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Sense Memories Really Ling(
lokeeittei.
-4114
I
t is my understanding that as one ages the memory
is the second thing to go; I have forgotten the first.
However, the senses seem to remain strong, especially
when teamed with nostalgia. I have, of late, been
remembering some interesting sights, tastes and
smells of my youth.
When I was quite young, my mother's parents
came to visit and I quickly learned about wigs.
I awoke one morning to see a hairy something
perched on my dresser, and I am sure it was staring
at me. Come to find out, Bubbie wore a sheitel, and
it was on a stand on the dresser as she still wore her
morning kerchief. Today, a wig is no great surprise;
but back then it was an eye-opener.
One sight that always left me shivering was a
food item. It was called pitcha, which was actually
jellied calf's foot. It came to the table like a large
square of gray jello with a slice of hard boiled egg
on top. Ugh!
Passover brought a sight that I always treasure: a wooden
barrel. This item was filled with straw and our Passover dishes,
which I was able to help unload. I loved the crispness of the straw
and the beauty of the dishes that had not been seen for a year.
JN CONTENTS
Some tastes cannot be replicated these days. Some because
they are no longer "safe" to eat. One such is a thick slice of
pumpernickel bread liberally spread with shmaltz and a light
dusting of salt. (To my cardiologist, Dr. Silverman: If
you are reading this, please remember that this is a
distant sense memory; that is all!)
My mother also made something called kuchen: a
multilayered baked item that contained apples, nuts,
raisins, jelly, etc. It was a real michal — a taste treat.
Kiddush lunches on a Saturday at shul cannot hold
a candle to the real orange pop and kichel that we as
kids were given.
To this day, I cannot abide the smell of vinegar
being heated as it was when I was little and Mother
made herring. (I hate herring, too.)
Readers these days take pleasure from their auto-
mated devices for reading books. Those do not,
however, come close to the smell of old books that I
enjoyed when helping my dad straighten his massive
library.
Well, when someone now tells me to come to my senses, I
have a wealth of nostalgic ones to draw on as my senses come
to me.
❑
theJEWISHNEWS.com
March 27-April 2, 2014 I 25 Adar II - 2 Nisan 5774 I Vol. CXLV, No. 8
Around Town
22
Arts/Entertainment ...53
Calendar
25
Community
38
Food
58
46
Health
Israel .. 5, 18, 42, 49, 54
JN Archives
6
Letters
5
Life Cycles
62
Marketplace
66
Mentsh of the Month ..78
Metro
8
Next Generation
40
Obituaries
72
Out & About
55
Points Of View
42
27
Red Thread
Sports
52
Staff Box/Phone List... 6
Synagogue List
44
Torah Portion
45
Shabbat Lights
Become an HFL Donor.
Click. Call. Give Now.
www.hfldetroit.org
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Shabbat: Friday, March 28, 7:36 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, March 29, 8:38 p.m.
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A good education.
The next great business idea.
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Times are from Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.
Columnist
Danny Raskin
60
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"When I was young, my mom
was a single mother raising three
children," said HFL Board member
Carolyn Bellinson. "She didn't have
a lot of personal financial support,
but she made use of our Jewish
community resources, including
options available to help give my
siblings and I some great experi-
ences. Community support helped
us go to Hebrew school and summer
camp, and we had JELS loans for
college. Those JELS loans felt like
someone local believed in me."
Now as a member of the HFL
committee administering the William
Davidson Jewish College Loan
Program (WDJCLP), Carolyn remem-
bers that feeling, and it drives her
to participate in the community.
"Everything we do at HFL gives
me a strong feeling of giving back,
of validating those who believed in
me. I'm helping give our borrowers
that same feeling of support and
encouragement I felt," Carolyn said.
"This new college loan program
is a great added component to the
programs HFL offers. It will give
students real options for higher
education, and will raise the stakes
for our area," Carolyn said. "I'm a
mother, and I want the best local
opprtunities for my kids. For our
next generation, it is crucial to have
a strong vibrant Jewish community
in Detroit. We are enriching lives from
childhood through adulthood."
Cover page design: Michelle Sheridan.
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local Jews.
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March 27 • 2014