viewpoints » S end letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com nostalgia letters Cousin Mother And Cousin Dad continued from page 6 M ost children I grew somewhere, dad doesn’t gain cousin up with had, say, a rank with Delores but holds as uncle Grandma Goldberg while mother moves on from cousin and a Grandma Rabinowitz. But to become Delores’ aunt. my sisters and I had grandmothers OK, so mother is Delores’ aunt. who were named for the streets Do mother’s parents, who had been they lived on. Delores’ cousins, become her great- There was Grandma on Tuxedo aunt and great-uncle? Or are they still Norman Prady and there was Grandma on cousins? Webb. We couldn’t call them by Well, consider Delores’ own their first or last names. They uncertainty. Her recently found both were Grandma Prady. And both were thank-you note for a wedding shower gift Grandma Julia. from mother’s parents was not addressed “No, dear,” a teacher would say, “what to “Dear Cousins Julia and Reuben” nor to we need is your mother’s name before she “Dear Aunt Julia and Uncle Reuben” but was married. Now here’s a fresh card, dear. noncommittally to “Dear Mr. and Mrs. Start over.” Prady.” “It was Mildred Prady,” I’d say. Bans of cousin-marriage in some states “Well, for two people named Prady to rarely were enforced, if ever. But the roman- meet and marry, they’d have to be — uh — tic tale of our parents’ union was that they related. Uh.” weren’t allowed to marry in Michigan so “They’re cousins,” I’d say. they crossed the Detroit River to “Well, not, not first cousins,” Windsor, Ontario, and were mar- the teacher might say, gasping. ried by a Catholic priest who was “First cousins,” I’d say. said to be captivated by the young “Uh. Oh.” lovers standing at his church Our grandfathers, husbands door and was thus willing to of the Julias, were brothers. defy whatever prohibitions there Mother’s father, Reuben. Dad’s might be to their marrying and father, Joseph. Both — along heading off for their Niagara Falls with their siblings Samuel, honeymoon. Joshua, Rachel and others A tender and dreamy story, unknown to us — were the late- David Preide indeed, that my sisters and I long 19th century offspring delighted in. But it fizzled of David Preide of the day I found their mar- Riga, Latvia, and wife riage license — signed No. 1 or wife No. 2, or somewhere in Detroit on some of each. June 8, 1927, by Rabbi Family members, Aaron M. Ashivsky and previously with clear witnessed by J. Rachowsky status as aunt or uncle and S. Chinitz. or cousin, now had As for my sisters, Audrey to fathom newly con- and Barbara, and me, we structed relationships were cousins to each other because of the mar- and cousins to each of our riage. parents. We even were Mildred’s and cousins to ourselves. I’m Calvin’s siblings, who’d my own cousin. I might always been cousins to also be my own uncle. each other, now were Found along with my Cousins Calvin Prady, 24, and in-laws. parents’ marriage license Mildred Prady, 23, who fell in love Confusing? Take was mother’s birth cer- as teenagers, are seen here on their Cousin Delores Prady, tificate. It turns out that 1927 Niagara Falls honeymoon. for example, daughter Mildred wasn’t really of dad’s brother Jack Mildred. She was Minnie. and his wife, Sara. Her mother, always recog- That originally would nized as one of the family make Delores niece to dad and first cousin Julias, actually was Jennie. once-removed to mother prior to the mar- I’ll just tuck this name stuff away, along riage and some level of cousin to mother’s with wondering why mother’s brother Eli parents, right? So now does dad become called himself Harry and why dad’s brother cousin to Delores? Apparently not. As the Henry called himself Eli. pegs are moved about on some giant chart Well, it’s all relative. * 8 May 26 • 2016 upon this community as they have taught us by their example, that each life is precious, and we must continue to provide for those in need, regardless of age or financial ability to provide for themselves. May this community continue to be blessed. David M. Techner, founding president, Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network West Bloomfield Rabbi Krakoff Is A Great Addition What a wonderful addition Rabbi Krakoff is to an already-great team at Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network. Rabbi E.B. Freedman, through his leadership, has helped to build the JHCN into one of the most vital institutions in our Jewish com- munity. The subject of death and dying is a difficult one, and the chaplains of JHCN provide a benefit to the fami- lies of our community that most of us cannot properly quantify. Until you are in need of their help and sup- port, they are probably not on your radar screen. When you do engage them, you wonder how you could have made it through the challenges without them. Jeffrey M. Garden West BLoomfield Israel Walk A Hit Despite Weather The Walk for Israel was a major suc- cess despite the cold, wind and snow on Sunday, May 15. (See page 14.) We thank AIPAC for its support by bringing in Gil Hoffman, the chief political correspondent and analyst for the Jerusalem Post, for his valuable insight. He who spoke to a filled main sanctuary at Temple Shir Shalom. Programming before the Walk featured a free kosher lunch; Israeli singing and dancing; singing of the national anthem and “Hatikvah,” led by Cantor Penny Steyer, Cantor Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz and Hazzan Daniel Gross; prayers for Israel by Rabbis Michael Moskowitz, Aaron Bergman and Daniel Schwartz. We appreciate Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence and Sen. Gary Peters for taking time to support the Walk and speak for Israel. Both have been regular participants for many years. Fortunately, the weather cleared for us and Israel as the Walk filled both sides of Orchard Lake Road with over 1,500 supporters of Israel proudly wav- ing their American and Israeli flags. The members of the Walk for Israel team applaud and thank chairman Andre Douville for his leadership, drive and love for Israel that made the Walk a success. An additional thank you to the clergy and board of directors of Temple Shir Shalom for their generous support by providing the use of the temple facilities and staff for the Walk. Ed Kohl Walk for Israel Task Force member West Bloomfield Michigan Radio Should Air Greeting As a longtime enthusiastic supporter of Michigan Radio, I would like to register my consternation at the sta- tion’s refusal to air Hannan and Lisa Lis’ day sponsorship message in cel- ebration of Yom HaAtzmaut (“Happy Birthday, Israel?” May 19, page 16). I think it was seriously mis- guided of the station to label “Happy Birthday, Israel!” as anything other than a warm, personal greeting marking a celebratory day. Nixing the message as being “political” or “controversial” makes no sense at all — except to those who believe that the modern State of Israel has no right to exist. The act of refusing to air the greet- ing strikes me as being more political and controversial than the greeting itself. I urge the station management to rethink this and offer the Lis fam- ily the opportunity to run their greet- ing as originally proposed. Nancy F. Kaplan West Bloomfield Letters to the Editor: We prefer letters that relate to articles in the Jewish News. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Brevity is encour- aged. Letters published will include the name and city of residence of the writer. Letters submitted must contain the name, address, title of the writer (if applicable) and a daytime phone number. We prefer emailed letters. Please email to letters@ thejewishnews.com. 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