Today's note is of a more personal nature and unfortunately does not include pictures.
As many of you know, I grew up in a Reform congregation, complete with a grand Wanamaker Organ. The organ player and his wife (the choir director) served the congregation for more than 50 years and were as much a part of the life of the synagogue as the rabbis and educators. They both had a strong impact on my life, both in terms of my early Jewish ritual development and in terms of their kind and caring mentschlekeit. Whenever I think back about my home synagogue, I think of them, in no small part because our congregation had its own anthem which they helped to popularize among all the children. (If you really want to be tortured some time, I will sing it for you!)
Fast forward twenty years and it turns out that the granddaughter of this couple is a fellow educator in the Washington area whose children attend JPDS with my children, the youngest of whom is in my daughter's class and is a close friend. This summer, the older daughter, with whom I had not had many interactions previously, is at camp and I have had opportunities to get to know her quite well.
So now to this evening, where there was a camp-wide talent show competition called "Ramah Has Talent." Each eidah (age group) had chosen the best act from their own competitions and these talented individuals competed against one another. So this young woman ,whose great grandparents had provided me with my first introduction to Jewish music, gets up to play an original piano composition and does so beautifully (even with 2 fingers taped together from an injury the previous day). I am watching with tears opening flowing from my eyes, with the image of her great grandfather and great grandmother in my mind's eye, imagining the nachas that they would be feeling knowing that their great granddaughter is carrying on their love of music in a Jewish summer camp. A truly magical moment. (BTW - she took runner-up in the camp wide competition to a brilliant violinist who introduced his piece by telling the audience, "the unique thing about this credenza..." - how often to we hear words such as this from a 14 year old boy?)
From generation to generation, let us praise God!
