Return to homepage

Bookmark This Site
 
Search our site
EDITOR'S COMMENT.13 March 2011
 
Send this page to a friendIncrease Font
Page DownBottom

FacebookRedditDeliciousDigg
Share this page
 
The Tyrannical Oppression of Now.
 
Issue:
12.03
 
Important dates

Being Jewish Magazine


see a .pdf copy of the current issue

Features
An Open Letter from Abba to His Family

Enough With The Political Finger-Pointing!

Revisiting the Haggadah

Eddy's Recipe List
Victoria Sponge

Book Review
Unstrung Heroes

The Outspeaker
Encouraging violence is never correct

Batya
Good times and bad times with Batya

Nathan Weissler
What my friendship with Michael Hanna-Fein meant to me


Marjorie Wolfe
An Interview with Paul Reiser

BC's Backlot
The Last Shalom

This And That
My Treasure Chest

Three Symbols of Passover

Stress

Lynn Ruth Miller
How we all became part of a bigger story

Mel Yahre
A few words for my friend

Eddy's Thoughts
Don't let life flutter by

The Bear Facts
How I found Michael

 

After regular public school hours, like most young Jewish boys,  I attended Hebrew school. I have wonderful and vivid memories of the holidays and festivals they used to teach us about, and many of the lessons were re-enforced by events that gave our community special meaning. As the old line goes; they tried to kill us, we won, let's eat.

Of course that is meant to be humorous, but as with most jokes, it is not far from the truth. Jews have an almost magical way of dealing with serious adversity.  We confront challenges with fortitude and strength and a touch of irony and humor to keep us in balance.

As a young bukher, my favorite celebration was that of Purim. This is when Queen Esther and her cousin Mordekhai manoeuvred their way into the King's heart and turned him against the evil Haman, who had vowed that Persia would rid itself of Jews. At the time, King Achesvarous was married to Queen Vashti and when Vashti died, Esther seduced the king into marrying her, thus making her Queen. Ultimately she revealed herself to her new husband as  a Jew, and convinced him to end Haman's policy to exterminate the Jewish people. Haman's three cornered hat was the inspiration for a delicious fruit filled pastry which the Jewish community still bakes as a traditional Purim treat. I used to think of eating a hamantashen as biting off Haman's head in retribution.

Today that historic area of the world is once again in upheaval, but this time it is the "people" who are courageously laying down their lives in hopes of securing a fair and democratic government.  We can only hope for a rapid end of rule by oppressive despots. Many people have commented on how quickly this revolution is occurring, but when we think of the thousands of years the people have put up with one tyrant after another, speed is hardly the issue.

Now our friends, the Japanese people, are suffering a massive tragedy not from a despot; but from Mother Nature herself. Arnold and I feel personally touched by this situation as one of our dearest personal friends was born near the epicentre of the quake. She and her parents moved to Canada when she was a preschooler. Several years ago her parents moved back home to Japan while she remained in Montreal where she is the news anchor for the Canadian Television Network. Even with all the communication resources available to her, she was unable to contact her aged parents until very late Friday night. Thank G-D they are both safe and sound, but certainly very rattled by this unexpected devastation around them.

Please remember those innocent victims of nature's inexplicable activities and say a special prayer for them, and all the other heroes in our world today.

Once again, thank you for your calls, cards, emails and cash donations during my ongoing recovery. Arnold and I are deeply grateful to everyone in our Megillah Family.

Have a happy Purim and be sure to enjoy several bites off Haman's head.

Much love,
Michael

 

Our magazine

Michael answers almost all of them.

Join the Gantseh Megillah Facebook Group

Follow Michael's Tweets

Consult him about religious and spiritual issues

News article of interest to our community.

Oy!

Tshatshkes, shmates and other shlok for the discriminating shopper.

Interesting tidbits of jewishness

Tzedakeh

Have the Gantseh Megillah dropped directly into your e-mail box

Environmentally friendly Megillah bag

Audio and video Yiddishkayt

Buy him a Megillah shirt

See everything we have to offer

Shop Amazon.com

     
   
Advertisement

Page UpTop Small Monitor Subscribe Tzedakeh Links

Subscribe (free) to the Gantseh Megillah. The Gantseh Megillah and GantsehMegillah.com are designed and hosted by HannaVisioN About this site Send a financial contribution to this site Contact us See our glossary of Yiddish words and expressions Log In Join
Personal insights from two yiddishe meydls Life stories from the heart News and information with a lighter touch Politics and policy with a Yiddishe taam