The Charlotte Jewish News - October 2018 - Page 39
Orthodox Wedding
(Continued from page 38)
Israel must remain a fortress
that’s open to them.
By Israeli law, they are enti
tled to citizenship as my children
even if they weren’t Jewish. But
laws can be changed — and by
the same group of people who
are retroactively declaring people
non-Jewish.
Granted, these are pretty som
ber motives for getting hitched.
But after studying our ketubah
with our rabbi, I feel entitled to
some pessimism.
“It’s basically a prenup,” the
rabbi told me about the text writ
ten on parchment, which states
the man is responsible for the
woman’s well-being and speci
fies what alimony he’d pay her if
he divorces her. “Nobody likes a
prenup, so I don’t call it that. And
it contains some rosy talk about
the joys of marriage. But make
no mistake, this document is
about what happens if it all goes
wrong.”
Then there’s the fact that as
Jews, we’re told to remember the
destraction of the Temple in Jera-
salem when we wed. That’s why,
traditionally, Jewish men break a
glass under the huppah, or cano-
py-
Living as a Jew in Europe, a
graveyard for 6 million Holocaust
victims, destraction is never too
far from my mind.
Such pessimism also extends
to Israel, where despite phenom
enal successes and inspiring ex
pressions of unity, polarization
in society has joined neighborly
hostility as a major threat to a vi
able future in a homeland for all
Jews.
Still, I think of our Jewish wed
ding also as acknowledgment and
appreciation of the tremendous
privileges with which I’ve been
blessed and seek to preserve.
The first is living with the best
partner I could’ve hoped for. The
second is our children’s place in
the world’s only Jewish country.
In joy and in sorrow, in sickness
and in health, and hopefully long
after death does us part. ^
New Books
(Continuedfrom page 37)
Several scenes convey the young
Regina as a kind of Disney-like
Belle, greeting peddlers at the
market, and clutching a book,
daydreaming, as she crosses the
street.
The afterword tells of the trag
ic ending of Jonas’ life in 1944,
where she was killed in the Nazi
death camp at Auschwitz. It
would be nearly 30 years later
until another woman, the Amer
ican Sally Priesand, is ordained,
in the Reform movement. Today
there are nearly 1,000 women
rabbis around the world, among
them the book’s author, who
herself was a trailblazer as the
first woman to be ordained as a
rabbi in the Reconstractioitist
movement. Eisenberg Sasso also
is the award-wiiming author of
the best-selling children’s book
“God’s Paintbrush.”
A Moon for Moe and Mo
Jane Breskin Zalben; illustrat
ed by Mebrdokht Amini
Charlebridge; ages 3-7
In this gloriously illustrated,
uplifting story for these times,
two boys — one Jewish and one
Muslim — from Brooklyn’s Flat-
bush Avenue meet at a Middle
Eastern grocery shop. It’s a rare
year when Rosh Hashanah and
Ramadan coincide in the fall. As
their mothers shop, the boys ran
through the aisles, overflowing
with spices, fruits, olives, and
sugar-dusted candies, causing mi
nor mischief and striking up the
beginnings of a friendship. As
the endearing story mrfolds, the
friendship blossoms and inspires
their families to celebrate togeth
er.
Jane Breskin Zalben, an
award-wiiming author, adds to
her considerable collection of en
gaging stories that have enlivened
the Jewish holidays for a genera
tion of readers — “Beni’s Family
Treasury” and “Pearl’s Passover,”
among others. Mehrdokht Ami-
ni’s colorful collage illustrations
burst off the page and bring the
bustling neighborhood to life.
Back pages explain the holidays
and include recipes for each.
And There Was Evening and
There Was Morning
Harriet Cohen Helfand and El
ian Kahan Zager; illustrations
by Ellen Kahan Zager
Kar-Ben; ages 3-8
The story of Creation unfolds
in lyrical rhyming couplets in this
day-by-day biblical interpretation
that introduces young kids to the
Jewish origin story of how the
world came to be. On day one,
God brought light from darkness:
“Om beautiful world was under
way.”
In this retelling, God is referred
to in gender-neutral language.
Older kids will be engrossed with
Kahan Zager’s detailed illus
trations, which are drawn using
Hebrew letters and words. The
back page is a simple illustrated
dictionary of Hebrew and English
words.
The Creation Book
Chani Gansburg; illustrated by
Dena Ackerman
Hachai Publishing; ages 2-6
Bold, bright illustrations will
dazzle young readers in this story
of Creation told in lively rhyming
couplets that evoke each day’s
creation. The double-page spread
for day five is a swirl of crea-
tmes from the oceans and sky:
“Fins and scales. Flapping tails. A
school of fish. A pod of whales.”
Verse and art are well paired in
this story, which is geared to fam
ilies in the haredi Orthodox com
munity, using the word Hashem,
for God, with the He pronoun. ^
Saturday, OCT 13 @ 7:15pm Saturday, OCT 20 @ 7:15pi
Gorelick Hall at Shalom Park
Theatre for the Very Young
Thursday, Oct 4 • 10am • Friday, Oct 5 • 10am
Saturday, Oct 6 • 4pm • Sunday, Oct 7 • 10am
■pJe simfile story of a boat,
a cloud, the sun, and water.
Little peof^le and their loved
one exf^erience the story
together through their senses.
Designed for ages 0-3.
FallFlicks tickets: charlottejewishfilm.com Play Play! tickets: charlottejcc.org/culturalarts