Stand Up, Sit Down
rand up; sit down; fight,
fight, fight." Whether or not
this conjures up memories of
some spectator sport and its cheer-
leaders, we should be aware of how
often the terms sit and stand affect
what we are trying to say.
Any election year is a great time
to stand up and be counted; we are
SY
given a chance to really act on all
MANELLO the convictions that we so glibly
Editorial
espouse. Are you up to the chal-
Assistant
lenge of doing something about
them, or will you just sit idly by?
This might be a good time to say I
won't stand for this any longer.
You would not have been idle if you had ever been
a Scout. I remember when my daughter's Girl Scout
troop made sit-upon as a regular project. (If they
ever showed up at a garage sale, would they have
been "sat-upons"?)
Were you ever been asked to be a stand-in? Before
you say no, consider any weddings at which you
have stood up. Did you know that the idea of the best
man and maid of honor goes back to mythology.
Ancient peoples often thought that the gods would
try to keep mortals from enjoying life too much and
so would play tricks.
One was to kidnap the bride or the groom and
thus delay the wedding. Therefore, to outsmart the
gods, folks took to having someone dressed just like
the groom and the bride so the gods could not tell
which was which until after the service.
For those of you who thought of being stood up as
being dumped, there you have another application of
the term — one that would leave you sitting there
with egg on your face.
Meanwhile, back with my outstanding discussion;
let me point out that if you wish to stand out in a
crowd then you must do something to merit atten-
tion, preferably something positive like winning a
gold medal.
Our military personnel are aware that an at-ease
expression is stand down but then they may also be
asked to stand by — ever prepared.
If you pursue the active life, you are not one to sit
this one out and may find yourself occupied as a
babysitten house sitter or dog sitter. There are some
who are asked to be plant sitters by snowbirds or
some such. Hopefully, these people are doing this to
help out and not as a major part of their lives; the
job, otherwise, could be as exciting as watching grass
grow.
Now if you're not one to enunciate clearly, you
may be confusing sit and set. There are many setters,
who have gone to the dogs and not through any mis-
use of vocabulary. But that is a whole different rant,
which, no doubt, I'll address in the future.
❑
Turkish Delights
Technion's Contributions
Turkish dancers and the Midwest Counsul General of Turkey kicked off
Jewish Costumes in the Ottoman Empire at the Janice Charach Epstein
Gallery at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield
The May 15 reception was hosted
Photo by Bob Benyas
by local representatives of "Peace in
the World" Initiative of the Assembly
of Turkish American Associations
and the gallery in cooperation with
the American Jewish Committee
Metropolitan Detroit Chapter.
The exhibition features a selection
of illustrations depicting traditional
Jewish attire in the Ottoman Empire
and a display of Turkish silk needle-
work from the Nallihan region
known today to be located in the
northern Black Sea basin.
The dream of Turkish curator
A Turkish dancer performs during a
Silvyo Ovadya, the paintings were
reception for the opening of "Jewish
created by "tezhip" artists based on old
Costumes in the Ottoman Empire" at
postcards of Ottoman Jewish clothing.
the
Janice Charach Epstein Gallery.
The works have been brought to the
United States with the assistance of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and will travel to key
cities around the country as part of a year-long program dedicated to high-
lighting the history, culture and traditions of two peoples who have lived
together in friendship for centuries.
The exhibit runs through July 18. Call (248) 432-5448 for exhibit infor-
mation and gallery hours.
— Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor
Daniel Granholm Mulhern, husband of Gov. Jennifer
Granholm, urged supporters of the American Society for
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to mentor students
in Detroit, take action and get involved in local politics to
make the changes necessary to improve our state's future
development.
He spoke about "Economic Strategies and Viewpoints" at
a May 11 meeting of Technion supporters.
Jerry Kanter, ATS vice president of planned giving, said,
"Technion researchers are breaking ground in every impor-
tant field of research, from medicine and communications
Daniel Mulhern
to water and anti-terror technologies."
Lawrence Jackier, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit immediate past president, addressed the audience about the importance
of the Technion to Israel in terms of economic independence and physical sur-
vival.
"Technion graduates account for one-third of Israel's S100 billion gross
domestic propduct," Jackier said. "Ninety percent of the more than 100 Israeli
companies traded on NASDAQ are run by Technion graduates. And Technion
graduates created the Arrow anti-missile system."
Women's Rights Pioneer
The Detroit woman who opened the way for
generations of Jewish women by successfully
expanding their congregational voting rights
received an honorary doctoral degree from Gratz
College at commencement exercises on May 22.
Vivian Berry's resume includes the presidency of
the sisterhood at Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
There she was the first woman to serve on a con-
gregational committee and to be called to the Torah Vivian Berry
when such roles were the exclusive purview of men.
"By her constant work on behalf of Judaism and society, Vivian Berry epito-
— Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor
Yiddish Limericks
There once was a fella named Prewitt
Who said to his wife, "I won't do it!
I gave you my reason
This past opera season.
I've got no gdult* to sit through it!"
— Martha Jo Fleischman
*patience
'cha Don't Know
Orthodox Jews cannot carry any items outside their homes on the Sabbath
unless a neighborhood perimeter called an eruv is set up. What is the one
exception?
— Goldfein
E
SOMETHING EXTRA on page 10
do void A-em au0 :JaAtsuy
5/26
2005
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