This Week

For Openers

Faith And Reward

SS AVM 'dm
Don't Know .2002

number. But Reb Chaim was still
abbi Chaim Daskal's
upset. What would he do without
faith in human nature
all
his personal and business names
has been validated. The
BY
and
numbers?
rabbi, known in
He fell back on his chasidic
Southfield as "Reb Chaim," sought
ing when he went to the Maariv
the help of a higher power when he
here are English words with
service to pray. "I implored Hashem
needed to recover his stolen cell
joyful
meanings that
to help," he said.
phone.
emanate from Hebrew. Can
Early
the
next
morning,
after
a
fit-
Now, the self-described "contem-
you name them?
ful night, Reb Chaim said the new
porary Chasid, spiritual teacher, life
phone
rang.
coach and business strategist" must
•pop as1eld
"A kid named Ryan was on the
decide how to reward the
Xiin• Xoc oa p!us sip:Tom MOJCIDH 0/1A1
•
other end, trying to call
young man who came
LUO.TJ sT LreinpiteR , ..!DAE.Id jo uopetu
the guy who stole the
forward to return the
-sup InAc alp ctqvulv tuo.9 s! „uaurv„
phone. He was slightly
phone containing the
'IEDA tpoc Dip jo uo!aulciapo InjAo(
panicked," Reb Chaim
:Jamstry
rabbi's all-important con-
alp 'lima- Luau s!
said. "He thought I'd
tact names and phone
think he was the thief. I
numbers.
made it clear that all I
Reb Chaim's saga began
wanted was my phone
while he was visiting his
"I couldn't have imagined this in my
back and begged him to
mother in Brooklyn.
dreams. For months, I have not been
convince the person who
Having grown up in New
able to pay my rent at my store, but
stole
it
to
give
it
to
him
York, he really should
from today alone I can pay and survive,
so he could get it to me.
have known to remove all
Ryan asked if there was
thanks to these angels."
valuables from his car,
— Yuval Boteach of the store Jewels of
a reward. "I said, 'Of
but his years in the
Rabbi Chaim Daskal
Jerusalem, on the response he and brother
course!' "
Midwest had dulled his
Joey have received for their sale of jewelry
Soon, incessant ringing
street-smart survival
and gifts at-Congregation Kehilath
brought Reb Chaim to
skills. Thus, he left his
Jeshurun on Manhattan's Upper East Side,
the door, where Ryan
cell phone right out on the front
as quoted in the New York Jewish Week
stood with his phone. Relieved, the
seat.
newspaper.
rabbi happily took it from the
By the time he realized what he'd
young man and asked for informa-
done, all that remained on the seat
"We cannot stand idly by while our
tion so he could properly reward
was a white cigarette lighter dropped
brothers and sisters, parents and chil-
him.
by the thief.
dren, live in fear that racism, bigotry,
But, Reb Chaim said, he isn't sure
"I tried calling my phone, hoping
homophobia, misogyny and xenopho-
what might be the best reward. He's
someone would answer, but nobody
bia continue to go unchecked. We can-
asking all who read this to respond
did," Reb Chaim said, reliving his
not stand idly by while hate crimes
with suggestions:
original panic. "My whole life was
destroy the sense of community that we
And the rabbi made sure to copy
programmed into the numbers on
and so many others have worked so
all his information from the phone,
that phone; I had never copied them
hard
to build."
just in case.
any place else."
— Rabbi David Saperstein, director of
Send
reward-suggestions
to
Before filing a police report, he
the Religious Action Center of Reform
rebchaim@rebchaim.com
headed directly for his phone dealer,
Judaism at an ecumenical press conference
Ruth
Gesmer
Silverman,
a
special
—
Midwood Mobile on Coney Island

R

Goldfein

T

notables

❑

Avenue. They fixed him up with a
loaner that had the same incoming

writer from Buffalo Grove, Ill.

THE BEST OF GRAPEJEWZ

in Washington, urging Congress to take
action on an anti-bias bill, the Local Law
Enforcement Enhancement Act, as quoted
by the Jewish• Telegraphic Agency.

By Mendel

WELL, PO .YOU FULLY VitJPERSTAM2 BUT HOW CAN

THE TORAH?

ARE 90U KiPPING,HOAJE4
NOT EVEN CLOSE!

.C)() POSSIBL
LOVE' SOMETHING THAT BOU
CAN BARGL..
.you ME-AN LIKO

COMPREHEND? gouR MOTHER

EXCUSE ME?

?

) JN Digest

Selected news and feature stories
from the Detroit Jewish News.
www.detroitjewishnews.com/news

) Eight Over 80

.

Jewish Apartments and Services

inducts eight still-active octogenarians
into its Senior Adult Hall of Fame.
www.detroitjewishnews.com/news

) What's Eating
Harry Kirsbaum?

It's everyone's fault: You don't have to
look too far to find blame for Sept.
11
www.detroitjewishnews.com/opinion

) Mideast Update

The latest news about the crisis in the
Middle East.
www.jewish.com

Yiddish Limericks

A grocery bagger named Les
Would crush things he packed, and
the mess
Caused all much dismay.
Azay vert, you might say,
Dos kichel tsebrochen*; I guess.

— Martha Jo Fleischmann

* That's how the cookie crumbles

5/24
2002

11

