Local Jewish News

News, Info & Resources for the Cleveland Orthodox Jewish Community

Welcoming Home The Princes of Our Generation

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By Chaim Ellis, MSW, LSW

Our bnei Torah, our very own bachurim, are returning home from their respective yeshivos.

Never in Jewish history did we experience a renaissance in Torah learning such as we are witnessing today. The multitudes of yeshivos and the bnei Torah that they are producing are the troops upon which ha’olam omed, the world stands. We tend at times to take it for granted as, baruch Hashem, this has become the norm and expectation for so many of our families.

Many times, it’s when the teenager veers from this path that we afford him attention and express our concern and caring. True, this too should be done; however, we cannot forget about all the bachurim that continue to learn and grow within our yeshivos and who are standing up against the societal influences that seek to undermine the very foundation of our sacred mesorah. We, as their family and community, have to give them the attention and chizuk they truly deserve.

As a therapist, I often counsel teenagers who are on a journey towards finding their new selves.

There was one such teenage boy who was a typical ben yeshivah and was now in this process of self-discovery. His dress and attitude began to change dramatically. This elicited a sudden and overwhelming amount of recognition and attention from the community around him. This is something that he never experienced before. When I asked him how he felt about his new transformation, he responded, “Great, people are finally realizing that I exist!”

This is very telling and relevant. Although there are many variables why many teenagers struggle with their identity on different levels, low self-worth may very well be a factor in why some of our bnei yeshivah feel a need to explore other avenues. By giving our bachurim the proper encouragement and recognition, we can give them a sense of confidence and pride in who they really are.

Let us afford these young men the recognition they truly deserve and seek opportunities to celebrate their talents. It can be in the form of simply expressing genuine concern for them. It can be in giving bachurim opportunities to speak before their shul, as some wonderful communities do today. It may also be in the form of chessed opportunities in which they feel their talents and resources are appreciated. In this way we recognize their outstanding accomplishments as bnei yeshivah. This will only encourage them to further what they are already doing and to develop into proud bnei Torah.

While living in Eretz Yisrael, I had the zechus of hearing words of chizuk from the venerable Rosh Yeshivah, Harav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, zt”l. Harav Scheinberg told us that the bnei Torah of today are to be considered the “princes of our generation.” After I heard that, I developed a renewed appreciation of who bnei Torah really are and how they ought to be looked upon.

As Yom Tov approaches, let us welcome back our pride and joy — the “princes of our generation.”

Kohanim Attending Services at Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Should Not Be Left Standing in the Cold and the Rain

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Submitted by Shimeon Weiner

Dear Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel,

I would like to share a suggestion for improving your service to the Jewish Community. I am sure you are familiar with the Jewish laws pertaining to a Kohen’s coming in contact with or being in the same room as a corpse. Currently, a Kohen who attends services at your chapel and wants to properly observe the laws of ritual purity does not have any suitable facility for sitting and shelter from the elements. I recently found out about a chapel in Harrisburg, PA called Kesher Israel Congregation which does offer those accommodations to Kohanim. Surely if Harrisburg, PA can accommodate Kohanim in a respectful manner, then all the more so a larger, growing city like Cleveland.

By providing appropriate facilities for a Kohen you will be serving mourners at many funerals and perhaps educating many who may be a Kohen and aren’t familiar with the laws of ritual purity. I would appreciate your consideration of this matter.

Thank you,

Shimeon Weiner

Yielding the Right of Way – Or, How to Drive Like a Mensch

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From a reader:

Many drivers in our community seem to be unaware of one of the rules of the road: The driver that is on the clear side of a road, meaning, where there are no parked cars, has the right of way on a two-lane road. This includes nearly all of the residential roads in the area. Thus, if you are driving on the side where cars are parked, and there is an oncoming vehicle, regardless of whether you think you both fit next to the parked car, you are required by law to stop behind the parked car in your path, and wait until the oncoming vehicle passes.

Thank you and may we all enjoy safe and courteous driving.

In Support of Ohio Issue 1 by Chanah Levine

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I am writing in support of the Ohio Issue 1 that is on the ballot this year. If you have not yet voted, I encourage you to read this so that you can make an informed decision about how you would like to vote.

Ohio is at the center of the national drug addiction crisis. This crisis is everywhere and affects every community, even our own. When you reach the levels of addiction and overdose deaths that Ohio has, you start to realize that the face of an addict is not what you might picture. There are addicts of every gender, age, color, religion, marital status, socioeconomic status, and level of observance. Every type of person is susceptible to this. But especially young people, precious teenagers who have full lives ahead of them.

The goal of Ohio issue 1 is to provide more non-prison support systems so that those inflicted with addiction can separate themselves from their addiction, recover, and move on with their lives. Doctors, nurses and many people who work in law enforcement support Issue 1 because it will reduce the number of drug users who go to prison and funnel resources to recovery services. Healthcare professionals agree that prisons do not solve addiction and that more resources are needed to provide services that help end the horrible crisis we are in.

There is also a dollars and cents logic here as well. Financially, it is incredibly taxing on law enforcement agencies and prisons to deal with drug addiction, especially because they are not trained to do so. Issue 1 would help put dollars where they are most impactful – into recovery resources.

Lastly, there is no current solution to this crisis. If you are worried about drug addicts on the streets, THEY ALREADY ARE. That is the crisis! This effort would help provide resources for them to get better, not be housed in a prison, a hotbed of criminal activity, which will often do more harm than good.

I’m happy to provide resources on Issue 1 to anyone who is seeking to learn more. It has been heavily vetted by non-political actors and I can send reports and testimonials to people upon request.

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Time to REGISTER TO VOTE

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by Susan Efroymson

All politics are local is as true now as ever. Important elections coming up this November and you must be registered to vote.  Remember if you don’t vote, you can’t be counted, and if you don’t count, we all count for less. Stand up for your community and do your civic duty also considered a Mitzva to do so. To vote in the next election, you must be registered 30 days before.  There are local and state issues that effect us coming up on this November’s ballot.

Do You Need to Register?

Have you recently moved?

Has someone in your home recently turned 18 or will be 18 by November?

If you’ve never registered at your new address or will  be newly eligible to vote or have never voted before, it’s easy to register by filling out the form at Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website (or Lake County’s) or at any DMV or Library. Please do so today because if you don’t vote, you don’t count.

Distracted Driving

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From an anonymous reader:

While walking in my neighborhood a few days ago, I observed a driver davening—not by heart, but actually reading from a siddur while the car was in motion. There is nothing commendable about this person’s devotion to Torah u’mitzvos, when s/he does not have love for the children of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

We just read last week about the arei miklat—the cities of refuge to which an inadvertent killer could flee. Remember that this person was exiled, could not return home for the whole tenure of the Kohen Gadol, because, although the killing was not intentional, he is, nonetheless, guilty of criminal negligence. How would the driver feel if, chas vechalilah, he struck a person and caused serious injury, or worse?

Achai Bnei Yisrael, remember that driving is a privilege, not a right. You are operating heavy, dangerous machinery when you drive a vehicle, thus the warnings on pharmaceuticals that make one slow to respond.

Do your davening in shul or at home, and then drive to your destination. If you are running late, then go to work or your appointment, and daven during your break, in a room where you can stand on your feet.

With wishes for a meaningful fast, and may this year be the one in which the day is changed me’evel leYom Tov.

Time to REGISTER TO VOTE

Leave a Comment

by Susan Efroymson

All politics are local is as true now as ever. Important elections coming up this November and you must be registered to vote.  Remember if you don’t vote, you can’t be counted, and if you don’t count, we all count for less. Stand up for your community and do your civic duty also considered a Mitzva to do so. To vote in the next election, you must be registered 30 days before.  There are local and state issues that effect us coming up on this November’s ballot.

Do You Need to Register?

Have you recently moved?

Has someone in your home recently turned 18 or will be 18 by November?

If you’ve never registered at your new address or will  be newly eligible to vote or have never voted before, it’s easy to register by filling out the form at Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website (or Lake County’s) or at any DMV or Library. Please do so today because if you don’t vote, you don’t count.