Reshaping By Ones

Lifehacker recently linked to an interesting piece in Psychology Today which essentially discusses how people are wired to care more about individuals than groups, or as they put it, "Why Millions Can Die and We Won't Care." It's all rather interesting if somewhat unsurprising, but the examples they gave made me wonder why more charities (particularly tzedakos and/or schools) don't utilize this information to their advantage:

In [a] study people were paid to participate in an unrelated psychological quiz, and on the way out they were given the opportunity to donate up to $5.00 of their earnings to Save The Children. They were given three options:

• They could donate to help Rokia, a 7 year-old Malian girl. The subjects were shown a picture of Rokia. They were willing to give $2.25.

• They could donate to help the hundreds of thousands of children in eastern Africa who were starving. They were willing to give only $1.15.

• The third option was to help Rokia specifically, but along with this request subjects were also given the statistics about the other starving east African kids. The same people who were willing to give $2.25 when it was just for Rokia, were only willing to give $1.40 when the request to help Rokia included information about the larger statistics!

Fascinating, right? Moreover:

Other studies showed similar results. For example, people would donate $11 to save one child but only $5 to save eight. The same goes for single events—like a tsunami—versus an ongoing event—like starving children.

One of the first thoughts that came to mind was the approach some schools have, where they basically require parents to either give or fundraise on behalf of the school ("give or get"). This is (perhaps accidentally) rather smart and effective: Firstly, it splits the burden up among hundreds of people, with a much greater net reach. But more specifically, the givers will identify their charity with the child of those parents who are asking for the funds, and this may make them more willing to give more money.

But more importantly, individual stories are always stronger. When schools focus on one individual story and why they need support to help that child's dream, it has a stronger impact on donors. Recently I found that even bringing the numbers down from an overall support to a specific support was incredibly effective. I am on the Alumni Board at Lander College, and we did a scholarship drive during the summer to help financially strapped students for this coming school year. Just upon hearing the individualized impact the prior year's small donations had been able to have made encouraged everyone on the Board to donate more themselves, and it was a really strong pitch to other alumni. As soon as I (and others) would mention how a dozen or so students had been able to more easily afford their tuition, people would suddenly be far more interested in offering their support. It seems clear that being able to directly associate giving with a recipient, and therefore feeling that one has made a (more) significant impact, helps encourage greater levels of charity.

It would seem a reasonable idea for Jewish schools (and charities) to attempt such pitches, whether focusing on individual children who need financial assistance, or by idealizing the education of a class through the persona of a single student, and how giving support will help that child succeed. It will not solve the current crisis, but perhaps it can lessen its impact just a bit.

...and, we're back!

Random pieces:

• I technically (b'ah) have still never broken a bone in my life, though I am now using crutches for the first time, I believe. I chipped a bone in my ankle playing basketball this week for the Lander Alumni team, right before the playoffs, of course... and possibly holding back the Lander Alumni Board from moving forward since I had to push back a meeting between myself and Touro's controller. Sigh.
• In related news, Percocet is way overrated, and did not help me whatsoever. It did however make me sick tonight.
• Not overrated: The HTC Thunderbolt or Verizon's 4G LTE network. I have a mini-computer in my hand, except it's more powerful than my desktop and faster than my cable internet, and with better apps. This thing literally saves me time (and often money) on a consistent basis.
• Any app recommendations from Android users? In other news, Google owns my life.
• The next two months will be rather crazy, with numerous friends, including some very close ones, moving. Some are moving rather close, while others are moving far... and others are moving far, far, far away. Usually change is more gradual unless you're the one moving. At the same time, many friends and family are having/have had babies, are getting engaged/married, and sadly a couple have seen their relationships/marriages hit a rough spot. Life, eh.
• My fantasy team has been decimated by injuries, so I decided to switch things up to have a shot by taking advantage of our 1,250 innings limit. My starters are now: Lincecum, Halladay, Kershaw, Jimenez, and CJ Wilson while I have Bell, Wilson, Feliz, E.Sanchez, and (DL) Aardsma as my closers (and Gregerson for some good innings). Then again, my lineup now is C Avila, 1B LaPorta, 2B Walker, 3B Gordon, SS A.Gonzalez, CI A.Huff, OF Brantley/Raj.Davis/C.Hart/A.Torres Util C J.Buck/1B B.Wallace (DL Utley/V.Wells). Figure if I can clinch top marks in the pitching categories, and get into good position in steals (now that Davis and Torres are back from the DL) and rebound a bit in average, I can flip the studs in late July/early August for some top power hitters, which combined with Utley and Hart (just off DL) could get me into the pack in R/HR/RBI/Avg - enough to have a shot to win.
• The Indians seem to be for real, what with a solid lineup, and a pitching staff that doesn't walk anyone while eliciting ground ball after ground ball. That's... odd.
• The Browns had a very good draft, the Cavs are hoping the ping-pong balls bounce their way... sports in Cleveland are looking... up?!
• Even when life isn't great, it's always nice to know it's (finally) heading in the right direction. Or at least, a better direction.

Memorial Service for Professor Budick

Lander Men and Women's division alumni - if you can attend it would be greatly appreciated.

BDE: Professor Arthur Budick

Message from Lander College for Men Dean R' Dr. Moshe Sokol:

I am deeply saddened to inform you that Arthur Budick passed away yesterday evening after a battle with cancer.

Arthur was a founding member of the LCM faculty, and taught literature at Touro since at least the mid-seventies, if not earlier. He was a friend to many of us, and a gifted and passionate professor who inspired and instructed generations of students. Virtually every LCM student took him for at least one course during their educational career. Arthur’s humanity, wisdom, depth and principle are simply irreplaceable.

The family has requested that funeral services and shiva be private. Touro plans to organize a shloshim memorial service at which the family will be present. I will share with you more information about this as it becomes available.

Baruch dayan ha-emet.

Moshe Sokol

Professor Arthur Budick was one of the most energetic and inspiring professors in Lander when I was there - I recall him being a rare professor who was not afraid to get completely "into" whatever he was teaching, acting out characters from the readings we were in middle of or in general adding some life into his classes. He was a tough grader, dedicated to forcing people to strive for perfection and not just adequacy. He was a good man and will be missed.

Baruch Dayan Emes.

Honesty and The Jewish Community II: Professor S.

(continued from here)

When I first signed up for my courses, I met the man who would end up being my professor for a majority of the important classes I would end up taking, Professor S. (I would love to name him to give him the credit he is due, but I am guessing he would be uncomfortable with this.) I only took Principles of Accounting I with him in my first semester, but in later semesters I would take as many as three courses with him.

The first and perhaps most important trait about Professor S. that I found interesting was that he was teaching primarily because he viewed it as his duty to help educate people in the community to assist them in their futures. What I mean by this is that he had no real reason to be coming in twice a week for entire afternoons and early evenings to teach a small class of accounting majors, in a school about one hour from his home, traveling through some nice traffic on occasion to get there. Not only did he put in this extraordinary effort to come teach us, but he did so at the expense of his own practice - he is a partner in a small accounting firm, and the 7-8 hours of his day that he gave up were hours he could have been working and doing far more for himself, and yet he chose to spend this time with - on, us.

One of the other extraordinary traits about Professor S. was his insistence not just on honesty and integrity - but his dedication to not even being placed in a situation that could tempt a person to act without it. For tests, he would make up three to five separate versions of the test, then sit us in far, separated rows where nobody within 10 feet would have a copy in the same order as another. It was almost crazy, but the lesson was clear: Don't even THINK about it. Moreover, it would take a good week or so before we would get our grades back from a test, as he would analyze how everyone answered each question (he was insistent on showing as much work as possible), then determine which portions an inordinate number of students missed - and if it seemed that a sizable group had misunderstood or misapplied a concept, he would sometimes take the blame for not having taught it properly, and weigh that question far lower and raise the weight of others. For a person who did not even need to be teaching, the dedication and sense of responsibility he brought was nothing short of incredible.

My favorite story involving Professor S. is probably from my second semester in Lander. I was dating Serach seriously, and was planning on proposing the next afternoon. I had recently learned that my future mother-in-law had worked for Professor S. in his practice... for ten years. He knew Serach well from when she was a young girl, but did not know I was dating her. I walked into his office and told him that I wanted to tell him something; he said as he sat down, "Yes, what is it?" I said that I wanted to tell him that I was dating someone seriously, and would iy"H be proposing to her the next day, and he said with a big smile "That's great! Mazel tov!" I then added that it was someone he knew and I wanted to tell him who it was, and he waved me off saying, "No, no, it's okay, that's none of my business." I said "No, you have to hear this", and he looked up. "It's Serach Luchins", I said, and his eyes grew wide, he burst out laughing, and he fell right off his chair onto the ground and sat there, cracking up. "Now THAT's amazing. MAZEL TOV!! She's a great girl, great family", he said, shaking his head, just sitting there laughing on the floor.

Professor S. was a great teacher - not because he was necessarily the best educator (though I believe he was quite good), but because he interspersed his teachings with stories from his life and from others - practical advice that would be useful not only for the class at hand, but more so for the future, as we actually began to work in the field. One of the stories that has always stuck out in my mind was one he told us in one of our first classes with him, about thinking. If I am remembering this correctly, he had a friend who had begun working as an auditor for a firm, and one of their clients had huge rolls of material used to make different things. Each quarter, to perform an inventory count, they would have to roll out the entire roll and measure how much there was - and every roll was different. It was a huge pain, taking weeks, but it had to be done. The friend, who was new, asked his manager if he could finish the job earlier than when he wanted and expected it to be finished, could he get the time off until when it was supposed to have been done by. The manager figured that seemed fair, set a target date, and a few weeks later, the friend finished about a day early and asked for his day off. The manager hesitated but ultimately agreed to uphold his end of the bargain. The next quarter, the friend asked the manager about doing the same deal, and the manager figured again why not - it only helps the job get done a little faster. About three days later, the friend walked over, handed over a huge list with all the measurements, and asked for his *weeks* off. The manager balked, and he and the partner demanded to know how the friend had done it. The friend wouldn't agree to tell them unless they agreed to give him a raise and promotion, and upon agreement, explained that he was able the first time around to calculate various points in the roll and therefore create a calculation as to how each type of material on a roll corresponded to a different length. Once he knew how each material expanded on the roll, all he had to do was measure out from the center and run the calculation based on that material.

The friend had essentially figured out how to turn an inefficient job into a completely efficient one, with no sacrifice in quality. He quickly moved up the ranks at his firm, according to Professor S., and that was an approach we should always take to problems: Be creative, use our heads. Think about how we're doing things and see if there's a way to do them better. (He didn't necessarily recommend telling our bosses to give us raises in exchange for telling them how we did things, though.)

That lesson was one of many from Professor S. that have really stayed with me, and have helped me tremendously as I've gone through the past few years, which have not always treated me as kindly as some of his classes did (a couple were pretty tough, admittedly). There is a lot to be said for working efficiently, problem-solving wisely, and thinking through a project to determine the best way to accomplish your goals - and there's even more to be said for sacrificing of yourself for the sake of others and acting with integrity, no matter the circumstances.

(to be continued)

Pita and Taxes

Serach went to buy pita for dinner from a local establishment. She asked the person behind the counter, who's Chassidish, if they took the Lander discount card (a card issued to Lander students, kollel members, alumni, and their spouses), to which the man replied "I remember the guy came in here... you know what, yes, I'll take it." He promptly took off 10%, leaving the bill at about $3. Serach then asked about paying using a debit card, to which he replied "Why not?" When she asked if there were a minimum, he noted simply "No, that's illegal."

This is in stark contrast to another establishment which was happy to take the card... but only if you paid cash. As the owner told Serach, "If I take credit then I have to pay taxes on it!" Serach replied that he has to pay taxes either way, and left.

The best way of putting it: A family friend of my in-laws (IIRC) tells customers who ask about tax, "I don't charge tax. I just collect it."

Masterful Ceremonies

There is a famous (if overused) saying that goes, "If you need to get something done, find someone who's busy." This post is dedicated in honor of a couple of friends who turned this into an art form.

(For a quick bit of background... After my two years in Israel, I came back to the US and attended the Lander College for Men in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, NY, as a "Lander Scholar" (full academic scholarship). Lander was in its infancy at the time; it was billed as the Honors Division of Touro College, and thank God, it turned out to be rather decent and an overall great experience. Since finishing at Lander, I was asked to join the Lander Alumni Board and was then elected by the other members of the Board to be a Vice Chair. My good friend [and SerandEz contributor] Moshe was appropriately and easily elected to be the Chairman.)

Last night at the White Shul in Far Rockaway was the first-ever Lander Alumni Dinner. Lander has been around for 10 years, and as it's the first dinner, the logistics that went into making it work while bringing back alumni from the beginning was an impossible trick. Our original projections and hopes were to bring in 250 people to the dinner, with an outside shot at breaking 300 - and this despite about 50 people from over the years being honored for having received smicha (rabbinic ordination) over the decade Lander has been in existence.

As a Board member, I was supposed to be doing major work to help out with the dinner. Unfortunately, however, it coincided with the exact weeks I needed to use for preparing my company's financial statements, and I ended up doing just about nothing. Meanwhile, the rest of the Board (except the accountants finishing up busy season) and particularly the tireless Alumni Director of Lander and our Board Chairman Moshe had to work their little tushies off: Despite holding other jobs, despite having wives/families/dating/etc. to deal with, despite all the other headaches that come up in life, or (in Moshe's case) despite being a third-year medical student working on hospital rotations.

And yet... they did it. The AD would work all day, all evening, all night... and Moshe would come back from a rotation and get straight to work. Moshe told me that when he'd leave at 2am to get some rest before the morning, the AD was still working like crazy. They somehow tracked down just about every person who stepped foot in Lander over its ten-year history, and then got a rather large chunk of them to commit to coming. The final total of confirmed reservations was ridiculous in comparison to what we shot for: 507. Including walk-ins who came to wish mazel tov, the total was close to 600 people, despite many alumni who sadly couldn't make it for various reasons. Perhaps even more impressive was the quality of it all: Our innovative approach to the program kept it light and enjoyable, and Moshe kept it moving at a good clip as the MoC. All in all, it gave truth to the (rather impressively done) video tribute to Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander, a'h, whose vision is what created the school and who passed away this year.

I'm trying to get a copy of the video, but what was especially fascinating about it was seeing him give a fiery speech about Jewish education when he was a bit younger. While his insane work ethic and vision were still evident while we were in Lander and he was about 90, he simply wasn't the same anymore. To see him with all of his energy and watch him be a dynamo like that was really something. His approach to everything was that anything is possible - and in fact, it's going to happen, because we're going to make it happen.

For me, watching this video along with listening to the various honorees was a bit of a coming together of a lot of different pieces. My own boss was actually a student at Touro College in its very first year of existence, and had R' Dr. Lander not just as a Chancellor, but as a teacher. In the 10 months I've been working with him, I only recall him showing that he was impressed with a person twice; both times were in reference to R' Dr. Lander and his amazing accomplishments. Interestingly, my boss has a very similar attitude, perhaps taken from "Bernie" - ideas that seem to be far beyond what one could reasonably expect, then going after it full-bore... and realizing that it's actually far more reachable than you originally imagined. One-in-a-million is suddenly more like one-in-three.

Lander itself was built the same way: A nice concept, but come on - could it really be pulled off? And yet... it was. When I went, there were a nice amount of good guys like myself who were given some type of scholarship as a means of drawing us to a school we might have liked conceptually, but been afraid to take a chance on. Just a couple of years later, people were being placed in a neighboring apartment complex because the dorms had already exceeded their capacity. The same occurred with this dinner: What seemed like a pipe dream suddenly turned into not just a success, but a resounding one that exceeded all expectations... and the credit goes to the people who put everything they had into making it happen: Specifically, our Alumni Director and our Chairman, Moshe.

Both of the major honorees touched on it in their speeches, but it's still worth noting about these great young men, good friends whom I will always hold in high regard (even as I nitpick them to death in all our meetings): Bernie Lander would have been proud. And, now that we know what we know, may next year be even better.


(Also, great job on the food. Yum.)

Dr. Bernard Lander Passes Away - Funeral Information

(Hat tip: many)

Dr. Bernard Lander, the pioneering founder of Touro College, the Lander College for Men (my alma mater), Ohr HaChaim, and other institutions, has passed away in his home. From YW:

Today, Touro College/Touro University is a multi-campus, international university with more than 23,000 students at campus locations in New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Israel, Russia and Germany.

Dr. Lander is also an Honorary Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

He is survived by his son, Rav Daniel Lander Shlita, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Ohr HaChaim (Queens, NY), his daughters: Mrs. Ester Greenfield, Mrs. Debbie Waxman and Mrs. Hana Lander, his many grandchildren and great-grand children.

The levaya is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 11:00AM at Yeshiva Ohr HaChaim, 141-61 71st Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, NY 11367.

Baruch Dayan Emes.

Tisha B'Av Schedule at Lander

For those in the Kew Gardens Hills area, if you're interested, here is the schedule for Tisha B'Av at Lander College for Men.

Finding a Center: The Role of Yeshiva University

Reprinted with permission from Adventures in Chinuch
by YD

I just read that DRS (the boys high school in Woodmere) is opening up a post-high school yeshiva program. I am extremely happy with this news, although I am sure (based on speaking to someone there), that Yeshiva University is not. Obviously this presents a potential cheaper option for those who want to attend Queens College or a comparable place. But it is not only the potential savings that excites me.

I am not going to go through my entire story, but suffice it to say that I was not happy for the year I spent at YU. I subsequently switched to Lander College, from where I graduated. I know, if I switched to Lander you are probably thinking that I must have...

a) Thought of myself as being yeshivish
b) Considered poetry to be the source of all evil in the world
c) Labeled Rabbi Lamm as a kofer
d) Been really weird
e) All of the above

Actually none is true, except maybe d. I switched because I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy because I felt that the environment in the Yeshiva Program was (and probably still is) a bit too Torah-Centric. Here's what I mean:

As we have discussed numerous times, there is a lot more to meaning in a Jewish life than how much a person engages in "holy" activities. There is a lot to be said for accomplishing things outside the realm of what people call "spirituality." People, including myself, are often sensitive to this, and need other things for their spirituality. In fact, engaging in pursuits other than "holiness" may be fulfilling part of the purpose of creation. If you don't trust me, read the first chapter of By His Light, which is based on R' Aharon Lichtenstein's speeches. (Thanks to fellow blogger Erachet for suggesting I read it; it's a must-read for anyone who believes in "being normal.")

This idea, is one of the biggest casualties of the "flipping out" phenomenon. When many teenagers flip out they change their entire focus to the areas of Talmud Torah and holiness. What many don't realize is that to drastically alter your focus is not an obligation incumbent on every person, and that for many, it is unhealthy. Additionally, they may become ignorant of the fact that other who don't follow their approach, may actually be doing the right thing.

As we have discussed, the Rebbeim is Israel have the ability to set these kid straight, and often don't, either because they don't believe they should, or because they think it will hurt the effectiveness of their Yeshiva, or some other reason. However, as fellow blogger Chaim pointed in the comments, the post-high school Rebbeim have just as much responsibility and ability to attend to this problem.

Which brings me to YU. I found there to be very little guidance from the Rebbeim in Yeshiva University. Many of them only come in for a few hours, just to give shiur, and leave. Very little is heard from the Rebbeim besides the Torah they teach, and for some, even the Parsha shiur is just another Gemara sugya on a topic related to the Parsha. Every once in a while there was a speech about a meaningful topic like dating or something, but this was never followed by a "meet with the rebbe and discuss your issues personally" session. In short, one could easily get the impression there that Talmud Torah is the only important value.

My impression was that this attitude was very prevalent among the students there as well. People spent hours on end learning, (which is good) but cut a lot of their classes (which is bad), brought seforim to class (which is disrespectful), were constantly deriding the Madda portion of the school (also bad), and gave off the general impression that value to yourself and the Jewish people is based on how much Torah you learn. These guys were the ones who were "well-known" in the Beis Medrash (aka the role models), and were overall just way too intense.

I wouldn't have a problem with this if YU were strictly a Yeshiva for the most serious boys. But it's not. Just based on the sheer numbers, there is no way that the Yeshiva Program can expect everyone to be Torah-only students. Additionally, YU itself stands for the type of well-rounded philosophy that is not most common among it's students. Most care too much about Torah, or not enough Torah, to even come near the ideal YU product. So either the Rebbeim are not on boat with YU philosophy (which is dysfunctional) or they are, but don't have time to care (which is equally as dysfunctional).

Either way, YU has the potential to produce normal, but G-d fearing graduates who are knowledgeable in both their professional field and in Torah. But unfortunately, the opportunity is not being taken advantage of for whatever reason or reasons that may be. I know YU has been trying lately to reverse this trend, but until they do more to change the culture there, I will be excited about any new possible program that may (or may not) steer their students, and by extension the rest of us, in the right direction.

Program L'iluy Nishmas Aliza Shull (R' Paysach Krohn)

(Cross-posted on LCMAlumni)

This coming Wednesday evening, erev Shavuos, May 27th at 8:00pm there will be a program dedicated in the memory of Aliza Shull, a'h. The speakers will be R' Paysach Krohn and Gabi Shull; the program is sponsored by the LCM Office of Alumni Affairs and Friends of Gabi Shull.

Touro Buys New York Medical School

This is a pretty impressive move:

All those who attended the Lander College Alumni Shabbaton were privileged on Saturday night of the Shabbaton to hear a brief speech from Dr. Bernard Lander, the founder of Touro College, and the namesake of its branch in Queens, the Lander College for Men. During his speech, Dr. Lander shared with the crowd the very exciting (but yet to be finalized) news that Touro College has [...] decided to purchase the New York Medical College.

Adventures in Chinuch

An old associate opened up a blog recently which is quite intriguing, entitled Adventures in Chinuch. As his profile states:

I teach limmudei kodesh in the MO school system. I'm one of those "cool young Rabbis" who isn't really cool and isn't really a Rabbi. However, I have the secret power to trick teenagers into thinking I'm cool by using my taste in music and juvenile [sic] sense of humor. I can also trick them into thinking I'm a Rabbi, but that's easier.

His latest post touches on a common difficulty teachers face, which is what to say when you know the wrong lesson is likely to be taken from a situation.

I was actually asked by a student if I saw the Doritos commercial which shows the effect of eating Doritos on a person's ability to keep their clothing on (the student made a point to reference that part of the commercial). It was inappropriate viewing, but unavoidable to those watching. I could have said yes [...] However, the problem is that once a student hears me say that I saw it, in his head it becomes "Rabbi said I can watch inappropriate things on T.V." without really internalizing or even comprehending my explanation.

So...I implied that I did not see the commercial.

'Tis an interesting dilemma, and he's touched on a couple of others in his first few posts. Check him out.

War Is Cruelty

“War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.” - William Tecumseh Sherman

I was thinking about the war, and how different people approach war and truthfully, many problems in life. There are times where it is best to simply face up to the problem, take the 'lumps', as you will, and move on. This is certainly true in war, as stated so well above by General Sherman during the Civil War. As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of a short op-ed I wrote for the Lander Chronicle [Vol. 4 Issue 1] in the fall of 2003. Large chunks of it are quite apropos now, so I'm reposting it in full here. (The writing is a bit weak, especially in the beginning, but I threw it together rather fast and was forced to edit out a bit by the school. Long story.)

~~~~~~~

There is an old cliché in sports: ‘Defense wins championships.’ There is also a second truism on the subject: ‘The best defense is a good offense.’ The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had an elite defense for over five years, yet were never able to win the NFL championship until this past year. The explanation for this was an offense that was so fruitless that their defense, no matter how superb, was not enough to compensate. In warfare as in sports, these guidelines form the foundation for victory. The Soviet Union did not win World War II by successfully defending their motherland from the Nazis. Defense does not stop the opposition from attacking; it only diminishes the effect of that attack. Attacking is different: it weakens, and possibly devastates, the opposition’s capacity to attack; if only because they now have to concentrate on their own defenses. Hence, it follows that World War II was won when the Russians, British, and Americans finally infiltrated Germany and smashed its capacity to wreak havoc and destruction upon the world. These concepts should be applied to the State of Israel. Israel has a horrible mess on its hands – not only from the now 3-year old Palestinian intifada, but from world pressure and condemnation. However, there is a way out of both messes at once, and that’s to temporarily make them both bigger. Israel’s only option to make its land safe for its citizens, and to gain worldwide respect, is to stick to its guns: both figuratively and literally.

As a visiting group of US Senators pointed out recently, Israel has the firepower to destroy the terrorist infrastructure among the Palestinians, they just lack the resolve to use it for fear of world opinion. But this is illogical. Currently, they are being condemned at every turn, no matter how hard they try to be accommodating. Therefore, they have little to lose in terms of political capital. Economically, Israel can no longer afford to allow this charade to continue.

The drain the intifada has had on the economy is staggering. There has been only one short period in which the economy stopped falling, public pressure was reduced, and people weren’t being killed as often: when they followed the United States’ lead in Afghanistan and went in strong after the terrorists. This is not even remotely surprising. There seems to be a recurring theme in history that those ethical leaders who have the fortitude to use power to achieve a safer world are shunned and yelled at before they act, yet praised and respected when they do. They are questioned on a moral basis: How could they destroy another? Yet these questioners fail to acknowledge that these others are oppressors and bullies, inherent threats to the world as a whole. And when they are at long last confronted, those who showed their courage are praised. Just as Israel was at first eschewed for its strike on the Egyptian Air Force in 1967, and again for its attack on Iraq’s nuclear facilities in 1981, these decisive actions were imperative to its safety. Now, these are hailed as two of the most brilliant tactical maneuvers in modern warfare, in addition to being viewed as heroic, brave – and necessary.

In the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman decided to absolutely annihilate everything in his armies’ paths; whether soldiers, tobacco fields, or entire cities. In a speech to the leaders of the city of Atlanta, he explains why he is intent on burning their hometown to the ground despite their pleas: “[I] shall not revoke my orders, because they were not designed to meet the humanities of the cause, but to prepare for the future struggles in which millions of good people outside of Atlanta have a deep interest.” Later he laments about the press, “You have heretofore read public sentiment in your newspapers that live by falsehood and excitement; and the quicker you seek for truth in other quarters, the better.” But his deepest comments were in the middle of his speech: “I want peace, and believe it can only be reached
through union and war.” Just as General Sherman did then, Israel must now act for its survival as a nation by fighting for its people and its ideals. It must ignore the press and the so-called “humanist” claims heaped upon them; show enough prescience to look not just at the present, but in the future struggles of millions; and show its resolve by attacking the terrorists with a strong arm and its superior firepower until the possibility of threat is totally stamped out of existence.

Ezzie Goldish
First Year Representative

Prof. Aumann at Lander Tonight & Other Worthy Reads

Prof. Robert J. Aumann is speaking tonight at the Lander College for Men on the topic "Economics & The Talmud". The lecture is open to the community:

Professor Robert J. Aumann, Nobel Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences, 2005, will be speaking at LCM, Tuesday, December 2, 2008, at 8:00 PM. The lecture will be open to the entire community and all alumni are warmly invited to attend. Refreshments will be served. The event is hosted by Touro College and the Orthodox Union.

Lander College for Men
75-01 150th Street, Flushing, NY, 11367

Elsewhere, I thought these were interesting:

• I don't generally discuss Israeli politics too closely anymore, but these clips RafiG posted (in Hebrew) of Moshe Feiglin were really interesting. It's both nice and sad at the same time to see that Israeli politics can actually discuss substance and show more agreement between the sides than American politics often does.
• I really enjoyed this d'var Torah by Steg on Toldos. A worthwhile message.
• My mom sent over a fascinating piece on how radiologists may do a better job at their job when there's a face to the scans they're seeing.