Community Magazine September 2011

A personAlized progrAm of limud ToRAh in your zechut 732.364.7029 ChevrahLomdeimishnah.org ThAN A Dear Binah, With several older siblings in the shidduch parashah, the “Better than a Segulah” campaign caught my eye. The idea of sponsoring Torah learning as a zechut was particularly appealing – kind of like “back to basics” – “Talmud Torah k’neged kulam.” I decided to sponsor a learning cycle as a zechut for my older sister, and v"c , during the time the limud was taking place, she became a kallah. A year later, I repeated my sponsorship, this time for my next sister, and amazingly, during that learning period, she also became a kallah! Thank you for a wonderful publication and for bringing this opportunity to my attention. May we continue to share s'machot in Klal Yisrael! R.B., Brooklyn, NY Binah Magazine, May 30, 2011. Reprinted with permission during that learning period, she also became a kallah A s the native language of our ancestorsforcountlessgenerations, the Arabic language has long held important status in our community. but more recently, this central Semitic language has gained added prominence throughout the world. it is now both the language of our great-grandparents and unfortunately the de facto language of terrorism. The term “Allah Akbar,” which our forbearers may have recognized as praise to Hashem, has become the battle cry of radicals bent on pursuing a hate- filled jihad. This dual association, and the increased push for teaching foreign languages in our schools, has led to some spirited discussion about the benefits, desirability and wisdom of potentially offering Arabic language instruction to our community’s youth. is Arabic really a valuable part of our heritage that should be preserved for our community’s future generations? or are our children better served by distancing themselves from a culture that has regrettably become associated with terrorism? A look at opposing sides of the issue reveals stark differences. MOZELLE MIMRAN 34 Community magazine