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36 BALTIMORE’S JEWISH FAMILY MAGAZINE
IRENA’S CHILDREN
by Rabbi E. Oberstein Dear Readers,
Well, Yom Tov is over and Tishrei is fading away – those few weeks of the year when things get “seri-
46
THE GIFT OF LIFE ous” and we turn inward to stare into our internal mirrors, “warts and all.” Introspection intensifies the
rhythms of life. And introspection is useful because, as experience teaches us, you can’t neglect your car,
by Margie Pensak your health, or your soul. But introspection needs to be constructive; it needs to generate resolutions for
52 the coming year. We have to shed a few bad habits, and adopt a few good ones.
MARJORIE The question, of course, is how many resolutions will survive the Elul-Tishrei season? How many of
SHULBANK them will we take into the “real” year? Meaning months and months of lunches, carpools, tuition pay-
by C.B. Lieber ments, calls to-and-from the teachers, getting up in the pitch black to go to Shacharis, and actually paying
the pledges we made. You know, the stuff – and yes, the strains – of “normal” life.
62
A BOOK REVIEW Yet if we are honest, we will admit that those strains are not entirely unwelcome. The intense spirituality
of the Yom Tovim can be disconcerting, and many of us are glad to return to familiar and mundane tasks – as
by Ruby Katz well as to the multitude of diversions we use to distract ourselves.
64
One of these, of course, is the culture of frenzied materialism in which we live. Especially addicting is
TOOT-TOOT the digital world, which steals our family and social lives and replaces them with a vicarious life online –
by Eli Schlossberg not to mention the unprecedented negative influences of the internet. Yes, it would be far better if no one
used phones or the internet – happy are those not exposed – but is this the broad reality? Can we – ought
72 we – pretend that no one possesses such devices? Perhaps a reduction in the exposure to the online world
ASK THE was among our resolutions. If so, it was a worthy one.
SHADCHAN
by Mashe Katz But what to put in place of the digital universe? As we go to print, we notice that several articles in this
issue are about individuals who helped others. These are the people we admire and remember. Indeed, isn’t
76 this what we want people to remember about us after 120 years? Surely it is not how much money we
TREES made or how beautiful we were.
by Bluma Green
Our community is blessed with numerous organizations and gemachs that plug many holes and fill
80 many needs. The best part of these groups is that they bubbled up from the bottom. Imaginative and
THE SIDEWALK idealistic individuals identified a problem, conceived a solution, created an organization to implement the
LESS TRAVELED solution, and thereby improved the community. Everyone can participate in such praiseworthy endeavors.
by Eve Poupko Now that this year’s Yom Tovim are in the past, let’s remember the resolutions we made and the inspi-
82 ration we gained, and saturate our lives with devotion to our family and our community.
YOU GOTTA
HAVE HEART
by I. Kinek
90
RECIPES
by Bracha Shor
94 AD DEADLINE PUBLICATION DATE
SHIDDUCH
October 30, 2017 November 6, 2017
PROJECT November 13, 2017 November 20, 2017
by Devora Lifschitz
22 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
IRENA’S CHILDREN
by Rabbi E. Oberstein Dear Readers,
Well, Yom Tov is over and Tishrei is fading away – those few weeks of the year when things get “seri-
46
THE GIFT OF LIFE ous” and we turn inward to stare into our internal mirrors, “warts and all.” Introspection intensifies the
rhythms of life. And introspection is useful because, as experience teaches us, you can’t neglect your car,
by Margie Pensak your health, or your soul. But introspection needs to be constructive; it needs to generate resolutions for
52 the coming year. We have to shed a few bad habits, and adopt a few good ones.
MARJORIE The question, of course, is how many resolutions will survive the Elul-Tishrei season? How many of
SHULBANK them will we take into the “real” year? Meaning months and months of lunches, carpools, tuition pay-
by C.B. Lieber ments, calls to-and-from the teachers, getting up in the pitch black to go to Shacharis, and actually paying
the pledges we made. You know, the stuff – and yes, the strains – of “normal” life.
62
A BOOK REVIEW Yet if we are honest, we will admit that those strains are not entirely unwelcome. The intense spirituality
of the Yom Tovim can be disconcerting, and many of us are glad to return to familiar and mundane tasks – as
by Ruby Katz well as to the multitude of diversions we use to distract ourselves.
64
One of these, of course, is the culture of frenzied materialism in which we live. Especially addicting is
TOOT-TOOT the digital world, which steals our family and social lives and replaces them with a vicarious life online –
by Eli Schlossberg not to mention the unprecedented negative influences of the internet. Yes, it would be far better if no one
used phones or the internet – happy are those not exposed – but is this the broad reality? Can we – ought
72 we – pretend that no one possesses such devices? Perhaps a reduction in the exposure to the online world
ASK THE was among our resolutions. If so, it was a worthy one.
SHADCHAN
by Mashe Katz But what to put in place of the digital universe? As we go to print, we notice that several articles in this
issue are about individuals who helped others. These are the people we admire and remember. Indeed, isn’t
76 this what we want people to remember about us after 120 years? Surely it is not how much money we
TREES made or how beautiful we were.
by Bluma Green
Our community is blessed with numerous organizations and gemachs that plug many holes and fill
80 many needs. The best part of these groups is that they bubbled up from the bottom. Imaginative and
THE SIDEWALK idealistic individuals identified a problem, conceived a solution, created an organization to implement the
LESS TRAVELED solution, and thereby improved the community. Everyone can participate in such praiseworthy endeavors.
by Eve Poupko Now that this year’s Yom Tovim are in the past, let’s remember the resolutions we made and the inspi-
82 ration we gained, and saturate our lives with devotion to our family and our community.
YOU GOTTA
HAVE HEART
by I. Kinek
90
RECIPES
by Bracha Shor
94 AD DEADLINE PUBLICATION DATE
SHIDDUCH
October 30, 2017 November 6, 2017
PROJECT November 13, 2017 November 20, 2017
by Devora Lifschitz
22 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
