|
April's
Musings
Count our Jewish Blessings!
December 2006
By the time this column is published Hanukah will be finishing
up, and Christmas will be on its heels. Before the National
Vacation—Christmas—I'd like to reflect a little on
the meaning of Hanukah for me. The lighting of the eight candled
Menorah is symbolic of the triumph of light over darkness, of
good over evil. The lighting of the Menorah represents the eight
days a small amount of oil burned and gave the Maccabees, victorious
in preserving their holy place and moral beliefs, a miraculous
eight days of holy light. It was a triumph of good over evil
and light over darkness.
I think this is the right time of year to count some of our
Jewish Blessings! And I can think of some big ones...
Where would the western world be without Jewish Philanthropy?
Where would our institutions be without the charitable contributions
of the Jewish culture?
How many libraries would not have been built?
How many hospitals would not exist?
How many studies would not have been undertaken?
How many elder care facilities would never have been started?
How many patients not served?
When there is need the Jewish Community is the forefront, anticipating
and responding with institutions that form the very core of
our lives. How many theatres, cultural centers, museums and
art programs would never have breathed? Where would we be without
Jewish Creativity? What no Bob Dylan? What no Barbara Streisand?
How many first nights would never have opened? How many plays
would never have been written? Where would we be without Arthur
Miller, and Neil Simon and Carl Reiner? How many movies would
not have been made? How many galleries never supported? What—no
Guggenheim? How many books unwritten? What—no Leon Uris,
or JD Salinger or Elie Wiesel? How many actors not seen? When
there is art, the Jewish community is in attendance, enjoying,
participating and giving. Where would we be without Jewish Business?
No Leslie Wexner? No Levi Strauss? No Barbie Doll?
And Jewish Design—especially in the garment industry? What—no
Marc Jacobs, no Ralph Lauren, no Calvin Klein, no Hinda Miller?
It's almost no clothes!
Where would we be without Jews in Academia? How many colleges
would never have been built?
How much research not pursued? How many scholarships denied?
And most importantly, how many questions not asked? And how
many doctors and scientists we would be missing! When we experience
academia the intellectual and questioning mind nurtured by the
Jewish culture is integral to our experience.
And what about laughter? Where would we be without Jewish Wit?
Where would we be without the slapstick fun of the Three Stooges,
gone more sophisticated with Mel Brooks, or the story telling
humor of Billy Crystal and Jerry Seinfeld? What about the simultaneously
raucous and sensitive Bette Midler, the hilarious Gilda Radnor
and irritatingly funny intellectual Woody Allen?
Our TV shows would lose essential crazy humor, our comedy nights
would pale, our ability to laugh at ourselves, fall over ourselves
and see the absurd and carry on would be less.
So I say we should count our blessings today, our Jewish blessings.
And I will start my counting with a bagel and cream cheese!
As my friend says.
Om Shalom
April Cornell
Montreal
|
