May Their Memories Be Blessed
Tonight begins Holocaust Memorial Day here in Israel. I'd like to take a moment to remember those members of my family who were murdered in the Holocaust. I wish for my sake that I'd had a chance to meet them or their descendents (my distant cousins)... and for the sake of my grandparents that they hadn't died so young, all at the same time... and for the sake of my mother that such a trauma had never entered into her parents' lives.
Details are sketchy because my grandparents rarely spoke about their dead family members.
My great-grandfather, Rabbi Yitzchak Natan Pomeranzblum - an Ostrovyetzer chassid, my great-grandfather was born in Staszow, Poland and lived in Opatow, Poland before being murdered in 1942 at age 67. He may have been taken with his children to Treblinka, but there is also a family story that he was shot in his home.
His second wife (my grandmother's stepmother), Devorah nee Ivenski, and their twins. It is unclear to me whether the twins were my grandmother's half-siblings or stepsiblings.
My great-aunt Manya Kreinders, her husband and their three children. They died of starvation in the Lodz ghetto.
My great-uncle Salme Pomeranzblum. I don't know if he was married or had children. Killed in Treblinka.
My great-aunt Shprintze Pomeranzblum. I don't know if she was married or had children. Killed in Treblinka.
My great-aunt Vivcha Pomeranzblum. I don't know if she was married or had children. Killed in Treblinka.
My great-uncle Mottel Pomeranzblum. I don't know if he was married or had children. Killed in Treblinka.
The first wife of my great-uncle Simcha and their two children. I don't know their names, but come to think of it I can ask my mother's cousin; maybe he knows.
On another side of the family...
My great-grandmother Esther Spiegel, aka Anna/Netti.
The first wife of my grandfather, Helen Steiner (nee Kittner) and their young son, Heinrich, my half-uncle.
Also various family members who, as far as I know, were killed in the Holocaust but I'm not sure; they may have died some other way before the war. Come to think of it I should check with my mother:
My great-great uncle, Shalom Pomeranzblum.
My great-great aunt, Esther Malka Teuter and her husband, Avraham Michael Teuter.
My grandmother's cousin, Chaim Pomerazblum, and his son.
My great-great uncle Avraham Sosnowicz.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
8:30 pm
This is today's to-do list as it currently stands on our fridge:
We're in for the home stretch. Liza is finishing up a few things, then we are going out for dinner, then we come home and mop floors, take care of a few last-minute (easy) items, and then bedikah!
And then, sleep!
(A few explanations:
1- The magnet at the top is one of a series I have with insults from Shakespearean plays. I got the magnet set in London, at the Globe Theater.
2- "Hermione's Purse" is a corner cabinet under our kitchen counter which is extremely deep. To get to the back, one must crawl into the cabinet so that one's entire torso is inside. It holds a lot of food ... but once food goes in, it's exceptionally difficult to find it again.
3- The stove IS kashered now; I just haven't marked it as "Done" yet.
4- "Final porch organizing" refers to the last-minute process of taking all the chametz and kitniyot we have stored on the porch and making sure they are stored in a way that they can't get wet or bug-ridden. The porch has already been thoroughly cleaned.
5- This whole process of cleaning for Pesach has been SO much nicer with a roommate to share the work! I feel more under control than I have in a long time.)
This is today's to-do list as it currently stands on our fridge:
We're in for the home stretch. Liza is finishing up a few things, then we are going out for dinner, then we come home and mop floors, take care of a few last-minute (easy) items, and then bedikah!And then, sleep!
(A few explanations:
1- The magnet at the top is one of a series I have with insults from Shakespearean plays. I got the magnet set in London, at the Globe Theater.
2- "Hermione's Purse" is a corner cabinet under our kitchen counter which is extremely deep. To get to the back, one must crawl into the cabinet so that one's entire torso is inside. It holds a lot of food ... but once food goes in, it's exceptionally difficult to find it again.
3- The stove IS kashered now; I just haven't marked it as "Done" yet.
4- "Final porch organizing" refers to the last-minute process of taking all the chametz and kitniyot we have stored on the porch and making sure they are stored in a way that they can't get wet or bug-ridden. The porch has already been thoroughly cleaned.
5- This whole process of cleaning for Pesach has been SO much nicer with a roommate to share the work! I feel more under control than I have in a long time.)
Last-Minute PSA
I forgot to post this earlier! I hope it helps at this late hour...
The days before Passover always bring a rise, in Jewish areas, in the number of people who go to the Emergency Room with burns -- especially children. People have their ovens and burners on to "kasher," are spilling boiling water over counters and sinks, boiling dishes, cooking up a storm, burning chametz, etc. -- and then there is also the danger from the candles used for "bedikah" and, when families join together for the holiday, from all the candles lit on tables the first
two nights.
This is a gentle reminder to BE CAREFUL!
- Keep small children out of the kitchen during the kashering process and while you are cooking.
- Doctors also recommend putting tape on the floor around the oven and telling children they may not cross the tape.
- Adults, too, should be very careful when handling pots and pots of boiling water.
- Be careful not to leave toxic cleansers out where kids can get at them, and not to create toxic chemical brews (never mix bleach with ammonia!!!)
- Watch children carefully during the burning of the chametz, and burn chametz in controlled environment so that sparks cannot set fire to nearby bushes, grass, etc.
- If small children are in the house, do not light candles on a tablecloth that can be pulled from the floor.
- Do not light candles near curtains
- Speak with a rabbi about using a flashlight for certain parts of bedikat chametz, such as under beds and in closets.
- If you are hosting guests for the holiday, make sure everyone staying in your home knows where ALL the exits are from the house.
May everyone have a kosher, joyous, and safe holiday!
I forgot to post this earlier! I hope it helps at this late hour...
The days before Passover always bring a rise, in Jewish areas, in the number of people who go to the Emergency Room with burns -- especially children. People have their ovens and burners on to "kasher," are spilling boiling water over counters and sinks, boiling dishes, cooking up a storm, burning chametz, etc. -- and then there is also the danger from the candles used for "bedikah" and, when families join together for the holiday, from all the candles lit on tables the first
two nights.
This is a gentle reminder to BE CAREFUL!
- Keep small children out of the kitchen during the kashering process and while you are cooking.
- Doctors also recommend putting tape on the floor around the oven and telling children they may not cross the tape.
- Adults, too, should be very careful when handling pots and pots of boiling water.
- Be careful not to leave toxic cleansers out where kids can get at them, and not to create toxic chemical brews (never mix bleach with ammonia!!!)
- Watch children carefully during the burning of the chametz, and burn chametz in controlled environment so that sparks cannot set fire to nearby bushes, grass, etc.
- If small children are in the house, do not light candles on a tablecloth that can be pulled from the floor.
- Do not light candles near curtains
- Speak with a rabbi about using a flashlight for certain parts of bedikat chametz, such as under beds and in closets.
- If you are hosting guests for the holiday, make sure everyone staying in your home knows where ALL the exits are from the house.
May everyone have a kosher, joyous, and safe holiday!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Shpeetz!
My roommate's friend is away for 3 weeks, and we are foster-parenting her cat, Shpeetz!
A "shpeetz" is a sharp corner, as of a pointy star. When Shpeetz was first adopted, she was very skinny and angular - thus her name. Today she is well-fed, sleek and very pretty (mostly black fur with some white) and she wears a spiffy red collar with a little bell on it. The bell does not work; it's just a fashion statement.
So far Shpeetz has shown a penchant for sitting on the bars outside our windows and looking out at the world; playing/fighting with Liza's sock and with a q-tip she found; pawing at the washing machine while it's spinning; and meowing when she thinks she's alone. Sometimes I take out a ball of twine and we play with it. Oh, she also likes to attack the shower curtain and then sit in the bathtub, stunned, when the curtain wins. (She's not the brightest of cats.)
Yay! Shpeetz!
My roommate's friend is away for 3 weeks, and we are foster-parenting her cat, Shpeetz!
A "shpeetz" is a sharp corner, as of a pointy star. When Shpeetz was first adopted, she was very skinny and angular - thus her name. Today she is well-fed, sleek and very pretty (mostly black fur with some white) and she wears a spiffy red collar with a little bell on it. The bell does not work; it's just a fashion statement.
So far Shpeetz has shown a penchant for sitting on the bars outside our windows and looking out at the world; playing/fighting with Liza's sock and with a q-tip she found; pawing at the washing machine while it's spinning; and meowing when she thinks she's alone. Sometimes I take out a ball of twine and we play with it. Oh, she also likes to attack the shower curtain and then sit in the bathtub, stunned, when the curtain wins. (She's not the brightest of cats.)
Yay! Shpeetz!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Time Warp
I just met a real, live Karaite. He was sitting at the table next to mine at Tal's and we got to talking.
The animosity between Karaite and what they call "Rabbinite" Jews (which would be me) goes back thousands of years. I wouldn't call it a rivalry because basically the Rabbinites won that one a long time ago. Today, there are only 30,000 Karaites in the entire world. I already knew that they exist, but I've never met one in person.
So, part of me was thinking/feeling "oh, my God, I'm talking to a real, live, heretic! Should I be talking to him? Is this OK? This is so weird! It's so . . . Talmudic era . . . what century am I in?"
And the other part of me was thinking "wow! I'm talking to a real, live heretic! That's so cool. I wonder what they do at their Seders?" (Yes, I asked.)
We talked about how he became Karaite (he "converted" from secular Judaism), why he moved to Israel, who he dates, why he thinks that mainstream Jews are the true heretics (especially Reform - apparently the Karaite and Orthodox ideologies agree on something), and what cafes on Emek Refaim Street have the best internet connections.
Nice guy ( ... for a heretic?).
Such a weird feeling!
He said that usually he can't talk about his beliefs because it freaks people out. Seemed to be grateful that I didn't try to burn him at the stake.
First of all, stake-burning isn't so practical in the middle of Emek. :-)
Also, I'm not threatened. I know what I believe, and I know what I don't believe, and I know what I'm confused about, and I already know I'll be confused about many more things during my time on this earth. Thank God (and my parents, and teachers) I'm pretty educated about Talmud (for a woman, anyway), and nothing he said shook my religious foundations any more than the Talmud itself does. The Sages themselves had some pretty hefty ambivalence about their roles vis-a-vis the future of Judaism; that's not a secret. Confusion is cool. Guilt and confusion are part of the Jewish condition.
So, no Karaite can make me question things that I wasn't already questioning myself, or shake my love for things that have meaning for me.
It was just really interesting, and really weird!
I just met a real, live Karaite. He was sitting at the table next to mine at Tal's and we got to talking.
The animosity between Karaite and what they call "Rabbinite" Jews (which would be me) goes back thousands of years. I wouldn't call it a rivalry because basically the Rabbinites won that one a long time ago. Today, there are only 30,000 Karaites in the entire world. I already knew that they exist, but I've never met one in person.
So, part of me was thinking/feeling "oh, my God, I'm talking to a real, live, heretic! Should I be talking to him? Is this OK? This is so weird! It's so . . . Talmudic era . . . what century am I in?"
And the other part of me was thinking "wow! I'm talking to a real, live heretic! That's so cool. I wonder what they do at their Seders?" (Yes, I asked.)
We talked about how he became Karaite (he "converted" from secular Judaism), why he moved to Israel, who he dates, why he thinks that mainstream Jews are the true heretics (especially Reform - apparently the Karaite and Orthodox ideologies agree on something), and what cafes on Emek Refaim Street have the best internet connections.
Nice guy ( ... for a heretic?).
Such a weird feeling!
He said that usually he can't talk about his beliefs because it freaks people out. Seemed to be grateful that I didn't try to burn him at the stake.
First of all, stake-burning isn't so practical in the middle of Emek. :-)
Also, I'm not threatened. I know what I believe, and I know what I don't believe, and I know what I'm confused about, and I already know I'll be confused about many more things during my time on this earth. Thank God (and my parents, and teachers) I'm pretty educated about Talmud (for a woman, anyway), and nothing he said shook my religious foundations any more than the Talmud itself does. The Sages themselves had some pretty hefty ambivalence about their roles vis-a-vis the future of Judaism; that's not a secret. Confusion is cool. Guilt and confusion are part of the Jewish condition.
So, no Karaite can make me question things that I wasn't already questioning myself, or shake my love for things that have meaning for me.
It was just really interesting, and really weird!
Monday, March 30, 2009
New Book about Passover (in Hebrew)
A relative of mine, Shimon Corsia, has recently published a book (in Hebrew) about Pesach (Passover). He previously published Orot Hachag - Sukkot, and this one is Orot Hachag - Pesach.
It's a nifty little book that essentially brings together a lot of classical Rabbinic literature about the meaning of the holiday: Why were the Jews brought out of Israel? What is the nature of freedom? Why can't we eat hametz on Pesach? Why did the Jews merit having the sea split for them?
It's about 100 pages but has lots of material that would make for great divrei Torah at the Seder and beyond - and the price is extremely reasonable.
If you want to buy a copy, here's information about how to do it.
If you live in Israel: send a check for 25 nis (if you can pick up the book from Bais Yisroel, Jerusalem) or 30 nis (if you want it mailed to you), to:
Shimon Corsia, 5 Zaks Street, Jerusalem 97351. Phone: 972-2-582-8837
If you live in the States: Send a check for $8 (if you can pick it up from Brooklyn) or $11 (if you want it mailed to you) to: Genut Family, 586 E. 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11218. Phone: 1-718-871-3050
Please note: I am not making any money from the sales of this book. I'm just doing a favor for a family member. And it is a nifty little book.
A relative of mine, Shimon Corsia, has recently published a book (in Hebrew) about Pesach (Passover). He previously published Orot Hachag - Sukkot, and this one is Orot Hachag - Pesach.
It's a nifty little book that essentially brings together a lot of classical Rabbinic literature about the meaning of the holiday: Why were the Jews brought out of Israel? What is the nature of freedom? Why can't we eat hametz on Pesach? Why did the Jews merit having the sea split for them?
It's about 100 pages but has lots of material that would make for great divrei Torah at the Seder and beyond - and the price is extremely reasonable.
If you want to buy a copy, here's information about how to do it.
If you live in Israel: send a check for 25 nis (if you can pick up the book from Bais Yisroel, Jerusalem) or 30 nis (if you want it mailed to you), to:
Shimon Corsia, 5 Zaks Street, Jerusalem 97351. Phone: 972-2-582-8837
If you live in the States: Send a check for $8 (if you can pick it up from Brooklyn) or $11 (if you want it mailed to you) to: Genut Family, 586 E. 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11218. Phone: 1-718-871-3050
Please note: I am not making any money from the sales of this book. I'm just doing a favor for a family member. And it is a nifty little book.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
News Flash
I'm not chronically late anymore.
Turns out that I'm not "on the ADD spectrum" or disorganized or feeling time passing differently.
I just wasn't sleeping.
In fact, according to my sleep lab results, I was waking up an average of 27 times an hour.
No wonder I was scatterbrained.
Now I'm being treated, and guess what? I hand in assignments on time. I can focus during the day. I Get Stuff Done.
I'm not late for appointments anymore. Nothing. I even get places early.
It's a different world when one is well-rested.
I'm not chronically late anymore.
Turns out that I'm not "on the ADD spectrum" or disorganized or feeling time passing differently.
I just wasn't sleeping.
In fact, according to my sleep lab results, I was waking up an average of 27 times an hour.
No wonder I was scatterbrained.
Now I'm being treated, and guess what? I hand in assignments on time. I can focus during the day. I Get Stuff Done.
I'm not late for appointments anymore. Nothing. I even get places early.
It's a different world when one is well-rested.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Yet Another Jewish Week Story (and a tangent that got a little involved)
This one is in the just-uploaded "Catered Events" supplement, hitting newsstands tomorrow.
Unrelated thought:
I had a weeeeeiiiiiird dream last night involving He Who Must Not Be Named. (I'm not talking about Voldemort, but rather a Person From My History. He cannot be named because privacy is way more important to him than to me - perhaps one of the many, many reasons we are not dating. But anyway, the least I can do is not toy with his identity on the internet.) In the dream I was in the market either for a new house or a new pet, I'm not sure. But anyway this woman was selling both her house and a litter of puppies/kittens (it kept changing). And while I'm there, He Who Must Not Be Named shows up with his fiancee (I don't think in real life he has a fiancee. Please tell me if he does so that I can outwardly voice my happiness for him while inwardly consider slitting my wrists.) She was, of course, much taller and much more beautiful than I am, because isn't it always so, and very nice and I had to be nice to her because she'd done nothing wrong and she's really nice and I hate this urgh. Anyhow, they are house shopping, isn't that nice? And then He Who Must Not Be Named asks why I haven't been in touch for so many years, and I say that it's because it made me really uncomfortable, and he says (as he might in real life, come to think of it) "that's disappointing. I would have expected you to be more reasonable." Which, now that I'm awake, is a really logical, cold thing to say, but in my dream I was, like, so ashamed, and fell all over myself assuring him that of course we can be friends now. And the next thing I know I'm at a wedding, and He Who Must Not Be Named is sitting at the reception with his fiancee and I'm seated next to them and I have to make small talk with both of them, and I don't know if she knows about The History and the whole thing is really uncomfortable, but I'm thinking "I've got to learn to deal with this, because we are going to be friends now. Must. learn. to. deal." And I woke up thinking damn. damn. damn. damn. damn.
[pant, pant]
OK. Seriously? There is a logical explanation for this dream. I had been at a wedding the night before. And I've been thinking about this post at another blog. And I would really like a pet (my roommate refuses, though soon we will be foster-parenting her friend's cat, Shpitz. I'm excited.) Oh, and also? I miss being friends with He Who Must Not Be Named. And there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing that's good for me, anyway.
:-(
This one is in the just-uploaded "Catered Events" supplement, hitting newsstands tomorrow.
Unrelated thought:
I had a weeeeeiiiiiird dream last night involving He Who Must Not Be Named. (I'm not talking about Voldemort, but rather a Person From My History. He cannot be named because privacy is way more important to him than to me - perhaps one of the many, many reasons we are not dating. But anyway, the least I can do is not toy with his identity on the internet.) In the dream I was in the market either for a new house or a new pet, I'm not sure. But anyway this woman was selling both her house and a litter of puppies/kittens (it kept changing). And while I'm there, He Who Must Not Be Named shows up with his fiancee (I don't think in real life he has a fiancee. Please tell me if he does so that I can outwardly voice my happiness for him while inwardly consider slitting my wrists.) She was, of course, much taller and much more beautiful than I am, because isn't it always so, and very nice and I had to be nice to her because she'd done nothing wrong and she's really nice and I hate this urgh. Anyhow, they are house shopping, isn't that nice? And then He Who Must Not Be Named asks why I haven't been in touch for so many years, and I say that it's because it made me really uncomfortable, and he says (as he might in real life, come to think of it) "that's disappointing. I would have expected you to be more reasonable." Which, now that I'm awake, is a really logical, cold thing to say, but in my dream I was, like, so ashamed, and fell all over myself assuring him that of course we can be friends now. And the next thing I know I'm at a wedding, and He Who Must Not Be Named is sitting at the reception with his fiancee and I'm seated next to them and I have to make small talk with both of them, and I don't know if she knows about The History and the whole thing is really uncomfortable, but I'm thinking "I've got to learn to deal with this, because we are going to be friends now. Must. learn. to. deal." And I woke up thinking damn. damn. damn. damn. damn.
[pant, pant]
OK. Seriously? There is a logical explanation for this dream. I had been at a wedding the night before. And I've been thinking about this post at another blog. And I would really like a pet (my roommate refuses, though soon we will be foster-parenting her friend's cat, Shpitz. I'm excited.) Oh, and also? I miss being friends with He Who Must Not Be Named. And there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing that's good for me, anyway.
:-(
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