(Mr. Phillips is president of the Religious Zionists of America, Philadelphia Chapter; Mr. Korn, the former executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, is chairman of the RZA-Philadelphia / http://www.phillyreligiouszionists.org/)

One of the most important, but most-overlooked aspects of the meeting between Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli students last month was an exchange about whether Jews could reside in a future Palestinian state, just as Arabs are citizens of Israel.  Abbas replied: "You cannot compare the Arabs who live in Israel now, who have been living here for thousands of years, with the settlers, who came yesterday or today."

US database for tracking Medicaid frauds falls short, auditor says:

Obama care Deadline Extended for Last-Minute Enrollees:

Obama care extension for those ‘in line’:

Majority of Uninsured don’t know About March 31 Deadline:

Kevin McCarthy pitches Obama care changes to lobbyists

(Mr. Phillips is president of the Religious Zionists of America, Philadelphia Chapter; Mr. Korn, the former executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, is chairman of the RZA - Philadelphia / http://www.phillyreligiouszionists.org/)

Welcoming Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to the White House on March 17, President Obama declared that "He has been somebody who has consistently renounced violence."  Anyone who follows the news from the Middle East knows that Abbas regularly glorifies and encourages violence. Yet here was the president of the United States telling the public the opposite. How does Abbas get away with it?

See Beyond the Mask is an annual Purim event, which this year was held in the Atrium at Greenspring Shopping Center. Organized by Elaine Gerstenfeld under the umbrella of the Zooz organization, the event is intended to bring together Jews from all different walks of life for a few hours of fun and chesed.

An enormous banner hanging over the entrance to the shopping center invited any passing Jews come inside and join in seeing beyond the masks that divide us the rest of the year into different categories and celebrate the unity of the Jewish people. Inside, the Atrium had been taken over by a crowd of unmasked partygoers, wearing colorful costumes of all shapes and sizes.

We’ve all heard of people who start Pesach after Chanukah – and others who don’t get going until Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Which is the better way to do things?

Since I am a professional organizer, I naturally find myself thinking about Purim immediately after Chanukah. My mind then takes no longer than a second to automatically shift from Purim to Pesach!

In reality, there are four weeks after Purim to prepare for Pesach. So, does it pay to start thinking about Pesach so early? Why not focus on Chanukah when it is Chanukah, Purim when it is Purim, and Pesach when it is Pesach? The advantage of thinking ahead is to avoid that panicked feeling of realizing, about a week before, “Oh no, I’ve got to get Purim together!” or “How can I possibly finish everything before Pesach?” So, overall, I do think the benefits of being organized outweigh the pleasures of being nonchalant.

Pesach is upon us, and we are all busy cleaning and preparing for the holiday. Why not take a moment or two to look over these recipes with the hope that they will assist you in your menu planning. (For those of us who plan menus at the last minute, I say, what does it matter when you plan, as long as there is a menu in time to sit down to the Seder. G-d willing, we will all enjoy a wonderful Seder. Chag kasher vesameach.

Chicken Coating

1 1/2 c. ground matza or matza meal

1/4 c. potato starch

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. lemon zest, finely minced

2 T. parsley, finely minced

Your favorite vinaigrette (I like Italian. Or make your own!)

(Mr. Phillips is president of the Religious Zionists of America, Philadelphia Chapter; Mr. Korn, the former executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, is chairman of the RZA - Philadelphia /http://www.phillyreligiouszionists.org/)

Why are most Israelis reluctant to create a Palestinian state in the Judea-Samaria (West Bank) territories?  The interception on March 6 of the Iranian weapons ship bound for Gaza answers that question more clearly than any scholar's book or politician’s speech ever could.

Hidden underneath sacks of Iranian-made cement on that ship were dozens of M-302 surface-to-surface rockets with ranges of 50 to 100 miles. Note: the distance from Gaza to Tel Aviv is 43 miles.

I have a good son. In fact, he’s a great son; He has good middos. He is kind, nice to everyone, intelligent, and responsible. At 16, he drives everywhere, and is happy to do errands for me. He’s a really special person. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

My son likes everything about school, during the English part of day. He likes his rebbe, too, but he doesn’t like gemara. It’s boring and doesn’t excite him. He okay with Chumash, mishnayos, halacha, and many other subjects. But most of the day, he says, is spent on gemara.

About any other subject, I would say, “Don’t worry, that’s not the only thing that counts.” But I’m afraid that, in our system, it is the only thing that counts. And I’m worried that his lack of success in gemara is making him feel badly about himself. I don’t want it to affect his relationship with his Yiddishkeit – because the reality, it seems, is that to be a successful ben Torah in today’s society, you need to be good at gemara.

When I went to a PTA meeting recently, the rebbe said to me, amidst much praise, “You don’t want your son to be one of those who goes off the derech.” He told me that the boys who don’t like gemara have nothing to hold them to Yiddishkeit. I felt like I was going to faint. What are you talking about? I thought. My son is a gem.