a balloontwister’s aliya saga

Had a busy morning and afternoon.

I went to the Jewish Heritage Museum and the Babe Ruth birthplace and museum. Both in Downtown baltimore. It was pretty interesting. At the Jewish Museum they had an exhibit that showed Jewish Summer camps and the importance of it. They had a display of camp caps and shirts going back 100 years… in the box was a Camp Dina cap, Camp Dora Golding for Girls. Pretty exciting. It showed grossingers pictures, the concord, Summers at miami beach, atlantic city. It was a fundraising event so admission was free for me, even though I clearly did not look like I was a fine shmecker. Everyone had nice clothes on. I had shorts, sandals, pirates cap. Covered with sweat from biking dwn from the light rail. I actually got into a conversation with an older gentleman and his wife, turns out I know their great nephew in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Yehuda Goldreich. This fellow was collecting for magen david Adom.. so I guess it wasn’t free after all.

The babe ruth museum was interesting. Some movies, artifacts, the room where he was born. NOthing too exciting, but if you are in the area and like baseball, its k’dai to see an O’s game and see the museum. The only problem with seeing an Orioles game, is that one of the teams playing is going to be the Orioles. With the three weeks and not being allowed to listen to music I have to hear about how inept they are. Its going to be a long three weeks.

I took my bicycle which I bought and that fixed up last week and brought it on the light rail and did my thing. BOth museums are a mile from each other so.. what the heck. Passed by Camden Yards were the Orioles play and saw the inner harbor. ALot of tourists millling around. Convention center, aquarium, boats…. other stuff….. Several sites to see in Downtown baltimore. Not too far from patterson park where I play softball. Its not that far from the jewish area and the light rail is only $1.60 each way.

I got back to my office to do some work and see the news coming from Israel. While I was sitting here my phone rings and Leslie Palma from the Staten Island Advance wants a few words from me about the goings on in Israel so pick up an Advance and let me know if there is anything from Leslie. I told her how strange and frightening it is to hear how far the missles are landing. I just heard that Northen Tel Aviv is now receiving warning. If Tel Aviv does get hit, G-d forbid I feel a major turn will take place in the hearts of liberal or moderate Israelis. They will no longer be able to claim that only the fanatical settlers are getting hit so its no big deal. I’ve already seen quotes from politicians that are already turning on olmert and will not back him from another disengagement. I also fear that if Israel does not clean up Hezbolla Northern Israel will NEVER be the same. When I was north Pessach time, I didnt give it a second thought. Not sure if we will ever have that feeling again. Similar to a post 9/11 world in manhattan taking a subway. And if WE are nervous, then the tourists will never come and the tourists that have been coming by the planeful will cease and lead to economic hard times. SO let’s hope and daven that this either ends quick or it ends decisively.

Well, I’m going to hit the Fitness center and then head to daven and say tehillim at the shul here.

Have a great day,

J

It is very difficult to enjoy shabbos..while in Eretz Yisroel people are living in fear. It hit me when I was davening friday night at shomrei Emunah at the late minyan. The shul is expanding, boruch H-shem so minyanim take place in the main shul and in a trailer in the back. The place was packed and I couldnt help but try to imagine how even though this was uncomfortable… it is still Much MUCH better than what people have to do in Israel. Especially in the nothern towns.

When I worked in Tel aviv months ago, I davening shachris in a bomb shelter that was turned into a shul. I also davened mincha in a different shelter that was near my job. Both shelters had in common several thing. You feel very crowded even though its not packed and you can’t help but think on how it must be if there WAS a bomb scare and you HAD to be trapped in there with dozens or hundreds of other families. We all make comments on how our flights sometimes haave screaming babies. Well, try to imagine, if you could 15 or 20 babies crying because there is no central air conditioning…maybe a few fans and a half working AC unit… and toddlers and kids going nuts because there is nothing to do in these cramped quarters. While there is a evening of tefilla sunday night in Baltimore… you don’t feel the same reaction to people here. In the US we are sad and can try to empathise but we don’t FEEL it. We can’t REALLY feel their pain.

For the first time in my life, a conversation that I had with a yeshiva guy in Ohr HAchaim made sense to me. At the first gulf war I recall a plane of YU guys were going to Israel to daven and show support for them. I couldn’t fathom why they would do this. Mind you that at this point I had never been to israel. Until today did I understand what it was. What it means to feel empty and helpless while our brothers and sisters in Israel are taking a pounding. If you truly believe that Israel is our home and we really should be there. Then we should be feeling the pain that Israelis are. Why aren’t we? Are we better than them because we can afford to fly or drive away or if we had to we could take a vacation and leave work. I remember having a similar feeling after 9/11. The feeling of helplessness did go away and while we can’t get it out of our minds completely, can you imagine feeling this every day. Just reading the quotes of tiberius residents made me shudder. “We now feel like the people of kiryat shemonah”

These people have nowhere to go. They aren’t living up north because this is their summer home. Their jobs are there and they can’t afford to leave. Can you imagine living in israel or anywhere and the constant threat of a rocket hitting your house or your kids school? MAny of us cringe when our kids ask us to cross a 2 way street… well… you’re only 9… maybe next year..etc. There is no defense for these rockets. The patriot missles are helpless to defend against the katushas. One landed near a shul. One in a restaurant that Thank G-d was closed today. This wasn’t in kiryat Shmoneh which is really close to the border. This is in Tiberius. where EVERYONE had gone touring. Will we go again? Would you bring your kids there next time knowing that the missles CAN reach there? WE can decide not to go. Israelis live there and cannot afford to just pack up and leave work for a week or so and head to Jerusalem to tour.

Hopefully with our tehillim H-shem will give koach to the soldiers and Israelis who our our korbonos in this terrible matzav.

It was an eventful shabbos as I ate with Yitzy Pretter at Dov Oken’s house Friday night. YItzy’s family was in Seattle so I tagged along with him friday night. I haven’t seen YItzy in a while but I really wanted to be able to say that I’ve seen 3 of the pretter boys over the past few months. Avi and Dovid in Israel and Yitzy in Baltimore. I can’t recall why that was important to me last week. Maybe it will come to me this week?….hmm… I actually did NOT wear a hat this shabbos. Not due to the incredible humidty. More about that later. But when I asked yitzy if I caould borrow his hat, It didn’t occur to me that my head (with my haircut) would be so much smaller than his. When I tried it on.. only my ears stopped in from hitting my shoulders. I fewlt like the kid who is a friend of Fat Albert who wears his hat over his head and has little holes for his eyes. Well, ein baya.

I can’t recall NY ever being this humid. At 12:30 walking back to my apartment it was still hot and steamy. In israel its hot but its not THIS bad. This morning after a 15 minute walk home from Shul I ate the seudah at My old friend Shloime Kreindler, from Queens. Its amazing what people remember about you after all these years. I walked in the door and his wife said that for the first time in 14 years of marriage, shloimie told her to make sure the cholent was fantastic because Yudie was coming. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m not much a cholent person anymore. So for the sake of shalom bayis I made my way through plates of it. Is actually was really good. It was good to see him and his family. Been many, many years since I’ve seen him.

Well, I’m going to call Penina and see how shes doing. Its about 7:30 am in ISrael.

HAve a good day,

j