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Our sages teach us that everything Hashem made in this world has a purpose and that when we see the wisdom and kindness found within them, we fulfill a positive mitzvah of the heart (Chovos Halevavos, ‘Duties of the Heart’, Gate of Reflection).  One of my favorite examples of how we can see the wisdom and kindness of Hashem hidden within creations is with Icebergs.

Before making aliyah from Teaneck five years ago, Rabbi Dovi Shenkman was involved in formal and informal Jewish education through his positions as an instructor at the SINAI Program at Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC) and through serving as youth director at Congregation AABJ&D in West Orange and on staff at Camps Moshava and HASC.

Recap: Germany has taken over Poland and declared war on England and France. Bayla realizes that she can’t go back home to Poland now, and she is very worried about her family. She remembers to give a painting to her cousin from her mother, but her cousin’s reaction to the gift is strange.

Today, anyone with a camera phone can click and get an image. But to take a really good photo, you must understand the artistic and technological sides of photography. Devorie Zutler has spent the last 12 years teaching women and girls how to do just that. Zutler’s students are both aspiring professionals and hobbyists. Until now, she taught classes in Lakewood, Monsey and Brooklyn. After watching her daughter take an online class at home, she realized how much more she could do, and how many more people she could reach, by teaching remotely. After Pesach, she will be offering several online photography classes via Zoom: Photography Workshop, Photoshop and Digital Photo Organization.

Recap: After a few harrowing experiences, Hans drives Mimi and the other children to the boat to the last Kindertransport. Meanwhile, back in France, Bayla is hearing radio reports about Poland being attacked by Germany.

Like many of my fellow People of the Book, I enjoy reading. When a friend recently gave me a copy of Roy Neuberger’s newest offering, Hold On: Surviving the Days Before Moshiach, I surprised myself by reading through it in one sitting. I’d heard Roy’s name before, but I was not familiar with his background; after reading Hold On, I felt that I had to meet the author in person. A quick phone call was all it took to receive a warm invitation to the Neuberger home.