vt,t,ci 0# Still Remembering A Special Ritual
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By MARY KORETZ
Ayder the advent of radio,
television, and other consumers of
tseit, holidays took on a special
vichtikeit. These events created
farshaydine rituals, some which we
kenen as traditional and others
which are non-traditional.
My mishpoche went with the
non-traditional. A repeated pattern
was followed in the holiday
celebration velcher came to be
derkent as our ritual.
It started with a vane. Not an
ordinary Freitog night soaking, but
an ambitious attack on possible
shmuts lurking behind ears, tsvishm
toes and even nostrils. While the
process iz geven often unpleasant,
the afterglow was exhilarating.
Then we were baklayt in unzer
best garment rather than the other
one. Occasionally, neie clothes were
eingekoyft in honor of the holiday.
Upon completing our dress we
zeinen geven transformed into a
fine looking lot, stylish, and upper
class, or azoy we thought.
We gathered at my Feter
Motel's and Tante Kayle's home.
Their three kinder, as well as their
household effects, had also been
scrubbed behind the oyerin. The
tish was bedecked with a white
linen t'shtach, the good china made
one of its infrequent appearances;
the matching glezer and zilbervarg
were used.
We hobn bagrist each other
joyfully punkt vie we had been
parted for a long period of time and
by a sach miles. Actually, they lived
in the flat above ours and hobn
gezen each other daily.
The grandeur of yeder ayners
appearance coupled with the
anticipation of the moltseit to come,
excited unds. We experienced a
form of fraylich hysteria. We
repeated alte stories and reacted as
though we were herin them for the
first time. My father refrained from
arguing politics for the entire ovent.
My mother's teines were couched in
a humorous fashion.
The meal was altsding we had
envisioned. The fish was kalt, the
horseradish hays, the soup fat, the
hindl, flaysh and kartofIn had been
roasted since the beginning of
recorded time. Lekach accompanied
the compote. The dervaksene drank
wine; the children, grape juice.
When the night wore on and we
wore out, we made our farewells
and the short reize to our home.
The laughter and the warmth still
live as a remembered joy, our
special ritual.
Vocabulary
ayder
tseit
vichtikeit
farshaydine
kenen
before
time
importance
various
know
mishpoche
velcher
derkent
vane
Freitog
shmuts
tsvishm
iz geven
baklayt
unzer
neie
eingekoyft
zeinen geven
azoy
feter
tante
kinder
oyerin
tish
t'shtach
glezer
zilbervarg
hobn bagrist
punkt vie
family
which
recognized
bath
Friday
dirt
between
was
clothed
our
new
purchased
were
so
uncle
aunt
children
ears
table
tablecloth
glasses
silverware
greeted
as though
a sach
hobn gezen
yeder ayners
moltzeit
unds
fraylich
alte
herin
ovent
teines
altsding
kalt
hays
hindl
flaysh
kartofln
lekach
dervaksene
reize
many
saw
everybody's
meal
us
happy
old
hearing
evening
complaints
everything
cold
hot
chicken
meat
potatoes
honey cake
adults
journey
Mary Koretz of Oak Park has taught
both children's and adult classes in
Yiddish at the Workmen's Circle.
"How To" Books For
The High Holy Days
Compiled by JUDY SILBERG LOEBL, Educational Consultant
The Resource Center, Agency for Jewish Education
Rosh Hashanah with Bina, Benny and Chaggai Hayonah by Yaffa
Ganz. Learn about the High Holy Days in a warm and witty way as you
follow Bina, Benny and Chaggai through a holiday adventure. Ages 4-9.
Days of Awe: Stories for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Eric
Kimmel. A collection of three stories about charity, prayer, and
repentance for the High Holy Days. Ages 8-12.
Sound the Shofar: the Story and Meaning of Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur by Miriam Chalkin. Discusses the origin and development of
So they became angry at God.
They demanded that God let them
out of the Garden of Eden so they
could take care of the tomato plant.
God said to them, "You can leave,
but you can't come back."
Well, Adam and Eve got up and
They demanded that God
let them out of the
Garden of Eden so they
could take care of the
tomato plant. God said to
them, "You can leave, but
you can't come back."
walked right out of the garden and
right over to the little tomato plant
that had drooped over and turned
brown. Inside the garden nothing
needed help, and even though
outside the garden everything
needed help, they were not sorry
that they could not return.
Adam picked up the tiny green
tomato and Eve planted it in the
brown dust. For many days they
watered the ground, kept the weeds
away, and waited.
Then it happened! A green
shoot poked up through the dusty
ground, and in a few days it
became . . . a tomato plant! Full and
green with many big red tomatoes
on each stem!
In the days that followed, when
the man and the woman looked at
the strong new tomato plant, they
would also think of the scraggly
little plant they had once peeked at
through the crack in the wall. It was
a funny feeling. They were happy
and sad at the very same time.
Reprinted from, "Does God Have A
Big Toe?" Harper & Row, 1989.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and the ways we celebrate them
around the world today. Ages 10-15.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Sweet Beginnings by Malka
Drucker. The history and traditions of the holiday plus games, recipes,
puzzles and crafts. Ages 10-15.
The Jewish Catalog (Volume 1) by Richard Siegel, Michael
Strassfeld and Sharon Strassfeld. Filled with useful information on the
holidays, rituals, customs, and traditions, this catalog along, with
Volumes 2 & 3, are excellent, quick reference books recommended for
every Jewish home library.
For Parents and Children Together
Building Jewish Life: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and Building
Jewish Life: Sukkot and Simhat Torah by Joel Lurie Grishaver. Torah
Aura Productions. These two oversized paperback books are a part of a
series for families on the holidays. Each book describes the holiday
through simple words and photographs and explains the history, customs
and traditions. Included are projects to make the day special for families.
Ages 5-8 and their parents.
Together: A Child-Parent Kit. Issue One: Happy New Year by Melton
Research Center. A series in magazine format for parents and children
on Jewish themes. Each issue has a background essay for adults on the
topic and a paragraph written just for children followed by an activity.
Issue one is on the first month of the Jewish year with projects for Rosh
Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simhat Torah. Ages 5-9 and their
parents.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
L-7