More Rainbows, Please

Saturday, October 14, 2023 

Prime Directive -- Don’t kill Jews. 

Isn't it sufficient to rely upon the Ten Commandments, Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13)?  Except for the blind spot that so many people have had toward Jews in this regard.  We seem to be outside the realm of some people’s morality.  Killing and kidnapping civilians is labeled Resistance, which removes the victims from consideration.

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We were back at J&M Diner, 50 Worcester Road, Framingham, for lunch (see September 1, 2023).  I had the Homemade Corned Beef Hash Omelette, a test of their kitchen and my digestive system ($18).  They both seem to have done quite well, although it may take several more hours to complete the assessment.  I enjoyed the English muffin served, a local brand, different from the typical Thomas’s version, thicker, with an even surface, not the characteristic nooks and crannies.

Sunday, October 15, 2023

We were joined at breakfast at The Cottage, 190 Linden Street, Wellesley, by two family friends and their teenage daughters.  The food and service was good enough to almost excuse the restaurant's promise that we "Enjoy the clean eating and fresh flavors of Southern California without leaving Wellesley, Massachusetts."  I had a large portion of Brioche French toast with bourbon pecan caramel sauce ($18), as sticky, gooey as you might expect, hardly Californian or New Englandish. 

The good mood of enduring friendship was leavened by one of the women's concern for her 18-year old son, spending his gap year in Israel, recently harvesting dates.  It was hard for her to take her eyes off her mobile phone even after her son assured her that he was safe and chose to remain in Israel for the present.    

Monday, October 16, 2023

I am unsure whether Israel's decision to wait to conduct a ground invasion of Gaza is strategic or circumstantial, merely governed by practical considerations, but it keeps its opponents and much of the world in suspense, providing the opportunity to reflect on what has led us to this point.  Whether any of us learn anything is to be determined.

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I listened to a talk hosted by our special friend Marianne Motherby from Berlin this afternoon.  The Right Honorable Sir Konrad Schiemann discussed his memoir “A Dual Perspective: The German in an English Judge.”  

As a German orphan after WWII, he came to England to be raised by an uncle who left Germany before the war.  Eventually, he rose to be a Lord Justice of Appeal in Britain and then a judge of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.  

His story had potentially a Tom Stoppard “Leopoldstadt” element to it; his mother was Jewish, married to a Nazi naval officer.  Yet, it seemed to make no difference to him.  His mother survived the war seemingly without incident, only to commit suicide when learning belatedly of her husband’s death late in the war.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Michael Ratner and I went to Chinatown for lunch at Golden Shanghai, 50 Mott Street, previously the site of New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe.  The change wasn’t necessarily for the better.  There are 37 lunch specials at $9.95, including a choice of hot and sour or egg drop soup and white rice.  We both had hot and sour soup, a little heavy on the sour, and swapped back and forth beef with scallions and sweet and sour chicken, conventional dishes.  Additionally, we shared House Special Crispy Duck (Half), with a side of hoisin sauce to give it sparkle ($25.95). 

There was nothing wrong with the meal, but it was Chinatown and I thought that we wasted an opportunity.

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What a welcome sight.

 

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

The current Israeli/Palestinian conflict has opened up two seams on some college campuses.  One divide is between the administration and (predominantly Jewish) alumni dissatisfied with belated or tepid responses to the Hamas attacks of October 7th.  The other divide is between Jewish students and apologists for evil and depravity, a/k/a pro-Palestinian students. 

Harvard is experiencing these controversies after a consortium of over 30 student groups posted an open letter, saying that Israel was “entirely responsible” for the violence that ended up killing more than 1,400 people, most of them Israeli civilians.   https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/18/us/harvard-students-israel-hamas-doxxing.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Some pro-Palestinian students have been harassed on or about campus and some major employers have withdrawn or threaten to withhold employment offers from members of the participating student organizations.  This has come as a surprise to some of the best and brightest.  Said one, "You kind of feel like you’re responsible,” obviously unaware of Newton's Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

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All the international news is not gloomy.  In Poland, voters rejected right-wing populism.  "It boiled down to a choice between two different visions of the future: one dominated by nationalism, traditional Catholic norms and the defense of Polish sovereignty; the other by promises to 'bring Poland back to Europe' and the liberal democratic values espoused by the European Union."   https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/world/europe/poland-election-law-and-justice.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Just as I urged you last week, I attended the talk by Steven Zipperstein about his forthcoming biography of Philip Roth.  I am a sucker for erudition and Zipperstein thoroughly demonstrated it.  I hope that you experienced it as well.

Friday, October 20, 2023

After the book talk on Monday, I wrote to dear Marianne Motherby.  “I enjoyed the session with Sir Konrad Schiemann, but ethnocentric me was bothered by his discounting the importance of his family’s Jewish background.  What was fateful for so many others seemed of little importance to him."  This morning, to my surprise, I received a letter from Sir Konrad, forwarded by Marianne.  "I am deeply sorry that part of what I said about my family’s jewish background gave you the impression that the holocaust seemed of little importance to me."  He left Germany when he was 7-years old.  "When I came to England, every effort was made to distance me from Third Reich memories, as I explain in the book.  So about such matters a discreet silence was kept."  In Germany and England, his family was totally secular.  "We were simply not brought up to think of ourselves as jews or jewish.  It was not a category by which we divided mankind."  This is a commendable universalist thought, neither subscribed to by philosemites nor antisemites.

 

No Excuses

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Last week, my timing was impeccably bad.  I got out of bed after 9 AM and went right to the computer to post my blog.  Almost simultaneously, my lovely wife called out that there was fighting in Israel.  

 

While this should be a concern for all, American Jews will likely be especially attentive.  So many of us have relatives and friends of all stripes in Israel.  Reading that Hamas fired “at least 2,200 rockets into the country by late morning, according to the Israeli military,” is chilling.  

 

It seems that no matter how ugly the conduct of the Israeli government and vigilante groups (see https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/10/19/heading-toward-a-second-nakba-a-day-in-the-life-of-abed-salama/ for a rundown), some Palestinian Arabs manage to reach even greater heights of barbarism.

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A new analysis by the U.S. Department of Education found that high school grades are up, but standardized test scores aren’t.  https://www.chalkbeat.org/2022/3/16/22979947/high-school-grades-inflation-federal-naep-test-scores

 

The two most likely reasons are grade inflation or the inaptness of standardized testing, which is insisted upon by Stony Brook Steve, a very experienced educator.  Not surprisingly, "[g]irls, overall, have higher GPAs than boys."

 

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Normally, I avoid the commentary of David Brooks, but I found this observation valuable.  "Biden’s 40 percent approval rating may look bad, but in Canada, Justin Trudeau’s approval rating is 36; in Germany Olaf Scholz is at 29; in Britain Rishi Sunak is at 28; in France Emmanuel Macron is at 23; and in Japan Fumio Kishida is also at 23."

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Last week, we looked at where new apartment buildings are going up, finding New York with a big lead over Dallas and Austin in absolute numbers.  Now, examining, among other things, the number of days apartments remained vacant and how many renters applied for the same available apartment, a study ranks "the nation’s hottest renting spots."  https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/market-snapshots/us-hottest-rental-markets/

The top five markets are:

• Miami-Dade County
• Milwaukee
• North Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Union counties)
• Suburban Chicago (reaching into northwestern Indiana)
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
  
  

This seems to indicate a renaissance of sorts for the Midwest, encouraged by a lower cost of living than in some other parts of the country.  https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/cost-of-living-by-state/

 

Monday, October 9, 2023

One significant item adding to your cost of living is your automobile.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/10/07/business/car-ownership-costs.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

 

"Personal vehicles often become workers’ largest expense, on a par with housing, child care and food."  According to the American Automobile Association, the average annual cost in the first five years of new-car ownership rose to $12,182 this year, including depreciation.  That’s 16 percent of the median household income, before taxes. 

 

Tuesday, October 10. 2023

An analysis of the terrible events in Israel this weekend in the New York Times starts with this observation: "Since its founding, Hamas has declared that Israel has no right to exist, that there are no Israeli civilians and that every Israeli citizen is a soldier of the state, and thus a legitimate target."

.  .  .

 

The Boyz Club's first gathering in the new year was understandably less gleeful than usual, but it was comforting having lunch with four friends at the ever reliable Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street.  We ate well, beef lo mein, duck chow fun, honey crispy chicken, shrimp with lobster sauce and mushroom fried rice, all for $19 each.  It might have been a great start to the year if we didn't read newspapers.

 

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Pop-Tarts are celebrating their 60th anniversary.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/06/dining/pop-tarts-taste-tester.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

 

I have a confession to make.  I have never eaten a Pop-Tart or any of its competitors.  Admittedly, I was already a nominal grownup when they were introduced, but, although I rarely rejected sweet treats, I never found these appealing.  These days, I save the calories for Häagen-Dazs.

 

Friday, October 13, 2023

Friday is "International Day of Action for Palestine, in defense of liberation, justice and freedom for the Palestinian people."  Allow me to point out that in none of the three Palestinian regimes, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, are you likely to find traces of justice or freedom.

.  .  .

 

The Upper West Side's Power Couple is leaving today for a weekend in Eastern Massachusetts visiting the second and third generations.  Reports to follow.

.  .  .

 

Get out your calendars.  On Thursday, October 19th at 7 PM, Steven Zipperstein, Stanford University historian, will discuss his soon-to-be published biography of Philip Roth.  You can attend live in person at West End Synagogue, 190 Amsterdam Avenue.  I’ll see you there.

STEVEN ZIPPERSTEIN

 

THU OCT 19 - 7:00PM



AT WES & LIVESTREAM

Read All About It

Saturday, September 30, 2023 

This is precisely the time of year that Jewish schoolchildren love.  One one-day and three two-day holidays come up sequentially.  That’s normally quality play time off from school, except cruelly this year when six of the seven days fall on weekends.

Sukkot commemorates the Israelites wandering the Sinai Desert as well as the Fall harvest.  Unlike most other Jewish holidays, Sukkot is primarily celebrated away from the synagogue in a temporary structure (sukkah), not unlike the ramshackle shelters in which New Yorkers have dined for much of the last three years.  

Tonight, we were invited for dinner in Dan and Susan's sukkah, located in the backyard of their apartment house on West 57th Street, just to the left of the Russian Tea Room.  Our hosts provided salmon baked in a mustard sauce as a delicious main course, guests adding side dishes, desserts and beverages.  

Sunday, October 1, 2023

It's not that we went sukkah shopping, but Aunt Judi and Uncle Stu invited us for lunch today in their commodious sukkah.  As we all know, Aunt Judi never saw a crowd of Jews that she couldn't leave fat and happy with her marvelous culinary talents.  

We started with that brilliant invention, deep fried gefilte fish, a special favorite of mine, the only store-bought item on her menu.  While the fish is a mainstay, her menus grow and evolve.  The soup was a cabbage soup with flanken, a matzoh ball affectionately added to mine.  A platter of roast chicken was surrounded by roasted carrots and sweet potatoes.  There were two major side dishes, a cauliflower kugel and a sweet noodle pudding.  You had to leave room for desserts, home-baked cookies, a frozen lemon mousse and chocolate chip cookie dough non-dairy ice cream, all from Aunt Judi's tender hands.    

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Another reason to celebrate today is the birthdays of Susan Gotthelf, Mossad Moshe and Jimmy Carter in ascending order of seniority.  Mazel Tov!

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The United States economy is $26.854 trillion, far too big to be characterized with one simple term -- strong, weak, healthy, ailing.  One area, however, that is clearly growing is apartment construction.  

https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/market-snapshots/new-apartment-construction/

The largest city in the U.S. also leads in the addition of new residential units, although, as you can see from the embedded chart, growth does not necessarily correspond to size.  

Monday, October 2, 2023

Terrific Tom had lunch with me at well-reputed  Café China, 59 West 37th Street, recently relocated to new premises.  The decor is inconsistent.  There are tasteful Asian touches, but a chandelier seems to have come from an Alpine chalet.

The food was thoroughly consistent and consistently good.  We stuck to dim sum, crystal shrimp dumplings ($10 for four pieces), chive pancakes ($10), pork dumplings in chili oil ($10 for eight pieces) and dan dan noodles ($12).  Everything was carefully prepared, properly spiced and worth your attention.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

7th Street Burger at 424 Amsterdam Avenue is one of 10 locations, only one on 7th Street, its original location in the East Village.  Here, it is a narrow storefront, almost empty except for a small round table set at a U-shaped wooden bench and a five-foot stainless steel ledge without any stools.  Unless you are very fastidious, the food is worth the inconvenience.  

The menu could not be simpler -- cheeseburger ($6.50), double cheeseburger ($9.50), overly-salted French fries ($4.50), bottles of Coca-Cola and Sprite from Mexico using real sugar, not corn syrup ($3.50).  For the anhedonic, plant-based burgers are available.  The real burgers are excellent, thin, the double about a quarter of a pound.  They come with a pickle slice and a secret sauce that smells good on your fingers afterwards.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Usually, when the virtues of a college education are recited, the focus is on the economic benefits, the anticipated increase in earnings over time.  The following study, however, looks at the health effects of advanced education. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/accounting-for-the-widening-mortality-gap-between-american-adults-with-and-without-a-ba/

There has been a decided increase in the gap in lifespan between those with and without a college degree.  Less educated people “are dying in increasing numbers.”  The authors discuss “the dramatic rise in deaths among working class people from suicide, drug overdoses, and alcoholism,” which they label “deaths of despair.”  They concluded that "the U.S. economy is failing working class people."  I suggest that the growth in political violence on the right is another manifestation.

Thursday, October 5, 2023

I had the fine company of Michael Ratner and Stony Brook Steve for lunch today at Hey Yuet, 251 West 26th Street.  It was not my first visit I realized immediately upon entering.  The smallish space has two very distinctive decorative features, one wall of cameras, so old that they used film, and another of clocks, so old that they had hands.

We mixed and matched from the menu.  We had three very good  dim sum items -- Supreme Shu Mai (4 pieces filled with scallop and shrimp, $8.95); vegetarian mushroom dumplings (4 pieces, $5.75); Crispy Char Siu Bao (3 pieces, baked pork buns, $5.75).  Then, we shared two main courses, Kung Pao chicken with peanuts, green and red peppers and a scattering of hot peppers ($12.95), and satay beef chow fun, braised beef over wide noodles ($13.95).

Friday, October 6, 2023

Here are all the headlines on the front page of the New York Times today reading right to left like in Hebrew.

• G.O.P. RESISTANCE TO AID IN UKRAINE EXPANDS IN HOUSE
• 51 Ukrainians Killed at Wake In Tiny Village 
• In a Cavelike D.C. Studio, Bannon Sows Chaos
• Biden, in Shift, Cracks Down On Migration
• With Rates Poised to Stay High, New Fears of Soaring U.S. Debt
• Brawl Over a Chain, Then Reprisals, Led to a Rap Idol’s Death

And you still want to get out of bed?