views

for openers

Are You Game?

W

Sy Manello

Editorial Assistant

ould you
describe
yourself
as a “player”? Are
you GAME to try to
analyze what you are
saying? Of course!
That is why we are
going to look at how
games influence our

conversations.
You may find it DICE-y to invest
without an analysis of the invest-
ment. It is not good to have a “Let the
CHIPS fall where they may” attitude
unless you are extraordinarily rich.
There is no need to have a
MONOPOLY on common sense, but
you must have all your MARBLES
before joining any OPERATION. If
you have no CLUE, you may experi-
ence a SORRY outcome. Always be
sure that you are comparing APPLES
TO APPLES when making inqui-
ries or you may experience a lot of
TROUBLE.
Anyone who tries to bully you
into something may seem to have
ANTS IN THE PANTS. Nothing to
him is TABOO. Before accepting,
you may wish to see his approach as
BALDERDASH.
Has anyone you know built a

better MOUSETRAP? He may have
taken a RISK to do so and, if suc-
cessful, he will find his invention to
be a TICKET TO RIDE. Sometimes,
however, it proves to be a TRIVIAL
PURSUIT.
Dreamers may seem to live in a
CANDY LAND. They often have
unrealistic views of LIFE. They
do not know what is means to
SCRABBLE for a living.

UNO event that you would not
want to experience is being in a
TWISTER. Might you be safer on a
BATTLESHIP? Maybe.
Before I GO, let me hope that your
life meets with few SNAKES AND
LADDERS or any diversion which
may seem harmful. But be sure to
keep your GAME FACE as you pro-
ceed.
Have fun! ■

commentary

Spread the Light

I

write this hours
after serving as
a lamplighter at
the eighth-annual
Menorah in the D
celebration. This was
a true honor. I held
Erika Bocknek the torch to honor the
Pittsburgh community
and memorialize those
who lost their lives in the massacre
that took place a month ago at the
Tree of Life synagogue. I held the
torch, looked at the beautiful faces of
my children in the large crowd and
thought, my world is bright.
Ahead of this event, I did several
interviews with TV news and

newspapers, including the JN, about
the harrowing ordeal my uncle
Barry Werber endured on Saturday,
Oct. 27. He is a member of New
Life Congregation and survived the
violent encounter. The details are,
understandably, of interest to many.
He was brave in the face of incredible
danger and grief, and his story is an
important one to tell. Hate continues
to find its way into our everyday lives.
Life can be cruel, unfair and even
unpredictably dangerous. Add to that a
fractured society, persistent apathy and
easy access to firearms, and this story
starts to sound inevitable.
After each retelling, though, I
have been struck with how we may

be missing the point. When we only
tell and retell my uncle’s encounter
with a hateful and violent man, we
miss the life lessons he has to teach
us. My Uncle Barry is optimistic and
hopeful. He was before this tragedy
and, against all odds, he continues to
be now. Who he is is not defined by
the man who murdered his friends.
He is a person with an open heart and
consistent devotion to his faith and
congregation. He returned to pray with
his congregation immediately.
I am a Detroiter. My mother was
born and raised in Pittsburgh, and
she met my dad there when they
were college students. I spent much
of my childhood visiting Pittsburgh.

continued on page 8

jn

December 13 • 2018

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