A Mother’s Musings About Israel

15 Nov

This is my diary over the last five weeks of the Israel – Hamas War. There are many more, but I think these do the best to explain my feelings. I already wrote a blog about thanking the helpers. You can see links to this and another blog below.

October 7. 7:30 am

Just spoke to my daughter. They spent hours in their safe room. They are ok. But stressed and distressed. Many Israelis have been killed, hundreds injured, and dozens taken captive. Hamas terrorists surprise attack on the southern areas and bombing of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Hamas and Hezbollah are evil attacking civilians, women, children, Jews and Bedouin. They really don’t care who they kill. This was not an attack on a military area. This was attack on innocents at parties, at home at play.

October 12:

United just cancelled our flight to Israel. Not unexpected. But disappointing for several reasons. First, we do not get to see my daughter and son in law and all the other family and friends we planned to visit. Second because United is even afraid to fly a week from now which increases my anxiety by many multiplication of numeric factors.

In the spirit of the recent high holidays, I say: I am angry, I am anxious, I am not sleeping, I am saddened, I am frustrated, I am frightened. I keep thinking of Yom Kippur and how it is inscribed on who will die and how. And I have a scream that is sitting at the bottom of my throat waiting to come out.

October 18:

At this very moment, 8:39 am, I should be landing in Israel at 4:39 pm. Instead I am home in Kansas.

There is nothing else to say except love and prayers for all my family and friends in Israel who I was hoping to visit.

Family update. They are fine. There has only been one rocket a day for a while. My daughter is extremely busy with her work at CyberWell trying to stem the horrible flow of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic and violence toward Jews content off social media. They had a training for volunteers to help identify some of this. If you would be interested in watching the 50-minute webinar and do something productive. Let Lara or me know. I personally have reported posts to the social media platforms and also to CyberWell. This makes a big difference. If everyone one reported one or two a day we can make a change!!!

October 20

I am thankful that he is president during this difficult time. His support for Israel, his fight against baseless hatred is just what we needed. When I visit my elders, many of whom remember the late 1930s and 1940s and are terrified, I can honestly say this is not the same. The president of the USA and many others in government are supporting us.

October 21

My comment today: Do you think the bombing from Gaza has stopped because all you hear in the news is that Israel is attacking Gaza. Have you heard that rockets are still speeding to Tel Aviv, Yafo, Holon, and Rishon LeZion as well as to the south. Many rockets every day. Today my daughter’s alert told of of the incoming all around her community. It is not over. Hamas is still attacking Israel. There is a reason why Hamas has to be eradicated from the world.

Do I feel badly that children are being hurt. Of course. But I am tired of hearing now that Gaza is without water or electricity. Israel has said, return the hostages and we will turn it back on. Give them back.

I am tired of people saying Israel should step down. You are not under the threat of a bomb landing on your home, you are not attending funerals for people you know or family members, you are not sending you son, daughter, spouse, brother, sister off to battle.

The news media is not only focus on what Israel might do. Giving the impression that in Israel it is peaceful. NO it is NOT. Not on the truth about what is happening. Those who live around Gaza have been evacuated. Those who live in the north are on voluntary evacuation.

Stand up for Israel and the impact of this crisis on the citizens. If you want to be angry, be angry at Hamas for what they did murdering 1400 innocent people in their homes; for knowing that what they would do would impact the innocent people of Gaza; for preparing and protecting themselves from the bombing but not the civilians of Gaza. Be angry at the other Moslem countries surrounding the area that want to escalate the war, be angry at Egypt and Jordan and other countries that refuse to help ease the crisis in Gaza.

This war is not what Israel wanted. This is a war that Hamas started and Hamas wanted. Israel is a tiny country surrounded by large land masses inhabited by Moslems. They have all they and they could want. But what many do want is the total annihilating of Israel.

All over the world people are attacking Jewish people who have nothing to do with Israel. So the people who Chant “Not in my Name” are playing into the work of Hamas and so are also guilty for any more attacks on Jews. It is opening a door for more killing and it is wrong. What they should be saying is return the hostages and stop attacking Israel.

October 23

The false news reports about the hospital bombing which was a failed rocket by Hamas leads to violence against Jews world wide. It is amazing, Hamas attacks Israel and kills 1400 people and wounds over 3000. Sends over 6400 rockets and bombs into Israel and in the U.S. and throughout the world people attack Jews. Attack the terrorists who started this. I am horrified by the hatred.

November 3

I pray each day for the conflict in Israel/Gaza to end. For the Hamas to release the prisoners/hostages and to surrender and face the consequences of their crimes. Hamas has continued to threatened Jews and Israel throughout this month and has continued to send rockets into Israel. They have built tunnels under neighborhoods, hospitals and schools. They have threatened and attacked Israeli communities for decades!

I wish there was an easier way to stop the terrorists then this bombing and siege of Gaza City. But the Hamas has stockpiled rockets and weapons, as well as food, water, oil and other supplies. They prepared for this assault on Israel and the return assault on them without caring about any civilians.

During the attack on Israel, Hamas terrorists cut the supply lines that bring water and electricity from Israel to Gaza. Life means nothing to them until they destroy all Jewish life in Israel.

It is time for the terror of Hamas and Hezbollah to end. For all to face the fact that Israel exists and will not disappear. So that all people in the region can live in peace and coexist, so that children will not suffer and innocent people die on either side.

But the increased actions of Jew Hatred that is now growing throughout the world, actually shows the double standard with which Israel and the Jewish communities face. Israel did not start this. On a holiday weekend, when people were sleeping in their beds, Hamas attacked, murdered, mutilated, took captive and wounded almost 6000 people. Over 1400 dead, 240 captive, over 4000 wounded. those killed were mostly Jewish, but many were Moslem and Beduion. Now in the USA there a large numbers that did not condemn Hamas. That is shocking!

No one wants war. Not in Ukraine; Not in Syria; Not in Sudan; Not in Israel; Not in Gaza. Every life has value: Jew, Christian, Moslem, Bahai, Druze, Shinto, Buddist, Hindu, all religions, ethnicities and races.

Shalom, Saalam, Paz, Paix, Friedan, Pace, Peace!

November  4

This is the message I sent to the International Red Cross:

So far only 4 hostages taken by Hamas have been released. One of the main roles of the Red Cross is to help free hostages throughout the world. I have supported the Red Cross for many years. But the unequal and biased work going on now where the hostages, infants, children, women, men, elderly, are ignored because most of them are Jewish is an affront to all what the red cross is supposed to stand for. SHAME ON YOU! Tell Hamas to release the hostages.

We went to a Havdalah service at Leawood City Hall. After the service we each held the photo of a hostage and then stood in silence for 241 seconds in honor of those held hostage by Hamas.

November 13

A relative’s friend asked me if I at all thought Israel was wrong. Here is my response and it is what I believe.

Define wrong. Is it wrong for Hamas to have come into Israel and murder innocents children, women, men, elderly in their homes on a holiday weekend? Is it wrong for Hamas to build their tunnels and shoot rockets off from hospitals and schools using the children and the sick as shields against others? IS it wrong for Hamas to take the funding and cement and fuel sent into Gaza for the people to continue to create and buy weapons and tunnels to attack Israel? Is it wrong for Hamas to keep the people of Gaza captive for years, because you should know that Israel left the Gaze over 15 years ago and withdrew all their people and turn everything over to the Palestinians who voted to put Hamas in power? Is is wrong that Egypt also has a border with Gaza, but they usually keep their border closed and supply little to no help to the people there? Is it wrong that the surrounding Arab countries have kept the people who fled Israel in refugee camps and refused to intergrate them into society, while forcing out an equal number of Jewish citizens who were integrated into Israel, the USA and other countries? Just asking you how you define wrong.

Israel told people to evacuate, Hamas would not let them. ISrael waited over a week to attack so that people could leave. Israel gave fuel. For weeks we have heard that the hospitals would run out of fuel, they did not. Israel repeatedly told the hospital to evacuate. They did not. They have caved to Hamas demands.

You believe everything Hamas says, even though throughout the world they know they are terrorist. The 27 EU countries have condemned Hamas and supported Israel.

So define who is wrong here. To me it is Hamas. ISreal had no intention of going to war on Hamas till Hamas killed and mutilated over 1200 people. And took 240 hostages. What happened after October 7 is on the hands of Hamas.

This would end if Hamas released the hostages and surrender. Why don’t you call for that instead of condemning Israel?

So who do I think is wrong? YOU and Hamas.

I hope that answers your question.

How This American Mother Whose Daughter Lives In Israel Is Feeling
Thank You to The Helpers

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After A Trip Was Cancelled, We Went to Tulsa

7 Nov

Since April, I have been telling my husband that I wanted to go to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and visit the Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie museums.  I had the trip planned for the longest time.  Our first stop would be these two museums, then we would visit with friends of his and perhaps one of his cousins in Oklahoma.  On the way back I wanted to stop in Wichita, see more cousins, spend the night, then on the way home visit the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Though I kept talking about it, we never got around to do it this summer.  But this fall, our plans changed quickly and radically.  We were supposed to go to Israel where our daughter and her husband live.  The war changed our plans, but my husband still had two weeks of vacation.  I had to do something.  Just sitting home and moping and worrying was not an option. I am the type of person who can usually find the good in any situation.  And I was determined to find some small element of good.

Road Trip Number 1!

We reached out to our people; I made hotel reservations; and off we went.

The hotel we stayed at in downtown Tulsa was in easy walking to the two archive/museums.  They are next door to each other.  On our walk towards the museums, we saw a large post indicating that we were entering the Historic Greenwood District. This is the area where once a thriving Black community settled before the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre took place.  We thought it was extremely apropos that the museums dedicated to these two musical activists were in this area.  It just fit.

I loved both museums.  They each traced the lives of two of my musical heroes.  Even though their music was written decades apart, they actually knew each other.  One was born Jewish, the other was married to a Jewish woman and fought in WW2. Among Guthrie’s papers is one that reads, “Beat Hitler quick.” That resonated with me with all the Jew Hatred going on right now. The museums are both well worth the visit.  You can spend time watching the videos or just walk through.  I loved reading about them, listening to their music, and looking at their artifacts.  At the Guthrie Museum, you must try the virtual reality of the dust storms that devastated Oklahoma. WOW.

That evening we ate dinner with our friends. I asked about the two museums I wanted to see. The husband actually serves on the board of the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art.  At dinner he told us a bit about the museum, I realized it was much bigger than I anticipated.  For a community of about 1800 Jewish residents, it was really special. 

The section about the Holocaust was difficult as such museums always have to be.  But I loved how they imagined KrystalNacht.  I was so touched by the stone display that is a memorial to the 1.5 million Jewish children killed. I had tears in my eyes thinking about the children who were recently murdered by Hamas.  How could I not compare the two? The death of every child takes a toll on society.

Upstairs was dedicated to modern Jewish Life.  They had a sanctuary set up that must be wonderful to teach about Judaism to those who come to visit.  For me, personally, I loved the special exhibit of mezuzahs, the scrolls we put on our doorposts.

From there we went to the Philbrook Museum of Art. The house was built by Waite Phillips, who started a ‘little’ oil company. Phillips and his family lived there for only 11 years, and then they gifted the house and 23 acres of land to Tulsa for an art museum. Okay, I will be honest with you, the art in the house is great.  But the house itself is amazing.  I love old houses.  And this one does not disappoint.  The grounds are also stunning.  Well worth a couple of hours to walk through and visit.  It just cheered me up. I could see myself sitting outside for hours.  We especially loved all the wonderful milkweed and butterfly gardens. 

After we got back to our hotel, my husband’s cousin drove in from Oklahoma City to visit us.  She surprised me with a gift, her grandmother’s mah jong set.  She told me that no one in her family plays and she knew that I did, so she gave it to me.  Her grandmother and my husband’s mother were sisters.  I have to say having both of their mah jong sets gives me joy.  It was great catching up with her and seeing pictures of her family and sharing photos of our family.

The next morning it was on to Wichita.  One note about the drive from Texas to Kansas.  It is VERY flat and dusty.  There were no crops really, just fields and fields of red dirt.  However, and I am really sorry I could not get a photo of this, besides the oil well arms pumping away there were also giant windmills.  And at one spot there was a windmill farm circulating air and making e;ectricity above the same field where the oil well arms were pumping oil.  It would have been a great photo representing the changes coming to society as we switch to rely on renewable energy.

Of course I contacted our Wichita cousins as soon as we arrived and then spent the next seven hours with them.  It was great.  We had two meals with everyone. But also had time for us older adults to just visit.  We have not seen them for about six years, which is ridiculous.  Wichita is just three hours from home. I vowed that we would come back more often.  We need to see his first cousins and also visit some museums.  (My husband hates museums, but he loves me.)

Next morning on to Hutchinson and the Cosmosphere, one of my favorite museums in Kansas.  Honestly, we went several times when our children were younger.  In fact, our daughter attended two summers of Space Camp there and loved them.  Even though we have been members for about 28 years, we have not been there for about 20 years.  It was definitely time to go back and see the changes!

The museum exhibits are wonderful.  If you love space and NASA, you will love this museum. The real Apollo 13 space craft is there. All the exhibits have been redesigned since our last trip. Definitely for the better.  We watched one of the two movies, about the Blue Whales.  That cheered us up. We were pretty sure that this documentary would end on a sad note, but NO, the Blue whales are coming back and increasing in numbers.  Honestly, I think Star Trek’s movie has something to do with that. It was a good start to the visit. 

While we were walking around, I noticed a little exhibit off to the side, The V-2 Gallery, which was all about the V-1 and V-2 rockets that the Nazis used to bomb and terrorize London.  In the past the history of these rockets was sort of not mentioned.  Just as it was not always advertised that Wernher von Braun, who helped start the United States aerospace industry, was a member of the SS and helped Nazis build their death rockets.  This exhibit made it very clear.  It also made clear that the rockets were built by slave laborers in concentration camps.  And over 500 prisoners were killed when the Allies bombed the factory, as the prisoners were locked in and could not escape.  These rockets decimated London causing the deaths of over 20,000 people.  A sad start to the aerospace history. But one I think should not be forgotten.

Our first Fall Road Trip was a great adventure.  We loved seeing friends and family.  We loved visiting new museums and revisiting the Cosmosphere.  Personally, in this time of great stress for the Jewish community of the world and the horrors of war, I was glad to get away.  But at the same time, I am glad that we were able to visit places that show good in the world and how society can survive war and hatred. 

http://www.jewishmuseumtulsa.org

http://www.cosmo.org

http://www.Philbrook.org

http://www.bobdylancenter.com

http://www.woodyguthriecenter.org

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How This American Mother Whose Daughter Lives In Israel Is Feeling

25 Oct

People keep asking me how I am doing. Nauseous anxiety mixed with fear of the unknown would be the best description. Each morning when I awaken, I am afraid to turn on the news or even look at my phone.

On Saturday morning October 7, I was awoken by a text message that said, “We are fine.” Why are you telling me you and your husband are fine? Was the thought that went through my mind. I quickly googled Israel. And I saw the horror that was unfolding. I texted back, “Can we speak.” Because who knew if we could. Were they in their safe room/bomb shelter? Were rockets falling? What was happening?

We did speak.  My daughter told me of the unspeakable horrors that were occurring and that in all honestly, no one really knew the full extent of the horror till much later.  1400 murdered, brutalized, their corpses mutilated.  Infants and children brutally murdered. And some had their heads or hands cut off!  What type of human being does this?  260 young adults slaughtered at a music concert where they were celebrating the holiday and hoping for peace.  They were chased and murdered.  And then there are the hostages to be used as human shields, many of them children, who are still being held captive.

Over 7,000 rockets have been launched into Israel. Besides the dead, over 4600 people injured.  Some are still dying from their wounds.  And perhaps all the bodies have not yet been recovered.

Obviously, the Israeli government, intelligence and military failed the people of Israel.

How could my anxiety level not be extremely high?  I did not sleep for a week.  Our long-planned trip to Israel that was to begin on October 18 was cancelled. I am at times overwhelmed by my angst.  I have no control of this situation.  I cannot fix it.  I am so far away. The photos and videos are horrible.  And the haters are hating.

I think my angst is heighted by my family history.  My grandfather came to America in 1920.  His family stayed behind.  They all perished.  Hundreds of people murdered.  Of the ones who were in Europe only four cousins survived from an extended family of about 300 that I have found.  ONLY FOUR!  I have been the family genealogist searching for the answers: Death in the Lodz Ghetto; Death in Belzec; Death in Auschwitz; Death by being burned alive in a synagogue or mikveh.  Death by gun shot to the head. Death by starvation. Death by disease. Death by Nazis and other anti-Semites. My grandfather is from the first area that the Nazis made Judenrein, cleansed of Jews.

As I see what happened in Israel I can see the comparisons.  And I understand the terror and fear and anger that people are feeling.

But the worst is also seeing those in our country and others saying that what Hamas did was okay. The antisemitism is… well I honestly cannot think of a word to describe it. But that people can rationalize and say what Hamas did was okay, makes me ill. The New York Times and other media outlets have reached their lowest point and shown their true bias when they would publish a Hamas release about a hospital bombing before checking facts and blaming Israel, causing more hate and actual violence to Jews outside of Israel.. When students at universities and schools chant the words of terror that means eradicating all Jews from Israel, yelling as they march, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.” I hope they do not realize that they are calling for the death of all Jews in Israel. But perhaps they are because others chant that Hitler should have finished the job. Hamas, Hezobllah, Iran, want all of Israel to be Judenrein.

Israel said, “Give us back our hostages and we will turn the water and electricity back on.” But Hamas refuses. In the meantime, Israel allows convoyrs with humanitarian aid to pass through, yet so far only 4 hostages have been returned. They are keeping the children. Everyone says the same thing, they will use them as human shields. Can you imagine? A soldier either has to shot through a child or die. Horrifying. In my mind these hostages, many of them, are already dead. And I am not sure if I hope I am wrong. Like that father who found out his 8-year old daughter, Emily, was dead. He was relieved, better dead than a prisoner of Hamas.

Israel said “Move South, we are going to bomb Gaza City.” Those that did not move are now suffering. But is this the fault of Israel? I think not. It is the fault of Hamas who attacked Israel, who built tunnels for their terrorists and bombs to kill, but nothing for the civilians. It is the fault of Hamas who ordered civilians not to leave despite the warnings and then blocked the roads so tht even those who wanted to get out could not. I think 600,000 left. But the ones who are stayed behind are suffering. And I am heartbroken for the children of Gaza, who are also victims of Hamas.

People are angry that Israel cut off the electricity and water. But wait, Israel has been providing electricity and water for decades.  And cement, which we know that the Hamas terrorist use to build tunnels was provided by Israel so that they could build homes.  We know they build terror tunnels instead.  Why should Israel give them anything if their only aim is to destroy Israel and kill all the Jews?

But do the videos and photos of children being pulled out by rubble bother me. YES. I hate that these children are suffering. But my question is this: Did the terrorists in Gaza and the West Bank, and Hezbollah feel bad when they saw the photos of the murdered Jewish/Israeli children? NO they celebrated and gave out candy.

I learned when I lived in Israel after the Yom Kippur War, that if you give an inch the terrorists think you are weak. Right now Israel cannot be weak, or it might be destroyed. And I think that is what sane people are not realizing. Because the terrorists are not sane. They are corrupt with evil. Anyone who can give out candy when others are suffering is evil to me.

How am I feeling?  I am disheartened, somewhat despondent, but at the same time I feel disgusted about how the United Nations and progressives are supporting terrorists.  There are only 16 million Jewish people throughout the entire population.  Why cannot we just be left alone? Just live and let live. 

However, I am also defiant.  We will survive this. It might take decades to get over the trauma. But we have learned over time how to keep moving forward.  We survived the evil of the Holocaust; the wicked plans of Haman; the violence of the Crusaders; the torture and deaths of the Inquisition.  I believe we will outlast the evil act of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and others who try to eradicate the Jewish People.  Am Israel Chai.

Thank You to The Helpers

10 Oct

I am a firm believer in the words of wisdom from Mr. Fred Rogers.  One of his gems was in times of stress or danger, “look for the helpers.”  I have to say that in the last four days, the helpers have been finding me.  I did not realize how many helpers there are surrounding me.

Since Saturday, October 7, when the Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and murdered almost 1000 people who were just going about their days and celebrating the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, I have felt the support of my community.

I have received over 100 text messages, emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages from people, family and friends, living all over the country and Israel.  I have heard from friends I have not heard from in several years who want to check in on me.  Why me?  Because my daughter and her husband live in Israel.  And everyone wants to know if they are safe.

My neighbors have called and left me messages.  A family member who was traveling overseas, emailed me upon landing in Hungary when she heard about the attacks.  My college roommate and high school friends are contacting me.  My community in Kansas have reached out.  And it is not just me.  My husband has received messages and support from his work colleagues and friends.

Our world is so small now. What happens in one community, one country can impact every country. The violence of terrorist has been a bane to many countries: New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, USA, Mumbai, India, Paris, France; Buenes Aires, Argentina; and more.  The need for security from terrorists/shooters is overwhelming simple things like entering a building, going to school, going to pray.

In most cases the active shooter or the terrorist is easily seen as the one doing evil.  It is somewhat disheartening to see on social media and in the news that there are people who are praising the barbaric slaughter of children, women, men, families in their homes, elderly.  Many of whom were just at home enjoying a holiday. But not only were they killed but their corpses were mutilated.  And many were taken hostage and brutalized and humiliated and hurt. Hamas has shown its true face of evil. 

To those who feel that Israel is at fault for this attack, I have to say how would you react if a group of terrorists came over from Mexico and killed 1000 people in El Paso, Texas, and said the USA deserved it because they are treating the South American refugees badly. Would you say the USA deserved once again to be the victim of terrorism? I think not. The citizens of the USA would want revenge, just as we did after 911. It is a war crime to actually target children and non military personal.

According to the United Nations: “The right of civilians not to be arbitrarily deprived of life and the prohibitions against killing or maiming civilians are principles firmly enshrined in international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international jurisprudence. The prohibition of violence to civilians, including children, in particular murder, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture is a principle of customary international law, with universal applicability in all situations of armed conflict.” (See website below.)

I would think that taking children and infants hostage; murdering over 260 teenagers at a party, and murdering families in their homes would be considered a crime against humanity, targeting women, children, civilians is not acceptable in International law. And yes, Israel is now bombing Gaza, and innocents will be killed. And that hurts as well. But as we well know by now that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. Another crime against humanity that must be credited to the evil of Hamas.

Which brings me to another Mr. Rogers quote:

“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

When a terrorist attack occurs anywhere in the world, no matter the country, we as the world community need to come together and be the helpers and say this is wrong.  We need to help. It is our problem. These attacks do not happen without financial support. The world is aware of where the money comes from to kill. I believe it was due to the process of creating an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel that this attacks happened. Hamas and its ally would lose some control if that agreement had occurred.

I know there are those working for peace in the Middle East. I thank them.

For me, I say thank you to all those who have reached out to give me moral support and love during this time of great distress and anxiety for Israel, all of her citizens, my daughter and her husband, my extended family and friends and also for the Palestinian people who are not members of Hamas and who are also suffering due to the terrorists’ unconscionable acts.

May the names and memories of all have been killed be a blessing.  May the goodness of the helpers be remembered.  I end with one last Mr. Rogers’ quote:

“There are three ways to ultimate success:

The first way is to be kind.

The second way is to be kind.

The third way is to be kind.”

Killing and Maiming

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A Bit of Maine: Acadia National Park

26 Sep

My cousins recently purchased a home in Maine close to Acadia Park overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  Since they moved there for part of the year, I have been bombarded with demands that I visit.  That I would love it.  That I had to come to see their new home.  So this summer my sister and I went to see them.   I am so glad we did.

I will not tell you the exact little town that they live in, but it was easy driving to the Schoodic Institute at the Acadia National Park, which is located at Schoodic Point. The Institute studies environmental changes taking place in Acadia and provide educational programs for learners of all ages.   They help manage research projects throughout the park. 

The land at Schoodic Point, 2000 acres, was donated to National Park Service in 1929 by the John Moore family.  Also starting in 1935 until the 1990s, there was a US Naval Security Group Activity Base located there, which included the most lovely building in the middle of the site. When the base closed, the National Park Service worked to develop a research learning center using the buildings that were going to be left unoccupied after the base was closed.

Now everyone can visit The Rockefeller Hall Visitor Center at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park.  It houses a nice little museum and wonderful Park Rangers who can answer your questions!

After we visited the Center, we drove around to look at some of the stunning scenery.  The black volcanic rock intermingled with the pink granite creates a wonderful vista when you look out to the ocean.  You can walk along these scenic, rocky beaches. When we went to my cousins’ favorite spot, there was an older couple sitting on the stones, who insisted that we skip some small rocks into the ocean.  It brought back memories of skipping rocks into the lake I grew up at in upstate New York.  We soon learned that the pink stones crumble as they skipped, while the black volcanic stones made wonderful skips!

Another great place to visit is the Tidal Pools, where you can see the starfish caught in the tide pools, pick them up and touch them for a few moments before returning them to their safe havens.  (Just be careful as the rocks are slippery and can move beneath your feet.  I found out the hard way!)

Sunset from my sounsin’s home.

We ate in a wonderful seafood restaurant near their home.  I had haddock. Yum!  Saw lots of lobster boats and other little boats that made for brightly colored photos in each little cove.

Since we had one very rainy day while there, we stayed in an watched several documentaries created by local residents about the area and about the Penobsoct Indian Nation. They were extremely interesting and gave us information about the history of the area. Later we visited some of the areas mentioned in the documentaries.

When the weather cleared, we took a trip to Ellsworth.  This lovely town has a quaint downtown and refers to itself as “The Museum in the Streets.”   We had a great time visiting the shops and eating lunch. We still talk about the twin sisters who work in stores next to each other and were extremely helpful. We did our best to help the economy of this lovely shopping district.

While there we also saw one of the many granite sculptures that are scattered throughout the area.  Some are on the side of The Schoodic National Scenic Byway, others are in town centers. I think we saw five. But there are many more.

Our final scenic vista came during a visit to Jones Pond.  To this community it was a pond, but to me it looked much like the lake I spent my summers visiting.   Except there were no boats docked on the Jones Pond, only a sea plane!!  I loved seeing all the water lilies.  We walked on a path along the coast of the pond for a bit.  We were the only people there: a most peaceful and meditative experience.

A visit to the Acadia Park area in Maine is well worth the trip! I hope to go back again with my husband and visit many of the places we could not see in just four days.

http://www.schoodicinsititue.org

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Learning More About The Manhattan Project

20 Aug

We went to see Oppenheimer, a movie I knew I had to see, but at the same time I was dreading it. We all hear about Los Alamos and what happened secretly in New Mexico for years as the science was developed to create the Trinity device that effectively ended WW2, while also changing the world for eternity. 

I have been to the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.  I saw the documentation about how President Truman found out about the Manhattan Project. The movies about the impact of the bombs were horrifying.  To see the ‘green plug’ from the Fat Man, plutonium bomb that fell on Nagasaki actually made me shiver.

I knew about the Manhattan Project and the work done in Los Alamos, but I was not aware of what happened in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  And it was not until this summer that I learned about Hanford, Washington.

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was the military headquarters for the Manhattan Project.  The town of Hanford, Washington, was where the plutonium was processed. I am not a physicist or an historian of WW2. I knew the little bit that I knew, and to be honest that was enough. Knowing what I know now is a bit frightening.

This summer we took a cruise on the Columbia and Snake rivers to learn about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Though I did learn so much about the history of that journey, docking near Hanford. opened my eyes to the immensity of the Manhattan Project and the multiple places where the secret experiments were carried out and the bombs were manufactured.

The Hanford Engineering Works was where the plutonium was processed.  This almost 600-square-mile site was another secret city where people worked on the development of the nuclear bomb.   To this day, two thirds of our country’s nuclear waste is contained somewhere on this site.  The water and air continue to be monitored. Barriers have been built to keep the waste contained.   Families with children live and work here.  I am not sure I would want to live there.  But many do.

While in the Hanford area, in what is called the Tri-Cities, we visited the REACH Museum. The museum focus on this area and the time before Hanford became part of the Manhattan Project, but it also has an area devoted to the development of the atomic bomb.  For me this was a revelation.  I had absolutely no idea what happened here! Just like in Los Alamos, an entire town and community was developed in a secluded area basically uninhabited.

In 2015 the Manhattan Project National Historical Park was created.  This part preserves areas in the three sites where the atomic bomb and its secret development was worked on: Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Hanford. Parts of these sites are open to the public.

Watching Oppenheimer was emotionally intense.  To see how these people came together to invent the unimaginable and how some were horrified by what they had developed.  To see Oppenheimergo from a man honored for his work as the director of the Manhattan Project to a pariah for his work afterwards to keep additional bombs from being developed. 

To see how he was attacked and verified was a bit frightening.  I knew about MaCarthyism and the attack on many Americans because they might have once been communists.  I learned in college how these attacks hurt many innocent people.  And how Joseph McCarthy was finally stopped.  I did not know that the fear about communism also impacted Robert Oppenheimer. 

In the movie they ask him when opinions on the bomb and what he did had changed.  To me this was a ridiculous question. Can you imagine being among those scientist who learned how to use the power of the atom and plutonium to kill hundreds of thousands of people?   I would imagine that many had second thoughts about what they had unleashed even though the bombs did end the war with Japan.

At the REACH Museum this display indicates increased bombs during the Cold War.

We all need to learn about how the bomb was developed and the efforts to stop the continued development of bombs in the 1950s.  Perhaps the world would be a different place if that had happened.  Because even today the fear of nuclear bombs continues to be a threat to our world.  So we have to ask, as Oppenheimer did, did he “become Death, the destroyer of worlds”? 

I hope not.

To learn about the Manhattan Project National Park   https://www.nps.gov/mapr/index.htm

The Reach Museum: https://visitthereach.us/

Wonderful Changes at Truman Presidential Library

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Day Trips to Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood

19 Aug

Soon after I married Mt. St. Helens began to awaken. Two months later the volcano’s explosive eruption was international news.  I remember picture after picture of the eruption, the area around the volcano and the loss of life so well.  Although in my life, my marriage was the most important event of 1980, I knew for everyone else it was the sight of Mt. St. Helen’s eruption.

Each anniversary for this tragic day, I think back to my friends who were married in Washington state just a few days after the devastation.  Although they lived closer to Spokane, and were not impacted by the actual eruption, the smoke and ash did make the trip and changed the atmosphere of their wedding.  I wish I could have been there to see their wedding and the ash!  But I could not.

This event has been etched in my mind! I had to see for myself what Mt. St. Helens looks like now.  In June I finally had that chance. 

Mt. St. Helen’s
Before the blast
After the blast

Before a cruise we were taking along the Columbia and Snake River, my husband and I took a tour up to Mt. St. Helens. We were supposed to go to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, where the volcanologist, Davide Johnston, died. Unfortunately, there was a mudslide a few days before our trip. Instead we went to the Elk Overlook and then to The Weyerhaeuser’s Charles W. Bingham Forest Learning Center, then to the Mt. St. Helen’s Visitors Center operated by the National Park Service.

Seeing the volcano, even from a distance, was stunning.  You can see clearly where the side of the mountain blew out!  At the learning center, there are photos of the area before and after the blast.  It is amazing how the logging company has planted millions of trees and changed the look of the area.  Within the national park site. Nothing has been planted by man. All the new growth was by nature alone.

The Cascades are amazing.  The Douglas Fir trees and Giant Sequoias meet all expectations!

After seeing Mt. St. Helens, it seemed apropos to also go to see her sister volcano, Mount Hood. It has been dormant since 1866, but it is still monitored in case it decides to wake up.  Tourists can get much closer to Mt. Hood. In fact, people can walk a trail to the top.  We did not do that, but we did walk part of the trail.  There was snow so I was glad I had a jacket.

Entrance to the Lodge
Amazing Art on the front door.
The Fireplace and Hexagon room
Mt. St Hood. It also blasted out from the side in 1866.

We started our visit there at the lovely Timberline Lodge, which was built in the 1930s during the Great Depression.  The giant timbers used to make the hexagon lobby are impressive.  There are many lovely carvings and other artworks throughout that make it a great place to visit. 

From the lodge there are many wonderful views of the volcano as well as the start of the walking trails up the mountain and around it. 

It is an active hotel and ski resort.  I would love to be there as an overnight guest. We ate lunch in the dining room and the food was delicious.

If you are in area of Portland, Oregon, or Vancouver, Washington, taking trips to these two volcanos would be great.  Besides seeing the mountains, we also visited the Rose Gardens in Portland, a stop that any rose lover should not miss.  There were thousands upon thousands of magnificent roses.  We visited the roses on the way to Mt. St. Helens.  Before we went up to Mt. Hood, we spent some time walking the trails and seeing the 611-foot high, Multnomah Falls. Also a lovely place to visit.

These two days were among the highlights of our trip!

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Technology Equals No Division

17 Jul

I had the most pleasant dinner with my husband and siblings in a restaurant in Montclair, NJ. The food, fish for all of us and ice cream and sorbet for dessert was delightful. We chatted and ate and visited and finally were ready to leave.

I have to admit that perhaps we asked for too much. We wanted to divide the check so that my husband and I paid half and my siblings each paid a quarter of the bill. The waitress said it was fine. And so we gave her three credit cards and waited. And waited. And waited. I should have known something was not working out.

Our bill for four people was $129.02. She came back with my credit card and a receipt for $86. She then was going to divide the $43.02 between my siblings. I was astounded that she did not even realize that this was not divided in HALF. It was two-thirds and a third, but definitely not half. $86 and $43 are NOT equal!

I went up with my receipts to speak to her while she was running the other cards. I politely said, “Wait. This is not right. $86 Is not half of $129.02.”

She was not convinced. “Are you sure? I have to get my manager,” she told me as she hustled away with a dazed look on her face.

A few minutes later the manager came. “How cam I help? ” He was pleasant.

“This is wrong. $86 is not half of $129.02. ” I told him. I was sure he would understand. But no such luck. “You asked for half on one card and the rest divided between those two!” He told me.

“Yes half. $86 is not half of $129.02. Half of $130 is $65. This is wrong.” I started doing the math, the division on a piece of paper. I showed him the math. But that was not what he needed. I offered to show him on my phone calculator. But no. He had a calculator that he pulled out.

He typed in 1292. No I said. You need a decimal. It is 129.02. He might have been anxious at this point. I noticed my siblings laughing and looking at me. I was getting exasperated. And I now was in teacher mode. I had taught at a high school. There is a definite teacher voice and look that can come over me.

In any case he correctly typed in 129.02 and divided by 2. 64.51 was the number it read. “You are right,” he admitted. “I am sorry. I will fix it. ”

I wanted to make it easy. I wanted him to credit my sister’s account and just put the rest on my card, the other $43.02. We would sort it out later. But that was too much as well. He ended up crediting my account and my sister’s. He ran a new receipt putting all the money on mine. I paid , added tip and we settled up.

My siblings laughed all the way to the car. They knew I was frustrated, they told me that the look of our mother came over me as I tried to explain the math to the manager. Mom taught fourth grade for 30 years.

“I just can’t understand how the waitress and the manager did not see that $86 was not half. $43 and $86 are not equal. Did they not understand half, divide by two,” I was still frustrated.

I was concerned that they did not believe my division that I did on paper. They would only believe a calculator. I felt like I was in a science fiction novel that I had read years ago where a boy who could do math in his head was considered a genius because everyone else HAD to use a calculator!

I am worried Technology is destroying the ability to calculate math in our brains.

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Smart Phones Are Getting Just A Little Too Spooky For Me

15 Jul

High tech keeps changing.  To me becoming more and more intrusive into our lives.  Personally, I have never had allowed an Alexa in my home.  And although we have a smart doorbell with surveillance cameras, all of our cameras are outside.  There is nothing watching inside. To me that would be an invasion of privacy.  We now know that sometimes the information that these devices listen to is saved.  YUCK.

I do know that our smart phones can track us and know where we are. That does not bother me because I turned tracking off in my phone except when using certain apps. I even have my Siri turned off. But now my opinion about smart phones is changing.  These devices know more than what we think! 

My husband purchased a new car that arrived in late December. His new all electric Chevy Bolt replaces the Chevy Volt, hybrid plug-in, he drove for 11 years.  His new car does not have a separate navigation system, instead it uses his IPhone for the guidance. To me this has become an eye-opening experience.

The first time I knew something different with the navigation is when I got into the car to go to a friend’s home.  We go there once a week because I take a yoga class my friend teaches, while our husbands visit. But it was still surprising when my husband pointed out the map on the car’s screen.  The map popped up with a route already highlighted to their home.

“Wow! Look at that,” my husband announced. “The car knows where we are going!”  I was spooked.  How would the car know! My husband edited his remarks.  Well, it is my phone that knows because we go there once a week.  He obviously has tracking turned on for his phone.

I understand the concept of continuous tracking.  But still having the route already programed on the car’s navigation made my hair rise.

“What if you don’t plan to go there today?  Then what do you do,” I asked.  “Will the car let you change your destination?  Or is the car and your phone in charge.”

We both laughed.  But I was serious. Would the car let him change the destination.  I don’t know because he did not try.

On another day, when I went with him to our weekly Weight Watchers meeting, there it was: the route to Weight Watchers was highlighted.  Again, no big deal according to my husband.  His phone knew he went there weekly.   It still sent a little shiver through me.  I do not want my phone to know where I go each day! I like having my own personal space that even my phone should not register.

However, now I am not so sure that this is even a joke or ok or even acceptable because of what happened this week.  My husband and I made a condolence call/shiva visit to the home of someone we both really liked and care about.  We had never been to his home before.  After typing in the address, the navigation gave us great directions to his home.  We paid our respects. Stayed for the service and then got back into the car to head home.

As I explained we have never been to that house before and rarely go to that side of town.  Thus what happened next was just a little too spooky for me.  

As we turned on to the main road that would take us the six miles to our home, the navigation system changed.  Instead of the directions to take us home, it was now taking us to Cold Stone Creamery, my husband’s favorite ice cream store.  The only problem was it wasn’t taking us to the Cold Stone Creamery near our home.  No!  It is directing us to a Cold Stone Creamery we had never been to before, but it was very close to where we were driving.

My husband was amazed.  “Look at that!  It wants us to go for an ice cream My phone knows I am upset and wants to cheer me up! There is a Cold Stone Creamery here!”

Wait. That is not okay.  We did not type in Cold Stone Creamery.  We did not ask Siri.  We did not mention it.  We were just heading home.  And on its own volition, my husband’s phone put in a route to an ice cream store.

JUST WOW!

“So if the phone GPS wanted you to drive into a lake, would you do it?” was the thought that came into my mind.” But I did not say it.  What I did say is, “Let’s go home. We really do not need ice cream.” (I was trying to keep to our WW plan.)

I was wrong.  The thought was now in my husband’s mind.  He needed ice cream.  It would cheer him up after a sad moment paying his respects to the widow and family.  We followed the navigation system and had a delicious treat before the car’s navigation posted the directions home.

I have been thinking about this experience for several days now, trying to understand what happened.  I think I do now.  My husband does go to Cold Stone Creamery at two other locations. I guess his phone would be aware of that.  The Cold Stone Creamery his phone directed us to is right next door to the Apple Store, a store we have visited twice in the last year.  Could that be why the phone changed the navigation?  But then wouldn’t have wanted the Apple Store? Or perhaps my husband is eating more ice cream than I am aware of? 

It doesn’t matter.  I am still stunned into disbelief that after a shiva call the car and phone directed my husband to get ice cream, the one thing that would really cheer him up after a sad moment.  Phones know us more than we are aware, and that is very spooky.  A bit too Spooky for me.

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The Mystery of Marjorie: Missed Opportunity Realized a Bit Too Late

13 Jul

Sometimes serendipity does not go the way you want it to go!

Over 20 years ago, a woman called our home and left a message.  My husband’s father had passed away, and the obituary mentioned his mother’s name as well.  She had died 20 years before at the young age of 59 from cancer.  The caller said that she had grown up with my mother-in-law in Leavenworth, Kansas, and really wanted to speak to my husband about his Mom.

My father-in- law died on September 1, 2001.  Ten days later was 9/11.  The message got deleted and forgotten for quite a while.  Life seemed so bizarre in the days and months following the terrorist attack. With most of my family in the New York City area, I was suffering with the rest of the country in a state of shock.  My father-in-law’s death faded into the background. But we were feeling the emotions of that loss as well as the loss of security we all felt in the USA.

Sometime after the initial phone call, I remembered the call.  I told my husband that someone named Marjorie had called about his Mom.  I no longer had the phone number or the message.  But I knew that somewhere in our Kansas City Jewish community this person existed.  And then it faded away again. But every once in a while, if I met an older woman named Marjorie I would ask if she grew up in Leavenworth.

A month ago a friend’s mother passed away.  Although I am friends with this woman, I did not know her mother.  I never met her. I never spoke to her.  But I wish I did because in her obituary, I found out her name was Marjorie and that she grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas.  Furthermore, she and my mother-in-law were born just six weeks apart.  It had to be the missing Marjorie who had called us so many years before.  She had lived to the amazing age of 97.  Almost 40 years longer than my mother-in-law.

I could not go to the shiva or funeral, but I emailed my friend and apology and told her the story of my mother-in-law and this woman who I now believed was her mother. She immediately wrote back that she had a box of memorabilia from her Mom and that she would look through it.  I know it gave her something to do, an escape from the funeral activities.  It was a search for answers.  Was her Mom my mother-in-law’s friend?

The answers came quickly. My friend emailed me a page from the Leavenworth High School yearbook.  They were in the same grade.  Then articles from local newspapers showing both of their names.  There was not much we could do then, as I was leaving town. 

I told her that I would take her to lunch when I came back because I could not go to shiva.  And she agreed to bring some of the papers.  What a lunch.  I saw my mother in law’s high school graduation program.  I saw the program from her confirmation at the Leavenworth synagogue.  Four girls were confirmed together.  My mother-in-law, my friend’s mother and her sister, as well as one other girl.   My friend told me that somewhere she has a photo from the confirmation.  I cannot wait to see it. She was excited as well because now she can put a name on each of the girls.

I found out that sometimes my mother-in-law used a different spelling for her name.  Sometimes it was Leona May, which is what we all believed was the spelling.  And sometimes it was Leona Mae.  Did she use that when she wanted to be a bit more fancy?  Who knows.  But I found it endearing.  Legally it was Leona May.

I found out in 1993 the class held their 50 high school reunion.  Of course, she was not there since she had died in 1984.  But her sister, Barbara, submitted a biography about what she did after high school, her family and of her death from cancer.  It was somewhat emotional to see this message from Barbara.

I so wish I had found Marjorie years ago.  I wish we could have gone through her box of memories together with her daughters and my husband.  But I am still glad I have finally found out who she was in the community.  Also that my friend and I can enjoy this link between our families.

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