27 Apr Speak Your Vues
YOU TUBE
Dear Vues Master:
Jewish Music Superstar Ari Goldwag posted on his facebook page a
question this past Sunday that I thought was very interesting. He
asked how often do you find YouTube ads to be immodest or out of line
with your religious sensitivities? He writes” I’m just dealing with
my spiritual responsibility which seems to me that I give up the money
and not put any YouTube ads in front of my audience… not a simple
choice. I was just curious what people’s experience is.” Ari, as most
popular people on social media get revenue from different social media
outlets, if they leave the ads in. Ari wanted to see what his fans
think? He is finding that the ads being placed these days on these
outlets are getting much worse. What do you think?
JV
Vues Master’s Note: Hard to answer. His concern is valid. I would
suggest an ad blocker and maybe pay for premium so you don’t get
bombarded with ads.
.
CERTIFYING DRUGS
Dear Vues Master:
Perhaps your next issue will include the Talmudic support for not
certifying recreational marijuana while certifying marijuana laced
cakes, candy and soft drinks. Is it because eating falls under the
category of pikuach nefesh but recreation does not not (proof:
certification is not provided to venues with mixed dancing or kol
isha).
Certification or not doesn’t matter to me and it obviously doesn’t
matter to the many people who smoke cigarettes, so why would marijuana
be any different? Is this the way we should be dealing with this as a
community? Isn’t there a bigger moral/medical issue that the OU and
the rabbinate should be dealing with? It’s crazy to think that the
right question to ask at this time is, does marijuana need a
hashgacha? If we add a label to guns that says “not to be used on
Shabbos” would that make them ok?
This stuff drives me crazy! The disclaimer at the end of the article
indicates that you agree — welcome to my world 🙂
SS
Vues Master’s Note: Wait! Lemme pull out my cigarette and stop
chewing my CBD and look up this question. I am sure that these things
are not good for me as are sugary foods and salty foods and they all
are certified. Don’t blame the certifier for giving hashgacha on stuff
that is your weakness. Just remember we can’t protect you from
yourself!
LANGUAGES
Dear Vues Master:
The last letter in last week’s SYV written by SO was so correcto as
Spanish is a “good bridge to French, Italian, and Portuguese”, despite
the humorous Editor‘s Note that “a person who only speaks one language
is American!”.
Nevertheless, if one really wants “the brain [to] adapt to even more
languages” from a young age, then Mandarin Chinese may just be the way
to go.
As Barry Farber writes in his book How To Learn Any Language, “Chinese
[Mandarin] is actually more of a life involvement than a language you
choose to study.”
In the United States, Spanish has clearly been the country’s second
language for a long time with no clear “third language”. But in recent
years here in NYC, the usual English-Spanish bilingual signs on
subways and elsewhere seem to have become trilingual, with Chinese the
most common third language.
[Unfortunately, the Chinese is almost always written using Chinese
characters, thus making learning speaking in Mandarin a distant third
language to Spanish.(With its (almost) entirely the same alphabet as
English, Spanish is relatively easy to read and speak.) Practically
all non-Chinese persons learn to read Chinese and speak Mandarin by
way of the pin-yin (“spell-sound”) transliteration system, which
approximates sounds with ordinary English-alphabet spelling along with
diacritical marks (representing tones), somewhat similar to the nikud
marks used in reading Modern Hebrew.]
DB
Vues Master’s Note: Sounds lik Greek to me.
ALAN MAGIL
Dear Vues Master:
Hope you are well.
Please consider the following blurb for consideration to be published
in your fine publication.
“DELIGHTS OF THE TORAH,” NEW ZOOM TALK BY HUMORIST ALAN MAGILL
Humorist Alan Magill has begun offering a Zoom talk entitled “Delights
of the Torah” on Thursdays from 11;30 a.m. to Noon. If you just want
to hear the opening joke, tune in to the beginning, but if you stick
around longer you will see how Magill uses his humor to tie into Torah
thoughts. He will also share inspirational stories related to the
Torah portion of the week and Pirkei Avos.
Mr. Magill has organized a Pirkei shiur for Ladies for the last 14
years at Congregation Tomchei Torah and has written extensively in
Jewish publications, including a recent inspirational article in
Jewish Vues about a lost email and a tremendous act of kindness from a
96 year old woman.
His first “Delights of the Torah” program concluded with Magill saying
the following: “Right after I got married I brought in what I hoped to
be a special treat to the residents of the nursing home I worked at.
When I got off the elevator on the third floor I saw my 96 year old
friend Esther there and I said to her, “Great news! I brought in my
wedding pictures.!” She said, “Wonderful,” and then added, “Is your
wife here.” When I told her “No,” she asked with concern, “Why not?”
I answered, “She has to work.” Without missing a beat she said,
“Sure. She has to work and you run around showing pictures!” Also
included in the talk was a way to get out of a sad mood. “Don’t put
your focus entirely on what you are going through. Look out at the
world and relate with people.” Magill cited as an example of this how
Yosef was thrown into a pit by his brothers, then sold into slavery
and then put into prison in Mitzrayim because of baseless accusations
of his master’s wife, Potiphar. Rather than sit in the jail
depressed with his head down. Yosef looked up and saw that perfect
strangers, Pharoah’s Baker and Cupbearer. were looking sad. He asked
them what was bothering them, and that simple question was the
beginning of what was to be his salvation.
This zoom program is sponsored by Ateret Avot Senior Home, where
Magill is director of Programming.
To listen or watch this Thursday morning 11:30 a.m. program,, email
Alan Magill at pr2hope@aol.com and he will send you the link.
AM
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for sharing but I am not so tech savvy can
I call I on the phone?
SINAS CHINAM
Dear Vues Master:
One man asked another to explain what Sinas Chinam is. He explained:
“If you hear that someone won a million dollars and this resulted in
your having Sinah towards him, but he actually won only $500,000, it
means that you had Sinas Chinam for the $500,000 that he didn’t win.”
SC
Vues Master’s Note: I would say that if I hate on this letter writer
that would not be sinas chinam! Lol just kidding. Thanks for sharing.
KIDS THESE DAYS
Dear Vues Master:
The other day I was in a doctor’s office and while I was waiting I saw
a boy of maybe 16 years old come in. Right away he started playing on
his phone. Even while the doctor was working on him he was still on
his phone. What is going on? Is this what today’s yeshiva bochurim are
doing all day. When are people going to learn to stop? Do young kids
need any cellphone let alone a smartphone? They can’t get off of it.
Let’s hope that one day they will recover.
ML
Vues Master’s Note: Well if the adults are doing the same so they
learn from the Adults. I guess we need to look at ourselves first!
.
SONG
Dear Vues Master:
Song by YTV Hadlaka Lag B’omer
[Tune Neshama Carelbach Niggun]
I’m Jumping Higher
Than the Fire
B’seyata D’Shmaya
Bonim LaMokom
In Kensington
With Rav Shimon
In Meron
Come Back Home
You’re not Alone
Please Leave Home
Your Smartphone
No Corona-on Lag B’Omer!
RMS
Vues Master’s Note:! Don’t know that tune. Send us a clip of the music.
BIG BROTHER WATCHING
Dear Vues Master:
Red Light Green Light 1-2-3
Beware of the many cameras that are being installed giving tickets for
speeding, red lights and Stop signs. All along 14th ave you have to
come to a full stop. There are cameras on Ocean pkwy. I received a
speeding ticket for going 37mph on Ocean Pkwy and Elmwood ave. I was
surprised that the speed limit is only 25mph!. School Zone! They look
out for you on Ave M and Dahill Rd, 19th ave & 52nd st, 47th st & 19th
ave etc. I once got stopped and told the cop; “I was going too slow”.
He let me go! The truth is that I slow down by green lights, since I
see so many people crossing with their kids or baby carriages & not
looking while talking on their cell phones!
RMS
Vues Master’s Note: The city needs money so they can defund all of
us. Liberal style since you have a car that is like w### privilege so
give up your money. I call this legalized looting.
.
JOKE?
Dear Vues Master:
I have to stop saying “how stupid can you be ” some people are taking
it as a challenge
FG
Vues Master’s Note: This is not a joke. I know plenty of people who
rose to this challenge!
MEDAL
Dear Vues Master:
Israel had high hopes of winning a medal when it competed in the
slalom race at the last Olympics. In a trial run, Uri, the Israeli
entrant, was the fastest skier passing through the 20 gates.
Conditions were perfect on the day of the finals. The crowd waited
with great excitement. The Swiss skier was clocked at 56 seconds. The
Frenchman sped down in 55.8 seconds and the American came in at 55.5
seconds. Then came Uri’s turn. The crowd waited and waited. Finally,
after a minute and 49 seconds, he crossed the finish line. “What
happened,” his disappointed coach asked. Uri responded: “Which one of
those גויים put a mezuzah on each gate?”
DL
Vues Master’s Note: Tell him that in a lot of places they don’t kiss
the Mezuzah. He probably was listening to Acapella which slowed him
down also..
REFUGEE SOLUTION
Dear Vues Master:
As published in the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles – April 20, 2021
A Refugee Solution for Biden — From 1944
by Rafael Medoff
In the span of a single day, the Biden administration announced that
it would not increase this year’s cap on refugee admissions from
15,000 — then promptly reversed its position. The administration’s
flip-flop has ignited protests from both liberal refugee advocates,
who hope the new president will adopt a more generous policy, and
conservatives, who want to maintain the low number established by
President Trump.
But whether the refugee cap is increased to 125,000 annually, as
President Biden originally promised in February, or kept at the 15,000
level set by his predecessor, or ends up somewhere in between — as now
seems likely — America’s policy of admitting refugees remains
inadequate for meeting the human rights challenges of our era. Perhaps
the time has come for a new approach — one based on a proposal first
made in 1943-44.
Current U.S. and international law define a refugee as someone who is
compelled to leave their country “because of persecution or a
well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political
opinion.” Refugee admissions are processed separately from regular
immigration.
Since 1980, the annual maximum number of people admitted as refugees
has been set by the president. In most years, it has ranged between
50,000 and 100,000. This policy is consistent with America’s noble
tradition of welcoming the oppressed, and it stands in welcome
contrast to U.S. policy in the 1930s and 1940s, when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt shut America’s doors to most Jews fleeing the
Nazis.
But the current system is not an adequate response to large-scale
human rights emergencies. The vetting process for refugees typically
takes years, and the number admitted almost certainly would fall short
in a crisis involving mass atrocities. To make matters worse, each
year’s presidential determination usually includes limits on the
number of refugees admitted from specific regions of the world,
without any way of knowing, in advance, where the need will be
greatest.
Even when the number of refugees to be admitted each year has been
only in the tens of thousands, there has been backlash from those who
claim that financial or social conditions in the U.S. should preclude
greater refugee admissions. Some opponents even see the entry of
refugees as a plot to “replace” American voters with foreigners.
President Biden’s fear of such backlash reportedly contributed to the
administration’s slide from his initial promise of 125,000 — made in a
presidential address on February 4 — to 62,500 in a State Department
memorandum a week later, to 15,000 last week.
History offers a bipartisan alternative to constant public
controversies and policy reversals.
At the end of 1942, the Allies publicly confirmed that the Nazis’
killings of Jews in occupied Europe were not random wartime atrocities
but rather a “bestial policy of cold-blood extermination.” In mass
shootings, then in gas chambers in death camps, the Germans and their
collaborators were carrying out the systematic slaughter of millions
of innocent Jews.
In the months to follow, American Jewish organizations and other
refugee advocates began promoting a novel idea — that the Allies
should create “temporary sanctuaries” in the United States and
elsewhere, where European Jews could stay until the end of the war.
The campaign picked up important bipartisan momentum in the autumn of
1943. The presidents of the National Democratic Club and the National
Republic Club called for allowing the entry of anyone seeking “to
avoid religious persecution” for the duration of the war.
Representative Samuel Dickstein (D-NY) introduced a resolution urging
temporary haven in the United States for all victims of Nazi
persecution. In the Senate, W. Warren Barbour (R-NJ) proposed
admitting 100,000 refugees from Nazism until the end of the war.
A key flip-flop by President Roosevelt moved the proposal closer to
reality. Until the end of 1943, FDR’s position was that nothing could
be done to rescue European Jews except to win the war. But under
strong pressure from Congress, the Treasury Department and Jewish
groups, FDR belatedly reversed course and, in January 1944, agreed to
create a new government agency, the War Refugee Board–to rescue the
very people he had claimed couldn’t be rescued.
One of the first proposals made to the president by the Board, in
early 1944, was to create “temporary havens of refuge” in the United
States for Jews fleeing Hitler. “It is essential that we and our
allies convince the world of our sincerity and our willingness to bear
our share of the burden,” Josiah E. DuBois, Jr., one of the leaders of
the Board, argued. Even if those admitted were treated no differently
from prisoners of war, “it would be better to treat the Jews as
prisoners of war than to let them die.”
Leading Democrats and Republicans lined up in support of the War
Refugee Board’s proposal, as did numerous labor unions, religious
bodies and important voices in the media. Syndicated columnist Samuel
Grafton coined the term “Free Ports for Refugees.” “A ‘free port’ is a
small bit of land… into which foreign goods may be brought without
paying customs duties… for temporary storage,” Grafton explained. “Why
couldn’t we have a system of free ports for refugees fleeing the
Hitler terror?… We do it for cases of beans… it should not be
impossible to do it for people.”
There were opponents of the proposal, of course — Secretary of War
Henry Stimson, for example. He believed Jewish refugees were
“unassimilable” and would negatively affect America’s “racial stock.”
The White House privately commissioned a Gallup poll to gauge public
opinion on the issue. The results were startling. The American public,
which by wide margins had long opposed additional immigration, now
favored giving “temporary protection and refuge” to European Jewish
refugees by 70% to 23%. The difference between temporary and permanent
admission seems to have been the most important factor in bringing
about this dramatic shift in public opinion. Foreigners who would stay
for the duration of the war, and would reside in special facilities,
were not perceived by the public as posing a threat to America’s
economy or culture.
Sadly, however, President Roosevelt agreed to admit just one group of
982 refugees. They arrived in August 1944 and were housed in an
abandoned army camp in upstate New York. The Washington Post, in an
editorial, decried the paltry number admitted as “a drop in the bucket
compared with the needs.”
But America, today, can do better. Instead of basing all admission of
refugees on the principle that their stay will be permanent, temporary
havens would offer a supplemental option for those in need of
immediate protection. This would go considerably beyond current U.S.
policy, under which “Temporary Protected Status” may be granted to
individuals who have already reached the United States on their own.
Temporary havens, by contrast, would specifically contribute to mass
rescue from state-sponsored persecution, with the refugees brought to
the United States until it is safe for them to go home. Such a policy
would be based not on arbitrary numerical caps and regional
limitations but instead on actual refugee crises around the world.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. In some situations, different
strategies might be more effective, such as temporary havens in
countries closer to the scene, or the use of military action against
the persecutors, as the United States and its allies undertook in the
Balkans and Libya. Each human rights crisis would have to be evaluated
on a case-by-case basis to determine if bringing refugees to the
United States temporarily would be the most helpful approach in those
circumstances.
And there are aspects to this policy that would need to be ironed
out, such as who would bear the cost for transporting the refugees;
where the refugees would reside; how long refugees would be allowed to
stay in the United States in the event of a protracted crisis in their
native country; and how their employment options and freedom of
movement would be defined.
Those details can be resolved if we start talking about them now,
instead of waiting until the next genocide is already underway. As the
Holocaust and subsequent genocides have demonstrated, there always
seems to be another mass human rights crisis just around the corner.
Let’s get ahead of the curve by coming up with an innovative refugee
policy, such as temporary havens, that will truly reflect American’s
humanitarian values.
RM
Vues Master’s Note: The quota is unnecessary as it is smarter for
them to come in as illegal aliens. No Taxes. Free health insurance
etc. I am ready to denounce my citizenship as illegal aliens or
undocumented citizens get a better life!!
RESTORE CUTS
Dear Vues Master:
FELDER, KAMINSKY SECURE $55K FOR OHEL, RESTORE CUTS TO DEVELOPMENTALLY
DISABLED SERVICES
(Albany, New York) — Senators Simcha Felder and Todd Kaminsky secured
$55,000 for Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services in this year’s
state budget, as well as the full restoration of planned funding cuts
from the State’s Office of People With Developmental Disabilities
(OPWDD) for reimbursements to group homes and other organizations that
provide services to New Yorkers.
“I am delighted to work together with Senator Kaminsky to support
OHEL. A trusted name for decades, OHEL is often the first call in a
crisis. During this very difficult time, we are so grateful for their
work. I am very pleased that we were able to restore the OPWDD funding
that is vital to the care and well being of people with special needs.
With these funds OHEL will continue to help so many New Yorkers in
need,” said Senator Felder.
“New Yorkers with developmental disabilities deserve first-rate care —
and Ohel provides that and more,” said Senator Kaminsky. “Working with
Senator Felder, I was proud to secure $55,000 in funding for Ohel in
this year’s state budget and am confident it will go to good use
furthering the many services the organization provides for children
and families. In addition, we also fully restored proposed cuts to
services for differently-abled individuals and will continue to stand
up for the most vulnerable residents of our state.”
“This welcome support from the state brings Ohel some much needed
relief from the continuing new costs we’ve encountered in the past
year during the pandemic.” said David Mandel, CEO of Ohel Children’s
Home and Family Services. “We thank Senators Todd Kaminsky and Simcha
Felder for their steadfast support of our organization’s work as well
as for securing this grant in the state budget.”
This year’s state budget included a proposed 23 percent cut in funding
for care coordinator organization services for individuals with
developmental and intellectual disabilities. Kaminsky and Felder
fought for a full restoration of this funding to support New York’s
vulnerable populations.
Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services provides an array of social
services in New York City and Long Island, including foster care,
mental health counseling, residential and outpatient care for
individuals with developmental disabilities, older adult services, and
Camp Kaylie — a fully-integrated sleepaway camp for children with and
without disabilities. The grant funding secured by Felder and Kaminsky
will go toward the non-profit organization’s work supporting children
and families in need.
ST
Vues Master’s Note: Finally some good news. It is so sad how the
taxes keep on going up and the fees of speeding and red light cameras
hit us every minute but there are no benefits at least here we get
something out of it.
.
NEXT FOR AUTISM
Dear Vues Master:
I read in the new issue of the Vues that Next for Autism is doing more
harm than good. I recently sent them a check, since a friend
recommended it. Do you think I should try to get my money back?
LF
Vues Master’s Note: Do you think you even have a chance? No one will
give you back money. I don’t know anything about this organization so
I don’t know if it does good? I would check with people in the know
not just read it from a letrter to the Vues Master!
DAAS TORAH
Dear Vues Master:
Harav Hagaon R.Y.S. ELYASHIV ZT”L the פוסק הדור
was very much aware of,
1) The ספרים הקדושים who write about all the השפעות טובות
that comes down by being Lag Baomer in Meron.
2) All the Gedolim of the past and present who traveled to
Meron for Lag Baomer.
3) The hundreds of thousands of Yidden who get
inspiration & Chizuk in Meron on Lag Baomer.
4) The thousands of ישועות & מופתים that happen every
year to those who travel to Meron for Lag Baomer.
5) All the Kabbalists, Rebbes, Talmidei Chachamim,
Chasidim who all disagree with him.
YET, HE HELD, דעת תורה IS TO LEARN & NOT
TO TRAVEL TO MERON FOR LAG BAOMER.
MF
Vues Master’s Note: For him a person that never stopped learning it
was not apropos but what about people who are not such masmidim?
Perhaps if it will inspire them then they should go. Reb Elyashiv
never stopped anyone from going, just said that the best would be to
learn.