Magic

We returned from the magic of Disney World to these magical little faces right here at home!

Love,

Rebecca

A fabulous five days

Pictures really do speak thousands of words. Here are the highlights of our trip to Disney World with our wonderful granddaughter, Ella.

Our flight was first thing Sunday morning, but by the time we landed, picked up our rental car, checked in at the hotel, went to the grocery store to pick up some food, and waited for the oxygen delivery, we had only a short while to get to the parks, and chose to visit EPCOT first. Soarin has been updated and it is more amazing than ever!

Soarin’

Spaceship Earth

We spent Monday at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where Ella got a beautiful henna tattoo.

Gorillas

Kilimanjaro Safari

Flights of Wonder

Festival of the Lion King

Finding Nemo

Kali River Rapids

On Tuesday we went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We arrived early and were able to ride on Toy Story Mania! three times without waiting, so we did!  

The Great Movie Ride

Toy Story Mania!

Toy Story Mania!

The Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Toy Story Mania!

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

Fantasmic!

We stayed at the park for the evening show, Fantasmic! – it was!

We spent Wednesday at EPCOT.

Test Track

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Ellen’s Energy Adventure

Living with the Land

Soarin’

Spaceship Earth

Frozen Ever After

Imagination with Figment

We returned to the hotel with a little time to spare for a dip in the pool.

Thursday was our last day. We had to leave by about 1 pm to catch our flight, but we managed to get on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin 3 times! 

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

It’s a Small World

Pirates of the Caribbean

Carousel of Progress

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

  

(The ears I am wearing in this picture were bought for Julia)

With her henna tattoo, her Minnie watch, her mouse ears, and her infectious smile, Ella tells you all you need to know about her five days at Disney World! For her grandparents, exhausted has never felt so good.

Love,

Rebecca

The happiest place on earth

More details in a few days, but it surely lived up to its reputation for Ella and her maternal grandparents!

Love,

Rebecca

Words of wisdom from Rabbi Avi Weiss

We're not just a nation; we're a nation family

The election is over. Half of America is upbeat; the other half is deflated. The country is more polarized than ever. As a rabbi, I can only offer some words of spiritual reflection.

Our point of departure is the recognition that for many supporters of Hillary Clinton, this is a time of mourning -- mourning that the glass ceiling of a female United States President was not shattered; mourning that their "champion" was defeated; mourning that their dream for America has gone awry. For some, the disappointment is so great that it is similar to a grieving experience. At such times, the rabbis say, the pain is so deep, the loss so profound that no words of comfort will work.

Still, as the Talmud records, "it is sufficient for a mourner to keep his or her period of mourning." In other words, there are times in life when one cannot avoid bereavement; it's built in and cannot be cast aside. In the same breath, the Talmud uses the phrase "it is sufficient" -- teaching that one should not elongate the mourning, one should do all he or she can to move forward.

Certainly different people will mourn at different paces, but as many begin to move forward, I present a kind of post-election soulful prayer.

I offer the prayer that we remain hopeful, hopeful that once assuming office, President Trump will be different than candidate Trump. We have seen this occur in the past; candidates, once assuming the presidency, transform.

Many people were wary when Richard Nixon became president. Worried, amongst other concerns, that he was a war monger who would exacerbate the Cold War. His presidency, however, marked serious deflections from this presumption. Nixon was the first president to visit China since its establishment in 1949. He also traveled to Russia, initiating a policy of détente, or period of improved relations between the United States and then-Soviet Union.

And many people were fearful when Ronald Reagan -- considered by many to be a loose cannon and known by all to have little experience in foreign relations -- assumed the presidency. He turned it around, becoming known as "the Great Communicator," skillfully, forcefully but eloquently demanding that the Soviets be true to human rights. The Cold War was grinding to a halt.

My prayer of hope is that Trump experiences a similar transformation. Certainly he deserves -- as Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama gracefully said -- every chance to succeed.

And then there is the prayer of faith, faith in the goodness of people. Clearly there are extremists on the right that are ecstatic that Trump won. But as there are extremists on the right, there are extremists on the left who supported Clinton.

Here, it is crucial that we not paint over the millions of people who voted for Trump with the narrow brush of the fringe right. Similarly, it is critical we not paint all of the people who voted for Clinton with the narrow brush of the extreme left.

Finally, I offer the prayer of trust, trust that the American system of government will work. This system declares that if a president steps over the line, overreaches, he or she will be held accountable. Not only will government and the judiciary hold the president accountable, but the people will do the same.

This is what occurred when Presidents Nixon and Bill Clinton, each in their own way, abused the power of the presidency. In the end, democracy teaches that America is bigger, much bigger, than any president.

Most important, we can all play a role in bringing our nation together, in healing the wounds of a divisive election. We can do this by listening to those whose pain we feel, and those whose pain we have yet to feel. Listen to the angst of the unemployed auto worker who fears that he will no longer be able to afford his home, and listen to the fear of the American Muslim afraid of being villainized and attacked in the streets of her own city.

Yes, America today is a polarized country. It needs healing. To heal, America must view itself not only as a nation, but as a nation-family. And the test of family is not how we listen and care for each other when we agree, but how we do so when we disagree. In this way, it may be possible to learn from each other, to give to each other, forging us into a greater, more United States.

Rabbi Avi Weiss is the founding rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Bronx, NY. He is also the founder of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and Yeshivat Maharat rabbinical schools. The views expressed in this commentary are his alone.

Touch the Sky

p.s. I was reminded after posting earlier today of a wonderful Carole King song from her 1979 album, “Touch the Sky” 

Music has charms to soothe a savage breast

Long before planning the wedding for the first of our daughters to be engaged, I had already selected a band for the wedding. I was not particular about the venue or the clothing but I was passionate about the music. By the time of that first wedding in 2000, a New York City-based band known as Inasense was playing clubs and simchas (joyous occasions) in and around the City. We first saw them at a Bar Mitzvah celebration and I was hooked. I still remember going up to the lead guitarist during a break and telling him that I had two daughters and hoped he would not be too famous to play for us by the time we were planning weddings! In the clubs they played a combination of old songs (including some great covers of Dylan tunes) and their own compositions. Their music is a mix of mainstream rock, Jewish/Middle Eastern, bluegrass, and Celtic influences.

Inasense (as they were then known) played at Dina and Aaron’s wedding in 2000, and we were thrilled that Simmie and Ronen also agreed to have them two years later. Their name had changed to Soulfarm and while some band members had come and gone, the core of C Lanzbom (guitar) and Noah Solomon (led vocals, guitar, and various percussion instruments) remained. They recorded more than ten albums from 1996-2015, and I am often touched when we arrive at Simmie’s house to find her listening to their music.

I saw a post on Facebook this morning that they will release a new album next month, Every Note the Heart Can Play. This early release of “Colorado” is perfect for these unsettling times. As William Congreve wrote in The Mourning Bride in 1697, “music has charms to soothe a savage breast.”

Enjoy!

Love,

Rebecca

Aliens

I am not a big science fiction fan, but I love Amy Adams and her new movie, “Arrival” had gotten fairly good reviews. To be honest it was a beautifully done and thoughtful film. I hope I will not tell you too much to spoil it.

In “Arrival,” Amy Adams plays a linguist working for the United States government who is summoned by NASA to try to communicate with aliens who have landed 12 spacecraft on Earth, one in Montana.

Before the landing, we see flashbacks from Louise's life including the birth of her daughter, Hannah, and Hannah's death following a diagnosis of terminal cancer.

Louise's language expertise allows her to have a communication breakthrough with the aliens on the spacecraft, discovering that the "heptapods," as they come to be known, emit a smoke that makes symbols, effectively giving them written communication. While Louise works frantically to decipher the symbols, the impatient world is ready to just destroy the ships out of fear, but she and fellow scientist Ian (played by Jeremy Renner) are encouraged by their progress and set out to prevent the destruction.

After seeing the movie we headed over to the 92^nd Street Y to hear Bob Woodward in Conversation with Bernie Swain. I am not sure just how this would have been if the results of last Tuesday had been different, but it was certainly an animated and insightful conversation.

Love,

Rebecca