T is Week
For Openers
A Surge In Togetherness
oy, I could take another night of
this," said my neighbor David
Berman, 49, referring to the
power outage that crippled the
northeastern United States last week. "The
best thing to do is just sit back and relax."
Taking his own advice, he was stretching
KERI
his legs in a lawn chair on his driveway last
GUTEN
Friday night. He'd taken off his shirt,
COHEN
plugged in his Walkman and was nursing a
Story
cold drink. He was savoring another night of
Development sleeping outside in the backyard hammock.
Editor
Surrounding subdivisions had had power
restored earlier, but ours on the edge of West
Bloomfield was treated to one more night of
I darkness. The electricity flowed once again mid-morning
1 Saturday.
But Friday night was a time for reflection, as he gathered
my daughters in for some philosophizing.
"This is how it was before stores were open on Sundays,"
he told these two children of technology, weaned on televi-
sion and computers. "Sundays were family days. People gath-
ered together, spent time together. It was great. ,,
Indeed, the power outage prompted such togetherness. In
many areas, neighbors renewed friendships with neighbors
they barely see because of hectic schedules. Forced to slow
down and disconnect
from computers and
ter r ip
cable TV, people took
1 walks, pulled weeds,
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„
.- . 6, toxit,
shared vegetables
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.
4,,,‘'
from gardens. Kids
,
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wv -,
dusted off bikes and
'" Z: ')- f •-;
43
L's
strapped on helmets
to race around neigh-
- ":'
1_
: borhoods.
/5
1 Impromptu barbecues
. .,. . .
\ 1 1 1, k.
,
sprang up, drawing
k ■?
families together to
pool resources from
warming refrigerators
and freezers.
-I) • -,
...."
My back-door neighbors, Shelly and Al Klegon, invited us
over for a game of euchre by candlelight. The kids played
Monopoly by battery-powered lantern. It was good, old-fash-
ioned fun.
And on Friday night, during this slowed, comfortable pace
caused by the outage, many Jews — some who hardly ever
mark Shabbat — took time to say blessings and light Shabbat
candles, adding them to the ones already burning to give
light.
"This kind of lovely atmosphere is what the Orthodox have
every Shabbat," said neighbor Susie Berman, implying it's
what we all could have, too, if we made time to slow down
rather than being forced to do it.
The power outage also promoted bonding. On the
Strathdale Court cul-de-sac in West Bloomfield, several Jewish
families gathered during the blackout, according to Carla
Schwartz, cul-de-sac resident and editor of Style magazine.
Neighbors Jennifer and Mark LoPatin emerged as social direc-
tors, urging all to bring their perishables to their home for a
barbecue last Thursday night.
Once the word was out, here came the Berrises, the
Wapners, the Smolers, the Muskovitzes, the Gordons, Patti
Aaron and an assortment of children and teens. The Gordons
hosted Friday morning breakfast. Shabbat was ushered in
with another LoPatin barbecue, fueled by supplies from
everyone's freezers.
"It was a party atmosphere," Schwartz said. "We all shared
stories of how we were
coping. The innova-
g
.7„ rec
tion prize went to
Mark LoPatin's moth-
122,
er. While most of us
a
1:14
went to the Varleys'
rd\t`
hot tub and carried
Adir
H`
buckets of water home
"
to flush the toilet, she
r="
lq(1 eft,
used Sprite." El
0 2003
T
he different brachot (bless-
ings) said before consuming
various foods emanate from
a single concept expressed
in Hebrew scriptures. Can you identi-
fy it?
— Goldfein
(0 T:8 iCwouodgmaG) a -pop
Inoic pioZ atp ssaiq ptre pauspus
act puE Tea Ins nov, ..aa2,y TIE('
UT sal-eur2uo 2upua alopq 2uIssalq
E 2uproai jo adaDuop ata :Jannsukr
otables
"It is the responsibility of Jewish
artists to speak authentically from
their own experiences. Jewish art is
the convergence of memory and his-
tory."
— American-born Israeli writer
Miriam Sivan, at a seminar in Prague
on the Jewish contribution to European
theater, reflecting on the European Day
of Jewish Culture, this year Sept. 7, as
quoted by JTA.
Yiddish Limericks
1/4
f:!4-111)
'cha
n't ow
Our marriage has left me fartracht.*
It seems when I cry, then er lacht.**
Opposing reaction
Has lost its attraction,
`Cause az ich zog tog, zogt er nacht.***
,
Shabbat Candlelighting
—
"When I light Shabbos candles, I pray for my family, for peace in
Israel and in the world and for friends to find their soul-mates."
— Galina Feldman, Oak Park, musician
Martha Jo Fleischmann
* pensive
** he laughs
*** If I say day, he says night.
Yiddish-isms
in mitn derinnen
Sponsored by Lubavitch
Women:, Organization.
To submit a candlelighting
message or to receive
Candlelighting
Candlelighting
complimentary candlesticks
Friday, Aug. 22, 8:05 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 29, 7:54 p.m.
and information on Shabbat
candlelighting. call Miriam
Anizalak of Oak Park at
(248) 967-5056 or e-mail•
mamzalak@juno.com
Shabbat Ends
Shabbat Ends
Saturday, Aug. 23, 9:08 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 30, 8:56 p.m.
Out of the blue; all of a sudden; for
no reason.
Source: From The New Joys of Yiddish
by Leo Calvin Rosten, edited by
Lawrence Bush, copyright 2001, by
the Rosten Family LLC. Used by per-
mission of the Rosten Family LLC.
8/22
2003