vt, LI-c"
They say everybody else is doing it
and it's supposed to be fun. You
say you don't want to do it. Not only
that, you care about your friends to
try to stop them from getting into
trouble. Your friends get angry, start
calling you names, and turn against
you. Even though they're angry and
don't want your help, you still try to
keep your friends from getting into
trouble.
This is the type of situation
Judah Maccabee was in. He was
one person, part of a small group,
trying to save his fellow Jews from
what he considered to be trouble.
The Hellenistic Jews didn't want to
be saved and turned against him.
It's difficult to help someone
who doesn't want to be helped. You
may stop your friend from
shoplifting, but you might also end
up losing your best friend. It is also
very hard to be the only person
standing up to a group of friends.
People will call you "weird" and
won't want to be seen with you.
Judah Maccabee's bravery
showed most in this situation. He
accepted the difficult task of helping
those who didn't want his help. He
risked being hated by a large
number of fellow Jews. Judah
Maccabee was a great warrior on
the battlefield. Yet it was much
tougher for him to fight the battle
against his fellow Jews which could
not be won with weapons. Judah
Maccabee fought with his beliefs. In
so doing, he left himself personally
open to ridicule by his fellow Jews.
In the end, Judah Maccabee
succeeded in doing away with
blatant Hellenism and reestablishing
Jewish culture in Jerusalem.
Judah Maccabee has always
been admired as a great warrior.
Today, when many of us face the
same problems of assimilation that
he faced, we can also admire him
for being able to stand up to
assimilation and group pressure.
Judah Maccabee was proud of his
Judaism. Not only did he keep it
alive against great odds, he also
helped Judaism to thrive. When we
celebrate Chanukah, the holiday
created by Judah Maccabee, we not
only remember a victory over Greek
rulers. Chanukah also reminds us
that no matter how tough the
situation, we, too, have the power to
stand up for what we feel is right,
even if sometimes, we stand alone
against our friends.
Reprinted from Shofar magazine,
December, 1985.
i ts
Her
oes Don't All Come On Horseback
By MARY KORETZ
Someday, there will be no
statutes of heroes, sitting astride
ferd, with a biks or sword in their
hands. Someday there will be
statues of people, who are senstitive
and provide comfort to those in
nayt. Someday, people will be
recognized for having the power to
be kind.
Captain Roland said that he
was bahld 100 years alt. We didn't
gloyb it. He was hoych, slim,
straight as an arrow; a retired armay
officer. Yeder week, he would come
into my parent's hand vesherie to
bring a parcel and retrieve one.
He would make some
bamerkung about the weather or
inquire as to my parents' gezunt.
Kayn mol more than that. He never
hot geret to me or to my two yunger
bahld
nearly
sisters. I felt that he never noticed
alt
old
us.
gloyb
believe
Although we lived with our
hoych
tall
parents, in a tsimer behind the
armay
army
krom, we made ourselves as
yeder
each
inconspicuous as miglech. It
vesherei
laundry
embarrassed my eltern to have
bamerkung
remark
customers tsu bamerkn that three
gezunt
health
young children hobn gelebt on the
kayn mol
never
premises.
hot geret
spoke
On one occasion, when Captain
yunger
younger
Roland hot gekumen in the store,
tsimer
room
he held out his hant to me. In it he
krom
store
had a book and I hob farshtanen
miglech
possible
that he meant it was to be a matone
for me. I was too astonished to
badanken him.
Anyway, I wasn't accustomed to
bakumen gifts and didn't know the
appropriate opfir. I was further
farvundert by the fact that no
Compiled By JUDY SILBERG LOEBL
conditions were attached to the
BIOGRAPHIES
giving. There was no "be forzichtik,
Vocabulary
eltern
parents
tsu bamerkn
to be aware
hobn gelebt
lived
hot gekumen
came
hant
hand
hob farshtanen
understood
matone
gift
badanken
thank
bakumen
receiving
opfir
response
farvundert
surprised
forzichtik
careful
shmutsik
dirty
hot nit areingebracht.did not bring in
geentfert
answered
tseitung
newspaper
hot geshtorbn
died
techter
daughter
kinstler
artist
bild
picture
sach
many
oyf
upon
held
hero
hot gegebn
gave
elent
lonely
ferd
horses
biks
gun
nayt
need
Jewish Heroes And Heroines
Someday there will be
statues of people who
provide comfort to those
in nayt.
don't tear it, and don't get it
shmutsik." It was given freely and
with good will.
A time came when Captain
Roland hot nit areingebracht his
laundry. We wondered about his
absence. Our curiosity was
geentfert, in a full-page article, in
the rotogravure section of the now-
defunct tseitung, the Detroit Times.
Captain Roland hot geshtorbn.
It was reported that, at the time of
his death, he was almost 100-years-
old. His two techter were writing a
book about his life. A newspaper
kinstler had sketched a bild of him
as a 12-year-old when he witnessed
the charge of the Light Brigade.
There must have been sach
people, in his long army career, who
looked oyf him as a held. To me he
is a hero because he hot gegebn a
elent child the companionship of a
book.
There are many biographies on famous Jewish heroes and heroines. Here is just a sampling of titles for all
ages.
Queen Esther by Tomie dePaola. Popular author dePaola has written and illustrated a book for young
children on Queen Esther and the story of Purim. Ages 3-6.
David and the Giant by Emily Little. Part of the "Step into Reading" series for beginning readers retells
the story of David and his courage to fight the giant Goliath. Ages 5-7.
Henrietta Szold: Israel's Helping Hand by Shulamit E. Kustanowitz. A leader who fought to improve the
lives of the Jewish people. Ages 8-12.
Anne Frank by Laura Tyler. Part of a series called "What Made Them Great" this new book on Anne Frank
explores the crucial events that shaped the lives of the seven people who had lived in an attic for two years
in Nazi-occupied Holland. Ages 9-13.
Hank Greenberg: Hall-Of-Fame Slugger by Ira Berkow. The powerful home-run hitter who became the first
Jewish player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ages 10-14.
Hannah Szenes — A Song of Light by Maxine Schur. The remarkable story of a young Jewish woman
whose mission was to help rescue European Jews during World War II. Ages 11-14.
Judas Maccabeus by E.H. Fortier. The biography of a man, believing in religious and political freedom,
who led his outnumbered rebel army to victory over the Greek Empire. Ages 12-15.
Our Man in Damascus: Eli Cohn by Eli Ben-Hanan. The dramatic story of an Israeli master spy who
infiltrated the top Syrian leadership and was able to transmit important information back to Israel. Ages 13
and up.
COLLECTIONS
Bible Heroes I Can Be by Anne Eisenberg. Introduces Biblical figures and shows how their
accomplishments can be copied today. Ages 3-5.
The Jewish Athletes' Hall of Fame by Buddy Robert S. Silverman. A Who's Who of Jewish Athletes.
Readers will enjoy the candid interviews, humorous anecdotes, and photos. Ages 10-adult.
Jewish Heroes of America by Seymour Brody. One hundred and one true stories of American Jewish
heroism including the lives of pioneers, war heroes, religious leaders, labor and social justice activists,
scientists, astronauts and many other people that helped make America great. Ages 13 and up.
Munbaz II and Other Mitzvah Heroes by Danny Siegel. Modern day heroes and how you can be a mitzvah
hero.
The Jews' Secret Fleet by Joseph M. Hochstein. The untold story of North American volunteers who
smashed the British blockade. Ages 14 and up.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
L-7