Is this "Punny"...or Does it Suck?

Although I’m certainly not ready to pick up my tuba and go marching in The Schmuck Parade anytime soon, I recently was inspired (OK, maybe I was just seeking an escape from “sad”) by two friends’ Facebook exchange to draft this personal ad:

Are you dating in a vacuum?!

Youthful 40-something DJF with a wide, varied and growing circle of family, friends and interests seeks S/DJM for a “meet and greet” that doesn't suck as much as a Bissell. If we’re lucky, intellectual, emotional and physical sparks (but no dust, dirt or dander) will fly and we’ll get swept up in a meaningful long-term relationship that's built slowly on trust, shared values, honesty and a gut reaction that "this is a good thing."

Desire quiet, upright, bagless (relatively little baggage) and age-appropriate Jewish guy (45-55) with attachments to family, friends and other things money can't buy. Bonus points if you know a bisel from a Hoover and retain ties to your religious upbringing that you'd be willing to share if, in fact, we find we're bashert.

To describe the exceedingly small number of replies as “dismal” would be an understatement…especially this one, which--perhaps inspired by this week’s celebration of Tu B’Av?--appears to be a particularly bad fit:

Hi:
I saw your CL post. I am on my way to work. So I will be brief.
Here is my info:
55
5'6

220

divorced dad of 5 kids (2 are married and living far away) - at home - 19b 16b 15g - 24x7

orthodox - shabbos - minyan 3x/day (usually)

mostly right wing with some deviations into the left

live in Brooklyn

Am I eligible?

What, pray tell, on God's green earth makes this guy think he's "eligible?!?" I responded with this:

Thanks, but no...you're not eligible. I'm a liberal Reform Jew and although I attend a Shabbat minyan, the chasm is just too wide.

Thanks for being in touch...good luck to you.

To which he responded:

Good Luck to You.

If you chance across an orthodox woman, mention me. Thanks.

Sure. Will do, buddy…

Trekking Up the River: The Next Step

Photo by Naomi Abelson

In one of the papers I wrote last semester for my Public and Non-Profit Management course, a requirement in the MPA curriculum at Baruch, I was asked to answer this question:

What are your ultimate career goals?

Part of my make-it-up-as-you-go-along answer read as follows:

As a veteran of 20+ years of professional life in the non-profit sector (more than half of which has been spent in Jewish organizations), I am at the midpoint in my career. In the remaining years, it is my goal to transition from the administrative side of the non-profit world (with its focus on human resources, fund raising, finance, communications, lay and professional relations, and governance) to a position rooted in the pursuit of justice, an overriding mandate within Jewish tradition. Whether its focus is social, economic or environmental justice, it is my hope to find a meaningful and appropriate position at the intersection of religious life and public policy from where I will be able to devote my skills, talents, energy and experience to promoting and strengthening the presence of justice within institutions and among individuals for whom it currently is lacking.

Yesterday, I got a firsthand feel for what all those words really mean, and wrote about it here.

With refreshed awareness of the complex issues and challenges that poverty, homelessness and economic injustice present, I am more motivated than ever to move forward in my graduate studies. With parchment in hand, I hope to walk off the stage and keep trekking up the river.

Hello, Shabbat!

Last week at this time, a friend posted this message on Facebook:  "Hayom yom shishi!  Machar Shabbat!" which means:  "Today is Friday (the sixth day)!  Tomorrow is Shabbat!"

Indeed, tomorrow is Shabbat, and I am ready.

Shabbat shalom!

So I Guess I'll Have to Do It While I'm Here: Komen Race for the Cure

Among the most fundamental values in Jewish tradition are good deeds and acts of loving kindness.

Lyrics in Phil Ochs’ ballad, “When I’m Gone,” reflect this central concept well. He tells us:

Won't be asked to do my share when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And a few stanzas later, this:

Can't add my name into the fight while I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And so it is that I will be walking in this year’s New York City Komen Race for the Cure in Central Park on Sunday, September, 12.

In doing so, I will support Komen for the Cure, which funds national peer-reviewed breast cancer research, breast health screenings and treatment services, and educational programming for a disease that in 2008—the same year that my mom was diagnosed–took the lives of more than 40,000 individuals. I’m also doing this because I believe it is a most fitting way to honor my mother's memory and her exceedingly well lived life.

For these reasons and so many others, I’d be grateful for your support.

The easiest and fastest way to donate is online here.

If you’d prefer to donate by check:

1. Make your check payable to: Komen Greater NYC
2. Write my name in the memo line.
3. Mail to: PO Box 9223, New York, NY 10087

Many thanks for helping me do this while I'm here!