27 Aug SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER

CAMP TIPS
Dear Vues Master
I can’t believe how much I had to spend this year on
tips. I sent my 3 kids to different sleep away camps this
summer. Each one of them cost me between $4,000
and $6,000 for just a half a summer. My wife and I
went to the camp last week to pick them up & was
surprised that we needed to spend another $800 on tips.
My kids were happy with their counselors but giving
every counselor $100 or more for a half a summer is
ridiculous.
HP
Vues Master’s Note: You should be happy that your kids
liked their counselors. Do you remember when you were a
counselor? You relied on those tips for spending money. Tips
are part of sending your kids to camp. Whether you like it
or not.

GREAT SUMMER
Dear Vues Master
What a summer? I just want to thank Hakadosh Baruch
Hu for an excellent summer. My kids loved their camp.
My son went to Eretz Yisrael for the summer & he had
B”H no incidents. The weather was great. My OBBL
baseball team played great. As a teacher, I’m looking
forward to going back to school. I missed my students.
BT
Vues Master’s Note: Overall, it was definitely a great summer.
I just wish we would get back the hostages already.

SUMMER 2024 BUSINESS IN THE
CATSKILLS
Dear Vues Master
Can you believe that there were 12 new restaurants (can
you name them all?) & 3 new groceries that opened
upstate this summer? That is extremely impressive.
Vues Master’s Note: I’ll be surprised if they all come back
next summer but overall the Catskills are definitely booming
these days.

VOTE FOR LOU
Dear Vues Master
I am writing in support of Lou Ingrassia’s candidacy
for the NY Assembly – District 100, the seat that is
being vacated by Aileen Gunther who is retiring. My

wife and I met with Lou Ingrassia on our own initiative
at our home and spent 90 minutes discussing matters
of mutual interest. We find Mr. Ingrassia to be the
best candidate to represent the voters of the Assembly
District 100 in Albany. Lou Ingrassia has dedicated
more than four decades to serving the public. He has
been a volunteer firefighter with the Howells Fire
District, a Past Fire Chief, and currently serves as a
Fire Commissioner for the Howells Fire District.
Mr. Ingrassia is the Town of Wallkill Commissioner
of Public Works where he started his career in 1986
as a laborer. He also is a NYSDEC Licensed Water
and Sewer Plant Operator, holding the highest grades
of licensing available and serves as the Chairman of
the Hudson Valley WaterWorks Association. He also
dedicates his time to New York’s veterans by serving
as a Chairman of the Board of Hudson Valley Honor
Flight. From our discussion, we find that Lou Ingrassia
is committed to making New York safer and more
affordable. In the area of Public Safety, he stands
for repealing the failing cashless bail and sanctuary
policies that have made New York State more
dangerous for law abiding citizens and for additional
support for our first responders, police, EMS and
firefighters. For New York Affordability, he will work
for lowering property taxes for families and seniors
and for improving the New York business climate to
create better paying jobs – especially for young New
Yorkers. In the area of Resources for New York, he will
ensure that the Hudson Valley receives its fair share of
the funding for education, transportation and water and
sewer infrastructure to improve the region’s quality
of life while helping to hold down local taxes. After
Camile O’Brien graciously conceded her endorsement
by the Conservative Party, I respectfully appeal to all
Republicans, Democrats, Conservative Party members
as well as Independents to cast a vote for Lou Ingrassia
in the general election as our best candidate for the New
York Assembly – District 100. I had the opportunity to
deal with Lou Ingrassia’s Democratic opponent Paula
Elaine Kay of Rock Hill in my capacity as a Member
of the Board of Directors of a major nationwide
sports organization. I believe that her conduct at the
time, which included making decisions while lacking
evidence, made Paula Kay professionally, personally

and temperamentally unsuitable to serve
in the Assembly of the State of New York
and to represent the voters of District 100.
Ivan Orisek Forestburgh, New York
Vues Master’s Note: We all love Lou & wish
him the best of luck in the election!

I’M RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF
WOODRIDGE
Dear fellow residents of Woodridge, I just
want to remind everyone that I am running
this November for the position of Mayor
of our beloved Village of Woodridge. My
decision to run for this esteemed office
is driven by my deep commitment to our
community and a vision for our village’s
future. Listening to and collaborating
with the residents of Woodridge will be at
the heart of my administration. Together,
we can continue to build a village where
everyone feels valued and heard. I am
excited about the opportunity to serve as
Mayor and work alongside you. Please
do not hesitate to reach out with your
thoughts, concerns, and aspirations for
our village. Your input is invaluable, and
I am eager to hear from you. I kindly
ask for your support and your vote in
the upcoming election. Together, let’s
make Woodridge an even better place to
live, work, and raise a family. Let’s move
Woodridge forward. Sincerely,
Mr. Martin Rosenberger
Vues Master’s Note: Hatzlocha!

END OF SUMMER
Dear Vues Master:
I can’t believe the summer is over! It was
an awesome summer all around in the
Catskills. Things seemed to be back to
normal after covid and there were tons
of things going on upstate this summer.
It appeared that most businesses did
very well. Gourmet Glatt, Honey Dew
and Zest’s new grocery stores and all the
new restaurants seemed to be very busy
all summer. Thank you Country Vues
for another great season! Can’t wait until
summer 2025.
AD
Vues Master’s Note: I don’t count other
people’s money!!

GETTING INVOLVED WITH AIPAC
Dear Vues Master Just before 5:00 a.m.
this past Sunday, the Israeli military
took decisive action in Lebanon to
destroy thousands of Hezbollah rocket
launchers minutes before they were
set to fire at strategic sites in Israel. In
a highly sophisticated operation, 100
Israeli fighter jets struck 40 Hezbollah

sites within a 20-minute window. Israel
believes Hezbollah’s objective was to
simultaneously fire thousands of rockets—
potentially 6,000 rockets—to overwhelm
Israeli defense systems and destroy the
Mossad headquarters and IDF intelligence
facilities. Israel’s offensive capabilities
enabled this defensive victory. The jets and
munitions used to save countless lives and
thwart Hezbollah’s attack were acquired in
part through the annual security assistance
we advocate for each year. The IDF acted
on precise intelligence that was shared
and acquired with the United States, and
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav
Gallant in the immediate aftermath of the
strikes. Israel’s action today to stop an
imminent threat comes amid a ten-month
assault from Hezbollah on the Jewish
state. Since October 8, Hezbollah has
fired more than 8,000 rockets, missiles,
and drones into the Jewish state. More
than 80,000 Israelis have left their homes
and communities in the north due to the
ongoing attacks, which have killed dozens
of Israelis. Hezbollah had hoped that the
Jewish state and the West would wake
up in a different world. Backed by Iran,
the terror group has amassed more than
150,000 missiles and rockets, many with
precision guidance systems, that could
overwhelm Israel’s defenses. It wanted to
showcase its immense capabilities, expose
the limitations of Iron Dome, destroy
Israeli intelligence facilities, and kill
scores of Israelis. Instead, Hezbollah and
its Iranian backers experienced a powerful
demonstration of Israeli capabilities,
U.S.-Israel collaboration, and our work to
ensure Israel has what it needs to defend
against and confront its enemies. While
the majority of Hezbollah’s planned attack
was thwarted, it did manage to fire 210
rockets and 20 drones into Israel, striking
further south than it has in the past ten
months. In dramatic footage included
below, Iron Dome intercepted numerous
rockets inbound for Israeli communities
and strategic sites. Our work together to

advocate for pro-Israel policy, elect pro-
Israel leaders, and build bipartisan support

for the U.S.-Israel relationship has helped
save countless lives. I encourage you to
click here to send a letter to your members
of Congress with three points: Educate
them about the operation, Hezbollah’s
objectives, and Hezbollah’s capabilities.
Ask them to speak out in support of Israel
and its decisive action against Iran’s terror
proxy. Urge them to ensure Israel has the
offensive and defensive resources it needs

to protect its families and to reject any
attempt to block or condition aid to our
democratic ally. I also urge you to share
this message with friends and family who
are not yet involved with AIPAC, with
a message that now is the time for them
to join you. What Hezbollah attempted
to achieve this morning is yet another
reminder of the dangerous threats facing
Israel. The Jewish state is on alert 24/7
as it confronts threats from Iran and its
proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, the West
Bank, Gaza and Yemen. We need to
grow our pro-Israel movement now and
urgently strengthen bipartisan support for
the U.S.-Israel relationship to help ensure
Israel can defend itself, by itself.
Adam Harris/National Council of Young
Israel
Vues Master’s Note: Am Yisrael Chai!

A MIRACLE
Dear Vues Master
A terrorist driving a truck filled with
explosives blows himself up instead of
a mass casualty event. 15 mins before
Hezbollah launches 6,000 missiles at city
centers, 100 Israeli planes successfully
eliminate the threat in a surprise
preemptive attack. There are things
happening regularly that we would have
established Jewish holidays over in the
past but are becoming the new normal.
May they never be normal. May we never
adjust to this reality. Let us always be
enormously grateful to Hashem and to His
agents, the heroes of the IDF & Israeli Air
Force.
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg
Vues Master’s Note: Miracles surround us.
Thank you to all the heroes of the IDF & Israeli
Air Force.

THE UNBREAKABLE BOND
Dear Vues Master
In an article written shortly after the start
of this war in Gaza, Andrew Silow-Carroll
wrote about historic American Jewish
philanthropy in response to past wars.
“In response to the Six-Day War in 1967,
American Jews donated more than $100
million — close to $1 billion in today’s
dollars — in a little over two weeks. Six
years later, when the Yom Kippur War
punctured Israel’s aura of invulnerability,
American Jews contributed $700 million
in emergency aid, or $6.4 billion in
today’s money.” Silow-Carroll concluded,
“Both wars cemented Israel as a central
component of American Jewish identity,
politics, and philanthropy.” Figures differ
depending on the source of the reports,

but the general consensus among those
who take count of philanthropy is that
American Jewish giving to causes in Israel
have far surpassed a billion dollars and is
quickly approaching two billion dollars.
While some American communal leaders
were nervous that “defensive, protective
and supportive” causes will come at the
expense of American organizations (in the
words of one President of an American
organization) in the end there was nothing
to fear. American Jewry over-extended
their giving to ensure the Jewish state, its
communities, and soldiers weren’t in need.
Reminiscent of American Jewry taking
out loans to buy weapons for the Haganah
before the establishment of the state,
American Jewry have placed Israel and her
needs above their own financial concerns.
The generous giving, the many missions,
and the great lobbying of American (and
global) Jewry speaks to the unbreakable
bond between Diaspora Jewry, Israel
and the Israeli people. This isn’t a bond
that had to ever be forged but was rather
inherent in the Jewish people. From the
establishment of the State of Israel more
than 75 years ago over 90% of American
Jews have supported the State of Israel.
This makes the minuscule amount of Jews
who identify as anti-Zionist the fringe
outlying element of American Jewry. There
are some who call the choice of American
Jewry to continue to live outside of Israel
and their Zionism a contradiction. After
all, they accuse, if American Jewry was
really Zionist, they’d move to Israel. They
call American Jewry’s Zionism lacking.
They couldn’t be more wrong. Their
understanding that dedication to Zionism
as a cause can only be achieved by living
in Israel reflects a misunderstanding of
the Zionist movement, Jewish philosophy,
and the great tradition of diaspora support
of the people of Eretz Yisrael. Joseph
the righteous, Theodore Herzl, Albert
Einstein, and none other than Moshe,
were all Jewish leaders who loved Israel,
worked hard to settle the Jewish people
in Israel, but who never personally lived
in Israel. They are just the headliners
of the many Jewish and Zionist leaders
who never lived in Israel. Zionism as a
movement required the support of the
establishment (and today the growth) of
an independent Jewish state on the Jewish
people’s historic homeland, the land of
Israel. It did not require moving to Israel.
For thousands of years of the Jewish exile,
diaspora Jews sent financial support to
the small and brave Jewish communities
of Israel. These donors were known as

the “Lovers of Zion,” and were lauded
as the backbone of the Jewish Yishuv in
Eretz Yisrael. The foundation of Diaspora
support for Israel and her people comes
from the inherent understanding of all
Jews,- that irrespective of where a Jew
chooses to live, the land of Israel is
home. The land of Israel was considered
home for the Jewish people just as much
for the 2,000 years of the Jewish exile
as it is today. Elie Wiesel spoke to the
Jewish people’s eternal understanding
of Israel as home when he said, ‘When a
Jew visits Jerusalem for the first time, it
is not the first time, it is a homecoming.”
Today’s Diaspora Jew understands that
Israel is the past, present, and future of
the Jewish people. The Jewish people’s
history took place throughout much of
the world but was always anchored in
the land of Israel. The Jewish people’s
success and potential as a nation can be
seen in today’s thriving State of Israel.
Nowhere but in Israel can the promise of
the Jewish people as one United nation be
seen as much as in today’s Jewish State.
In early Zionist’s most fantastical dreams
they never imagined the achievements of
the current state of Israel. The hundreds
of Jewish babies born in Israel everyday
testify to the future of the Jewish people
being in Israel. Jews around the world
recognize that there is a greater chance
of their grand and great-grandchildren
being raised in Israel than where they
currently live. The Jewish future is being
developed in Israel. The Jewish cities,
towns, universities, and batei medrashim
are being built in Israel today. The next
generations of the Jewish people will be
defined by the growth of the state and
land of Israel. The connection of diaspora
Jewry isn’t measured in dollars donated
but in the place Israel takes in every
Jew’s heart and mind. Rabbi Yehudah
Halevi, author of the Kuzari, put the
connection between diaspora Jews and
Eretz Yisrael best when he said, “My
heart is in the East, but I am at the edge
of the West.” Eretz Yisrael takes up a
large place in the hearts and minds of
the Jewish people all around the world.
The connection between diaspora Jewry
and Israel manifests itself in the prayers,
thoughts, and concern American Jewry
has for Israel and her people. The bond
between diaspora Jewry and Israel is an
unbreakable bond.
RUP
Vues Master’s Note: We need Moshiach now!

SEEDS
Dear Vues Master
Last week, a woman working at a store was
excited to wish me a “Shabbat Shalom.”
On a Sunday. Today, when we landed,
a woman sitting nearby mentioned her
son wanted to say something. The young
boy said with a smile, “I am Jewish too.”
Our enemies tried to bury us. They didn’t
know we are seeds. Jewish souls are
waking up and blossoming. Let’s water
them!
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for your
leadership Rabbi!

JOKE
Dear Vues Master
Biden and Macron are talking and
discussing world events. At the
press conference afterwards, Macron
announces that the two powers have
decided to bomb the hell outta Gaza and
are estimating that “500,000 Palestinians
and a dentist will die.” A reporter
immediately jumps up and asks, “Why a
dentist?” Biden pats Macron on the back,
chuckles, and says, “See, I told you no
one would care about the Palestinians!”
HF
Vues Master’s Note: Love it!

BIDEN SENDING IRAN BILLIONS
Did the Biden administration reinstate
the Iran deal and send them billions? Yes,
yes they did. How are women treated in
Iran? Not so great, right? So how exactly
does that make Kamala someone who
cares deeply about women’s rights? How
has the Biden administration not taken
action against Hamas and Iran after the
mass rape of 10/7? Shouldn’t women
rights activists believe all women? For
someone who millions are voting for
because of her fight for women’s rights,
I’d expect to see Kamala doing more
on these two issues. And don’t come at
me with “She was only VP. She didn’t
do anything in this administration.”
Just think if someone would make that
argument about the VP on the other side.
“He’s not responsible for any of the
administration’s policies. He was just the
vice president.” So those who are voting
for Kamala not because she’s not Trump,
are voting for her because of her stance
on women’s rights, so kindly explain to
me how she’s ok funding Iran and their
women’s rights violations. If you respond
to me with the word “Trump” or why
she’s better than him, I don’t want to
talk to you. I asked a question. You don’t
have to respond but if you do choose to

respond, answer the question. Why has
the current administration funded Iran and
not taken an active role in prosecuting the
Palestinians for their violence on 10/7?
HF
Vues Master’s Note: All very solid points
which they refuse to answer.

WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES
Dear Vues Master
We question where Hashem is when
tragedy strikes, but we must ask the
same when we wake up and breathe each
morning. Life’s gifts are no less divine.
This moment, as painful as it is, may be
the shot we don’t understand, but one we
need. Hashem is with us, always. And
those who made the wrong choice? They
don’t know what they’ve unleashed.
Hillel Fuld
Vues Master’s Note: Everything is in Hashem’s
hands.

HILCHOS SHABBOS
Dear Vues Master,
During shiva visits you’ll often see the
mishnayos sign up sheet being made in
honor of the niftar. This is a huge boost
for the neshama that this Torah is being
studied in their shloshim period. Along
with kaddish of course, the idea is to
show that because of this person there is
an increase in Hashem’s honor. Someone
once asked me what women can do to
help the departed loved one since they
do not learn mishnah or say the kaddish.
Aside from tzedakah to torah causes, one
of the best things you can do is brush
up on hilchos Shabbos. Besides that
ultimately you’re helping yourself, part
of what they will be looking at over the
person’s trial is who they left behind and
did they leave behind a Shomer Shabbos
family? Since such a large portion of
Shabbos is kitchen preparations and
seudos, the knowledge of the halachos
is imperative on the woman’s part to
sustain the shmiras shabbos status of the
house. Whether it’s how to open certain
things, heating up things properly, how
to properly select and avoid forbidden
sorting, how to handle spills and trash,
and which forms of tying is permissible,
etc. A quick review can be the difference
between a continued mistake and a
lifetime of avoidance. Imagine what a
zechus it is for the niftar to learn this
in their memory. As beautiful as it is to
write a sefer Torah , it is more beautiful
to know it. There is no shortage of
English books to help you get through
this. One particular new one that comes

to mind is “Learn Shabbos in 3 minutes
a day.” Since everyone definitely has 3
minutes, make it count for a lifetime.
KLMY
Vues Master’s Note: There is a reason why
Mesechta Shabbos is such a long mesechta.
There is always plenty to learn about hilchos
Shabbos.

BOATING
Dear Vues Master:
This is John Payne from Paynes
Watersports in White Lake. There is a
new law, the Brianna law, that I want
everyone to know about that requires that
all motorboat operators must complete
a boating safety course and obtain a
certificate from the NYS Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation
by Jan. 1, 2025. In 2024, anyone born
on or after Jan. 1, 1978, must carry a
boating safety certificate while operating
a motorized vessel. In NYS, there are
increasing rules and regulations for many
recreational opportunities as the results
of accidents and related studies that
generate new safety rules. Conclusions
from the studies make the rules more
formal and laws are passed with good
intentions. Laws intended to protect
participants. The new NYS boating safety
certificate is required for all recreational
boaters using motorized vessels,
including personal watercraft, though
operators of non-motorized boats, such
as kayaks and canoes, are not required to
have a certificate at this time. They are
encouraged to take a safe boating course,
as well. NYS does recognize the boating
safety courses issued by other states for
visitors to NYS. Folks are allowed to rent
and operate a motorboat from a livery
without first obtaining a boating safety
certificate, though staff at the livery must
provide basic instructions and safety
information before departure. Go to this
website to get more information: https://
parks.ny.gov/boating/education.aspx
Please be aware.
John Payne
Vues Master’s Note: Thank you John! Just
what we need, more government regulation in
our lives!