Matzoh Ball Soup: A Collection of Personal Stories, Poems, and Rabbinical Sermons to Inspire the Jewish Spirit

By Joshua Kramer and Oliver Kramer

Matzoh Ball Soup is a distinctive collection of personal stories, poems, and rabbinical sermons that inspires the Jewish spirit. This collaboration of many impressive figures has resulted in a heartfelt and poignant anthology that is rich in both quality and content.

The selections in Matzoh Ball Soup have been collected as a way to help individuals understand many of life's important lessons through the Jewish perspective. The writings are divided into eight chapters that are based on identifiable Jewish topics such as Shabbat, Hanukkah, Family, High Holidays, and others. Individually, these stories evoke strong emotion; collectively, they maintain the common thread of an uplifting and positive spirit. These accounts speak to people of all ages, and allow the reader to gain a new understanding of Jewish heritage, culture and spirituality. Ultimately, Matzoh Ball Soup is about people living life, and enduring through all that life has to offer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 4, 2004
• ISBN: 9780595751907

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All Rights Reserved © 2001, 2004 by MBS Media Network, LLC

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Printed in the United States of America

For our grandparents,

Adeline and Harold Kramer

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank many people for their support and contribution to the process of putting together this book. First and foremost, to our grandmother, Adeline Kramer—we hope that reading this tribute gives you as much pleasure as it gave us in creating it. We would also like to thank all of our friends and family for their enthusiasm and encouragement throughout the past two years.

In making this book, we are grateful to a number of individuals whose commitment, talent, and expertise has been invaluable. We begin by thanking Stuart Berkson and Michelle Burke of McDermott, Will & Emery in Chicago, Illinois for all of their assistance. We are also very grateful for the financial advice provided by our friend Steven M. Goldberg, who was instrumental in this project coming to fruition. As well, Peter Ginsberg and Mitchell Waters of Curtis Brown have been particularly generous in sharing their expertise and insight into the publishing industry. We also wish to thank Phillip Ratner, international artist, for his contribution toward this effort, as well as Beryle Jung of Kosherline.com for her wonderful work.

There has also been an extraordinary effort made by a respected colleague and friend, Joel Spencer of Littlemunk Media, Inc. Joel has gone above and beyond with respect to the development and growth of MatzohBallSoup.com, and has shown passion and support for this book. There are also two remarkable women who were among the first people to express confidence in our abilities and helped us stay on course throughout this experience. We are indebted to Elaine LeSter and Glenna Connelly for their optimism, support, and friendship. This book could not have been completed without them.

We would also like to thank the following people for their friendship, love, and support: Lisa Armand, Harold Bollaci, Eric and Leslie Getzinger, Jen and Bar Helzberg, Tiffany Hoyt, Edward Jacobs, Marion Jacobs, J. Michael Judin, Alexander and Lori Kramer, Allison Kramer, Arthur and Nancy Kramer, Frederick Kramer, Jonathan Kramer, Rabbi Avis Miller, Jacob Shakley, and Mark Shakley. And with loving memory to Delphine Shakley.

Finally, we would like to thank the following people for their individual contributions toward this project:

Rabbi Howard Addison, Alan Aufzein, Cantor Roslyn Barak, Rabbi Eliot Baskin, Rabbi Yisrael Brettler, Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor, Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Rabbi Michael Cahana, Abby Joseph Cohen, Cantor Aliza Cotton, Rabbi Robert Dobrusin, Rabbi Denise Eger, Kevin Howard Egnos, Rabbi Kenneth Emert, Alan Feinberg, Rabbi Joseph Forman, Cantor Steven Friedrich, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, Rabbi Aaron Gaber, Evan Gordon, Rabbi Stanley Halpern, Rabbi Joseph Herman, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Rabbi Steven Jacobs, Judith Jaegermann, Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, Rabbi Bonnie Koppell, Cantor Mitchell Kowitz, Claudia Badia Krys, Rabbi Mark Levin, Edward Levin, Ph.D., Rabbi Shalom Lewis, Sheri Lindner, Ph.D., Rabbi Norman Lipson, Loree Lipstein, Rabbi Allen Maller, Cantor Ilan Mamber, Bernard Marcus, Loren Marcus, Cantor Daniel Marmorstein, Rabbi Meyer May, Cantor Keith Miller, Robert Morgenthau, Robert Moskowitz, M.D., Joan Nathan, Robert Novak, Rabbi Norman Patz, Rabbi Paul Plotkin, Rabbi J. Leonard Romm, Susan Rose, Cantor Neil Schnitzer, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., Irving Smilack, Rabbi Marvin Sugarman, Steven Joel Trachtenberg, Ph.D., Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg, Warner Wolf, Rabbi Greg Wolfe, Rabbi Michael Zedek, and Rabbi Raymond Zwerin.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Chapter One Education

A Rendezvous with Destiny

Why Judaism?,

Huldah the Prophetess

An Eagle Has Two Wings,

Tzeh Ulmad: Go Out and Learn,

For University Presidents Who Happen to Be Jewish, The Position Is a Doorway to the Ages

Chapter Two Healing

A Prayer for Healing

My Accident

Ascent to Thou

Celebrate the Past and Touch the Future

Chapter Three High Holidays

Wounded Souls and the Building of a Community

Cantor’s Corner

A Bedtime Midrash for Yom Kippur

Chapter Four Hanukkah

Whatever Happened to Hanukkah Gelt?

Hanukkah is Vital

Sing and Rejoice

The Essence of Chanukah

Chapter Five Passover

Matzoh Ball Soup

Shabbat HaChodesh

Another Chance for Joy

Dining Out in Greensboro

Chapter Six Shabbat

A Home in the Country

Reflections on the Children on Shabbat

Shabbat Shirah

Volunteer Shabbat

Chapter Seven Holocaust

Through My Mother’s Eyes: Retelling the Story

My Day at a Concentration Camp

March of the Living

Coming to America

Chapter Eight Family

The Glow Shining Off of Me

The Silk Hat

Memoirs of My Bubbe

Letter to the Congregation

What Price Friendship?

Mother, Let Me Tell You about My Life

INTRODUCTION

This book was conceived as a tribute to our grandparents, who have played an important role in both of our lives. In the spring of 1999, my Cousin Oliver’s mother passed away following a long illness. One month later, our grandfather died at the age of ninety. Needless to say, it was a difficult time for our entire family. Throughout the summer, Oliver and I spoke more frequently than we had in the past and kept in touch on a regular basis. As the summer ended and the High Holidays were upon us, Oliver joined my family for Rosh Hashanah. We spent a few days together at my grandmother’s, who after sixty-six years of marriage, was now suddenly by herself.

When the weekend was over, Oliver returned to work. He phoned me after being back at his home for just two days to express how much he enjoyed spending time with everyone, after what had been a most difficult past few months. He also wanted to tell me about an idea he had. On his plane ride home, he explained that he wished he had a type of book that could shed some light on life’s moments, expressed through the Jewish perspective. But the book he desired wasn’t just about Judaism. It was about life, as well as issues related to many Jewish subjects. He said that he wanted to create such a book and dedicate it to our grandmother and late grandfather. He wanted the book to help people learn about others’ experiences and to ultimately make them feel better. The title was obvious to both of us—Matzoh Ball Soup.

And so the process began. We created an outline for the book and chapters that we thought it should consist of. We then made a list of potential contributors and went about requesting submissions from prominent and not-so-prominent Jewish people from around the world. Celebrities, rabbis, teachers, Holocaust survivors, and many others received our letter, which asked for a story on one of eight identifiable Jewish topics. Each person whom we spoke with and wrote to loved the idea. We heard from the offices of famous actors, politicians, and authors, all of whom wished us well, but unfortunately would be unable to contribute. Finally, we received our first submission, and then our second. Soon, over a series of months, we were receiving letters and submissions regularly. Simultaneously, we were in the process of building and launching our website, MatzohBallSoup.com, which would accompany and complement the spirit of our book. Amidst our busiest time, we sorted through all of our submissions and reached our goal of thirty-six finely chosen writings. The number thirty-six was decided upon as it has long signified a double-chai, a symbol of good luck. We organized and edited the manuscript of personal stories, sermons, and poems, which also came in the form of letters, essays, and musical lyrics.

Certainly, the process was not perfect. As we are admittedly not professional publishers, we at least tried our best to maintain a most professional approach. Still, there were some errors along the way that we wish we could have avoided. Perhaps our greatest regret, which incidentally was one that we made a concerted effort to avoid, was the exclusion of a dominant female voice in the book. While we ended up selecting each piece submitted by a woman, based on their merit, we feel as though we should have done a better job of acquiring more stories from the female perspective. For that, we say that we will certainly do better in our future Matzoh Ball Soup books.

These writings comprise a collection intended to inspire the Jewish spirit and to shed some light on many of life’s moments and experiences. We have chosen these words carefully because we feel they best describe how we hope the stories make you feel. They are all perspectives on life and stories of hope. Indeed we hope you are inspired by this collection and we hope you enjoy our Matzoh Ball Soup.

Chapter One

Education

A Rendezvous with Destiny

In the spring of 1991, the Simon Wiesenthal Center hosted its Annual Tribute Dinner in Los Angeles and had the high honor to award then President George Bush with the Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award.

In a private reception before the dinner, all of the dignitaries and major donors of the Center had an opportunity to shake hands and take a private photograph with the president and his wife, Barbara. In preparation for my personal meeting with the president, I researched traditional Jewish Responses as to whether one makes a blessing upon meeting. The blessing, Baruch Atoh Adonoi Elehanu Melech HaAlom, Shenaton Michvodo Libasar V’dam—Blessed be G-d King of the universe who bestows His glory on mortal man, normally applies to a king who has the authority to order the death of a subject by virtue of his whim alone. Since, ostensibly, the president of the United States has no such far-reaching authority, I concluded that I should make the blessing, but not profane the infinite name of G-d, and simply say, Blessed, who bestows His glory with mortal man.

When my turn to greet the president arrived, I told him about our tradition to offer a blessing for a head of state, and pronounced the blessing for him. The president was very moved by the blessing, especially after I translated it for him. I told him that I would be honored to send the text of the blessing and its translation to him soon after the dinner.

Rabbi Hier, as dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, acknowledged the president’s participation at the dinner, so I did not feel that it was right for me to send my letter immediately. However, on the very day I chose to write to him, President Bush was in the Soviet Union and made a solemn pilgrimage to the horrific WWII