January 17 • 2019 5
jn

T

his week, it’
s
Tu b’
Shevat,
the New Year
of the Trees, and I’
m
gonna go out on a
limb here and suggest
that they don’
t exactly
celebrate the way we
do. Or maybe they do.
Maybe — while we’
re
sleeping, of course, because it would
be awfully spooky otherwise — all
the trees head over to their local syn-
agogue, listen to the shofar and take a
mass field trip where they throw their
twigs in a frozen lake. (Side question: If
a twig lands on a fish, is it then called a
fish stick?)
Or maybe they have the tree equiva-
lent of fireworks and the ball dropping.
Nah. Chances are the lazy buggers
will stay exactly where they are, not
paying the slightest bit of attention to
the folks who are happily peeling their
(at least for us in Detroit) expensive
imported fruit and wishing them Shana
Tova. Basically, they don’
t give a fig.
Well, at least all the trees in my neck
of the woods are totally letting off a
“
All my leaves have left, and if I wasn’
t
rooted to the spot, I’
d also take off
for Florida” vibe. Trees don’
t look too
happy these days, let alone celebratory.
Which, of course, begs the question:
Why on earth is the New Year of the
Trees in the thick of the winter?

One reason is that the 15th of Shevat
is the exact middle point between fall
and spring (in Israel) and once half the
winter has passed, this particular rea-
soning goes, its strength is weakened;
the cold isn’
t as intense and the bud-
ding process begins. In other words,
we’
re at the beginning of the end of
winter. And it can be so thrilling to
know you’
re halfway there, that you’
re
closer to your goal than your starting
point.
It’
s the same with everything —
whether it’
s a long-distance trip, a diet
or even cleaning a room. Once we’
re at
the halfway point, a little celebrating’
s
in order. Halfway! Yeah! That knowl-
edge will give us the push we need to
keep going. Almost done! Might as well
finish!
It’
s only little kids, blissfully unaware
of the concept called time, who don’
t
always remember our humble begin-
nings.
For example: My 3-year-old Zahava
recently came to me. “Remember when

we had a newborn baby in our house?”
“Yes …
”
“What was his name again?”
“
Azriel Nachum.
”
“Hey!” She pointed to our 1-year-
old toddling around on unsteady feet.
“That’
s his name, too!”
There are two types of people: those
who love word play and those who hate
it. People who hate it should probably
stop reading now. The raisin for that
stems from the fact that while others
think word play is sub-lime, are grape-
ful for a punnet of fruity puns and find
them completely applepropriate for Tu
b’
Shevat; they will just groan and say,
“You’
re kiwing me.
” They’
ll complain
that this article’
s gone pear-shaped; it’
s
upset the apple cart; this is the pits.
They’
ll say I’
m nuttier than a fruitcake.
No need for sour grapes — we’
re
more than halfway done! (Is that the
cherry on top?) The time is ripe for my
leave-taking.
Shanah tovah la’
ilanot (good year to
the trees) … Hope you go bananas! ■

continued on page 10

for starters

Rochel Burstyn

views

Happy New
Year, Trees!

I

’
ll admit to learning that a swastika
drawn on our elevator, then later on
the outside of our building wasn’
t
what I bargained for as a volunteer on
the Petoskey District Library Board.
When I learned about the two inci-
dents, I felt like someone had stabbed
us in the heart. I can hardly imagine the
pain suffered by Library Director Val
Meyerson. She is an active member of
Northern Michigan’
s only Jewish synagogue, Temple
B’
nai Israel, only a few blocks away from the library.
For me, it was a sad day. But, this comes as little sur-
prise after working as a journalist for 40 years. I lived
through the Lansing and Detroit riots and attended

a nearly-all-black Lansing junior high school once
attended by the late civil rights activist Malcom X.
“I am sickened by the notion that someone in our
community associates themselves with Nazis,” wrote
Meyerson in a commentary published in the library
newsletter and local newspaper. “Although I support
the right for people to believe what they choose, I can-
not allow this destruction of property to go unnoticed.
I also cannot be silent about the underlying meaning of
this graffiti. In the wake of the Pittsburgh anti-Semitic
terrorist attack, I think it important to share with the
greater community that this is happening. These types
of issues are here in our lovely, peaceful, ‘
safe’
town,”
she concluded.
Unfortunately, while the state touts the decade old

Ken Winter

guest column

Anti-Semitism Has Never Left
—
Even in Rural Northern Michigan

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Before Ruth came to live with Jewish
Senior Life, she put off learning the card
game, Canasta. She was busy and really
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Ruth moved in, she changed her mind. She
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Information provided by older adult blog
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Although not a substitute for social
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Jewish Senior Life is far more than a
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s 6 beautiful residences in
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friendship are built or renewed, and passions
are pursued. It’
s where residents actively
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s where creative programs and services
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