"Please buckle (uk) [up]!"

The synagogue that I attend each night is only about 300 yards away from my house, so last night when my wife -- who was on the way home from a party -- stopped by to pick me up. I thanked her for being so kind and waited for her to drive off. But the car wouldn't move. No, it was not a mechanical failure, but I forgot to put on seat belts, or perhaps I just didn't think that it's important to wear them for such a short trip, so my wife followed one of the strict rules of our household that the car doesn't move until everyone in the front and back seats is seat belted.

The phrase "please buckle up" is used so often in our household that my two-year-old thinks that it means, "please take your seat". So every night when supper is served he asks me so nicely with his cute little voice, "please buckle uk".

Last night while I was sitting in my car in front of the synagogue putting on the seat belts, as my wife waits patiently for me to finish the process, I couldn't help but smile. "Hasidim don’t wear seatbelts" is one of Deborah's numerous lies in her book that got the approval of the esteemed editors of Simon & Schuster.

The Truth: "Take great care of yourself and preserve your soul diligently" (Deuteronomy 4:9) is one of the holiest commandments in Judaism. This is why there are so many health and safety oriented organizations within the Jewish community, on a scale unheard of in any other ethnic group, race or religion.

If Deborah's silly accusation should suggest anything it is that she is an irresponsible mother, and the same goes for her accusation that religious Jews don't take their kids to doctors.

Health Centers are the most profitable businesses in our community. There are so many of them in Jewish neighborhoods. There are so many pediatricians in the Jewish communities and still being a pediatrician in a Jewish neighborhood is one of the most profitable jobs.

And again, is Deborah simply a pathetic liar or is she airing her own dirty laundry in public? Child protective agencies, please look into this matter.