It’s Skywatch Friday once again. This week, although I am on vacation visiting with my daughter and her family, I do have a couple of photographs to share. They were taken just before I left for my vacation.

The focus on the above photograph is the huge cloud wall. A severe storm was approaching the house, and in some areas there was a tornado that touched down. Fortunately it missed my home.

The above photograph shows the same cloud wall from a different perspective.

For more Skywatch photographs, visit here.
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I read this article in the Miami Herald last night. I thought it was inspiring and poignant, and a lovely post to read before Shabbat begins. It is a story about a grandson’s trip to Poland in order to find his ancestral and Jewish roots. You can read it here.
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I came upon a nine minute documentary film quite by accident. It is entitled Oneg Shabbat-Emanuel Ringelblum’s Underground Archive in the Warsaw Ghetto. It is extremely disturbing, heart-wrenching, and profound.

Tonight as you celebrate Shabbat, please keep all the victims of the Holocaust, and all victims of genocide, in your thoughts and prayers.
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Shabbat Shalom.
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© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Friday July 24, 2009 – 3rd of Av, 5769

The National Yiddish Book Center has some excellent upcoming events in June 2009. If you are in the area, you might be interested in attending some of them.

Sunday June 7th: The film American Splendor… explores love, family and more through a man’s creative edge with comic books.

Sunday June 14th: Beyond the Pale…a band from Toronto…with a new sound, derived from Klezmer music.

Sunday June 21st: The 1951 film Death of a Salesman will be presented.

Sunday June 28th: The film Ashkenaz will be shown…a diverse look at today’s Jewish Israel.

For more upcoming events, why not look at their Calendar on the National Yiddish Book Center’s website.

I hope you all have a peaceful day.
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© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Wednesday June 3, 2009 – 11th of Sivan, 5769

I don’t mean to sound negative, and certainly am not trying to undermine or belittle the accomplishments of Oskar Schindler. His efforts and achievements in saving as many Jews that he did is much more than commendable and courageous, and his actions should be embraced and considered heroic. He is deserving of every accolade received. But, there is something that bothers me, and it somewhat correlates to his humanistic actions. What is it, some of you might ask?

I dislike, that during my researching Irena Sendler, I have come across newspaper articles, blog posts, etc., that compare Irena Sendler’s actions during the Holocaust/Shoah to Oskar Schindler’s by stating that she is a “female Oskar Schindler”. Yes, she was a female, but the comparison ends there, in my opinion. Irena Sendler should be recognized in her own right, as the selfless, courageous, determined woman she was, and for the heroine that she was.

If truth be told, she saved more Jews than Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust/Shoah (I am not trying to minimize, demean or undermine his incredible efforts, or lessen them in any manner), but her story is her own, no less, no more. Irena Sendler should be applauded and commended, and given the tributes, praise and honors she deserves, as one humanitarian individual, in the sea of all of those incredible non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to save Jews. Her illuminations were endeavors of her own ethics and mindset, her feelings and thoughts on how each person is a part of the whole. Irena Sendler’s acts of selflessness and human kindness stand alone, and should not be compared to another individual.

Each person who acted to save Jews during the Holocaust/Shoah should be praised for their individual efforts, and not equaled or paralleled to another (whether they saved one individual or thousands). That is my opinion.
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Speaking of Irena Sendler, I did watch the made for TV film, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, last night. I thought that Anna Paquin did an excellent job of portraying the young Irena Sendler. Her story is one, in my opinion, that needed to be told on film.

There were only a few parts of the film that seemed a bit overdone or sweetened, but overall, I thought the film’s message was strong, and Irena Sendler’s actions and endeavors were shown as best as they could be for a TV film. That one woman was extremely taken to risk her own life in order to save the lives of so many, is a testament to her strength and courage under the adversity of the Holocaust/Shoah. She was a woman of immense inner power. The history behind her actions is inspiring and illuminating.

For me, the ultimate moment was when the film ended, and the actual Irena Sendler (now deceased) spoke for a few minutes. It was inspirational to see the visuals of her, and the poignancy and urgency in her words will stay with me, evermore.

Some of you may not realize that in 2007, Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but the committee awarded the honor to two recipients to share: to Al Gore, and to The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It would have been courageous, indeed, of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to have chosen her to be the recipient. People often say that to be nominated is an honor in itself, and this might be true to a certain degree. For me, though, what better individual, out of those nominated, would have best fit the criteria of the award? My answer would most definitely be Irena Sendler. Irena Sendler died May 12, 2008, at the age of 98. Let us not forget her in the time continuum.

If The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler eventually comes on DVD, I will definitely buy it to add to my collection of Jewish-related DVDs.
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I am in the middle of reading three books. I should have one finished by tomorrow and will review it shortly thereafter.

I’ve been busy with writing my family history. I had so many new pieces of information to add to it. And, this time, I have backed it up to DVD, and will not lose any information that I had written in the future. I have also saved it on an extra DVD, and put that one in my safe deposit box, along with documentation.
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There are so many individuals for me to begin remembering tonight, the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom Hashoah. From family members who perished, to those whose memoirs I have read, and individuals in the films I have seen, etc., I remember them daily. Tonight there will be added remembrance through lighting a Yahrzeit candle, reciting prayers, contemplating, etc.
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Let us never forget.
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© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Monday April 20, 2009 – 26th Nisan, 5769

There is some exciting news at the National Yiddish Book Center: “The National Yiddish Book Center is proud to offer online access to the full texts of nearly 11,000 out-of-print Yiddish titles.” Individuals can search for particular books by author, title, and even subject or by using a keyword. The books are free for browsing and reading, or for downloading, so why not sit, sip, peruse and enjoy.

There are several interesting upcoming events at the National Yiddish Book Center.

On March 1, 2009, the 150th birthday of Sholem Aleichem will be celebrated through conversation. Sholem Aleichem at 150: The Man Beyond the Myth and the Challenges of Biography.

On March 8, 2009 Betty Klein will sing traditional Yiddish songs.

On March 21, 2009 there will be a “Special Boston Event: The Three Yiddish Divas will perform.

On March 29, 2009, there will be a discussion and showing of the film “The Fixer”.

To see all of the March 2009 events, visit the National Yiddish Book Center Calendar.

Shabbat Shalom!
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Friday February 27, 2009 – 3rd of Adar, 5769

I love hay bales and how they look on the landscape. They always seem to bring a sense of serenity to my eyes, no matter the season. The evoke nostalgia within me, and remind me of my youth on Long Island, where there were farms, woods, fields and meadows surrounding my home.

The hay bales in the photograph above are located on a farm not too far from my house. The scene was captured after a winter snow dusting. I liked the way the bales looked within the surrounding, wooded environment.

In fact, at first glance, while driving past the farm, the lined up hay bales reminded me of one of my favorite cereals…”Frosted Mini Wheats“. ®, TM, © 2008 Kellogg NA Co. Okay, okay, you had to have been there!
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In other musings…Kate Winslet won the Oscar in the Best Actress Category. Her performance in The Reader was nothing short of spectacular, and she carried the entire film. I thought the award was more than well-deserved.
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Speaking of muses, America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama, has a fashion muse in Israeli-born Ikram Goldman.
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“Spielzeugland/Toyland” won an Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category. I haven’t seen this film, but from what I have read, it seems quite compelling.
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Monday February 23, 2009 – 29th of Sh’vat, 5769

I want to thank everybody for their kind words, thoughts, wishes and prayers. I am still dealing with pleurisy, but am getting there, slowly but surely. It has been painful and the medications have knocked me out. I have read a lot, and watched a couple of made for TV films. One of them was a TV special called Loving Leah. Have any of you seen it? If so, what were your thoughts on it?

The film revolves around Jake Lever and his deceased brother’s wife, Leah.

To quote a paragraph from CBS Entertainment Releases: “Already ill-at-ease in Benjamin’s world, Jake is shocked when he is asked to honor an ancient Levirate marriage law. As a single man, he’s expected to marry the childless Leah to carry on Benjamin’s name…or else deny his brother’s existence in a ceremony that will release them from this generally un-enforced Jewish law.”

In my opinion, the story line was unrealistic, simplistic, predictable, yet I did like certain aspects of the movie, but overall found it lacking in character depth and lacking in a realistic portrayal of the events the movie depicted. It is a sweet film, but, in my opinion, sweet was overriding and undermining, creating more of a fable, than a story to be taken seriously. I did enjoy watching the relationship between Leah and Jake develop (if you can call it that), but felt that faced with the situation at hand, they were superficial, and they didn’t interact in a manner befitting a believable experience for either of them. That is all I will say on it. To find out more, visit here.
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I read S.Y. Agnon’s collection of short stories entitled, A Book That Was Lost: Thirty Five Stories. I had high expectations, and was not disappointed in the least. There are several sections in the book, and within each section are varied short stories.

Agnon is frank, and writes with vision and clarity. When the reader peruses his stories, they are taken on a journey through time and place, transported by the intensity and clarity of Agnon’s prose. They often find themselves riding a wave of emotions as Agnon weaves a web of despair, joy, and the stresses of tradition, within his visions of life as he sees it. Agnon carries tradition’s weight, with each chapter of each story on his journey towards his own identity, and also a journey detailing the history of Eastern European Jews, Polish Jews in particular.

My favorite story was “The Kerchief”. It is poignant and inspiring, a beautiful story that encompasses Jewish tradition and human kindness. I enjoyed reading all of the stories, but this one in particular spoke to me. “Two Pairs” is another favorite out of the collection, demonstrating how “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away“.

S.Y. Agnon is known for his writing on historical and political subjects, his writing on Eastern European Jewish culture in Israel, and on Hassidic mysticism, but also known for his writing of familial dynamics. To have a compilation of these stories in one volume is an invaluable addition to my book collection. His style is brilliant, magical, and the messages he brings forth in his fables and stories are insightful, simplistic and intense, simultaneously. I highly recommend A Book That Was Lost: Thirty Five Stories.

This reader is glad she found the “book that was lost“.

This book is the third book (out of four of my choosing from my list), that I have read and reviewed for the Jewish Literary Challenge 2009.
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.