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Dear Diary - Part One
by Rabbi P. Kantrowitz
Most of us live, boruch Hashem, in a very insular
community, and tend to forget there's a world Out There.
Which is fine, except for the occasional encounters we have
with people from the other side of the Looking Glass who just
happen to be our blood brothers, eager for some kind of
contact with Real Genuine Yiddishkeit. You may be asked to
host them at your Shabbos table, so we thought it might be
insightful, if not downright entertaining (even moreso if it
didn't hurt so much, here and there) to see how the other
side thinks and looks - at us black-hatters'. So here is
the first installment of "Dear Diary", which is really a
continuation of the introductory piece we featured two years
ago, "Cold Feet on a Hot Line", about Irwin, a student at a
baal tshuva yeshiva.
August 3
Wow! We made it! We're really here! It's a little hard to
believe that yesterday morning at 9:00 I sat down to write to
you in our comfy little study in Albany, New York, and this
morning, at 11:36 (first moment of piece and quiet I've had
since I sat down to write yesterday) I'm writing to you from
the top floor of the King David Hotel overlooking the Old
City Walls and downtown Jeru-salem! Wow!
The trip, itself! Oy, vey, what a trip! Maybe it was a
cheaper airliner, or something, because if felt like a roller
coaster. O.K. maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration; maybe it
was more like a carousel. But it was a ride, I tell you! But
that didn't stop most of the passengers from galavanting up
and down the aisles like it was a promenade. Actually, most
of the passengers looked more like stowaways to me. You're
going to accuse me of exaggeration, again, but I never saw
anything like this band of pirates. I didn't know there were
so many different kinds of rings. Not the kind you wear on
your finger, but everywhere else - earrings, I've seen. But
noserings? I thought only savages wore them. And tonguerings?
I even saw what looked like a chinring, if I was seeing
straight, which I'm not sure, anymore, as I had tears of
excitement in my eyes most of the time. It was a bit hard to
tell, but it looked like men were wearing them! Melvin
whispered to me that he thought we might be taking a plane to
Woodstock. I'm not sure where or what that is, but I was
afraid to ask him.
But there were ultra-orthodox as well. (What an appropriate
mix!) They were better looking, I must admit, yet still a bit
strange, in my opinion. At least they didn't have those rings
everywhere and you could tell the men from the women. But
kids, boy did they have kids! Everywhere, racing up and down
the aisles, seeming to enjoy the turbulence, pretending they
were surfing, even playing with the stewardess' carts when
they weren't looking.
One family, occupying the row in front of us - the entire row
- were a remarkable clan. The mother was busy with two
babies, twin infants, and various and sundry, about 7-8,
other offspring. The father who was studying the Bible or
some text, seemed to have some instinctive radar for fleeing
youth, and with octopuslike tentacles, managed to have them
all in their seats most of the time. It was really
surprising, and even a bit inspiring - but don't tell anyone
I said it, to see how they managed so nicely. Some of those
kids were really adorable.
But here we are in the Holy Land! Remarkable! Oh, Irwin! I
forgot to tell you about Irwin, the purpose of our trip. But
that will have to wait, as I must take a nap.
Lehitraot (see ya later) as they say here in
Israel.
All my love,
Gertrude
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