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movie that
captured
attention
not long ago was titled
Super Size Me. This
got me to thinking.
Well, yes, of course,
about food. Duh. But
also I gave some gray
cells over tothe con-
templation of the idea
of "super."
When I was a child
— no, running from the dino-
saurs was not my chief playtime
activity — superheroes were all
the rage. Those invincible people
who seemed all-powerful were in
the forefront of our minds.
Today's X-Men continue in that
mold.
Speaking of dinosaurs, many
of us would recognize the excla-
mation of "Super-de-dooper"
as belonging to Barney, that lov-
able(?) purple being.
Many new moms are depressed
when they cannot be the super-

Moms that they
envisioned prior to .
pregnancy. Face it, a
morn who loves and
nurtures is a super
mom, even when
all the toys are not
put away each day.
"Reality" and "super"
come into conflict.
While out of touch
with reality (any time
you are engrossed in
TV) take note of the emphasis
placed on the "beautiful people"
we label supermodels. That
might naturally lead to a consid-
eration of the supernatural,
for they are truly outside normal
experience.
Many local cities get into the
spirit of football season by vying
to be the host for the football
game of all football games: the
Super Bowl.
Speaking of sports, the term
super can sometimes be used in
a confusing way. Were you aware

that a super middleweight is
that class of boxer between mid-
dleweight and light heavyweight?
Why not just have him lose some
weight or gain some weight? Why
create a whole new classification
to get. his brains knocked out?
Being dwellers in the big city,
many of us long to know the
exhilaration of driving on the
superhighways; we call them
expressways and know that they
are anything but, being neither
super nor express. See what I
mean by the wasted use of the
word?
If you are interested in the
arts, you may seek to get some
attention by participating in
the opera season by applying
to be a supernumerary in a
production. Better known as
"spear carriers," these people have
non-speaking parts, usually in
mob scenes. Some of our leading
citizens have performed on stage
.in such roles. If, however, you are
self-conscious or supersensi-

tive, then such a position is not
for you. This does not mean you
should be supercilious (dis-
dainful) toward someone who
fills the bill and is recognized as
supercool. (In this instance, the
person is "in," not going below
freez,ing without becoming solidi-
fied.)
If you feel that government
work (is this an oxymoron?) is
for you,you may consider raising
money for a superfund, a U.S.
government fund for cleaning up
or eradicating of sites at which
toxic waste has been dumped.
Also you could seek a job on
Super Tuesday, that second
Tuesday in March in an election
year when some states hold pri-
maries.
Your knowledge of the word
super is now not only super-
ficial (on the surface) brit also
superfluous (more than need-
ed) and I have done my job in a
super way. 17

AIDS Blocker
A team of researchers led by
Dr. Brian Williams of the World
Health Oiganization said last
month that if male circumcision
were widely adopted in Africa,
it would prevent 3 million AIDS
deaths over a 20-year period.
The report was published in
the July issue of PLoS Medicine,
an online journal.
The estimates were based on a
2005 clinical trial that found male
circumcision reduced female-to-
male spread of HIV — the AIDS
virus — by 60 percent.

Struggling In
Northern Israel
The term "victims of terror" has
come to include not only indi-
viduals and families injured and
killed by physical violence, but
also those whose homes have
been damaged and routines
altered by terrorism.
Looking to help residents of
northern Israeli communities
affected by the current fighting,
Manbigut Yehudit: The Jewish
Leadership Movement, a group
originally conceived to offer a
religious-based alternative to the
Oslo Accords, has established the
Israel Emergency Support Fund.

"Thousands of Jews are liter-
ally living in bomb shelters;' says
the Manhigut Yehudit Web site,
www.jewishisrael.org . "Those
that can, try to maintain a 'nor-
mal' life and run to the bomb
shelters when the siren wails but
older people and sick people have
simply moved in. They do not
work, have no income and are
living off meager food rations:'
Quoting the words of Moses
from a recent Torah portion, the
group reminds, "Your brothers
will fight in a war and you (out-
side of Israel) will simply sit here
(and not help them)?" Numbers
32:6.

All funds raised will be per-
sonally delivered to northern
Israeli families by Moshe Feiglin
and Michoel Fuah, leaders of
Manhigut Yehudit.
To make a tax-deductible
donation, send a check payable
to Manhigut Yehudit, 1175 W.
Broadway, Suite 30, Hewlett, NY
11557. Write "Israel Fund" on the
check.
For information on the fund,
or for instructions on placing a
donation online, call (516) 295-
3222 or e-mail:
office@jewishisrael.org .

Pizza For Soldiers
Among the thousands of food •
items delivered since the incep-
tion of PizzaIDF.org . were the 18
pizzas and soft drinks ordered
last week by Kenneth Bloom of
West Bloomfield. A staunch sup-
porter of Israel with daughter
Jennifer, 21, who participated in
this summer's Michigan State
University study abroad program
in Israel — Bloom was looking
for something meaningful to
personally touch the soldiers. "I
have done this before and now

seemed like the right time to do
it again:' he said. "So I ordered'
enough pizza and drinks for 90
Israeli soldiers:'
Items provided by PizzaIDF.org
— which also include fruit soup
and ice cream — are kosher, and
costs include delivery charges.
Among letters of thanks post-
ed on the Web site is one from an
Israeli paratrooper named Shai,
who wrote: "I would like to thank
you for everything you have done
for us, the IDF soldiers. I can't
start to explain how much it

means to us. Thank you for your
support."
For information on ordering
pizza and other treats, contact
Karen Bruce at karen@PizzaIDF.
org. To place an order, access
the Web site at pizzalDF.org. A
link will be provided to sister
company, BurgerlDRorg, which
provides order information for
hamburgers and colas for sol-
diers in Israel.

- Alan Hitsky, associate editor

Take A Hike
The Jewish Hikers of Michigan
will hold a hiking event 10 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 13, at the Parker
Mills County Park in Ann Arbor.
All skill levels are welcome.
Bring a backpack, munchies
and drinks. The activity will
last 1 1/2 -2 hours. Meet in the
parking lot east of Dixboro and
Geddes in Ann Arbor.
The group is co-sponsored by
Temple Beth Emeth. For infor-
mation, call Eli Avny,
(734) 883-9522, or Arlene Dietz,
(734) 994-6382.

10 August 10 • 2006

This Week

In Time Of War

Story Development Editor
Keri Guten Cohen writes

Dispatches from Israel while
on the Hadassah Solidarity
Mission, Aug. 7-11. Also look
for stories that bring the
story home to Detroit.
Just visit JNonline.us and
look at the features in the
center column.

Latest From Israel

Want the current news from

Israel? Check our streaming
news from ynetnews.com .
Just visit JNonline.us and
click on a scrolling story on
the left.

JBlog

- Shelli Liebman Dorfman,

staff writer

- Shell! Liebman Dorfman,

staff writer

Laurie Freeman writes about
raising a daughter adopted
from China. Amanda, almost

4, asks the big questions of
life.

Only at JNonline.us . Just
click on JBlog on the menu
on the left.

You Voted

Should Israel accede to
international demands for a
cease-fire?
Yes 28%
No 72%

This week's question:
Which of the following cable
networks do you trust the
most for news from israel?
CNN
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None of them

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