GOING HOME -WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!

My old neighborhood in Boston created an alumni association that has been active for about 40 years. I joined as a lifetime member in 1979 when I sent the association my ten dollars. Periodically they have reunions so that people can reconnect with other people from their school, their street, their club or pool hall. For me, the schools were the Bradford (gone) the Shaw, the Walcott (gone) and the Lewinberg. My street was Marden Avenue but I hung out on Lucerne Street, Willowood Street and Woodrow Avenue and the corners at Morton Street, Woodrow Avenue and Blue Hill Avenue. (There was a feature film entitled Blue Hill Avenue). Mickey’s Pool Hall on Livingstone Street is where I honed my skills with regard to those 15 numbered balls you heard about in the Music Man.

That was my immediate world as I matured into a teenager. Every few years I get to revisit that time and place. Times have changed and so has that place. This last visit was under the guise of attending my neighborhood reunion, but it was more than that. Five years ago I revisited my old neighborhood and my late wife’s neighborhood with my son and grandson.  It was very emotional, especially recounting the times I was in my late wife’s home, walking down her street, the local Howard Johnsons and the Circle Theater. When it came to my neighborhood we were quite cautious except for hot dog stand were we got out of the car had had foot longs.

My son and grandson got a taste of what it was like to grow up on my streets and my neighborhood back in the 50’s and 60’s. But during that visit I missed some things that have been a part of my psyche since I was a child. So, I did what I was told very dangerous – I was told that several years ago and it appeared to be the same after watching “Boston’s Finest” on TV recently. I did it anyway and it was terrific. I got out of the cah and spoke to the people.

The first place that I spoke to people was on Marden Avenue. That was, after getting my hot dog at Simco By The Bridge! I rolled down the street, which is maybe 100 yard long, and stopped by a man that was washing his car. I told him that where he is standing is about 30 feet from where I grew up. We got into a terrific conversation about the neighborhood and the condo he lives in that was the school yard for the Bradford. The layout of the complex followed the exact lines of the schoolyard.

One of the stories I related to the man was how the street was considered a “private way “  and after any snow storm the city would never plow it. The neighbors had to pitch in to get a snow plow on the street. There was always one neighbor that would never contribute and their Nash was not seen until April. The neighborhood was now almost entirely African-American but it was a much calmer place now.

There was one original building standing that was number 19. Numbers 3, 7, 11 and 15 were gone but there were some newer buildings, two family style not six family, were there where the originals stood.

Then I drove the three blocks (seemed longer many years ago) to the big shul on Woodrow Avenue, Within the radius of about two blocks from the big shul there were about five Orthodox synagogues. As I rolled by the big shul a young black man asked me if I needed help. I asked if I could go in and see the synagogue. I was invited in after I found very tight pahkin space!

This big shul  is now the big Seventh Day Adventist church. So being Saturday I wished the congregants I met a Shabbat Shalom. I explained it to them that this is s greeting wishing a peaceful Sabbath and soon many of the people in the church were speaking Hebrew! As I was escorted through the building related stories that were relative the shul. One such story was about the corner of Woodrow Avenue and Lucerne Street was Freddy Bloom square. The plaque is still there. (Remember Bloomie’s produce stand?)

The interior has changed as the sanctuary was built out from where the Torahs were stored and the rabbi gave you your Bar Mitzvah gifts to what would have been about the fifth row. Pews still had mogen dovids on the ends. The center bema was gone but the chandelier was still glowing above there it would have been. I then related the story of Rabbi Strasburg and his first Yom Kippur service as he was about to deliver a fiery sermon as he was sort of auditioning for the job of rabbi. He was standing under the chandelier on the center bema, the lights went out. Then I had to explain what a Shabbos Goy was. A non-Jewish neighborhood volunteer that could do work on the Shabbat or High Holy Days. That person was an essential and appreciated member of the community.

As the rabbi spread his arms punctuating his words in the din of the lightless synagogue, his white robes flowing as open windows provided for some air flow (there was no air conditioning then, and I was told there is still none now) his robes were flowing with the breeze. His head flung back with the big white yarmulke, his voice resonating and as he looked up at the chandelier he implored with a cry, “Let the light be kindled!” The chandelier came to life.

The three hours I spent in the synagogue were cathartic for me and informative for my new Seventh Day Adventist friends. As I walked down the steps out of the shul, I heard my black friend say “Shabbat Shalom.”

That was my experience, I hope you enjoyed it.

WHAT DOES DOING THE JOB MEAN?

Whenever some one asks me to help in getting a job or a better position, here is what I counsel. Within your organization, department, etc. take the initiative. There is always something, some task that needs to be done that is either being ignored, not thought to be crucial or someone dropped the ball. No matter what it is, if it is part of the responsibility of that group, it needs to be done. If you recognize that then do it. Get it done. Do not do a Freddy Prinze on it by saying, “Not my job, man.” It is your job to see that your department or organization is successful.

When that task is done and done well, it is recognized by peers and superiors. Some peers may see it as power grab but superiors see it as taking the reins and leading the way. Leadership.  Doing hard things, small things, easy things that others don’t want to do or failed to do.

That is what I admire about this president. Yesterday he was criticized for not leading and today he was criticized for leading. The weak leader of the House of Representatives is also seeking to circumvent the president’s leadership by suing him for doing his job. I did find out that we cannot sue the Speaker for not doing his job. He has had oversight of the House that has the worst record in history regarding legislation. However, this majority has had the best record of creating scandals that don’t exist, wasting the legislature’s time in pursuing issues that are nonissues, ignoring the will of the people regarding gun laws, immigration policy and taxation. That is precisely the opposite of leadership and the Speaker wants to sue the president for doing his job when the Speaker won’t do his. The Speaker is another Horshack – “look, look what the president did.”

The president did what he felt needed to be done in order for the country to move ahead. Did he go too far in his interpretation of the law? Maybe? He did break any laws, no. So here is what the Speaker is complaining about: the president is doing his job. He is doing the job he was elected to do. Creating and implementing policies what the speaker and other members of the House were elected to do – they didn’t do any of that, well, very little, almost nothing.

They managed to shut down the government and cost you and I 24 Billion dollars for no reason nor any result worthy of talking about, except spending 24 billion dollars for nothing.

Remember what I said about peers not liking it. Well, that is what happened. But their superiors, us, the people who put them all in office loved what was done. The NLRB and the Consumer Protection Agency are now functioning and working on our behalf. The president did what they failed to do – their job.

The speaker and his colleagues are also ticked off about Executive Orders. Since this president has created less of them than any of this predecessors, what are the pissing and moaning about? They hate it that this president is competent and his competency is showing up their lack of any competency.

I don’t know what will happen next November.  If it is business as usual people will vote against their best interest and keep these clowns in their job so they can get a paycheck and do nothing for it except complain. I am really looking forward to the rhetoric that explains that doing nothing is helping the country. Maybe not authorizing another Iraq war is a good example of doing nothing that works. That would have been great ten years ago, not so much now.

I think that speaker needs another drink. Having his impotence exposed is most disturbing to him. I am sure he is looking for a little blue pill to create some blood circulation to his brain, either one. He is on a horse that is standing still, won’t run and can’t Cantor. (My apologies).

I suggest give it some thought. The speaker’s colleagues proposed legislation that when the president agreed with it, they now hated it. The obvious is out there.

What does amaze me that many of the ideas that have been proposed and the “no nothing at all Congress” opposed are now actually being done without them. States are increasing their minimum wage laws. States that did not like the AHCA are now creating the exchanges and embracing the new laws. The scary thing is that some of the populous think that access to better and more affordable healthcare is a bad thing, but they don’t know why it is. But these are the people that sent them to Congress. I guess you get what you deserve.

That is my take – you decide.