Personal
Reflections

As 5757 draws to a close, we look at what we
accomplished and what remains to be done.

o, it's the year 5758. So, how
did 5757 go? Did you tell
our friends and relatives that
you were sorry? Did you lose
that weight, get the promotion,
improve your report card? Reporters
Julie Wiener, Lonnie Goldsmith and
Lynne Cohn asked community mem-
bers how they saw their year.

Sy

Ian Gross:
"This year what I
want to accom-
plish is fighting
less with my sister,
which occurs a
lot. Last year I
tried to do the
same thing, but
unfortunately it
didn't work out as well."

David Feldman:
"Last year I wasn't
a bar mitzvah.
Now that I'm bar
mitzvah, I have to
do these mitzvot
because I'm com-
mitted to do
them. I'm looking
forward to doing
these mitzvot and taking on my par-
ents' obligations."

Dena Roth:
"This year I just
want to learn
from my mistakes
so that when I say
sorry to someone
before Rosh
Hashanah, I won't
do [whatever I'm
apologizing for]
again. I did the best I could last year.
This year I'll probably do a better job,
next year more. I'll get better at this
saying sorry thing."

Moira Kessler:
"Every other year after I've said I was
sorry, I always expected the changes to
occur within myself, but nothing real-

ly happened. For
a couple of days
I'd be nicer to
everyone, I
wouldn't fight
with my sister
and things like
that, but then
after that I lost
touch. I didn't
realize that I'm the one that has to
make changes. I'm responsible for
what I do and can't expect God to
change me and make me be a better
person, because I'm in charge of that."

Lindsey
Schostak:
"Last year I was
not a bat mitz-
vah yet. Now I
realize that I
have more of a
commitment. I
understand
more this year.
Last year I said
[sorry] but I didn't really mean it. But
I know that this year I have to mean
it, and I will mean it when I'm saying
sorry to my sister, parents and
friends."

Elliot Darvick:
"This year I've
changed a lot.
Until now I
thought that
Yom Kippur
and Rosh
Hashanah were
about forgiving
people and ask-
ing for forgive-
ness, but I was missing the aspect of
truly changing yourself after forgiving.
I set goals for myself last year and I
sort of- forgot them so I don't know if
they went well or not. But this year
I've already set goals fbr myself: when
I get assigned something I'm not just
going to wait until carpool to do it.
The minute I get something for my
binder I'll organize it immediately."

Beth Horwitz:
"This year I'm
trying to avoid
blowing up at my
classmates. That
was last year's goal
too, and I'm hop-
ing it works this
year. I'm hoping I
actually grow."

Dr. Eric Baron:
"Last year I want-
ed to be more
generous to my
employees, and I
raised their
salaries. Next year
I hope to be more
involved in chari-

Jay Rosett:
"Last year I
wanted to solidi-
fy my goals on
life, personally
and professional-
ly. I did: got
married Sept.
13, and profes-
sionally, it's a
struggle every day, but if you ever
believe, you accomplished your profes-
sional goals, then you're in trouble,
nothing to shoot for. Next year, I want
to be a good husband and concentrate
more on family."

Bob Weine:
"Last year I
resolved to not
worry as much,
and I succeeded.
Next year, I'll try
to take people's
feelings a lot
more into con-
sideration since it has affected some of
my relationships in the past."

Renee Phillips:
"Last year I
wanted to find
the secret of
happiness. I
did. I married a
wonderful man
and we're
expecting a
baby in
January. Next
year, I will try to be a good parent and
wife."

Gayle Elias:
"Last year, we
just wanted have
a healthy baby,
and we did. Next
year, I hope to
exercise more
and read more
books."

Steve Cohen:
"Two years ago, I
vowed to play
and beat Mark
Levine in tennis.
I didn't, because
he moved to
Indiana. Next
year, I want to
finally build a deck on our new house,
which I've been saying I'm going to
do."

Nina Bechek:
"I didn't get
everything
done that I'd
have liked this
year. I wanted
to travel but
didn't get to
it."

Laurie and Emil Raab:
"Last year we wanted to go to Israel.
We did, in May. Now, we're expecting
a baby. Next year we hope we can give
our child a firm Jewish upbringing."

Ann Adelman:
"Wanted to go to
shul a lot more
this year and I
have been."

PERSONAL on page 50

10/3
1997

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