A new baby! A New Baby! Now that I have your attention, let’s
set the stage properly. This week we have been blessed with the birth of a son
to Nomi and Elan, new brother to Shoshana, Shlomo and Nadav. This took place this
past Tuesday October 24 very early in the morning. This has culminated an extremely
busy and eventful spring and summer for all the Mazer clan. To start, Elan and
Nomi left Toronto, where they had lived for the past 4 years, to return to
Israel. They moved to the community of Neve Daniel, which is next to Efrat and
just outside of Jerusalem. The kids have started in new schools and preschools
and have integrated really well into the community. It helps that the
neighborhood they moved into has several friends and acquaintances from the
past, including Ariel’s in laws the Twersky’s, as well as their close friends
Rabbi Jesse and Tara Horn and family and a Montreal family, Dr CD and Lisa
Zlotnick. Plus the area is beautiful and breathtakingly picturesque, which makes
adapting pretty easy.
Nomi and Elan are not the only ones who moved. Monty was
accepted to Washington University in St Louis to train in their Pediatric
Intensive Care Unit Fellowship Program. So, late June, Daniella, Monty, Tali and
Ezra left their home of 4 years, Buffalo NY, to move to a larger, Midwestern city
with a much larger and better equipped Jewish community. We have been out to St
Louis twice initially to help them settle in their new place and then to
celebrate Rosh Hashana with them. We had the pleasure of hearing Monty lead the
Musaf Rosh Hashana service at the Young Israel of St Louis and meeting members
fo the community. Monty of course is working the crazy hours of an ICU
physician trainee, with lots of nights, weekends and extended time in the
hospital. However, they were able to take a week off in October and visit
between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, before spending time in Toronto for Sukkot. Tali
is in a great new school and she is enjoying it. She spent our time in St Louis
during the New Year Holidays keeping everyone on their toes, especially Grandma.
Ezra is 18 months and is everywhere at once; full of energy and a bit of mischief!
Gila and Ariel did not move, but as you may remember, we welcomed
Ora to the family in April. And so life took on a new dimension, with the long
nights and exponential increase in work with two kids! Elisha is a great big brother
and we will be seeing them this weekend as we celebrate the new baby in Neve
Daniel
Now, more about the new arrival. Let’s start with
Barbara/Savti’s arrival last week. Elan’s job in Toronto followed him to Israel
and he is commuting to Toronto once a month to run programs for Mizrachi
Canada. In his absence, Barbara went to Israel to give Nomi a hand with the
kids. Her timing was impeccable; she learned the kids’ school routine and lunch
favorites, and helped with homework for a few days. Then, Monday night, Nomi
and Elan went to an event in Jerusalem and this led to them staying in
Jerusalem and going to the hospital (well, I am not really sure about the cause
and effect). By 5:30 AM, the What’sApp lines were blazing with the announcement
of the birth of a boy, 3.7 kg, pictures
and a flurry of “Mazel tovs” from all over the globe. After two days in the
hospital, the baby and Nomi came home. Barbara and Elan prepared for Shabbat and
the special Shalom Zachar (Peace be to the boy) that we celebrate on the Shabbat
before the Brit Mila/circumcision.
And Bruce? Well, I am actually writing this on a plane,
arriving in Israel about 4 hours before Shabbat (with likely not much time to
write after landing), so most of the events of this week have been written
from a distant observer’s viewpoint. I can’t wait to actually be on the ground
and enjoy the moment with everyone in person. Gila, Ariel, Elisha and Ora are joining
for Shabbat as well, so it will be even more fun for all the cousins. (I
offered to bring Monty and Daniella and family, but they thought it was a bit
much for a weekend trip). In all, this should be a very special Shabbat and
celebration of a new member of the family.
BTW, the El Al Pilot was Adam Rubin, a good friend of Elan's and a member of the Stoffmaker legion of great hockey players!
Mazel Tov to Nomi and Elan, Shoshana, Shlomo and Nadav!
Refuah Shlema to Zysel Bat Bella
Our sincerest condolences to friends who lost loved ones
this week; to Susan and Ronnie Shondorf on the passing to Zelda Fox, one of my
mentors during my training who encouraged me to become an allergist; to Ruth and
Phil Farkas on the passing of Ruth’s mother, a Holocaust survivor, and to the
entire Grunstein family on the untimely passing of Harry. May they all be spared
further sorrows.
I would also be amiss if I did not recognize that this is
the 20th Yahrtzeit (Anniversary of one’s passing) of Barbara’s
brother Mark, Mordechai Aharon ben Michael. Mark’s brilliance and generous
spirit lives in all who knew him, and he is very much missed. This week’s Torah
portion, Lech Lecha, begins with God telling Abram (soon to be named Abraham)
that he should leave his parent’s home and move to the land of Canaan, where he
and his descendants would create a great nation. In the opening verse, it
states that Abraham should leave his land and his father’s home to go to the
promised land. Why did he have to do that? Why could he not grow into a great
nation where he was? Clearly he was a meritorious person. And why the double
phrasing? If he left his land did that not also mean leaving his father’s
house? I think one of the lessons is
that Abraham needed not only to leave a geographic area, but he needed to go to
a whole new area to properly spread his influence. Sometimes being in a too
familiar environment makes one complacent; whereas in a new environment, where
one is not known, there are no preconceived notions and the ideas you bring carry
great weight. Mark left for parts unknown early in his career, going first to
Rochester and then to Oklahoma State University, where his work, ideas and legacy
left an indelible mark on the world of high energy particle physics. Could he have achieved
that without branching out? Perhaps, but clearly his sphere of influence
reached tremendous heights in his adopted home. We can reflect on the same paradigm
with our children, seeing the impact that Daniella and Monty had in Buffalo,
that Elan and Nomi had in Toronto, and that Gila and Ariel bring to Givat
Shmuel. While it would be wonderful to have everyone close by, it is amazing to
see what they have accomplished in their adopted homes.
We all miss Mark and all he contributed to his family and friends.
We can take heart that his legacy lives on in his children Ken and Tamara, and
in all whom he touched. Tehe Zichro Baruch.
We wish you a wonderful Shabbat Shalom!
Barbara and Bruce
