Working Early Tomorrow

Last day of November, 2011. Unbelievable: where did the time go? (Onward, actually.).  I was just texted by my director (I teach at a preschool) that a teacher will be out tomorrow, and I am needed in the morning.  Last year I worked full-time, but this year I am semi-retired, and work half-time, in the afternoons.
So there goeth my post for the last day of NaBloPoMo November.  No pithy tomes, no deep insights, no spiritual salavations (nor salvations, neither)--just ending the month not with a bang, but with a whimper.
Because I am exhausted and have to get to bed. Have to take care of babies and toddlers and I need my armor (translation: REST).   I promise I'll make up for it tomorrow...well, maybe not tomorrow...

                                      

 Lailah tov*! 


*lailah tov: Hebrew for 'good night.'  

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From the International Chabad Shluchim Convention in New York

Despite what some people say about Chabad, and what flaws it may have as a religious movement (nobody's perfect), the Chabad/Lubavitch movement has done the most of all Jewish religious movements to transform Judaism all over the globe*.

As Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks says, if a Jew is lost, anywhere in the world, Chabad will find him.




*...all over the globe: a clip from the opening ceremony of the International Chabad Shluchim Convention, 2011.

New Israeli App will...Keep You Awake

We all know you shouldn't drive while talking on the phone, or rather, you shouldn't talk on the phone while driving (I wear my hands free bluetooth earpiece when I drive, just in case), and certainly not text, right?
But what about if you're dead tired, and you have to drive somewhere? What would help keep you awake and prevent you from dozing off at the wheel, when your mother-in-law isn't sitting next to you jabbering away in the passenger seat (and why is it always the "mother-in-law," not the father-in-law?)?

In a story I first saw on Arutz Sheva and then on the website where the article was first published, NoCamels (...no camels?), the answer to the above question, is the new, Israeli designed Drivia app, that's what.  It shouts trivia questions at you while you're driving, forcing you to answer and stay awake (or go crazy), hence the name, "Drivia" - a combo of drive, and trivia.

Leave it to the Jews - we won't kill you, we'll just debate you to death.  Seriously, leave it to the Jewish people to innovate and invent another product which benefits mankind!  And guess what? It's available in multiple languages.  Except Hebrew.  Go figure.

Explosion in Isfahan, Iran

The Jerusalem Post is reporting a "mysterious explosion" in the city of Isfahan, Iran's third largest city, in which there is a nuclear reactor and other sites where uranium is being enriched for reactor fuel. 

"In the afternoon, there was a noise like an explosion, but we don't have any information from security forces on the source of the noise," Gholamreza Ansari was quoted as saying.

The Mehr news agency said other unidentified Iranian news media had reported that the blast took place at a petrol station at a town near Isfahan city.

Isfahan is home to nuclear experimental reactors, and also a uranium enrichment facility for producing nuclear fuel.

CNN has satellite photos of the damage done (did I hear somebody say that Iran claims that it was a 'gas station', not a nuclear facility...?)

 Remember the deceptively sophisticated computer virus called the Stuxnet virus?  It was discovered (by geeks at Symantec, I believe) that this virus was a digital code designed to sabotage a physical facility.

About the latest explosion in Isfahan, only time will tell what the origin was. I'm not speculating.

Flash Mob*, Jerusalem Style

My D. H. saw this first on Facebook, then went to Janglo , where it was posted from.
I wonder how long they practiced for this.  Choreography is exciting, and they're really well coordinated.  Go to their website, Hora Jerusalem (I'm linking the English one), and everyone--learn to dance!!



*what's Hebrew for, "flash mob?"  It can't be...פלאש מוב ...?

What the "Black" Really Means in "Black Friday"

The shopping day after Thanksgiving has come to be known as "Black Friday," referring to retailers getting back 'into the black' financially after offering huge discounts to shoppers as loss leaders, and opening their doors at 5:00 a.m. or even earlier.  Thanksgiving, the day before Black Friday, stores were closed, as they are on Christmas.  For many stores, such as large supermarket chains, these two holidays are the only ones during which they are closed.

This year, I was surprised and a bit dismayed to see that many stores began their 'Black Friday' sales on Thursday--Thanksgiving day.  And they were open for business, business and the bottom-line coming first, ahead of giving thanks and celebrating with family.

I was curious to find out whether in this weak economy, retailers did as well as expected on Black Friday, so as soon as Shabbat was over, I headed over to my PC to see the stats.  Instead, I discovered another year of violence, stolen purchases and injured shoppers. So this is what America has come to? The craziness of camping out at a store in the middle of the night in a tent for hours in the freezing cold is now topped by an 'every-man-for-himself' attitude, with people getting pepper-sprayed, or worse--shot?

I remember the incident at a New York Walmart on Black Friday in 2008, a store employee was trampled to death by shoppers, and a pregnant woman was injured:

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling `I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

 So these are America's values lately; push past people, get there first in the middle of the night with little or no sleep in order to get your coveted item, be it a plasma HDTV, a camera, or towels* (*see video) at a discount store.  The mob scenes remind me of a third-world country, where people are starving and killing each other to get at the bags of rice.  Only here, it's a first-world country where most people have a roof over their heads and plenty of food on the table, and they are attacking each other for...coffee makers.

America, the home of the brave and the free, has really fallen down...

As my D. H. (Dear Hubby, in case you didn't know what the initials stand for) said, "people lose their humanity to save a hundred bucks."

Get-Together with Friends

Had a lovely dinner with friends (fourth year in a row), with all the traditional dishes: smoked turkey (in apple wood) with green beans, sweet potato and carrot side dish, stuffing, cranberry-orange sauce (my D. H. made that one), and pumpkin and pecan pies for dessert.  I'm stuffed.  After dinner we played the hilarious game of Beyond Balderdash, which is the sequel to the original Balderdash, in which you think up creative word definitions and try to bluff the other players.  It can border on the hysterical.

We actually lost track of time, and played for several hours.  I haven't laughed so hard in ages.  Sometimes, it's really therapeutic to get together with friends, and totally unwind.  I think we should do this once a week; ok, maybe once a month--certainly not wait until next Thanksgiving!

I mean, try making up a definition for, say, this one: dactylomegaly.  Or how about graywacke?  First make it up, and then click on the link.  No cheating, now!

                                                     

Haveil Havalim #340-is LIVE...

...And I forgot to submit a post...again.  Lo nora (translation: nisht geferlach).  Read it anyway, it's got some interesting posts worth reading.  So here it is, sans my blog, at Esser Agoroth, called The Krembo Edition.

(For those of you not in-the-know, this is an Israeli Krembo):

  Talk about junk food...and did you know this factiod?--they are wrapped by hand, not by automated machine.  Strange, in the land of hi-tech.  It puts lots of people to work, though.

Thanksgiving Thoughts and Memories

I was trying to figure out what to write about the holiday of Thanksgiving, when I decided to revisit the posts I had written on this subject in the last four years. These posts brought back memories, good ones, and terrible ones; and changed my mood from happy, to somber.

In 2007, I wrote about our family tradition of making homemade pizza on Thanksgiving day, and having a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings (except for the green beans; we rarely made green beans, I don't know why; 'cause I love 'em) Friday night, for the first Shabbat meal.

In 2008, Pakistani terrorists murdered 164 people in the Indian city of Mumbai, including torturing and murdering Rabbi Gavriel and Rebbetzin Rivka Holtzberg in Nariman House, the Chabad Jewish Center there.  Rebbetzin Holtzberg was six months pregnant.

As we have not learned the lessons from this attack, and evil still exists in the world and is called by many other names but its true one, I have decided, upon this Thanksgiving, to re-post that post from 2008, and to link my first Thanksgiving post which I wrote in 2007 (I began this blog in March 2006, after the holiday).  May all of you learn the lesson. 

Thanksgiving, and Atrocities

I was going to reprise my Thanksgiving post of last year and write about how we were both thinking that without our kids being with us-just the two of us making homemade pizza and sitting at the table staring at each other just didn't cut it somehow - when we got a surprise call from new friends inviting us to their Thanksgiving dinner!

It was right up the kazoo, especially because I was feeling rather lonely just then (my grandson just having been born and my seeing him on the webcam only...not in person...and my not seeing my other grandchildren who live out of state, and. . . )

And we had (and I hope our hosts had) a wonderful time, especially since their older daughter was a former student of mine, and it was great seeing her again all grown-up and back for a visit. She also won our Balderdash game. Darn.

But what I will do is link my Thanksgiving post, here, so you can read it. Just so you know that this year, we had two Thanksgiving dinners: one on the actual day, and one with invited guests, on Friday night. And leftovers for Shabbat lunch. And dinner today. And. . . (it's ok, I love the stuff).

My daughter Toodles Im-ed ("instant messaged") with me and said HUH? You're NOT having pizza?! That's no fun (she went with her big bro to the Israeli Thanksgiving dinner below).

My older son ("Mister") and his lovely wife Hoody actually went to a sort-of Thanksgiving dinner (on Friday night, of course) at his sister-in-law's, albeit Israeli style: they had to order a turkey in advance because you can't just buy a whole turkey in Israel, and they didn't have cranberry sauce or sweet potato and pineapple casserole or pumpkin pie or pecan pie or chocolate silk pie; instead, they had salads as sides. But it's nice that they celebrated it; after all, they had lived in California for ten years...it kinda rubbed off on them...

My youngest daughter Rambo was off this past weekend but met with friends for Shabbat (no Thanksgiving dinner for her); she has just started her 4-month Commander's Course, and gave us a call because it will be a while before we can talk to her again.

We webcamed with our younger son, Nathaniel Blumenstein (the one who just became a poppa), and showed him (I brought them downstairs from the kitchen specifically for this) the remainder of our chocolate silk, pumpkin (thanks to our friend E.!) pies and our cranberry sauce. His eyes popped open; but I think he was just being polite, as he had just had an al-ha-aish* diinner at home with his wife Noodles and Baby Bob.

All in all, it would have been a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Except it was not.

I am still reeling and seething from the horrific attack on foreigners and JEWS in Mumbai, and I am filled with rage at the senseless, barbaric murder of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, who were shluchim* at the "Jewish Center," Chabad House (called Nariman House).

I read the information provided by the one terrorist captured alive on Little Green Footballs, and I am sick to my stomach.

We had a community memorial service today in one of our synagogues, and our Rabbi (we go to a Chabad shul*) spoke about continuing to spread the light, by doing mitzvot,* keeping Shabbat,* and encouraging others to similarly do so. To continue to do our good work, so that these evil barbarians will not triumph in their attempt to kill the good and make evil rule.

I will go a step further than that. There are no more excuses, no more 'reasons,' no more justifications for barbarous acts such as these, where cowardly murderers--plain and simple--rampage through train terminals, hotels, restaurants and Jewish Centers mowing unarmed innocent civilians down, because they can. It is our job to make it so that they can't.

"Never Again" should mean just that: Never Again. Never again should Jews allow themselves to be targeted. Never again should anyone--Jew and non-Jew alike--allow anarchistic terrorists to bring fear into the hearts of law-abiding people, who want to live their lives in peace and do good in the world. Pashut me'od*, we need to eradicate them. The entire world needs to be in an outrage over this, and needs to unite to eradicate the evil that is Islamofascism which is waging war against the free world.

I listen to NPR (National Public Radio, although we call it, because of it's anti-Israel biased reporting "National Palestinian Radio") every morning. You know that the situation is dire, when that leftist-liberal public radio station airs an editorial by Scott Simon which states exactly what I said above. I almost fell out of bed when I heard it (read the entire editorial, here):

I get increasingly uncomfortable with the convention of journalism that requires us to say that so far, we don't know the motives of the people who carried out this week's attacks in Mumbai.A word like "motive" seems to imply there was reason or purpose. It suggests that, however profane their actions, the terrorists had the incentive of some goal in mind.
But after covering too many killings, as a reporter or host, in Bosnia, Kosovo, Oklahoma City or Somalia, I've come to the conclusion that the perpetrators of such crimes might just be ... evil.
Evil is a word that many people of my generation shrink from using. It seems so imprecise and uneducated — biblical, rather than cerebral and informed.
But there are times and crimes that remind me how often the Bible gets it right.

Finally, someone who has the guts to say it outright: these people are evil. There is no discussion, no reasoning with them; one cannot reason with pure evil. What they want, is to murder YOU, and put themselves in power-plain and simple.

Until the world recognizes this and acts against political correctness, we are doomed.

Many people, Jews and non-Jews alike, are only concerned with doing good deeds and Tikkun Olam-repairing the world; it is the name of this blog. Why, why are they being targeted and murdered? Listen to what the Israeli ambassador to the United States is saying in this phone interview; the West needs to recognize this threat. And may G-d (and we) avenge their deaths. . .

In the meantime, we Jews will continue to live, and thrive, and bring goodness to the world.

Here is one thing you can do to help bring goodness to the world and do Tikkun Olam: Go to my son's friend's (Yoshi's) blog here, and find out how you can help raise $10,000 to rebuild The Jewish Center (Chabad House) in Mumbai, as well as contribute to the raising of little Moshe Holtzberg, who celebrated his 2nd birthday by becoming an orphan. . .

*al ha-aish=BBQ (literally, "on the fire.")

*shluchim=emissaries of the Lubavitcher Chassidim who go out to live often in far off places to help and serve the Jews there.

*mitzvot= commandments, good deeds

*keeping Shabbat=observing the Sabbath

*shul=synagogue

*pashut me'od='plain & simple' (literally: "very simple")

Let me end on a positive note, with my Thanksgiving post of 2007, here.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Finally, a Voice in the Wilderness

My loyal readers know how I feel about Judaism (love it), and how I feel about the Haredi* distortion of Judaism with their sexist attitudes (hate it).  I have written often (a sampling being here, here, and in my previous post from yesterday) about the radicalization of halacha (Jewish law), and the terrible situations on some Israeli buses, with the verbal, emotional and sometimes even physical abuse of women who dare not to sit "in their place" at the back of the bus.  Shades of anti Black-American segregation from the sixties...

I had also complained (that's what an armchair activist does, complain) that I had not heard any voices speaking up from the Orthodox, or better--Ultra-Orthodox sector about these abuses.  Had not heard, until now (hat tip to Primum Non Nocere for alerting us to this article). Rav Haim Amsalem, a Haredi (or Chareidi, if you will) Rabbi, has now expressed his view of the fanatic, perverted discrimination against women that is going on in Israel, and also in certain Haredi enclaves in the States. I have said time and time again, that perhaps we are having so many problems as Jews: rampant antisemitism world-wide, Israel being surrounded by enemies threatening to annihilate her--not because we are not checking our vegetables enough for bugs but rather because we are violating "mitzvot bein adam le-havero", and violently so.

I am reprinting the article almost in its entirety.

The Traditional Jewish Approach to Women
By HAIM AMSALEM
11/16/2011 21:35

There is absolutely no basis in Jewish law for the separation of men and women on buses or public streets.

An extremely distressing development has emerged in the State of Israel in recent years, and especially during the past few months. It is not simply distressing to me as a human being in general, but also, specifically, as a haredi rabbi who tries to observe halacha, traditional Jewish law, to the maximum.

Let me begin by making a clear and loud declaration for all to hear: There is absolutely no basis in Jewish law for the separation of men and women on buses or public streets.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the greatest Orthodox halachic authority of the 20th century, made this very clear in his responsa, where he ruled that there was no problem with riding the New York subway, where men and women are often pressed together in very tight quarters. This applies all the more so when simply sitting in close proximity on a bus.

Aside from the fact that Jewish law certainly allows men and women to sit together on the bus or walk on the same side of the street, there is actually a specific halachic transgression that occurs when such extreme actions are taken.

The Torah clearly prohibits a person from embarrassing another, which is exactly what happens when men harass and intimidate women for sitting in the front of the bus on a “mehadrin” bus line. In certain circumstances, Jewish law actually allows one to transgress a prohibition if doing so will preserve and protect the dignity of a fellow human being.

Therefore, even according to the warped understanding that Jewish law does mandate the separation of men and women in these circumstances, there would certainly be no justification for demeaning a woman by forcing her to move to the back of the bus.

Granted, Jewish law does mandate the separation of men and women during prayer and specific other times, but nothing beyond that. The Torah opens society to women and cautions that it is the man’s responsibility not to “stray after your eyes.”

But this isn’t just about buses. This is about growing extremism in the haredi world, part of which includes the demonization of women.That is the reason in certain neighborhoods the Clalit healthcare fund has stopped giving children stickers with pictures of little girls on them, and the reason some haredi newspapers will not print pictures of women. Some go as far as doctoring photos in order to remove women in adherence of this policy.

IF WE don’t stop this trend to extremism as a political force right now, I fear to think where things will be in 15 years. Will “religious police” dictate where we can walk, what we can eat, and how everyone must dress? We must ensure that our country is really an “Am Shalem” – a “Complete Nation” – where every group and individual, including women, contribute to the greater whole.

So let us take a few moments to clarify what the classic Torah sources say about women in order to understand why I, a haredi rabbi, take a strong stance on this issue.

Right at the beginning of Creation, the Torah says God created one being in the following way: “Male and female He created them.”

If there was only one being, why does the Torah say “them” and describe it as both “male and female”?

The Talmud explains that God fashioned an original being which embodied both male and female characteristics and then separated that one being into two. Why? Why didn’t He make them into separate male and female beings from the start?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, one of the most prominent Orthodox rabbis of the 19th century, explained as follows: “So that what was previously one creature was not two, and thereby the complete equality of women forever attested [to].”

Complete equality! Not a secondary being who can be told to go to the back of the bus or who can be removed from all pictures. (It is not within the scope of this column to explain what traditional Judaism does see as differing primary roles for men and women, but Rabbi Hirsch calls this a “division of labor,” with neither primary role superior to the other.)

But our tradition goes even beyond demanding equality.The Talmud teaches that the Jews were redeemed from slavery in Egypt due to the merit of Jewish women, and that the women did not worship the golden calf or believe the negative report of the spies about Israel. Our salvation in the Hanukka and Purim stories came because our women rose to the occasion. According to our tradition, women have binah yeteira – an increased ability to understand and comprehend. That quality has saved the Jewish people throughout history.
Finally, in medieval times, when most men treated women as little more than property, Maimonides ruled that “a husband must honor his wife more than his own self.”

The time has come for the non-extremist community, which includes moderate haredim, to demand that the surge to the extreme cease immediately. There can be no more demanding that women move to the back of the bus, no more removing women from all publications, and no more demonization of the half of our nation responsible for our very survival.

It is time for us to place women back on their pedestal and recognize the equality which God intended at Creation thereby enabling and empowering women to flourish, shine and proudly contribute to the future of our state and nation

The author is a Knesset member, an ordained rabbi and chairman of the Am Shalem movement. www.amshalem.org.

The original article can be viewed here.  Rav Haim Amsalem has started a political party in Israel called, as his name means, "A Whole Nation", or "Am Shalem," in Hebrew.  Hebrew readers can view his site, עם שלם, here.

*Haredi: Ultra-Orthodox

Kosher Cameras? What is the Haredi World Coming To?

A friend of mine posted an ad on Facebook which really confused me.  Apparently some "gedolim" (yeah, right) decided that most cameras aren't "kosher," because they are capable of...taking videos?

I don't have a clue what that means.  My friend suggested--wryly--that these cameras probably don't take pictures of women's faces...

 

What is 'unkosher' about videos? Is this what Haredi Judaism is coming to?  I'm worried that some Ba'alei Teshuva and some gerim might actually believe this.

You can look at it in a very badly Google-translated blog, here.  (The original blog is in Hebrew, here.).

Parenting Should Require a Course, and a License

I was discussing parenting with my younger son, who has two toddlers, a three-year old and a two-year old.  He is discovering that's it's no picnic, raising children, especially when one or more is headstrong and leans towards...tantrums!  Let's face it, good parenting is very hard.  It has been said that one needs to take a driving course and earn a license to drive a car, but any person can be a parent, and there's no instruction manual that comes with the kid!

Even a well-meaning, kind parent can become so frustrated with a screaming, tantrum-throwing child that he or she runs out of patience.  But one of the worst things to do is to scream back at the child or show intense anger--that just compounds the problem.  Most of the time, if it's a young, say, two-year old toddler who is "acting out" it is because he or she becomes frustrated at not being able to express himself/herself verbally.  Often, it's best to hold the child lovingly but firmly, and reflect his (using the male pronoun for brevity) feelings, and encourage him to "use his words," if he is able to speak a little.

Sometimes, especially if the child has a history of having his way after a tantrum, it's not so simple--he may not respond to the above method, instead expecting the parent to give in as usual.  In that case you might have to isolate the child for a little while in his room, say, until he calms down.  The idea to express is, that his behavior is 1) not acceptable, and 2) won't get a response from you.  Suffice it to say, it ain't easy being a parent...
But if you step outside of yourself and your situation for a minute (or have the benefit of hindsight, as I do), it can be hilarious.

And then, before you know it, the difficult stage is over (you know, the terrible twos, the tumultuous threes, the frenetic fours) and the kid finally turns...5 years old. And plays Chopin, calming everyone down.

Kabbalah and Chassidut: A Powerful Combination

For my women readers in Israel, here is a series of shiurim which should really interest you:  Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman is beginning classes on the fundamentals of Kabbalah and Chassidism, to be held in Jerusalem starting November 22nd.
The Fundamental Concepts of Kabbalah and Chassidut for Women will be held in the Katamon neighborhood in Jerusalem at the Shir Chadash shul, the first class being this Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

To get a feel for Rabbi Trugman's teachings, watch and listen to his latest shiur on the parsha we just read this Shabbat, Chayei Sarah.  See all his shiurim on the parshiot on the Trugmans' blog.



He also composes music and plays the dulcimer.  You can listen to his music on the Ohr Chadash website.

                                               

Rebbetzin Rachel Trugman, aside from being a wonderful human being with a heart of gold, is a teacher in her own right, creating innovative programs for women, and is also a family therapist with a private practice.

Love is a Fire in Your Heart Wedding Hall

My niece is getting married this March, and I am so happy for her--she has found someone whom everyone says is a great guy (including my daughter, Toodles, who now lives in New York who has met him and has gone out with the two of them several times).  We actually are planning on attending: I only have one sister and one niece, and I want to celebrate her big day with them.

So (le-havdil) I came across this lovely wedding story on the news, and couldn't resist posting it.  What are gifts? Food? Cake? Flowers? What's important is, you and the love of your life have a story to tell to your children and grandchildren for years to come:

(photo by Nicholas Augustus  /  The Canadian Press via AP)

There are wedding disasters, and then there are wedding disasters. In the first (and more typical) category, a bride or groom might botch the wedding vows or flub a dance move. But in the DEFCON 1 category, the entire wedding venue — including the food, cake, decorations, flowers and gifts — can become engulfed in flames.

That happened to Michael and Nancy Rogers, a Canadian couple who had meticulously planned their wedding at a popular seaside resort on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. On Saturday, less than an hour before the ceremony was to begin in a main lodge on the resort property, the bride-to-be learned that the lodge was on fire.

Bride and groom were ok.  I guess in the long run, that's better than fainting at your own wedding, right? And why is it that in most of the following wedding clips, it's the groom who's fainting, not the bride...?  Says a lot.  Shabbat Shalom!

Not a Reader, Not a Leader

Boy, was I wrong about Herman Cain; and I am extremely upset about it.  I was so enthused when he first hit the news media.  Here was an unconventional, energetic non-politician come up from humble beginnings (his parents were a domestic and a farmer turned barber), earned himself a Bachelor's in mathematics and a Master's in computer science and went on to become a successful, wealthy businessman.  It was a breath of fresh air coming after seasoned politicians, same-old-same-old.  It was a hope that the "American Dream" was still alive--that a person of poor beginnings could achieve academic and career success, and still be a "mench."

And then, accusations of sexual misconduct towards females in the workplace, from the time when Cain was president of the Restaurant Association--accusations which he fielded very badly, at first denying any knowledge of the accusers or of the incidents, claiming the allegations were lies.  It was disclosed that the accusers were paid a significant sum of money as a settlement, and Cain knew nothing about it--but then, 'seemed to recall something.'  This sort of response does little to build trust in anyone, let alone a candidate for president.

Now he has implied (if not stated outright), after a very embarrassing interview where he demonstrated  a seeming lack of knowledge of foreign affairs, that he is not a 'reader' but a 'leader,' a statement he made at a campaign event in New Hampshire.  He quipped that he would veto any bill that was longer than three pages, because nobody would be able to read nor understand them if they were.  And we just read in October about our third graders who are failing basic reading standards.




 With this disdain for intellect, how did he manage to achieve a Bachelors in mathematics and a Masters in computer science? Hard to believe, or understand.  This is what our universities are turning out?

Is this our future? Our children can't read, and our candidate for president denigrates intellect? And we wonder why we are losing our industrial greatness and academic edge in the global community.  It is a sad, sad day for America.

My vote? Not a reader, not a leader.

Advocate for Tolerance: of Muslims and Jews

Pamela in her blog Atlas Shrugs wrote about a new reality show on The Learning Channel about an All-American Muslim family.  She noted that Alyssa Rosenberg, culture reporter for ThinkProgress.org advocates watching the show to counter "Islamophobia," because the show depicts ordinary Muslim-American just trying to live their lives and 'balance their faith' with being American.  When was the last time you saw a reality show depicting an Orthodox Jewish family, 'just trying to balance their faith and nationality' living in the United States?
I read Ms. Rosenberg's post. In my opinion,  The lady doth protest too much, methinks.  

Funny how I never hear anyone speak up so eloquently for tolerance of Jews.  The poor Muslims are maligned, but all turn a blind eye antisemitism and racism towards the Jews.  So I commented on her post, with the views that I've stated ad nauseum in this blog, Tikkun Olam.  Here it is, reproduced below.

You're concerned about 'banishing intolerance' towards Muslims? The bottom line is this, reality shows notwithstanding: there are "good" Muslims and there are "bad" Muslims, although the expression "most Muslims aren't terrorists but most terrorists are Muslim" comes to mind. Most of the terrorist acts which have been committed--not all, but most--have been by radical Muslims in the name of their "Religion of Peace," Islam. People aren't "Islamophobes," as you put it, for nothing; they have good reason to be.

Now let's compare that to the Jewish People. I can't think of a recent terrorist act that was committed by Jews, yet antisemitism is rampant worldwide, with innuendos against Jews, expressions that have insinuated themselves into the lexicon, such as 'he JEWED him down,' verbal slurs, the defacement of synagogues and the occasional murdering of a yeshiva student.

You're concerned with tolerance? So how about advocating a reality show about an Orthodox Jewish family, trying to 'balance faith and nationality'? I laugh how everyone is bending over backwards to accommodate Muslims, whether it be speaking up for them, or fulfilling their religious needs. When was the last time Jews demanded something akin to a foot-bathing fountain in an airport (as did Muslims), or paid time off for Chanukah or Passover?

As for myself, I judge a people by its actions, not by its rhetoric. Case closed.

Politics in Total Disarray

 *this post was begun two hours before midnight on Nov. 14th; therefore it covers the 14th and the 15th. I have spoken.

America is in deep trouble.  We have few viable candidates for president, neither Republican nor Democrat.

On the Democratic side, our current President in my opinion pays lip service to supporting Israel's need for 'security' as he rails against building "settlements".  He is no lover of Netanyahu*, as evidenced by his little conversation with French President Sarkozy with the mike he didn't think was open (*but we sort of knew that before, didn't we, when Bibi visited the White House and was publicly snubbed by Obama); he embraces Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan instead, who has been bad-mouthing Israel and supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, with nary a word from our illustrious President, even though the aforementioned groups are on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations --more his type, I guess.

And on the other side of the isle, we have Romney (tepid, while he flip flops), Perry (gaffs and senior moments; drops an I.Q. point every debate), and, the piece de resistance, a businessman with no political experience who is planning on reforming the tax system to the 999 plan, where corporations which have been paying 35% tax will, under his plan, pay 9% laughing all the way to the bank, and where people earning so little they are considered poverty level, who had not been required to pay taxes because of this,  will now pay 9%.  A man who has no foreign policy to speak of ('cause he's got all this stuff twirling around in his head) and doesn't know who's the president of Uzbekistan (why, everyone and his uncle knows that it's Islam Karimov).  But that's ok, 'cause Uzbeki beki beki stan stan is some godforsaken country in Yenemsville, with no importance whatsoever to the United States.

To top that off, he might be guilty of sexual harrassment of women in the workplace.  Whether or not the allegations are true, he has been accused of this behavior by no fewer than 4 women, one of whom has now gone public and corroborated her story. And he has so far handled these allegations very badly and unprofessionally.  Or rather, unpresidentially.

As far as my eye can see, we have very few worthy of the highest office in the land, that is, who wants to run. Compared to everyone else,  Newt is not looking so bad these days...

MarHeshvan: A Month of Great Significance.

I've written on this blog about the Jewish month of MarHeshvan several times, the most recent being this past November first,  where I mentioned the double-entendre meaning of the prefix "mar", originally referring to droplets of water, Heshvan being the first month of the rainy season in Israel, and for which we pray for rain in the preceding month of Tishrei.  Later on, the month of Heshvan's prefix "mar" took on its sardonic second meaning of 'bitter', it coming right after a month laden with holidays, it being a bare-bones month of...nothing.*

Today I came across an article about the significance of this month, but projected into the future.  According to tradition, the dedication of the third Bet HaMikdash (Holy Temple) will occur in the month of MarHeshvan.  Watch and listen to this video about the sweetness of the month of MarHeshvan.




But (smugly), I knew this all along.  After all, three of my four grandchildren in Israel are Heshvan babies.  And (bet you didn't know this one), D.H.'s and my wedding anniversary--this year marked our 43rd--is the 6th of Heshvan.

*(excluding of course Shabbat, a special "HOLY-day" which anyway is the original meaning of 'holiday', which comes every week on the 7th day of the week.)

Windy Shabbat

My friend Ethel is staying over by us for Shabbat.  We walked to shul today (a tad late...) in a blowing wind, that the meteorologists said could increase up to 40 mph.  Leaves were blowing in our faces, our heads were down, leaning into the wind.  Fun. 

But the temperature was over 60 degrees, on November 12th.  Imagine.  And everyone gasps when I say I live in D-----.  "It's really cold there in the winter, right?", they ask. Our winters here are actually quite varied; sometimes they are extremely cold, for a period of time. And then, after a week or two--if that long--we suddenly have mild 45-65 degree days.  When it snows, generally in several days the snow is gone--not so much even melted, but sublimates into air.  Just plain evaporates.  It's really nice, living in a dry climate. Not like the East Coast where I grew up, where New York snow in biting cold, wet winters turns into muddy, filthy slush and lasts for weeks. 

The only complaint I have is that I have to drive in the stuff and work in the stuff--and if it's wet and snowy outside, we can't take the children out for very long, if at all.  I used to really love the snow, as a child (I'm a winter baby, born on the 14th of Kislev, the month of Chanukah), but now, I rather not have to drive in it.  I guess that's a sign of getting old...er.

So, not really looking forward to the next snow, guess I'll settle for a windy Shabbat.

Shavua tov.                          

T.G.I.S.

No more daylight savings time--back to mountain standard, now with 2.5 hours left to run around like chickens without heads before candlelighting, facing the first early Shabbat of the season (they don't call it "short Fridays" for nothing).  We got little to no sleep last night because of 1) my cold, and insomnia, and 2) my D. H.'s extremely painful tooth--he was on antibiotics and hydrocodone since 10:30 p.m. Thursday night.

So I figured, what the hey--I'm already UP at 3:54 a.m., might as well call Israel.  So I called my older son (who just had the baby) to find out how his wife was: there had been a complication, the doctors found a blood clot in her fallopian tube, and she was in the hospital.  He said she was on medication and blood thinners, the doctors were monitoring her, and she will have to be hospitalized for a few more days, over Shabbat for sure, and also probably Sunday.  He himself had gotten little to no sleep the night before, being up with the new baby (who was at the time of my call, nursing).  Her older sister was at an Aunt's, thank G-d my daughter-in-law has a wonderful, loving, caring family, and her mother is lilke a second mother to my son.  Makes me feel even more guilty than I already do.

Got to go--my D. H. is in pain, waiting downstairs for me to help him cook.  That alone says a lot!

All I can say is, T.G.I.S.*

Shabbat shalom.


*(thank G-d it's Shabbat!)

Controversial, but Food for Thought

Just came across a guest post by Shoshanna Jaskoll on Life in Israel which is an eye-opener.  It opens a discussion on the attitude of religious and ultra-religious men towards women, from the extension of the prohibition to hear a woman singing while a man is davening the "Shma," to a general prohibition of women singing, period, including zemirot Shabbat (no sexual intent or content whatsoever) in a mixed group.  From condemning women for not being "tzni'us" enough to threatening to expose those women who dress in burkas; also disallowing photographs and ads depicting women (even of those modestly dressed) and essentially removing them from the "public sphere."


Nowhere do I see any religious and ultra-religious male indignation, however, towards men who emotionally and even sometimes physically assault women who dare to do the dastardly deed of sitting in the front in buses not officially designated as "Haredi" (ultra-religious) buses.  Obviously, those who choose to ride a marked Haredi bus should know what they're getting into--although I am not condoning such behavior on those buses, either.  It is simply criminal.


Here is a portion of her post, and links to various related ones.  I believe serious change in Judaism on this issue is necessary and imperative.

 Dear Man,

Hi, its me, Woman. It’s... been a while. And even longer since we frolicked in the garden of Eden, huh? Was nice back then... before you told me that God said not to touch the tree, but actually, what He said was not to eat from the tree…

Such a world of difference between touching and eating- don’t you think? Like the difference between looking and lusting? Between appreciating and desiring? Between wanting and taking…

But I digress. When the snake proved that I would not die by touching the tree, I thought perhaps you had misunderstood, that the message somehow was incorrect. For you would never mislead me.

But, how to show you? So, I took of the fruit and gave you to eat too... and then, the world went black.

It was then that you revealed that the prohibition had been against eating from the tree and not as you had taught me, from touching the tree. You told me that we had just betrayed our Creator.

I wanted to die. I didn’t understand why you had told me something false; something that was not commanded of us. But I had no time to contemplate, for you told me to hide and to make us clothing.

And then He searched for us- called out and asked where you were. And you did the one thing I could never have expected.

You betrayed me- and as you did the world changed. The garden, so green and glorious, dulled to a shadow of what had been. The vibrant cobalt sky paled in shame of your act. The Earth hardened herself against you.

I was your other half, the being you longed for, the only other person in the entire universe. And yet, you screamed out:

‘The woman you gave me- She made me eat!’

I can still hear that scream; it resonates in my soul and in the pieces of my heart.

And it reaches through the years and translates into Yiddish, in the Pashkevilles plastered on the streets, in the tomatoes, eggs and stink bombs thrown at my daughters.

It’s the women! The women are our downfall!

You are still screaming. And I am still hurting.

More posts and articles on this subject, here, here, here and here.

Looking Forward to Shabbat

This week has been a bit difficult because I came down with a cold at the beginning of the week.  Not sick, mind you, but a cold: sniffling, runny nose, tired--you know the deal.  The last time I was sick, I was really sick, with head cold, fever of 101 degrees (F), aches.  Was in bed, and didn't work for about a week.  It happened during the chagim, so our school was closed for the Yom Tovim.  I missed the first two days of the week, Monday and Tuesday, and part of Wednesday (Wed. night was the chag).  My D. H. did all - and I mean all - of the work, including the cooking. Thank G-d his hobby is cooking, or we would have starved (or eaten tuna fish out of cans for the seudah).

What I have now is nothing compared to that, and I'm in a great mood throughout, because of my son and daughter-in-law's new baby, Yael.  So I'm going to work feeling sick, but high! 
Nevertheless, I am looking forward to Shabbat.  We are having an elderly friend stay over, and guests are coming Friday night and Shabbat lunch for both se'udot.  Again, thank G-d my D. H. loves to cook--he has a menu all planned already. Going to bed earlier tonight, to keep my strength up (I'll probably make challot tomorrow night).

Shabbat Shalom.

Are You Politically Constipated?

Time to welcome Pat Condell again for slapping the world's face with the unmitigated truth as eruditely as always.

Haveil Havalim #336-The Jewish Blog Carnival is Up!

I haven't even visited, let alone submitted anything to the Jewish Blog Carnival, Haveil Havalim, in a dog's age (-and of course now we have to ask that question, "how old is a dog, anyway?"), so it's time.
You can read the most interesting posts which went online this past Sunday here, at the Velveteen Rabbi's blog.  I think I stopped submitting posts around number 236, maybe even earlier.  And this one is number 336.  A whole lifetime has passed by.

There was a post there which really touched me, about a mother's eternal worrying about her children, from a depth of love that is unimaginable.  It reflects exactly how I feel, and am.  We mothers ought to unionize!

NaBloPoMo!! (Nothing New to Write About!)

Well, here it is--already the (blogger looks at watch) seventh (7th) day of November, and I've posted about everything important in my life: family, Israel,Judaism.  And now there's nothing left!!
What am I gonna do?  I have to post because...I signed up for "NaBloPoMo," or National Blog Posting Month, and I am supposed to post something (anything) every day, for gosh sakes.  I just knew it would happen: blank stare.  No ideas.  Dried up.  But it's only the seventh.  I thought I'd run outa ideas on, say, the fifteenth, at least--middle of the month.  No dice.

Oh well ( "oh well?" That is soooo lame).  Going to eat something (stomach rumbling away), leave a bit early to pick up a book and DVDs from our local library, and go to work.

What I really want to do is...travel to Israel and Florida!! Donations gratefully accepted...



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Baby Has a Name-Another Strong Biblical Woman!

Just found out today my new granddaughter's name.  It is the name of a strong, brave Eishet Chayil from the Torah, as is her older sister's.

Big sister's name is Naomi, of Ruth and Naomi fame--remember Naomi--meaning beautiful, pleasant, or delightful--was such a good, loving human being that her daughter-in-law, Ruth, did not want to leave her after Naomi's sons and husband died.  She loved G-d, and after her personal tragedies, returned to her people with Ruth, who accepted Judaism and the G-d of the Jewish people.  Encouraged by her mother-in-law, she later became Boaz's wife, from whom the future King David would descend.

Naomi's new little sister's name is Yael.  Yael, who is written about in the book of Shoftim (Judges), was the brave woman who dared go out of her tent, using her beauty and feminine wiles to lure the evil Canaanite general Sisera who was attacking her people, into her tent, getting him drowsy with warm milk, covering and then killing him, thus saving the Jewish people.  Yael's praises are later sung in the song of Devorah, the prophetess, also in the book of Shoftim, thus:

"Blessed by women is Yael, wife of Heber the Kenite; by women in the tent will she be blessed. He asked for water, she gave him milk; in a stately saucer she presented cream. She stretched her hand to the peg and her right hand to the laborers' hammer. She hammered Sisera, severed his head, smashed and pierced his temple" (Judges 5: 24-36).

May G-d bless my new granddaughter (and her sister) with intelligence, modesty, beauty, and righteousness, Amen.

                            תְּבֹרַךְ, מִנָּשִׁים--יָעֵל, אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר   הַקֵּינִי:    מִנָּשִׁים בָּאֹהֶל, תְּבֹרָךְ.                                                                                                                 

Muslim Former Anti-Semite Turns Zionist-Where Are the Jews?

Over recent years there have been several Arabs, both Muslims and Christian Arabs originating from various countries such as Lebanon and Egypt and even from Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank), who have become prominent in the news because of their about-face from their initial hatred and condemnation, to absolute support of Israel and the Jewish People.

Names which come to mind, and some about whom I've written before in this blog include Brigitte Gabriel, Wafa Sultan, Nonie Darwish and recently Mosab Hassan Yousef of Son of Hamas fame, who grew up in Ramallah and whose father was a founding leader of Hamas.

Some of these brave individuals have renounced Islam and converted to Christianity, while others have kept their faith but condemned Islam's lies, obfuscation of the issues and unequivocal hatred of and blame of Israel for all the problems in the Middle East.

I have just learned of another such hero, a Muslim, who has reversed the anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist ideology in which he was indoctrinated from his youth to being not only an ardent Zionist, but also a challenger of Jews to 'wake up and smell the hummus,' --to face the truth about the Arabs' hatred of and lies about Israel, and instead, see the truth: Israel's goodness and the Jewish People's right to the Land (hat tip Daled Amos). 

His name is Kasim Hafeez, his nationality is British (his family is originally from Pakistan), and he is running an almost one-man campaign to get the Jews to step out of their cowardice.  Yes, their cowardice, in their attempt to be politically correct and support leftist, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish causes.  In his article in The Jewish Chronicle of October 7, 2011, he wrote about the Union of Jewish Students:

In 2003, Pakistan's then President Pervez Musharaff sought to re-examine his country's relationship, or lack thereof, with Israel. He asked: "Do we have to be more Palestinian than the Palestinians themselves?"
With their new "Liberation" campaign, it seems that the Union Of Jewish Students has decided to answer that question with a resounding "yes".
Rather than being a brave move forwards for UJS, it is a hollow and cynical campaign that smacks of extreme cowardice.
The reality is that there is real anti-Israel and antisemitic feeling on British university campuses. How do I know this? Because until recently I was antisemitic and anti-Israel. Until recently, I was the one doing the hating.

The turning point in Mr. Hafeez's thinking came when he read Alan Dershowitz's book, The Case for Israel.  After reading it, his beliefs were shaken to the core.  He decided to visit Israel for the first time and see what its society and values were all about.  What he discovered, was that everything he had learned in his youth, was a lie:

I decided to visit Israel to find the truth. I was confronted by synagogues, mosques and churches, by Jews and Arabs living together, by minorities playing huge parts in all areas of Israeli life, from the military to the judiciary. It was shocking and eye-opening. This wasn't the evil Zionist Israel that I had been told about.

After much soul searching, I knew what I had once believed was wrong. I had to stand with Israel, with this tiny nation, free, democratic, making huge strides in medicine, research and development, yet the victim of the same lies and hatred that nearly consumed me.

As an outsider, I ask why so many in the Jewish community are closing their eyes to the constant stream of anti-Israel hated spewed out from all facets of British society.

This does not only apply to British society, but can apply to the United States as well.  As Jews, we need to see through the veil of lies about Israel and our own people, no matter where they are spewed, and stand up publicly for the Jewish Homeland.

Here's just a little video reminder about the lies that have been perpetrated about the so-called "West Bank," and the truth--as narrated in this video by Danny Ayalon (so, wake up and smell the hummus, people):

New Granddaughter Born Today!!

I have some wonderful news--grandchild number seven (כן ירבו), a girl, was born today to my son and daughter-in-law in Gedera!!  A Shabbat baby, she weighed in at 3.38 kilo, about  7.45 lbs!

We saw the message indicator on our phone flashing red and were on shpilkes waiting for Shabbat to end so we could run upstairs to the computer, access our VoIP account (no more landlines) and listen to the message, which we knew was coming, because we spoke to our son erev Shabbat and his wife was already at the hospital in Petach Tikva!

Here is a first photo, of Rambo holding her new little niece. They both of them look good, Baruch Hashem!

May there be many, many more healthy and happy babies!  There is nothing as important as family...

RSD/CRPS Awareness Month

November is CRPS/RSD Awareness month.  From my daughter's RSD Awareness Facebook page (please visit, be a fan, spread the word!):

 Someone I Love Has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) aka Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)...

November is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) aka Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) Awareness Month...

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) aka Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by severe and relentless pain that affects between 200,000 and 1.2 million Americans & over 5 million worldwide. CRPS was first documented in the United States during the Civil War. It was named Causalgia due to the intense burning pain suffered by soldiers long after the pain from the healed wound should have diminished. The name has changed many times over the years, but, regrettably there is still no cure. Nor, is there an effect treatment for all patients with the condition.

Here is a reproduction of one of my daughter's most recent paintings she has done in Art Therapy. It expresses, in my mind, the bareness of life with constant pain.

Below, the artist, with an added RSD/CRPS badge (...in better times...)

Update on my Daughter...

Haven't written for a while about my daughter and her ongoing disease, CRPS (formerly called by its first acronym, RSD), so it's about time.  If you've read my older posts on this subject, you will remember that she was admitted at the beginning of August to a private hospital in Tel-Aviv called Re'ut (in English meaning "friendship"), a rehab hospital.  She received various therapies there, including physical and occupational, for her painful, non-functioning legs. These included mirror imaging therapies, Graded Motor Imagery and others.

At one point, when she heard that the hospital couldn't have her be an inpatient indefinitely, she told her physical therapist to give her crutches--that she would force herself to stand up and walk, through the pain.  Her therapist said she was totally not ready for crutches, but she found her a special walker (I wrote about this in a previous post) which would support 85-90% of her body weight, and my daughter used it to lean on and shuffle her legs forward, very slowly, a few steps.  That was the first time in almost 8 months that she was actually vertical.

Despite her giving "110%," as everyone on staff (and my daughter herself) said she was doing, she could not functionally walk, but rather was just practicing the few steps she was able to do day after day.  After over two months hospitalized, they had to release her, as they felt they could not do anything more for her on an inpatient basis. 

This past Sunday she moved into a handicapped accessible apartment (which was extremely difficult to find--see Batya's post on Israel's progress in this area), after buying an extremely expensive, hopefully-to-be-compensated-for-in-the-future sports wheelchair, in order to wheel herself the 1.8 kilometers from the apartment to the hospital for her therapies on an outpatient basis. 

Although hers may not look exactly like the one above, I had no idea sports wheelchairs were so expensive.  For now, she is in the apartment, living with the family who owns it--they are so good-hearted and sympathetic to her situation, that they invited her to stay with them until they find two more tenants (for a total of three including my daughter) to share the place, which is a nice-sized three bedroom, three bath flat (and consequently she can't afford it by herself) with a large mirpeset (balcony) off the master bedroom which they want her to have when they leave. 

And as if this wasn't enough, in addition to dealing with her debilitating disease, the expenses involved in medications and treatments and the logistics of living on her own through it all--both her American and Israeli passports were stolen, the Israeli one from her brother's apt. when he was broken into several months ago, and her American one from someone--a patient, a visitor, no clue who--in the hospital itself, just a few weeks ago.  The situation is so upsetting, it's taken me this long to put it down on paper.  It's exhausting--and I'm not the one with the disease (kal va-chomer...).

This concludes my update on Rambo's condition. She is fighting the fight of her life, to get her life back.

So for now, sit yourself down with a nice cup of coffee and a danish (or a carrot if you're on a diet), and take an hour to listen to this interesting and fairly complete history of RSD/CRPS. Although a bit medically technical, it gives a good overview of the discovery of and history of treatments for this difficult disease, for which there still is no definitive cure.

A Drasha for Parshat Lech-Lecha-and Hassidic Niggun, Too

Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman, of Ohr Chadash gives regular shiurim (Torah lessons) on the Torah and Jewish mysticism.  Here is one shiur on the Torah portion to be read this Shabbat, with a little niggun (musical tune, often Chassidic) thrown in to set the mood.  You can also check it out on Radio Free Nachlaot.



Why not visit his and his wife's, the Rebbetzin Rachel's, blog called New Horizons, which has wonderful insights into the Torah, Jewish traditions, the Jewish calendar, prayer and mysticism?  For the month of Heshvan, or Mar-Heshvan--just feast your SOUL.

(You'll find so much more meaning there, than here):

Makes perfect sense.


*Copyright alert: No infringement of any text or graphic copyright is ever intended on this blog. If you own the copyright to any original image or document used for the creation of the graphics or information on this site, please contact the blog administrator with all pertinent info so that proper credit can be given. If you wish to have it removed from the site, just say the word; it shall be, ASAP.

So Sad, but True--Except for the Orthodox

First November NabloPoMo* post.  Let's see how consistent I can be here (don't hold your breath).

I just read an article entitled America's Holy Haunted Houses, about how most synagogues empty out after the "Chagim" or High Holidays are over.  The Jewish month in which we are now, called by its Babylonian name, "Heshvan," is sometimes called "Mar-Heshvan," 'mar' being another word for  'tipat mayim,' or a drop of water,because the prayer for rain is said on the last holiday in Tishrei called Shmini Atzeret--but it also means 'bitter,' some say because of the fact that this month contains no holidays, coming after the extremely holiday-laden and holy month of Tishrei.

But this, below, is not the case with my shul*, or any Orthodox shul, where people come to pray because they are observant, devout, and serious about Judaism as part of their everyday lives. They come to shul to daven, or pray, at least once a day (Judaism prescribes three times daily prayer), every day of the week, not only on Shabbat or holidays.

Halloween is most certainly no Jewish holiday; yet its spooky mood is curiously congruent with the ambience that overcomes American synagogues this time of year. With the termination of the hectic Fall holiday season, the large majority of synagogues across America, so recently overwhelmed with congregants, will once again take on the gloomy appearance of deserted, if not quite haunted, houses. And the sermons of thousands of rabbis will, as they have for well over a century, resound with the old perplexed plaint, "Where have all the Jews gone?"

And Halloween doesn't isn't even a blip on the Jewish radar.  Happy Mar-Heshvan, everybody, and may it rain a lot in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel).  And snow here; but not if I have to drive in it!

*shul: synagogue (Yiddish)
*Nablopomo: National Blog Posting Month.  Just because.