LDITORS NOTEBOOK
kathryn scott
MIRRORS from page 29
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- She looks at the mirror again. She
likes who she sees there. That makes
me happy.
We've all sat in that stylist's chair
before, both actually and figuratively.
The person in the mirror has stared
back. Sometimes we look back confi-
dently at ourselves, straight in the eye.
Other times, we're not so sure, and we
'.-.1st a gaze askance.
It's hard to look at ourselves. In
those straight glances comes the truth.
We are the one person from whom it
is difficult to hide that truth.
As a Jewish people, we now are
looking into that mirror as well.
There's so much we see that we like.
Jewish education is something that
brings pride. We can look ahead in the
C:nirror at that. Yet, our assimilation,
our continuing loss of Jewish culture,
that's something we'll have trouble
with during a glance in the mirror.
It is the difficult issues, though,
that require the hardest look. Our
world Jewry faces a fact now. It is not
really together. How Orthodox,
Conservative, Reform, Humanistic
and other Jewish groups learn to co-
respect and validation is a
cist
challenge that is already shaking what
unity there is.
Whatever we call ourselves, there is
a foundation, there is another mirror.
That's our Torah. It is the reflection of
the Jewish people, and it is as valid
now as it was in biblical times.
All we have to do is make a deci-
sion. Do we look at it askance, or do
we look the Torah straight in the eye?
But the Torah has to be relatable
not just to people who call themselves
observant. Our Jewish educational
organizations have to be assisted in
their goals of outreach and instruc-
tion. More money, more support,
more volunteerism are needed.
I see it in a group I visit each
Tuesday night at the Yeshiva Beth
`'ThYrehudah. It's called Partners In Torah.
It is an opportunity for people who
aren't necessarily accustomed to learn-
ing, to meet with a mentor one on
one. The growth has been astounding.
But there are other groups as well —
Aish HaTorah, Ohr Samayach, the
Agency for Jewish Education and so
many others, such as your temple,
your synagogue, your mother, your
father, your children. We can teach
each other.
Back to the mirror.
Take it seriously. And learn that
mirrors aren't just at the barber shop.
They are all around us.
This newspaper is a mirror.
You are a mirror. Look at the people
around you. They are a reflection of
your body, your soul. It's a whirlwind. It
moves with you wherever you go.
Just take .a moment for an honest
look every once in a while. Sometimes
you'll find a place inside you haven't
visited in a while.
Like a tug on the hair, it hurts, and
you'll grimace.
But that's okay. ❑
COMMUNITY
VIEWS
PARENT from page 29
kathryn scott
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move, didn't pan out and she took a
series of short-term positions. My
brother, sisters and I wrestled with a
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Following my mother's example,
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helpful. The woman who owned the
local grocery store was very patient as
we all stumbled through our early
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We lived over a patisserie at 1296
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yard. Each morning, we would open
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call up the memory of it.
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She struggled to
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Today, my mother lives and works
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ly. One of her doubles partners is an
actor on the London stage. When he
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The last time I saw my mother, I
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31