03 Apr Speak Your Vues
ANTI-ISRAEL SENTIMENTS
Dear Editor:
What is happening to the Democrat party it is becoming anti-Israel. They refused to join Aipac. Does the fact that AOC and Ilhan Omar winning seats mean that the Democratic Party feels the need to pander to anti semites?
Josh G
Editor’s Note: Yet there is an old phrase that even if Hitler would run on the Democratic party the Liberal Jews would still vote Democrat. Maybe it is time for things to change.
KOSHER FOR PASSOVER
Dear Editor:
The long-standing custom among Ashkenazic Jews is to refrain from eating kitniyos on Pesach. In recent years, though, some kosher supervisors (including the largest, the Orthodox Union) have begun to certify kitniyos as Kosher for Pesach. While logic dictates that there is nothing wrong with kitniyos being approved for Sephardim, I wish to point to a potential serious michshol(stumbling block).
I was in my local Stop and Shop’s Pesach aisle and saw mustard by a company called Shneider’s that bears the Star-K symbol without an indication of Passover approval. There is a corresponding certification, in Hebrew, from Rabbi Eliezer Schneebalg of London. Underneath these hechsherim, in English and Hebrew, is a certification from the Badatz Beit Yossef of Israel. This certification includes the words “Kosher for Passover kitniyoth.”
While a learned person may understand the kitniyos limitation, one not so discerning may reasonably conclude that this product is permitted to all Jews for Pesach and that it is endorsed as such by the Star-K, one of our country’s most respected kashrus organization
A more egregious example is a tahini product that is imported by Lieber’s Chocolates, a leading brand. This product carries no major certification. It does, however, have a large sticker that states, in English, “Kosher for Passover.” Nowhere on the package does it state in English that the product is kitniyos; one must know how to read the Hebrew (or be aware that sesame is kitniyos) to make that determination.
I ask kosher consumers to pay extra attention this season while doing their Pesach shopping.
Avi Glatstein
Editors Note: I thank you for alerting us to this fact. It is important for everyone in the community to always keep their eyes and ears open as there are always re-calls and alerts regarding products and kashrus. Caveat Emptor
WOMEN IN THE MILITARY
Dear Editor:
If a draft was to ever be implemented again in our country, which is highly unlikely short of a global war, those inducted would serve in all military occupational specialties.
The United States military has opened up nearly all military specialites (officer and enlisted) to women, which was the right thing to do. Yet, we still only require men to register for selective service. This inconsistency no longer makes sense, and it sends the wrong signal to the young people of our nation.
Yaakov G.
Editors Note: If this would happen maybe women would be required to hear Parshas Zachor according to all shittos.
WINNING ON SHABBOS
Dear Editor:
What is the halacha concerning purchasing a lottery ticket on a weekday, but the drawing is on Friday night. Mazel Tov! You won money on Shabbos… What to do?
Yoily Kaszirer
Editors Note: Speak to your local Orthodox rabbi. I believe that would not be a prolem.
RESERVING IN SHUL
Dear Editor:
Reserving and “saving” for someone else has gotten out of hand – a shul with limited siddurim: can someone save a stack of siddurim for friends and family that haven’t arrived yet? Can someone save a few seats for friends and family?
If so, is there a limit, on how many seats or siddurim one can save? Can the first person in shul save ALL the siddurim or seats in a shul? Is the limit just one extra seat or extra siddur? Why one, why not five (or twenty)?
I come to a kiddush and literally, half the seats are “reserved” or “save” by one person for all her family or friends. That seems wrong!
Zochim l’adom, one can acquire for someone else, even if one does not need for himself, BUT only if lo chav l’acherim, it does not cause damage/harm for others. Seats, siddurim are limited and chapping them for others that aren’t here causes damage to those of us that are here.
Yossi Rubin
Editors Note: This could be quite challenging but I have no answer for you.
GOOD CHOLENT REVISITED
Dear Editor:
It is an outrage that bochurim these days have to look for a “good cholent place” to buy cholent. I remember, back in the day, when bochurim had the strength and the character to cook their own cholent. What will be when these bochurim get married? Will they force their wives to make the cholent for them, even though it is a masculine food that brings up a shailah of begged ish if a woman cooks it?
Insincerely,
Reb Yidel Schwartz
Editors Note: What is wrong with you? We have a klal – Eilu ve’eilu divrei Elokim chaim. I eat cholent made by man, woman, and child. I don’t discriminate!
MERGING SCHOOLS
Dear Editor:
OOT – only one-day school/yeshiva – can be viable in most communities. It must serve all of Orthodox and traditional Jews across the spectrum. Here in Connecticut the oldest day school in the USA is now 80 years old. It has just merged with the local Hebrew High School and will be on a combined campus in two years.
A major community benefactor has stepped in and guaranteed $1.5 Million in tuition assistance for ALL student over the next 5 years.
Students are of all groups: MO, Chasidic, Sephardic. Many go on to college, and others to Yeshiva or Seminary.
“WEST HARTFORD – On July 1, the merger of the Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy and Hebrew High School of New England (HHNE) will be formalized to create the Hartford area’s first comprehensive Modern Orthodox Jewish school for students in grades K-12.
While classes at the newly formed New England Jewish Academy will continue to be held at both of the schools’ current campuses during the 2019-2020 school year, it is expected that the new school will be housed entirely in HHNE’s West Hartford building by the 2020-2021 school year when an elementary school wing is added.
And if Jewish community leaders Ann and Jeremy Pava get their wish, a tuition subsidy they are providing will spur more families to send their children to the new Jewish school.
With the Pavas’ gift every New England Jewish Academy student will receive a major subsidy ranging from $7,000 to $10,000, depending upon the grade.
According to the Pavas, who are residents of West Hartford, all New England Jewish Academy students will receive the tuition subsidies, even those already enrolled, and the subsidies will remain in place for each student for a minimum of five years. Additional scholarships will still be available for families who need them.”
Yes, for those in the NYC immediate area, Rockland County, Northern Jersey and Lakewood, MO may be a dirty word. But OOT it is these schools that serve the children of all frum Jews, be it the Chabad rabbis, the other Chasidim working at area hospitals, etc.
Even the Day school in the New Haven area that was founded in 1944 and still run by Chabad is MO and a Torah U’Mesorah affiliate. MY shul Rav in New Haven and his father Rav in Hartford, biggies in the Agudah world, sent all their children to the Hartford and New Haven schools before they went off to TV or seminary.
Shani K.
Editors Note:
It’s not all sparkles and rainbows.
Living out of town as a kid is basically like “Well you don’t NEED to have actual friends, but you only have 10 girls in your class, so pick 3 who aren’t the worst and spend your time with them.”
Believe me, in a class of 10 girls, it was made clear who was modern, who was chassidish and whose fathers were in kollel.
It was such a nasty environment growing up. I cannot speak for every grade in my school, but most of my siblings had issues in their grades and I know personally the 2 grades above and below me did too.
No place is perfect, just saying.
FINDING CHOMETZ
Dear Editor:
If you find 11 pieces during bedikas chometz, do you assume that the 11th piece is from last year’s bedikas chometz and therefore chmometz she’ovar olav ha’Pesach – so you can’t eat it?
Are you pretty sure last year you found all 10 pieces, but have a bit of uncertainty (was distracted and in a rush)?
I don’t want to stam burn the extra piece (ba’al tashchis) when I can eat it and do a biyur chometz that way too, but if it is a year old, it’s kind of gross to eat anyway (ba’al t’shaktzu), besides being chometz she’ovar olav ha’Pesach, but maybe it is fresher and still geshmak…
What to do with the 11th piece of chometz???
Meir Moshe Goldberg
Editors Note: I believe you should taste every piece and burn the one that is not to your liking.
KOSHER TOOTHPASTE
Dear Editor:
How can you determine kosher toothpaste? I know glycerin is one of the main issues but that can also be made from plants. Is it enough to reach out to a company and trust what they say? If they specifically answer that there are no animal byproducts in their toothpaste, mouthwash, whitestrips then is that ok to use? Is there anything else to watch out for other than glycerin?
Zushe B
Editors Note: Well first you need to know if toothpaste needs to be kosher and if you hold it needs to be kosher buy the ones that are Kosher for Pesach.
Dear Editor:
Is making marijuana and toeiva marriage legal, but plastic bags illegal normal? How about outlawing fur, straws, and Styrofoam? What has this world come to?
Sruli Jacobs
Editors Note: Well if owning a gun is illegal, but killing an unborn baby is legal, that is your question.
ENOUGH SPACE TO PARK
Dear Editor:
On Bedford Avenue the lines to park were redone and the space to park a car became slimmer. The bike lane became wider. The traffic cops are giving tickets for cars sticking out in the bike lane. I call on the DOT to measure the space and determine if enough space was left for wider SUV’s to park.
T Weiss
Editors note: You are missing the boat! It is a money maker, why should they fix it?
SHAME ON DEBLASIO
Dear Editor:
Shame on Bill DeBlasio for calling on Kalman Yaeger to apologize or risk being taken out of a committee. When Omar and all other Anti-Semites apologize, then we will think about apologizing.
Shloimie G
Editors Note: We can’t forget that we are in golus and it is never a good idea to start a brouhaha.