COMMUNITY V WS

Grandpa's Gift

grandfather's habitual greeting rang
S fitting inside my dresser is a
out.
pair of tefillin (phylacteries).
"The usual," I replied, in a hurry to
They're in a simple bag, vel-
get to the mandel bread, get the tefill-
vety blue with faded gray
in and get home.
embroidery. Open the bag and you
"Still getting all A's?" he inquired.
will see black wooden boxes, faded sil-
"Yup," I answered.
ver coverings and winding leather
The next 1,5 minutes I spent in
straps. Inside the boxes, you would
their condo proceeded just
find prayers — messages
as I had expected. Grandma
from our ancestors instruct-
had the tefillin ready for me,
ing us on how to worship.
next to a plate of grapes and
How did a Conservative Jew-
cookies. I ate, we kibitzed
ish boy, only 18 years old,
and I went home.
come to possess a pair of
Going to New York was
aged tefillin? Allow me
fun, and I learned how to
explain.
put on tefillin. We prayed
Two years ago, I was
each morning before break-
preparing for a trip with my
fast, and each day I thought
synagogue to New York. As I DAN FREEMAN
about my grandpa. Upon
read down the list, I noticed
Special to
returning home, I thanked
that I needed a pair of tefill-
the Jewish News him for letting me use his
in.
tefillin. He replied that any
"Mom! Where am I
time I needed them, I could
gonna find a pair of tefillin
use them. He also said that I
by tomorrow?" I cried, expecting some
should come over and talk to him
form of solution, because mothers
more often. I told him I would if I
always seem to have one.
had more time, secretly knowing that
"I think your grandpa has a pair,"
I never make the time. It was a deci-
she said. "Why don't you call and see
sion that I regret to this day.
if you can borrow them?"
Six months later, I prepared to go
Although I was pressed for time, I
to Israel. Again, I would need tefillin,
was excited to run over to my grand-
and again I asked my grandfather for
parents' house. Mandelbread, fresh
his. The ritual was repeated; I went
grapes and a glass of milk (for a grow-
over to my grandparents' condomini-
ing boy) were sure to be received upon
um, ate, kibitzed a bit, grabbed the
arrival.
tefillin, and rushed home to finish
I drove over and rang the doorbell.
packing.
"What's the good word?" My

Embracing My Jewishness

Dan Freeman, affiliated with Congre-
gation Shaarey Zedek, won first prize
for literature for this essay about Jewish
continuity in AZA regional competition.
Dan is the son of Evelyn and Fred Free-
man of Farmington Hills. He is Michi-
gan's first Presidential Scholar from
North Farmington High School, from
where he just graduated. He will attend
Yale University in the fall.

Israel was incredible. Each morning,
we woke up and prayed. The tefillin
went with me from the Western Wall
to the Negev. Slowly, I became com-
fortable with the feeling of wearing
tefillin. The leather straps stopped
being constricting in my mind.
Instead, they embraced me. I returned
home with a renewed sense of Jewish
purpose. I had connected with my

ever, one event stands
people and lived and
out crystal clear
explored traditions
among the rest. When
that had existed for
I was getting my tallit
millennia.
(prayer shawl) out of
When I returned
my dresser before ser-
home, I went over to
vices, I looked in and
my grandparents'
saw the tefillin bag. I
house to return the
thought back to the
tefillin and show
evening when I
them pictures. This
received it. Why had
time, however, my
my grandfather insist-
grandpa told me to
ed that I take it from
keep the tefillin. I
him? Why had he
asked him why, and
commented on the
he simply responded
importance of a Jew-
that it was a gift. I
ish home? Suddenly I
accepted it, bewil-
understood.
dered, and proceeded
My grandfather was
to show them pictures
a Holocaust survivor.
of Israel. My grandpa
He met my grandma
reminisced about his
in a displaced persons'
own trip to Israel, the
camp and together
first thing that my
they found their way
grandparents did after
to America. One of
grandpa retired. He
the first things that he
told me how impor-
bought upon reaching
tant it was that the
America was what he
Jewish people had a
needed to pray: tefill-
home of their own.
in.
He got a sad look in
Dan Freeman an d his grandfa-
To him, they were a
his eyes, and soon
ther, Jacob Wecke r, in 1997.
union of the past and
thereafter, I left.
the future. They were a
When I got home,
symbol
of
Jewish
continuity. What he
I told my mom that Grandpa had
had been robbed of in the past — a
given me the tefillin. She told me that
home, a family and the traditions of his
she had known he was going to die
people — could be restarted in a new
soon. I asked her why and she told me
country. By passing on the tefillin, my
that it was because he could no longer
grandfather had passed the torch on to
wrap the tefillin himself; old age had
me. The traditions of our people, the
robbed him of such fine motor skills.
love that our family has held, it is all
It was not until later that I realized the
contained within those small black
significance of this transfer.
wooden boxes. They are in my hands
now
Family Continuity
I will wear them with pride and
On April 16, 1999, Jacob Wecker, my
pass them on to my grandson, just as
grandfather, died. The next week was
my grandfather did for me. Some
difficult. I had lost both of my grand-
things are more valuable than the
fathers in a five-month span, and the
price men can put on them. My tefill-
shock was terrible. The funeral and
shiva exist in my mind as a blur. How- in are one of them. ❑

LETTERS

Adoption Story
Enlightening

Your May 26th issue deserves accolades.
Many outstanding and meaty articles
were there, especially the one on adop-
tion ("Faces Of Change," page 6).
Having encountered relatives and
friends who have adopted children, I
was provided by the article with a vast

6/16

2000

32

amount of information that was
enlightening, provocative, encompass-
ing and very well-written.
I also enjoyed the critic's review of
Saul Bellow's new book ("Between
Friends," page 88).
All of the above provided stimulat-
ing talk among friends during the hol-
iday weekend. Four stars for this issue.
Lee Hoffman
Bloomfield Hills

Ida Nathan Led
Installation

Thank you for the article and picture
covering the installation of the officers
of Brandeis University National
Women's Committee/Greater Detroit
Chapter ("Brandeis Elects New Offi-
cers," June 2, page 44).
I would like to correct one thing.

Ida Nathan performed the installation,
which was unique and unusual. She
gave a brief description of a successful
Jewish actress or entertainer and her
strengths before each officer was
installed. It was the highlight of the
afternoon's program.

Nora Peisner
Huntington Woods

