14 Jul Speak Your Vues

CTV COLOR WARS!

Dear Editor: I went to the Camp Expo recently held in the Palace and it got me thinking again about the good ole days back in Camp Torah Vodaath CTV. I was reminiscing about the Color War breakouts with Rabbi Heshy A. upset about campers breaking into his bungalow to find the Color War Teams. He tore up the booklets in front of everyone including the staff who were shocked to see their color war dreams going out the window together with the torn to shred booklet. He said until the campers admit who they are who had the nerve to break into his bungalow there will not be color war this summer. Of course it was a fake out but everyone fell for it and even the staff didn’t know and were fooled. We ended up all coming down to the recreation hall [shul with tallis on the Aron] and were told that the 2 campers [in my bunk] were being thrown out of camp. “Campers Counselors have no fear there will be Color War this year”! [B’H] I can still hear Rabbi Shmuel D. announcing; “Attention all campers & Counselors, Learning never ends, but Learning Groups are now over”. I remember when they called all the bunks down to the baseball field, since the camp was on fire. Now why do we have to sit nicely on the bleachers and be told to watch the camp burn down? Shouldn’t we be running for our lives? When we arrived, the [man made] fire was dying down, so we noticed Moshe H. adding to the fire for those bunks who arrived unfortunately late and didn’t yet get to see the whole fire [genius]. Then there was the serious play about the Nazis and the Jews escaping, so we were asked again to see the end of the play outdoors on the Baseball field. We were treated to a parachute jumper. The only problem was that everyone was running around to see if the paratrooper can possibly land on them. The Boss Mr. N. was running around in a panic with a stick shooing the campers away from the landing. [Catastrophe]. COLOR WAR! [Yea]. I remember back in my younger days in Camp Shalom being told that our bunk was chosen to break out Color war, and that our bunk was to fall down by lunch when we got the signal from the Head Counselor, and faint from the food. Well you guessed correctly -everyone in the entire camp fell down all at once. [Coincidence?] Remember the Camp Bloopers? Mutty K. picking up a beer bottle instead of a phone in a grand play in Color War [Now what was he th[dr]inking?]. Or Heshy S. kept on hanging up the phone even though the phone somehow miraculously [or broken?] kept on ringing]. Can’t forget the Generals landing on the Baseball Diamond in a Helicopter, but this time the campers weren’t running around the field [Boss with a big stick]. [BTW- I had to run for my life around the Dining Room and escape, when I told the Camp Director that I didn’t like the “Horsemeat” [Slabs] or the BOMBS!]. Shimon L. announcing the “Russians are coming” [No! it’s the Romans], or Danny S. calling out during a grand play; “The Slides -where are the Slides”? [Slide projector broken-so what’s new?] I can still hear the Boss saying each & every summer that this was the best Color War ever in CTV history.[Nu] Who can forget the drama when by a Bris in Camp, the Mohel dropped the BABY[doll- whew!] and broke out Color war! [Mazel Tov!] [I was more worried about what happens now to the Bagels & Lox?] My memories go back to Team Time before the Grand sing on the slap ball court with Moish S. or Chaim S. our Color war Grand sing leaders. We were once told not to laugh at the other team’s comedy skit, but we couldn’t help it I got a stomach ache from holding in the laughter until we even noticed the judges crying from laughter. Or the Judges Entrance with Nicky G. the Color war banners with Nutty G. & Yitzy E. and the Grand plays with Jackie S. & Heshy A. or the great comedy skits about the Boss with Hersh C. [Don’t leave out Yaakov Ginza!] I now remember the Halacha skit when two good friends help each other cheat throughout medical school, and the play ends when one of the friends who was helping him all along to get by and pass his exams now turns out to be his Dr when he has a heart attack, and he sees his friend who he had helped get by is now his Dr! [Uh Oh]. Now, If you want to hear the great Grand sing Color War songs, you have to buy the old JEP records [sorry, I mean cds] Vol. 1 & 2. “CTV We Miss You”!

RMS

Editor’s Note: Could you imagine Cuomo decided that all this is not worth it because he is worried about his dictatorship!

FOND MEMORIES

Dear Editor: I went to Camp Torah Vodaath as a young camper for a number of years including the year that I was a CIT. I even got to put on my own night activity as a CIT and produced my own serious play. There were great actors in that play, and I remember how one camper said his line at the wrong time and no less than R’ Chaim Dovid Zwiebel [night activities director] improvised and saved the play by narrating; “Earlier that day….. Who can forget Yaakov [Jackie] Salomon and R’ Heshy Arem in the serious drama that was played over two nights “Who Is Yaakov Ginza”? R’ Baruch Hilsenrath in Danny from Oz! R’ Mutty Katz picking up a beer bottle on stage and using it for a telephone. The great Boro Park Comedy play in Color war where our team was warned not to laugh at the other team’s jokes. However, we could simply not hold back, since we had a stomach ache from laughter. Even the judges were crying from laughter. It was the first play with Yiddish jokes. [K’aaaeleh]. The banner dispute where the judges ruled against a most colorful banner a binocular scene presented in four different parts but lost since it didn’t have a Pasuk written on it “Mah Rabu Maasecha Hashem”. The great Grand Sing songs [Jep album vol 1 & 2] especially the emotional Alma Mata written by R’ Dovid Finkelman after the fire in camp where B”H no one got hurt Maaseh Nissim. “The flames of the fire-ignited a spark in our hearts-a feeling of Achdus-that will never part”. I miss the stories by R’ Yitzy Erps and the comical acting of the Boss played by R’ Hirsch Chinn. I long for those walks on the camp road Fri nights after the meal with our counselor and JC. I still remember as if it were yesterday, Rav Sholom Kamenetsky shlita coming to our bunk to tell us a maaseh. Oh! how I miss those Camp days. Visiting Day, waiting for our parents to come up from the city and spending the day with the family. The cheers and chants in the dining room and the beautiful Zemiros on Shabbos. I will always remain a CTV camper at heart as long as I live. Those were the days……[Shimon Lefkowitz; “The Russians are coming”!} I was once walking with our bunk on the camp road when a bunch of horses started trotting more like galloping down the hill towards us. I didn’t wait around to find out that they cannot jump over the barbed wire fence. I took off like it was the derby and raced back to camp ahead of my Counselor and JC.I once went over to Mr. Neuhaus A”H and as a young naive gullible boy complained to him that I didn’t like the Bombs Hockey pucks or Horse meat for supper. He was upset and told me that we don’t serve C”V treif! I can never forget the CIT Michael Hilsenrath the baseball Home run hitter, or the great soloist Avramy Flam, R’ Berel Leiner in those gorgeous choirs. Hertzy & Ephraim Hassenfield brothers playing accordion and saxophone. Nussy Gluck on the clarinet, Michael Cohen and Sender Gluck on the trumpet. R’ Yisroel Meir Stern, Yaakov Salomon on the guitars. The Simchatone singers Yaakov Salomon, Yonah Weinreb & Bency Schachter. Sheya Mendlowitz leading the choirs & Shloime Dachs the grand sing. The memories go on and on, remembering Rav Yitzchak Isbee Z”L-the great Grand Sing Leaders Chaim Schmell and his brother Moish Schmell…And of course the Grand Judges Entrance led by Nicky Gordon. There were the great Head Counselors and their assistants; Rav Moshe Francis, Chanina Katz, Rav Moshe Neuman, and of course the great color war fake out by R’ Heshy Arem where we thought Color war was cancelled. He acted out upset explaining that someone tried breaking into his bungalow to steal the Color war Teams. He tore up the Color war booklet Motzai Shabbos and sent everyone back to their bunk until the culprits were apprehended or admitted to their crime. Hours later we were all called down to the Recreation Hall in our Pajamas for Color war Fakeout! “Learning never ends but learning groups are now over”-Rav Shmuel Dishon- Learning director. The great Color war Song writers Rabbis; Mutty, Shimon & Dovid Finkelman brothers, R’ Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Yanky Arem. The All Star Basketball Team; Dave {Dovid} Beren, Sheya Markowitz, Heshy Sieman, Itchy Landerer, Joe Halpert. Mr. Neuhaus announcing every year; “This is the best Color war on this side of the Mountains”. “We love The Boss- We Love The Boss -We Love The Boss We Do- We Love The Boss -We Love The Boss We Love The Boss- We do”. The great Basketball Camp chant when we played against other camps. It still rings out in my ears; “TORAH VODAAS -TORAH VODAAS- TORAH VODAAS TORAH VODAAS TORAH VODAAS”! I would be remiss if I would not mention the dedicated Camp Director after the Boss; R’ Nossie Neuman. [We Got Gotts] CTV WE MISS YOU!

RMS

Editor’s Note: I am sure there are others who have memories of Camp. Let’s get some more people sharing their experiences!

MASKS

Dear Editor: This past Motzei Shabbos I was in Woodbourne & could not believe what I saw. The streets were packed. No one was wearing masks. Everyone next to each other. It’s as though Corona is over. Do people hear what’s going on in Eretz Yisrael & throughout the rest of the United States? It’s just a matter of time until we get round 2 in New York!

A Worried Yid!

Editor’s Note: Maybe that is the point that in NY we peaked. We were the epicenter. We are now finished with Crona.

NEW FORMAT Dear Editor: I just want to tell you how much my family loves your new format of The Country Vues. We love the color. We love the content. But most of all, we love the fun questions. Keep up the good work!

Big Fans of The Country Vues Editor’s Note: Thanks for the chizuk. Just know that a lot of work goes into this publication.

BLACK ON BLACK

Dear Editor: Since you have expressed concern about black on black crime, Editor, what do you propose to do about it?

PC

Editor’s Note: First of all give the Police more resources to fight the crime. Make them feel appreciated so they can do their job like they did before this movement started. Remember Crime was down before this allowing of looters and thugs to run free. Knock off bail reform ! I think we just laid out a good start and then we can continue with more later!

ITUNES CARDS

Dear Editor: We got this letter in our inbox. I am sorry for bothering you with this mail, I need to get an iTunes gift card for my Niece, it’s her birthday but i can’t do this now because I’m currently out of town and i tried purchasing online but unfortunately no luck with that. Can you get it from any store around you? I’ll pay back as soon as i am back. Kindly let me know if you can handle this. Total amount needed is $400 ($100 Value on each card) you can easily get them from any Grocery store or Gas station and I need you to scratch the back of the card to reveal the pin, then take a snap shot of the back showing the pin and have them sent to me. Await your soonest response.

Best regards, GF

Editor’s Note: There’s a new scammer born every minute and a new victim born every minute!

RACIST

Dear Editor: Since when is saying the truth considered “racist”? When it’s something that you don’t want to hear because the truth is frequently ugly. Here’s my truth. During the 1960s and 70s, when I lived in Washington Heights, a Black teenager frequently mugged me. Many pulled switch blades. Some beat me up with their fists. It didn’t matter much if they got the dollar or two in my pocket. I was an easy target because I was the yarmulke wearing “Jew Boy” walking down the street. I was an easy defenseless target for them. Well, it’s about 50 years later. How much has changed with this in NYC, since then? You still have a significant number of Black teenagers robbing and beating up innocent Jews all over NYC. Pick just about any densely populated Jewish neighborhood – Boro Park, Flatbush, Williamsburg. We all know how often such events happen. I challenge any reader to tell me if he or she would feel safe wearing a yarmulke and walking in a mainly Black neighborhood in New York. I’m not saying that every Black person hates Jews. I’m just pointing the truth that a significant number of them cause harm. And, to use their own latest term, Jew-hatred is “systemic” among Blacks. There, now that I’ve said the truth, I’m sure that there will be many readers who will think that what I just said is racist. I’ll tell you what. Wear a yarmulka and walk in a Black neighborhood every day for 15 years. If you don’t get mugged at all, please let us know. If you don’t see or read about a Black teen assaulting a religious Jew somewhere in NY at all, let us know. As, I stated, the truth isn’t always pretty to read or hear.

DF

Editor’s Note: The truth hurts. The liberals will tell you that you can’t paint them all in one brush stroke. Imagine that no one will want to do business with Jews because they own everything or at least according to the stereotype. There has to be a happy medium here.

TAKING LAW INTO OWN HANDS 

Dear Editor: What a world we live in! Where protesting and destroying the country over some menuval’s death is legal, but summer camps are illegal. What’s the rational. Just saying.

Y O.

Editor’s Note: You don’t get it! This is a moment in out history! I wait for the moment that the idiot Nazi who keeps on saying this phrase leave office! But you never know who will follow him that person can be worse!

TV LISTINGS

Dear Editor: You know what the problem with today’s generation is? It’s the millennials who are taking over. They completely disregard the ways things used to be done. Take for example, this highly respected paper. For years, the TV Views was our source for all the TV listings. Comes along the young generation and think they know better. My father always taught us to respect one another. Show some respect for us and put those listings back in these.

M G

Editor’s Note: We got to keep up with the times. The majority rules and this is what the majority requested!

LESSONS LEARNED

Dear Editor: Did we learn the lesson from the coronavirus? Will we learn to stop the talking in shul? Will we cut back our over the top weddings? Will we be kinder to one another? These are just some examples of what I personally took from corona, what did you learn?

B S

Editor’s Note: I am sure the readers will write and share with us what lessons they learned. I personally saw that the divisiveness between one Jew and another. That Jews would snitch on people davening with a Minyan. Jews would post on Social media and giving antisemites excuses to hate us even more. What happened to tzniyus? Why are we hanging our dirty laundry in public?

MASKS

Dear Editor: What chutzpah?! A young man looked at me like I was crazy when I requested that he pull his mask over his nose in public.

C H

Editor’s Note: Well maybe you should mind your own business. The non-mask wearers are not telling mask wearers to take off their masks. Keep your social distance!

LANGUAGES

Dear Editor: Preschools and elementary schools in the United States should teach the children Spanish. Learning multiple languages from a young age helps the brain adapt to even more languages, and Spanish is a good bridge to French, Italian, and Portuguese, as well as being very helpful in allowing its speakers to communicate with Mexicans and other Spanish speaking Latin Americans. This is especially important for the Jewish people, who throughout our history have had to move from country to country. Being able to learn to speak a new language fluently is a gift that you can and should give your children.

S O

Editor’s Note: You remind me of the line, a person who speaks three languages is from the Middle East. A person who speaks two languages is European. A person who only speaks one language is American!

MASKS

Dear Editor: In your July 1 –7 edition, you made a serious error. In response to a letter from an 85 year old worried because frum Jews were not wearing masks in stores, you wrote that “if you are wearing a mask then the fact that someone else is not wearing a mask will not affect you.” The reality is exactly the opposite. Mask wearing is primarily for the purpose of protecting others from the wearer’s droplets from coughs, sneezes, or even just breathing. And that applies even to people who don’t have any symptoms, as they could still have the virus and not know it. That means that even if people think that they don’t have the virus, are not likely to contract the virus, or will not, in any event, become very ill if they do contract it should still wear a mask so as not to potentially put others at risk. Thank you.

DFZ

Editor’s Note: I saw someone sneeze and everything came right through the mask. Had he not worn a mask he might have covered his mouth with his hand or elbow. Masks give a false security.

ORDAINING WOMEN RABBIS

Dear Editor: The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has issued a threat which if carried out could lead to the direst of calamities, with ramifications for the future of Klal Yisrael. Please, do not get me wrong I fully agree with their threat as it addresses a challenge to the very fiber of Judaism, a challenge to Halacha that must not be allowed to stand. There is now a challenge to the status quo, set in place by the founders of the modern State of Israel, by which all matters relating to religion are to be under the aegis of the Rabbinate. This is especially near and dear to every Torah observant Jew as in the entire world there is just one small sliver of land that is the Jewish homeland, the State of Israel – Medinat Yisrael. The current challenge, just another in a long string of such efforts at eroding the yearning of Jews throughout the millennia – and the cry of Religious Zionists – Medinat Yisrael al pi Torat Yisrael – to have and possess a Jewish state that loyally follows its benefactor, G-d, who deed the land to the Patriarch Abraham. Now, there are those who wish to cause us great harm by insisting that Religious law be set aside and allow, actually demand that women be ordained as Rabbis. A petition has been filed with Israel’s Supreme Court by a number of groups, among them the Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status at Bar Ilan University.This is a matter too far off base, especially in light of the late Rabbi Emanuel Rackman’s history as an early president of the Rabbinical Council of America – Histadrut Harabbonim (RCA), a group that is steadfast in its allegiance to Halacha. The Rabbinate has threatened that if such a move becomes law it will suspend all ordinations. Surprisingly, it seems that one of its supporters before the court is Israel’s Kippah wearing Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who has been at the forefront in the pending criminal charges against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. My chaver and colleague Rabbi Aharon Ziegler both at The Jewish Press and the Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim, wrote a beautiful column in last week’s Jewish Press where he cited the Gaon Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Zt”l, apropos to this dilemma. “In Hilchot Teshuvah (3:8), the Rambam writes, “Shlosha hen hanik’ra’in apikorsin – There are three categories of heretics,” and one of them is “hakofer befirusha, vehu Torah shebe’al peh, vehamak’chish megideha – one who denies the Oral Torah or doubts those who transmit the Torah.” “Based on this statement, Rav Soloveitchik inferred that anyone who contradicts the Sages, or taints them with accusations like misogyny,is deemed “a doubter of Judaism.” He understood “one who contradicts the Sages” to mean even someone questioning their motives, denying their spiritual uprightness, or associating negative personal traits to them. “Rav Soloveitchik added that even if one rejects the great sages of a post-Talmudic generation, he is rejecting the tradition they embody. “I might add that the sin of Korach and his cohorts lay in rejecting the teaching of Moshe Rabbeinu. When one rejects the sages of his day, he comes to deny even the explicit word of Hashem (that Aharon should serve as kohen gadol). The severity of such traipsing on our Halacha is such that it demands our protest. On behalf of both the presidium and the entire 950-member body of the Rabbinical Alliance/Igud we register both our strongest protest in this matter and our steadfast support for the Chief Rabbinate, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef and Rabbi David Lau and all their colleagues. MM in the name of

RYK

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately with Toeva laws being passed the lineshave become very blurred and therefore it is already comprehensible for these things to even be broached. Could you imagine a hundred years ago any person would have the audacity to suggest thios. It is unfortunate that in our day you have Orthodox or so called Orthodox women presenting Feminism! What a disgrace!

ANTI AMERICAN LEFT

Dear Editor: Anti-Americanism is the new mainstream belief that the Left is lecturing to America. Marie-France Toinet a French scholar defines Anti Americanism that it “is only fully justified if it implies systemic oppression- a sort of allergic reaction- to America as a WHOLE.” Her definition of what Anti Americanism is, is truly what the radicals and the Democrats are allowing to happen in our communities. In the past few weeks, we keep seeing statues destroyed by radicals who hate everything about America. Nancy Pelosi’s response is, “Let people do what they want to do.” Democrats are giving in to these crazy people. Benjamin Crum, the lawyer of George Floyd’s family said that he is very concerned about the idea of erasing history via taking down statues. His concern is justified. Looking back to Saddam Hussein’s fall is where this is seen. One of the first actions done when Hussein fell was to burn his image and to take down statues of Saddam. Looking at the current state of Iraq now is 1000 times worse than in 2003. The man that is famous for using a sledgehammer taking down the statue said in an interview that he wants to go back to those days, because of the worsened conditions. When people erase history, things get worse. Fredrick Douglas, a true American Hero in his famous speech, slammed the idea of slavery not by slamming America, but rather by saying that America is being hypocritical to those beliefs that Douglas says that the US should “Stand by those principles.” Douglas also described our Founding Forefathers as “They loved their country better than from their private interests.” The Left is not like Douglas, The Left wants to destroy America at its core, Douglass wanted America to stay true to its core. Let us learn from history and Fredrick Douglas and make sure to keep our nation to its core, and refuse to let Nancy Pelosi’s party destroy America!

Sincerely D S G

Editor’s Note: As someone once said, “It is sick and it is getting sicker out there!”