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