What J.R.R. Tolkien said to the Nazis when they asked if he was Jewish.

What J.R.R. Tolkien said to the Nazis when they asked if he was Jewish.

99 Red Balloons - GoldFinger

for toSJ; thanks for the laugh.

100 Blessings a Day.mov

Y-Love and Dov Rosenblatt Perform at ThinkTank 3

JC and the Jews

well-written

A.M.O.P.S. Erasing Racism from All Jewish Communities

Don't Judge Judaism by individual Jews

LEIBY KLETZKY MEMORIAL SONG

leiby, rest in peace.m4v

Is this Yosef Karudner? I have no idea. Terrible tragedy, though. Could've happened to any kid, anywhere.

Pardes - Adon Olam.mp4

Counting the Omer/The Sephirot of the Tree of Life (Rap Poetry Hip Hop A...

Shavuot (Rap Poetry Hip Hop Acapella)

Can someone be Jewish and Christian?

ZEEK: Articles: Religion and Hybridity: Can someone be Jewish and Christian?

Eprhyme "Gimme Shelter" Remix (Sukkot Song)

Benami "The Door"

Y-LOVE "THIS IS UNITY" (Official Music Video)

Lines of Faith

Im Ein Ani Li Mi Li (Funk Edition) © Ross M. Levy. 2006

mussar bit

Sunday from Modern Uberdox

R'Avi Weiss Speaks Out Against Homophobia ...

I realize this may not be news to anyone, but tonight was the first time that I saw this. R'Avi and I shared some time when I was an angry young teen, and he's always been around, if I look him up. We don't always agree on every little thing, but as a dude/rav, he's a good cookie, and his wife's a good cookie, too. I'm glad he stood up and said something.

Drorah Setel: Debbie Friedman’s Healing Prayer – Forward.com

Drorah Setel: Debbie Friedman’s Healing Prayer – Forward.com

Re: Organ Donation

Rabbinic Statement Regarding Organ Donation and Brain Death: Rabbinic Statement Regarding Organ Donation: "We, the undersigned Orthodox rabbis and rashei yeshiva affirm the following principles with regard to organ donation and brain stem death: ..."

I'm an organ donor. I'd like to donate my body (after death) to a dental school to help future dentists learn about the human body. (They dissect cadavers. By the time I die, they may use plasticized human bodies to learn from, like in the Bodies exhibit.)

One of my cats has lost many of her teeth, and she drools when she's happy. I wipe her mouth with a paper towel. She's a good cat. ((little old lady cat))

I believe that if my soul has a physical whatever in olam haba that I'll have my ankle back the way it was before I broke it. Going by this "logic," I won't need glasses in olam haba, but I figure I'll be wearing them there, anyway, just 'cause I'm so used to wearing them. But I'll be able to see just fine without them, too. Sure, why not? :)

from Wolfish Musings

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

18 days, 18 lines (at least)

just for fun. need 18 topics. coming soon. not sure if they'll be consecutive days, but they should be. discipline is half the point.

Why do you feel the need to like them?

Thinking Bochur: Why do you feel the need to like them?: "I have been asked this question about ,African Americans , Arabs ,Rabbi Hershel Schachter , satmar chassidim , mishichishtim, and anti mishi..."

It Gets Better - Gay Orthodox Jews

Hat tip to Frum Satire for posting this.

Exclusive: Shalom Sesame’s “Tikkun Olam Song”

Exclusive: Shalom Sesame’s “Tikkun Olam Song”

Faces and face-lifts in antiquity

Faces and face-lifts in antiquity

Lecha Dodi

walking the line

it's kind of annoying. religion is so deeply personal. I love it, though. Most of it.

:)

I've been posting some little things here, lately.
Not that I don't think moshiach is more of an abstract concept, but whatever gets people to do good in this world is fine with me. Any redemption I need will only come daily from conscious, daily practice, not from a dude on a donkey and buildings coming loose from their moorings.

Unrelated, sort of: getting a good place in olam haba seems silly to me. I'm not worried about the afterlife. A more sensible mythology might be that if you do good while you're on earth, those who love you will be well-taken care of after you die. 'Cause what good is living large in olam haba if your loved ones are dealing with a world of eek in your absence? That would be like watching a nightmare. Not for me, thanks.

From Elsewhere (A Secular Place)

from a note to a friend about the idea of going away over YK (I'm likely not; watch, I'll find religion. lol.). I added some returns to make it easier to read.

As you know, part of me digs the spiritual, and I dig taking the month before the holidays as a time for introspection and thinking about how things have gone and where I want them to go and all that s, but I have stuck around and been around for holidays because it might be my [relative]'s last for about five years, now ...

... (today's 7 years since my grandpa died; I think of him every day, and was thinking jahrzeit is stupid [for those who remember the dead daily], so I looked up what it's all about, and I learned folks who go to pray in public say [a memorial prayer that's actually an affirmation of faith; kooky Jews] the mourner's Kaddish, in addition to lighting a candle.

(And I learned that lighting a candle is a custom from other faiths, but I kind of like the idea of singing a song that makes you feel like (ooh, child, things are gonna get easier ... ), and I like the idea of shining some light, figuratively or literally, on a day that might otherwise have some extra boo in it.

And that's me. I learn what it is and take the parts I like and make them mine, sometimes in my own way. And I don't believe God's a man with a beard in the sky, but when we all get musical goosebumps, that's bigger than all of us, and if anyone wants to call that God, that's fine with me, 'cause I totally believe in that.

Kook and 7 Walkers

If you dig Rav Kook, check this out.

Hey, I can post videos using the share feature. Nice! :) I hope everyone's well. Judaism is living day to day; I've written a little bit here and there, but I haven't been inspired to post anything in particular. If you're currently not listening to music, please don't click on the video. Have a great day!

mussar and chassidus

kind of like yin and yang. or milk and cookies.

Seder Songs

Some videos have women on vocals. Here are the aish versions, transliterated.
And here's the The Open Door, the CCAR Haggadah, which is available in .pdf for free download.

I had a bunch, then my computer crashed. Will try to get them all back up over the next 8 days.

Kadesh Urchatz (the order of stuff)



Kiddush (starts about 1:00 in)


HaLachma Anya


Mah Nishtana


Avadim Hayinu


Story of Four Sons


Rabbi Mitelman from Hofstra Hillel had a couple of good things to say. I wasn't actively involved, when I was there, but he's a cool guy, and it beats the usual rabbis doing math adventures (imo):



Grateful Dead Seder? Apparently. Also found this bit about Bill Graham.

Maror

Korech

Shulchan Orech

Tzafun

Barech

Hallel

Nirtzah

Echad Mi Yodea

More music ((dudes))

Music

This would be funny, if it weren't true.

There have been reports of RCA rabbis lobbying synagogues not to hire rabbis ordained by YCT, a reflection of what they think of Rabbi Weiss’ standards.
In a twist, one Rabbi Weiss school, YCT, won’t recognize the rabbinic credentials of the other Rabbi Weiss school, Yeshivat Maharat, with Rabba Hurwitz being denied membership in the International Rabbinic Fellowship, also founded by Rabbi Weiss and primarily composed of YCT rabbis.

Source of quote is the link above.

Also, see Hesh's post. It has a link to a VIN article. I liked comment #24 on it.

I always wanted to be a rabbi, but didn't bother, 'cause the orthodox wouldn't take me seriously. Apparently (according to the quote above), YCT's walking a line that sends that very message. Which is too bad. Disorganized religion is far easier to deal with, imo. Which reminds me, Patrick's coming up to play a gig in NYC this Saturday night (Purim!). I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you, DH! (child abuse content)

I don't always agree with this guy, but he makes a really good point.

Another Worthy Encore

chareidi and tzahal content

Worth repeating

Please click the link below, then scroll up for the quote in original posted context.
Frumsatire Fan February 8, 2010 at 1:00 PM

I really think everyone should read some A. J. Heschel – man who believed in tradition but rejected some aspects of the theology of orthodox judaism. It’s not all-or-nothing, my-derech-or-no-derech.

“It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion in modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion–its message becomes meaningless.”
Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism)

I blushed

'cause I'm a dork and I like sweetness, even if it's just friendliness. It's all good. And I had fun making fun of myself for blushing, afterward. :)
So here's an R.E.M. video, because I've dislocated my copy of "Accelerate" on CD (which shouldn't happen, will have to tear bag apart), and I love this song. R.E.M. Lyrics Site Link, too.

neat stuff for tu b'shvat and big cheers

here at neohasid

big cheers for adventures in foster parenting. chock full of kindness and she likes music. yay!

kook-y and links

just posting this link on kook here for future reference.

and this shul in colorado

and here's a nice new riders show to stream

The Tao of Judaism

Yay for people doing good stuff re: domestic violence.

And I love my dad. Just saying. :)

Great Reggae Chazzan

Booby (Newby/Boo-Boo): A Little Miracle

A deaf, declawed cat was dumped, showed up at a guy named Rich's house; a woman named Victoria posted about him; a month later, he was neutered and became a holiday miracle. He's a good boy. Is he really a miracle? That's debatable, but I picked up that cat without knowing where he'd be homed, figuring if I do the right thing, things will work out okay. Little did I know, my mom would fall in love with him. (As much as that fact isn't a surprise to anyone who knows her, I totally hadn't planned on her winding up taking him in. My grandmother, who lives with my mom, was totally understanding re: a declawed, deaf cat doesn't belong outdoors. I really thought his stay at their house would be temporary.) Here are some pictures.

Music and Adoption

This Year's Chanukah Theme

Is Cleaning. Taking care of the home, tcb, etc. I brought my car in to be fixed; they washed it and cleaned part of the inside. It looks great!! The rest of it looks awful. I need to remove all of the cat hair and dust from my life. The Fall 2009 Judo season ended the other day. It was great. We start again in 8-10 weeks. I can't wait. The kids are awesome.

Here's some Phish to go with this year's theme (below).

Jazz, Blues, Jews

Hentoff on Jazz: The Jewish Soul of Willie "The Lion" Smith
It's beautiful. Just beautifully written. And gorgeous. Comments, too.

Cake Shop, 11/18/09

No, not really, but I made a cameo as Patrick's fake ponytail on heeb'n'vegan (above). Photo credit to heeb'n'vegan (if I'm wrong, please correct me and I'll fix it). Also pictured are Heshy and Matthue. Fine company for a great night of music, including CAN!!CAN and Golem.

I started a drawing (right) during Golem's set which included the traced hands of most of the folks mentioned above and Jacob of JDub Records. It went home with CAN!!CAN, as it was on the reverse of a show poster.

CAN!!CAN delivered a relentlessly Manilow-esque set of Carpenters covers. (I'm being completely facetious, check them out). It was my first time seeing Golem, and they rocked! I'm looking forward too seeing them again, as well.

A bunch of links re: interfaith kids/inclusivist J

on my blog
Because
I don't
need
to have
tons of
tabs
open
ortho
Each blue line is a different link. This is primarily for my own reference. Agree, disagree -- I don't need to debate content that I've yet to read. I love some people whose spouses aren't Jewish, and I love their kids, too. So, yeah, I want to read stuff like this, 'cause it matters, to me.

Resources for Sexual Abuse Survivors

Here are two Jewish community-related message boards for survivors of sexual abuse. If you know of more, please post them as comments. Thank you.

For men

For women

Sexual Abuse is a Crime, Period.

This deserves a re-post:

As a victim of abuse at the hands of a priest I can tell you that some 40 years after being molested I struggled with taking my own life. If it not for being a father an not wanting to leave a legacy of suicide i probably would have followed through.Today the laws are such most victims of abuse will never have a chance to confront their abusers or seek justice. these predators are protected by statue of limitaion laws.There is a bill before NY legislature to change this so childood victims have an opportu ity to seek justice. Both the catholic church and the majority of the Jewish communities leadership have fought to strike down this bill.

Posted by: Kevin Harrington

---------------------------------

I'm borrowing (I edited it a bit) some wording from here.

All incidents of sexual abuse of a minor by anyone must be reported to civil authorities.

Sexual abuse is a crime and should always be reported to police before notifying the organization where the crime occurred.

Organization leaders will be notified at the appropriate time by investigating authorities.

One reason the Catholic Church has a sex abuse crisis is because it handled these matters internally without notifying civil authorities. Sadly, many church leaders were more interested in the reputation of the church than the welfare of victims. (Sound familiar?)

"Until the diocese adopts a policy of public transparency, the loss of trust in the church will be hard to rebuild. Crimes involving the abuse of children are of the highest priority, and these matters must be handled promptly, professionally and in the light of day by public agencies designed to do so."

-JERRY MATYSIK Chief, Eau Claire Police Department

Yes! Replace diocese with Judaism and church with shul or yeshiva or (name of Jewish youth organization). The same point is applicable.

Chazzanos Lovers

Koussevitsky streamage here. Enjoy.

Re: Child Abuse, from Frum Follies

A Confession of Being Abused and Abusing.
Then there's this, too, also by him.

A.A. Milne Quote

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember: you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you."

- Winnie the Pooh

re: UK jschool thing

I have no problem with non-orthodox conversions. Or with patrilineal descent, for that matter.

Who is Rich? (music content)

Pirkei Avot says he who's happy with his portion. And I agree. Having music handy doesn't hurt, either. These folks are rolling in it. Cheers to the music makers. Disclaimers: some not-work/grandma/toddler-friendly language and kol isha.

Guess what?

OTD is just another box. If you let your anger control your behavior, the people you are rebelling against are still controlling your behavior. It's all the same f'n' derech; OTD is a myth perpetuated by people who can't deal with people asking questions and thinking differently than they do.

I was raised that if you're not asking questions, you're doing it (being Jewish) wrong. Not that I didn't go through a ton of anger and stuff, anyway... eventually I realized that some folks are blind. And further down the road, I became able to approach them with compassion, as I would any other disabled person, because the use of religion to divide, and thinking that's okay, that's a severe handicap. It's not easy. It took years to reach that point.

I hold my tongue on a lot of blogs, 'cause who am I to say anything? OTD (the blogger), my going off isn't directed at you specifically, just the concept. You seem nice enough. My heart overflows with compassion for all the people who are hurting, and I hope everyone who needs some peace finds it soon.

My opinion is just my opinion. I'm not looking to fight. If you disagree, that's okay. I'm not smarter than anyone else. If I'm smarter than I was yesterday, I figure that's great. :)

Right On

Be vewy quiet, I'm hunting nusach*. Anyway, I found the below here:

Interestingly, the Italian Jews say in their nusach, Nusach Italki, she-asani Yisrael [(bless the One ) who made me a Jew] instead of shelo asani goy [(bless the One) who did not make me a non-Jew], they also say she-asani ben-chorin (free man) instead of shelo asani eved [who did not make me a slave] and they said she-asani gaver [who made me a man] instead of shelo asani isha [who did not make me a woman].
So basically same thing but different way of saying or looking at it.”

I can dig it. And I see a huge difference. And I am very happy to have recently made an online pal who also digs chazzanos**.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusach#Meaning_of_term (basically, style of text in j-liturgy)
**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chazan (what the cantors sing; cantors are the dudes who lead the prayers at communal services; they usually have some sort of musical training)

Some Einstein Quotes

On religion and stuff. I haven't verified the sources.

L'shana Tova!

Wishing everyone the best of what life has to offer. I just realized the chocolate rugelach are still in my car. If I were less tired, I'd have brought them to chulent, but I decided to lay low tonight and just went home, afterward. SO nice to be back at judo again! The kids are great. The little ones will gain coordination quickly. :)

Teshuvah (Turn, Turn, Turn)

Dealing with a friend and some teshuvah-related issues; did some research. I like this article from the CCAR Journal. It's a .pdf titled "Teshuvah and Mentoring." You can start the download here.

I found a bunch of other stuff on chabad sites and stuff. I love the folk tales. Hope all is well with you. Things are coming along well, here.

Sarah

Taj Mahal - Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes

Reb Shlomo Flashback

I had a flashback that I had been blessed in the womb by R'Shlomo Carlebach (z"l), so I texted my mom and asked her if it was true.

She replied:
Yes. We knew a MD in Toronto whose sister married him. We went to the MD's son's bar mitzvah. I was pregnant with you at the time. He put his hands on my abdomen and uttered a blessing like it was what he was supposed to do. Did not even ask if he could touch me. He was very charismatic.

Me: Lol. I went to hoshanah rabah at his shul w/abba when I was little. It was long. Lots of singing (holy holy, then the part w/whacking the hoshanos). Circles.

Eema: He was like that. Great melodies, records. He was the Jewish (Pete) Seeger of the '70s.

Me: Yeah, I have your records.

Eema: Can you make me a CD?

So I told her I could buy her one (my records are in boxes and my stereos aren't hooked up to my computer) and how to find videos of him on youtube, and she requested I pick one up for her of his stuff from the '70s. Cool.

My mom has some spark (she went through a lot of hell) left in her. I'm happy to reunite her with that. Music is a healer, and it makes people happy. She deserves all the happiness in the world.

I remember meeting Reb Shlomo w/my dad, at at least one point. He was as she described ... charismatic. Good times.

Posting 'cause I'm not currently keeping a notebook, and this is the sort of story of which I don't want to forget the details. I wonder what kind of bracha you make on a growing baby? Regular Friday night blessing, I'd imagine, for both genders, since in the womb.

no time to hate

I commented a bunch here and here on racism and stuff. Less of it in the world is important to me. On that note, here's a famous excerpt from a speech by Sojourner Truth (hat tip to abandoning eden for bringing it up elsewhere, today):

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.

-Sojourner Truth, 1851

--------------------------------

On a completely unrelated note, I have become more aware of adult content for and by the more observant (Jews) available in blogs, and some of it has been quite shocking. The content isn't shocking, but the juxtaposition of people engaged in intimate behavior with paintings of rabbis on the wall is new to me. To each his own.

Berachot 57b

"Three things restore a person's spirit: [Beautiful] sounds, sights and scents."

It's time to go see some live music. :)

Prof K Made A Good Point

Big cheers to Lion of Zion (see sidebar for link) for linking to it. It's worth a relink, here.

A Kindness A Day / Areyvut

(the calendar)

My pop hooked me up with one of these. At the end of the day, I cross off the day of the week and the year, so it can become a perpetual calendar. You can get one here for $3.95, "hurt," or for $8.37, new in box. This isn't an ad; I just like the calendar. You can find it here. It is spiral-bound (plastic spiral), and stands on the desk. Total desk / countertop real estate is about 4"x6", toward the end or halfway point of the year (each page is printed on both sides).
Content may be too fluffy from more well-versed readers, but I've yet to meet a rav who doesn't think constantly reviewing more basic materials isn't a good idea; ideas of how to apply ideas in today's world are neat, too; the indices (sp?) and resource lists are well done. If you do decide you want one, you can enter code "KADC-2009" for 10% off your purchase. I'm not familiar with any of the company's other books.

I learned what Areyvut is, and that's kind of neat. Pasted from their page (I wish they had that sort of thing when I was that age):

Areyvut: Mutual responsibility, accountability; the notion that every Jew is responsible for another. It comes from the principle found in Talmud Shavuot 39a where it states, “kol yisrael areiveim zeh b’zeh” meaning that all Jews are responsible for one another.

Areyvut enables Jewish youth to infuse their lives with the core Jewish values of chesed (kindness), tzedakah (charity), and tikkun olam (social justice).

Areyvut reaches out to Jewish day schools, congregational schools and community centers, regardless of affiliation to promote the values of chesed, tzedakah and tikkun olam and offers innovative and meaningful programs to make these values a reality for students and educators alike.

Of course, I would like to extend this notion Kook's fourfold song-style and reach out to every kid, and I try to do that when I volunteer. Spring Judo ended last Sunday; the gym floor will be resurfaced over the summer. Hopefully there will be summer judo of some sort. I should be well enough to get back on the mat, if not by then, then certainly by the time we start again in September. I love working with the kids, helping teach them how to apply martial arts philosophy to their daily lives. It's great.

Moving forward

"Our answers must be given in deeds, not words." -Chovot HaLevavot, 7:10

Looking forward to having opportunities to do just that. :)

Other than that, my leg is healing and I'm hunting jobs.

How are you?

I'm getting better

It has felt like it was taking forever, but I see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Warm weather is in the forecast for the next few days. I can't wait for all the snow to melt and to spend time outside getting my gait back. Yee-hah!

Other than that, life is good. There were concerns, but now they are less worrisome. I have much gratitude to all who have lent a hand, physically and emotionally, over the past few months, even just by being themselves and doing their thing, out in the world.

I hope everyone is doing well, and if you're not, that things improve for you soon.

Sarah

PS to all the frummy dudes who friend-request me on facebook: If I know you from a blog, please let me know which blog. If I don't know you, please say hi. If you don't know how to write a sentence, I have no idea why you're getting in touch with me. Surely it's not 'cause you think we're hashkafically compatible. :)

Learning to Walk Again

I'm told that I'm making good progress, but it's not going quickly enough for me. My mother has knee surgery on Monday. My dad is recovering well from his recent surgery. Everyone else is doing okay. I can't wait to walk again. I do realize I'm getting there. Emotional development and other learning are going well. Primary foci will be walking (until I can, well) and helping out at my mom and grandmother's (next week), then, on climbing the ladder into my loft bed. I miss my mattress. It's wonderful. I can't wait to get up there again. (I could get up there, I just couldn't get down quickly, if I needed to.)

How are you? What's new?

Karudner does 121

Hat tip to my cousin in Yad Binyamin, who is one of my favorite people whom I haven't seen in way too long and whose blog can be found here.

I rambled about candle-lighting a bit

on TRS's blog, the other week (The Real Shliach). If I were cooler, I'd give you a link. Maybe tomorrow. Other than that, life is good. Sleeping a lot, knitting bones. Can't wait to get out of this cast. Things are good, though. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying whatever you celebrate and the fact that there's a little more sunlight, each day. I am.

If you showed up here from Heshy's

Here's one of my favorite posts. The first one in this blog is another of my favorites. Feel free to poke around, make yourself at home.

My cast is hot pink

Eema got a no-bend brace for her knee. I was able to ditch the splint this morning, got the stitches out and a bright pink cast. I'm allowed to drive, but I shouldn't drive long distances, for now, since not having my foot elevated makes it hurt. I'm so happy to be out of the splint! I'll be in the cast for anywhere from 8-16 weeks. I'll see the surgeon again in a couple of weeks and try to find out more about that. I saw my X-ray. I have 6 titanium screws and a metal plate in my ankle now. Who says a diamond is forever? Titanium hardware -- that's forever. lol. I can't wait to be able to get the cast off and start rebuilding the muscles in my calf and ankle. My toes are exposed. I can wiggle them, in the meantime, to help maintain the muscles in my lower leg.

Gratitude / Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm feeling more like myself again (not thinking about my leg hurting), which is great. Still can't wait to get the splint off. Able to sit in a chair in front of a computer without my leg hurting more.

Getting a little of my sass back. And my desire and drive to clean up/take care, more.

Just when things were getting boring, my mom dislocated her knee this morning, then popped it back into place. Then it popped out again. I believe she will go to the doctor tomorrow (or I will rat her out to her mother and then my Bub will drag her to the ER, and won't that be fun? Nope.).

((Eema))

I'm glad I know I'm not MacGuyver or House. My mom is as stubbornly autonomous as I am. It's kind of amusing. I love her. I'm running low on vics and will be able to drive again, soon. Can't wait.

I hope everyone's doing well. I've been having a hard time dealing with Mike's death, but some days are better than others. A friend said he's my angel, now. He would believe that, so I'll go with it. He wanted nothing less than for me to be happy. I'm very happy he's not in pain anymore. Love is funny, but it's good. I learned a lot about love and friendship from him. That lives in me.

99 bloggles of post on the wall ...

It's my 99th post. Who knew? I didn't, until I logged in. The good news is that I'm all clear to have surgery to fix my leg tomorrow. I'm so excited that at the end of this road, I'll have my leg back! Surgery's scheduled for 1pm. The surgeon seems competent. Quick in-out, I should be home on Wednesday, I think. Anyway, I hope all is well in your world. Things just got a little better in mine.

since my last post

my best (male) friend died (he was 50, a stroke survivor, had brain cancer, so it wasn't a surprise, but we love(d) each other very much and I miss him daily). i'm glad he's not in pain anymore. I dealt with stuff related to that on the board, and I don't feel like getting into it here.

a couple of weeks later, I got my leg broken in 3 places at judo. i'm scheduled for surgery this friday. going to have some metal in me, for a while. also dealt with this mostly on the board.

so this post is basically, hi, i'm not dead. I also decided to go back to school to become a cross between a physical and an occupational therapist. I want to help people apply principles of tai chi to live better in their houses. just need to find a local program and get into it.

Great Art (J surfability)

Dan Weinstein makes some neat-looking stuff! The Eshet Chayil in blue and white first caught my eye on facebook, led me to his site. If Little Steven's Underground Garage (a radio show) were a sukkah, Dan's art would line the walls.

Nashuva's / JTN's Kol Nidre Webcast

It's pretty cool. Still running.
Not traditional; contains kol isha, musical instruments, etc., but it reached lots of people who wouldn't otherwise have had any sort of YK shul experience, and that rocks. And Naomi Levy's pretty neat (it can be argued she is occasionally inappropriate, but I'm not one to knock her; outreach far outweighs inappropriate). Kind of makes me want to go to JTS.

L'Shanah Tovah!

or, as they say on the ranch, happy Jew year. :) 

love,

Sarah

re: heimish afrobeat (potential lyrics)

The world needs heimish afrobeat. Here are some words for music that has yet to be composed.

I'm drawing from Hillel, as discussed in R'Tzvi Hersh Weinreb's recent address to the DNC. This is Judaism 101; universal message is key.
http://www.ou.org/news/article/leader_of_orthodox_union_addresses_democratic_convention_interfaith_gatheri/

“V’ahavta le-rayacha kamocha.You should love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Ma da’alach sanei, lechavrach lo sa’aveid. That which is hateful to you do not do unto your neighbor.”

I've also seen it as this: Ma d'sani lakh, l'chavrakh al t'avid

What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow

Which one is it? I'm not sure. But here's an essay on Hillel and objectivism. (I am not familiar with the work of Ayn Rand; please refrain from throwing fruit at me.)

“Ki hem chayenu v’orech yameinu. Study is our life, the length of our days.”

“Tzadikim gemurim einam kovlim al horah elah mosifim ohr. The truly righteous do not bemoan ignorance; but they spread knowledge and wisdom.” -Rav Kook

------------------
I am also a big fan of

Im ein ani li, mi li?
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

U'kh'she'ani l'atzmi, ma ani?
And once I am for myself, what am I?

V'im lo akhshav, eimatay?
And if not now, when?

(Hillel)

------------------
"Kamayim HaPanim al Panim, Kach Lev HaAdam" (just like water reflects a face, so too does the heart of mankind). Mishlei [Proverbs] (27:19)

And from the seder:
Ha lachma, ha lachma anya, di achalu, achalu avahatana, b'ara b'ara d'mitzrayim, b'ara b'ara d'mitzrayim. Kol dichfin yeitei v'yeichul, kol ditzrich yeitei v'yifsach. Hashata hacha, lashanah haba-ah b'arah d'yisrael. Hashata avdei, lashanah haba-ah b'nei chorin.
---------
Pirkei Avot is a veritable wellspring from which heimish afrobeat lyrics can be drawn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meantime ...

I bartered tuition for the next session of medical qigong by working the front desk at the sensei's practice. Getting ready for fall judo.

I enjoy working the front desk at a medical practice. I don't know much about quickbooks, but the rest of it is pretty cool. I could do that.

Still looking for a full-time gig. Have editing work lined up for this week (rosh hashanah notwithstanding). Happy to be here, happy to be alive.

Keeping the creative juices flowing, getting ready for 5769.

Keeping an eye on the child abuse thing. Terrible stuff. Florida was good; I want to go back. Donna the Buffalo continues to move me. Jeb's solo album is awesome. I've been playing it a lot.

Tons of good shows coming up in the NYC area; picking them carefully, due to budgetary constraints. This, too, shall pass.

Saw my doctor; he switched some stuff around and took good care of me. Got some acupuncture and plum blossom got rid of one issue. Taking an herbal formula for some boo boos that weren't going away, and they're finally healing; YAY!!

Did some laundry, doing some job hunting. It's all good. Realized I have a knack for digging guys who are more observant than I (currently) am. That's okay; if I were dug back, I could easily see me becoming more observant; kind of heading that way, anyway, without losing sight of my own message being more global than insular. Someone who's right for me will understand that tikkun olam doesn't mean living in a terrarium.

In the meantime, I think having a full-time gig will make me feel more able to date (maybe; the other half of me has long been ready to start a family). Slightly concerned re: the desire of a local to hook me back up with the past stopping a potential present from moving forward, but I know that's really bs and if someone likes someone, they do, period. We're not in high school, anymore.

There are some beautiful people in this world. I smile, when I think of them. I like it.

CDC: Sexual Abuse & Falling Prevention Guidelines

For Organizations
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/PreventingChildAbuse.htm

contains link to: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse within Youth Serving Organizations: Getting Started On Policies and Procedures.


CDC published Child Maltreatment Surveillance: Uniform Definitions for Public Health and Recommended Data Elements.

While I'm at it, here's a link on Preventing Falls in Older Adults

Compilation of links re: child abuse / inappropriate physical contact from J Organizations

If I'm missing something, please add it as a comment or direct me to it and I'll edit this list. Thank you. The most up to date posts from R'Twerski appear here.

Torah Umesorah (click link above and scroll down to #27 for the rest of this post)

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USCJ

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Baltimore Rabbis

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NCSY

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A good comment from VIN that lays out some practical ideas on handling this. (scroll down past the initial part)

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Another very good comment on VIN

----------------

And one more

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Train to recognize this stuff (online), also from a VIN comment

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Great words from Mikey in the comments on this article:

Stop pointing fingers at people who are trying to help -
A. point your finger at your telephone and call the Menahel or Rosh Yeshiva or Administrator of your kids yeshiva or day school.

B. Ask them what they are doing as per background checks of Rebbes and teachers

C. Ask them if they have fingerprinted and DNA cheek swabbed the Rebbe/Teacher

D. If the answer is not satisfactory get together with the other parents in your kids class/school and demand that action be taken - and yes you can change how the school/yeshiva operates

E. Worst case change which school/yeshiva your child attends - arrange a sit-in protest in the yeshiva/school - do something preventive

----------

sex offender registries in all states. people can make sure their children’s teachers aren’t on those lists.

Yitz Iz Neias

It's always nice when people are as kind as they are talented. Yitz is one of those people.
A write-up in VIN. The comments are nicer than the article. Go, Yitz!

The Jewish Star

I discovered it recently. I think it's pretty neat.
News from Long Island on the orthodox community.

Various Links re: abuse, prop 8

if you're not reading the comments, you're not really reading them.

On Sexual Abuse and Denial in the Community

Abuse Victim Sues Principal is working to eradicate child molestation from yeshivas and other non-public schools (below is copied and pasted from link above)

By Michael Orbach

Issue of Sept. 12, 2008

A Cedarhurst attorney, Elliot Pasik, who has made it his mission to combat child sexual abuse in the Jewish community, is representing a 23- year-old whose accusations have rocked the Satmar community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

As reported in The Jewish Week last week, Joel Engelman was 8 years old when, he said, the principal of the United Talmudic Academy in Williamsburg first summoned him to his office, seated him on his lap and began touching him.

This was the start of systematic abuse that allegedly continued several times a week for two months, ultimately destroying Engelman’s faith.

Engelman’s story, detailed in a lawsuit filed on Aug. 27, is one that is far too common in the Orthodox Jewish community, Pasik said.

Pasik and the Cedarhurst law firm of Gerald Ross filed suit on behalf of Engelman, listing the United Talmudic Academy (UTA), The Satmar Bungalow Colony and Avrohom Reichman, the former principal of UTA, as defendants. The suit alleges that between October and November of 1993, Reichman molested Engelman repeatedly.

Engelman confronted Reichman in April 2008, according to the suit, after hearing of similar abuse complaints made against him, and made one demand: that he leave his job in the UTA and never teach again. In exchange Engelman and his family would take no further action.

Satmar community officials became involved and after a negotiation, which included a polygraph test that Reichman failed, he left the school. But less than five months later, in August, Reichman was videotaped teaching in the Satmar Bungalow Colony, a children’s camp.

The lawsuit seeks damages based on the abuse that Engelman allegedly suffered at Reichman’s hands, the failure of the UTA to prevent said abuse, and finally, breach of oral contract by Reichman’s return to a teaching position. The suit also alleges that the Satmar officials were aware that the statue of limitations on the criminal prosecution of Reichman’s actions would expire when Engelman turned 23 in June and waited until then before returning Reichman to a teaching position. Engelman is suing the three defendants for $5 million.

Engelman’s case is the most recent child abuse scandal that has rocked the Jewish community.

“It says lo sa’amod al dam ray’echa. Do not stand upon the blood of your brother. It’s a chiyuv [obligation]; It’s what G-d wants us to do. It’s as much of a mitzvah as putting on tefillin, observing Shabbos, davening, or anything else,” Pasik said.

His goal is “eradicating the horror of child sexual abuse in our yeshivas and all religious and non-public schools in the state.”

And beyond the abuse itself is the outrage Pasik feels over the culture of silence around it that he has found in yeshivas:

“One would think that when it comes to protecting our children in the holiest places we would come together, but we’ve proven unable to do this… What would Rav Aron Kotler say to this? What would Rav Yoel Teitelbaum say?”

Engelman’s case provides another example of schools that Pasik feels have failed to take appropriate steps to protect their students.

“We’re seeing many laws limiting the places where convicted sex offenders can live. Here in the Jewish community, rabbis are still making the mistake of restoring sex offenders to classrooms,” he said. “There’s no cure for pedophilia. You don’t put a recovering alcoholic in a bar and you don’t put a sex offender in the vicinity of children.”

The reason why so many cases are cropping up in the Jewish community, Pasik maintains, is because of ignorance and obstinacy, and a leadership that is unaware of the true nature of child abuse. He also blames lax regulations in non-public schools. Fingerprinting and background checks are required for all employees in public schools and each teacher is a mandated reporter for abuse and neglect. The same is not true for New York State’s non-public schools, which together educate over half a million children.

The reason for the discrepancy, Pasik says, is that until recently private schools were thought to be capable of self-governing, a belief that in light of recent events, is no longer tenable.

“Unfortunately over the past four years we’ve seen proof that this attitude is badly misguided,” he continued. “We’ve seen a terrible clergy abuse problem afflicting both Catholic and Jewish institutions.”

Pasik says he approached both Agudath Israel and Torah U’Mesorah to take up self-governing laws like fingerprinting but was rejected. It was a disillusioning response and made Pasik consider a different road: government.

New York State Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) twice supported legislation Pasik proposed to require private schools to fingerprint and perform criminal background checks. It passed 60-1 in the senate but Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Lower Manhattan) twice refused to bring the bill to a vote, calling fingerprinting an unfunded mandates on private schools.

The problem of serial child abusers in the Jewish community, in Pasik’s mind, stems from amisinterpretation of the idea of teshuva, the Jewish concept of repentance.

“Many rabbis rely on teshuva when dealing with child molesters. What they fail to understand is that the concept should not be applied with a child molester returning to a classroom. The teshuva for a child molester is removing him from any close proximity to children. You don’t allow a child molester to do teshuva at the expense of young children. You don’t restore a Lanner; you don’t restore a Reichman; you don’t restore a Kolko to a classroom.”

Rabbi Benzion Twerski is a Borough Park-based psychologist and the head of a task force on child abuse recently formed by Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind. While not commenting on the Engelman case, citing unfamiliarity, Rabbi Twerski supported Pasik’s position on fingerprinting and background checks.

“The resistance to that actually bothers me because it’s an indication that there is what to hide,” Twerski said.

The Hikind taskforce is developing a protocol to deal with future abuse cases in the Jewish community.
“Developing policy is complicated,” Twerski explained. “It has to be sensitive to secular law, to Shulchan Aruch, and we’re not going to be doing anything irresponsible on either end. I’m not willing to do anything that the community won’t follow because then we’ll be where we are now. “

Pasik seemed to differ. “War has to be declared on child sex abuse,” he asserted. “You don’t win wars by treading water. You win wars by strong tough laws.”

However, both Twerski and Pasik agree on one thing.

“We have a system here that has not serviced us,” Twerski said. “Our mistakes were very costly ones.”
Pasik has been combating child abuse in the frum community for the last six years; he has encountered ignorance, naiveté, and in some cases, outright evil, he said, of which Joel’s case may be the latest installment. Asked if he was frustrated by the response of a community that is only now coming around, he almost laughed, before responding gruffly:

“Tzedek tzedek tirdof. Pursue justice and live.” He then added: “It will make you live.”

agudath i. supports background checks
from comments here: Nursery School Permit Plan Draws Outcry

By ELIZABETH SOLOMONT, Special to the Sun
April 25, 2007

http://www.nysun.com/new-york/nursery-school-permit-plan-draws-outcry/53196/

Several religious groups are fighting a health department proposal that for the first time would require permits for some faith-based nursery schools.

Representatives of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and Agudath Israel of America, among others, voiced their concerns at a public hearing April 19 on the health department's proposed amendments to article 47 of the city's health code, which regulates child care services.

The measures, which officials said were designed to improve child safety, would require about 500 nursery programs to obtain city permits, meet certain education standards among teachers, and conduct criminal background checks on their employees for the first time. Currently, religious preschool programs that are attached to elementary schools are exempt from permit requirements, thanks to their longstanding "No Permit Required" status.

Advocates have said the proposals are in line with efforts the past few years to improve safety at child care centers. Opponents have said the changes would place undue financial burden on them and possibly force some of them to close.

"The concept of permitting is offensive to us because the permit process encompasses many things that relate to what actually takes place in the religious classroom," an executive vice president of Agudath Israel, David Zweibel, said. "Who is fit to be a teacher? How many students can there be in the classroom? Things that go to the autonomy of the educational experience, which to us in the religious community is a matter of religious freedom."

Acknowledging the opposition, the health department a day before the public hearing announced an extension of the public comment period through July 30 in an effort to work with the community, officials said. "We are considering all comments very carefully and think important points have been made. This is precisely what the comment period is for," a spokesman for the department, Andrew Tucker, said.

At last week's hearing, City Council Member David Yassky, who represents parts of Brooklyn, joined religious advocates in voicing concern over the proposed changes. "The First Amendment protects religious institutions against overregulation by the government. The Department of Health simply should not be regulating religious education," he said.

What is wrong with people?!

This also has me pretty steamed, but is completely unrelated: California's Proposition 8
If a gay couple wants to have their reception in a kosher catering hall that's part of a shul, I think that's nice that they want to serve kosher food to their guests. It's not like the shuls have to host the weddings.

Profk Rocks

She does.
and so does Nad-Ned.

Marooned in the Midwest

totally cracked me up tonight.
Thank you, whoever you are. :)

New Spearhead Album

You can stream it on imeem.

Snoopy Jobby Job (hunt continues), Music Ban, Agunot

Neat piece here: http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2008/09/careers-and-professions.html

RE: the bannage
I got the google news alert on the music ban 'cause Lipa's name was in it. Frum Satire's post on it links to a couple of really good posts on the topic, notably Y-Love's and the one at Wolfish Musings (Wolfish Musings rocks, btw).

RE: agunah
Big cheers to Jameel for this post on getting tough on agunah. What was most surprising to me is that there are some women who won't grant their husbands gets. To me, this is equally reprehensible, and these women should be pursued with equal "that's not cool/stop it" as men.

dan l'caf zechut (rockin' pirkei w/badass gents)

A neat piece by David and friends.

The Oath of Assaf & Yochanan (jmed content)

an interesting read, for sure. He was a medical scholar.
From: Sefer ha-Refuot, The Book of Medicines

Nice email from a former colleague

(Names are changed for her privacy; she and I shared an office. We didn't always get agree about everything, but there was always mutual respect.)

Sarah,

When I arrived at the office yesterday morning, (our supervisor) told me that you had been let go.

My immediate reaction was an unrelenting sadness – sad because of the position that you are now in – sad because I had lost my (not always) silent partner.

Professionally and personally you have nurtured me in countless ways:

In areas that I was unfamiliar with I always knew that I could turn around and ask your advice – whether it would be how to find some important information on the Internet – the meaning or correct use of a word – the correct approach to answering a “[first name of publisher] question”.

I am a healthier, more productive and kinder person for having known you. Because of you [her acupuncturist/my East Asian medicine mentor and sensei] and [her flute teacher, with whom I connected her] are a part of my life – because of you I learned how to be kind to my cat. I am a better person in so many ways for having known you and I sincerely appreciate and will always be grateful for your influence on me.

I am here – if I can help – just ask.

Luv

[her name]

So I emailed her back, thanking her for her note and asking her how I might word some of what I did for her, professionally, on my resume. She replied:

Don’t limit yourself to just Software research.

What I found amazing about you – and I counted on -- was your ability to find anything on the Web – to input the most precise search query which would return only the most relevant sites.

Please use me as a reference since I am the head of the web department at [where I worked].

Seeking Additional Employment

Tight economy = I was let go, last week. I've got 10 years of experience (mostly in editorial, a few years in marketing) in trade magazines publishing. I'm not opposed to a career change. If my wallet were bottomless, I'd just go to school full time and become an acupuncturist in three years. But I need health insurance, so I need a position that will offer me that. I love copy editing -- my brain is wired for it, some people are quite aware of that, and I hope to have some freelance work headed my way in the weeks ahead.

In the meantime -- have brains, will travel (and half-asleep right now, pardon me). Challenges welcome. I need to tweak my resume; I'll take care of that this week. Things will work out for the best, in the long run.

I certainly wouldn't mind working someplace shabbos-friendly, but it would have to be a really cool job if it were the kind that would require me to wear a skirt every day. (By cool, I mean something challenging.)

sb

Observations of Shabbos

I was cranky all day because I really wanted to take a shower. Feeling dirty doesn't bring me closer to God. It makes me want to pass out until it is over. Other than that, it was very nice. What's the deal with taking a shower on Shabbos? No hot water, but cold water's fine? If so, I totally would've taken a cold shower, earlier today. Best thing about shabbos being over was taking a shower. I like being clean.

If you add a peeled, chopped zucchini to your potato kugel recipe, it makes the kugel extra wonderful. I see no reason not to substitute the oil in potato kugel recipes with applesauce. But that's coming from someone who made up an applesauce noodle kugel recipe.

I love my family.

Thank you, Richard Mikuls (RIP/BDE; I just found out)

A Moment For Richard Mikuls

Lost a wonderful friend

Valley's renowned guitarist dies at 56
Bruce Fessier • The Desert Sun • June 11, 2008

Richard Mikuls, who played with legends of the music world, had a
heart attack

Richard Mikuls, who reigned as the Coachella Valley's guitar king in
the early 1990s, died Monday at an Ironwood Country Club condo in Palm
Desert.

Mikuls, who had been in poor health for years, died of a heart attack.
He was 56.

Mikuls had been touring and recording for five years with Peter Tork
of the Monkees. Before that, he was the lead guitarist in a band that
pioneered the unplugged concept in the Coachella Valley called
Unplugged, the Band. Led by John Stanley King, it was named the
valley's favorite band two years in a row by Desert Sun readers.

Randy Hewitson, owner of Musicians Outlet in Palm Desert and a rhythm
guitarist in that band, said Mikuls had been in demand in Los Angeles
since he was 17. That's when blues great Albert Collins had to get him
off the stage of the Roxie nightclub because "the union man is
coming."

But, even while playing regularly in L.A. studio sessions, Mikuls
would drive to the Coachella Valley once or twice a week to play with
Unplugged.

"He was, in my opinion, the best guitar player I've ever heard in my
life," Hewitson said. "It was unbelievable when he played. There'd be
guy groupies - four or five guys who would be standing in front of him
to watch him play."

His friend Tim Riley of L.A. said Eric Clapton once heard him play in
Palm Springs and exclaimed, "This man could teach me blues guitar all
over again."

Mikuls grew up in the Palos Verdes area and played in his teens with
jazz guitar great Lee Ritenour.

He went on to play with Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway,
Freddie Hubbard, B.B. King, James Moody, Stan Getz, Chuck Berry, Sly
Stone, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and
the Pointer Sisters.

Mikuls recorded two solo CDs, "Evil Secret Agent" and "Blow and Go."
He also made a compilation CD, "Songs from The Boneyard," and a DVD of
his art work.

A life celebration for Mikuls is planned from 1 to 4 p.m. June 21 at
CopyKatz, 200 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs.

Mikuls is survived by his mother, Barbara Mikuls of Hemet; two
daughters, Melody Garrard of La Quinta and Carrie Mikuls of Hemet; and
a sister, Carole Mikuls of Hemet.

Videos of Richard playing.

Bloggers post about Richard.

Rock Stars of Classical Asian Medicine: Sun Simiao

He didn't suck. Or slack. Wrote a ton of stuff. Made many formulas. Neat.