January 12, 2001
Shabbat Shalom everyone!
We're off to Las Vegas to meet my "Maid of Honor"Jonanne Shook Kleiman and her husband Joe. (My mom fixed them up!) We've been close friends since 7th grade!
Shabbat in Las Vegas????!!!!! It certainly should be interesting!
Watch for a PBS special,I think it's called "Conflict" If you watch carefully, it shows my little brother, Mickey, marching with Martin Luther King!!
Love,
Eemah
January 19, 2001
Shabbat Shalom!
Puleeeeeze keep those bios coming!
Remember to include the year you were in Madrichim(June of the eighth grade), where you are, what you are doing and your favorite Mad memory!
I'm planning to send the next newsletter next Shabbat.
It really is amazing to hear about you finding eachother through our e-mail list. Just to let you know, I have 2 lists. One is for madrichim 30 and under.....and the other is for 30 and over.......I couldn't fit all of you in one group...so if you are looking for someone in the other group please let me know.......
Have a wonderful Shabbat and a good week!
Love,
Eemah
I received the following from several people.......
Unlike today's vista of decrepit buildings, dilapidated housing and rusting
junked cars, the South Bronx in 1950 was the home of a large and thriving
community, one that was predominantly Jewish. Today a mere remnant of this
once vibrant community survives, but in the 1950's the Bronx offered
synagogues, Mikvas, kosher bakeries, and kosher butchers -- all the comforts
one would expect from an observant Orthodox Jewish community.
The baby boom of the post-war years happily resulted in many new young
parents. As a matter of course, the South Bronx had its own baby equipment
store. Sickser's was located on the corner of Westchester and Fox, and
specialized in "everything for the baby," as its slogan ran. The inventory
began with cribs, baby carriages, playpens, high chairs, "changing tables",
and toys. It went way beyond these to everything a baby could want or need.
Mr. Sickser, assisted by his son-in-law Lou Kirshner, ran a profitable
business out of the needs of the rapidly expanding child population. The
language of the store was primarily Yiddish, but Sickser's was a place where
not only Jewish families but also many non-Jewish ones could acquire the
necessary paraphernalia for their newly-arrived bundles of joy.
Business was particularly busy one spring day, so much so that Mr. Sickser
and
his son-in-law could not handle the unexpected throng of customers.
Desperate
for help, Mr. Sickser ran out of the store and stopped the first youth he
spotted on the street.
"Young man," he panted, "how would you like to make a little extra money? I
need some help in the store. You want to work a little?"
The tall, lanky African-American boy flashed a toothy smile back. "Yes, sir,
I'd like some work."
"Well then, let's get started." The boy followed his new employer into the
store.
Mr. Sickser was immediately impressed with the boy's good manners and
demeanor. As the days went by and he came again and again to lend his help,
Mr. Sickser and Lou both became increasingly impressed with the youth's
diligence, punctuality and readiness to learn. Eventually Mr. Sickser made
him
a regular employee at the store. It was gratifying to find an employee with
an
almost soldier-like willingness to perform even the most menial of tasks,
and
to perform them well.
>From the age of thirteen until his sophomore year in college, the young man
put in from twelve to fifteen hours a week, at 50 to 75 cents an hour.
Mostly,
he performed general labor: assembling merchandise, unloading trucks and
preparing items for shipments. He seemed, in his quiet way, to appreciate
not
only the steady employment but also the friendly atmosphere Mr. Sickser's
store offered. Mr. Sickser and Lou learned in time about their helper's
Jamaican origins, and he in turn picked up a good deal of Yiddish.
In time young Colin was able to converse fairly well with his employers, and
more importantly, with a number of the Jewish customers whose English was
not fluent.
At the age of seventeen, the young man, while still working part-time at
Sickser's, began his first semester at City College of New York. He fit in
just fine with his, for the most part Jewish, classmates -- hardly
surprising,
considering that he already knew their ways and their language. But the
heavy
studying in the engineering and later geology courses he chose proved quite
challenging. Colin would later recall that Sickser's offered the one stable
point in his life those days.
In 1993, in his position as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - two
years after he guided the American victory over Iraq in the Gulf War - Colin
Powell visited the Holy Land. Upon meeting Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak
Shamir in Jerusalem, he greeted the Israeli with the words "Men kent reden
Yiddish" (We can speak Yiddish). As Shamir, stunned, tried to pull himself
together, the current Secretary of State-designate continued chatting in his
second-favorite language. He had never forgotten his early days in the
Bronx.
[Zev Roth is an author living in Israel.
The above is excerpted from his book
"The Monsey-Kiryat Sefer Express:
True Tales from Two Cities"
(Targum Press, 200)]
January 26, 2001
Hi and Shabbat Shalom!
Lani and Erin are coming in to town tonight!!
I'm busy cooking and baking up a storm....(frightening huh??!!) We're really looking forward to their visit!!
Let's see....Just a quick catch up with the Schlafpeople.......We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with Lani, Erin,Daniel, Jill and Sydney! Lani and Erin had a yumbo Thanksgiving feast and we met Erin's parents who are lovely!! Anyhoooo....Erin's folks offered us a week of their vacation ownership that they couldn't use soooooo David and I threw together some air miles and spent a week in Cancun!! T'was so fun to snorkel, bask in the sun on white powder beaches and especially to visit the Mayan ruins! When we returned, Dan Jill and Sydney, Tallulah and Maddie(the giant schnauzer granddogs) were here! We had such a nice visit over winter break! Sydney is just tooooooo adorable for words.......!! They left the first week in January and then David and I met my "Maid of Honor" Joanne and her husband and son in Las Vegas.......We had such a good visit.....Las Vegas is surreal....definitely a Disneyland for adults.....
So now here we are back home!
Puleeze keep those bios and e-mails coming!
I love hearing from you!
Enjoy the latest ones.......and if you'd like some of the earlier batch please let me know and I'll send 'em along!
Mucho Love,
Eemah
As always, thanks for your help. The Scale Model of the Solar System
"VOYGER" is on target for completion and dedication sometime in October.
Hope you will join us," On The Mall" in Washington, DC.
>Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 17:15:08 -0700
>From: "Jeff Bennett" <jbennett@casa.colorado.edu>
>To: jbennett@casa.colorado.edu
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>X-Sender: lbennett1@pop.dnvr.uswest.net
>Subject: Upcoming talks in Palo Alto and San Franciso
>
>>I will be giving a slide show and talk related to my new book in both Palo
>Alto (Stanford book store) and San Francisco (Morrison Planetarium; I
>e-mailed some of you about this one previously). Details below; thanks so
>much for helping to spread the word!
>
>SF BAY AREA TALK/SLIDE SHOWS BY JEFF BENNETT
> ON THE COSMIC HORIZON
> http://casa.colorado.edu/~jbennett)
>
>PALO ALTO:
> Monday, January 29th
> 7:00pm-8:00pm
> Stanford Bookstore Palo Alto
> 135 University Ave.
> Palo Alto, CA 94301
>
>SAN FRANCISCO:
> Tuesday, Jan. 30, 7:30 pm
> Morrison Planetarium (Golden Gate Park)
> Planetarium phone number: 415-750-7127
>
>Thanks again for your help. Let me know if you have questions.
>
>Jeff
>
>PS. Please also watch for my appearance on the PBS show "Between the Lines"
>(with Barry Kibrick), which should be airing sometime in the next month or
>two.
>
>PPS. I will also be talking in Salt Lake City on Feb. 9; if you know anyone
>in the area who might be intersted, please let me know and I'll send you
>details of time and place...
>
>##################################################
>Jeff Bennett
>jbennett@casa.colorado.edu
>http://casa.colorado.edu/~jbennett
>##################################################
>
Eema et al:
I am so sad to be on the 30+ Madrichim list. June of 8th grade? I think
that was 1981. I'm so used to shaving off a couple of years in Hollywood
that I forget exactly what year is correct.
Put it this way, while Hall and Oates were singing "Kiss is on my List," I
was wearing Sassoon jeans and running back home after Hebrew school to enjoy
a bowl of Cookie Crisp cereal while watching Prince Charles marry that
ill-fated innocent Lady Diana Spencer on TV.
Currently, I'm a writer/producer on Fox's animated show , "Family Guy." I
also just sold a screenplay to USA Films (they did Traffic and Being John
Malkovitch.) Mine won't be as good as either of those two.
I've quasi-recently separated from my longtime partner, Alison (let the
narcissism jokes begin.) I don't think her Hebrew name is the same as mine,
but with my luck -- we were probably a two Aliza family too. I don't know
what the hell's gonna happen. But, something. Maybe. I dunno. Well,
we'll see. I'll keep you posted.
-- Allison Adler '81 (But if anyone from Hollywood asks, it's '84)
Hi Eemah,
I thanks for the updates-they're great! For a quick overview of the past few
years, I have been missing the San Diego beaches like mad while I spend my
time enjoying the perks of UC Berkeley. Actually, it was quite funny when
the first icebreaker I participated in my frieshman year at the dorms, I met
a camp friend of my mad classmate, Sam Hanig. It's been great getting to hear
where people are and how htey are doing, so thanks again for all the updates!
Take care,
Tami Harrison
Eemah:
What a surprise to get your email. I was just in San Diego this past weekend and my mom showed me the great picture of our class (I think we were in 4th grade at the time).
I am doing well. I live in the bay area and am finishing up my last year of medical school. I am applying for residencies in Internal Medicine, but I have really narrowed my scope at this time, so we will see if I over-estimated myself or not.
I graduate in May and two weeks later, I am getting married!! My fiance's name is Ilona (like "I-loan-a pencil to you..."). We have been together for a very long time and are really excited for our future.
Jamie is also well. She lives in Santa Monica with her husband and new baby (Jack Marcus Masson). Super cute! She is doing a fellowship in critical care medicine, but probably wishes she could play with the baby all day long. Her email is masson@ucla.edu (I think).
I hang out with Drue Polakoff fairly regularly. I don't have her email, but I will try to get it from her.
So that's the Cliff's Notes version of my life. I hope you are well and thanks again for getting in touch with me.
-Jeremy
Goldfarb
-Hi Eemah!
Great to hear from you. I am currently at Columbia Business School in NYC, with Lori Ginsburg as a matter of fact! Things are going great, and I just got married Jan 6! We just returned from our honeymoon, which was absolutely wonderful.
Am so excited that you have put together this network!
Hope all is well.
Molly Goldstone
This is so great!! I am so glad you are doing this, it's so much fun to see what everyone is up to, and to connect with old friends!
I will give you a brief synopsis of my life since college!
Graduated from UCSB, moved to Boston to go to grad school at BU, and got a masters in Social Work. Lived in Boston for 4 years and then moved to the DC area to work for a program run by the Children's Defense Fund. I spent my career doing psychotherapy with violent inner city teenagers from Boston, DC and Atlanta, who were in long term residential care (very stressful!) ..........met my husband Michael who is from Potomac, MD and we moved to Atlanta in 1995 so he could get his MBA at Emory. We married in 1997 and we have a son named Matthew who turned 1 on Christmas Day (nice birthday!!). I am a stay home mom, and I love it! Mike is in management at the corporate offices of Home Depot here in Atlanta! I still stay in touch with quite a few people, and hopefully more with your new network!!
I am actually trying to remember what year I was in Mad, I think it must have been 1979 or 80!
Hope your family is well, and I look forward to staying in touch!!
Much love,
Jill Witte Cayelli
Hey Eemah, long time no talk .
I graduated from michigan about two years ago. I moved
to Taos, NM to build environmentally sustainable
homes. Then I moved to LA to do a couple forestry
internships. Then I led outdoor trips in Colorado for
a jewish camp in St. Louis. I just completed an
internship in Berkeley Ca with a software and
consulting firm for resource efficiency. My sister
just got married. It was amazing, one of the funnest
weeks of my life. Now im back in LA looking for a job.
Great to hear from you . Keep in touch,
Andrew Goldstone
