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Shalom, chaveirim - hello, friends -
I want to drop a column that is far more cultural than my 'usual' fare. What, you thought I spent all my time listening to the news and matters related to Israel? Well. I do ... but when I don't, I explore ... well, more things Jewish - though not always. I did go to an outstanding brewery a couple of weeks ago.
Bernstein on the Brain
Over Shabbat and the weekend, maybe you'll have a bissel of time for a shluff. When Shabbes ends, you could put on Netflix and enjoy a nice show - I hear Maestro is interesting - though not without its critics. I'm hoping to watch this weekend and would love nothing more than to discuss it with you! Speaking of Lenny (Bernstein) ... you will not want to miss a wonderful episode of The Bowery Boys, which is one of my favorite podcasts. As a lover of New York, The Bowery Boys is a delight to explore the intricacies of "The City." In their end of year episode, they discuss Leonard Bernstein and their website has a host of wonderful pictures and links. Treat yourself to "Leonard Bernstein's New York, New York." His story is a remarkable Jewish story.
Take some time for Yiddish
As for my dropping of the little bits of Yiddish I know ... if you have a minute to take a drive ... you might enjoy a run to the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. This past fall, they opened a new permanent exhibit, Yiddish: A Global Culture, which I enjoyed greatly.
The Yiddish Book Center is a fascination in its own right - as it is a collection of over a million Yiddish resources - which "recovers, preserves, teaches, and celebrates Yiddish literature and culture to advance a fuller understanding of Jewish history and identity." For so many of us, Yiddish is the language of yesteryear and had we been alive 100 years ago, I imagine that most of our families spoke that remarkable language written with Hebrew characters yet made up of German, sprinkled with Russian, Czech, Polish, English and of course ... lots of Hebrew. Language tells the story of its speakers and Yiddish is no exception. In fact, its speakers led exceptional lives in many ways - influenced by and had an influence upon the world around them.
With all that is going on in our world right now, taking some time to enjoy the treasures that are a part of our Jewish people feels just about right, too. It's a great luxury - and whether it's an art or history exhibit, a show (if you have a chance - do not miss Harmony), a book suggestion from the Jewish Book Council, or a niggun for Shabbat ...
Gut shabbes! L'shalom,
Rabbi Mark Cohn
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