Happy Birthday, The Mums

Dear The Mums,

It's a yucky day -- unseasonably warm and rainy -- in New York City so I hope there's good weather wherever you are and that you're enjoying your birthday.  If you see Larry Kaufman today, don't forget to wish him a happy birthday, too.  In addition to a love of Torah and the URJ, a November 17th birthday was something else the two of you shared.

There's lots to tell to bring you up to speed, so let's go.

Last night I had dinner with Karen and Phil Ott, who were visiting in New York for the weekend.  It was, as always, great to see them and, except for a few more gray hairs, they haven't changed at all!  Over dinner, Karen told me that you'd hung a bunch of different post cards over my crib, including Van Gogh's Starry Night.  She also told me that you often referred to me as Madame Nhu. Hmmm...based on what I read about her on Wikipedia, I can't quite figure that one out, but perhaps Daddy can shed some light on that particular nickname. 

Two weeks ago, I spent the day at Lafayette, where I was the November 6th speaker in the annual Madame de Lafayette series, which "seeks to recognize what it means to be a woman in the 21st century."  As I have done several times in the past, I spoke candidly about my BRCA journey, noting that had I heard a talk like my own when I was a student, the trajectory of our family's history had the potential to be different than it actually played out.  If my remarks help change the course of just one other family's history as it relates to hereditary cancer, you and I together will have added some good to the world.  (I'm not sure why the online publicity refers to me as Rev. Herman, but spending the day in Easton -- reconnecting with Bob and Sandy Weiner, meeting current students, many of whom are active in Hillel and/or members of Alpha Gam, and seeing Terry and Tom's Matthew, a Laf Coll freshman this year -- was, indeed, good for my soul!)

I'll have a chance to do more awareness raising about BRCA mutations at two upcoming events.  The first is  a Biennial learning session, where I'll be a panelist together with Rabbi Marci Zimmerman from Temple Israel in Minneapolis and Dr. Susan Domchek, Executive Director, Basser Research Center for BRCA.  In early February, I'm scheduled to speak at the Sisterhood Shabbat at Congregation Beth Or in Ambler, PA.  Terry's planning to come with me, and she and I are already planning to make a weekend of it!

As tough as the whole BRCA mutation journey has been, it is, at least, a harbinger -- something my friend Phyllis didn't have when leukemia struck her son, Sam.  He just turned eight and, despite a bone marrow transplant from SuperMensch at the end of August, the family's huge community learned this past week that the cancer has returned and, as she wrote on Sam's blog, "There is no cure.  There is no treatment."  The six of them -- Phyllis and Michael, Sammy and his sibs -- will be off to Israel shortly, where they'll be packing a lifetime of memories into the time they've got left.  We are so sad for all of them.  There are no words and, as I noted on Facebook yesterday, "Jacob isn't the only one wrestling with God this week."

I don't want to end on such a sad note so I'll tell you that Daddy and I are going to Detroit next weekend for Carolyn's bat mitzvah.  Amy and Ian, unfortunately, can't go, not only because of Amy's crazy travel schedule, but also because she recently signed a book deal (!) and her writer is going to be in New York at the same time she would be at the bat mitzvah.

One last thing:  It's certainly not a book deal, but I recently took on an interesting freelance project with the Mellon Foundation, thanks to my connection to Scott from New Hampshire, and I need to go do some work on it.  I'll write again soon.

Happy birthday, The Mums...miss you...xoxo,

~ Boo!

Birthday Blessings

Even though it’s Sunday, there were a few birthday cards in my mailbox when I checked this afternoon.  Yes, it’s true that I’ve been sick and the last time I dusted out the box was on the way back from the doctor’s office on Wednesday, but nonetheless, it’s always nice to receive personally addressed mail that isn’t a bill. (Of course, that's not to say that I don't love each and every one of the terrific Facebook birthday greetings that are making my inbox runneth over today.  Thanks, everyone!)

One in my snail mail box, though, was a beautifully handmade card (yes, that's it up there at the top of this post) wishing me life’s true gifts—good health, friendship and love.  Tucked inside was a small sheet of paper printed with this wonderful, take-it-to-heart message about the why’s and how’s of celebrating birthdays:

Celebrating Life

What is more joyous than birth—a new life coming into the world?  It’s an occasion for great celebration.  And each year, the day of your birth should be celebrated just as enthusiastically.  Others may notice or maybe not.  What does it matter?  You should be the primary celebrant.  After all, you’re the one who has done the work, met the challenges, made the changes, pulled yourself up, taken it on the chin, made peace, pushed open closed doors, taken responsibility, made your life work.  You—more than anyone else—have reason to celebrate another year of life!  So don’t hold back!  Laugh until your belly hurts.  Hug you loved ones until they squeal!  Jump up and down!  Give yourself a well-deserved hoorah!  Pat yourself on the back.  Then take a deep breath and look to the year ahead with joy and excitement.  You’ve earned it!

Words to share.

Words to remember. 

Words to live by.

Thirteen Things I Love About Israel: Reflections on Yom Ha’atzmaut

On this Yom Ha’atzmaut, inspired by fellow bloggers Ima on (and off) the Bima and Rabbi Paul Kipnes, I’ve compiled my own list of 13 things I love about Israel. Although I’ve been there only twice (both times within the last six years), and haven’t yet had the pleasure of a Dead Sea float, an Eilat mud bath or a sunrise hike to Masada, there’s still plenty I know and love:
1. The tarmac at the old Ben Gurion Airport: wet, oily, dirty, Israel!
2. Breakfast of briny olives, cucumber and tomato salad, thick yogurt, smoky cheese and crusty bread. Who needs Cheerios or Kix?!
3. The cool clear water of the Mediterranean. It’ll wash away whatever ails you.
4. Ben Yehuda Street. Thus far I’ve only had a chance to rush through right before Shabbat, as the shopkeepers were closing up, but someday (hopefully soon), I know I’ll stroll through leisurely on Motzei Shabbat.
5. Riding along the highway in a tour bus and feeling a chill with the sudden realization that I’m in Israel!
6. Waving to oh-so-many familiar faces during kabbalat Shabbat services at Kehilat Kol Haneshama.
7. Rolling a tiny note like a chiffonade before stuffing it into the ancient crevices in the Western Wall.
8. Standing at the Haas Promenade overlooking Jerusalem of Gold.
9. Israeli flags flying in crystalline skies.
10. The “only in Jerusalem” experience of bumping into people you know, but didn’t know would be there at the same time. (Yes, it happened to me the very first time I was there…and the second time, too!)
11. The peppery onion board sold by an unnamed bakery on Jaffa’s Razi'el Street.
12. The view from the patio of the King David Hotel.
13. The idea that my next visit isn’t too far in the future…and even if it is, I know that it’s definitely worth the wait.
Happy birthday, Israel….see you again soon!

Happy Birthday, Grandma

March 9^th is my grandmother's birthday. Even though she’s been gone for almost 19 years, this day never passes unnoticed by me. Earlier today, without realizing the irony until later, I quoted her while IM’ing from home with a colleague.

Colleague: "How’s home?"

Me: "OMG…some of the best writing gets done in sweats. As my grandmother always used to say, 'it’s a mechaiya'…not sure of the spelling on that, but you get the idea. :)"

Colleague: "Close enough."

Close enough, indeed, for the woman who, although she was born in 1896, had us all convinced that she was only as old as the century. In fact, she had four years on the century, but until Social Security told us otherwise, who knew?!

Close enough, indeed, for the brave young twenty-something who left home and country to make her way in the new world…learning English in night school and working as a milliner before marrying and raising two daughters during hard times.

Close enough, indeed, for the grandmother who, despite badly impaired vision, couldn’t cook enough for us…salmon croquettes, spaghetti and meatballs, rice fleish, stuffed cabbage, potato salad, latkes, almond crescent cookies, Jell-O with sliced bananas, and the ever popular New York toast, a favorite of my sister and me.

Close enough, indeed, for someone who saw Kaiser Wilhelm II ride into town on a white horse, remembered the sinking of the Titanic, watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon and still described air conditioning on a hot day as a mechaiya.

Close enough, indeed…

Happy birthday, Grandma!

Birthday Bowling...and Cupcakes to Spare

This is Ian, my nephew, in all his almost-seven-year-old glory. Next Friday, August 7th, he and a bunch of his friends will celebrate his seventh birthday (what my father always refers to as “the anniversary of his natal day”) at Bowlmor near Union Square, which is where he lives.

These are the cupcakes (what my father always refers to as “sweetmeats”) that my sister is planning to make to mark the occasion.

How cool is that?!

Stay tuned for photos of the treats straight from Amy’s kitchen!

Happy Birthday, Al!

Yup, lots of movers and shakers were born on this date: Abe Lincoln and Charles Darwin in 1809 and, in 1924, Al Vorspan, among others. (Judy Blume, Lorne Greene, Joe Garagiola and Arsenio Hall also happen to have been born on this date, but I'm not concerned with them at the moment.)

For those readers who may not know about Al, he is the founding director of the Reform Movement's Commission on Social Action, and its guru, bar none, on matters of civil rights and social justice. You can read about some of his adventures here.

Like Abe and Charles before him, Al helped to change the world as we know it and for that, and for so much more, we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

Happy birthday, Al…and many happy returns of the day!