October 2012

William Barthman
Jewelers to the Brooklyn Nets
The Jewish Impact
on Civilization
Front cover_OCTOBER.indd 1
Growing Communities
in Latin America
Torah Scrolls Hidden in Iraq
OF THE
S
R
P
E
Y
E
UR
PR
A
What the 2012 Election
Means for Israel
Sukkot and the
Secret of Happiness
9/28/2012 12:04:39 PM
CONTENTS
OCTOBER 2012
Departments
64
When the Patient Is a Child
Disability Insurance: Protect Your Future
ARTS AND LEISURE
Holiday Word Search
226
BEAUTY
Take Care of Your Scalp
What Not To Do With Your Makeup
By Sylvia Hamowy
224
238
The Price of Teen Car Insurance
New Year, New Approach to Investing
By Mark Seruya
When the Patient Is a Child
By Rabbi Charles Rudansky
The Jewish Impact on Civilization
By Rabbi Ken Spiro
An Interview with Joseph Lichter, DDS
By Randi Shomer
Briefcases and Baby Bottles
202
Up and Coming Brooklyn Neighborhoods
CLASSIFIEDS
62
68
274
Strengthen Your Immune System
About Artificial Sweeteners
By Esther Hornstein
Avoid Food Poisoning
COMMUNITY
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Confronting America’s Obesity Epidemic
282
Keep Your Workouts Fun and Safe
COMMUNITY CALENDAR 284
HOME
COMMUNITY EVENTS
How to Spot an Antique
Honoring Morris Bailey
A Special Event for Chai Lifeline
A Trip to Atlantic City To Support ORT
By Estelle V. Marcus
96
114
240
EDUCATION
Are School Vouchers the Answer
By Moshe Sokolow
The Manhattan Sephardic Congregation
Rabbi Saul Kassin’s Visit to Strivright
Cutting Yeshivah Costs with Technology
By Josh Lipowsky
46
86
158
246
176
FILMS
Fill the Void
102
Section 01.indd 10
104
NEW S
192
Advice from Project SAFE Teachers
132
234
POLITICS
Assemblyman Cymbrowitz Listens
134
PUBLISHER’’S LETTER
REAL ESTATE
178
198
218
How to Find a Great Tenant
220
232
The Mediterranean Diet
188
94
212
150
22
206
RECIPES
A Sukkot Meal with a Thanksgiving Flair
By Jamie Geller
34
142
RELATIONSHIPS
Marriages are Made in Heaven
By Dr. Ari Korenblit
222
RESTAURANT GUIDE
SINGLES EVENTS
SPORTS
280
275
The History of Sports in Brooklyn
80
ISRAEL
TECHNOLOGY
Who Will Be Israel’s New Chief Rabbis?
Intel Builds High Tech Empire in Israel
By David Rosenberg
140
Cyber Warfare
146
214
254
Will Hezbollah Retaliate if Israel Attacks?
54
250
JEWISH COMMUNITIES
A Jewish Community in the Netherlands
The Jews of South Africa
120
124
Recalling the Historic Agreement
By Saul Kagan
116
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 24
MARRIAGE
10 Questions to Ask Before Marriage
228
By Rabbi Dov Heller
FINANCE
Captive Insurance Companies
By Isaac Yedid and Raymond Zeitoune
In Memory of My Dad, Sam Mizrahi
By Kim Mizrahi Cohen
170
Boost Your Child’s Brain Power
88
JEWISH HISTORY
EMPLOYMENT
Creating a Concise Resume
By Barry Cohen
64
IN MEMORIAM
In Memory of My Father Albert Moghrabi
Making a Difference in Long Branch
PARENTING
HEALTH
BROOKLYN
Help Beautify Kings Highway
The Chateaux Steakhouse
NEW JERSEY
News from Around the World
FOCUS ON
BOOKS
98
112
174
242
MIDDLE EAST
Endangered Torahs
162
Mistakes Affecting Your Computer
TORAH CONTEST
TORAH MESSAGE
Parashat Hashavuah
Pirkei Avot
38
42
WRITER’’’S THOUGHTS
Kids Are Always Listening
By Michoel Ambush
44
Letting My Daughter Go
By Emuna Braverman
216
The Power of Conventions
By Diane Paige
236
9/28/2012 11:47:30 AM
Sephardi
ational
SNA
Alliance
cN
-USA-
THE PUBLISHER/EDITOR
Ben-Gurion Matsas
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Rachelle Matsas
Dear Readers,
The first day of October is also the first day of Sukkot. In honor of this joyous holiday, Rabbi Joel
Padowitz wrote “Sukkot and the Secret of Happiness,” a thought-provoking article which explains that if
you choose to take pleasure in what you have—you’ll be content.
This month we are celebrating the borough we call home with features about the very new and very
exciting Barclays Center; up and coming Brooklyn neighborhoods; William Barthman Jewelers, the jewelers
to the new Brooklyn Nets; the beautification of Kings Highway, and the history of sports in Brooklyn.
Last month, four young girls from our community proved that you don’t have to be an adult to make
a difference. These 11 and 12 year old girls put together a successful Chinese Auction/bake sale
for Chai Lifeline. Many philanthropic men and women took a bus ride to Atlantic City to raise money for
ORT, an organization committed to strengthening Jewish communities through education. The UJAFederation of New York held their Annual Sephardic Event in honor of Morris Bailey, who was given
the Sephardic Leadership Award and residents of Long Branch, New Jersey, held an event to say
thank you to the men and women of the municipality, who make the town run safely and smoothly.
A beautiful new Sefer Tehillim, “Prayers of the Pure–the Doueck Edition,” was presented to the
youth of our community. The rabbis of our schools, in Brooklyn and Deal, have incorporated this Sefer
Tehillim into their curriculum.
The presidential election is just one month away. It is your right as an American to vote, but before you
do, be sure to see the movie 2016: Obama’s America. “Voting means empowerment,” said Assemblyman
Steven Cymbrowitz. “Your vote sends a message to those you elect. You are stating, loud and clear,
what issues are important to you.”
We have interesting articles about the growing Jewish communities in Latin America, a Jewish
community in the Netherlands and the Jews of South Africa. Do you think Israel will attack Iran and, if
so, will Hezbollah retaliate? We have important features that tackle these momentous questions. We
also have features on strengthening your immune system, confronting America’s obesity epidemic, the
Mediterranean diet, and how to avoid food poisoning. Mark Seruya believes that the new year is the
perfect time for a new approach to investing and Rabbi Dov Heller provides the 10 questions everyone
should ask before considering marriage. Enjoy!
Ben-Gurion and Rachelle Matsas
WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING
IN THE COMMUNITY?
22 t OCTOBER 2012 t IMAGE
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9/27/2012 5:23:41 PM
F I N A N C E
New Year, New Approach to
INVESTING
Mark Seruya
W
wealth management plan. There are
many tools that will help accomplish
this goal:
A Private Family Foundation:
This can be the basis of long term
charitable giving, although there are
considerable legal issues to consider.
Charitable Remainder Trusts:
People can donate to a worthy beneficiary as well as potentially defer
capital gains and income taxes at
the same time. Charitable remainder trusts allow for donors to receive
an income stream for a fixed period
or lifetime, at the end of which
remaining funds are distributed to a
designated charity(ies). There are a
variety of other types of trusts worthy of consideration and discussion
with your legal, tax, and financial
advisors.
Gift Annuities: This is a contract between a donor and a charity,
whereby the donor transfers cash or
property to the charity in exchange
for a partial tax deduction and a lifetime stream of annual income from
the charity. When the donor dies,
the charity keeps the remainder of
the gift. The amount of the income
stream is often determined by payout rates defined by the American
Council on Gift Annuities as well as
other factors, including the donor’s
age and the policy of the charity.
Continued on page 244
242 t OCTOBER 2012 t IMAGE
ith the New Year upon
us, we make conscious
efforts to better ourselves, our community,
and our world. Why not better our
approach to wealth management
as well?
Wealth management requires a
methodical, long-term strategy, and
can also incorporate charitable giving—admirable at any time of year.
Such a plan can be very rewarding,
both from a tax liability and investment standpoint, as well as an emotional one.
When strategically executed,
financial charitable giving can not
only help a designated cause but
can also generate personal tax
benefits and advance your overall
Section 08.indd 242
9/27/2012 3:49:39 PM
F I N A N C E
INVESTING...
244 t OCTOBER 2012 t IMAGE
Continued from page 242
Pooled Income Funds: A
pooled income fund allows you to
do three things: 1) ensure a lifetime income, 2) claim a current tax
deduction and 3) make a future gift
to charity.
A pooled income fund is a type
of mutual fund comprised of gifts
that are pooled and invested together. Income from the fund is distributed to both the fund’s participants
and named beneficiaries according
to their share of the fund. If you are
a donor to the fund, you and the
other income recipients you choose
receive quarterly payments for life,
and upon your death the value of
the assets will be transferred to the
beneficiaries.
Life Insurance Policies: These
can actually replace estate and gift
tax liabilities, providing a significant
benefit at a comparably lower cost.
The proceeds from these policies
Section 08.indd 244
are typically income tax free for the
beneficiary.
Donor Advised Funds: Easy
to establish, low cost, and flexible,
these funds are a good way to
engage in giving. A donor advised
fund (DAF) is administered by a public charity and is created to manage
donations on behalf of the family or
individual. They are administratively
convenient and offer tax advantages. Naming a DAF as a beneficiary
of your retirement accounts can
circumvent both estate and income
tax on the gift.
No matter what the strategy,
there are some key points to keep
in mind. First, with respect to giving in general, mind the limits and
what they mean for tax liability. For
instance, the lifetime federal gift tax
exclusion amount is currently $1
million. However, whatever portions
are used will reduce dollar for dollar the estate tax exclusion amount
available at death. Individuals are
urged to consult their personal tax or
legal advisors to understand the tax
consequences of their actions.
Second, mind the importance
of documentation when assessing
the benefits of philanthropy. Many
choose to work through existing
non-profit organizations when starting philanthropic work. The beneficiary organization needs to meet the
qualifications under the IRS code,
and must provide proof that the
funds are used for charitable purposes.
Third, and most important, the
beneficiary organization must be
reputable. IRS regulations are in
place to guard against corruption,
but also to protect philanthropists
themselves, by ensuring that charitable gifts are put to good use, and
done so in a transparent fashion.
My family and I have been longtime supporters of the Sephardic
Food Pantry, the Angel Fund,
SAFE, and Kingsborough College,
all of which we feel provide critical
services to the community.
Mark Seruya is a Brooklyn resident and a
senior vice president and Financial Planner
with the Global Wealth Management Division
of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in New York.
The information contained in this article is
not a solicitation to purchase or sell investments. Any information presented is general in
nature and not intended to provide individually
tailored investment advice. The strategies and/
or investments referenced may not be suitable
for all investors as the appropriateness of a
particular investment or strategy will depend
on an investor’s individual circumstances
and objectives. Investing involves risks and
there is always the potential of losing money.
The views expressed herein are those of the
author.
9/27/2012 3:49:45 PM