pinion OTH Counting Of The Omer I just finished reading a New York Times bestseller that was "Gripping, thrilling, a real page turner from start to finish!" While the plot was indeed captivating, the writing was mediocre and cliched, starting from the fact that almost every major character went to Harvard, to the hundreds of cups of coffee drunk daily by the protagonist. The end took a morbid Stephen Kingesque twist with the U.S. dropping two A-bombs on an enemy country. The novel concluded with the most hackneyed line of all, something to the effect of, "It was all over now, or maybe it was just the beginning:' While that line didn't do much for the book, it does describe the period the Jewish people currently finds itself in, the Sefirat Ha'Omer (the counting of the Omer). "It was all over now, or maybe it was just the beginning." We just finished the whole Passover rush; the last of the matzah has finally been digested; the examples of life events where Passover dishes stored away. we take on a lot of responsibility But the holiday isn't really over. and restrictions, but in a way We're actually only beginning that frees us to pursue our great- a whole period of personal est potential in life. These major development that spans the milestones require significant time from Passover when we preparation and that is Sefirat celebrate the exodus, to Shavuot, Ha'Omer. when we celebrate receiving When the Jews came out of the Torah, 49 glorious days of Egypt they were not simply growth. free like a violin string left on Rabb i Leiby Passover represents freedom, a table. Forty-nine days later, Bur nham but is freedom alone the high- on Shavuot, they were given an Corn munity est goal? An Indian mystic instruction manual, the Torah, V iew once said, "On my table I have that would guide them in pur- a violin string. It is totally free suing a goal of fixing the world, of tikkun and unrestrained, but it makes no music. olam, of making the world a kinder and On my violin I have a violin string. It is more spiritual place. wound taut, but it is free to make beauti- The Omer period was the time the ful music." It seems that "good freedom" Jews used to prepare themselves for their is a freedom that allows one to reach their new role in the world. Today, we do the potential, but that usually requires some same. structure or system. On Passover, we reflected on the fact Getting married and having children are that we are not slaves to our previous hab- its, challenges or patterns. We recognized that we are free people, able to carve out any path we put our minds to. During the Omer, we examine all of our character traits, trying to find the areas that can use some tweaking, the changes we need to make if we want to make a difference in this world. Where we can be a bit more humble? A tad kinder? How can we be more consistent? More disciplined? More forgiving? After 49 days of self-improvement and introspection, we re-experience receiv- ing the Torah, the culmination of a great Sefirat Ha'Omer. "It was all over now, or maybe it was just the beginning." Rabbi Leiby Burnham is associate director of the Jean and Theodore Weiss Partners in Torah program of the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Southfield. Are You Really A Jew? M y friend called from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's office of Partnership 2000, the program that promotes projects linking Michigan to the Central Galilee in Israel. "I think I have a project that will inter- est you. It's called Virtual Visitor:' If it means I don't really go to Israel, I thought, I might just pass. She explained: "You can do this from home using your computer. We're linking people in the Detroit area to specific schools in our Partnership Region. You just write to the children. The goal is to use language with them that is relevant to their lives and to yours." It sounded too easy. I'm a writer and a retired teacher. Then she mentioned the name of the school. Hoshaya. Yes. I had visited Hoshaya, a town of obser- vant Jews, many times. I had friends there and had been to the school. I began to write to two sixth-grade classes, one class of boys and one of girls. I wrote them about my family, my vacations and the Jewish community in suburban Detroit. Some of the children wrote back. They described their sisters and brothers and A30 May 7 A 2009 their hobbies. They were learning English and used these letters for practice. They often asked for a photo, but I never got around to sending one. Then a few months ago, my husband and I decided we needed to go to Israel. It had been too long since our last trip. We wanted to see friends and family and planned to stop at Hoshaya. We reserved a room in a small bed and breakfast about 10 min- utes from the school. I sent an e-mail message the class to tell them I was coming. When we arrived, Ilana, the teacher, ushered me into the principal's office and the teach- ers' lounge. Then I walked into the classroom. The girls were polite, warm and friendly. They asked questions, "Why did you come to Israel? Why didn't you send a photo?" The next day, the boys were noisy, exu- berant; some rushed toward me with a gush of words. "We didn't think you were real. We thought our teacher made you up." One of them asked, "Why do you live in America and not in Israel? Are you really a Jew?" I remembered the first Partnership 2000 meeting I had attended many years earlier when a teenage boy asked me the same questions. As some Israeli children recognize and begin to try to understand the deep love American Jews have for Israel, Teacher Ilana Amromin and her sixth-graders at Hoshaya School in Israel's Central Galilee. Jeannie Weiner is at far right. they have to ask these questions — ques- tions many Israeli adults want to ask as well. I told the children that I am an American and a Jew. My heart belongs to both countries. Like a parent with two different children, I love both equally but differently. America is my home. Israel is my homeland. American Jews are loyal to the United States and love both Israel and their country. Both countries share the fundamental belief in democratic ideals — freedom, tolerance, respect for the rule of law, the goal of peace. I remembered a Detroit reporter once questioning me about my commitment to Israel. I did not tell the children what I said to the reporter years earlier, that Americans are linked to Israel with strategic, economic, intellectual and religious ties. Before I departed from Hoshaya, the children gathered around me for fare- well hugs. As always when in Israel, I felt grateful to be there and to be a part of a Federation program linking Michigan to Israel. I felt lucky to be part of a partner- ship building bridges between Americans and Israelis. Jeannie Weiner of West Bloomfield is past president of Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit and the Michigan Jewish Conference.