In memory of our beloved Ken Greenberg, who would have been so proud....
In a large Florida City, the rabbi developed quite a reputation for his sermons; so much so that everyone in the community came every Shabbat. Unfortunately, one weekend a member had to visit Long Island for his nephew's bar mitzvah. But he didn't want to miss the rabbi's sermon. So he decided to hire a Shabbat goy to sit in the congregation and tape the sermon so he could listen to it when he returned. Other congregants saw what was going on and they also decided to hire Shabbat goyim to tape the sermon so they could play golf instead of going to shul. Within a few weeks time there were 500 gentiles sitting in shul taping the rabbi. The rabbi got wise to this. The following Shabbat he, too, hired a Shabbat goy who brought a tape recorder to play his prerecorded sermon to the 500 gentiles in the congregation who dutifully recorded his words on their machines. Witnesses said this marked the first incidence in history of artificial insermonation.
26 August 2009
25 August 2009
Gaining Citizenship
When I was a little kid, I probably didn't know what citizenship was. When I was a teenager and college-aged, I didn't think much of it. I never looked around my high school or university thinking, "Gee, I wonder if everyone here is a citizen, or has a green card." I just assumed that some of my classmates (and their families) had immigrated here from other countries, were studying abroad, or were on foreign exchange programs.
Nowadays, I find myself surrounded by folks, young and old, who are faced with citizenship decisions. Today, at the Latino community center, a woman came up to me with papers stating that she was ineligible for health insurance coverage due to her immigration status. She was slightly exasperated, explaining that she's lived here for five years...but...I don't think she's established citizenship yet.
The other day, I was in the library with my buddy and we were discussing our future job options after our current studies. He's Syrian-born and came here on scholarship to get his Master's Degree at Clark U. Good for him! BUT, his only choices of gaining citizenship post-Master's are (1) join the U.S. military, or (2) continue on for his Ph.D. (and get sponsored), neither of which he'd like to do. So what does it come down to? He's applying to become a Canadian citizen! I never would have imagined that to be the third option, but apparently it is.
This is just one more topic that my little American brain has never had the opportunity to ponder until now. What would I do in that situation?
Nowadays, I find myself surrounded by folks, young and old, who are faced with citizenship decisions. Today, at the Latino community center, a woman came up to me with papers stating that she was ineligible for health insurance coverage due to her immigration status. She was slightly exasperated, explaining that she's lived here for five years...but...I don't think she's established citizenship yet.
The other day, I was in the library with my buddy and we were discussing our future job options after our current studies. He's Syrian-born and came here on scholarship to get his Master's Degree at Clark U. Good for him! BUT, his only choices of gaining citizenship post-Master's are (1) join the U.S. military, or (2) continue on for his Ph.D. (and get sponsored), neither of which he'd like to do. So what does it come down to? He's applying to become a Canadian citizen! I never would have imagined that to be the third option, but apparently it is.
This is just one more topic that my little American brain has never had the opportunity to ponder until now. What would I do in that situation?
13 August 2009
"What I wouldn't give just to forget..."
This is proving to be quite a difficult summer for me, emotionally. I am up, I am down...when it's good, something comes around and knocks me down. I am strong, I wake up and appreciate every single moment that I have, even when I'm in a miserable mood.
Today I was knocked down pretty hard.... Around 4:30 in the morning there was a car accident. By midday, everyone in town had heard about it. My former boss, Jonathan VanAllan, a 24-yo self-motivated entrepreneur from New York State had died in that very car accident along with one passenger. I have no idea what happened in that car, but I do know that there was a loss of control and they hit a tree. No survivors.
People say life is short...life is precious...live each day like it's your last. I learned these things six years ago when I first worked in Oncology. I met amazing people who completely changed my life, and I, in turn, affected theirs. I have lost many of them, and received so much love from even more of them. "My patients," I used to call them. They were my loves. They taught me so much about death and coping...and healing. Most of all, they taught me how to live.
Jonathan's death really struck a chord with me and I have been crying off and on all night. I have been very introspective lately, even before this news. Tell your family you love them, send more letters, make more phone calls, "don't sweat the small stuff." Only in this moment do I feel these things are in me even stronger than they were before.
When Mark and Kenny passed away I was sad, oh so sad. But something about Jonathan's death has just made me reflect again, in a different way...not knowing what the future holds for any of us...it's just amazing, that another person so motivated and alive could just die, just like that.
So of course I am home, reflecting, crying, surrounded by a messy desk, things on the floor, unfinished projects all around. I'm listening to low-key, sappy music about life and love. I am tired. Sitting next to me is a beautiful picture of my beloved family. If everything else in this world disappeared, I would want to know that they would be what was left for me, for without my family, I am nothing.
Today I was knocked down pretty hard.... Around 4:30 in the morning there was a car accident. By midday, everyone in town had heard about it. My former boss, Jonathan VanAllan, a 24-yo self-motivated entrepreneur from New York State had died in that very car accident along with one passenger. I have no idea what happened in that car, but I do know that there was a loss of control and they hit a tree. No survivors.
People say life is short...life is precious...live each day like it's your last. I learned these things six years ago when I first worked in Oncology. I met amazing people who completely changed my life, and I, in turn, affected theirs. I have lost many of them, and received so much love from even more of them. "My patients," I used to call them. They were my loves. They taught me so much about death and coping...and healing. Most of all, they taught me how to live.
Jonathan's death really struck a chord with me and I have been crying off and on all night. I have been very introspective lately, even before this news. Tell your family you love them, send more letters, make more phone calls, "don't sweat the small stuff." Only in this moment do I feel these things are in me even stronger than they were before.
When Mark and Kenny passed away I was sad, oh so sad. But something about Jonathan's death has just made me reflect again, in a different way...not knowing what the future holds for any of us...it's just amazing, that another person so motivated and alive could just die, just like that.
So of course I am home, reflecting, crying, surrounded by a messy desk, things on the floor, unfinished projects all around. I'm listening to low-key, sappy music about life and love. I am tired. Sitting next to me is a beautiful picture of my beloved family. If everything else in this world disappeared, I would want to know that they would be what was left for me, for without my family, I am nothing.
12 August 2009
Finding Your Roots
I've just been skimming over the public library's list of new books and came across a non-fiction called In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past I read the publisher's (Crown Publishing Group, NY) excerpt on the material and came across a mind-opening statement. It is something that I, as a white American, have never been forced to think about...yet occasionally have sympathized with, having a partial European Jewish heritage. Here is the section that really made me think:
Unlike most white Americans who, if they are so inclined,
can search their ancestral records, identifying who among
their forebears was the first to set foot on this country's
shores, most African Americans, in tracing their family's past,
encounter a series of daunting obstacles. Slavery was a
brutally efficient nullifier of identity, willfully denying black men
and women even their names.
Even though I haven't yet tackled the family tree to trace my ancestry, I cannot imagine not having access to such simple facts. Names. Countries of origin. Wars involved. Immigration waves. Diseases and illnesses. And the more intricate details that come with them: cultural pride, heritage, recipes, songs, stories, and most importantly, that feeling of being connected, knowing where you came from.
I am sorry for any of the people in our country who are unable to reach back into time and discover their roots, for our histories and the histories of our bloodlines are part of what make us who we are. How many times do kids and adults have conversations with their peers about which nationality they are, where their grandparents came from, which recipes they learned from their moms, who learned from their moms, who learned from their moms?
Just think about it a little...have sympathy - and empathy - for those around you who may secretly be struggling to figure out who they really are.
Unlike most white Americans who, if they are so inclined,
can search their ancestral records, identifying who among
their forebears was the first to set foot on this country's
shores, most African Americans, in tracing their family's past,
encounter a series of daunting obstacles. Slavery was a
brutally efficient nullifier of identity, willfully denying black men
and women even their names.
Even though I haven't yet tackled the family tree to trace my ancestry, I cannot imagine not having access to such simple facts. Names. Countries of origin. Wars involved. Immigration waves. Diseases and illnesses. And the more intricate details that come with them: cultural pride, heritage, recipes, songs, stories, and most importantly, that feeling of being connected, knowing where you came from.
I am sorry for any of the people in our country who are unable to reach back into time and discover their roots, for our histories and the histories of our bloodlines are part of what make us who we are. How many times do kids and adults have conversations with their peers about which nationality they are, where their grandparents came from, which recipes they learned from their moms, who learned from their moms, who learned from their moms?
Just think about it a little...have sympathy - and empathy - for those around you who may secretly be struggling to figure out who they really are.
10 August 2009
Worcester delights
Worcester has some fun little places to check out. There's karaoke at Ralph's Rock Diner, dollar drafts at the Hotel Vernon, cheap, greasy Puerto Rican food at Sazon Latino Restaurant, tasty sushi at Takara (excellent service but the atmosphere is sometimes lacking) and mixed Asian cuisine at Nancy Chang Restaurant (the spicy salt and pepper prawns are delicious and they give you a heaping plateful!). There are yummy turkey burgers and beers at Brew City (though I am sure most people go for the beef burgers), salsa dancing at Bocado Tapas Bar & Restaurant (live band on Thursdays!) and also there are Noches Calientes at the Hanover Theatre on Thurs through the summer. I have yet to find a good pizza place. I think in the 6.5 months that I've lived here I haven't ordered pizza once! I've heard that Kelly Square Pizza has some tasy pies but I haven't experienced them yet. Oh boy, look at that list of culinary delights! Are you on your way to Worcester yet??
02 August 2009
Upon reflection...
She said, "Be gentle with yourself."
Engagements. Reunions. A back-log of assignments.
Body-fit competition. Eating healthy. Living a little.
Searching for Mr. Right. Discovering myself.
Getting to know me. Getting to know you. Reminders.
Finding god. Someone to talk to. Getting a kitten...or two?
Sleep more. Slow down a bit. Time is what you've got.
You ARE making a difference in their lives.
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Even Dr. Suess knows the answers :)
Engagements. Reunions. A back-log of assignments.
Body-fit competition. Eating healthy. Living a little.
Searching for Mr. Right. Discovering myself.
Getting to know me. Getting to know you. Reminders.
Finding god. Someone to talk to. Getting a kitten...or two?
Sleep more. Slow down a bit. Time is what you've got.
You ARE making a difference in their lives.
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Even Dr. Suess knows the answers :)
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