We are at war. Many stubbornly and foolishly don’t put the pieces together and refuse to identify the evil doers as evil. We are disgracefully politically correct.
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All of us were shocked and horrified that last week’s murderous terrorist attack in Jerusalem took the life of our friend Rabbi Kalman (Cary) Levine, along with that of four other victims. We have been very comforted by the outpouring of love and support people have shown, and the good memories that we all have of Kalman.
On behalf of JET Express, Jewish Family Services’ volunteer driver program, and the hundreds of older adults we serve, I would like to thank The Chronicle for its recent coverage of our program and our need for volunteer drivers.
Hundreds of Israelis mourn at the funeral of three of the victims killed earlier in the day when two Palestinian terrorists from east Jerusalem entered the Kehilat Yaakov synagogue in the Orthodox neighborhood of Har Nof, Jerusalem, with pistols and axes, and began attacking Jewish worshipers, Nov. 18, 2014. Miriam Alster/Flash90
It was 11:32 Monday night. As I was trying to fall asleep, the first message came in from my friend. “OMG, Gevu terror attack in HAR NOFF!!!” Har Noff is the neighborhood in Jerusalem we were blessed to live in for six years. It’s where I studied. It’s where we were married. It’s where our two oldest children were born.
At 6:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, my clock radio awakened me in my home in the Bronx to the radio announcer saying, "Giants and Royals in Kansas City tonight. Game one of the World Series." "I am dreaming," I thought. When I realized I wasn’t, I jumped out of bed to call my Abba so we could share our exuberance about the ultimate Margolies World Series. His lifelong beloved Giants and his much-loved Royals. Then I truly woke up; my father’s second yahrzeit was rapidly approaching. This World Series was dreamt up in heaven, by my father.
With my daughter on her death bed, my wife, Julie, and I spent the day reciprocating her love, hope and inspiration with as much of the same as we could. Ilana was 3 days old and was not going to make it through the night. We learned of this around 1 p.m., which meant that by the time she would pass, we would have 11 hours more with her.
The 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the infamous "Night of Broken Glass," is Nov. 9 and 10. Kristallnacht is a harsh reminder of the anti-Jewish violence that rocked Germany, occupied Austria and areas of the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.
I am finished apologizing that I am unable to marry gay and lesbian Jewish couples. Thus, I write this personal, open letter to my congregation, as well as to the entire Jewish community of Kansas City.
