ROBY’S YAHRTZEIT, WINTER SOLSTICE AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Everything happens all at once. I heard from cousin Alan Zorfas  today, checking in from California. And I heard from cousin Ken after sending him an article from the interview with Bob Dylan in the WSJ. It’s been quite awhile since we were in touch but he responded in 5 minutes to the Dylan piece ! 

Thank you to the Slane family for the lovely Oh What Fun holiday card with accompanying Slane/Ostergard Christmas Letter. I am catching up with their seriously fun activities via Julian’s Blog ! 

It is interesting that Roby passed away on Shabbos and near the Winter Solstice, December 17th.

NOTHING IS THE SAME AFTER OCTOBER 7TH

Gaza’s sky is black but Qatar is always sunny.

Light in the Darkness - Mass lighting of Chanukah Candles

A friend sent me the link to watch the above program. Several journalists spoke from the Jerusalem Post, the Forward.com, and two British publications. It ended with a satirical piece on the leadership of Hamas from an Israeli satirist.

Dollar Bills, Dollar Bills

Eretz Nehederet" ("A Wonderful Country) is a satirical television show by the Israeli Broadcaster Keshet.

ISRAEL HAMAS WAR: THOUGHTS

I recently watched a Documentary called Hate Among Us. I watched it twice on the Jewish Broadcasting Service, jbstv.org. It is also on YouTube. It contains black and white film footage showing anti semitism and hatred of Jews going as far back as the 1920’s, including the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928. It contains footage of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem sitting beside Hitler who hoped the Arabs would kill all the Jews so he didn’t have to. From that perspective, it seems that Iran has picked up where Hitler left off. They are funding proxy wars including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi’s in Yemen to annihilate Israel. “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” does not mean Hamas wants to end the occupation of Gaza, it means the entire State of Israel ! 

If Roby was here, I know he would have a lot to say and write. While I am not as eloquent as him, I must write about this. 

A poll was recently conducted in the West Bank, showing the majority population support Hamas ! See Times of Israel, timesofisrael.com. It posts news from Israel in real time. 

Ceasefire ? Israel should negotiate with a Terror Organization which calls for the annihilation of Israel and all Jews written in their Charter ? I don’t think so. Please read it. 

I will find links to the above references and post them. I also called my U.S. Rep., Jake Auchincloss, asking him to do everything possible to bring the hostages home !

I found and agree with some remarks from former Brooklyn rabbi, Andy Bachman from a talk at Hunter College, part of CUNY:

“Had he not been shouted down, Bachman wrote, “I might have had a chance to condemn the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and his criminal settler enterprise, which I have persistently done; I might have had a chance to articulate my position of ceasefire twinned with a full return of hostages, the removal of Hamas and the removal of Netanyahu’s government; I might have had a chance to state my belief that most Israelis and most Palestinians still prefer peace and coexistence to war, bloodshed and mass death.”

Nothing is the same after October 7th. 

Now I know how my Bubbie and Zaidy felt when they fled Ukraine/Russia in 1910. I grew up in the Golden Age of Judaism in America, the Promised Land. Nothing happened when I went to UMass or UC Berkeley. Not one anti-Semitic incident. Now we live in a different America. 

This is tough stuff. I understand the use of satire as an outlet for the emotionally charged, somber new reality in Israel.

PS. I am writing this on an iPad which has a terrible interface with Blogger. I don’t know why a grey background shows up with the text. Working on it. If anyone has any tips, let me know.

 

HAPPY CHANUKAH 2023

 I felt a sense of urgency to light my Chanukah menorah in light of the massacres of Israelis by Hamas and because so far in America, no one is banging me over the head, preventing me from doing it. In light of the astronomical level of anti- Semitism we are experiencing, here is carol’s Chanukah Fraught With Meaning Still Life, 2023.

Bernice gave me this Menorah after Robby’s funeral, while sitting shiva in her house. She said it was Bubbie’s but I never saw it before. The two traditional chanukiot/menorahs to the right and left belonged to my dear neighbor, Bernice Wyzanski. She is in the photo to the far left at her 90th birthday party. I took that picture. No one in the Wyzanski family wanted them. Her son Mark asked if I wanted them. I love the traditional shape. You see that shape on ancient synagogue columns in Israel dating back to the Temple of Solomon.

The dreidel shaped candy dish was from Bernice. Mark said it was filled with Chanukah gelt, chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. Roby is seen making latkes The three dreidels were given to me by my friend Laurie whose mother gave them to her. 

Happy Chanukah everyone !

Am Yisrael Chai !

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash (Full Album)

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DAVID CROSBY

CROSBY, STILLS, AND NASH 

Soundtrack of my generation....music of the '70's, timeless.....

 

The Byrds + Bob Dylan - Turn Turn Turn + Mr Tambourine Man 2/24/90 HIGH ...