Scene Around

Ode to the Coronavirus by Yours Truly...

I'm going crazy in my house,

I sleep each night with Mickey Mouse,

One son moved home to keep me safe,

I wash my hands until they chafe,

Coronavirus has me bored,

I pray it goes away, dear Lord,

This has to end on a closer date,

There's one good thing, I'm losing weight!

(Actually, losing weight is easy...every store is out of chocolate!)

Let me explain about sleeping with Mickey Mouse:

I own three big Mickey Mouse dolls and one tiny one and also two Minnie Mouse dolls. They all sleep on my bed each night! (They don't take the place of my late husband, but they do take up space and I don't feel so lonely!)

I've been watching a lot of television since staying home. I recently saw "The Lonely Guy" starring STEVE MARTIN and I noticed an old friend in the movie, STEVE LAWRENCE. Steve, also from Brooklyn, attended Jefferson H.S. I attended Tilden H.S. Our schools were rivals! When we grew up, we both married Sephardic Jews. Unfortunately, his wife, Edye Gorme, passed some years ago. In his mid-eighties, Steve is still going strong!

Some thoughts from the CEO of Bend The Arc...

The CEO is STOSH COTLER. The following is her feelings about the coronavirus:

Before a tsunami hits the coastline, all the water recedes. Where there was, minutes ago, ocean, there is suddenly all that it once covered. The muck and debris, crustaceans scuttling and fish gasping for air all briefly exposed before the wave comes with terrifying ferocity.

A few weeks into the first significant efforts to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, and it feels like we are waiting for the full force of the wave.

As the water recedes, a society is reshaped by physical distancing, as schools close and millions lose their jobs, we can see with startling clarity what may have been previously obscured. A healthcare system designed for profit, not care. Historic levels of wealth inequality, economic insecurity, personal debt, and homelessness. Corruption and profiteering at the highest levels of our democratic institutions.

These chronic dangers were all present before the pandemic-millions of families have been living with their consequences for years. With incredible urgency, the pandemic has revealed their interconnectedness, as well as our collective ability to solve them.

In the face of the coming wave we can see with new clarity that our fates are intertwined. Even our current physical isolation is an act of social solidarity. We can see that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. None of us are free until all of us are free.

In our Jewish tradition, water is often fundamental to new beginnings: the flood before a reborn world; a baby Moses floats down the Nile to his safety and ultimately the liberation of an entire people; a sea splits, opening the way toward the promised land; new Jews are welcomed into klal Yisrael, our peoplehood, through an immersion in the ritual bath. Another world is possible, and this moment is revealing exactly how necessary it is.

We can build it together.

The wave is coming, and we have a choice to make. Will we advance an inclusive and vibrant vision for our country, where we are all free and safe, no matter where we come from or what we look like? Or will we allow ourselves to be further divided by fear, bigotry, and lies, and overtaken by the authoritarianism and greed of politicians who want to create a country that's only for themselves?

The wave is coming, but we can unite together to shape the world that follows. Our collective actions in the coming weeks will determine the long-term impact that the current public health, political, and moral crises will have on our society. Our decisions as American Jews will shape the character of our community for generations to come.

It is precisely in moments of acute crisis and threats to our immediate well-being that we must also look beyond the here and now, and envision the tomorrow we wish to create. While we make sure that everyone afflicted with Covid-19 receives the care they need, let us also commit to healthcare for all. While we work to suspend mortgage payments for those recently unemployed, let us also address the crushing debt that shackles communities. While we make sure that those suffering on the front lines of economic collapse can endure, let us also look to ensuring living wages for every worker in this country. Let us not only survive in the present, but build for the future of a just economy, an inclusive democracy and a compassionate society.

Ultimately, this new virus isn't about a "foreign" invasion, the stock market, or a re-election campaign. It's about us. As humans, we are each a potential carrier of this virus. Like bigotry, racism, and xenophobia, we are capable of spreading it. But we can also be agents for change. We can spread hope, inspiration, and solidarity, too. The choice is ours.

The wave is coming, and it will knock us down. The only way we rise back up is together, as one."

(I don't agree with all she says, but this is America. We still have freedom of speech!)

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Heritage Florida Jewish News.

Jewish Pavilion Spring Grief Support...

From April 29th until June 3rd, this six-week grief group will meet each Wednesday, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at Oakmonte Villages, 1021 Royal Gardens Circle, Lake Mary, Fla. Please contact NANCY LUDIN at 407-678-9363 or nancyludin@jewishpavilion.org for more information or to register.

The Roth Family JCC...

KEITH DVORCHIK, CEO, wanted everyone to know the following:

"There is no doubt that the Roth Family JCC will open our doors as soon as it is safe to do so. The joy and laughter, the hundreds of children and their many smiling faces, the exercise classes, our personal trainers and the 39ers will all be back in larger numbers and with a strong sense of community.

That day is not that far in the future, and I can't wait to celebrate it together with you."

(As a 39er, I can hardly wait also!)

One for the road...

Rachel is walking down Aloma Avenue and meets her friend Naomi. Rachel is very surprised to see that Naomi is walking a dog. 

"So what's with the dog, Naomi?" asks Rachel. "I've never seen you with a dog before. Is it new?" 

"Yes it is," replies Naomi, "I got this dog for my husband. I wish I could make a trade like that everyday."