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Sights And Sounds

continued from page 5

E

ver said, “You’ve seen one, you’ve
seen ‘em all?” Probably not the
nicest thing to say if you’re talk-
ing about someone’s new baby, but
that’s how some people feel when
besotted grandparents are whipping
out their little brag books yet again.
If you’ve ever felt
that way, you want
to meet my almost-
90-year-old grand-
mother. She lives in
Australia but is total-
ly worth a visit; I’m
serious. When you
pop over, she will, in
Rochel Burstyn
true Yiddishe bubbie
fashion, whip out her
precious brag books
to show you.
But, unlike all the
other grandparents walking the planet
and showing off their grandchildren,
her books are filled with pictures of
all her good-looking doctors! (Which
I have to say, can be a lot more fun to
look at than drooling babies!) She’s
even taken to categorizing her pic-
tures — old doctors and young doc-
tors. (Yup, in case you’re wondering,
while other people might worry about
what to pack for a hospital stay, my
bubbie just brings her camera.)
Just like anything that’s unusual or
one-of-a-kind, my grandmother’s brag
books are extremely memorable.
The same goes for sound. If you hear
something unusual once, you remem-
ber it forever. (“Someone once told me
I have perfectly aligned lips. Perfectly
aligned lips! Now how cool is that?!”)

But if you hear something over and
over, it sometimes just becomes back-
ground noise … and might even even-
tually cross into the irritating land of
nagging. (Like, “When are you going to
change the lightbulb in the basement?”)
We all know there’s a difference
between hearing and listening. Ever
pass an acquaintance, say “How are
ya?” and then “Good, good” without
taking a break in your step… only to
clock 10 minutes later that their reply
was something like, “I just failed all my
exams and my dog died.” Totally heard
them, but wasn’t quite listening…
Twelve years ago, my sister gave
birth to twins with a profound hear-
ing impairment. I remember my sister
telling me at that time that she’d get
teary-eyed whenever she heard music
at a wedding, not because of the
cutesy in-love newlyweds, but because
her daughters couldn’t hear the beau-
tiful music. At 18 months, my nieces
received their cochlear implants and
my sister described their priceless
reactions to hearing sounds for the
first time. Thinking about my gor-
geous nieces’ new gift of sound helped
me appreciate the sounds I’d always
heard — voices, music, traffic and, of
course, at Rosh Hashanah, the mitz-
vah of hearing the shofar. I’ve always
listened to it, but that year I heard it in
a new way.
Rosh Hashanah has rolled around
again, and because we’re lucky enough
to still be trotting around on Planet
Earth, this time of year is a great
chance to reflect, make some resolu-
tions and to really appreciate the gift

Contributing Writers:
Joshua Lewis Berg, Ruthan Brodsky, Rochel
Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Don
Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman,
Adam Finkel, Stacy Gittleman, Stacy Goldberg,
Judy Greenwald, Ronelle Grier, Esther Allweiss
Ingber, Allison Jacobs, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer
Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz,
David Sachs, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz,
Steve Stein, Joyce Wiswell

Arthur M. Horwitz
Publisher / Executive Editor
ahorwitz@renmedia.us

F. Kevin Browett
Chief Operating Officer
kbrowett@renmedia.us

| Editorial

Managing Editor: Jackie Headapohl
jheadapohl@renmedia.us
Story Development Editor:
Keri Guten Cohen
kcohen@renmedia.us
Arts & Life Editor: Lynne Konstantin
lkonstantin@renmedia.us
Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello
smanello@renmedia.us
Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net
Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar
rsklar@renmedia.us

| Advertising Sales

Sales Director: Keith Farber
kfarber@renmedia.us

Account Executives :

Wendy Flusty, Annette Kizy

Sales Manager Assistants :

Andrea Gusho, Karen Marzolf

| Business Offices

Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner

The greatest truth to human kind,
One God, they were first to find.
Laws of equal justice they designed.

that each day is. Here’s wishing you a
memorable, one-of-a-kind, fantastic
year filled with wonderful sounds
(like babies laughing, waves crashing,
bubble wrap popping and those four
magical words: “I’ll do the dishes”)
and great sights (I’m telling you, go
visit my grandmother and check out her
brag books!)
And if you’re someone who appre-
ciates corny, just ask any kid, “So,
how’s your new year so far?” just so
that when they say “Umm, fine, and
yours?” you can answer, “Shofar, sho
good …” •

A rest-day with a Sabbath air,
They were the first to declare.
A grand gift for the world to share.

“Love thy neighbor,” a Torah decree.
Slaves, Judeans were first to free.
Jews fought and bled for liberty.

As healers to the human race
Jews hold an honorable place;
They are in front, setting the pace.

In every field of human thought;
They pioneered, and knowledge
sought.
To savages, morals they taught.

Yiddish Limerick

Dos iz Rosh Hashanah and Tzu
shul mir vel gayn
Mir zitzn un shtayen, un zitzn
again.
Oy vey ich bin mid
It’s shver zayn a Yid,
But haynt is Rosh HaShanah,
azay haylig un shayn.

Dos iz- this is
Tzu shul - to synagogue
Mir vel gayn- we will go.
Mir zitzn- we sit
Un shtayen- and stand
Ich bin mid- I am tired
Shver- hard
Zayn a Yid- being a Jew
Azay haylig- so holy
un shayn- and beautiful.

| Production By
FARAGO & ASSOCIATES

Manager: Scott Drzewiecki
Designers: Kelly Kosek, Amy Pollard,
Michelle Sheridan, Susan Walker

| Detroit Jewish News

Chairman: Michael H. Steinhardt
President/Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz
ahorwitz@renmedia.us
Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett
kbrowett@renmedia.us
Controller: Craig R. Phipps

| Fulfillment

Joelle Harder
jharder@renmedia.us

The Jews will always work and
strive
Progress and freedom to keep alive,
That justice and truth forever sur
vive.

As we gather with family and
friends this Rosh Hashanah, please
consider kindling an additional holi-
day candle to celebrate the birth of
the world and the important contri-
butions our Jewish community has
made — and continues to make —
for the betterment of all … including
neo-Nazis. •

L’shanah tovah,

By Rachel Kapen

Arthur Horwitz
Publisher & Executive Editor

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September 14 • 2017

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