What The F*ck Don’t They Understand About Staying at Home?

In a time of crisis, logic often secedes into emotion and chaos. While this secession is completely and understandably normal, it can lead to actions that would not otherwise be taken.

As many of my regular readers know, I live in New York City. Anyone who does not have their head in the sand is aware that NYC is one of the Covid-19 hot spots in the United States. Since March, those of us who live in the city have heard the same three words countless time: stay at home.

Unfortunately, there are some fools who are putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. Over the last few days, there were three incidents in which I have to question if the participants truly understand what we are going through.

• Incident #1: In Bedford-Stuyvesant, a Yeshiva (religious school for Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Jews) was still open in spite of the order from the city to close all schools. Neighbors contacted the local police precinct when they saw students and teachers exiting the building. I am all for education and religious instruction (especially from my coreligionists), but would it hurt to use a little common sense?
• Incident #2: A party in Canarsie was broken up by police. After two months of staying home nearly 24/7, I am more than eager to see another set of four walls and my friends. However, there is a little thing going around called Covid-19. This virus attacks and kills its hosts indiscriminately. That last thing I would ever want on my conscious is knowing that I may have been the one to give Covid-19 to someone else.
• Incident #3: The weather this past Saturday was perfect. Last year at this time, I would have gone out for a drink without question. But not this year. According to news reports, several bars on the Upper West Side had a full house. Some patrons hung out on the sidewalk, unable to find seats inside. I am all for meeting my friends at a bar to relax after a long week, but not with the threat of Covid-19 hanging above us.

What the f*ck don’t they understand about staying at home?

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The Rabbi’s Daughter Book Review

Children of clergy men and women, we think, are supposed to be polite, well bred and follow the same rules as their parents.

Reva Mann broke all of these rules and more.

In her 2008 memoir, The Rabbi’s Daughter, Ms. Mann writes about the extremes in her life and how she found a middle ground.

Ms. Mann is the daughter of a London Rabbi, who himself came from a long line of Rabbi’s. As a young woman, she was more attracted to the world of sex, drugs, rock and roll, non kosher food and non Jewish men than than being the pious, responsible young woman that was expected of her.  She then takes a 180 degree turn by enrolling at an Orthodox Yeshiva in Jerusalem and marrying a man who is Ba’al Teshuva, who then increases his own practice of Judaism to the point of becoming Ultra-Orthodox.

I liked this book. Ms. Mann does not hold back in telling her story. Whether it is the sordid tale of inhaling drugs in a dingy London nightclub, the ancient rituals of the ultra-religious Jews or her journey in discovering who she is, she is completely open as a writer. Some of the reviewers on amazon have found her story to be hollow and self centered. I disagree with them. What I saw in her story was that path one takes to figure out who they are. This path sometimes requires us to bounce from one extreme in life to another extreme before we can find a happy medium.

I recommend it.