COUNCILMAN CHAIM DEUTSCH’S CAMPAIGN

Dear Friends,

Since announcing my candidacy for United States Congress six weeks ago, I have been honored and overwhelmed by the support from people across New York City. In just this short time, our campaign has already been endorsed from the PBA, the DEA, and Local 831, the Sanitation workers. The next step in the process is ensuring that our campaign appears on the ballot – which is accomplished by collecting petition signatures from residents of the district. A quick and easy way to help our campaign is by signing one of these petitions to help us reach our goal. Volunteers from my team will be going door to door in our community, but you can also stop by one of my pop up stands this week to sign – it takes about 30 seconds!

THURSDAY EVENING (5pm – 10pm)

– Avenue M and East 4 Street (outside Moishas Supermarket)

– Avenue L and Coney Island Avenue (Outside Pomegranate Supermarket)

SUNDAY MORNING (7am – 10am)

– East 29th Street and Avenue L (outside of Agudah of Avenue L)

– East 24 Street and Avenue M (outside of Sasregen)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON (12pm – 5pm)

– East 15 Street and Avenue M (outside of Mountain Fruit)

– East 13 Street and Avenue J (outside of Jerusalem II Pizza)

To sign up as a block captain, to contribute towards my campaign, or to volunteer before the election, please contact me at chaimforcongress@gmail.com.

Warm Regards,

Councilman Chaim Deutsch

MIRACLES

Dear Editor:

Recently, I attended a wedding from a friend whom I have known for about 40 years. The wedding was so inspiring that I am still thinking and enjoying its memories weeks afterwards. To understand why, here’s the background story:

I met the bride about 40 years ago when we attended Brooklyn College. We became close friends and shared many conversations and several meals together. In short, we supported each other and listened to each other’s problems and used each other as a reliable trusting sounding board. We lost contact with each other for about 20 years. I tried finding her via web searches but had no luck. As I later discovered, she had also tried to locate me, and, as I have no Social Media profile, and a fairly common name, she was unable to locate me, also.

This past summer, one day, I noticed a wedding invitation addressed to my son. I saw the address and recognized both the last name and address on the envelope. I had to tear open the envelope, and, indeed, it was my long-lost friend. I asked my son to introduce himself to the groom’s mother when he went to the wedding, and mention that she should contact me. About a month later, she did, and a few weeks after that, she announced that she was getting married, and if I would attend the wedding.

During my conversations with my friend, I asked how she met her fiancé. She mentioned that they had known each other many years earlier, lost contact, and reconnected via Facebook. After several conversations, they discovered common interests and friendship, or, rather, revived them to the point where they eventually married each other.

There are several reasons as to why I find the wedding inspiring. Both my story of my rediscovering my friend as well as my friend rediscovering her current husband, conveys the power of miracles. What we may view as coincidence is actually God’s manifestation of a miracle. Had I not noticed the wedding invitation envelope at that time and followed up on it, I wouldn’t have reconnected with my friend. Had my friend not thought of hunting on Facebook and reconnecting, she wouldn’t have married.

Most miracles are unobvious. They come as small hints or messages. It’s up to us to notice these hints and react to them and sometimes take risks. What if I hadn’t reacted to that invitation and thought, perhaps my friend doesn’t care to know me, anymore? What if my friend who found her former friend on Facebook would have also thought, “Perhaps, this isn’t the same person whom I knew years ago? Maybe he won’t recall me or doesn’t want to keep contact?” As I’ve heard, “If you don’t jump into the pool, you can’t get wet.” Sometimes, you have to jump in the pool to just discover what can happen. And, if you don’t like getting wet, well, there’s always a towel available to dry off.

Both my and my friend’s stories convey the immense power of second chances. I reconnected with my friend after about a 20-year absence. Many things have changed in our lives since then, and, perhaps, my trying to catch up on even a fraction of these things would bore her to death. I discovered the opposite rather quickly. She asked me to mail her the speech I delivered at my son’s Bar Mitzvah, which occurred a while ago. She requested a personal reconnection that indicated about the same interest in me and my activities that had been there when we were college friends. And, I, in turn, felt comfortable enough to ask her some rather personal questions which she relayed to me. At was as if we had never lost that comfortable connection all along.

Likewise, she felt comfortable reconnecting with a former friend whom she knew years ago, and they both gave each other a second chance to relate, and, now they are married.

The wedding itself was small and intimate. There were about fifty people of close family and friends in a small hall. No fancy flowers, lavish meals, decorations, etc. And, I was grateful that this was the first simcha I attended in a long time where I didn’t have to walk around with ear plugs. It was a real simcha to attend and see my long-time good friend marry someone who is her own best friend and companion.

This wedding and this couple is an inspiration to all singles out there. I think much of the current shidduch process is far more complex than it need be. People turn out each other because they think, “This person is not for me” just based on a picture, or on a biased opinion from one of their friends. As I said, sometimes, the girl or boy sitting next to you at a table may be the correct person for you, if you would try jumping into the pool. Perhaps, years ago, you liked someone but something didn’t work, then. Why not take a chance and recontact that person? Miracles can and do happen, especially if you believe in them and apply some effort to make them work.

My friend and her husband are an “older” couple. Several people to whom I have related this story to asked me why they are getting married at their age. I have a simple answer. A young heart doesn’t like being alone. So, why not share it with your best friend?

One of the biggest blockers with dating or shidduchim is the age factor. Here’s proof that age alone shouldn’t matter.

My friend’s wedding was simple. You don’t need to make the wedding or, for that matter, the whole relationship or shidduch fancy or complicated at all. It just take marrying your best and closest friend to make a successful happy marriage.

Sarah G

Editor’s Note: Thanks for sharing.

LASHON HORA

Dear Editor: 
Why is lashon hara suddenly okay when it’s about a music performer?

Y Singer

Editor’s Note: What makes you think so? People are nichshal in Lashon Hora all the time.

EDUCATION UPDATE

Dear Editor:

The NYS Senate unanimously passed Senator Simcha Felder’s legislation (S.311) this week. The bill directs the Chancellor of the Department of Education to study and report on the provision of school counselor services to public school students.

“Schoolchildren face numerous challenges in and out of the classroom, and struggling kids are most likely to zone out, act out, or worse- drop out. Certified school counselors can strengthen skills, refer additional resources and provide the critical support they need to succeed. However, it is a sad reality that many children do not receive this crucial help,” said Senator Felder. 

After decades of delay, NYSED recently updated their school counseling regulations in an effort to increase student success through expanded access to these services. School counseling programs are to include, school-wide classroom lessons, direct support services to individual students and small groups, and consistent consultation with teachers and principals to coordinate team efforts and evaluate student success. The benefits of school counseling are well documented, bolstering social-emotional skills, fostering resilience, inspiring young students to strive for success, and broadening college placements and career opportunities.

“I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their sweeping support, as schools re-evaluate and implement their programs, this report will prove helpful. I will continue to advocate for appropriate caseloads that reflect the 250:1 ASCA recommended ratio, because counselors have tools and skills, but they need the time to devote meaningful attention or kids will continue slipping through the cracks,” concluded Senator Felder.

ST

Editor’s Note: Wow great work. Continued success.

SOCIALISTS

Dear Editor:

I am already getting emails from conservative-Republican candidates calling all Democrats “socialists” when I don’t think that any of the national Democrats are truly socialists at all.  None.  To me, they are all “liberals” and “progressives” who are NOT advocating for the abolition of our market-based capitalist economic system and who simply want to develop a more “HUMANE” capitalism which has more new federal government social programs to help people.

They want the USA to be more like our allies in Canada, western Europe, and Scandanavia.  I don’t consider these countries to be “socialist.” They don’t consider themselves to be “socialists.” Only USA conservative-Republicans do.  People like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are not true socialists.

Sincerely,

Stewart B. E. 

Editor’s Note: To me, these days a Democrat is a Liberal who is a Progressive who is a Socialist which is like a communist.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Dear Editor:

Hi! I have seen quite a few of your posters of “Jewish views” where you ask some well known religious men a cute question. Is there a reason you don’t ask any frum women? Also, is there a reason on your website you have only featured one woman (or at least what I saw)? I was just wondering whether this is another frum newspaper banning women’s faces and (or views) or just an oversight. Thanks!

AG

Editor’s Note: Well you will have to keep on reading and observing to come to your own conclusion. There is always something in between.

CUTTING COSTS

Dear Editor:

 Why do we need to have some central authority enforce a $10 max on Mishloach Manos? If you want to spend less, do so yourself. Nobody is stopping you.

NS

Editor’s Note: For the same reason we have takanos for weddings.

SAY NO TO TOIEVA

Dear Editor:

I was appalled by a video that was made by a so-called frum person who gave money to two homeless people who were toieva’niks and then put out a video saying how he apologizes to that community for the backlash. Is he going to apologize for the Torah who abhors that lifestyle? Enough with Political Correctness. If the Torah forbids it, it is forbidden!

Yoily M

Editor’s Note: We agree with you whole heartedly. We breathe a sigh of relief that a certain candidate dropped out of the Presidential race.

MORALITY AND TRUMP

Dear Editor:

Seems most people, myself included, take it as a given that Trump is a very immoral person. Some of us say, therefore I’ll never vote for him, some say even so, I’ll vote for him, and some say who cares.
But everyone agrees he is immoral.
And suddenly I asked myself.
Really? What about him is so objectionable as to call him immoral?
Actions from 20-30 years ago?
That’s the issue?
Has he done anything immoral lately?
In the last ten years?
Someone enlighten me here.

Editor’s Note: The rule of teshuva is only a mitzvah given to Jews. There is no chiyuv to be dan lkaf zchus a Non-Jew.

PLASTIC BAN RULE REVISITED

Dear Editor:
Starting March 1,2020 plastic bags are banned. Get used to bringing your own “reusable” bags and have them ready on your person just in case you need to go grab something from the store. Are we going backwards? What’s this insanity who wants to keep bags with them at all times in case they need to go shopping? Either that or pay a fee for some paper bag that will likely rip and take up half of your car, that is if the store even carries them. This and the planned proposal for east river bridge tolls going in and out of Manhattan, is there anything more they can do to drive everyone out of New York City? Why don’t we ban soda cans and plastic bottles so they don’t get thrown out as litter? Just being your own reusable mug if you want to get some soda from the stores fountain!

RW 

Editor’s Note: It is just a moneymaker for the City. BTW we still are paying 5 cents deposit for bottles and are required to recycle. Travesty.

PLASTIC BAN RULE REVISITED

Dear Editor:

Starting Mar 1, Democrats in New York will make life for people even more difficult because of their crazy ideas about the environment. It’s not enough that a family has to pay state, city, and sales tax. Now they have to pay a bag tax. They’re punishing people for the way they choose to shop. This is just one more reason to leave this state. Of course liberal states will follow New York because liberalism is a mental disorder. It’s time to move to Texas or Florida.

OP

Editor’s Note: Maybe it is time to wake up and chuck these progressive’s from office.

CORONAVIRUS

Dear Editor:

I don’t get the big deal about coronavirus. Considering that the common flu has not only a higher infection rate but also a larger mortality percentage so what’s the reason for all of the panic wrought by this virus? Why are airlines in danger of bankruptcy, stock markets in imminent collapse, and a general atmosphere of catastrophe and apocalypse prevalent? In short, why the ruckus about coronavirus?

FB

Editor’s Note: We should be opposed to any aveiros or viruses.