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26 Iyar 5759, May 12, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family
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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