29 Oct SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER
MUSIC
Dear Vues Master:
I love davening. I love davening over the
yom tovim even more. I’m undecided as
to whether I enjoy the concerts chazanim
have been giving in shul lately. This past
Rosh Hashana my chazzan ended the final
kaddish to the song”Thank You Hashem”
by Joey Newcomb. The entire shul hummed
the nigun for three whole minutes. Another
chazzan did every tune of Eitan Katz’s
greatest hits. Is that what shul is supposed to
be about? I know it helps people to daven. I
get it. But should a shul davening be like a
concert hall?
AC
Vues Master’s Note: What would you say
to the concert the Leviim put on in the Bais
Hamikdash 354 days a year with a hundred
piece band!
LINE
Dear Vues Master:
This past Chol Hamoed my family went to
Hershey Park on Monday, Yid day. It was
packed & Baruch Hashem the weather was
great. Most people that go to Hershey know
that on the way out they stop at the kettle corn
stand & buy some for $15 a bag. It’s sweet
& salty & delicious. My wife & I waited for
over an hour. When we got in front of the
line a young frum boy, probably around 16
years old, approached my wife & asked her
if he could cut her on the line & purchase a
couple of bags because his bus was leaving
in 15 minutes. There were probably fifty
people behind her. My wife said she was
sorry, but it was wrong for him to ask & it
could make a chilul hashem. The boy was
very angry with my wife & she wasn’t sure if
she made the right decision. I told her that I
would have done the same thing & that I was
proud of her decision. What do you think?
CW
Vues Master’s Note: Good decision since
everybody’s time would be stolen and one
can never return stolen time!
HASHAVAS AVEIDA
Dear Vues Master:
Many people left their machzorim in shul
and their name and phone number are written
inside. Easy and quick hashavas aveidah!
Also, many coats forgotten in the coat room
have a name and phone number!
DY
Vues Master’s Note: Great opportunity to
start the new zman with mitzvos. Thanks!
WEATHER
Dear Vues Master:
B’H the weather in New York was fantastic
almost the entire month of Tishrei. All of
Sukkos we were able to eat in the Sukkah &
we were able to do many different activities
over Chol Hamoed outside. It really made
Yom Tov that much nicer this year.
DS
Vues Master’s Note: So your tefillah does
control the weather!
WOMEN
Dear Vues Master:
What are three things a woman
lacks? She doesn’t have koach.
She doesn’t have time. And she
doesn’t have a thing to wear.
What are the three things a
woman does have? She has a
son who is a genius. She has a
husband who is an idiot. And she
has a closet full of rags.
MB
Vues Master’s Note: Wow you
nailed it!
RINGS
Dear Vues Master:
Are men allowed to wear rings
al pi halacha? This past Yom Tov
I was sitting next to a man that
was using his ring as a drum to
beat to the chazans davening. It
drove me crazy. Are men allowed
to wear a ring? Is it considered a
beged eisha?
TS
Vues Master’s Note:It is not
begged isha! It is jewelry which
men do not wear ever since we
men gave it up for the eigel!
YANKEES DODGERS
AND THE NAZIS
Dear Vues Master:
As the New York Yankees and
Los Angeles Dodgers square off
in this year’s World Series, old-
timers recall the first time the two
teams met in the Fall Classic, in
1941, a contest that involved one
of baseball’s most famous plays.
But that World Series was also
connected to a long-forgotten
episode in the controversy over
whether or not the United States
should confront Nazi Germany.
The Dodgers were still the
Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, and
their manager was the irascible
Leo Durocher. The Yankees won
two of the first three games in
that year’s World Series, but in
the fourth game, the Dodgers
were on the verge of tying up the
series, carrying a 4-3 lead into
the ninth inning.
With two out, no runners on
base, and the Ebbets Field crowd
about to explode in joy, Dodgers
pitcher Hugh Casey threw what
would have been the game-
winning third strike. But catcher
Mickey Owen mishandled the
pitch, and batter Tommy Henrich
reached first base safely. The
Yankees proceeded to mount a
rally to win the game, and then
went on to win the series.
One might imagine that after
such an agonizing loss in the
third game, manager Durocher
would have spent the evening
immersed in strategizing for
the next day’s game. Instead,
he and Dodgers owner Larry
MacPhail left the stadium
and headed for Manhattan, to
attend a huge event at Madison
Square Garden. Along with an
array of Hollywood stars and
other celebrities, Durocher and
MacPhail spent the evening at
“Fun to Be Free,” a political
pageant and rally in support
of U.S. military action against
Adolf Hitler.
That was not a popular position to
take in the early autumn of 1941,
two months before Pearl Harbor.
Polls showed only about one-
tenth of Americans were willing
to go to war for any reason other
than to fend off an invasion of
the United States itself. Most
of the public believed domestic
concerns required America’s
full attention and that none of
the nation’s resources should be
diverted overseas.
The America First movement
and other isolationist groups
flourished.
But a minority of Americans
vigorously disagreed with
isolationism. They established
the Fight for Freedom movement,
which advocated pre-emptive
war against Hitler as the only
way to preserve world peace.
The group’s “Fun to Be Free”
event was held before a packed
house of 17,000 at Madison
Square Garden on October
5, 1941. It featured patriotic
songs, skits mocking Hitler
and Mussolini, and dramatic
readings emphasizing the need
for pre-emptive American
military action against the Nazis.
The pageant was authored
by two of Hollywood’s most
prominent screenwriters, Ben
Hecht and Charles MacArthur,
and produced by Oscar
Hammerstein, Moss Hart, and
George Kaufman, with music
and lyrics by (among others)
Irving Berlin and Kurt Weill.
The opening act featured Bill
“Bojangles” Robinson tap-
dancing on a coffin labeled
“Hitler.” Then Carmen Miranda
“sang in her well-known South
American style,” as the New
York Times put it, after which
“Eddie Cantor, in a hoopskirt,
and Jack Benny put on an Easter
Parade act.” Others who took
part included such stars of stage
and screen as Tallulah Bankhead,
Melvyn Douglas, George Jessel,
Ethel Merman, Helen Hayes,
and Burgess Meredith.
Leo Durocher and Larry
MacPhail not only attended “Fun
to Be Free,” but participated
in it, as well. After Ella Logan
sang “Tipperary,” McPhail
walked onstage to give her a
kiss, and Durocher rose and—
according to the Times—“made
a little speech to this effect: ‘We
don’t want Hitlerism, we want
Americanism.
And the Yankees are a great ball
club. Even if we lose, we’ll be
losing in a free country’.” In the
midst of a World Series that should
have completely consumed his
attention, the manager of the
Brooklyn Dodgers reminded
the public, in his own inimitable
way, that there are things which
are more important than even a
championship sports event. That
was true then, and it’s true today.
Out beyond the bleachers is a
real world in which genocidal
Iranian mullahs aspire to follow
in Hitler’s footsteps.
If the U.S. and its allies had
taken pre-emptive action against
Hitler—as the Fight for Freedom
movement urged—tens of
millions of lives would have
been spared. Instead, appeasing
Hitler led to catastrophe. Will
the international community’s
attempts to appease Iran lead to
similar consequences in our own
time?
Rafael Medoff
Vues Master’s Note: A blast from
the past. Where have you been?
We have not received an OP-ED
from you in a while.
ATTACKING IRAN
Dear Vues Master
You’re going to hear a lot about
how the Israeli attack on Iran
was limited and disappointing.
That is false. Here is the info.
I think I came up with a name
for this operation… Israel
executed a large-scale, three-
wave airstrike on approximately
20 Iranian military sites,
targeting critical infrastructure
including air defense systems,
missile facilities, and UAV
development centers. This
operation aimed to achieve
three main goals: significantly
weaken Iran’s military capacity,
publicly expose the regime’s
vulnerability, and prevent a
larger, drawn-out conflict.
Reports suggest Israel achieved
these objectives effectively.
Iran’s air defenses, despite years
of boasting, proved insufficient
as Israeli fighter jets penetrated
deep into Iranian airspace,
conducting strikes across
multiple regions over a span of
three hours without opposition.
This exposed key weaknesses
in Iran’s defenses, dismantling
parts of its missile production
infrastructure and likely causing
billions in damage. Former IDF
General Yisrael Ziv commented
that the operation was a
strategic embarrassment for
Iran, as its inability to protect
these sites underscores a stark
contrast in military capabilities.
This strike, Ziv noted, not only
revealed Iran’s technological
shortcomings but also amplified
its vulnerability. Strategically,
Israel targeted only military
sites, avoiding nuclear and
energy facilities, with the intent
to avoid triggering a larger
conflict. This restraint suggests
Israel wanted to avoid another
extensive campaign, especially
with the complex geopolitical
landscape. Iran now faces a
strategic crossroads: respond
and risk further IDF strikes or
avoid retaliation and appear
weakened. Some experts, like
Danny Citrinowicz, suggest that
failing to respond would further
undermine Iran’s regional
deterrence. I think we should
name this operation Adam and
Eve. Why? For three reasons:
1- It took place on the Shabbat
of Breishit with the story of
Adam and Eve in the garden
2- We punished the head of the
snake 3- We left Iran naked and
humiliated Watya think?
Hillel Fuld
Vues Master’s Note: Another
letter by Hillel Fuld that is spot
on.
FATHER AND SON
Dear Vues Master:
When the Kaf Hachayim was
a little boy, he was playing
outside while his father was
fervently davening inside the
Shul. A man came over to the
child and asked, “Why aren’t
you in Shul next to your father
who is crying to Hashem?”
“I’m happy out here, knowing I
have such a wonderful father,”
the boy answered. “He’s in Shul
crying, knowing he has a son
like me.”
KH
Vues Master’s Note: He turned
out all right! All’s well that end
well.!
WESTERN
Dear Vues Master:
Speaking about Westerners, it’s
appropriate to ask: Who are the
three cowboys in Adon Olam?
Billy Reishis, Billy Sachlis, and
Kid Ruchie.
MB
Vues Master’s Note: Sounds like
a movie to me!
UNWANTED
Dear Vues Master:
All of humanity originates
from an unwanted pregnancy.
Lemech had two wives, & עדה
צלה. Lemech kept Tzila on birth
control so she would remain a
beautiful woman. She somehow
became pregnant and gave birth
to Naamah, the wife of Noach.
And the rest is history.
MF
Vues Master’s Note: And to
think that if they had abortion
in those days?
RESPECT
Dear Vues Master:
I really enjoy and appreciate
The Jewish Vues. I read it
(almost) cover to cover every
Shabbos. Speak Your Vues was
my introduction to Flatbush
when I moved here, and
remains my link to the larger
community I was disappointed
in the Editor’s response to
a letter from the reader who
described the discourteous
and disrespectful behavior he
regularly witnesses, whether
at a kiddush or elsewhere. We
learn civility and midos from
our upbringing, and from the
teachers and other grownups we
meet on our way to adulthood
After reading your response,
I reread the complaint again,
more critically, but found no
trace of self-absorption or vanity
in it. In this time of danger, we
need to try harder to improve our
behavior bein adam laMakom
and bein adam lechavero, to
elicit Hashem’s protection and
Rachmei Shamayim for Am
Yisrael and for Eretz Yisrael.
With hope to see you soon on
the way to meet Moshiach.
HM
Vues Master’s Note: It was
for the best as the old man
should watch what he eats! It is
important to be healthy!
RENT
Dear Vues Master:
A religious landlord who hadn’t
been paid rent by his tenant
for many months, offered to
forgive the past debt as long
as the tenant would vacate the
premises now. When the tenant
refused, the landlord took him
to a Beis Din. The landlord
presented his case and the
tenant agreed that everything he
said was true. “Then what right
do you have to remain in the
premises?” one of the Dayanim
asked. The tenant responded:
“He doesn’t have anyone else
who’s willing to pay the rent
he’s demanding, so I have דינה
“.דבר מצרא
LK
Vues Master’s Note: A Gazlan
who is a lamdan. Oy yoy yoy!