Unfortunately, if we set aside a day for every tragedy in Jewish history, the calendar would be full. But the scope, circumstances and impact of the Holocaust are so immense that a special day of remembrance was deemed appropriate. I never discussed the day itself with my parents—both survivors, both in Heaven now—but I suspect they would have agreed. My mother, z”tl, warned against getting comfortable with the memory. As a child of survivors, and as a student of history, I have sought to understand as much as I can about what occurred during those tragic years. It’s not a morbid fascination; it’s a thirst for knowledge that might somehow be useful in dealing with today’s issues that endanger the Jewish people… and help prevent future tragedies. No one can deny that a generation has not passed where many people—not just an isolated madman—have expressed their eagerness to finish what Hitler started. Did my mother have these fears as a child in pre-war Czechoslovakia? I doubt it. Her memories of life before Germany invaded were happy ones; the Jewish community got along fine with their Czech neighbors, she recalled. Then the Nazis came and the town’s Jews were rounded up. My mother’s most vivid memory of that day was how the non-Jewish neighbors came out to watch. And no one said a word. “Do you know about anti-Semitism?” I asked my 14-year-old granddaughter. She was sitting with me as I prepared to speak on the subject over the holidays. “Yes,” she said. “We saw a video about it.” The video presented other young teens being asked about their perceptions of Jews. “They’re all rich,” said one. “They have all the power,” said another. Nearly a century later and nothing has changed. Except for one thing: Now, there is a State of Israel. So the chants of “Jews, go back to Palestine,” have ended, and the existence of a Jewish State has joined the list of “reasons” to call for Jewish extermination. I repeat: it’s not morbid fascination. It’s a matter of paying attention. A single day does not pass without an incident or a threat. If you follow international headlines, this is not news to you. There are a half million Jews in France who no longer feel safe looking like Jews. In France. While in the Middle East there are Muslim leaders who have openly stated their desire to see all Jews return to Israel as soon as possible, so they can kill them all at once. You would think that Muslim leaders in the Middle East would be most concerned with their people’s quality of life, but killing Jews is a higher priority. Despite all my years of reading, I never understood how the Germans could concentrate their efforts on anything but saving their own soldiers once the Allied invasion proved that their march to world domination had come to an end. But killing Jews was such a high priority to the Nazis that they studied its efficacy like a science. In The Holocaust, a new 500-page study by Laurence Rees, we learn how the Nazis were able to reduce the cost of murdering Jews to about two German pfennings a person. Less than one U.S. cent. Another new historical study by Peter Hayes entitled Why demonstrates how

Hundreds of sick children and their families set sail from Liberty Park Marina on Misameach’s annual cruise. Many special guests joined, including New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind. Families enjoyed the view out on the decks, taking in the sights of the Statue of Liberty, South Street Seaport and more. Inside the ship, the Ruach never abated, thanks to the musical talents of the legendary Ohad, Yehuda Green, Shloimy Taussig and Baruch Shalom, accompanied by Moshe Zuckerman, sound engineer, and the most leibidig volunteers known to mankind. Cousin Nochum performed a hilarious clown show that had all of the children involved. While the ground level was turned into a concert hall, the second floor was home to a child’s wonderland. Aside for the food, a whole host of games and activities entertained the children for the duration of the cruise. Crafts, face painting, cotton candy and more were supervised by dedicated volunteers who naturally and gracefully made every child feel special, while every family took home a gift bag loaded with toys and games for children of all ages, stages and genders. Misameach gives special thanks to the sponsors who made this trip a reality, including Volvie Brown, Mr. Rosenberg of Crown Plaza Stamford, Dr. Gliksberg, Pizzaleh, Powerlutions, Seasons, Zahlers, Miz Construction, Meridian Capital, Kedem and Ideal Insurance. for more info please visit www.misameach.org or email [email protected]

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) released a statement on Wednesday after learning of Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald’s passing. “I am crying today; Klal Yisroel has lost a giant,” Assemblyman Hikind said. “Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald was one of the most special individuals that Hashem put onto this world. He loved all Jews totally, and was nonjudgmental. He was a huge talmud chacham.” One of Rabbi Greenwald’s most prominent accomplishments was founding and directing Camp Sternberg, a summer camp for frum girls in the Catskill Mountains. More than 50,000 girls in the fourth to sixth grades have attended the camp since its opening in 1965. In addition, Rabbi Greenwald also served as presidential liaison of former President Richard Nixon to the Jewish community. Hikind added, “We have lost a shining light. I lost a dear and beloved friend. I will sorely miss this exemplary mensch.” Seen in the photo is Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) together with Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald at Tiferet Yerushalim Yeshiva on a recent visit to Israel. Below is the video from that recent trip – as was reported by YWN.

Wide consensus exists that voter registration is an important issue, especially in light of the upcoming 2016 presidential elections. Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) was therefore surprised to receive voter registration forms mailed to his office in various languages, except one—Yiddish. Yiddish is the primary language spoken by thousands of his constituents. Hikind is therefore urging the NYC Board of Elections (BOE) to translate voting materials, especially voter registration forms, into Yiddish. “There are voter registrations forms in Bengali, why not Yiddish? Everyone talks about how important it is to register to vote. There are thousands of Yiddish-speakers in my district and New York State,” said Hikind. In a letter to NYC Board of Elections President Michael Michel, Hikind wrote, “Making voter registration forms available in Yiddish will encourage native speakers of the language to register to vote by making the process more comfortable, inviting, and user-friendly.” In his letter, Hikind added, “I invite you to take a look at any newsstand near my office, where you will see dozens of Yiddish language newspapers, magazines, and other publications, attesting to the vibrancy and every day usage of the language. As another Election Day draws closer, ballots and other materials generated by the Board of Elections, as well as information on the website, will continue to be displayed only in Bengali,Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. The voter registration handbook was even translated into Russian. But there are no Yiddish voting materials. This is a shanda—a disgrace—and totally unacceptable.” “We need to expand voter registration opportunities to the thousands of Kings County residents whose primary language is Yiddish, especially in communities in my district such as Borough Park and Midwood, as well as Crown Heights, Kensington, and Williamsburg,” Hikind concluded. (YWN Desk – NYC)

In light of Congressman Nadler’s reaction to being stunned and hurt by criticism of his support for the Iran deal, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-NY), whose district overlaps with Nadler, has sent him a card and stuffed teddy bear to express his sympathies. In a Facebook post, Hikind wrote: “Congressman Nadler has taken a position on the Iran deal, one to which most of our community is opposed, and is now surprised that people are angry? Nadler tells reporters that it bothers him that people have said, ‘You betrayed us’ and that, ‘of course it hurts. It’s emotional.’” “Jerry, you’re hurting? We’re hurting because of what you did. And now you whine to the ADL, who releases a statement condemning vicious Internet commentators. People have been writing nasty things about me since I was first elected. When you take a position of such consequence, stand by your position. Stop whining, Jerry.” “I in no way condone anti-Semitic or racist comments on social media. But our community has the right to express outrage over the decisions of our elected representatives. The President set the tone for this hateful rhetoric with nefarious characterizations coming from the administration and various surrogates that depict opposition to the agreement in overt anti-Semitic tones. When the President says that those opposing the deal are ‘lobbyists’ that are ‘backed by tens of millions of dollars in advertising’ and the same people who argued for the war in Iraq, there can be no mistaking what this means.” “I remain hopeful that Congressman Nadler will change his mind.” (YWN Desk – NYC)

Assemblyman Dov Hikind Visits Camp HASC from CAMP HASC on Vimeo. Campers and Staff at Camp HASC in Parksville, NY were thrilled to welcome long time friend, supporter,and advocate, Assemblyman Dov Hikind to Camp this week for a beautiful day together. Assemblyman Hikind patiently met with dozens of staff members and campers, and excitedly described his uplifting visit to Camp HASC as an “experience that defies words”. Throughout the lengthy, hands-on tour of the campus and programs at Camp HASC, Assemblyman Hikind insisted on spending time and participating in adaptive activities with the special campers, playing ball, visiting classrooms, the boy’s pool, Sensory Room, Therapy and Medical Center. Taking a personal interest in the details of the unique Summer program, Assemblyman Hikind, who made the trip Upstate from Brooklyn especially for his visit, was effusive in his praise of the staff at Camp HASC, and was “absolutely astounded” by the “love, caring, passion and compassion… chesed and giving of everyone” he met. The meaningful visit was coordinated by Reb Abe Eisner, a dear friend of Camp HASC, who in turn, praised Assemblyman Hikind’s initiative on behalf of the families, campers and program at HASC. Calling Camp HASC an environment that represents “doing for others with a whole heart”, Assemblyman Hikind encouraged the staff to continue their work “that will bring Moshiach”, thanking everyone at Camp HASC for their “amazing work on behalf of Klal Yisrael”.