Beginnings
Rosh Hashanah is a very sensible holiday. It comes, more or less— this year rather less—at the right time, just when the summer doldrums have become a bore rather than a relief, just when one is...
...And not only because the kids are back at school...
...No, it's not a dream, the happiness is real...
...Tell him we want peace...
...And, herewith, a translation of the greetings which appear on our cover, a reproduction of cards from the early part of this century...
...From all of us...
...But how can one celebrate newness, renewal, in the dead of winter...
...I realize that without the Times, still on strike as I write, and without MOMENT, with whose schedule Mr...
...As the card at the bottom left of the back cover says, "A gut yor eich alemen...
...Another year, and, whatever our assessment of that year, another chance, a new opportunity...
...Quaint, to be sure, but the sentiments are timeless...
...You sound like you're in Tel Aviv...
...to its right, "Up, up the eyes, the flowers in hand, two small beautiful birdies, two children together...
...Reading from the back cover, at top left we have, "On the basis of the charity we give, for all occasions, from small to large, inscribe us, God, in the Book of Life, and never ever erase it...
...This holiday, especially, the Birthday of the World, is an annual rite of passage...
...We'll simply have to cope until October's issue, when the dark shall be made light and the complicated made simple...
...And not only because of the customs we have developed, from apples and honey to new wardrobes...
...Compare its timing to that of January 1, whose only excuse for happening when it does—our readers in such fictitious places as Tucson and Los Angeles will not understand—is that around about that time of year, we are in desperate need of an excuse for celebration...
...And maybe, just maybe, this year will work right...
...Carter neglected to synchronize before scheduling his meeting, our readers will not know what to make of the events...
...That's a useful thing to remember, since it is those other aspects—broadly, the substance and quality of Jewish life— that justify our preoccupation with Jewish survival...
...Give my regards to Jimmy Carter...
...On the front cover, the legend on the bottom right card reads, "Yesterday groom and bride, today a young couple...
...It comes, more or less— this year rather less—at the right time, just when the summer doldrums have become a bore rather than a relief, just when one is ready to reharness idling energies, to restore the normal metabolism of life...
...This is Boston...
...Yes, it is...
...Tell him to make the Russians free our Jews...
...Still, for all the content of Rosh Hashanah, and its sobriety, it is also a time for joy...
...Which seems to me as good a thought as can be with which to end, wishing not only each of us well, but the entire world, whose birthday we approach...
...The material they sent was interesting, but we couldn't make a section worth publishing out of it...
...And there are other aspects, well apart from the world of politics and crisis...
...So, Shanah Tovah—a good year...
...I can't believe it...
...In the meantime, this issue happily focuses on other aspects of the Jewish agenda...
...No wonder that January 1 is about merriment rather than meaning...
...The pauses that refresh...
...they go and tremble, they place step after step, near them a good shepherdess, a mother angel with them...
...Herewith, the conversation between the Israeli and the American operators: "Is this really the U.S...
...Holidays not as three-day weekends, but as holy days, reference points, days to catch your breath, rekindle your ambition, find ways to start again and more certainly...
...I want to thank those of our readers from Skokie who responded to our invitation to share their thoughts and reactions to the "Skokie affair" with us...
...Shanah tovah...
...This issue goes to press shortly before the Camp David meetings, hence the absence of comment on the results of that meeting...
...Really, I can't believe it...
...No, also because it is the first holiday of the year, and a reminder that there are more holidays to come—quite a few more, in fact— and because holidays are necessary timemarks (that's like a landmark, and it's not, but ought to be, a word) in our meandering stroll (or furtive hunt) through life...
...A few minutes ago, we had occasion to place a call to Israel...
...below, still on the back cover, we have, "The sound of the shofar blasts, a new year is coming soon which encourages every weak spirit, and brings you happiness, joy and comfort...
Vol. 3 • September 1978 • No. 9
