Who will answer my questions?

Who will answer my questions?

At Touro Synagogue

April 19-20, 2019

by Aaron Ginsburg

also on facebook

Who will answer my questions?

On Friday, April 19th, I joined 60 people for the CJI seder.  We had services in the Levi Gale house in the Avas Achim chapel. Rabbi Mandel made a point of not dallying so people who were going home for their seder could get off to an earlier start. The rest of us decamped to the basement.

David Jolley

There was a good mix of visitors and locals. I had to make a difficult choice. At which table should I sit? I picked the one that was nearest to the door. At my table were repeat visitors Marc and Carol from Long Island. They were happy to learn that our member David Jolley and Marc both teach at Stony Brook University. David teaches at many places, helping students learn how to toot their horns.

At our seder, Rabbi Marc Mandel kept things moving. The seder is an opportunity for a wide ranging discussion about Judaism. In the haggadah we read about a seder in Bnei Brak almost two thousand years ago. Rabbis Eliezer, Elazar ben Azaryah, Yehoshua, Akiva and Tarfon continued their discussion until dawn. In a bit of Jewish humor, their students hinted to their masters that maybe they went on a little too long, “Nu, why don’t you get up and look out the window? It’s time already to daven Shacharit.” In Judaism, no one is exempt from having their balloon punctured.

A couple of people told me that our seder was too short. I replied, “Rabbi knows best!”

Under the leadership of Marcia Cohen, we were well fed with food prepared by Zayde's Market and Paula. Our chairs were decorated with white covers along with a blue sash for 2019, which made us feel like we were in a new venue.  

The next day, we had a guest speaker deliver the sermon. As usual Rabbi Mandel managed to pull a rabbi out of a hat. The reason this time was that Rabbi Mandel‘s voice was a bit hoarse.

Rabbi Cary Friedman

Rabbi Cary Friedman had almost 12 hours warning. He has written six books, and is particularly interested in prisons. After he gave a lecture about Musar, he was invited to create a course by the FBI for its agents. People who join law enforcement are very idealistic, and the reality can hit them hard. Rabbi Friedman shares the lessons of Judaism in language that is universal.

In his d’var Rabbi Friedman began by saying how overwhelmed he was by Touro Synagogue’s rich history.

He divided Jewish holidays into two groups, biblical (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot) and rabbinical (Purim, Hanukkah, Tisha B’av). In the biblical holidays, everything is about God. The Jewish people are passive and go with the flow, sometimes under duress. God redeems us (Passover), God gives us the Torah (Shavuot) and God safeguards us during forty years of wandering (Sukkot).

For example, the Almighty said, “Hey guys, I have this wonderful Torah for you. Hope you like it.” While he waited for a response, the Almighty suspended a mountain over the Israelites. They took the hint, and, glancing skywards, said, “We accept your generous gift.”

In rabbinical holidays the jewish people take an active role. The Hasmoneans rebelled against the Syrian Greeks, and sacrificed their lives to make it happen. We celebrate their success during Hanukkah. During Purim we learn that Esther risked her life to put her people’s case before her husband, King Ahasuerus. Tisha B’av highlights the our suffering and our actions when the second Temple was destroyed.

Rabbi Friedman said Sukkot was related to Hanukkah, Shavuot to Purim, and Passover to Tisha B’Av.

The Talmud tells us that Hannukah was a delayed Sukkot, delayed because the Hasmoneans had not yet seized control of and purified the Temple.

Shavuot and Purim each feature books. After he descended from Mt. Sinai Moses read us the Torah. On Purim we are commanded to listen to the Megillah.

The mutual theme of Passover and Tisha B’av is redemption. Passover celebrates our redemption from Egypt. Tisha b’Av, the destruction of the Temple, was a nadir for the Jewish people. Although we were brought low, we look forward to redemption, as took place in Egypt. There are other connections. The Pesach sacrifice that became the Passover meal and ultimately the seder and haggadah, took place at the Temple. The Temple was built on Mt. Moriah, where a ram took the place of  the sacrifice of Isaac. This set a pattern for the future; no human sacrifice, and worship of the Holy One. The Akedah, Passover, and Tish’a b’Av all relate to Mt. Moriah, to Zion, and to God and are seminal moments in our history. They are all about how to worship God in our own way.

During the seder, we learned about the four sons...really about four different kinds of people, and how to respond to their curiosity, or lack of curiosity.  Sometimes it is not only hard to know what question to ask, but who to ask.

My sister Beth suggested I say kaddish on the yahrzeit of our aunt, Sadie Ginsburg Green. I was near Temple Beth Shalom in Roslyn Heights, New York. Their page for daily services gave two different times for morning minyan. It was already Monday evening. I emailed Associate Rabbi Uri Allen and got an immediate response. When I went to Shacharit at 6:30 AM, the greeter told me to follow the person behind me. Someone greeted me upon  entering the chapel. Then I was gently told that tefillin were optional.

Cantor Ofer Barnoy

World Wide Wrap at Temple
Beth Shalom Chapel

World Wide Wrap at Temple
Beth Shalom Chapel

Cantor Ofer Barnoy greeted me. I was offered an aliyah. Later in the service Cantor Barnoy made an announcement welcoming me. What a welcoming cantor and synagogue! I should not have been surprised. On the clergy page at the Temple website, Cantor Barnoy begins, “Hi, this is Cantor Barnoy. I welcome you and I look forward to greeting you in person when you visit Temple Beth Sholom!” I felt right at home. It really makes a visitor feel good!

May you be welcomed wherever you go!

Gut Yomtov

Thanks to Beth Ginsburg Levine for editing

http://www.jewishledger.com/2015/12/conversation-with-rabbi-cary-friedman/

https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/music/people/faculty-and-staff/performance/david_jolley

http://tbsroslyn.org/about-us/clergy-and-professional-staff.html

Avadim Hayinu, Remember That You Were Slaves

Avadim Hayinu, Remember That You Were Slaves

At Touro Synagogue

April 13, 2019

by Aaron Ginsburg

also on facebook

On Saturday at Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island we were down to bare essentials, with nary a visitor in sight. 

Passover has many themes and it is easy to get lost in the details and the preparation. On Shabbat, Rabbi Marc Mandel spoke about one of Pesach’s important themes,

“Today, the Shabbat before Pesach, is known as Shabbat Hagadol, the great Shabbat. At our lecture last night, we explained the reasons why it is called Shabbat Hagadol, so we won't go into that today. 

“It is customary on Shabbat Hagadol for the rabbi to discuss themes of Pesach. Last week, I saw an article on YU Torah, by Rabbi David Etengoff. Rabbi Etengoff suggests that one of the main themes of Pesach is social justice. 

“Five times, the Torah tells us to remember that we were slaves in Egypt, and therefore, we need to be careful how we treat the vulnerable people in society. In fact, Maimonides teaches us, if someone rejoices on a holiday, but neglects to take care of the needy, they have not performed the mitzvah correctly. 

“I am very proud that at our Hebrew School, once a month, we make sandwiches for the needy and deliver it to them. I am very glad that the Hebrew School has incorporated social justice into its core curriculum. This is one of the main themes of Pesach. Shabbat Shalom.”

loaded and ready to go

At Zayde's Market
Canton, MA

If you signed up for the Seder at Touro Synagogue, you will be happy to know the food has made its journey from Zayde's Market in Canton, Massachusetts to the Levi Gale House in Newport. The bill was carefully checked against the boxes before departure to make sure nothing was missing. From small pieces of horseradish to the charoset, the order is complete. 

marshmallows by the sea

Have shankbone, will travel!

A bag of kosher for Passover mini-marshmallows found its way into the order for a desperate Newporter who was cast adrift by the strike at Stop and Shop, and wanted pieces of the white stuff in her morning beverage. On arrival, a crew efficiently unloaded the car and carried the goodies downstairs.

Under the leadership of Marcia Cohen, the culinary aspects of our Seder are under control. The tables are set and Paula and crew are preparing to warm things up and make a few additional items.

The view from Battery Park, Newport, RI

After dropping off the food, I headed down to Battery Park to rest and enjoy the view that my mother, Dorothy Pokross Ginsburg, delighted in on many a day while she ate her bag lunch. This being Newport, the Newport Bridge vanished in fog bank, accompanied by the incessant sound of a fog horn.

Washington and Battery Str.
Newport RI

An army, and the Jewish people, cannot march without food. A complete Passover journey has an additional need, food for the soul. Tonight we join the Jewish people of yesterday, today and tomorrow in the quest for a better life and a better way to live that life. For each person, that journey has a distinct beginning and end, but as a people the journey continues as we try to learn from the errors and successes of the past. That journey is the theme of Pesach.

Chag Sameach from Jewish Newport!

Thanks to Beth Ginsburg Levine for editing, to Rabbi Marc Mandel for his Torah message, and to the employees and volunteers that help us on our journey.

A Season of Renewal

A Season of Renewal

At Touro Synagogue

April 6, 2019

by Aaron Ginsburg

also on facebook

Last Saturday at Touro Synagogue I was startled to hear Rabbi Marc Mandel begin his words of Torah with, “When we picked up our son at Logan Airport on his way home from Israel, we stopped in Boston. I was looking at a newspaper when I saw Aaron Ginsburg’s picture on the front page. Aaron had written an article for the Boston Jewish Advocate.”

It is always nice to be mentioned at Touro Synagogue. The funny thing about the picture is that the editor of the paper decided he didn’t like it, and asked me for a new shot.

Rabbi Mandel continued,

“Thank you to Aaron Ginsburg for writing a front page article in the Boston Jewish Advocate newspaper about the desecration of the Fall River Hebrew Cemetery. We have a copy of the paper if anyone wants to see it.

“In the article Aaron wrote, ‘The damage to the stones reflects the damage to our hearts. Both will be repaired. But both the stones and our hearts will remember.’

“Thank you Aaron for writing this article and for creating a Jewish Fall River Facebook group.

“This week we took out three Torahs; it’s a rarity. The theme of this Shabbat is renewal. Rosh Chodesh is a new month and today is Shabbat Hachodesh. Hadosh means new. Pesach is a holiday of renewal. 

“When you see a friend you say, “Ma Hodosh?” What’s new? Unfortunately, antisemitism is not new. It has been around a long time. But why the sudden increase??

“According to a recent article in the New York Times, in today’s political world, antisemitism is an ideology where the far right can intersect with the far left.

“After WWII and the Holocaust, antisemitism was mostly found within the political fringes, which is no longer the case. So as we enter a new month and a new season of freedom, we find new dangers and new challenges for the Jewish people around the world. Previously we mentioned Aaron’s family at the cemetery in Fall River. There was news this week of another cemetery.

“This one was in Israel, where Zacky Baumel, an Israeli soldier whose body was missing for 37 years-was returned this week and buried. He was 21 when he died in the Lebanon war. He was buried in Jerusalem’s Mt Herzl military cemetery. 

“And so, as we observe Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the month of redemption, let us hope and pray that it will truly be a month of redemption for Jews all over the world, and that the holiday of our freedom will help spread the ideas of freedom around the world.”

 l-r Reps Jason Knight and Rebecca Kislak,
Charlie Bakst, Rep Mia Ackerman,
and Aaron Ginsburgphoto: William White

There is a sequel to the Hebrew cemetery desecration. On Thursday March 28, I was invited by a Pokross cousin, Rebecca Kislak, a member of the House of the Rhode Island Assembly to attend a session. We met, for the first time, at Sydney Coffee. After Rebecca gave me a brief tour of the State House, the short session began. A colleague of Rebecca’s, Representative Jason Knight, introduced a resolution condemning both the desecration of the Hebrew Cemetery and antisemitism in general, 

“RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby honors the memory of those at the Hebrew Cemetery and stands united in rejecting and condemning these vile and intolerable acts of anti-Semitism and hatred...”

Rebecca spoke next about being personally affected by the desecration of the Pokross family stones, and then introduced Charlie Bakst, who grew up in Fall River, and is a member of the Horvitz family, and me to a standing House. After a brief interlude about quahogs, the resolution passed unanimously. The House graciously provided a video, sans clams!

Among the visitors on Shabbat was Rabbi Yael Romer of Congregation Emanuel of the Hudson Valley, Kingston, NY and her husband with a group of Hebrew School students.

At kiddish Rabbi Romer said that as a reform rabbi, “Touro Synagogue is the only Orthodox synagogue where I feel fully welcome.” 

That message turned a season of renewal into a season of joy, and of pride in our congregation and rabbi. 

video is at https://youtu.be/TO6W8gpza1E

Thank you to Capital TV for the video and picture, and to Beth Ginsburg Levine for editing.

2019 -- H 5927

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019 ____________

HOUSE RESOLUTION

CONDEMNING THE HATEFUL DEFACING OF GRAVESTONES AT THE HEBREW CEMETERY IN FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS

Introduced By: Representatives Knight, Kislak, Ackerman, Filippi, and Shekarchi Date Introduced: March 28, 2019

Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, In the 1950s and 1960s, Fall River had a strong, vibrant, and visible Jewish community connected to the textile industry; and

WHEREAS, As loved ones passed, many were interred at the 300-plot Hebrew cemetery on McMahon Street in Fall River; and

WHEREAS, Overnight, on Saturday, March 16th into Sunday, March 17th, 2019, 59 gravestones at the Hebrew cemetery were defaced with vicious and cruel anti-Semitic language and swastikas, and others were brutally toppled; and

WHEREAS, This anti-Semitic malevolent attack was not only an affront on the memories of the families of those buried at the cemetery, but was a hate crime perpetrated against all Jewish people, and an assault to humanity; and

WHEREAS, Anti-Semitism in any form breeds violence and is eminently sad, disrespectful, and unconditionally condemnable; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby honors the memory of those at the Hebrew Cemetery and stands united in rejecting and condemning these vile and intolerable acts of anti-Semitism and hatred; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Jeffrey Weissmann, President of Congregation Adas Israel, Stephen Silverman, President of Temple Beth El, and Robert Trestan, Director of the Anti-Defamation League of New England.

@RIHouseofReps @tourosynagoguenewport

A Vigil at Hebrew Cemetery

A Vigil at Hebrew Cemetery

At Jewish Newport

Tuesday, March 26,2019

by Aaron Ginsburg

also on facebook

Here are more details about the desecration at the nearby Fall River Hebrew Cemetery.

Initially, I shrugged this off as very bad. Then I learned the the stone of my great-uncle, Israel Pokross, and his second wife Lillie (Goldstein) was defaced. This hit me and members of our extended Pokross hard, especially their grand-children. 

Although this happened a week ago Saturday, and was discovered the next day,  a list of names on the defaced stones did not go online until late Friday afternoon.

Earlier Friday, I called the Fall River Police. An officer in the major crimes unit told me that the stones of Esther (Gabinsky) Pokross, and of Jacob and Sarah (Karnowsky) Pokross were also defaced. Pictures were not available. I proceeded to Fall River. Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/easqEWzwN3s86yDY7 

A vigil organized by Rabbi Mark Elber of Temple, Jeffrey L Weissman of the Hebrew Cemetery and ADL New England was held Tuesday evening. At least 400 people attended, including Touro Synagogue’s Rabbi Marc Mandel. Four of my cousins and their spouses were there. The vigil was low key and quiet, reflecting the mood of the attendees. Cantor Shoshannah Brown led us in the 23rd Psalm. Watch a short video. 

My good friend and college roommate, recently retired Fall River attorney Clem Brown and his wife Helen were present. Clem was the town attorney for Swansea, Massachusetts for many years. Clem’s dad, the late James Paul Brown, used to write editorials for the Providence Journal before moving on to the New York Times. The Journal did not like an editorial he wrote saying that it was OK for Martin Luther King to speak out about his opposition to the Vietnam War. 

The Browns lived in Newport for a while, in the large house on Thames Street opposite Bridge Street. Clem’s mother Trudy recounted volunteering in the Thompson Library, where she met Eleanor Davis. She remembered Eleanor!  Later in life the Brown's moved to Camden Maine, Mr. Brown edited Down East magazine. Read more about James Paul Brown

Also present were several people I knew from Temple Israel in Sharon, Massachusetts and at least one other Sharon shul, from Temple Emanuel in Newton, and from Temple Torat Yisrael in East Greenwich, RI.

I created a facebook group for Jewish Fall River to give people a place to share their feelings and their memories. I also wrote on behalf of my family to express our reaction. If I had been a speaker at the vigil, this is what I would have said.

≈Antisemitism is an abstraction until you are directly affected. The Hebrew Cemetery in Fall River was targeted by antisemites, probably on March 16, 2019. Fifty-nine headstones were either defaced with antisemitic graffiti or toppled over. This included graffiti on three stones of the Pokross family, of Israel and Lillie, of my grandparents Jacob and Sarah (Karnowsky), and of Esther M. (Gabinsky) Pokross, and of Barney Pritzker. They were all immigrants to this country. At least nineteen Pokross family members are buried there. 

The Pokross family settled in Fall River, New York and New Jersey over 100 years ago from Gorodishche, now in Cherkassy Oblast, Ukraine. The Karnowsky/Kaye family from Hnativka, Ukraine, near Kiev, and settled in settled in  Greater Pawtucket, RI. Both are large extended families. The Pritzker family settled in Fall River and NJ.

We are in pain. We feel that we have been personally attacked. Although we hope that we can learn something from this attack, the wound is still raw.

Heinrich Heine said, “First they burn books, then they burn people.”  A headstone is a short book. Ever present in our minds is the Holocaust, when many relatives were murdered, some by bullets, some by gas, and, yes, some by fire. 

If you go today to Hnativka, the Jewish cemetery is a field, rapidly turning into a neighborhood of suburban Kiev. Sometime after the Jewish community, which was 90% of the population, left after a 1921 pogrom, the cemetery was plowed under as were most of the houses.

In the Gorodishche Jewish cemetery, hundreds of fragments of headstones litter the ground. During Soviet times, a road was built over part of the cemetery. 

The damage to the stones reflects the damage to our hearts. Both will be repaired. But both the stones and our hearts will remember.

“My grandparents’ grave was one of the defaced stones. My heart was broken before I knew theirs was amongst those defaced with a marker. Now the pain is even deeper. Thank you Fall River police for taking this seriously.” Syrel Dawson, granddaughter of Israel and Lillie

“Would you be angry if this happened to your Family? Pokross & Pritzker are my Grandparents family. My Grandmother Anna Pokross Pritzker was born in Fall River. I was named after Esther Pokross.” Judy Wien, great great-grand-daughter of Esther Gabinsky Pokross and great niece of Barney Pritzker, both stones defaced.

“I am of mixed feelings whether it would be better to remove the defacing or to leave it as a reminder of this mindless act. Israel [Pokross] was my grandfather.” Jay Leavitt

On behalf of Jay Leavitt, James Leavitt, Lois Kimelman, Judy Wien, Diane Knopf, Susan Stone, Syrel Dawson, Alan Flam and Judy Seminoff, Ellen Semonoff, Karen Pokross, David Fisher, Marcia Haber, Jay Lasky, Sarah Cline, Rebecca Kislak, Josh Posner, Linda Silverstein, Marjorie K. and Remmie Brown, Laura and David Kerstein, Amy Perry and 100s of other Pokross, Pritzker, and Karnowsky family members

with cousins, trying to return to normal

links:

Jewish Fall River Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/jewishfallriver/

list of desecrated stones www.frtemplebethel.org/Desecrated-Gravestones-Fall-River.pdf  #55 last name is Pokross, some are not in alphabetical order.

photos of  at Hebrew Cemetery by Aaron Ginsburghttps://photos.app.goo.gl/easqEWzwN3s86yDY7

Photos of defaced Pokross, Karnowsky and Pritzker stones. https://photos.app.goo.gl/X9ZftQFQTfB1tQNy5  

The Messages of Purim

The Messages of Purim

At Touro Synagogue

March 16, 2019

by Aaron Ginsburg

also on facebook

When I arrived at Touro Synagogue on Saturday, March 16, 2019, people were anxiously milling around. Would there be a minyan? Gradually people trickled in, and Congregation Jeshuat Israel co-President Paul Tobak was the tenth man. He took note of the crowd heading to the St Patrick’s Day parade, and thought we should say a special prayer for those who might suffer from their revelries.

When it came time for misheberachs, Dr. Jim Herstoff said a prayer for those who might do something silly.

As Jews we had our own silliness in mind. It was the Shabbat before Purim.  Purim is a silly holiday, with costumes and noise, with shpiel and spirits.

The torah reading was rather dry. The  sacrifices to give after an intentional or unintentional sin were listed. There were different sacrifices depending on the seriousness of the offense and on a person’s financial status. Judaism belongs to all of us, from the grand poobahs to the hoi polloi. From high and mighty to the humble, we transgress, and we expiate.

What was it really about? The sacrifices were a means  of dealing with lapses in our behavior. They helped to get past the offense, and made it possible to move on. Resilience is a human trait that prevents us from getting bogged down. This is also the purpose off yamim noraim...the days of awe, Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur, when we symbolically shake off our sins at tashlich, and apologize to the one on high as well as to our fellow man.

An apology serves the same purpose as the sacrifices of yore, to clear the decks and move forward. Did you know that parliamentarians in Canada are not allowed to eat during sessions of parliament? Recently Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for a transgression. He was caught at parliament munching on a candy bar. Was this intentional or unintentional?  Rabbi Ron Fish of Temple Israel in Sharon Massachusetts pointed out that Trudeau is the son of a prime minister. He knows the rules, and was trying to pull a fast one when he got caught.

As we work out our future relationship with Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, moving past the now-concluded court battle is an important step towards reconciliation.

Rabbi Marc Mandel’s sermon was noteworthy for dealing with current events. He warned us that it would be about questions, not answers.

“This Shabbat is Shabbat Zachor — The Shabbat to remember. Shabbat Zachor reminds us that Purim is approaching this week (Wednesday night and Thursday).

“One of the themes of Purim is antisemitism.

“In the Book of Esther, Haman was an antisemite and he wanted to eliminate the Jews from the city of Shushan and all of Persia. Haman said to King Achashverosh, “The Jews are a different  nation. They’re not really part of our culture. We don’t need them — let’s get rid of them.”

“Recently here in the United States antisemitism has been an in issue — just a day or two ago a poster of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a New York City subway was defaced.

“The congresswoman from Minnesota, Ilhan Omar, made some comments about America’s support for Israel that sounded antisemitic. She talked about AIPAC’s benjamins and pledging allegiance to Israel.

“Who decides what’s antisemitic and what’s not? Clearly in the book of Esther —Haman was antisemitic and was urging the king to commit violence.

“But the congresswoman from Minnesota wasn’t encouraging violence, she was just asking questions? And she apologized. Haman never apologized.

“It’s very hard to define antisemitism. If you criticize Israel, is that antisemitic? Many Jews criticize Israel — does that make them antisemitic? Can someone be an antisemite if they are Jewish?

“These are difficult questions. Human relationships are complicated. Maybe that's why we drink a little extra on Purim, to recognize that we might not always get it right.

“There are parallels between the holidays and the congregation and its history, starting with Hanukkah. Our synagogue was dedicated on the first day of Hanukkah in 1763. The connection with Purim is that among our original members that we had conversos who had hidden their Judaism. Dr Elie Cohen, who's Yahrzeit is on Purim, was like Mordecai in the Megillah. He never hid his Jewishness [in his native Egypt] and was a proud Jew.”

This was really two sermons in one. Linking the yom tovim to the history of the congregation is a powerful idea and could be a sermon in its own right.

Two sermons for the price of one! I like a bargain.

In his discussion of antisemitism I think Rabbi Mandel was trying to get us to think, and warning us that we should not react in knee jerk fashion to whatever the latest pundit says.

The subject of antisemitism is somewhat of an abstraction until you are directly affected. The Hebrew cemetery in Fall River was targeted by antisemites, probably on Saturday. Fifty-nine headstones were either painted with antisemitic graffiti or pushed over. This included graffiti on three stones of my mother’s Pokross family, of Israel and Lillie, of my grandparents Jacob and Sarah(Karnowsky), and of Esther. Nineteen members of the Pokross family are buried there. The Laskys are also Pokross family members. Both of my mother's parents are part of large extended families. Members of the Fastiff family are also buried there.

Speaking for my Pokross family, we are in pain. I feel like I have been personally attacked. Heinrich Heine said, “First they burn books, then they burn people.”  A headstone is a short book. Ever present in my mind is the Holocaust, when many of my relatives were murdered. Some members of my Kusinitz family were literally burnt to death, in a synagogue in Dolhinov, now in Belarus.

After writing this, I can’t wait for Purim. I need a drink.

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel for sharing his words and to Beth Ginsburg Levine for editing.