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10 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Community Magazine is published monthly by Bnei Aram Soba, 1616 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11223. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY, USPS Number 0021-802 (ISSN 1552-809X). Copyright 2008 by Bnei AramSoba. Domestic subscriptions $18 or $3 when included inmembership dues. International subscriptions $52. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Community Magazine, 1616 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11223. Advertising and sponsorship proceeds are used exclusively for charitable purposes. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Publisher. Readers should always verify kashrut status independently. Advertisements for Internet and related services are intended only for those who have received a heter from their rabbi for use of such services. THIS PUBLICATION CONTAINS MESSAGES OF TORAH AND HALACHOT. PLEASE HANDLE IT APPROPRIATELY. Nissan 5768 April 2008 Volume VII Number 7 (718) 645-4460 Departments 14 Letters 28 Top 10 Overlooked Jewish Laws: Shabbat Erev Pesah, R' Eliyahu Tobal 32 Origins of Syrian Names Family Branches, Eva Kairey 40 The Principal's Principles Small Tips, R' Dov Brezak 44 The International Community 66 JSOR Passover List 82 Ask Jidoh 84 Community Chest 94 Fashion Flash Chiconomics, Jennifer Esses 96 To Your Health 98 Dental Health Flossing, Dr. Jacques Doueck 100 Getting on Track Too Much Homework, Rifka Schonfeld 102 To Junior’s Health 104 The Shaatra Files Shaatra? What's that, Linda Franco 106 The Lighter Side 108 Riddles 110 Life in the Big City 114 Kashrut Alerts 116 Mabrouks 118 Real Estate 120 Classified Features 16 Ten Things You Never Knew About the Ten Plagues RABBI ELI MANSOUR Intriguing insights on the ten miraculous plagues that Gd visited upon the Egyptians, provide a point of departure for the required preparation necessary to engage in the most critical part of the Passover seder. 34 Shwekey Inspires With the Power of Music When famous Jewish singer Yaakov Shwekey was invited to speak at one community high school, students got more than just a good show. 36 Community How To When the well-educated, successful and tradition- minded Mashadi community of Great Neck set out to learn more about managing growth in their community, they turned to the community admired throughout the world for its cohesive unity and generosity… ours. 38 $40 Million for Yeshivas? For over a year the Sephardic Community Federation has lobbied New York City’s Department of Education to give a fair share of federal “No Child Left Behind” money for New York City Yeshivas. That effort is finally paying off. 54 Why Your Rabbi Supports Kupat Ha’ir LAUREN NESSER With over a million and a half Israelis living in poverty, there has perhaps never been a greater need for American financial support. And of all the ways to support Israel’s needy, Kupat Ha’ir stands out with endorsements from the most distinguished rabbis both in Israel and our own community. 58 Sephardic Pride We’ve all heard of great Sephardic luminaries such as the Or Ha’haim, the Kaf Ha’haim and the Ben Ish Hai. But how much do we really know about these hachamim? With this question in mind, one enthusiast turned his passion for the history of Sephardic hachamim into a groundbreaking volume. PAGE 54 Hacham Ovadia Yosef shlita is one of many Sephardic Gedolim who support Kupat Ha'ir