PURELY COMMENTARY for openers
So Close, But …
W
hen we converse, we sometimes struggle to find the right word or phrase. This may lead to a misspoken word/phrase because of similarities in sound or a confusion in our minds. We are Sy Manello so close, but … Editorial There is a Assistant vast difference between a wise man (someone whose knowledge we respect) and a wise guy (someone who “acts up”). If you are a golfer, you can attempt a chip shot, but when you verbally attack a fellow player, that is a cheap shot. If you like remote spots and delight in heights, you may want to consider being a lighthouse keeper.
If you only dust when absolutely necessary, you are a light housekeeper. (What a difference a break makes!) Overdo being a yes man and you may be described as a bootlicker. Those who smuggled whiskey during Prohibition were bootleggers. If you enjoy eating in the outdoors, that is dining al
fresco. What you may be served is a pasta dish … alfredo. Another favorite food is spaghetti carbonara; however, a metal loop used for connections is a carabiner. Talking medical problems? You may have trouble with kidneys. Talking about children’s boo-boos? Those are kids’ knees.
Geographically, the area is Indochina. Your “good dishes” are indoor china. Many a child wishes to be a superhero. In a restaurant, you may be given a choice: soup or hero? In the olden days, cleaning was often done with a rush broom. Fungi are mushrooms. (Note: How do you tell the difference between mushrooms and poisonous toadstools? Eat one. If you awake the next day, it was a mushroom.) A youngster who eats all the Fruit Loops before his siblings get any is a cereal killer. The creepy guy who goes on a killing spree is a serial killer. Nowhere near the same! Now that you know what to listen for, I am sure you will be more careful with your choice of swords … er … words.
essay
Responding to the Moment
I
n the first week of June 2020, I was sitting in my basement on a Zoom call with a group of colleagues discussing what our communal response to the murder of George Floyd might look like. Organized by Sarah Allyn (then executive director of Rabbi Ari Repair the World Witkin Detroit), most people “in the room” were representing organizations and congregations that historically had been more active in the work of build-
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DECEMBER 2 • 2021
ing racial justice. This was, in many ways, new territory for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit where I serve as the director of leadership development. Looking around the Jewish world, I saw myself in good company. It felt like a new day of engagement and advocacy
as just about every organization, regardless of its mission or history, was launching some sort of statement, campaign or program to support Black community, Jews of color and BIPOC folks (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) more broadly. In the early days of last sum-
mer, it seemed as though a sort of kairos (critical) moment had emerged at the intersection of the killings of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery; the early months of the COVID pandemic and a growing incitement of political polarization sweeping the nation. As someone who has long worked to center the conversation about justice in mainstream Jewish institutions, this moment felt exciting. However, in the excitement there was a great question about just what we, as individuals and organizations, ought to do.
