Views
for openers
If it Fits ...
T
here are several cloth-
ing items which we
refer to in everyday
conversation. I’
d like to recall
expressions that
may enliven
your speech;
some are still in
meaningful use.
Since gen-
tlemen’
s hats
are making a
comeback, con-
sider: a feather in your cap (the
action will be fodder for your
resume). If you are a person
of many talents, you may wear
more than one hat. If your
latest gossip item is no longer
news, it will be referred to as
old hat. Get into dire straits
and we may need to get you on
your feet by passing the hat.
When you deal with some-
thing you have experienced
many times before, you may
indicate that the action is as
comfortable as an old shoe.
A person very set in his ways
may be described as tough as
an old boot. Fearful at every
turn? You may quake in your
boots. Gamble a lot? Well, if it
is with the company’
s money,
you may soon get the boot
as you lose your shirt; then
you will have to get along on
a shoestring. (Those of you
only familiar with Velcro will
have to have an older person
to explain that one.) Knowing
the worst is yet to come? You
are waiting for the other shoe
to drop.
Have you ever been so
proud that you were bursting
at the seams? Have you gotten
extremely angry? Then you
have been hot under the collar.
Be wary of what you say when
you speak off the cuff; you do
not want to put a foot in your
mouth (shod or not). Do not
appear to be a know-it-all (a
stuffed shirt).
If you are very creative, you
may undertake a project with
little or no instruction and find
that you must fly by the seat of
your pants. If this is the case,
roll up your sleeves, tighten
your belt and get to it. When
you accomplish the goal, try
not to be a smarty pants and
brag about it.
If you make a successful
career choice, it may be said
that the job fits you like a
glove.
Well, there are some expres-
sions for you to use as a clothes
horse; and that ain’
t hay.
continued on page 8
OCTOBER 8 • 2020 | 5
Sy Manello
Editorial
Assistant
Need More Than Slogans
Representative Levin’
s call for
support of the Black communi-
ty, however convincing, didn’
t
explain what actions are ap-
propriate (“Blowing the Shofar
of Racial Justice,” Sept. 24, pg.
6). I believe Black lives matter,
but I don’
t believe Black Lives
Matter. Written in lower case,
it is a principle. Capitalized,
those words name an organi-
zation, created by followers of
Louis Farrakhan, that posted
anti-Israel propaganda until
pressured to take it down.
It’
s ironic that BLM sided
with the Palestinians, who have
no genetic claim of Blackness,
while Israel is home to actual
Black people who happen to
be Jewish, much to the chagrin
of the BLM founders from the
Nation of Islam. Their lack of
focus and leadership allowed
the movement to go off the
rails to become an undisci-
plined mob that provides cover
to rioters and looters and now
is doing more harm than good.
Chanting in front of police
stations or city halls won’
t fix
the problem, especially if the
chants are for foolish and in-
coherent ideas. Good policies
require more thought than a
slogan. Levin didn’
t fill in any
blanks for me.
There is one form of protest
that cannot be ignored, and
that is the protest voiced on
a ballot. That motivation to
march needs to be redirected
to marching down to the city
clerk’
s office to vote and then
marching to their friends and
neighbors to get them out to
vote. Those who know Donald
Trump in private report nearly
unanimously of his racism,
misogyny, exclusive self-in-
terest and sociopathic lack of
empathy. It couldn’
t be more
obvious that persuasion is
beyond any possibility, so only
regime change can make Black
lives matter.
— Dennis L. Green
Farmington Hills
letters
guest column
We Will Prevail in Peace
O
ver the next several
days as we continue to
celebrate the chagim
in this new year of 5781, we
look forward to what hope
and promise
the year will
bring. To many,
myself included,
Rosh Hashanah
meant “good
riddance” to
5780 and sin-
cere wishes that
5781 will be a good, peaceful,
healthy year.
Enough ink has been spilled
and tears have been shed from
COVID-19. We all know the
devastation it has caused and
the uprooting that may take
decades to replant. As Israel
has begun another strict
lockdown, I pray the next few
weeks will mean compliance
that will translate to numbers
that allow us to reopen safely.
Despite the chaos, there is
always a silver lining. And a
certainty that we as Jews and
Israelis will prevail.
This theme is pervasive
throughout Jewish history and
provides the backdrop for the
message I carry with me at this
time of self-reflection. That
message can be summed up in
one word: belief. Belief that a
sense of normalcy will return;
that we will forge a new path
through turbulent waters; that
better days are ahead.
There have been moments
throughout our people’
s his-
tory when hope seemed futile
— when it seemed certain
we would join the long list of
peoples who are now just a
Aviv Ezra