that goes something like “no schooling no peace” as we get on jet blue to FLL or MCO, thoughts? 

YCB 

Editor’s Note: I smell Germany right before WWII. 

RECIPE 

Dear Editor: I am bringing to your attention a error in the May 20 issue for Shavuot. In the section, Just What the Kosher ordered recipe… Big fan, but you omitted ingredients for cheese filling in brownie cheesecake bars. I can’t make recipe without measurements. Please reprint and email me the update, as it is important to your readers all is proofread beforehand and providing the omission error. Thanks Reader from Queens Kgh, awaiting distribution here one day( figure out route from 5 towns), 

ES 

Editor’s Note: I tried the recipe and did it like my grandmother a bissel doos and a bissel yense and it worked. My Bubbynever used a cook book and her food never tasted the same but was great!