We made aliyah two-and-a-half years ago. As calendar coincidences work, Israel has been at war for exactly half of the time we have lived here. So, what have we learned in the past 15 and 30 months?

First, I should have paid much closer attention to Mr. Pernikoff, z”l, at the Talmudical Academy, and maybe I would not be having as much trouble with conjugating verbs and keeping adjective genders aligned. For those under 55, or maybe even 60, Mr. Pernikoff taught Hebrew language in seventh, eighth, and ninth grades for many years, and he stressed verb and gender issues. But like most teenagers, I only studied for the tests – and not for “hey-you’re-really-going-to-want-to-know-this-in-50 years.”

Mazal tov on your new baby! As you lie in bed, dreamily examining her tiny features, you feel so grateful for this moment. You have been planning for the birth of your baby for at least nine months, maybe years – maybe your whole life! You took prenatal vitamins, got ultrasounds, took a prenatal yoga class, and listened to your OB provider’s advice on how to stay healthy and ensure the best outcome for your pregnancy and baby. You took childbirth classes and infant care classes and nursing classes. You researched your provider. You hired a doula. You have a whole shopping list of a stroller, car seat, bassinet, swaddlers, and more, all waiting in your online shopping cart.

And now it’s over. Your baby is here. What’s next?

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As I was walking down to Hebron this morning, my elderly friend Zechariah Nahari reminded me that yesterday was the end of shiva for Shalom Nagar, an 86-year-old Kiryat Arba resident. Zechariah, as a fellow Yemenite and family friend, was at the ceremonial meal held (by non-Ashkenazim) on the seventh day.

Shalom, a”h, had two claims to fame as far as I am concerned. First, he was the policeman who, in 1962, at age 26, hanged Adolph Eichmann, Hitler’s architect of the Holocaust. Chosen by lottery from among 22 policemen, and the only one of the 22 who did not want to do it, he pushed the button that caused the trapdoor to fall away, leading to Eichmann’s death. When you google pictures of Eichmann in his glass cage at his trial, the policeman on the left with the mustache is Shalom Nagar. This was the only case of capital punishment in Israel’s history as a modern state.

Second, he was the uncle of Rabbi Uzzi Nagar, who has been teaching us Daf Yomi for 14 years in Me’arat HaMachpeila.

Shalom, the uncle, born in Yemen in 1936, arrived in Israel as an orphan at age 12, served in the paratroopers, and then joined the prison service. For many years, he was irreligious, but as he advanced in the prison services and became head of Ramla Prison, he returned to his faith. Throughout his 25 years of retirement, he studied in one of Kiryat Arba’s many kollels. If you google Shalom Nagar, you will see a man in his eighties with a beard and peyos.

When Rabbi Uzi Nagar, the nephew, completed high school, he went straight into the air force for three years, and then he obtained a BA in engineering from the Technion, Israel’s MIT. As a student in the Technion, he met his wife Michal, and together they decided to devote their lives to Torah. Rav Nagar studied in an Ashkenazi Kollel in Jerusalem for seven years and then became a Torah educator. When I began Daf Yomi, Rav Nagar had already been teaching Daf Yomi for five years, so he is now approaching the end of his third teaching cycle.

Sadly, as time goes by and I think back to the people who played a role in my life, I don’t know if I really appreciated all of them. This article is a way to show hakaras hatov to someone who was significant in my early years.

In the 1960s, ehen I came up north from Montgomery, Alabama, for yeshiva, I learned, for the first time, that a large share of my fellow students were children of Holocaust survivors. Indeed, the renaissance of Orthodox Jewry is, to a very great extent, due to the impact of those survivors.

In the town where I grew up, there were hardly any Holocaust survivors. I recall Eric Knurr, who came from Germany. He was actually a relative of the Kranzlers of Baltimore. Mrs. Kranzler, a”h, told me he was a physician in Germany and came from a distinguished family. But aside from knowing his two children, Werner and Evelyn, I do not recall him being active in the shul, due to his owning a small grocery store. There may have been one or two other people who came because of the war, but I do not recall them.

by Shani, Dena and Daniella

Shira is having a tough morning. The babysitter canceled, carpool was late, and milk spilled all over the floor. Shira’s head is spinning; still, she whispers, “This is all for the best.” She quickly finds someone to watch the baby, gets the children out to school, and cleans up the spill. She has a meeting first thing in the morning, and now she is going to be late for work! She tries to pull herself together as she drives, thinking gam zu l’tova, while hitting one red light after another as the clock ticks on. By this point, Shira is flustered and preparing to quietly slip into the meeting. She finally pulls up to the entrance of her office building only to see it blocked off. A three-car accident had occurred just 15 minutes before! If not for the hectic morning and the red lights, she could have been involved in the accident and gotten seriously hurt! Stunned, she says out loud, “Baruch Hashem.”

Rochel, from Miami, is visiting New York for a simcha and staying with her friend Sarah. It isn’t easy to watch another friend get married while she is still languishing in shidduchim, but she decides to put her feelings aside and be mesameach (gladden) the chassan and kallah. Rochel is supposed to leave Monday morning since she has a job interview Monday afternoon, but all flights are cancelled because of unexpected weather conditions in Florida. Rochel is trying to arrange a Zoom interview, when Sarah invites her to a single’s event Monday night. Rochel tries to tell Sarah that she really does not have the time to go with her, and besides, she has nothing to wear. Sarah insists she come, and Rochel eventually agrees. Lo and behold. Rochel meets her chassan at that event, and she now jokes that was the best flight she ever missed!

I don’t have much experience with going to camp, and whatever experience I have is from a very long time ago. My parents sent me to an overnight camp when I was nine years old in hopes I would learn not to be shy. At least, that is what my parents told me when I asked them why they sent me at such a young age. I don’t remember much about camp, but I don’t think I liked it very much.

To learn more about camps, I had to ask others who had more positive experiences. It was a privilege to speak to my sister’s husband, Rabbi Yitzchok Schwarz, who has been the head counselor of Camp Kol Torah in Cleveland for almost 50 years – ever since before he and my sister were married. Their children are born and bred campers. I asked Rabbi Schwarz how campers have changed over the years. “When I was a camper, I used to come to an activity 10 minutes early in anticipation,” says Rabbi Schwarz. “Today, the boys are much more distracted. Many of them have devices to listen to music and lots and lots of nosh. The boys are not so eager for activities because they have other interests.” It seems that kids in camp have changed just like the rest of society.

Beth Tefiloh

Moving Schools and People: My Favorite Teacher, Mrs. Cohen 

by Moshe Lewin

My favorite teacher, Mrs. (Megan) Cohen of Beth Tfiloh (BT) Middle School, demonstrates values of hard work, positivity, and love for teaching. After meeting her last September (2023), I knew she would leave a lasting impression on me, from her hard work, dedication, and love for teaching. Mrs. Cohen would work with us as a class and conference with each individual to spark their academic potential. Additionally, Mrs. Cohen would always have her door open for any questions or pieces of news to share. Many students, including me, felt happy to hear Mrs. Cohen’s advice both in and out of class. Mrs. Cohen’s presence elevated the BT atmosphere through teaching, field trips, and even Rosh Chodesh brunches. Our principal, Dr. Schor, even mentioned how Mrs. Cohen’s genuine smile during the interview process helped her win the job. Additionally, her class benefited from valuable advice relating to high school and important future endeavors we will embark on. From discussing Animal Farm parallels to the 2016 election to playing her in an end-of-year Scrabble game, I thoroughly enjoyed having Mrs. Cohen as a teacher. 

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For many Baltimoreans, winter includes motza’ei Shabbos with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz. Each Saturday night, starting around 8 p.m., Rabbi Katz continues an ongoing series on Jewish history in the modern era. I have been a faithful attendee for many years. The series started with the end of the Holocaust and the plight of postwar Jewry and continued with Israel’s war of independence. Each year, in about 16 lectures, Rabbi Katz covers several years. Many of these lectures are available online. This year, he is covering the years 2000 through 2004.

When I heard that this issue of the Where What When would focus on children, I immediately thought of Ahavas Yisrael, our incredible local charity run by Rabbi Boruch Brull and his very dynamic staff. Ahavas Yisrael helps children greatly – along with their families – as well as our aged and, really, any community member struggling financially. Next, I thought of two beautiful stories that I love to tell and that include children. Here they are:

Q: When is chesed “smart”?

A: When financial support is accompanied by education, training, and guidance that helps families achieve financial independence.

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The Israeli organization Lema’an Achai, under the direction of former Baltimorean Rabbi Avrohom Leventhal, strives to break the cycle of poverty, one family at a time, using “smart chesed.” Rabbi Leventhal, who volunteered with Ahavas Yisrael when he lived in Baltimore, says that this approach to chesed is, in the long run, more respectful and effective than simply handing people a check.

Here are a few of the thousands of cases Lema’n Achai has been involved with: