4 | DECEMBER 2 • 2021
for openers
So Close, But …
W
hen we converse,
we sometimes
struggle to find
the right word or phrase.
This may lead to a misspoken
word/phrase
because of
similarities
in sound or a
confusion in our
minds. We are
so close, but …
There is a
vast difference
between a wise man (someone
whose knowledge we respect)
and a wise guy (someone who
“acts up”).
If you are a golfer, you can
attempt a chip shot, but when
you verbally attack a fellow
player, that is a cheap shot.
If you like remote spots
and delight in heights,
you may want to consider
being a lighthouse keeper.
If you only dust when
absolutely necessary, you are
a light housekeeper. (What a
difference a break makes!)
Overdo being a yes man
and you may be described
as a bootlicker. Those who
smuggled whiskey during
Prohibition were bootleggers.
If you enjoy eating in the
outdoors, that is dining al
fresco. What you may be
served is a pasta dish …
alfredo. Another favorite
food is spaghetti carbonara;
however, a metal loop used for
connections is a carabiner.
Talking medical problems?
You may have trouble with
kidneys. Talking about
children’s boo-boos? Those are
kids’ knees.
Geographically, the area is
Indochina. Your “good dishes”
are indoor china.
Many a child wishes to be a
superhero. In a restaurant, you
may be given a choice: soup
or hero?
In the olden days, cleaning
was often done with a
rush broom. Fungi are
mushrooms. (Note: How do
you tell the difference between
mushrooms and poisonous
toadstools? Eat one. If you
awake the next day, it was a
mushroom.)
A youngster who eats all the
Fruit Loops before his siblings
get any is a cereal killer. The
creepy guy who goes on a
killing spree is a serial killer.
Nowhere near the same!
Now that you know what to
listen for, I am sure you will be
more careful with your choice
of swords … er … words.
Sy Manello
Editorial
Assistant
PURELY COMMENTARY
essay
Responding to the Moment
I
n the first week of June
2020, I was sitting in my
basement on a Zoom call
with a group of colleagues
discussing what our commu-
nal response to the murder of
George Floyd
might look like.
Organized by
Sarah Allyn
(then execu-
tive director of
Repair the World
Detroit), most
people “in the
room” were representing orga-
nizations and congregations
that historically had been more
active in the work of build-
ing racial justice. This was,
in many ways, new territory
for the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit where I
serve as the director of leader-
ship development.
Looking around the Jewish
world, I saw myself in good
company. It felt like a new day
of engagement and advocacy
as just about every organiza-
tion, regardless of its mission
or history, was launching
some sort of statement, cam-
paign or program to support
Black community, Jews of
color and BIPOC folks (Black,
Indigenous and People of
Color) more broadly.
In the early days of last sum-
mer, it seemed as though a sort
of kairos (critical) moment
had emerged at the intersec-
tion of the killings of Floyd,
Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud
Arbery; the early months of
the COVID pandemic and a
growing incitement of polit-
ical polarization sweeping
the nation. As someone who
has long worked to center
the conversation about jus-
tice in mainstream Jewish
institutions, this moment
felt exciting. However, in the
excitement there was a great
question about just what we, as
individuals and organizations,
ought to do.
Rabbi Ari
Witkin