The following is a current breakdown of all of the plans, decisions, and actions that our community will be taking in anticipation of a dangerous storm hitting our area. We met this morning with the local government agencies, the OEM, and all of the local community organizations. Though we cannot predict the exact path of the storm, it is clear to us that no matter how severe the storm will be, the Far Rockaway/Bayswater, and the Queens/Nassau border will be the hardest hit. As of now the Mayor’s office is advising that a mandatory evacuation for Zone A (Far Rockaway/Bayswater area) is highly likely to be ordered tomorrow morning. The rabbonim of the community are strongly urging once again that anyone who has the ability to go away for Shabbos should do so. With regards to Sunday morning Shachris plans, please refer to your individual Rav, as different shuls have already made their own decisions. In the event that an evacuation is ordered, we have thus far set up five community centers where people will be able to go to, receive  instructions, and get mass transportation to designated shelter areas. This will help avoid chaos and unnecessary Chillul Shabbos. The following shuls will be the designated areas, and will also be fully stocked with basic supplies with the assistance of Gourmet Glatt.     1. The White Shul (Empire Ave)     2. Sharray Tefilah (corner of Central and Lord)     3. Young Israel of Far Rockaway (Beach 9th St.)     4. Young Israel of Bayswater (Healy Ave.)     5. Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv (1 Cedar Lawn Ave.) The number one concern for our community right now is the safely of our elderly and handicapped residents. We are currently working on a plan to evacuate as many of these residents as possible over the next few hours. If you are aware of any residents who cannot care for themselves, please let us know immediately. We stress once again that these are precautionary measures and we are only acting upon the information that the OEM has given us. We will keep you posted as further information becomes available. It is our fervent hope that all these plans and measures will all be unnecessary. Lastly, there are many people with questions, concerns, or are simply not sure of what they should be doing. You can call our office hotline at 516-791-4444 and we will do our best to answer any questions or concerns you may have.   Mark Gross Hatzalah of the Rockaways & Nassau County   Rabbi Boruch B. Bender ACHIEZER   Rabbi Tzvi Flaum Vaad Harabonim of Far Rockaway & The Five Towns    Richard Altabe JCC    Natan Mandelbaum & Alex Glucksman NYC OEM  (Boruch B. Bender, Founder and President ACIEZER)

PHOTO LINK BELOW: This past Sunday December 6th was a wonderful day for the Queens community. Chaverim of Queens, which was founded just under 2 years ago, in memory of Mr. Jack Friedman, held a Free Pre-Winter Auto Inspection for the Queens community. Chaverim of Queens has responded to a few thousand calls already and is growing every day. The Pre-Winter Auto Inspection was held at Maven Motors in Kew Gardens. Maven Motors, which is located at 121-02 Jamaica Avenue is not only known as a trustworthy and reliable mechanic, but has been involved in working with Chaverim of Queens since day one by providing training for all new members. They also have mechanics available (for Chaverim members) on a regular basis to answer questions in any severe type of emergency beyond the scope of the basic training. The event was sponsored by Personal Touch Home Health Services and co-sponsored by the Vaad Harabonim of Queens. The mechanics at Maven Motors together with about 15 members from Chaverim inspected many cars and anyone who needed to have immediate work done was able to have it done on the spot if they so chose. Tires were filled with air, bulbs were replaced if necessary, and most cars received new windshield wipers free of charge. The one episode that really stood out is somewhat quite amazing. During the routine inspection on someone’s car, a small crack in the tire was found running from the side to the front of the tire. The mechanics explained with certainty that this could lead to a blowout especially in severe weather. The person who’s car was being inspected then went on to say how she was about to take a drive up to Montreal and decided when she saw the event advertised that she would come in and get the car checked out even though she knew nothing was wrong with it. Well Baruch Hashem she did, because this tire needed to be replaced and it was. Throughout the day, local police officers stopped by to say hello and were really impressed with what was being done. It truly was a tremendous kiddush hashem. Councilman Jim Gennaro who has also been a friend and supporter of Chaverim of Queens also stopped by to say a few kind words and of course to have his car inspected as well. Refreshments, also sponsored by Personal Touch were served throughout the day to all participants, volunteers and of course the mechanics. Chaverim of Queens is growing and is therefore always looking for new volunteers with day and night time availability. If you would like to join or know anyone who would like to join (or make a donation of any kind) please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 347-684-1155 to request an application and an interview. YWN PHOTO LINK: Click HERE for photos. (Eli Gefen – YWN)

Chaverim of Queens in memory of Jack Friedman is pleased to announce that they will be conducting a free pre-winter Auto Checkup this Sunday December 6th. This is a community wide event and all members of the community are invited to come and have their cars checked out to make sure they are ready for the winter ahead. The event will take place at Maven Motors in Kew Gardens located at 121-02 Jamaica Avenue, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. Representatives from local police departments will be available as well to instruct on proper use of child restraints and general auto safety. Refreshments will be served. The event is sponsored by Personal Touch Home Health Services and co-sponsored by The Vaad Harabonim of Queens. (Eli Gefen – YWN)

In recent years massive amounts of non-kosher and bidievad-kosher giddin, the special thread used to sew tefillin, sifrei Torah, Nach and megillot have appeared in the STa”M marketplace. This giddin is sold to unsuspecting sofrim and then passed on to the kosher consumer. The problematic giddin is of 2 types. Giddin made from gid, sinews, taken from pigs, horses, camels and other tamei animals or made by non-Jews is pasul and pasuls the STa”M items in which it is used. Giddin processed by machine and thus not made lishmah lowers the kashrut level of divrei STa”M to being only kosher bidieved. Information about this scandal has been very slow in becoming public knowledge. This is despite the fact that the Jerusalem Badatz, the Vaad HaRabonim L’inyanei STa”M, Rav Mordechai Friedlander, Rav of Mishmeres STa”M of Jerusalem and Rav Shamai K’hat HaCohen Gross, Rav of Mishmeret Hakodesh have all issued strong warnings in the past to the public about it. Tefillin having only a general kashrut certificate are suspect as to the giddin used in them. They should be checked by a certified STa”M examiner and re-sewn with giddin having a hechsher. How has this scam come about? Because few people are familiar with the complex laws of giddin, retzuot and tefillin batim. Most sellers of STa”M are not sofrim. Also, most sofrim only learn how to write STa”M without studying these additional halachot. Even many rabbis are unfamiliar with these halachot unless they have undertaken special study. Due to the growth in size of the world-wide Jewish community and the attendant growth in the amount of divrei STa”M being produced, the making of giddin has become an industry on the order of magnitude of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Giddin without a hechsher is sold at a very low price at great profit to the illicit manufacturers. Those involved either are ignorant of the halachic requirements for kosher giddin or are knowingly ignoring these requirements for financial gain. The amount of giddin used in a single pair of tefillin or even in a complete Torah scroll is very small. Thus, demanding kosher, mehudar giddin adds only minimally to the price. Just as with what we eat, tefillin, sifrei Torah, Nach and megillot need to have kashrut certification that includes supervision of the giddin used. The buyer must know who gives the kashrut certification and what is covered by the certificate. If it is not clear what the certification covers a Rabbi should be consulted before making the purchase. For further halachic references and a list of the hiddurim present in mehudar giddin, see this letter from Rav Shamai K’hat HaCohen Gross , Rav of Mishmeret Hakodesh for Sta”M, and this letter from the Jerusalem Badatz . Additional Background Information: How Giddin is Made Giddin is thread made from the gid, sinew, of a kosher animal. The Shulchan Aruch, basing itself on halacha l’Moshe miSinai, specifies that giddin is the only thread that is kosher for sewing tefillin, Torah scrolls and megillot. The halachot of giddin detail which animals can be used as source material and how the giddin is to be made. Production of kosher giddin is both physically demanding and time consuming. It is almost an art form. Until very recently the skills involved, which can take years

The Kof-K logo will make an encore appearance on the Streit’s Matzo streits_logobox for Passover 2010, alongside the Soloveichik kashrus seal that has been on Streit’s products since the 1950s. The change is a result of the ban on Streit’s matzo products enacted by the Vaad HaRabonim of Queens and the Vaad HaKashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway just before last Pesach. Although Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik had been the sole hashgacha on Streits-Kof-K logoStreit’s matzo since 2007, the two community organizations claimed their sudden action in 2009 was necessary due to Streit’s lack of a nationally known hashgacha. Rabbi Yosef Eisen, rabbinic coordinator of the Vaad of the Five Towns, pronounced the news about the Kof-K and Streit’s to be “wonderful.” Would he expect any problems next Pesach about allowing stores in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway to stock Streit’s matzo? “Absolutely not,” he said. Rabbi Yoel Schoenfeld, who heads the Queens Vaad and led the way on the initial Streit’s ban, was more cautious. “Obviously, we’re very delighted that they’re taking a national hashgacha,” he said, but “we’ll have to see how they proceed. That’s something that’s going to have to be left to our kashruth committee.” Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik began supervising Streit’s matzo production in 2001 following the death of his father, Rabbi Aharon Soloveichik, zt”l. The elder Rabbi Soloveichik, a brother to Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, had overseen Streit’s since the 1950s and was considered beyond reproach. The son was publicly embarrassed earlier this year to learn that he, apparently, was not. “I received apologies,” he said. “One rabbi called an hour and a half before Pesach [after] all the stores were closed down. I received an apology from another rabbi for not having called me to find out the details.” As for working with the Kof-K again, Rabbi Soloveichik said, “I’ve worked with them before and we worked well together … I guess [Streit’s] feel it’s a form of protection to have a national hashgacha from people who would say all kinds of things without having a real basis for it.” The Kof-K now has a business relationship with Streit’s that makes him unable to comment, said Rabbi Daniel Senter. For Streit’s the addition of the Kof-K is purely a business decision, as it was to remove it after the 2006 baking season. “I have spoken to [the two vaads] and I’m still not sure why they did what they did,” said Alan Adler, one of the cousins who operate the company founded by his great-grandfather, Aron Streit. “I asked, ‘Is there any way to get Streit’s into the stores without a national hashgacha,’ and they only responded, ‘If you have a national hashgacha the problem will go away.’” Adler said the added expense would not cause the price of matzo to go up. The company estimates the ban last Pesach, which Adler called “an ambush,” had cost Streit’s about $200,000 in lost orders. Prominent local rabbonim were critical of the Vaad of the Five Town’s sudden move against Streit’s and promised to do a better job of policing its activities. Consumers were supportive when the ban became public, said Adler. “Almost everybody we heard from was outraged by what the vaads did and came out to support us.” “I got e-mails from

The following article is written By Mayer Fertig, and will appear in tomorrows Jewish Star. Every conversation with a kashruth professional about Streit’s Matzo –– on the record or off –– eventually winds up in the same place: no one wants to be disrespectful to the memory of Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik zt”l whose name was on the Streit’s box from the mid-50s until his death in 2001 — or to hurt his son, Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik, who gives the hashgacha (kosher certification) today — by publicly raising a concern that the quality of supervision at Streit’s has slipped in recent years. Yet, less than a month before Pesach, the Vaad HaRabbonim of Queens decided to remove Streit’s Matzo and matzo products from its list of approved products. The Vaad HaKashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway immediately followed suit. The result was that days before Passover the makers of Streit’s Matzo felt ambushed, Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik was embarrassed publicly and many kosher consumers are confused: is the stuff kosher for Pesach, or not? Everyone seems to agree that it is. The directive from the Queens Vaad was in no way meant to imply that the matzo is not kosher for Passover, said Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, co-president of the Vaad HaRabonim of Queens. “People asked me, ‘I bought Streit’s Matzo. Should I return it?’ I said no.” “We’re not saying, chas v’shalom, that it’s not kosher,” said Rabbi Yosef Eisen of the Five Towns Vaad. “We’re just saying that there are certain concerns about the level of oversight.” “No one here at all had any malice, any intention to hurt anybody,” he stressed. “The reason that this has been pushed off from year to year, although there have been certain concerns that this is a private hashgacha, but no one wanted to hurt, at all, Rabbi Soloveichik. [He] is a distinguished individual. In the end not wanting to hurt him, to be damaging to him personally” turned out to have the opposite effect. “Streit’s matzos were held in very high esteem while they were under the hashgacha of Rav Ahron Soloveichik,” according to an expert in machine matzo production who spoke to The Jewish Star on the condition that he not be identified. “When the hashgacha went to his son the perception was that the same standards were not maintained.” “Because it was Rav Ahron Soloveichik’s hechsher –– no one wants to mess with the Soloveichiks in general,” he explained. “There’s a feeling of reverence [for] the family.” Among the problems that can occur on a matzo production line are the folded over matzo, called a kefulah, or the swelled matzo, called a nefucha, the expert said. “And part of the job of the hechsher agency is to make sure these are removed prior to crush –– the making of all kinds of matzo meal products. Because once it’s crushed and turned into itty bitty pieces, you can’t tell if it was once kosher matzo or not.” No one who spoke with The Jewish Star offered any cause for specific concern in those regards. “Its very important that you understand that the question is not whether one trusts the Streit’s company,” said Rabbi Daniel Senter, the kashrus administrator of the Kof-K. “[They] are very honorable people. The question is …

Jerusalem…An impressive group of Gedolei Yisroel, rabbonim and dayanim reaffirmed the importance of ascertaining the sincerity of potential converts in accepting the “ohl hamitzvos,” at a special meeting organized by the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) on May 29th. The meeting followed the highly publicized debate in Eretz Yisroel over the assertion that many conversions were lenient about the concept of “kabolas ohl mitzvos” at the time of conversion. The meeting was opened by Harav Leib Tropper, Rosh Yeshiva, Kol/Yaakov, who serves as the head of Vaad Harabonim of EJF. He noted that the timing was rife for a gathering of yirei hashem on the subject, “which could only lead to positive results.” Harav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, representing the Bais Din of Harav Vosner and Rosh Yeshiva of Chasam Sofer, read a massage from Harav Sholom Yosef Eliyashiv, who warned that “we must be on guard with all our strength to prevent the incursion of foreign concepts (in giyur) into bais yisroel.” The assembled expressed a great deal of concern about converts who are totally removed from authentic Judaism and who misuse their certificates by dayanim resulting in a great deal of confusion as to their Jewish identity. They suggested that while the convert may never have intentioned to be a shomer mitzvos, they function in society as fully recognized Jews, leading to many halachic problems on their status as well as the status of their offspring. The rabbonim reiterated the spirit and word of the letter of Gedolei Yisroel in 1984 confirming that only geirim who sincerely and genuinely accept ohl mitzvos at the time of conversion can be accepted into klal Yisroel as geirei tzedek. The rabbonim were particularly concerned about the wholesale geirus of thousands of non-Jews who never have any intention of observing Torah and mitzvos. They urged all rabbonim to be on guard during the application process for marriage to ascertain the background of the couples. The rabbonim singled out for praise the rabbinic committees in many Israeli cities who conduct exhaustive background checks prior to agreeing to officiate at weddings. Harav Tropper suggested closer scrutiny at time of giyur to determine the sincerity of the potential converts in keeping Torah and mitzvos. He also reiterated the position of Gedolei Yisroel that conversions can only be performed in established batei din and not batei din that are set up for the purpose of doing giyur and whose conversion must be redone. The meeting resolved to embark on an intensive educational campaign amongst local religious councils to emphasize their responsibility in preserving the sanctity of the Jewish nation. Amongst the participants were Harav Yitzchok Scheiner, Rosh Yeshiva of Kaminetz and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah; Harav Shmuel Deutsch, a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva Kol Torah; Harav Eliyahu Heishirik, Dayan of the Bet Din of Tel Aviv; Harav Mordechai Shlomo Steinmetz, Rav of Chasidei Viznitz, Jerusalem; Harav Moshe Havlin, Rav of Kiryat Gat; Harav Yosef ben Porat, Rosh Yeshiva Ashrei Ha’ish; Harav Nochum Eisenstein, Chairman of the International Committee on giyur affiliated with the beth din of Harav Eliyashiv; Harav Mordechai Kalmanowitz, Director of the Wedding Registry, Ashdod; and Harav Zvi Weinman, a toen. (Wittten by Lubicom)

Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D-Passaic), in partnership with Agudath Israel of America, convened two meetings over the past two months which have brought top leaders from the Jewish community together with leading officials in county and state medical examiner’s offices. The purposes of the meetings were to present the Jewish perspective on autopsies and ensuring the dignity of the deceased. “While New Jersey already has strong legislation that protects the rights of religiously observant residents, these meetings serve as forums that allow those involved to gain a greater appreciation for the needs of the observant Jewish community,” said Assemblyman Schaer who recently authored several pieces of legislation aimed at religious accommodation that were signed into law. “It is my hope that New Jersey will continue to serve as a model to all other states when it comes to sensitivity to religious concerns.” In all but seven states, religious decedants who die of unknown causes can be autopsied. States which have state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRA) do not have explicit laws governing autopsy, but families of religious decedants can potentially use the RFRA to protect their religious rights. In all states, autopsies are still performed in cases of compelling public necessity. New Jersey law has specific autopsy legislation protecting religious rights. Among others, the meetings included Rabbi Elchonon Zone, the Director and founder of the Chevra Kadisha of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens and the National Association of Chevros Kadisha, Rabbi  A.D. Motzen, Ohio Regional Director of Agudath Israel, and NJ Agudath Israel Director Josh Pruzansky. Additional meetings will be formalized in the coming months to further discuss these important issues.

The use of “virtual autopsy” to accommodate religious concerns was the subject of a recent seminar here at Bolling Air Force Base. The procedure – using Computed Tomography (CT) scans rather than scalpels in post-mortem examinations – has been employed by the military over 2000 times at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. It saves time – often taking as little as two minutes, compared to up to ten hours using the traditional method; it can better render the path taken by a projectile; and it facilitates triage, including helping identify cases where an invasive, autopsy might be deemed necessary. Not considered when the military began using the scans, however, were religious concerns. But such concerns were much on the minds of the presenters and more than forty military chaplains who participated in the Bolling Base seminar. The event, which was spearheaded by noted askan, Chaplain Captain Menashe Miller, USAF, and coordinated by Rabbi A. D. Motzen, Ohio regional director of Agudath Israel of America, featured an expert panel — assembled by Rabbi Motzen, together with Rabbi Aaron Kotler, CEO of Beth Medrosh Govoha – who examined the issue of virtual autopsies from medical, legal, and halachic perspectives. Panelists included Commander Edward  Reedy, Ph.D., M.D., Chief Deputy Medical Examiner of the Armed Forces; Rabbi Shmuel Bloom, executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America; Rabbi Elchonon Zohn, director and founder of the Chevra Kadisha of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens and the National Association of Chevros Kadisha; and Steven Sholk, Esq. a practicing attorney for 25 years and currently of Gibbons P.C. In a compelling presentation, Rabbi Rabbi Elchonon Zohn, director of the National Association of Chevros Kadisha, conveyed the Jewish emphasis on preserving the dignity of the deceased, outlining some of the halachic issues related to immediate burial and autopsy. “Although blood and toxicology samples may still need to be taken in many cases,” he said, “virtual autopsy will have a significant impact in reducing invasive procedures.” “With virtual autopsies, meisim who would otherwise need to undergo invasive and sometimes time-consuming procedures can be scanned and returned to the families for immediate burial,” said Rabbi Motzen, adding that the procedure is already being used to accommodate religious convictions in England and Australia. “Even when medical examiners may need to remove a bullet, the scan can pinpoint the exact location, saving the pathologist many hours of work, and the body from invasive desecration.”     The Agudah representative noted that in cases of mass casualties like hurricanes, virtual autopsy can be used as a triage tool to decide which bodies can be spared more invasive autopsy. Commander Reedy pointed out that virtual autopsies are so new and cutting-edge, the courts do not yet recognize their results as scientific evidence. Such recognition, he said, is critical for the procedure to be adopted for civilian use, and gaining court acceptance  is one of Commander Reedy’s highest priorities. Once that happens, civilian medical examiners and coroners will be more likely to incorporate this technology into their work.  A number of medical examiners have already contacted the Armed Forces for more information about the procedure and the necessary equipment. Expressing gratitude to Commander Reedy and the Air Force for their willingness to examine ways to respect the religious views of servicemen, Rabbi Motzen noted that