I was honored to be published in the Jewish Press a couple of weeks ago, but I am even more honored that this weeks Jewish Press features a letter to the editor concerning my article. I am completely honored that someone took the time write a letter to the editor concerning my piece which was comedy – the letter to the editor in also pretty funny, although it wasn’t meant to be.
Kiddush And Derech Eretz
Re Heshy Fried’s “Kiddush: A Timeless Classic” (op-ed, Dec. 26):
I prepared kiddushes for a shul for a number of years. Consequently, I am very familiar with “kids” of all ages like Heshy. They would stand at the door to the social hall, banging to get in – whether shul was over or not. On more than one occasion they pushed their way in, announced shul was over and started helping themselves – well before the rabbi made kiddush.
Children and adults would heap their plates with food without a thought for anyone else. And often they didn’t finish what they took – the waste alone would have fed a small country. Some planted themselves in front of a chulent tray and didn’t move.
I have seen children climb on tables to get candy, and then hit each other with bags of candy until the bags burst and the candy flew all over the place. Drop some cake or a piece of kugel? No problem; someone else will pick it up. Leave your dirty plate on the table instead of walking two feet to put it in the garbage can? Why not? Cleanup is for others. Children are unsupervised while the adults stuff their faces and shmooze.
In some cases, supervision isn’t the problem. I once saw one boy, old enough to know better, preparing a heaping plate for himself. His father saw him and said nothing as the kid began to prepare a second plate. I suggested he finish one before taking more. He ignored me.
To Mr. Fried and others like him, I say enjoy your kiddush in this world. Your lack of derech eretz will surely mean your plate will be less full in the next.
Michael Greenbaum
(Via E-Mail)
What none of you wrote any letters to the editor saying how happy you were that I made it into a real newspaper?
Kiddush Anarchists unite