Two Different Services This Weekend.

Saturday, I went to a Bar Mitzvah for a friend's kid. 

On heading to the Synagogue, the most notable changes from the norm was the synagogue's security checking the occupants of all the vehicles as they drove up the driveway to enter the Synagogue grounds.

Then after parking area, there are new concrete "Diversity Barriers"  around the synagogue to prevent vehicle attacks such as occurred at Temple Israel.

Sad that this is the new normal.  

Aside from that it was an enjoyable and joyous event, a good service, and the Bar Mitzvah boy did great. 

Today, I was invited and attended the baptism of a child of some good friends in Dexter, Michigan.  The friends were on the adoption waiting list for quite some time and were luckily able to adopt a child who had been abandoned by her mother at birth. Both the parents and child are lucky and blessed to have found each other. They received a child to love, and she received two of the best and loving parents that anyone could ask for. Now that she is a one-year-old, it was time for her baptism into the Catholic Church.

We arrived at the Church a bit early before the mass, and met and congratulated the parents and were seated with the family, which was very nice of them.

It was an interesitng service and the first baptism I've attended. All involved including the kid did great and it was a very nice service and ceremony.

Then, we went back to their place after that and a birthday party for the kid was held. 

A very busy and rather religious weekend. 

Archfoolishness: The Archbishop And The Imam

The Archbishop of Canterbury, a known arch-progressive, and the first female head of the Church of England, in a fit of wokeness publicly honored a Muslim Imam -- on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. 

She awarded him the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation 2026.

The Muslim imam in question, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi himself had presented an earlier award.

He presented it to Osama Bin Laden.

Ashrafi awarded him the title of the award of "Sword of Allah"  and that's not all. Ashrafi has supported suicide bombing,  Islamic terrorist attacks against Britons and others.

Most people would consider this to be highly irreconcilable and uncooperative regarding other regions.

When these issues were pointed out, and a public outcry over the insanity of giving it to the Imam in the first place ensured, the award was revoked. 

MSN/Christian Daily International: Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award to Pakistani cleric after bin Laden remarks resurface

Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation 2026 from Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace in London on Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

. . . 

The immediate controversy over the Lambeth award concerns comments Ashrafi made in 2007 following the British knighthood awarded to author Salman Rushdie.

Media reports quoted Ashrafi as saying that the Pakistan Ulema Council would honor bin Laden with the title “Saifullah”, meaning “Sword of God.” He described bin Laden as a “mujahid” (holy warrior) who had fought for Islam against Russians, Americans and Britons. 

National Post: Head of Church of England rescinds interfaith award given to Muslim cleric who praised bin Laden

We may also note that the archbishop, who has made feminism a keystone of her liberal progressive archbishop focus, and has publicly vowed to call out misogyny, also had no issues presenting the award to the Imam as female members of his family looked on - in full burkas. She then failed to call out such misogyny.  Funny, that.

The lack of self-awareness among the progressive left and their complete blindness to the clear anti-progressive intolerance of Islam is rather fascinating and disheartening.

Ramadan Hostility Scoreboard: Now With Vandalism of Holy Sites

They really have little respect for their own holy sites (cf their using mosques to store weapons and ammunition, shoot from etc), and pretty much none for other people's.

The Times Of Israel: Palestinians vandalize, set fire to Joseph’s Tomb; PM decries ‘shocking destruction’

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett joined the condemnation on Sunday of the overnight arson and vandalism of Joseph’s Tomb near the West Bank city of Nablus, saying he was appalled by the images of the damage to the shrine.

“During the night Palestinians destroyed Joseph’s Tomb. Dozens of Palestinian rioters in a campaign of destruction simply violated a holy place for us, the Jews,” Bennett said at the start of the cabinet meeting.

“They broke the tombstone on the grave, set fire to rooms in the compound — I saw the pictures and was shocked,” he said.

 The Tomb is located in Area A, under the jurisdiction of the Palestinians, whom seem to have no interest in protecting it, even as they lie and claim its not Joseph's tomb but instead they claim it belongs to some Muslim sheikh.

If they even believed it was true that it was a Muslim sheik's tomb, one wonders why the Palestinians are so eager to vandalize and try to destroy it?

So far there's been multiple Islamist terrorist attacks in Israel this year, and I expect further Islamist attacks to spread around the world this Ramadan season.

The Case Of The Black, Queer Eye Of The Anti-Semitic Guy

In a rather ironic twist, the perpetrator of vandalism at a New York Synagogue where "Kill Al Jews" and "Die Jew Rats" was written this week, and the setting of fires at seven other Jewish institutions has been identified as a Democratic activist and former New York City Hall intern who worked on anti-hate crime issues.

He may have worked on them, but seems to have used his experience there as a how-to guide.

The Daily Caller: NYC Synagogue Vandalism Suspect Is Former City Hall Anti-Hate Crime Intern

A rather dangerous leftist nutbar rather quite a number of Froot Loops short of a full cereal box. Interestingly, the arrest doesn't seem to be getting nearly as much play in the media compared to his acts of vandalism themselves, especially as it was blamed on the right side of the spectrum to gin up votes on Tuesday.

Shabbat, A Week After Pittsburgh

This Shabbat was a week after the attack in Pittsburgh.

Along with other synagogues around the USA, ours held a special service this Shabbat, appropriately hash tagged in this day of social media as #ShowUpForShabbat, both to show the community will not be intimidated and dissuaded from attending synagogue, but more importantly to together join in honoring and commemorating the eleven victims of the attack:

-Joyce Fienberg, 75;
-Richard Gottfried, 65;
-Rose Mallinger, 97;
-Jerry Rabinowitz, 66;
-Cecil Rosenthal, 59;
-David Rosenthal, 54, (brother of Cecil);
-Bernice Simon, 84;
-Sylvan Simon, 86, (husband of Bernice);
-Daniel Stein, 71;
-Melvin Wax, 88; and
-Irving Younger, 69.

Eleven memorial candles burned on the bima during the service.

We also said a prayer for healing of those injured in the attack and specifically named the brave officers wounded in responding to the attack:

Officers Daniel Mead, Michael Smidga, Anthony Burke and Timothy Matson all of whom were injured by gunfire as they attempted to stop the shooter at the synagogue.
Officer John Persin suffered a hearing injury, and Officer Tyler Pashel injured his knee during the incident.

May they all be swiftly healed.

There was a rather large turnout for a Shabbat morning service, and the sermon was very powerful in addressing that these kinds of attacks can happen as much as we did not believe they would, even here in the USA, as they have happened around the world. The sermon also was focusing on the need for good deeds and outspokenness to balance the evil of this attack and that these sort of attacks will not stop Jews being Jews and continuing to worship as we will.

A very meaningful singing by the congregation of God Bless America followed.

Quite a powerful service.

A Proud Fatherhood Moment: Abby's Bat Mitzvah

This weekend was Abby's Bat Mitzvah celebration.

A Bat Mitzvah is the ceremony where a 12 year old girl is called to the front of the congregation and up to the Bima (essentially the pulpit) to take her place as a full-fledged member of the Jewish community and to read from the Torah.

To say she did fantastic would be an understatement.
Even more introverted than her father, she got up in front of a crowd of about 385 people and delivered an excellent Dvar Torah (an essay on the portion she read where she applies it to today) that she wrote completely by herself. It was written so secretly by herself that she did not let her parents hear it until she delivered it.

She then perfectly recited not one, but two Torah portions and her Haftorah reading (which was quite large), followed by the Ashrei and some other blessings, again all perfectly. Typically you do one portion, but she had practiced and studied so well that she had mastered it early and they asked her if she wanted to do another one and as she never is one to under-achieve, she said ok and then did it with style.

It was a large audience because, in addition to her Bat Mitzvah, there was a 95th birthday celebration, a 65th Wedding anniversary (yes, the couple has been married for 65 years and are still going strong!), and an engagement ceremony for the granddaughter of the 95 year old. Quite a day full of life events indeed.

Abby took it all in stride and did a fantastic job.

A very proud father I am.
It's amazing to think how far she's come and developed in 12 short years.

Leah also did a great job reciting the closing prayers which are traditionally reserved for the younger siblings to chant at the end of the service.

Family came in from all over the US and Canada, and Abby's best friend from summer camp came all the way from Ithaca, New York to be here for the celebration.

While I typically don't post photos of my kids on blogger, but, since others this weekend took pics and published them on Facebook, they're out, and after all it's a special celebration so a few will do here.

Abby Holding The Torah

Reading Her Portion From The Torah

After the practice, ready for the real thing

These photos are from the practice held on Thursday as picture taking is not allowed at the Synagogue on Shabbat itself.

To say that I am beside myself with pride for the incredible devotion, effort and wonderful result of the hard work that she put into being ready for her day would be an understatement. The kid is more than all right, she's awesome.

Spring Steps Along Slowly As Life Cycles On

Today was a rather chilly spring day, with temperatures in the 30s accompanied by a cold wind.

It was also the last day of the kids' religious school. So, at the end of the classes this morning we had a small ceremony. Awards were given to students for perfect attendance, which our kids didn't quite have.

Leah, in lieu of perfect attendance, won a far more meaningful award: She won first place in her age group for an essay she had written for an all-school competiion, which was a very nice ending to her religious school year.

At the end of the ceremony, as part of commemorating and celebrating Lag B'Omer, we headed to outside the synagogue and a traditional bonfire was made, and the kids made smores.

A nice way to end a religious school year that passed by really fast.

A Tour Of Historic Jewish Detroit

This morning, my synagogue had a tour for 5th Graders, and optionally their parents, of Detroit historic Jewish locations. The kids are studying Jewish migration and patterns of living in Michigan.

We decided to come along on the tour.

The first stop was the riverfront to commemorate Jewish history in both the abolitionist movement and the Civil War.

We stopped at Hart Plaza and the Gateway to Freedom Statue.

The statute marks the underground railroad, across the river you can see the city of Windsor, Canada, where a companion statue, The Tower of Freedom can be found.

In the Civil War the 151 Jewish families in Michigan (about half of whom lived in Detroit) sent 181 men and boys off to fight, with 38 never to return home alive. Jews similarly served in excss of their proportion to their numbers of the population for both the North and South.

Next on the tour was Belle Isle - the Jewish connections include both the design and funding for the aquarium and the island's location as the first Fresh Air Camp in the area.

The aquarium is the oldest aquarium building still being used in the US. Built in 1904 and designed by Albert Kahn, it stayed open during both World Wars, and it was the oldest continually-operating aquarium in North America, only to be shut down in 2005 during the mayor-ship of the corrupt Kwame Kirkpatrick which ran the city out of money to operate it. Reopened in 2012 it is beginning to come back to its former glory bieng operated by volunteers.

The aquarium has its original green tile and skylights to give the impression of being in an underwater tunnel:

The view-ports for each tank are smaller than one would find in a modern aquarium, more small house-window sized rather than the massive and large tanks seen today.

Many of the tanks are still empty with much yet to be restored. Here's one tank without water but with items as a place filler:

After that, we headed to Chicago and Lawton Street, the location of the Fifth Shaarey Zedek synagogue (the prior ones being a home where the first congregation met and both it and the later buildings 2-4 having been destroyed over time and not accessible to visit). The Synagogue building is now turned into a church.

You can still see much of the Synagogue's original artwork and images untouched and well cared for since the buildings conversion into a church.

The menorah and inscription at the building's entrance:

The stained glass windows

The bima at the front of the sanctuary including where the ark used to be located:

The menorahs inside the sanctuary:

The bishop and church-goers had courteously let us tour the sanctuary before the start of their services and were warm and welcoming.

Then we went to another very historic Jewish area in the 1940s-1950s at Dexter and Davison streets. The area is far different today.

This Do Not Enter sign has multiple meanings:

A boarded up Masonic Temple:

This abandoned house bore a clear warning on its boarded-up windows:

The area is but a shadow of its former glory and most if not all traces of Jewish life there are gone.

It was a very interesting tour and I'm glad we could accompany the students on the tour.