Frieda Schweky

Going to the hospital to have a baby is a very exciting, emotional, and sometimes stressful, venture. During a global pandemic, all those emotions drastically increase.

New moms-to-be set to give birth between late March and early May, 2020 had just two options: either stress and worry, or don’t think about it and trust that it’ll work out. Pretty much anything they thought they had planned for the birth of their 2020 child and what followed post birth, went straight out the window as soon as COVID-19 hit our shores. Hospitals were constantly changing their procedure and policies for labor and delivery, and since you don’t choose your child’s birthday, you just didn’t know which set of rules would be in force when the baby started knocking on the door, ready to emerge into what had become a crazy world.

All women have birth stories, some more fascinating than others, but none can compare to the stories of babies delivered amid the pandemic chaos. When the doctors and nurses need to consider the possibility that you’ve contracted a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus, tensions are sky high, and nothing is normal. Many of our community women had this (hopefully) once-in-a lifetime experience. Here are some of their stories.

Jenny Jajati

I gave birth at NYU hospital at the height of the pandemic, on April 1, 2020. I was instructed to bring only one person to the hospital, but this was my first child, so we brought my mom along anyway, hoping they’d let her in. Long story short, they didn’t. My temperature was checked, as was my husband’s. It was still early, so there were no COVID tests available, and masks weren’t yet required.

After a grueling four hours, my son was born, and he didn’t leave my side the entire time. No nursery. My husband was allowed to stay as long as he was healthy and in the same room as us. If he would leave the room, he would have to leave the hospital and not be allowed to return. After no sleep the entire first night, my husband was worn down and had a fever. They made him leave and held me an extra day for observation.

My son’s berit was like nothing I had ever imagined it would be. Only six people attended – my husband and I, my in-laws, and my parents. My siblings were instructed to stay upstairs, and my siblings-in-law stood outside and peered in through the window. As the berit took place on the first day of Pesach, there were no pictures taken, and no Zoom for all the family and friends who should have been there.

If I had to take one lesson from this experience, it’s that you really need your mom during labor. I couldn’t control that, and if I had to choose again, I’d probably still choose my husband so he wouldn’t have to wait for me to get out of the hospital to meet his son. But nonetheless, it was hard, and I wished my mom was with me.

Celia Safdie

Lenox Hill, the hospital where I gave birth, was eerily silent on the day my daughter was born – March 18, 2020. No hallway hustle and bustle could be heard outside the delivery room door. It was truly the strangest experience. In fact, if I had to pinpoint the strangest part of giving birth during a pandemic, I’d say it was the quiet city hospital. It smelled of sanitizer, and when I had to use the restroom, I wasn’t sure if I’d be allowed to leave my room.

At that point, the pandemic was very new. They had no COVID tests for us, and masks weren’t yet required. The baby nursery was still open. Lots of precautions that were put in place for the pandemic hadn’t kicked in yet. One thing that was enforced was that only my husband could come to the delivery, and no one could visit during recovery. It was very isolating, but at the same time, I was wary of being around people because of this fast-spreading virus. I shared a room with another couple, and I remember feeling too close. Uncomfortably close. Conflicting feelings, I suppose. I just wanted my family around me, and I wasn’t able to have it that way.

My husband named our daughter himself in our home, with our family and friends joining us virtually on Zoom. What I took away from this experience is to just be happy for what I have. I spent so much quality time with her. Our bond was so tight because I couldn’t hand her off to anyone else; it was just us. In the end I saw it as something positive.

Margaret H. Mizrahi

I gave birth to my fourth child in Monmouth Medical Center on April 13, 2020. I was expecting to deliver at Lenox Hill in Manhattan, but due to the virus, I did the unheard of – I switched doctors in my final trimester. The goal was to avoid the horror stories I was hearing about the city hospitals during the pandemic. I feel it was the right decision, and Monmouth ended up being quite calm.

My husband was allowed to join me for the birth and recovery, but once he left, he wasn’t allowed back. When we arrived at the hospital, there was a tent outside, and we were asked to go into the tent to get our temperature checked and to be questioned about whether we’d been exposed to the virus. No COVID tests were given because of the shortage at the time.

We got in the hospital, and it was such an unusual experience. It was quiet, almost tranquil. Things were clearly not normal. I had to wear a mask during the entire ordeal, even during labor and birth, in which one is asked to take deep breaths. It made it even more challenging, but not as hard or scary as one might think.

Recovery was really something different. There was no nursery for the baby, so she was with me the entire time. No visitors, no nurses checking in, no one waking me up to check my vitals or take my blood. They just left me alone. I imagined how scary it would be if this was the drill when I had my first kid. Also how potentially dangerous it was. If, Gd forbid, something was wrong with a mother or a baby, no doctors would have known, because they really did not check. Of course, this also meant that they didn’t offer nursing classes or check if the baby was latching properly, which is really important for new moms. You got the vibe that they all feared their patients. What a strange time to be in a hospital.

When we took the baby home, we named her – just me and my husband. I was in my pajamas. I honestly thought this made a lot of sense, a lot more sense than business as usual. Had it been a normal year, and I had a boy, it would have been a whole expensive ordeal. I don’t see the point in throwing out thousands of dollars every time a couple has a boy. And besides for the money, a new mom just had major surgery, has a highly dependent newborn, and is then expected to plan an elaborate event in eight days. It’s just so hard and can feel really unfair. This was a relief, a huge thing off my chest. No big social gathering, no pressure.

Yvette Franco

I gave birth to my second child, a boy, in Maimonides Medical Center on April 2, 2020. Like most hospitals during the pandemic, Maimonides was only allowing one person to be present for the birth. I understand why most people chose their spouse or mother to join them, but I chose my sister. My reasoning was that if I was going to be in a compromised state with a newborn, I don’t want my husband or my mother catching COVID.

I walked into the hospital with a full hazmat suit on. I wasn’t taking any chances during that crazy time. It was right at the beginning of COVID, and we knew nothing, just that it was highly contagious and people were dying. When I wasn’t wearing hazmat suits, I was constantly sanitizing my hands.

Unfortunately, Maimonides does not offer private rooms for postpartum recovery, so I had to share. After the birth, my sister had to leave, and I was on my own. I instructed the nurses not to bring me my baby for the duration of our stay. The nursery was open, and I thought he’d be more protected from COVID there. I felt judged, but I was doing what I thought was best for my baby.

I’m not sure I can blame this on COVID, but at one point I was in pain and had to wait four hours for someone to finally bring me Tylenol. I was alone with no one to advocate for me. Fortunately, I was sent home early; they weren’t requiring the usual two-night stay.

The best part, perhaps, about this whole ordeal was not having to plan a berit during recovery. The berit was on Pesach, with just me, my husband and the mohel. For months, my husband and I couldn’t agree on a sandak, so this experience really taught me that you can’t plan. My husband ended up being the sandak, because he was the only one there…

Katie Dweck

During my past pregnancies, leading up to the due date I would stock up on what I might need for the baby. I prepare the nursery and a hospital bag. This is called “nesting.” Nesting in 2020 took on a completely different identity. Instead of choosing paint colors and layette, we were stocking the freezer with meat, and the linen closet with toilet paper and diapers. My husband and I both felt the urge to nest in this exact same way. I thought it was funny, but also appropriate.

Having had bad experiences in the hospital where I’ve delivered in the past, I switched doctors for this pregnancy to be able to deliver in Staten Island. Little did I know at the time how this really saved me. If the hospital I’d gone to in the past was rough pre-COVID, I didn’t want to find out what it was like during…

My due date was May 6th, and I gave birth the very next day. Leading up to the birth, I was very stressed out knowing I’d be required to mask up. At the time we had just started wearing masks, and I didn’t know the difference between breathable masks and, well, non-breathable ones. So basically, I bought a cute mask to bring to the hospital, not taking into account the number one thing: whether I can breathe in it. And the answer to that question that didn’t occur to me, was no. I could not breathe well in it, but I thought that this is just what masks are. To this day, I won’t wear it to even run into a store for ten minutes, because it’s my least breathable mask. You live and learn…

They took a temperature check when I signed in, and then a COVID test in the delivery room. The COVID test was so painful – it felt like the stick went so far up my nose it poked my brain! It almost bothered me more than labor pains…almost…

The hospital hallways were nearly empty. I remember thinking that I liked it this way. It was far more peaceful. I recall nurses in the other hospital having loud conversations in the hallways and waking me up, and once again I felt lucky to not be there. The bed next to me in recovery remained empty for the duration of my stay. My husband was told he could stay if he didn’t leave my side. The minute he stepped foot out of the recovery room, he would have to exit the premises and not return. This actually worked to my advantage, because the nursery was closed and someone had to take care of the baby that night. I was grateful to my husband for taking the night shift and letting me rest.

I gave birth to a girl on Thursday. While I was focused on her and recovering, my husband was planning a super intimate kiddush in our house Shabbat morning. Just our parents and siblings were invited. We notified everyone that masks were required, and only grandparents with gloves could hold the baby. My husband left me in the hospital Friday morning to prep the house for the kiddush and to buy what we needed. He picked me up that afternoon, and they took so long with the discharge that I got in the shower just minutes before Shabbat.

I could not believe my husband named our baby in our home with just a siddur in hand. I still sometimes have doubts, like, is she really named? Just kidding, but really… Anyway, the kiddush was intimate, and I enjoyed it so much. We hadn’t seen our siblings in months, and it was nice to be together.

Healthy mom, healthy baby. That’s what we always pray for, and that’s what’s important. These birth stories are unique, different from those of any other time in modern history, and deserve to be documented. With modern medicine advancing at the speed of light and new vaccines rolling out around the world, we look forward to healthier and happier times – and births!

“We always saw it as food being ‘culinary diplomacy,’ a way of bridging cultures, a way of getting to know each other, because your food is your identity.”

DAVE GORDON

As the lone kosher food provider in the United Arab Emirates, Elli Kriel used to deliver about a dozen or so meals a month to businessmen and travelers passing through.

Two major events happened that changed her small upstart boutique catering business, into a giant one, now globally recognized.

For one, the UAE government proclaimed 2019 “The Year of Tolerance,” a breakthrough for interfaith and religious relations. It meant that the 1,500 or so Jews believed to be living in the UAE were recognized as an “official” part of the country’s cultural fabric.

Towards the second half of 2020, the UAE was the first country to sign the Abraham Accords, the deal that normalized ties with Israel. This spurred some 130,000 Israelis to visit UAE. And as it happened, many sought homemade kosher meals, which Elli provided.

Today, Elli’s business flourishes. Demand for her kosher delicacies has skyrocketed, to the tune of 15,000 meals produced in the past 12 months. Elli’s UAE-based kosher food has attracted global attention, including articles by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times, among others, who marveled at Elli’s trailblazing kosher business in a formerly quite unlikely place.

In the Beginning

Ross and Elli Kriel and their three children moved from South Africa to Dubai in August, 2013. A major hurdle was figuring out how to create a Jewish life for the family in a place where there was almost none before. They managed to cobble together a regular minyan in their living room, and while they never hid their Judaism, they did not flaunt it either.

“We never really spoke about our Jewish identity publicly. We were very quiet about it. So, if people would ask us about our religion, we would tell them. And if people wanted to know why we couldn’t go out on a Friday night, or why my children couldn’t come to birthday party on Saturday morning, we would say why, and we never experienced any negativity. We always experienced, ‘Oh, you’re Jewish. My friends back in New York, or my friends back in Toronto, or my friends back in Montreal, or my neighbor was Jewish.’”

Today there are two synagogue buildings and two kosher restaurants in UAE, but when they arrived, the Kriels were the only kosher family they knew of in the city. As word got out there was a family who kept kosher living in Dubai, Elli began to receive requests from travelers to provide kosher meals.

“They obviously bring crackers and tuna, and maybe some vacuum-packed meats and whatever else. But you know, people needed food. So, they would contact us, and ask us to help them with food, and my husband would say, ‘Don’t worry, my wife will help you,’ and off, I would send some food.”

Originally a sociologist and an academic, Elli became a de facto caterer virtually overnight. “And that just grew over time.”

By November 2019, Elli’s business had blossomed to the point where she was able to attend the New Jersey-based Kosherfest – the world’s largest kosher industry convention – to showcase her catering company, Elli’s Kosher Kitchen.

The Catering Business Takes Off

Elli’s first official foray into large scale catering was for a conference in Abu Dhabi, where a group of rabbis were gathering. Some hotels made inquiries, too. “Requests were getting bigger and bigger, and this turned into something that was enough to be a business,” she recalled. “I was working with two people at home. We were constantly on our feet, sending packages and packages of food around the city daily.”

The Abraham Accords caused an influx of diplomatic missions, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, and Israeli leaders, on their visits to the UAE. Elli’s food was in high demand during the normalization deal.

“It was amazing. But not only that, also just an honor, really, being this homegrown business, in the UAE. I was representing the government of the UAE in welcoming Israelis,” Elli recalls.

“Everyone was shocked at how sudden this was. That automatically put a massive focus on my business.”

Hotels, Israeli tour groups, and government offices in UAE contacted Elli, having realized a need to provide kosher food. December began the wave of 130,000 Israeli visitors. “My business just sort of skyrocketed.”

Her deliveries “went crazy” and to keep up with demand Elli had to close the delivery section down for two weeks. To fill the slack, she opened a popup restaurant, inviting people to come eat, rather than sending off parcels.

Food Featuring the Best of Both Worlds

Elli realized that she could combine Emirati cuisine with Jewish cuisine and she developed a hybrid menu for customers to enjoy the best of both worlds.

“Customers don’t necessarily want to eat gefilte fish and latkes every day. They want to try something with a local flavor. I want to make it familiar to them, and blend things, to come up with something new, and to give them access to Emirate food.”

Elli dubbed the fusion cuisine Kosherati. “If you look at Jewish cuisine around the world, it reflects the local environment. You have all these influences. So, you know, Ashkenazi food in the U.S. is going to be different from Sephardic foods coming from Morocco,” she noted.

“Because the UAE doesn’t have any real direct history with the Jewish community or Jewish individuals and Jewish culture, I thought that if we are going to start developing Jewish foods in the UAE, it should take on the flavor of the environment. And that’s how Kosherati came about.”

Food as a Vehicle for Sharing Cultures

This culinary fusion had been a work in progress for some time. It grew out of Elli’s desire to experience Emirati culture through food.

“I couldn’t just eat the local food because I needed to keep kosher. So, I started making it myself, looking at recipe books,” Elli noted. It was difficult to find recipe books for Emirati food in English, however, but one of two she discovered was written by the German ambassador’s wife, who had interviewed a number of Emirati women, who offered their traditional recipes.

“So, this resonated with me, because I was also using my own home-cooked recipes, both Jewish and international.”

Prior to the “normalization” with Israel, Elli befriended a local Emirati woman, Mai Al Budy, who ordered fela from Elli. They found common ground and met regularly for coffee, eventually gravitating to discussions of food and to sharing recipes.

“We always saw it as food being ‘culinary diplomacy,’ a way of bridging cultures, a way of getting to know each other, because your food is your identity. Basically, it reflects your history, reflects where you come from, it reflects where you are today, it reflects your social status and life,” Elli says.

“By presenting one’s food to another culture, you get to know their culture intimately; you get to know the identity of each other. This was a way of building a friendship. And we were hoping that it would be a way that others could also, through our food, come to experience each other positively.”

Today, Elli blends (and sells) her own Emirati spices, including one called bazaar. She also cooks an Emirati pancake called chebab, made with saffron and cardamom. The pancake is folded, and then eaten with date syrup or labneh. Elli has dubbed it her version of “Emirati blintzes.” Another fusion creation is balaleet kugel, cooked with sugar and saffron, made with vermicelli and eggs, with an omelette on top. Her gefilte fish is made with local spices.

Much to her surprise, many Emiratis who had studied or traveled to the U.S. had discovered Jewish foods and came to Elli with their wish lists of Jewish cuisine. They enjoy her traditional rugelach, kugel, babka, latkes, matzo ball soup, and Israeli dishes.

“People just went crazy here for it, locals and residents, and it was what I described as ‘nostalgia eating.’ Sitting in their homes, wanting something of comfort,” Elli says. “I had an overwhelmingly positive response.”

Elli’s Business Explodes

In recent months, Marriott Hotels franchised Elli’s business in Abu Dhabi, invested in the business, and opened a production kitchen, the main distribution center for products in and around the UAE. There, Elli caters for 70 hotels.

This past Passover, Elli partnered with V Hotel Dubai by Curio Collection, where she and her team cooked daily meals for kashrut observant guests staying at Habtoor Palace Dubai, LXR Hotels & Resorts, V Hotel Dubai by Curio Collection, and Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City. Food products were shipped from

the U.S. and Israel, and were prepared by local chefs, as well as chefs from Egypt, Syria, India, and Nepal, overseen by a mashgiah from Iran.

The menus featured local cuisine, such as Arabic sausages, molehea (a local vegetable similar to spinach) cooked with chicken, bamriya (okra with tomato sauce), Arabic salads, as well as dishes made with rosewater and pomegranate molasses.

This month, Elli will be providing supermarket-ready pre-packaged foods and will be providing sandwiches to a local coffee chain, three airports, the mall of Emirates, and the touristy Dubai Mall.

“It’s an exciting time, and I think it’s going to get more exciting,” Elli says.

“I’m so thrilled with the way the business has grown over time, and the acknowledgement I’ve received from people in the UAE and from around the world who have eaten my food.”

Rabbi Moshe Arking – Ave. O Synagogue

Rabbi Hayim Asher Arking – Ohr Halacha

The days from Pesah to Shavuot are counted in anticipation and preparation for the goal of yesiat Misrayim ― leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah. Regarding Avraham Avinu it is written, “And Avraham became old, coming in days.” This refers to the greatness of Avraham Avinu, that as he grew older he came into every day with a renewed sense of purpose, as each day was another step to achieve more. Sefirat ha’omer is a time to prepare for Shavuot when we accept the Torah. We can master that greatness, one day at a time. The counting should be accompanied with a plan that one can visualize and have a takeaway of a tangible accomplishment like each day of Avraham Avinu. We should make every day that we count ― count.

Can I recite the beracha and then repeat the proper day after the person next to me?

Like all berachot, before one begins to say the beracha, he should know what specifically he is saying it about, i.e. before reciting ha’ets, he should preferably know exactly which fruit he is reciting the beracha upon and even hold it in his hand. Therefore, one should preferably know the correct day before he starts to make the beracha.

Another important point is that one should realize what number he is counting. It is not merely about saying certain words that fulfills the mitsvah, but rather one must understand the number counted.

I mistakenly counted the wrong number; do I recite a new beracha?

One who counted the wrong day did not fulfill his obligation and is required to count again with a beracha. If the mistake was realized immediately ― within approximately one and a half seconds ― the correct day should be recited without a beracha. After that time, he will need to recite a new beracha and count.

When is the best time to count?

One should count right after nightfall, which is approximately forty minutes after sunset, so that he is counting the entire coming day. If one is concerned that he will forget to count, then already after sunset one may count with a beracha.

One who did not count at night, counts by day without a beracha and then on subsequent nights continues to count again with a beracha. Therefore, we have a custom to mention the count during Shaharit, so that one who forgot to count the previous night will fulfill his obligation then, in the morning.

Can I eat supper before counting?

From a half hour before the time of a mitsvah, such as tefillah, keriat shema, and counting sefirat ha’omer, one may not eat more than a k’beitsah (50 grams) of bread or mezonot. Other foods, including rice, chicken, meat, etc., may be eaten even in larger quantities. However, if one appoints a family member or friend who is not eating to remind him to count after his meal, he would be allowed to eat a full meal of bread or mezonot.

I am not sure if I missed a day, do I continue?

According to some opinions, the forty-nine days of sefirat ha’omer require a continuous counting without missing a day. In deference to this opinion, one who misses a day, although he will lose saying the beracha, is required to continue to count on the following nights without a beracha. However, if one is not sure if he missed a day or not, he may continue his counting with a beracha.

I always end up missing a day! May I start counting with a beracha?

Yes. Before a day is actually missed, one would still count with a beracha even if he knows that he will definitely miss a day. Therefore, if someone has a scheduled surgery or something that will prevent him from counting a complete day of the omer, he should begin to count with a beracha.

Do women and children count the omer?

Young boys should be taught to count once they reach the age of hinuch ― six years old, like every other mitsvah. A minor who missed a night of counting is different from an adult and should continue to count with a beracha. However, women do not count at all, even without a beracha.

I told someone what day it is; may I count with a beracha?

When asked what day it is, it is best to respond, “Yesterday was such-and-such.” In order for one to fulfill his obligation, his counting has to be prefaced by saying, “Today is day….” Therefore, if one did not yet count and responded, “today is day six,” he would lose his beracha. However, if he just answered “six” or “it’s six,” he may still count with a beracha.

Why do we stand?

When we perform certain mitsvot, such as shofar, lulav, pidyon, etc., we stand. The source of standing by mitsvot is actually from omer as the pasuk states “from the beginning of the sickle harvesting ― bakamah ― the standing crop”; the word bakamah also teaches us that we perform the mitsvot while standing.

What if one becomes bar mitsvah in the middle of sefirat ha’omer?

A minor who will become bar mitsvah in the middle of sefira should start counting with a beracha until he turns thirteen. After his bar mitsvah, the question arises whether it is considered that he is starting anew in the middle of the omer; therefore, he may not be able to recite a beracha. For this FAQ, we would refer one to his rabbi.

Minhagim of Sefirat Ha’omer

Imagine today a rabbinical program with twenty-four thousand rabbis going to cities throughout the world. If they had been around even one century ago, the exponential number of religious growth worldwide would be on such a grand scale, the Mashiah could come! This is how we can view the magnitude of this tragic loss of the students of Ribbi Akiva. They passed away over twenty-five hundred years ago ― they could have caused a transformation of our nation beyond epic proportions. In respect to the mourning of this period, we do not marry, have parties with music, or take haircuts, and we observe other limitations on simcha.

When is the earliest time I can take a haircut, listen to music, etc.?

All the customs of the sefira apply until the morning of the thirty-fourth day. Regarding music, however, the custom is to be lenient on Lag la’omer if the music is being played at a hilula for Ribbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

May I buy new clothes during the days of sefira?

One may buy new clothes during sefira. However, for clothes that require a sheheianu, it is preferable to wear them first on Shabbat and recite sheheianu then. Sheheianu on fruits may be recited even during the week.

Why do we study Pirkei Avot during sefira?

As mentioned, these days are counted in preparation and anticipation of receiving the Torah. We therefore learn Pirkei Avot, which motivates one to the observance of Torah and mitsvot, and to the study of the foundation for Torah ― our character traits.

Sam Sutton

2020 was a tough year. It even impacted the Brooklyn softball community. After a successful draft, with lots of hope and excitement in the air, due to Covid-related issues the season never got underway.

2021 is a year of new beginnings. With almost all of the cast of characters back, sprinkled in with 27 rookies, we are slated to have an outstanding season.

Meet the Captains:

David Tawil, Rubble on the Double – After taking some time off as a captain David Tawil announced his return. Last time DT captained a squad he took his Magic Grits all the way to the promised land and he has his eyes set on repeating that this year. After winning the draft lottery, DT selected perennial all-star and winner Steven J. Gindi with his first overall pick, which is usually a ticket to the World Series.

Dan Braun, Mamba Mentality – In his rookie campaign Dan “Mamba” Braun was nothing short of spectacular, taking home CY Young and World Series MVP honors. Given the opportunity as captain this year, all eyes are on Dan this season, as he drafted iron man Joe Sepharadi along with many of his Ashkenaz brethren. This team is full of unknowns, but something tells me Braun has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Mordy Chrem, The Jokers – Although young in years, Mordy is a calming presence at shortstop and in the locker room. The key to any Chrem team is chemistry, which is exactly what Mordy took care of in this draft. Grabbing Elie Koeningsberg with his top spot and rounding out his team to perfection, this team is nothing to “joke” about.

Ike Chazanoff, Lethal Weapon – Still playing at a high level at 50 years old, Chaz enters the season in his 30th year in the league. Looking to bring back the magic of yesteryear, Chaz revived the name Lethal Weapon. This is a team name that lives in softball lore, where he was a part of a dynasty that won seven championships. With is top two selections, Chaz drafted power hitting pitcher Yaakob Seruya and rising star Marc Barsano. This team is full of leadership and firepower.

Elliot Mann, El Chap – First time captain Elliot Mann, who plays a steady centerfield, put a premium on getting his pitcher and he made several trades both before and during the draft to get “his guys.” After trading up and selecting league ace Menachem Diamondstein, Mann took some gambles. Say what you want about Elliot’s draft, which has been a talking point since draft day, Elliot had a game plan and executed it. Mann runs a tight ship and will need to put his leadership skills to the test.

Jack R. Bibi, Super Smash Bros – Neophyte captain Jack Bibi is the prototypical player’s coach, beloved by all! However, Jack will need to get the most out of his players as it was apparent that he was new to the drafting aspect. This team will go as far as veteran Jacky Schwekey takes them and will need stand out performances from several of his middle round picks. I wouldn’t be shocked if this team rallies around each other as they have plenty of bulletin board material to work with.

Yanky Itzkowitz, Ball Busters – Itz was fortuitus in getting the #7 spot in the draft lottery as he was the only first round captain. Having the option to play multiple positions at a high level Itz focused his draft on drafting the best available player with defense versatility. This team will ride on the arm of flame throwing starting pitcher rookie Ray “Pay Day” Sakkal.

When the dust settled, the MSB media’s group of expert panelists broke down each team’s draft, which gave insight and perspective as they sat down with each captain for all the league to see. Be sure to check out the league’s website for complete coverage of rosters, videos, and much more at www.Sysoftball.com.

Sponsors

MSB is elated to have a group of sponsors that make everything possible.

Community Assistance Fund: This unsung charity of the community is solicited on a confidential basis by league member Jacky Schweky and Rabbi David Maslaton.

Bet Yaakov Orot Sarah: A warm and caring school focused on guiding, nurturing, and helping our community’s girls to grow from nursery to college.

Eat N’ Run Café: Run by league member Marc Cohen, Eat N’ Run is a modern counter-serve café with a diverse menu of kosher pizza, bagels & coffee, plus sushi, paninis, and much more.

American Friends of Ariel University: Ariel University is evolving into a major institution of research and higher education and is taking its place among the ranks of Israel’s most honored and respected universities.

Viviane Darwish

Since its inception, PROPEL has been at the forefront of empowering women to engage in meaningful and well-paying careers, allowing them to balance home and family responsibilities and to contribute to their household income in a meaningful way. As more women became interested in pursuing careers that require higher education – bachelors and master’s degrees – PROPEL seized the opportunity to create a new initiative, PropelED. PropelED is a new component of the services offered by PROPEL, specifically designed to support women pursuing careers that require advanced degrees.

Lendy Sardar Hanono was one of the first PROPEL clients to access PropelED’s services. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Psychology, she decided to follow her heart to teaching in the classroom. Lendy was working as an Associate Teacher in Magen David Yeshivah, and wanted to leverage her passion and skills to pursue her specialized teacher’s certification and to further her career in education. With PropelED’s guidance and support, Lendy will be graduating from Touro College Graduate School of Education in June 2021, earning both her master’s degree in Jewish Special Education and her New York State certification as a Teacher of Children with Disabilities, Grades 1-6. A proud wife and mother of two (Jacob and baby Frieda, who was born during final exams), Lendy has worked diligently to actualize her dream, while continuing to fulfill her home and family responsibilities. Let’s listen in on a conversation with this rising star.

What inspired you to pursue a career in education?

As a child growing up, I always enjoyed the opportunities that the teacher gave me to present and perform in front of the classroom. I was always first to raise my hand when the teachers asked for assistance for the various classroom tasks. All these little experiences gave me a new perspective on the classroom from the teacher’s side. That sensation felt so comfortable to me and I knew that was where I wanted to be in the future. As I got older, I was inspired by my teachers, looking up to them and their important role in educating me and building a relationship with me. I knew that one day I would want the opportunity to offer the same to my students and encourage them in a way that I was motivated by my teachers.

How did PropelED guide and help you pursue a career in education?

At the recommendation of a family member, I reached out to PROPEL to see what resources were available to me. With the help of Ellen Ades, I was guided towards the new Jewish Education program at Touro. Along with the constant support and guidance from Gitta Neufeld, I was able to focus on the career path that I was going to pursue and then lined up the steps and stages I needed in order to achieve my goals.

What advice would you give women seeking a career in education?

Go for it! Don’t think twice!

It is a way to give back to the community and help raise our future leaders. Knowing that I can partake in that even in the slightest way is gratifying. I think a career in education is important because you are not only teaching students physically, but you are also helping them to hone their social skills. School is a place to develop mentally, spiritually, and physically. Being able to teach students all three of those aspects is very important in guiding them to lead a healthy lifestyle and growing up to become successful people. It’s a doubly rewarding experience, in that you can work and adjust teaching to your own schedule while also advancing your level of experiences both at home and in school.

How do you balance your family and school life?

My family is my greatest support team. They encourage me daily. They make the unimaginable very manageable. Our schedules always seem so full, but with patience and routines all things fall into place. Once the balancing act is figured out, you won’t be able to imagine your life without a career! When it does get hectic, I find that slowing down for a minute and taking note of everything I need to get done helps me. They say, “When you choose a job that you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

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If you are interested in a career, please reach out to PROPEL and we can help you fulfill your professional goals. Call PROPEL at 646-494-0822 or email info@thepropelnetwork.org. Please follow PROPEL on Instagram @propelnetwork.

Ellen Kamaras

Would you have the courage to travel to Egypt and check out your ancestors’ roots?

Meet Esther and Reuven Guttman, a couple who had the pluck to do just that. The Guttmans booked a five-day vacation to Egypt, on their way to Israel, in July 2019.

What better time to share their exciting story than around the time of Pesach – the holiday celebrating our physical and spiritual liberation from Egypt, a place of bondage and “narrow straights” (as indicated by the Hebrew word for Egypt, “Mitzrayim”).

Reuven, an Ashkenazi Jew with Hassidic roots, is a seasoned traveler who performs his due diligence before choosing a destination. Preferring to visit attractions with a personal tour guide, he makes all his arrangements in advance. Reuven’s wife, Esther, is of Syrian and Turkish descent, and is Reuven’s avid and equal travel partner.

The couple’s primary motivation when selecting their destinations are the country’s history, culture and art. They have journeyed extensively in Europe and the Middle East.

They were enthralled at the thought of seeing Egypt. Esther’s paternal roots are Egyptian, and Reuven still remembers the Yiddish expression from childhood, “Ven de Yidden zenen arois fun Mitzrayim – When the Jews went out of Egypt.”

Were the Guttmans concerned about the political environment in Egypt, post Arab Spring?

Reuven explained that he doesn’t draw attention to himself when he travels. He puts on a hat for eating, drinking and praying as required halachically. Both respect the customs of the venues they visit, especially in countries where women dress modestly.

Esther and Reuven arrived in Cairo on a Sunday and stayed at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel on the Nile. Their tour guide, Ibraham, an Egyptian Muslim, first took them to an impressive mosque and other historic sites.

A Phone Call From the President

On their second day in Egypt, Reuven asked Ibraham if they could visit any of the remaining synagogues.

Ibraham seemed taken aback by Reuven’s request, and explained that the synagogues have been closed for decades. As Reuven and Esther were well aware, most Jews left Egypt after the 1948 War of Independence.

Ibraham walked away, explaining that he needed to make a phone call. When he returned, he said that they would need go to the Consulate to obtain government approval for a visit to a synagogue. Ibraham’s response had unnerved them, but the Guttmans made an effort to stay calm. It made sense that the Egyptian government would take precautions when someone asks to see a synagogue or church. Probing the purpose for the visit would avoid potential terrorist acts.

At the Consulate, a group of representatives first asked to see Reuven’s passport. A uniformed official noted the name “Guttman,” and inquired if he was Jewish. He replied in the affirmative. He was then asked if he was a Zionist.

“What does that have to do with being a Jew?” Reuven retorted.

This proved to be the right answer, because they moved on to his wife. When the security official looked at Esther’s passport, he saw her maiden name was Maimon. He asked a few times, confirming her name was indeed Maimon. The official then queried slowly, with a hint of admiration, “Might you be related to Mousa ben Maimon, the famous philosopher and doctor of our sultan, Saladin?” He referred to the Rambam – “Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon,” or Maimonides – one of the greatest spiritual giants in Jewish history, who was revered not only for his Torah scholarship, but also for his knowledge of philosophy, science, and medicine.

Esther replied proudly, “I am a direct descendant of the Rambam.” Esther’s father is an ancestor of Rabbeinu Avraham ben Maimon, the Rambam’s only son, whose progenies later settled in Turkey. The Maimon family continues to use the name “Avraham” when new members are born. Rabbi Avraham succeeded the Rambam as the Nagid (religious leader) of the Egyptian Jews and became the court physician.

Esther and Reuven became frightened when the group snapped pictures of their passports and exited the room with the passports for 15 minutes. They discovered later that the officials were doing a background check online to confirm Esther’s lineage. The Guttmans had previously traveled to many Muslim countries, traveling incognito, without any political agendas, and hadn’t encountered this line of questioning.

When the group returned, it was with elaborate trays of fruit, nuts, Egyptian delicacies, desserts, coffee, and tea. The security official handed a phone to Esther. He explained that President el-Sisi was honored that she was visiting Egypt, and wanted to welcome her personally.

The President said to Esther, “It’s the first time that a descendant of Maimonides has been in this country since the 13th century. We teach our children in school about him. We are going to honor you – welcome home.”

The Guttmans partook of the fruits and nuts, and thereby avoided insulting their enthusiastic hosts.

From that point on, the Guttmans were treated as royalty and were given carte blanche. They were offered a special tour guide and driver, and to be put up in the best hotel, but they graciously opted to honor their agreement with Ibraham, their own tour guide, and remained in the splendid Four Seasons Hotel. Four bodyguards riding in a jeep and holding machine guns accompanied the Guttmans and Ibraham throughout the rest of the trip.

Visiting the Rambam

The couple requested to see the Pyramids, which was high on their wish list. Reuven couldn’t resist asking if he could be photographed wearing a tallit and standing with the Pyramids behind him. He thought of the words in Exodus, “The Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel with backbreaking labor,” and of how Pharaoh forced our ancestors to build elaborate structures. Reuven was permitted to take the picture quickly and discreetly so other visitors wouldn’t spot him.

The Guttmans were given a private tour of tombs that are closed to the public. The tombs’ walls are lined with gold, and they were shown the coffin and remains of the Pharaoh from the time of the Exodus.

Esther and Reuven visited five synagogues that have remained shut since 1967. They were kept immaculately clean, and all the chairs, siddurim and Humashim were in place as if services were still being held. One of the guards asked Reuven to open a Torah and read it to him.

In one of the synagogues, the Guttmans were introduced to one of the three remaining Jews in Egypt, Ms. Magda Haroun. She was preparing for an upcoming conference on Maimonides and preserving Egyptian Jewish heritage.

They set out to visit the shul of the Rambam, traveling down an unpaved road in a poor and rustic area. This shul, too, was maintained in pristine condition as if a caretaker cleaned it daily. The building was connected to the Rambam’s home, which consisted of one large room and then another adjoining room which housed his medical clinic. Reuven asked Ibraham why the Egyptian government conserves the shul so perfectly, and Ibraham responded, “Your history is our history.”

Ibraham showed them the oldest existing picture of the Rambam, and offered Esther a black velvet box containing a gold medal engraved with the Rambam’s picture. Esther accepted the dazzling gift, and gracefully expressed her profound gratitude.

As the Guttmans and their entourage walked the streets on their way to museums and other sites, people thought Esther was a celebrity, and asked for a blessing or picture with her. A group of teenage girls were even let out of school early to meet Esther and kiss her hand.

She and Reuven were awed by the people’s warmth and enormous respect for the Rambam and his family. The VIP access to historic sites, including Jewish ones, which are closed to the general public, was priceless. When they visited the Jewish cemetery, they were promised that it would be cleaned up.

On Friday, the fifth and final day of their vacation, the Guttmans flew directly to Israel on a private flight prearranged for them by their genial hosts.

Communication and Respect

As the Guttmans shared their story with me, Esther spoke humbly about her connection to the Rambam, and her rabbinical ancestors. She explained that her parents were both born in the States. Her mother, Helen Ashkenazie, was of Syrian descent, and her father, Rabbi Mordechai Maimon, zt”l, was of Turkish origin, and was the founder and rabbi of the Sephardic Congregation of Mapleton. Esther’s paternal grandfather, Yaakov, was born in Turkey (the family arrived in Turkey just over a century ago). Ceil Ashkenazie, z”l, her maternal grandmother, was featured in several Sephardic Heritage Museum films about the Syrian community, showing how they persevered during the depression and WWII.

Rabbi Solomon Maimon, zt”l, Esther’s great-uncle, was the first Sephardic rabbi to be ordained in the U.S. at Yeshiva University. He served as rabbi of Seattle’s Sephardic Bikur Holm Congregation for over 40 years, and as Chief Rabbi of the Seattle Va’ad HaRabanim.

What I found most inspiring is that the Guttmans traveled over a three-year period to every place that the Rambam lived in, retracing his steps in Cordova, Spain; Fez, Morocco; Israel; and Egypt.

Reuven’s perspective on traveling is to maintain a positive attitude and demonstrate the utmost respect to the local population. “It’s all about communication and respect,” he says. “Act like a chameleon, a person who can adapt to any group or situation. Avoid arrogance or entitlement.”

Esther left Cairo with an upbeat view of Egypt. “The people and government were welcoming, generous and respectful, always looking out for us. The experience connected me to my distinguished ancestry and to the history of Klal Yisrael [the Jewish Nation].”

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Ellen Geller Kamaras, CPA/MBA, is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach. Her coaching specialties include life, career and dating coaching. Ellen works part-time as an entitlement specialist at Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services. She can be contacted at ellen@lifecoachellen.com (www.lifecoachellen.com).