EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
Riptide Of Emotions
I
becomes daunting but is ultimately repelled.
t was 9:40 a.m. last Shabbat, Feb. 1. Rabbi Michael
"I know Rabbi Mike really well," Efrusy said. "I'm always
Moskowitz was hosting a Maat Shabbat, a "Little
surprised
how he and other rabbis deal with the constant
Shabbat," for 4- to 7-year-olds at Temple Shir
pressure
of
highs and lows — how they put themselves in
Shalom in West Bloomfield.
the background to deal with the situation at hand."
Fourteen kids were in the sanctuary, some with parents
At the Shabbat service, the congregation joined the entire
and others with grandparents. The program included pup-
community in spontaneously marking a moment of silence
pets, crafts, stories, music and prayer— and coming togeth-.
for the astronauts who died and for their grieving families.
er on the bimah.
On Sunday morning, Rabbi Mike helped 150 fourth-
In the shadows of the ark, Rabbi Mike — to use the name
through
sixth-graders understand the loss of seven astronauts
his congregants use — saw the distressed look on the face of
in
the
prime
of their lives — including Israel's shining star,
his father, Carl, visiting from St. Louis.
Col. Ramon. Previously, the rabbi and his students had
In the midst of the joy of Shabbat and
kvelled about how good it was to have a sabra, a native
surrounded by happy children, Rabbi Mike
Israeli,
on board the Columbia as a payload specialist.
learned from his father that the space shut-
"This
was the first time many knew the name of an astro-
tle Columbia had broken apart in flames on
naut,"
Rabbi
Mike said. "Now he was suddenly gone."
descent after a successful 16-day voyage of
Rabbi
Mike
and the students talked about the miracle of
scientific research. NASA feared all seven
space
flights
—
and how we tend to take them for granted,
astronauts, including Israeli Air Force Col.
even while they're happening. They also talked about how
Ilan Ramon, had died in the disintegrating
fragile such flights are, and how deadly they can be.
spacecraft 39 miles above eastern Texas.
They spoke proudly about Col. Ramon, whose mother
ROBERT A.
"At that instant, my heart sank," Rabbi
survived
Auschwitz and whose German refugee father had
SKLAR
Mike told me Monday. "It was all I could
fought
for
Israel's independence. The colonel was a decorat-
Editor
think about. It wiped me out on a number
ed
warrior
who died as a messenger of peace working, as his
of levels."
wife Rona said, "for a better world."
"I was torn," he added. "I did not want to share
the weight of the burden I was feeling with the
A Bright Light
kids. I wanted to stay in the Shabbat moment
with them. It was my priority. That is what I was
Col. Ramon, 48, had been a fighter pilot for
needed for."
Israel in two wars, in 1973 and 1982. In 1981, he
Sorrow filled, he took a deep breath and then
took part in an air strike on an Iraqi nuclear reac-
said to the kids, "Let's talk about the Torah por-
tor. He became a colonel in 1994. In 1998, he
tion and sing some songs."
was tapped for astronaut training in the U.S.
Roller-coaster emotions drained him, but he
The father of four wasn't deeply observant, but
knew he had to withstand the winds of pain and
he wore his Judaism on his sleeve, arranging
grief swirling within. He knew his heart needed to
Rabbi Moskowitz through NASA to keep kosher in space and
be with the kids, not with the demons of anguish
observe Shabbat in some way so all Jews could
lurking about.
feel represented and united in spirit.
Rabbi Mike, part of the Shir Shalom family for
He was an inspirational example in a nation reeling eco-
eight years, is one of the most decent people I know. He
nomically and emotionally from 28 months of terror
cares deeply about others and considers it a blessing to share
wreaked by Palestinian militants. The violence has claimed
in their life experiences. He knows the impact he can have.
at least 729 Israeli and foreign lives. The shuttle disaster
"I looked at the kids going up to the ark on Shabbat
spurred glee among those Arabs driven to destroy Israel
morning and saw smiles and excitement," he said. "The
and rebuke Ani -erica.
experience was awesome for them and also for me. Their
Col. Ramon's role on the Columbia's 28th flight, as well
love for Shabbat invigorated me."
as the flag of Israel he wore on his uniform and the Torah
The rabbi's daughter, Ellie, 4, was among the group. "I
scroll from a 13-year-old boy at the Bergen-Belsen death
remember thinking I had to get through the program some
camp that he carried aboard, resonated for all who love
way," he said. "I realized that in their innocence, there is
the Jewish state.
hope."
Rabbi Lee Buckman of the Jewish Academy of
Buoyed by the space heroes who paid the supreme price in
Metropolitan Detroit is right: Rising above his parents'
reaching for the stars, Rabbi Mike summoned the strength
great hardship, "Col. Ramon is testimony to the miracu-
to continue Jewish learning for his young congregants.
lous resiliency of the Jewish people."
As American Jews, let us take pride in all seven space
Keeping Cool
explorers. Together, they were a melting pot of cultures
As Maat Shabbat was ending, Rabbi Mike alerted parent
and, as President George W. Bush put it, "had a high and
Craig Efrusy about the shuttle calamity. The Livonia resident
noble purpose in life."
was impressed with the rabbi's demeanor and sense of
There's irony in hardly anyone knowing the astronauts'
responsibility.
names until the shuttle breakup. We legitimately wonder
"As he headed upstairs to an adult Torah study," Efrusy
if journeying beyond Earth is worth the risk and cost.
said, "I noticed that he stopped to talk to people arriving for
Robots clearly could do many of the experiments. NASA
the morning service and the bat mitzvah. He was shaken but
is haunted by charges of ignoring pre-flight concern.
greeted everyone with a smile. It certainly had to be tough
Still, there's something uplifting about nurturing
for him."
dreams, conquering frontiers, inspiring humanity and ral-
The defining moment for a rabbi is when his or her emo-
lying the civilized world around human space flight.
tional vigor is taxed to the limit — when a distraction
Astronaut safety, however, must always be foremost.
❑
Honor family and
friends on your
special occasion
with a gift
to JARC
A loving way to
celebrate a simcha
A meaningful way
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• Present each guest
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• Or your own idea—
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JARC Does It With Heart
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2/ 7
2003
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