I am really concerned about the articles the Journal News publish regarding events and happenings in the Monsey community. None of them make us look good. I think I could live with the offensive reporting (it's actually offensive material to begin with) but I am really disturbed by the hateful comments posted after every article in the on-line Journal News.

The commenters are certainly not the most erudite and sophisticated writers, but they probably represent the average citizen. And those citizens think we have no regard whatsoever for any laws. They think some of our customs are archaic and barbaric.


I can ramble on and on via blogging. But I don't write letters very well. It annoys me that local Rabbonim and Askanim who have good writing skills have not written to defend the beautiful and caring customs that we have in our lives.

But really, what WAS Bobov thinking?

Yummm, Fresh Steak

Bobov slaughtered a cow in their back yard yesterday.

Or so the Journal News reported today. Other reports seem to indicate that the cow was already dead, and some bochrim learning Shechita were "practicing". Though how a dead cow walked out of a van and remained standing and tied to a tree, I don't know.

Gives new meaning to the (I think silly) expression of "so fresh it's still moooving" (sorry, couldn't resist)



But I AM disturbed by the hateful comments of readers on the Journal News website following the article. This is why I think our Monsey community must think hard before doing anything that might break laws, besides the illegality of it, of course.

http://www.lohud.com/article/2009905050411

Community Ransom Notes

There are weekly booklets that are mailed or given out in stores with ads in them.

The ads look like ransom notes.

Every line is another font and font size.

Almost never consistent in genre.

I just lose sight of what the ad is, I am both distracted and fascinated by the many fonts.

And little bubbles and stars with information.

And let's not forget the angles of the sentences!

The center headline might be shadowed, arched, and rainbow colors, advertising, say, robes.

Underneath, in gothic style scripts, the brand names of the robes. None, I might add, are gothic style robes.

In a little bubble, comic sans for the store hours (location is rarely printed, only phone numbers).

and of course, at least one grammatical error, or even a spelling one, missed by a spell check because it is "their" for "there"

I don't know why I like living here, I get annoyed about something every day

Shake My Hand

So here is how the whole Black & White Ritual went down:


I brought them to the school. My son came downstairs, then came up to me and hissed,
" You were supposed to have them call me down on the loudspeaker!"
Me: Well, you're here now, so give them out!
Son: Now?? There is no one out in the halls! It's way too early! And you were supposed to have them call me out!
Me: Well, You're here now, so give them out!
Son: NOW??

You get the picture. We finally got past the fact that he missed the announcement part of this routine.

When he got home, he was still wearing his davening jacket. I asked him why he hadn't taken it off.
Me: You wore your jacket all day?
Tefillin Boy: Duh!! That's how everyone knows I put on the Tefillin!
Me: How'd the giving out of the Black & Whites go? What happens, you just hand them out, one at a time?
Tefillin Boy: No way! I don't give them out! That was Chaim's job!
Me: Woah! Aren't they yours to give out?
Horrified Tefillin Boy: I need to keep my hands free to shake! People shake my hand and say Mazel Tov!
Me: Ah. So If you were walking around accepting congratulations, and Chaim gave out the danishes, then what was Yehuda doing?
Tefillin Boy: His job was to keep away people who don't get a B & W, like kids who don't really know me.
Me: the bouncer!

Of course I made him thoroughly wash his hands after all that handshaking. He went to every rebbi he had from Pre 1-A up to this year. And the principals.

He had his moment in the sun, his hour of glory.

What a great tradition!