Scene Around

Gloria Yousha is down on her back - literally - and can't sit to write her column. So here are a few stories from Scene Around past. We hope you enjoy them.

Admiral Hyman Rickover ... (From December 2015)

HYMAN GEORGE RICKOVER was a United States Navy admiral who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors. In addition, he oversaw the development of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor used for generating electricity. He is known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy," which as of July 2007 had produced 200 nuclear-powered submarines, and 23 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and cruisers, though many of these U.S. vessels are now decommissioned and others under construction.

In 1973 Hyman Rickover was promoted to four-star admiral after 51 years of commissioned service. With his unique personality, political connections, responsibilities, and depth of knowledge regarding naval nuclear propulsion, Rickover became the longest serving naval officer in U.S. history with 53 years active duty.

So why am I writing about Hyman Rickover, you ask?

I recently learned that he was Jewish. He was born Chaim Godalia Rickover in Poland at the time it was ruled by the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II. His parents later changed his name to Hyman, also derived from the same Hebrew (meaning "life.") He did not use his middle name Godalia (Yiddish for "God is Great.") but when required to list one for the Naval Academy oath, he substituted George. The family name, Rickover, is derived from the village and estate of Ryki, located within 100 kilometres of Warsaw.

Hyman made passage to New York City (and later to Chicago) with his mother and sister Faygele, in 1906, fleeing antisemitic Russian pogroms during the Revolution of 1905 that killed over 3,000 Jews, joining his dad who had made earlier, initial trips to become established. Decades later, the entire remaining Jewish communities of Ryki and Makow Mazowiecki (his birthplace) were killed or otherwise perished during the Holocaust.

To conclude, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover was a flamboyant maverick, a unique American hero. When few thought it possible, (then a captain) Rickover harnessed the power of the atom to drive the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, whose trip under the polar ice pack was one of the great adventure stories of the 1950s.

Later, he built the world's first nuclear aircraft carrier and the first commercial nuclear power plant.

Today, when questions about nuclear power have arisen again, we would do well to consider the story of the man who started it all, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover.

(I am so very proud of this Jewish genius!)

Am I "green" with envy? ... (From April 2015)

No way! But, if you are a "senior citizen" you should read this story sent to me by a reader:

"Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags are not good for the environment. The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

The older lady said that she was right... "Our generation didn't have the 'green thing' in its day. The older lady went on to explain:

"Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over, so they really were recycled. But we didn't have the 'green thing' back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable, besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags. But, too bad we didn't do the 'green thing' back then. 

We walked upstairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300 horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the 'green thing' in our day. Back then we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts. Wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in the early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day. Back then we had one TV, or radio, in the house, not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not styro-foam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operates on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the "green thing" back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blade in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the 'green thing' back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the 'green thing.' We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the 'green thing' back then?"

Precious photos... (From August 2014)

Three cheers for RINAT HALON of Rinat Halon Photography and Communications. She devoted an entire afternoon to shooting pictures at Brookdale Island Lake.

Thirty Jewish Pavilion volunteers and residents dressed in jewel colors in an effort to obtain the very best possible photos.

Rinat donated her time and talent and took hundreds of incredible pictures using Jewish holiday props. She was able to capture the warmth and friendship that are the hallmark of the Jewish Pavilion. While most of the pictures were of one resident with one JP volunteer, this picture of four women enjoying Purim festivities (see photo) was one of Rinat's favorite photos.

And now about good music... (From August 2014)

I think it was in one of my recent columns that I expressed a desire to hear more of the good old music... not the rantings and rap of today.

I believe I wrote about a Fred Astaire movie I saw on television that featured the songs of Jewish composer, Jerome Kern.  

Well, once again Kern's fabulous music, (with equally fabulous lyrics by Harold Arlen) left me feeling "enchanted" and it was also featured in another Fred Astaire movie, "You Were Never Lovelier," co-starring Rita Hayworth.

Another two of my all-time favorite songs, "Dearly Beloved" and "I'm Old Fashioned" were featured.

(Gee, I hope these songs are never forgotten.)

One for the road...

I recently was told this joke by my friend, Cantor ISAAC KRIGER. The rabbi wanted to show off his dog to his friend, so he threw a ball and told his dog to "fetch."

The dog responded immediately by complaining: "I don't like living with the rabbi. I don't like the food he gives me... I never get to eat ham, never get to eat pork and I have to daven on Saturdays instead of playing with my toys"... and on and on.

The friend said to the rabbi, "Why doesn't the dog obey?"

The rabbi responded: "He's hard of hearing. He must have thought I said kvetch!"