Great Neck, the novel

I spent my adolecence in Great Neck, so I was curious about the book. It's this big thick hard-covered one, lent to me by my one close friend from my Great Neck days. Two famous people came out of our class, but in show biz. Andy Kaufman and Jon(ny) Avnet. This book puts the narrator/main character in the 6th grade in 1960, and I moved to Great Neck in '62 and entered the 8th grade.

I wonder if anything will seem familiar, even in a same generational sense.

I'll keep you updated.

morning person

was hoping to
update
tell you about
what I learned today
t'hilim and kohelet
psalms and ecclesiastes
(spelled however)

but
I"m a
morning person
and even though
not yet ten
I've slowed down

so
you'll
have to wait
until
my mind wakes up
with
tomorrow's dawn
(or even earlier)

but
in the meantime
take a gander
at Yesha Speaks Out
and see my
granddaughter

never too tire to bubby

weather

probably do
write too
much about the weather

but
can't escape
icy pain

in my finger tips
much too cold
and not enough rain
must complain

but
with my luck
rain will fall
when I wait
shivering
on the dark roadside

links

linked
to blogs
unknown
from a
list

will
anyone visit

or will
the links
just decorate
the end
of my sidebar

parshat shavua, portion of the week, Vayigash, "up close"

Vayigash, Bereishit, Genesis, 44, 18
This starts with one of the longest speeches in the Bible. "Then Judah (Yehuda) came up close to him and said....."

There are lots of disguises and lies in the stories in Bereishit:

• Sara pretending to be Avraham's sister
• Leah pretending to be her sister Rachel
• Jacob pretending to be his brother Eisav
• Tamar pretending to be a prostitute
• the 10 older brothers pretending that Joseph was killed by an animal
• Joseph pretending that he didn't know his brothers, and that he was an Egyptian
• Joseph having the money and then his goblet put in his brothers' sacks
• and.... Yehuda pretending that he didn't know that the Egyptian official was his brother Joseph

Yes, I think that he realized that the only reason behind all of the strange things going on, (that the brothers were seated in the correct order, the money returned, their being forced to bring Benjamin, etc). It had to have been for a reason, and Yehuda, who developed into the leader of the family, realized the truth. He also knew that Joseph was still angry with them for dumping him in the pit and selling him. Yehuda, who so quickly took responsibility for Tamar, saying that she was the righteous one, knew that Joseph had to be somewhere in Egypt, and realized that his brother was right there.

He walked closer, as close as he could, so Joseph couldn't escape, like he had done earlier. He made the speech of a life time. And when finally Joseph could no longer keep the mask on, still Joseph wanted to know why his father hadn't gone looking for him. He didn't know that his father was told that he was dead. He asked if if father was still his father, if his father still cared.

never long enough

can't
shouldn't complain
been on vacation
over a week

easy to get used to
lots to do
each day
something new

could use
another
few days

because
a vacation's
never long enough

Friday morning

clear eyed after a good sleep
laundry in the washing machine
sun shining

but what a mess
to clean
clean laundry to sort and fold
and put away

chanukiyot li yesh
Chanukah menorahs, I have
to dewax, de-oil
de-display
and those greasy, glass cups
to clean

but it's a sunny day

that means
dry, drought

must look at the bright side
laundry can be hung in the sun
don't have to "smile makes a nice umbrella"

two guests for Shabbat lunch
must finish cooking
can't complain

Shabbat Shalom

nice afternoon, some ancient history

spent a lovely afternoon
looking at ancient artifacts
from the land of the Bible
in the Bible Land Museum

I had only been there once
soon after it opened

much nicer now
well planned

ancient nations in the
Land of the Bible

I used to take
my kids to museums

but this wasn't around then

new exhibit
dragons and monsters
computers for kids
to play monster games

p'sukim, sentences from the Bible
explain displays

must visit again

visitors, tourists

welcome
from wherever

better than not
coming at all

last night
Candian tourists
dined here
in Holy City of Shiloh

regular visitors
from a shul

most repeats
but met one
here for the first time

a short visit
better than none

but why not stay?

we sat around tables
with them

chatted
ordinary things

maybe they
now feel
that aliya's
more possible

so
they won't be
visitors, tourists

Saved

I wonder if I really saved anyone
sort of like that show
with the newspaper
horror and tragedy
in the headlines
and the hero
changes history before it happens

ridiculous, but

the other night
we took the late bus
driver pulled the bus to load, late
he went out
locked the bus and
returned a couple of minutes later

he was tired
long exhausting routes
and no time to rest

I was nervous
seemed to me
as we traveled
head nodding,
eyes closing

heat was on high
stuffy
passengers
almost all asleep
not I

I was scared
big heavy
armored bus
careening---G-d forbid

tried
to get hubby up
to suggest
turn off heat
but he slept

finally
at Ofra
a neighbor got on
told him my concern

he sat by the driver
got him to turn off the heat
kept talking to him
got him a cup of coffee
from the guards at the gate

thank G-d
no report of bus accident
on the morning news

last day

last day of Chanukah
but regular Wednesday
to swim
or move in the water
errands
money wasted
then
babysit

rain predicted
but never know
so wearing shoes

winter
weather surprises
Chanuka's last hours
for this year

people wonder

yes
people do wonder
wonder how we live

newscasts and papers
and all the
international media

like to paint us
as if
we were wild primitives
messianic maniacs

as we while away our days
and nights
wily and dangerous

but truth
very different

this afternoon
for example
ok, not every afternoon
even every vacation afternoon
but true for today's

we sat
in a very
suburban living room
could have been
almost
any family and children oriented home

a few dozen of us
around a piano
listening to Gershwin, jazz, rag

from the neighborhood
but born in Hungary, New York,
a kibbutz, Lebanon,
Canada, New Zealand,
a moshav and Shiloh

and too many other places to list

now
the same sounds
dance out
of this computer's cd

and my feet
resume the dance
it did so silently
as Rami Bar-Niv played

then I was careful
not to disturb
but I couldn't stay still

klezmer with a kvetch
prayers schlepped
Gershwin called it
schvartze music

but it's really Jewish
what we think of as black

soul, neshama
as Jewish as could be

a wonderful afternoon
but not typical

just a special treat
so
if you're wondering
what we like

good music
culture
and the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises
which are here
and here only

Donors

I began my writing career
writing to donors
and would be
could be
hope you'll be
donors

we wanted money
nothing else
neither blood nor soul

a couple of times a year
someone sent
five dollars
and
I honored him
with a letter
neither shorter
nor cheaper
than
the big donors
who then
gave a hundred

we had dreams
that one day
we'd discover
that he'd been
testing us

that he was
one of those
hidden millionaires

to this day
I don't know

but
recently
I heard of different donors
who didn't give money
they gave more

G-d gave them two
and they gave
one away
to strangers

I met one last night
and the recipient
a pair so different
but
with
matching kidneys

a man
not born Jewish
gave a little Jewish boy
his kidney

and then he read to us
a psalm
in Hebrew
and those who could
recited with him
the others
cried

5 hankie

preview, I'll write more later

Begin Prize
from the Nobel Prize money Menachem Begin received

awarded great upbeat (must check program from details)
Nefesh b'Nefesh
Keren ?, Israeli gold medal swimmer
Eric Swim ? who donated kidney to Israeli boy

very thrilling evening, though I'm totally against the sinai withdrawl and its aftermath

missing

mystery book
detective book
mysteriously disappeared
midway through reading

left in the lurch
at the peak of suspense

will it?
won't it?
when?
if at all

Will I ever know
who murdered, why, how?

stay tuned

The Show of All Shows, 2004

There's only one thing that makes me sorry we live in Shiloh, and that's when I think of the indescribable, unique community theater group: The Efrat/Gush Etzion Raise Your Spirits summer Stock Company. Yes, I'm jealous.

One thing for sure, if I was living in Gush Etzion, I'd be part of it.

Last night I was one of a bus load of privileged females from Shiloh and Maale Levona who traveled to Alon Shvut to see Noah! Ride the Wave! Led by Sharon Katz (the talent behind "Voices" Magazine) the females of Gush Etzion put on another fabulous professional-amatuer production.

The plot's classic, straight from the Bible. It tells, or sings/dances, the story of Noah and his family and the animals who joined them. Story adaptation and lyrics are by Sharon along with Toby Klein Greenwald and Arlene Chertoff. Music by Mitch Clyman.

One of the greatest things about this rep company is that all who audition are accepted. The production is geared to the cast. This does not diminish at all the high professional level; it just raises it to a higher dimension.

The singing, dancing, scenery are all of a high standard. I couldn't keep my feet still; they joined the dancing from my seat.

If you have a chance to see it, do. It's great!

more than half way through

fifth day of eight
days of Chanukah
more than half

but
another full week
of Chanukah vacation
from work

should have
used time better
but
needed unstressed time
for myself

each day
different

each night
light
chanukiya
olive oil
not candles

grew up
with candles
was the norm

at some point
here in Israel
had to stock up
on more chanukiyot

and bought
the oil kind

learned to
make the wicks

learned that
being cheap with the oil
water under
caused glass cups
to explode
shatter over the room

learned that
being cheap with the oil
buying "only for burning"
was green colored
kerosene
that blackened the house
and lungs

if olive oil
looks greener than green
not olive oil

on Chanukah
we must light
pure oil
no hellenist
no reform, conservative
or reconstructionist

pure Judaism
pure olive oil
not more expensive
in the long run

the holiday is
more than half way through

but the message
burns brightly
forever

The movie, Ushpizin, The Guests

We just came back from seeing the hit Israeli movie, "Ushpizin." It was shown here in Shiloh, in the Talmud Torah building. I guess that means that it's no longer in the movie theatres. When it was, many religious people who normally shun, forbid movies went to see it. For some it was their first time at the movies.

The plot is about newly religious people and some unexpected guests from the husband's past. It's extremely well done. And that includes acting, editing, screenplay etc. It's also cleaner than clean.

I don't want to say more about the plot, since I hope you get to see it.

If anyone who has seen it has any comments, without giving away the story line. I'm interested in other opinions. I haven't seen any Israeli movies for years and years and don't go to the movies, especially since getting a vcr. I just can't sit so long, and even tonight was physically uncomfortable.

Chanukah Lights

Chanukah lights
meant to be seen
not used
not to light the way
doing something
that we get no benefit form
l'shame mitzvah
l'shame shamayim
for the sake of Heaven
not for any earthly needs

not for warmth
not for the light it gives
not to see with
only to light and be lit
and to show the world
that our G-d is eternal

so maybe
those who
turn off the house lights
and can only see
because of the light
coming from the
candles or olive oil
burning in the
chanukiya,
Chanukah menorah
maybe it's wrong
to do
maybe we're supposed to
only light
where there is light

pirsum hanace, publicizing the miracle

Pirsum hanace, publicizing the miracle. That's the essence of Chanukah. The Chanukiya, the chanukah menorah, is required to be placed outside the door, or in a window that faces a street where people pass.

This is to counter act the Greek laws that forbade any practice of the Jewish religion. After a stressful and frightening time, people frequently "want to be careful," be cautious. Here we literally throw fear to the wind and light out candles for all to see.

Chag Urim Sameach,
Have a wonderful Chanukah