September 14, 2001-Aussie Racism
People are sympathetic and want to know if we’re from New York City. The mood here can only be described as racist. The Aussies haven’t been happy with Muslims, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, etc. who’ve been admitted through their open doors. Now they have a reason on which to base their xenophobia. I’m not in agreement with them. Too many immigrants have enriched too many societies. I’m also not in agreement with those who advocate unbridled hate and violence. I do believe in retribution, but I need to know that the target of that retribution is the guilty party. My patience is at an end. The U.S. has been long suffering and slow to anger. I don’t think this is a time for talking, patience, or negotiations. They’ve had decades. Their time has run out.
We couldn’t bear to turn the TV on this morning. We finally took a look this afternoon. While you all were sleeping, we tried to catch up on what is old news to you. We heard rumors of a declaration of war from Congress, but it wasn’t verified. We learned of leads as to the identities of some of the hijackers. We watched in amazement as they told of the heroic efforts of the passengers on the United Airlines flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. Australia has asked its people not to take out their anger on the Muslim community in general. We all know Arabs, Christian and Muslim, who are as appalled as we.
Wendy will be flying to Portland at the end of the month. What could we say to her? We would get onto a plane tomorrow ourselves. We will not be held hostage.
Normalcy?
On a lighter note, there’s a campaign at the shopping malls to urge everyone to be sure to lock their cars. Evidently they have patrols that randomly check to see if drivers have complied. Today we got a “polite message from your local police.” It was placed on the windshield and congratulated us on having a “secured” car. We felt so proud.
Our bagel and hot dog quest continues. We may have hit pay dirt at the Gourmet Gallery. They had kosher knockwurst, hot dogs, and salami along with other kosher items. Their bagels are made fresh daily. Mind you, this is a tiny store. Since David likes spicy foods, I fully expected to put in a supply of dry, crushed red chili peppers. They’re not in the spice sections of the groceries, but it was suggested we try an Asian food store. We found a huge one that has all the ingredients you would ever need as well as any Asian cooking implements you could want to open a restaurant. They did have the chilies.
We plan to take another walk on the beach tonight. There’s a gelato stand at a mall down the road. Our walk might be delayed. We’re waiting for a repairman to fix our kitchen faucet. Our front door still sticks and the screws in our vanity door are loose. This isn’t a well-built place, but then I don’t have to buy it. It’s our home for seven months, so we’re trying to take good care of it. In fact, David vacuumed the whole place. It took about twenty minutes. Five of those minutes were trying to get some suction from the vac.
David just got a call from the president of the congregation. There were threatening phone calls against the orthodox congregation. So far, none for us.
You don’t know how much your emails mean to us. We look forward to them daily.
Toby
Monday, February 8, 2010
Life Goes On
September 13, 2001- Chores
The sun is shining, as usual. People are swimming in the pool, but I spent the best part of the day standing in front of the TV and ironing. I’d looked forward to this task once all our clothes had arrived. Now it’s a nightmare. We don’t have cable, but for now Australian TV is carrying CNN. We appreciate it. We were up until 3 AM so we just woke from a nap. The radio alarm was set and we woke to the national radio station playing Bob Dillon music. The selection was “With God On Our Side.” The music was followed by a talk show during which Muslim leaders were interviewed. They condemned the attack but cautioned the U.S. not to react too violently without having proof of who the perpetrators were.
I’m so lonely. Reading your supportive emails was most appreciated. David had gone to temple and didn’t get home until noon. The decision was to have increased security but to have services for the holidays. Now David is hooking up a borrowed printer. We’re becoming more and more entrenched here though my heart is aching to be home.
A Needed Friend
Janet Bruce called to see if we were OK. They were going out to dinner for Thai food and asked us to join them. We’re grateful for their company and for the diversion. We had an hour until dinnertime, so we turned off the TV and walked along the beach. As we approached the entrance to the shoreline, I looked out at the Pacific stretching endlessly before us and lost it. You all are so, so far away. We staggered along the sand holding onto each other and trying to reassure ourselves. The scene before us was spectacular but stark in the moonlight. There was a sinister quality to the deserted beauty of it all. The beaches here are all public, so there’s unbroken shoreline for forty-six miles. The sand bore evidence of the previous day’s activity. We walked over footprints avoiding holes and abandoned castles dug by children. The sand here is fine, white, and clean. To our right, the sea beat at us with a persistent yet gentle throbbing. There were visible whitecaps and the soothing quality of its rhythm. We tried to sort out our emotions as we walked, but I imagine they’re much like our restless aptly named neighbor, the Pacific. We seem to be coping outwardly, but if we probe too deeply, there’s terror and uncertainty.
The Bruce’s brought a nice Lambrusca to accompany our meal. Restaurants here are often licensed so you can BYO. Syd Bruce has strong feelings about the danger of Australia's Muslim population and agrees with Prime Minister John Howard’s decision not to admit the Afghani boat people. One of his sales reps had an unsettling meeting with a Lebanese customer today. Mistaking the rep’s dark complexion for middle eastern, the customer said he was pleased with the events in New York. Syd also shared a story about the aborigines. A while ago a group of American blacks came to Australia to see if they could help the aborigine cause. When they found out about the benefits given to the indigenous people here, the African-Americans went home telling the aborigines that they had it better than blacks in the U.S. They paid a dear price, but now they get very cheap start up business loans, college tuition paid in full with no need to finish secondary school, health care, housing, and other perks. There are some hard feelings among the tax paying public.
Syd tends to be a bit conservative, but we find ourselves becoming quite intolerant now. Talking has gotten the world nowhere. Sanctions and embargos didn’t work. We didn’t finish Iraq and got pounded in Saudi, the U.S.S. Cole, and now the Trade Towers and Pentagon. I hope Bush can rise to the occasion. The TV commentators were saying that his speech included all the right words, but I think there’s an effort to show support and not be critical now. My impression, and Syd’s, was that the words may have been right, but the presence of leadership was absent.
Toby
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Early Morning Horror
September 12, 2001-Fifteen Hours of Separation
We have noisy neighbors. At midnight we called building security to ask them to quiet down. Security asked if we were watching the tellie. We reminded them we were trying to sleep. He told us a plane just flew into one of the towers of the Trade Center in New York. We switched on the news and saw the second plane hit. It’s now 2:05 AM and we’re glued to the screen. We’re frustrated because we’re so far away. We’ve tried reaching our kids at all the numbers we have for them but were frustrated in our attempts. We got either no answer or busy signals. We have relatives and friends who work in downtown New York and Washington, DC. If any of you have information about their well-being, please let us know.
September 13, 2001- Pearl Harbor Again?
Thank you all who have responded to my questions about friends and relatives. We finally spoke to all the kids. We’re still very unsettled. As we crawled back into bed at 3 AM, I said to David that it seems like WW III is starting and we’re literally “on the beach” in Australia. Some of you are old enough to remember that movie. I told Daniel to sell his house and ours, liquidate our assets, and come here. I don’t think he took me seriously. I guess no one is safe anywhere. We got a call from a congregant here. His daughter is stuck in Canada. He’s a past president of the congregation and his daughter asked him not to take her daughter, his granddaughter, to Rosh Hashanah services. He not only agreed, but he suggested that services be canceled altogether.
The Muslim population here is very large and the Jewish population is minuscule. I think there are only 100,000 Jews out of a population of 2.5 million in the entire country. The Arab population is about 5-6%. It sickens me to hear about Muslim students around the world dancing in the streets.
I’ve been choked up since I heard the news and was finally able to cry after reading this message from the president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
Statement by Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie President, Union of American Hebrew Congregations September 11, 2001:
The Union of American Hebrew Congregations mourns with America. We extend our profound sympathies to the families and friends of those who have been devastated by these despicable acts of murder. We offer our thanks to the thousands of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who have risked their lives to save others. This is a time for coming together as a country, and to support the President and our government as they seek to offer comfort to the bereaved, repair the damage, and find those responsible. The Jewish community is especially sensitive to the scourge of terror. The intentional and indiscriminate killing of innocent human beings is an act of ultimate evil, a profound offense against God and humanity for which there can never be a rationale or justification. We know that the government will do everything within its power to locate the perpetrators of these acts and to hold them accountable. At the same time, we urge all Americans not to form opinions until all facts are known, and to avoid blaming any group for the actions of individuals. After today, we know our lives in America will never be the same. In ways large and small, our world has irreparably changed. But we believe too in the resiliency of the American people, and that we will not permit these horrific acts of terror to dictate the character of American society. Our tradition teaches us the reality of evil but reminds us of our ability to overcome evil, to affirm hope, and to achieve healing.
David is at the temple. I have written to you about our extra security precautions for the holidays. Well, I guess even paranoids have enemies.
Toby
We have noisy neighbors. At midnight we called building security to ask them to quiet down. Security asked if we were watching the tellie. We reminded them we were trying to sleep. He told us a plane just flew into one of the towers of the Trade Center in New York. We switched on the news and saw the second plane hit. It’s now 2:05 AM and we’re glued to the screen. We’re frustrated because we’re so far away. We’ve tried reaching our kids at all the numbers we have for them but were frustrated in our attempts. We got either no answer or busy signals. We have relatives and friends who work in downtown New York and Washington, DC. If any of you have information about their well-being, please let us know.
September 13, 2001- Pearl Harbor Again?
Thank you all who have responded to my questions about friends and relatives. We finally spoke to all the kids. We’re still very unsettled. As we crawled back into bed at 3 AM, I said to David that it seems like WW III is starting and we’re literally “on the beach” in Australia. Some of you are old enough to remember that movie. I told Daniel to sell his house and ours, liquidate our assets, and come here. I don’t think he took me seriously. I guess no one is safe anywhere. We got a call from a congregant here. His daughter is stuck in Canada. He’s a past president of the congregation and his daughter asked him not to take her daughter, his granddaughter, to Rosh Hashanah services. He not only agreed, but he suggested that services be canceled altogether.
The Muslim population here is very large and the Jewish population is minuscule. I think there are only 100,000 Jews out of a population of 2.5 million in the entire country. The Arab population is about 5-6%. It sickens me to hear about Muslim students around the world dancing in the streets.
I’ve been choked up since I heard the news and was finally able to cry after reading this message from the president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
Statement by Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie President, Union of American Hebrew Congregations September 11, 2001:
The Union of American Hebrew Congregations mourns with America. We extend our profound sympathies to the families and friends of those who have been devastated by these despicable acts of murder. We offer our thanks to the thousands of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who have risked their lives to save others. This is a time for coming together as a country, and to support the President and our government as they seek to offer comfort to the bereaved, repair the damage, and find those responsible. The Jewish community is especially sensitive to the scourge of terror. The intentional and indiscriminate killing of innocent human beings is an act of ultimate evil, a profound offense against God and humanity for which there can never be a rationale or justification. We know that the government will do everything within its power to locate the perpetrators of these acts and to hold them accountable. At the same time, we urge all Americans not to form opinions until all facts are known, and to avoid blaming any group for the actions of individuals. After today, we know our lives in America will never be the same. In ways large and small, our world has irreparably changed. But we believe too in the resiliency of the American people, and that we will not permit these horrific acts of terror to dictate the character of American society. Our tradition teaches us the reality of evil but reminds us of our ability to overcome evil, to affirm hope, and to achieve healing.
David is at the temple. I have written to you about our extra security precautions for the holidays. Well, I guess even paranoids have enemies.
Toby
Reading For Pleasure
September 11, 2001-Read it and Weep
I wanted to send the fashion section of the newspaper to you but couldn’t figure out how. You’ll have to be content with excerpts. To illustrate, I’ll describe what I saw a real woman wearing: a gray and black swirling patterned skirt with a leopard blouse. Over that she wore a leopard jacket of a different shade and pattern. In her hair was a large, bright, yellow fabric flower. Her shoes were black paisley. When I opened the fashion section and saw that the first headline was “Stranger Than Fiction,” I was already a believer. The next page yielded a story on “Born To Be a Bad Dresser.” It was about Erin Brockovich. The capper was the latest in fashion undies. The headline, “An Ill Wind” blew me away (pun intended). It was about pants that filter out flatulence. They come in a range of styles and colors with replacement filter pads. Let’s see who can come up with an Aussie name for these. David suggested “farties.” My choice was “Stink Eez.”
Out on the Town
At the chemist (pharmacy) today we were looking for Calcium with vitamin D and came across a product called “Horny.” It had a picture of a man and woman in bed and referred to improving those intimate moments. They don’t mince words, do they?
We opened a bank account at the ANZ (Ay-En-Zed) Bank. I still feel goofy saying it that way. Janet Bruce works there. When the banker asked how long we’d be staying, we said it would be seven months. Janet jumped in to say they’d try to change our minds. I think there’s a lot of false hope on their part.
The best product for us was to open a low interest bearing account that lets us get money and pay bills on line. We also opened a savings account. The savings account pays a higher rate of interest and is their Xmas account. Yes folks, the Rabbi Horowitz family has a Xmas fund account. There was no way around it except we refer to it as a Chanukah account.
One difference in banking here is that as we were setting everything up the bank clerk asked us what our PIN number will be. She wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper, went to another computer to input it, came back with the piece of scrap paper, and crossed it out in front of us. Other differences are in retail trade. They don’t let customers play with the puppies in the pet stores. Boo! They let you try shoes on without socks or footies. Hiss! There is no tipping at the hairdressers or at restaurants. Yeah!
Re-united
Speaking of clothing, our moods have definitely taken an upswing. Syd Bruce called early this morning and sounded as if he personally had a hand in securing our last boxes. The postal service rang his doorbell at 7:45 AM and handed his wife one of our boxes. She insistently asked if there weren’t more. Sure enough, there were two. Everything is here and accounted for. I have embarked on a marathon-ironing spree. I’m even enjoying it. It’s giving me a chance to welcome each garment individually and let it know how much it’s been missed. I’m able to reassure each and every item it’s duly valued and we’ll not be separated again for a long, long time. My shoes have been lovingly unwrapped and shelved. I left the closet door open so I can glance at them from time to time. It’s comforting to see them all in a row, ready to serve. We’re bonding.
I think I failed to mention that if any of you visit and need to find our complex, it’s the one with the tall pink buildings next to the squat blue shack on the corner with the sign saying. “Falun Gong Liberation.” We seem to be neighbors with Chinese activists. We also live across the street from one of the largest gambling casinos in Australia. They’re the only casino in the world to have million dollar chips. Of course they’re only worth $500,000 to us. We haven’t been inside yet, but we’ve seen the croupiers picketing. It’s a three-day strike. They don’t do long strikes here. Qantas was out for one day.
Toby
I wanted to send the fashion section of the newspaper to you but couldn’t figure out how. You’ll have to be content with excerpts. To illustrate, I’ll describe what I saw a real woman wearing: a gray and black swirling patterned skirt with a leopard blouse. Over that she wore a leopard jacket of a different shade and pattern. In her hair was a large, bright, yellow fabric flower. Her shoes were black paisley. When I opened the fashion section and saw that the first headline was “Stranger Than Fiction,” I was already a believer. The next page yielded a story on “Born To Be a Bad Dresser.” It was about Erin Brockovich. The capper was the latest in fashion undies. The headline, “An Ill Wind” blew me away (pun intended). It was about pants that filter out flatulence. They come in a range of styles and colors with replacement filter pads. Let’s see who can come up with an Aussie name for these. David suggested “farties.” My choice was “Stink Eez.”
Out on the Town
At the chemist (pharmacy) today we were looking for Calcium with vitamin D and came across a product called “Horny.” It had a picture of a man and woman in bed and referred to improving those intimate moments. They don’t mince words, do they?
We opened a bank account at the ANZ (Ay-En-Zed) Bank. I still feel goofy saying it that way. Janet Bruce works there. When the banker asked how long we’d be staying, we said it would be seven months. Janet jumped in to say they’d try to change our minds. I think there’s a lot of false hope on their part.
The best product for us was to open a low interest bearing account that lets us get money and pay bills on line. We also opened a savings account. The savings account pays a higher rate of interest and is their Xmas account. Yes folks, the Rabbi Horowitz family has a Xmas fund account. There was no way around it except we refer to it as a Chanukah account.
One difference in banking here is that as we were setting everything up the bank clerk asked us what our PIN number will be. She wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper, went to another computer to input it, came back with the piece of scrap paper, and crossed it out in front of us. Other differences are in retail trade. They don’t let customers play with the puppies in the pet stores. Boo! They let you try shoes on without socks or footies. Hiss! There is no tipping at the hairdressers or at restaurants. Yeah!
Re-united
Speaking of clothing, our moods have definitely taken an upswing. Syd Bruce called early this morning and sounded as if he personally had a hand in securing our last boxes. The postal service rang his doorbell at 7:45 AM and handed his wife one of our boxes. She insistently asked if there weren’t more. Sure enough, there were two. Everything is here and accounted for. I have embarked on a marathon-ironing spree. I’m even enjoying it. It’s giving me a chance to welcome each garment individually and let it know how much it’s been missed. I’m able to reassure each and every item it’s duly valued and we’ll not be separated again for a long, long time. My shoes have been lovingly unwrapped and shelved. I left the closet door open so I can glance at them from time to time. It’s comforting to see them all in a row, ready to serve. We’re bonding.
I think I failed to mention that if any of you visit and need to find our complex, it’s the one with the tall pink buildings next to the squat blue shack on the corner with the sign saying. “Falun Gong Liberation.” We seem to be neighbors with Chinese activists. We also live across the street from one of the largest gambling casinos in Australia. They’re the only casino in the world to have million dollar chips. Of course they’re only worth $500,000 to us. We haven’t been inside yet, but we’ve seen the croupiers picketing. It’s a three-day strike. They don’t do long strikes here. Qantas was out for one day.
Toby
Friday, February 5, 2010
The More We're Oriented The More Different It Seems
September 9, 2001-Taking Care of Business
(photos:
scrub turkey,
our trusty Mitsubishi,
roo crossing sign)
In the latest box to arrive we were excited to find refrigerator magnets along with photos of Daniel, Vikki, Alex, and Wendy. Our refrigerator now holds many smiling faces. The washer is no longer leaking and the dryer is drying faster. I knew you all wanted to know this. The manager suggested using less detergent in the machine so it won't bubble up from the floor drain. I have to wash everything on fast spin or it takes forever to dry in the dryer. Also running everything on the high setting in the dryer tends to produce less damp clothing that needs to be hung around the apartment. The apartment can now be transformed from looking like the boudoir of a sloppy hooker into a home.
This morning I read the local paper with my breakfast. Clinton is here, but the real eye catcher was an add for Internet service that was headlined, ”Get More Than You Bargained For.” It featured what appeared to be a woman in a bikini. On closer examination, the bikini-clad cutie was a man in drag, chest hair and all.
Shabbat Services Saturday started at 10:00 AM. They do a Torah reading on Saturday, not on Friday. Different people come to Friday and Saturday services. There was the reading of the Torah portion in English then David read from the Torah scroll. A congregant stood next to David and followed along. In the traditional fashion, it’s his job to correct the reader. David did well. Only one correction was needed. This group has a good Hebrew background with a scattering of Israelis to keep everyone on their toes. The haftarah (a portion from Prophets) is also read. There are many aliyot (honors) including three for Torah blessings. David was hoping to be able to end the service in 1 hour and 15 minutes, but it went over by about 10 minutes. I’m pretty sure I’ll stick to Friday nights.
It has been interesting to talk to congregants and learn their histories. Yesterday, a man named Sam told me how he and his family went to London from Eastern Europe in 1914 when he was four years old. His father worked in the lady’s garment industry and soon had his own shop. Sam worked with his father learning the trade step by step. When he was in his mid-20’s, the family went to Dover, England on holiday. Sam looked out over the English Channel and realized there was a huge world to explore. He headed for the Continent and met his future wife in Brussels. She was training to be a concert pianist. They married and returned to London. There was plenty of business for everyone so he didn’t feel badly about opening his own shop and competing with his father. After WWII, he decided that Europe was not a safe place to raise his children. He’d heard that Australia was an open society and headed here. They landed in Sydney with the names of two people who were in the garment industry. The first man offered him a job at a very low wage. The second man was Jewish and allowed him to buy in as a partner. Sam took business trips to places that were only a train stop and a tin shed. He never looked back. The people here are much like early pioneers in America. They’re like my father’s widowed mother who took a leap of faith while searching for a better future for her children. Or my father who gave up a thriving business in the fur industry in New York City and followed his heart to Florida, returning to the land and becoming a farmer as his father had been in Poland. One grew potatoes and one grew oranges. They’re a gutsy lot.
I may have inadvertently started a rumor during services. Those of you who know how I feel about hakafa (marching around the sanctuary with the Torah) know that I do not kiss the Torah as it passes by. During hakafa here a woman moved aside so I could reach the scroll. I declined, joking that it was against my religion. She smiled and said, “I thought so.” It didn’t dawn on me until later that she might have meant that she thought I wasn’t Jewish. Oy! Well, as I’ve always maintained, they will talk about us anyway, at least this will be harmless and give them grist.
Finding Our Way
We spent the afternoon exploring starting at the mall food court. The selection of foods is astounding: Pizza Hut, KFC, health food, ice-cream, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Japanese, McD’s, Aussie tucker, salad bars, fish and chips, Mexican, and that was just on one level of one of the food courts in this mall. We had roll ups. Mine was Thai chicken and David had Cajun chicken with salsa.
The day was dreary and damp so we explored in our trysty car. We headed for the mountains we can see from the shore. We figured that if we drove up the coast and turned left we’d eventually run into them. It seemed a good plan at the time. Continuing on our adventure, we eventually found the M-way. It’s their interstate highway (motorway). David said it was unsettling entering an expressway and merging from the left. He really was doing great until we exited at the wrong spot and needed to turn around. He made the turn then set off back the way we’d come. He was majorly and happily on the right (wrong) side of the road. As it was deserted and in the bush, I let him coast along for a few hundred feet before mentioning it to him. He stayed left after that.
The bush is what we’d call rural. Then we were in farmland. There were many examples of the Queenslander style of house. It’s built off the ground on posts with a porch wrapping around the entire house. It’s cooler to be elevated and the porch provides shade and outdoor living away from sun and snakes. Houses had round corrugated metal cisterns next to them into which rainwater from the gutters flowed. The woman in Leidley whom David had visited the other day said she always had a cistern and drank the untreated water. She’d have it no other way.
We followed signs to Tambourine Mt. and found ourselves climbing a narrow road with no shoulder and a fairly hefty drop. We’d gone from the rolling hills of the bush to a pine forest. I wasn’t too worried about the drop-off because there were huge trees growing out of the ravines that would break our fall. As we climbed, I realized the trees had gotten taller and were towering about 100 feet overhead. When I felt brave enough to look away from the road to the tops of the trees, I saw they were palms. I’d never seen such monsters. We’d found a rain forest: Joala National Park. We stopped at a teashop and saw scrub turkeys for the first time. They have black bodies, red heads, and bright dangling yellow collars of wattle around their necks. They’re an amazing sight and another of the odd birds we can add to our collection of Oz’s best.
It was going to be dark soon so we started down towards home. Fortunately, we didn’t have to return by way of those hairpin curves but we passed some interesting signs. One warned that koalas crossed at night, another indicated a kangaroo crossing, and an irresistible sign promoted the sale of “horse poo.”
Vindaloo Who?
We were really hungry when we got home, but David had enough driving for one day. We walked a block from our apartment to an Indian restaurant. It turned out, to be the best Indian food we’ve ever eaten. We started with kulcha crammed full of onions. I ordered chicken tikka masala and David had the goshd (lamb) vindaloo, extra spicy. We both resisted the offering of vindaloo roo listed under kangaroo meat selections. I tell you no lies. The menu assured us that all meat was “hallal.” Once again it’s evidence of the large Muslim presence here. Those of you who know about the long standing tradition in our home to always have “old” food available will be happy to note that we left the restaurant with a doggie bag.
Mentioning the Muslim presence reminded me that the security here for the high holidays is a lot more than we have in America. There has been trouble elsewhere and threats, so they hired armed guards to stand at the door of our temple. No one is allowed in without a ticket. No one includes us. They don’t use any of the parking lots adjacent to the temple. All parking is on the street.
Sunday School and Sunday Culture
David had his first morning at Sunday School. There were two teachers and one administrator for 7-12 children. Two kids, a brother and sister, ages 10 and 12, were new. They’re from Palo Alto, California and have been sailing around the world with their parents for two years. They’re being home “boat” schooled and have been in religious school and at services when on Fiji and when moored in the States. Their boat is a 53-footer with a broken main beam. It will take nine months to repair, so they’re renting a place near here. The kids are in regular school now and said they finally have English-speaking kids to talk to but don’t understand them.
A throwback to the 50’s is there are still blue laws dealing with Sunday closings but in this area of Queensland shops may be open due to the high number of tourists. Economics trumps religion. We went to a grocery store called Coco’s that was supposed to have a line of kosher products. We got Shabbat candles, yahrzeit (memorial) candles, gefilte fish, and matzo ball mix. The rest of the store was pretty lame. Across the street from Coco’s was the Carrara Market. It’s an open-air weekend only market with permanent stands. They sell everything including kitchen sinks. They had produce, meats, snacks, karaoke, hardware, light fixtures, meat, toys, gold jewelry, sunnies (sunglasses), pets (puppies), cosmetics, “Tweety Bird” t-shirts, and a head shop complete with rolling paper and water pipes. We didn’t understand the sign about marijuana smokers being welcome since it’s illegal here. Unlike our flea markets, the one thing it didn’t have were socks.
Toby
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Nesting
September 7, 2001-Mail Watch
I just realized that the measuring cup we bought yesterday is metric. Help!
Another box arrived. It’s been opened by customs. It was just some toiletries. Still no shoes. I’m beginning to feel more settled though. I even bought a flowering plant for our balcony.
A note for you who plan to set up housekeeping in a fully furnished apartment. Bring your own hangers. They don’t have enough here and since closet space is limited I spent $A50 on ones that accommodate multiple shirts and pants. I have tons of those hangers at home. Aaagh!
I feel as if I fell into Gulliver’s Travels or down the rabbit hole with Alice. Everything about this apartment is Lilliputian. I’ve been ironing David’s shirts and slacks. The ironing board is low to the ground and short in length. His clothes are neither. The iron has fallen off once already. The bathroom sink is lower than standard and the washer and dryer are undersized. It wouldn’t be bad if they were the same capacity, but the washer is larger than the dryer. But plugs on the end of cords are over-sized and have three prongs each at a different angle. It’s a trick lining them up. Every time I plug the iron in I think I’m taking an IQ test.
I’m so used to being smug about doing everything “the best” in the U.S. that I’m intrigued by my surprise when I find competence here. The manicure yesterday was one thing, but the advice and service at the dry cleaners has been excellent. It’s such a small thing, but we really appreciated it when the attendant told us she wouldn’t be able to remove a stain and showed us how to do it. She might have just taken in the garment, returned it with the stain, and collected the money while explaining that it wasn’t removable. David’s white clerical robe is also being done there. They were unfazed by it and said they often clean judge’s robes.
For some reason the state of Queensland doesn’t have Daylight Savings Time. It gets dark pretty early and I don’t think it will change during summer. Another oddity is that the Burger Kings are called Hungry Jack’s. They have the same logo and food. There’s no Halloween and people don’t understand why we celebrate a pagan holiday in the U.S.
I went to the public library. I can’t be without a book to read. I’m coming to the end of the ones I brought with me. They’d be happy to give me a visitor’s library card if I can produce evidence I’ll be here for six months or more. They need a rent receipt, electric bill, etc. Since the apartment isn’t in our name I have to get a letter from the management stating that we’re long-term tenants. It’s like getting a note from my mother.
David’s Field Trip
David just returned from an all day odyssey. He was asked to visit a dying woman. She lives in the Bush. Fodor’s calls it the hinterlands. The son picked David up at temple and returned him home. But the man had a very poor sense of direction. He lives in Sydney, had just flown into Gold Coast that morning, and had no idea of where anything was. He got lost finding the temple but finally got David to the hospital in Leidley between Ipswich and Toowoomba. The woman has liver cancer, is 72, and is at ease with the fact that she’s going to die. She’ll be buried in the Bush without a ceremony and simply wanted to have David say some prayers.
The hospital was small and had mostly wards of six or more beds. She was in a private room and was getting what amounted to hospice care. Her ex-husband was present along with her son. They all took out kippot (head coverings), and David did the vidui (confessional recited by the dying) with her. It seemed quite meaningful to them all. David is learning that rabbis here travel to be with Jews in isolated areas. It’s not unusual for rabbis in Sydney to fly to a remote area for a bar mitzvah. David may be doing just that in Byron Bay in October. A lot of the Jews in Australia aren’t only in the Diaspora (living outside the land of Israel) but are living in Galut (exile). It’s touching how hard they work at retaining their identity and passing it on to their children.
(This is David writing) This woman I went to see was remarkable. She had a wonderful sense of humor and kept up a banter until she became too tired. She recited the Shema with me only to question my pronunciation (I was using S’fardit and she had learned it in Ashkanazic). She was a pharmacist in a family of doctors and had a keen sense of her Jewishness though she had lived in isolated places in the Bush for more than twenty years.
Shabbat
(Toby again) Services tonight were from 6:30 P.M. to 7:20 P.M. That’s the service I’ll go to. The soloist has a good voice but sings everything at the same tempo and with the same phrasing. At least she’s on key. She’s probably in her early 70’s and a convert. She does an excellent job with the Hebrew. All the singing is in Hebrew here. The service is more traditional than Akron. To make matters more interesting, the soloist is from Scotland. There’s a definite Scottish/Aussie ring to her Hebrew. It’s kind of like in the Southern U.S. where Hebrew has a twang. David gave a very short sweet sermon about differences and distances and how the now is what’s important to us here. It was well received.
We went to the Bruce’s for Shabbat dinner. Their aunt, uncle, and grandfather were there as well as their children. Daniel and Rebekah are great young people. They’re very comfortable with adults and hold up their end of a conversation.
We learned that the highest tax bracket for earnings over $A 47,000, is 46%. That covers their health care. Translated into U.S. dollars, if we earn $100,000, pay $33,000 in taxes, and then another $8-9,000, for health insurance, it comes out about the same. The advantage in Australia is that there’s less of a bite the less you earn. In the U.S. the tax rate goes down when you earn less, but the insurance cost stays the same and doesn’t adjust with earnings. The other side of it is that their $100,000 here buys them less than our $100,000 in the states.
Everything was going well. We had discussed Israel and the aunt (I forget her name) wanted to drop the Bomb on all the Arabs. David respectfully disagreed. She was against women as rabbis. Again, David respectfully disagreed. David mentioned that Reform Judaism in America was doing what sociologists say is impossible. They’re getting more ritually conservative and more liberal in their stand on social issues, e.g. women and gays. She headed immediately for the “abomination” thing and David intercepted her with, “My daughter is a lesbian.” After a volley of, “She isn’t really,” from her and. “Oh yes she is,” from David, I thought her vocal chords would seize up with her desire to express her rabid disdain and her effort not to offend “the rabbi.” Unfortunately, grandpa was nodding off so things ended and they all went home. Our hosts knew about David’s activities in the Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual,Transgender community from his resume, and we had mentioned Wendy at a previous dinner, so they were ok. Daniel’s comment about gay rabbis was, ”At least they’re Jewish.” I’m sure word will be out by the next day.
Toby
I just realized that the measuring cup we bought yesterday is metric. Help!
Another box arrived. It’s been opened by customs. It was just some toiletries. Still no shoes. I’m beginning to feel more settled though. I even bought a flowering plant for our balcony.
A note for you who plan to set up housekeeping in a fully furnished apartment. Bring your own hangers. They don’t have enough here and since closet space is limited I spent $A50 on ones that accommodate multiple shirts and pants. I have tons of those hangers at home. Aaagh!
I feel as if I fell into Gulliver’s Travels or down the rabbit hole with Alice. Everything about this apartment is Lilliputian. I’ve been ironing David’s shirts and slacks. The ironing board is low to the ground and short in length. His clothes are neither. The iron has fallen off once already. The bathroom sink is lower than standard and the washer and dryer are undersized. It wouldn’t be bad if they were the same capacity, but the washer is larger than the dryer. But plugs on the end of cords are over-sized and have three prongs each at a different angle. It’s a trick lining them up. Every time I plug the iron in I think I’m taking an IQ test.
I’m so used to being smug about doing everything “the best” in the U.S. that I’m intrigued by my surprise when I find competence here. The manicure yesterday was one thing, but the advice and service at the dry cleaners has been excellent. It’s such a small thing, but we really appreciated it when the attendant told us she wouldn’t be able to remove a stain and showed us how to do it. She might have just taken in the garment, returned it with the stain, and collected the money while explaining that it wasn’t removable. David’s white clerical robe is also being done there. They were unfazed by it and said they often clean judge’s robes.
For some reason the state of Queensland doesn’t have Daylight Savings Time. It gets dark pretty early and I don’t think it will change during summer. Another oddity is that the Burger Kings are called Hungry Jack’s. They have the same logo and food. There’s no Halloween and people don’t understand why we celebrate a pagan holiday in the U.S.
I went to the public library. I can’t be without a book to read. I’m coming to the end of the ones I brought with me. They’d be happy to give me a visitor’s library card if I can produce evidence I’ll be here for six months or more. They need a rent receipt, electric bill, etc. Since the apartment isn’t in our name I have to get a letter from the management stating that we’re long-term tenants. It’s like getting a note from my mother.
David’s Field Trip
David just returned from an all day odyssey. He was asked to visit a dying woman. She lives in the Bush. Fodor’s calls it the hinterlands. The son picked David up at temple and returned him home. But the man had a very poor sense of direction. He lives in Sydney, had just flown into Gold Coast that morning, and had no idea of where anything was. He got lost finding the temple but finally got David to the hospital in Leidley between Ipswich and Toowoomba. The woman has liver cancer, is 72, and is at ease with the fact that she’s going to die. She’ll be buried in the Bush without a ceremony and simply wanted to have David say some prayers.
The hospital was small and had mostly wards of six or more beds. She was in a private room and was getting what amounted to hospice care. Her ex-husband was present along with her son. They all took out kippot (head coverings), and David did the vidui (confessional recited by the dying) with her. It seemed quite meaningful to them all. David is learning that rabbis here travel to be with Jews in isolated areas. It’s not unusual for rabbis in Sydney to fly to a remote area for a bar mitzvah. David may be doing just that in Byron Bay in October. A lot of the Jews in Australia aren’t only in the Diaspora (living outside the land of Israel) but are living in Galut (exile). It’s touching how hard they work at retaining their identity and passing it on to their children.
(This is David writing) This woman I went to see was remarkable. She had a wonderful sense of humor and kept up a banter until she became too tired. She recited the Shema with me only to question my pronunciation (I was using S’fardit and she had learned it in Ashkanazic). She was a pharmacist in a family of doctors and had a keen sense of her Jewishness though she had lived in isolated places in the Bush for more than twenty years.
Shabbat
(Toby again) Services tonight were from 6:30 P.M. to 7:20 P.M. That’s the service I’ll go to. The soloist has a good voice but sings everything at the same tempo and with the same phrasing. At least she’s on key. She’s probably in her early 70’s and a convert. She does an excellent job with the Hebrew. All the singing is in Hebrew here. The service is more traditional than Akron. To make matters more interesting, the soloist is from Scotland. There’s a definite Scottish/Aussie ring to her Hebrew. It’s kind of like in the Southern U.S. where Hebrew has a twang. David gave a very short sweet sermon about differences and distances and how the now is what’s important to us here. It was well received.
We went to the Bruce’s for Shabbat dinner. Their aunt, uncle, and grandfather were there as well as their children. Daniel and Rebekah are great young people. They’re very comfortable with adults and hold up their end of a conversation.
We learned that the highest tax bracket for earnings over $A 47,000, is 46%. That covers their health care. Translated into U.S. dollars, if we earn $100,000, pay $33,000 in taxes, and then another $8-9,000, for health insurance, it comes out about the same. The advantage in Australia is that there’s less of a bite the less you earn. In the U.S. the tax rate goes down when you earn less, but the insurance cost stays the same and doesn’t adjust with earnings. The other side of it is that their $100,000 here buys them less than our $100,000 in the states.
Everything was going well. We had discussed Israel and the aunt (I forget her name) wanted to drop the Bomb on all the Arabs. David respectfully disagreed. She was against women as rabbis. Again, David respectfully disagreed. David mentioned that Reform Judaism in America was doing what sociologists say is impossible. They’re getting more ritually conservative and more liberal in their stand on social issues, e.g. women and gays. She headed immediately for the “abomination” thing and David intercepted her with, “My daughter is a lesbian.” After a volley of, “She isn’t really,” from her and. “Oh yes she is,” from David, I thought her vocal chords would seize up with her desire to express her rabid disdain and her effort not to offend “the rabbi.” Unfortunately, grandpa was nodding off so things ended and they all went home. Our hosts knew about David’s activities in the Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual,Transgender community from his resume, and we had mentioned Wendy at a previous dinner, so they were ok. Daniel’s comment about gay rabbis was, ”At least they’re Jewish.” I’m sure word will be out by the next day.
Toby
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Getting Comfy
September 6, 2001-The Swing of Things
No more parcels today. I’m busy ironing shirts and slacks something I haven’t done in years. I decided to run all the t-shirts through a short rinse and pop them into the dryer to get rid of wrinkles. It worked, but now storage is an issue. We have to fold everything since hanging space is at a premium.
It was another lovely day, although windy. We walked to a shopping mall for lunch. I think I’ll be able to eat outside every day. We then walked home along the ocean. Since it was windy, there were a lot of white caps. Lovely. We’re going to Syd and Janet Bruce for Shabbat dinner after services tomorrow night. Services are always at 6:30pm on Friday. Saturday services are at 10 AM. I offered to bring the fruit for tomorrow night. We went to a fruit store where some items were unfamiliar. One was a custard apple. We bought one and followed the instructions the cashier gave us. It has lumpy green skin and is the size of an apple. There are about ten black peanut sized seeds inside that aren’t eaten. You cut it in half and scoop out the soft, sweet, custardy smooth meat with a spoon. It’s delicious.
As open a society as it is here, they seem to regulate things that we leave to the private sector. Australia passed a law allowing single women to be artificially inseminated. This included lesbians. The Catholic Church is now trying to repeal the law.
I finally got a manicure today. There is a salon on the lower level of the building. It was a marvelous manicure. My nails have never been better treated. It included a hand and arm massage, exfoliation, and hot towel wrap. The cost was the same as at home.
Bits of History
David went to some kind of ritual committee meeting last night. Down the hall from the apartment where he was meeting was a women's guild meeting. There were ten women who sat around and gossiped. I was the youngest. It was quite lively but I’m not sure what their function is. In the course of the evening I heard stories of how they came to Australia. Two of the women have always lived within two blocks of each other but never met. They grew up in London, moved to Melbourne as newlyweds, and first met when they came to Gold Coast. They now live two doors apart. They have the same last names but their husbands aren’t related.
A widow originally from Portugal told a touching story. After her family came to Australia she married her husband, a Jewish Polish Holocaust survivor. She enjoyed sharing his holidays and going to synagogue with him. She decided she wanted to study for conversion but her husband discouraged her. He’d lost his entire family in the Holocaust and was afraid for her to be Jewish. She prevailed. When she was officially Jewish she wrote to her older brother in Portugal to tell him the news. He phoned her as soon as he got the letter. “Why,” he asked, “did you convert? Our family has always been Jewish.” It turns out that they were Moranos, secret Jews who went underground during the Inquisition and never “came out” again. She remembers her mother lighting candles, possibly for the Sabbath, and putting it in the window. When she returned to Portugal for a visit she went to the church she attended as a little girl. There were Hebrew inscriptions worked into the patterns on the wall. It was a secret synagogue. When she told the rabbi in Australia what she’d learned he told her she was doubly blessed.
When the meeting of the ritual committee was finished, some of the people joined us. Somehow we got onto the subject of oddball funerals. The best story told was of a woman who died here and wanted to be buried in London. She was a world traveler so the family was able to use her accumulated frequent flier miles to transport her body back to England.
Tomorrow David will be tied up visiting someone who’s very ill in the Brisbane area. He’ll be picked up at 9 AM and get home at 3 PM. I’ll have our car to myself. I’m getting my hair cut in the morning, but will explore after that. I hope I find my way home. This place has literally dozens of shopping malls. They all seem to be busy. Most are multi-level and huge. That does not include strip malls. If they only had shoes in my size!
Toby
No more parcels today. I’m busy ironing shirts and slacks something I haven’t done in years. I decided to run all the t-shirts through a short rinse and pop them into the dryer to get rid of wrinkles. It worked, but now storage is an issue. We have to fold everything since hanging space is at a premium.
It was another lovely day, although windy. We walked to a shopping mall for lunch. I think I’ll be able to eat outside every day. We then walked home along the ocean. Since it was windy, there were a lot of white caps. Lovely. We’re going to Syd and Janet Bruce for Shabbat dinner after services tomorrow night. Services are always at 6:30pm on Friday. Saturday services are at 10 AM. I offered to bring the fruit for tomorrow night. We went to a fruit store where some items were unfamiliar. One was a custard apple. We bought one and followed the instructions the cashier gave us. It has lumpy green skin and is the size of an apple. There are about ten black peanut sized seeds inside that aren’t eaten. You cut it in half and scoop out the soft, sweet, custardy smooth meat with a spoon. It’s delicious.
As open a society as it is here, they seem to regulate things that we leave to the private sector. Australia passed a law allowing single women to be artificially inseminated. This included lesbians. The Catholic Church is now trying to repeal the law.
I finally got a manicure today. There is a salon on the lower level of the building. It was a marvelous manicure. My nails have never been better treated. It included a hand and arm massage, exfoliation, and hot towel wrap. The cost was the same as at home.
Bits of History
David went to some kind of ritual committee meeting last night. Down the hall from the apartment where he was meeting was a women's guild meeting. There were ten women who sat around and gossiped. I was the youngest. It was quite lively but I’m not sure what their function is. In the course of the evening I heard stories of how they came to Australia. Two of the women have always lived within two blocks of each other but never met. They grew up in London, moved to Melbourne as newlyweds, and first met when they came to Gold Coast. They now live two doors apart. They have the same last names but their husbands aren’t related.
A widow originally from Portugal told a touching story. After her family came to Australia she married her husband, a Jewish Polish Holocaust survivor. She enjoyed sharing his holidays and going to synagogue with him. She decided she wanted to study for conversion but her husband discouraged her. He’d lost his entire family in the Holocaust and was afraid for her to be Jewish. She prevailed. When she was officially Jewish she wrote to her older brother in Portugal to tell him the news. He phoned her as soon as he got the letter. “Why,” he asked, “did you convert? Our family has always been Jewish.” It turns out that they were Moranos, secret Jews who went underground during the Inquisition and never “came out” again. She remembers her mother lighting candles, possibly for the Sabbath, and putting it in the window. When she returned to Portugal for a visit she went to the church she attended as a little girl. There were Hebrew inscriptions worked into the patterns on the wall. It was a secret synagogue. When she told the rabbi in Australia what she’d learned he told her she was doubly blessed.
When the meeting of the ritual committee was finished, some of the people joined us. Somehow we got onto the subject of oddball funerals. The best story told was of a woman who died here and wanted to be buried in London. She was a world traveler so the family was able to use her accumulated frequent flier miles to transport her body back to England.
Tomorrow David will be tied up visiting someone who’s very ill in the Brisbane area. He’ll be picked up at 9 AM and get home at 3 PM. I’ll have our car to myself. I’m getting my hair cut in the morning, but will explore after that. I hope I find my way home. This place has literally dozens of shopping malls. They all seem to be busy. Most are multi-level and huge. That does not include strip malls. If they only had shoes in my size!
Toby
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