The 2nd of Kislev: and 15th Mar Cheshvan : R. Aharon Kotler, Z"L, My Mom, Z"L and the Pike Street Synagogue and its Rabbi, Moses Kalonymus Skinder from 1922-1947.

Ha Rav Aharon Kotler (1891-1962)

from wikipedia​

On this day, the second of Kislev in 1962/5722, the Hesped of rosh yeshivas Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewoood, Rav Aharon Kotler was held at the Pike Street Synagogue in lower Manhattan. Tens of thousands of mourners packed the Synagogue and the adjoining streets.

On this day in 1980/5740 my mother Nahama Hadassah bas Ha Rav Moshe Kalonymus Skinder passed away.

​My grandfather Rav Moshe Kalonymus Skinder Z"L

Graduate Yeshiva of Lutsk, Rabbi in four countries,

Knew Torah b'al peh. (Died on the 15th of Mar Cheshvan)

Her dad, my grandfather, was Rav at the well known Pike Street Synagogue in the lower East Side of Manhattan from 1922 until 1947.  He resigned his post and emigrated to Palestine to build housing in Cholon for Jews settling in Palestine from the European DP camps. His development is known as Givat Cholon.

​The Pike Street Synagogue, also known as the Sons of Israel Kalwarie

His synagogue was one of the 7 Great Synagogues in lower Manhattan. On January 10, 1913,  a crowd of 5,000 people jammed the Synagogue to hear the first of many lectures delivered by the noted Rabbi Judah L. Magnes. 

​The Interior of the Pike Street Synagogue

Rabbi Magnes  had resigned  his post at Temple Emanu-El. and embraced  a more traditional approach and practice of Judaism.

Rabbi Judah Leon Magnes, (1877-1948)

First Chancellor (1925) and
President of the Hebrew University (1935-1948)

Photo courtesy of wikimedia

​

The reason for the near riot that occurred that night was the announcement of the birth of the  Young Israel Movement. A formidable speaker, he aroused his largely unobservant audience to observe the sabbath and kashruth by making the Synagogue a hub of  fun social activities buttressed by traditional  weekday and sabbath prayer. 

The building  of the the Pike Street Synagogue in 1903, also known as the Sons Of Israel Kalwarie, occurred at a time when there were in excess of 350 Shuls serving lower Manhattan--based on an actual count. . 

It has been estimated that between 1880 and 1915  as many as 500  "Jewish houses of worship"  were founded in the Lower East Side. (The Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side , p.31)

In summary, the second day of Kislev reverberates strongly for me and is a inspiration to continue to add to the unstinting and tireless contributions of our  generational greats, Judaic forefathers and fore mothers as well.

My mom (1910-1980) exuding pride standing next to me

Let it be remembered that my mom was an inspirational teacher of Torah and Tehillim at our local Synagogue in Mt. Vernon, NY,  Emanu-El Jewish Center, and served as PTA President of the Ramaz School. Here at Ramaz, she was inspired by its founder Rabbi Joseph Lookstein and was herself a firebrand in inspiring many Ramaz parents (including my dad who taught the ABC's of Sexuality for many years) to actively participate in school activities as well as in their education of their own children. Thank you, mom, for igniting the spark of  seeking out the Ways of Torah and simultaneously instill a love of poetry, especially in its unique role in connecting us to a higher source. 

Thanksgiving is an Oasis in Time: Finding Stillness, Calm and Beauty....

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all: 

Finally a brief respite from the tumultuous unpredictable  times that besiege us and have been belittling and harassing us for such a long time. 

This holiday gives us, as a nation, composed of so many solid caring  families, an opportunity to acknowledge and dwell upon all that we must be thankful for: our family, our spiritual traditions, our solid institutions of learning, our museums, our inventors, our high speed internet connections, and the beauty of nature...

So with a modicum of peace and a pause from the seeming chaos around us, where 'our centers do not seem to hold' (to paraphrase W.B. Yeats' poem, The Second Coming),  I sat down and just let my weary mind wander..... and penned these short haiku- influenced lines of verse: 

Irakli  Kvaratshkhelia , Photographer

A solitary cry....I cannot breathe 

I hear only the shimmering silence 

of petals floating at a calm sea. 

In memory of: 

Mom: a poetess of the divine who passed on the 2nd day of Kislev
Dad: healer of man who left us on the 10th day of Kislev
Brother, Dr. Gabe: who went to a better world on the 15th of Kislev, today's Hebrew date. 

May their memories and accomplishments serve as a blessing and inspiration to all those who aspire to creating a better world not only for us, but, above all, for our children.