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As many of you know from my previous blogs I grew up a rabid Dodgers fan, and I remain one to this day.  One of the by-products of  being a Dodgers fan is to hate the Yankees.   The two go hand in hand.  There is no way around it.  In fact, I always tell people that I root passionately for two baseball teams – the Dodgers and whoever is playing the Yankees that day.  Nevertheless, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for a select (very) few Yankees players.  One of those was Yogi Berra.

Lawrence Peter (Yogi) Berra was born on May 12, 1925 in St. Louis.  This week he celebrated his 90^th birthday, and as Yogi would say “we thank him for making this day necessary.”

Yogi is the classic American success story.  He was born into a poor immigrant family with three older brothers and a sister.  They lived in a poor, immigrant neighborhood known as “The Hill.”  (Incidentally, one of his childhood friends from the area was Joe Garagiola, also a catcher, who was generally considered to be a better prospect.  Garagiola also went on to play in the Major Leagues, but ultimately was more successful as an announcer and entertainer than as a player.)  Yogi’s father was from the “old school.”  He believed in hard, honest, physical labor.  He neither understood nor tolerated playing a “foolish game,” such as baseball, for a living.   Even though Yogi was an outstanding sandlot player, his father wanted him to work for a living, like him and his other sons.  Yogi’s older brothers, however, helped convince him to let Yogi play professional baseball.  As they say, the rest is history.

Yogi’s famous nick-name derived from the fact that he had a habit of sitting around with his arms and legs crossed like a Hindu yogi.  Teammates started calling him “Yogi,” and the name “stuck.”  Yogi became one of the best players in baseball history.  He was a particularly outstanding “clutch” hitter.  Moreover, he was very difficult to pitch to because he was an accomplished “bad ball” hitter, and he rarely struck out.  Incredibly, in 1950 in 597 at-bats he only struck out twelve times.  The way the game is played today, it is not unusual for even a good player to strike out twelve times in a week.  The following are some of the highlights of his career:

1. Played 19 years in the majors (1946-1964), mostly for the Yankees.
2. Voted to 18 all-star games.
3. Three-time AL MVP.
4. Voted to All-Century Team.
5. Inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
6. Appeared in 21 World Series as a player, coach and manager, winning 13 of them, both records.
7. Holds numerous World Series records, such as most games, most at-bats, hits, doubles, games caught, and put-outs by a catcher.
8. Caught the only perfect game in World Series history (Don Larsen, 1956, Game 5).
9. As a Dodgers fan, two of my favorite Yogi World Series moments were:

a.  When Jackie Robinson stole home in the 1955 World Series.  Yogi was so certain Jackie was out that he jumped up in protest like a kangaroo. I’ve seen a photo of the play as well as many replays. Of course, he appeared safe to me.

b.  In Game 7 of the same Series Yogi hit the ball on which Dodgers left fielder, Sandy Amoros, made the circus catch that saved the game and the Series for the Dodgers.

During and after his baseball career Yogi found a second career on TV.  He has become one of the longest running commercial pitchmen in the US, from the 1950s to the present day.  He has appeared in commercials for such diverse products as Yoo-Hoo, Entemann’s and AFLAC.  In addition, he has been portrayed on Broadway in the play “Bronx Bombers” and on TV in HBO’s “61” and “The Bronx is Burning.”

CONCLUSION

No account of Yogi Berra would be complete without mentioning some of the “malaprops” for which he is famous.  In fact, he so famous for them that he never said many that have been attributed to him.  Moreover, some of them are often quoted with different variations and have come into general usage.  When you read them, you can see that, although they are twisted and paradoxical, they actually make sense, to some degree.

Below please find my personal top ten:

1. On why he didn’t go to a certain restaurant any more: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
2. When giving directions to his house: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
3. On baseball: “90% of the game is half mental.”
4. “Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours.”
5. About his odd sayings:“I never said most of the things I said.”
6. Re: AFLAC: “They give you cash, which is almost as good as money.”
7. At an awards banquet: “Thank you for making this day necessary.”
8. “Cut the pizza into four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”
9. “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
10. And, my personal favorite regarding the 1973 pennant race when the Mets, who he was managing, seemed hopelessly out of the race: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Those are mine.  What’s yours?  Feel free to email me any I may have omitted.

Happy Birthday, Yogi.  You’ve kept us entertained for 90 years.  Wish you many more.

Most likely, you have never heard of Jozef Paczynski.   There is no reason why you should have.  JP was one of millions of Jews who were incarcerated in Nazi death camps during WWII.  However, what set him apart from those millions of others and what makes him an interesting historical figure was that for years he served as the personal barber to Rudolf Hoss, the Commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau.   Hoss, not to be confused with Rudolf Hess, the Deputy Fuhrer, was reputed to be responsible for murdering 3.5 million people during his tenure at A-B, which made him the biggest mass murderer in history.  [At his trial after the War, when confronted with those statistics he indignantly stated he “only” murdered 2.5 million; the remainder, he insisted, died not from his hand directly but from starvation and disease, (a distinction without a difference.)]

Hoss was born in Baden-Baden, Germany in November 1940.  He served in the German Army during WWI as a teenager.  He joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and the SS in 1934, where he rose to the German equivalent of Lieutenant Colonel.   He was A-B’s longest tenured commandant from May 1940 to November 1943 and then again from May 1944 until early 1945.  His most infamous accomplishment was the introduction of the pesticide Zyklon-B, which greatly increased the efficiency of the process of murdering prisoners.

JP was transported to A-B in June 1940 as punishment for trying to flee Poland to join the Polish Army in exile in France.  He got as far as Slovakia before he was caught and was transported promptly to A-B.  JP became Hoss’ barber purely by happenstance, and yet it saved his life while millions of others perished.  Such were the vagaries of war and life in the camps where luck often played a decisive role in one’s survival or death.  JP was assigned to work at a particular barber shop where, as it happened, SS personnel got their hair cut.  One day, while working at his assigned job, Hoss showed up and for some reason, which is unclear, selected JP to come to his house to cut his hair.  Years later, JP recalled that he was so terrified “My voice was shaking; my hands were shaking; and my legs were shaking.”   Nevertheless, he performed well enough that Hoss insisted on using him as his regular barber.  JP remained at A-B until January 1945, which made him one of the longest tenured survivors of the camp.

Like many Nazis, indeed like many bullies of all types, deep down Hoss was really a coward and revealed his true character in the end.  After the War, rather than “face the music,” he tried to avoid capture by disguising himself as a gardener using the name Franz Lang.  After hiding successfully for one year, he was finally turned in by his wife.  Apparently, she was persuaded to cooperate after the Allies threatened to ship their son to a Russian gulag.  Even when he was about to be arrested Hoss tried to deny his true identity, but the leader of the British army detail noticed his ring and demanded to inspect it.  Hoss stated that he could not remove the ring from his finger as it was “stuck.”  Only when the leader threatened to cut off his finger to inspect the ring did Hoss remove it.  The inscription of Hoss name and that of his wife on the ring incriminated him.  Supposedly, the soldiers “encouraged” him to confess his identity and his crimes by beating him with ax handles.  Eventually, he was tried, convicted and hanged on April 16, 1947.

CONCLUSION

Today, an affidavit of his confession is on display at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.  There is a poignant photo alongside depicting a group of Hungarian women and children walking to one of the gas chambers in A-B carrying hand luggage in sacks.

After the War JP led a quiet life in his native Poland as a mechanical engineer and an educator.  Frequently, he would be asked why he didn’t just slit Hoss’ throat while cutting his hair.  After all, the sharp tools were right there in his hands.  Wasn’t he ever tempted?  JP would say yes, he thought about it.  But, he realized that although it would have provided short-term satisfaction, it would not have resulted in a lasting solution.   The Nazis would have promptly killed him and taken swift and severe revenge against the rest of the camp’s prisoners.  Then, Hoss would have been replaced by someone just as bad.  So, he restrained himself.

JP was awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland in 2001.  He died this week at the ripe old age of 95.  In the end, he got his “revenge” in the best way possible, by living a long and fruitful life.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free speech exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; …”  So says the First Amendment of the Constitution.   As most of us learned in high school history, the First Amendment is an integral part of the Bill of Rights.  The Founding Fathers felt so strongly about the Bill of Rights that the Constitution would not have been approved and adopted without it.

It is very important to understand that the right of free speech is an unassailable right.   It is not limited only to speech or actions that are not offensive.   It is not a right that can be granted or withheld at the whim of one group or another, even the government.  It also encompasses actions that most Americans would find very offensive and objectionable, such as, for example, burning the flag.   In 1989 the Supreme Court reversed the conviction of a Texas man who had been incarcerated for burning the flag.  Justice William Brennan, speaking for the majority, opined, in part, “if there is a bedrock principle underlying the first amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable.”  The courts have consistently upheld this principle in subsequent cases.

And so, we come to the recent events in Garland, Texas.  I’m sure you have all seen the news reports.  Two Islamic terrorists attacked a “draw Muhammed” cartoon contest billed as the inaugural “Muhammed Art Exhibit and Contest,” which featured cartoons of the Prophet and offered a $10,000 prize for the winner.  Their intent was to make a statement by slaughtering the approximately 200 innocent attendees a la Charley Hebdo.  Luckily, a traffic cop, whom the organizers had hired as part of enhanced security, was alert and managed to kill both of them before they were able to harm anyone.

ISIS has since claimed responsibility.  At this point, it seems likely that the perpetrators were not members of ISIS per se, but they were seeking to join, and the attack was some sort of audition.  (The ISIS leadership has encouraged homegrown terrorists to commit acts of violence whenever and wherever they can.) This is supported by the fact that one of the perpetrators posted a tweet moments before the attack pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, ISIS’ leader and stating “#texasattack: May Allah accept us as mujahideen.”

CONCLUSION

To me, the central issue in this case is not whether the organizers of the Mohammed cartoon contest were right or wrong, or whether or not they were “smart” to hold that type of potentially provocative contest.   It is true that Pamela Geller, the primary organizer of the event has a reputation for being blatantly and flamboyantly anti-Muslim.  She labeled the attack a “war on free speech.”   That said, whether or not you subscribe to her views is beside the point.

Those who criticize the organizers for “inciting” or “baiting” radical Muslims are missing the point.  The overriding, unassailable point is that the constitution gives them the right to do it.  If anyone has objections the proper response would have been to demonstrate peacefully outside the building, like normal people.  Let the organizers have their say; you have your say; and let every person decide for himself.  That’s the way we usually do it in America, and that is how it should have been done in this case.

Critics of the organizers who maintain that the event should have been cancelled, and there have been many from print journalists to MSNBC’s Dorian Warren, Chris Matthews and  “Morning Joe” to even Bill O’Reilly, (When was the last time they were ever in agreement on anything?) should realize they are advocating embarking on a slippery slope.  On the other hand, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick understand the situation.  Abbott labeled the attack a “heinous crime that struck at the heart of the First Amendment.”   Patrick added that “if Americans are threatened to be killed for their words and actions, no matter how offensive, then freedom, itself, is lost and with it America is lost.” (Perhaps, a bit of hyperbole, but, then again, Mr. Patrick is a politician.)

How far should we, as a society, go to appease violent radicals?  Should we not invite anti-Muslims to lecture at universities?    Should we have permitted Muslims to build a mosque at the site of 9/11?  Or, perhaps, news commentators should vet their opinion pieces with CAIR beforehand.  Where would it end?  Fear of retaliation should not be allowed to muzzle free speech.

Blaming the organizers is akin to blaming a rape victim for wearing a short, sexy skirt that may have “incited” or tempted” the rapist.  As Star Trek’s Mr. Spock would have said:  “It is not logical.”  I would add it is un-American.  Whose country is it anyway?

“Comfort Women.”  The very name conjures up an image of a kindly grandmother lovingly hugging and cuddling her sick or upset grandchild.  In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  In actuality, “Comfort Women” were young women and girls, usually inexperienced and naïve from rural areas (some of which were even prepubescent) who were coerced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII.  The current term for this practice is “military sex slaves.”  In both Japanese and Korean the term, “comfort women,” is a euphemism for “prostitute,” which tells you all you need to know.

According to Japanese Imperial Army records the cw system, which also included designated “comfort stations” where the sexual activities occurred, was planned, established, and operated with the concurrence and assistance of both the government and the military.  The avowed purposes of them were to (1) provide comfort to soldiers who were fighting in foreign lands, (2) provide a controlled environment to prevent indiscriminate raping of the civilian populace and the resultant spreading of venereal disease, and (3) prevent espionage.  If that sounds like a weak justification to you, if not outright “BS,” I would agree.  There is no factual basis to support those assertions.

Much of the records with respect to cw was destroyed by Japanese officials after the War, but it appears that the first comfort station was established in Shanghai in 1932.  In any event, they spread rapidly, soon appearing everywhere Japanese soldiers were fighting.  One might say they followed the army much like “hookers” followed General Hooker’s army during the Civil War.  One difference, however, was that, for the most part, these were not volunteers.

Initially, many of the cw were Japanese prostitutes who actually volunteered.  Soon, however, there were not enough volunteers, so the Army resorted to other recruitment methods.

1. They advertised falsely in local newspapers claiming to seek women to work in factories.
2. Paid brokers to find women.
3. Most commonly, coerced women and girls through threats and other means.

According to multiple sources, such as SUNY Buffalo professor Yoshiko Nozaki, Korea and China were the primary sources, but CW were taken from any and all lands the Japanese had conquered – Taiwan, the Philippines, Burma, and even some Dutch from that country’s Asian colonies.  Estimates of the total number of CW vary widely due to incomplete records, but they range as high as 200,000.  Although that number appears to be shockingly high, it is surpassed by their barbaric and atrocious treatment.  Most were seized against their will and basically imprisoned in so-called “comfort stations.”  They were forced to work as sex slaves for the soldiers.  They were systematically beaten, raped, and starved.

Over the last 70 years, despite the Japanese government’s continued attempts to deny or soft-pedal the aforementioned abuses, information has surfaced that is undeniable, for example:

1. Kakou Senda, a Japanese writer, was the first to shed light on this matter. In 1973 he wrote a book about Japanese cw, which was widely criticized in Japan as being inaccurate and distorted. However, with the passage of time he has been vindicated, and his book has become an important source for subsequent activist groups.
2. Hank Nelson, a professor emeritus at the Australian National University’s Asia Pacific Research Division has written extensively about the cw brothels in New Guinea. He cites a diary account of one Gordon Thomas, a POW who was incarcerated in New Guinea, that some cw were required to service as many as 35 soldiers per day! Approximately 75% of them died in captivity, and most of the rest became infertile as the result of sexual trauma and/or abuse. Other survivors have exhibited emotional problems, internalized anger, and PTSD.
3. In 2014 China disclosed some 90 documents, including some from Japanese Army archives and the national bank of Japan’s puppet regime in Manchuria that provided “ironclad proof” of abuses.

Unbelievably, after the War, very few soldiers were punished for this enterprise.

CONCLUSION

The cw issue has received much attention.  In addition to the foregoing:

1. In Korea the surviving cw have become public figures. They are known as “halmoni,” which is an affectionate term for “grandmother.” Every Wednesday many of them as well as various civic and religious groups and supporters hold so-called “Wednesday Demonstrations” in Seoul in front of the Japanese Embassy. In addition, a “House of Sharing” was founded in 1992 to provide a home for needy survivors.
2. In the Philippines surviving cw are affectionately called “Lolas,” or “grandmothers.” Similar support groups have been formed. They are enlisting the support of their government and the UN in their pursuit of legal action against the government of Japan.
3. In 2007 the US House of Representatives passed a resolution calling the treatment of cw “unprecedented in its cruelty” and “one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20^th Century.” It urged the Japanese government to “formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility…” for the cw system. The Japanese replied that it had already apologized in 1992, but that statement is generally considered to be inadequate as it did not accept any legal responsibility.
4. International human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, have been lobbying in support of redress.

Today, some 70 years after the end of WWII, the cw system remains a stain on the legacy of Japan and an irritant with respect to relations between Korea and it.  The issue has received much attention.  It was a heinous war crime and a severe violation of human rights.  Rape, sex slavery, and similar atrocities are still being perpetrated against women to this day.

To borrow a famous line from Dodgers icon, Tommy Lasorda, “I bleed Dodger Blue.”   I have been a fanatic Dodgers fan since 1955 when the team was still in Brooklyn seeking its first World Series Championship.

Organized baseball in Brooklyn can be traced back to the 1850s.  At that time various baseball clubs, first amateur, then later, professional, began to play in organized leagues.  The City of Brooklyn (It was not yet part of NYC.) fielded a team in the first professional league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, beginning in 1871.   When the National League supplanted the NAPBB in 1876 Brooklyn was one of the eight cities to be awarded a franchise.

Apparently, teams and leagues came and went quickly in those days.  The actual team that was to evolve into the Dodgers was formed in 1883 as a member of the American Association.  It was named the Brooklyn Grays and played in Washington Park.  It joined the National League in 1890.

In its formative years the team had various nicknames, such as “Grays,” “Robins,” “Superbas,” “Grooms,” and “Bridegrooms.”  Eventually, it became known as the “Trolley Dodgers,” which was later shortened to “Dodgers.”  The name ”Trolley Dodgers” was derived from the fact that in Brooklyn pedestrians were continually having to dodge the many trollies that ran on the newly installed tracks that seemed to be everywhere.  Until the 1930s many fans and even newspapers continued, on occasion, to refer to the team under one of the old names.  For all intents and purposes the matter was finally settled in 1932 when the team put “Dodgers” on its jerseys.

In 1913 the Dodgers moved into the newly constructed Ebbets Field, named after the team’s owner, Charles Ebbets.  As was typical in that era the ballpark was located in a neighborhood, in this case, Flatbush, and was constructed to fit in the available space.  Hence, Ebbets Field was relatively small with a seating capacity of 32,000 and a short “porch” in right field.   Stores located on Bedford Avenue, which ran behind the right field screen, frequently suffered a broken window or two from the many balls hit over the wall.  (I suppose the owners didn’t mind so much as long as the homer was hit by a Dodgers player.)  Ebbets Field was a very intimate place.  Fans felt like they were part of the game. If a fan yelled something the player or umpire would often hear it, and fans would often “interact” with the game in this manner.  The team was always exciting and very popular, even in the early years when it wasn’t very good, much like the early NY Mets teams.  It was not unusual for a player to live in the neighborhood and to mingle with ordinary people in the off-season.  In the late 1920s one group of players became known as the”Daffiness Boys” because of their silly antics on the field.  Their signature moment occurred when three players somehow ended up at third base on one play.

After WWII the team became very good indeed, with players such as Harold “Pee Wee” Reese, the Captain, Jackie Robinson, the first black player to play in the major leagues since the 19^th century, Roy Campanella, and my hero, centerfielder Edwin Donald “Duke” Snider.   Snider was such a big star that he was often compared to Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, the centerfield stars of the NY Giants and Yankees, respectively.  Fans would argue incessantly as to whom was the best player.  There was even a popular song, “Willie, Mickey and the Duke.”  The Dodgers dominated the National League from 1947 – 1956 winning six pennants and one World Series with two near-misses in 1950 and 1951.

It was preordained that I would be a Dodger fan.  I was born in Brooklyn.  We lived about a block away from Ebbets Field.  You could hear the game from our apartment.  My father was a big fan.  No way would I become a fan of any other team.

Family lore is that my when my father took me to my first Dodgers game at probably too early an age I basically ignored the game in favor of the food.  Whatever any particular vendor was offering – hot dogs, peanuts, crackerjacks, soda – I wanted.   I’m sure anyone who knows me will not be surprised.   In 1955, however, at the age of ten, I became a big fan.  I began following the team on tv, radio and in the newspapers.  I remember racing home from school to catch the last inning of Game 7 of the 1955 WS.

In 1956 my father surprised me by inviting me to go with him to Game 2 of the World Series at Ebbets Field against, who else, the Yankees.  As I have blogged previously, I have a more vivid recall of that game than of games I saw last week.  The starting pitchers were Don Newcombe for the Dodgers and Don Larsen for the Yankees.  We sat in the leftfield stands, but, so what; I was too excited to care.  I would have sat on top of the scoreboard if I had to.  I remember the Dodgers fell behind 6-0 but came from behind to win, and my hero, Duke Snider, hit a key homer.  And maybe the best part to an eleven year-old was that the original game had been postponed to the next day on account of rain, so I got to miss TWO days of school!

When the team left for LA after the 1957 season, like all other kids, I was devastated.  I didn’t understand the political or economic issues, and I didn’t care.  I just wanted to continue to follow the team.   I was not interested in any other team.  Anyway, for four years the only team left in NY was the hated Yankees.   I remained a Dodgers fan from afar.

In those pre-internet, pre-ESPN days it was not easy to follow an out-of-town team, especially one in California.   Watching the games on tv was out of the question.  Following the scores in-game was virtually impossible as the games started at 11:00 pm.  Even finding the box scores in the newspapers required some hunting.   Sometimes they would appear two days afterwards, or, perhaps,not at all.  Sometimes, if they were playing the Phillies, Pirates or Cardinals I could pick up a signal at night on my radio.   Often, I would Iisten to a game in bed when I was supposed to be asleep.  I can remember many times falling asleep only to wake up at 3:00 am or so with the radio squealing loudly in my ear.  For some unfathomable reason, when the Mets were formed I stayed a Dodgers fan, even though most fans shifted over eventually.

CONCLUSION

In those pre-Super Bowl years, baseball was truly the National Pastime.  There were only 16 teams, and my friends and I would know the names and statistics of every player on every team.  Now, perhaps only really hard-core fans are that knowledgeable.

Over the years the Dodgers have provided me with many thrills, including:

1. winning their five World Series, particularly the three over the hated Yankees in 1955 (their first), 1963 (a four game sweep), and 1981 (winning four straight after trailing 2-0),
2. visiting “Dodgertown” in Vero Beach, FL, where the Dodgers trained for over 50 years, and
3. Kirk Gibson’s dramatic home run to win Game 1 of the 1988 WS (“I don’t believe what I just saw!”).

There have been many agonizing moments as well, which I have tried to forget (blowing pennants in 1961 and 1962 come to mind).

One footnote on the 1981 WS:  My son, Matt, was watching the games with me.  He was six.  He began the Series rooting for the Yankees, but as the Dodgers won their four straight games to win it he switched to rooting for the Dodgers.  Undue influence?  Perhaps.

I hope this trip down Memory Lane has not bored you, but this was a story I just had to let out.

Many of you have requested another quiz.  Well, be careful what you wish for!  This one will test your knowledge of Pop Culture.  You know the drill.  No peeking at the internet.

1.  Who wrote the theme song for “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson?

a.  Paul Anka

b. Bert Bacharach

c. Barry Manilow

d. Marvin Hamlich

2. Which rapper co-stars in the tv show “NCIS LA?

a.  Vanilla Ice

b.  Fifty Cent

c.  Ice T

d.  LL Cool J

3. Which popular tv comedy in the1970s starred Carroll O’Connor?

a.  Good Times

b.  All in the Family

c.  The Wonder Years

d.  MASH

4.  According to “People Magazine, who is currently the most beautiful woman?

a.  Jennifer Lawrence

b.  Jennifer Lopez

c.  Charlize Theron

d.  Sandra Bullock

5.  Which actor did NOT play James Bond in the movies?

a.  David Niven

b.  Sean Connery

c.  Peter O’Toole

d.  Pierce Brosnan

6.  The Broadway show “Beautiful” depicts the story of:

a.  Carole King

b.  Beyoncé

c.  Whitney Houston

d.  Diana Ross

7.  Who has been the most successful American Idol winner?

a.  David Coke

b.  Carrie Underwood

c.  Jennifer Hudson

d.  Taylor Hicks

8.  Who played “The Fonz?”

a.  John Travolta

b.  Will Smith

c.  Henry Winkler

d.  Jerry Mathers

9.  Who was NOT a member of the “Rat Pack?”

a.  Dean Martin

b.  Corbett Monica

c.  Peter Lawford

d.  Don Rickels

10.  Which of the following tv reality shows was aired first in the US?

a.  Survivor

b.  The Amazing Race

c.  American Idol

d.  Dancing with the Stars

11.  Who played the role of Trixie on the “Honeymooners?”

a.  Jane Meadows

b.  Gail Storm

c.  Joyce Randolph

d.  Jean Stapelton

12.   Which famous actor was born Marion Mitchell Morrison?

a.  Tony Curtis

b.  Burt Lancaster

c.  Steve McQueen

d.  John Wayne

13.   Which future President of the US hosted the 1950s tv show “Death Valley Days?”

a.  Richard Nixon

b.  Ronald Reagan

c.  George Bush (41)

d.  Dwight Eisenhower

14.  Who played the title role in the tv series “Dr. Quinn?”

a.  James Brolin

b.  Jane Seymour

c.  Lorne Greene

d.  Melissa Gilbert

15.  Who ushered in New Year’s Eve on radio and tv for over 30 years?

a.  Liberace

b.  Dick Clark

c.  Ed McMahon

d.  Guy Lombardo

16.  Who was the original host of the game show “Jeopardy?”

a.  Groucho Marx

b.  Alex Trebek

c.  Art Fleming

d.  Bob Barker

17.  Who played the original “Lone Ranger on tv?

a.  Randolph Scott

b.  Clayton Moore

c.  Hoot Gibson

d.  Chuck Connors

18.  According to “Forbes,” who was the top earning musician in 2014?

a.  Bon Jovi

b.  Beyoncé

c.  Taylor Swift

d.  Dr. Dre

19.  In which city did the tv show “American Bandstand” originate?

a.  LA

b.  NY

c.  Philadelphia

d.  Chicago

20.  Who starred in the tv show “The Wonder Years?”

a.  Fred Savage

b.  Ron Howard

c.  John Travolta

d.  Richard Thoma

CONCLUSION

Answers:  1) a; 2) d; 3) b; 4) d; 5) c; 6) a; 7) b; 8) c; 9) d; 10) a; 11) c; 12) d; 13) b; 14) b; 15) d; 16) c; 17) b; 18) d; 19) c; 20) a

Well, how did you do?  Please let me know.

This blog is about a different kind of Memorial Day.  In the US although many of us take time out to remember those who have given their lives in war, most of us treat MD as a festive occasion – a day off from work, a mini-vacation as part of a three-day weekend, family gatherings, barbecues, or a day at the beach.  In addition, Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of summer.

Not so in Israel.  In Israel MD is treated as a solemn occasion.   It honors the memory of the approximately 23,000 soldiers who have died in service of Israel beginning in 1860, well before Israel was even a country.  It used to be celebrated in conjunction with Independence Day, but many felt that the solemn remembrance of fallen soldiers merited its own day separate and distinct from the festive nature of Independence Day.  So, in 1951 MD was established to be celebrated on the day before Independence Day.  This year it is being celebrated on April 22.

The basic manner of observance is as follows:

1. MD begins at 8:00 pm the preceding evening (April 21 this year) with a one-minute siren blast that can be heard all over the country.
2. During the siren blast all activity ceases. Even drivers stop their vehicles wherever they may be (good for traffic congestion), and Israelis stand in a moment of silence.
3. Religious Jews pray for the souls of the fallen.
4. There is a ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
5. Flags are lowered to half-staff.
6. At precisely 11:00 am the following morning (April 22 this year) a two-minute siren is sounded, which signals the commencement of memorial ceremonies at every cemetery at which soldiers are buried.
7. It is customary for mourners to visit gravesites of their loved ones during the day.
8. Throughout the day, one of the government-owned tv stations shows the names, ranks, and dates of death (both secular and Hebrew) of all the fallen in chronological order.
9. The day ends at 8:00 pm with the official ceremony marking Israeli Independence Day at the national military cemetery at Mount Herzl.
10. At that time, the flag is returned to full staff.

CONCLUSION

As a side note, yesterday, the New York Times published a poignant story about a deceased Israeli soldier named Gil’ad, who perished in the Yom Kippur War in 1973.  While it is customary for relatives, friends and acquaintances to name their children after deceased soldiers this one soldier has had 23 babies on three continents, both male and female, named for him.   (The name, Gil’ad refers to a biblical mountain range.)  Each year many of them and their families journey to Israel to attend a special memorial hosted by Gil’ad’s mother.

How did this happen?  According to Gil’ad’s mother, soon after his death was confirmed an acquaintance called from the hospital where she had just given birth and asked if it would be okay to name her son “Gilad?”  She said “yes,” and that was the beginning.  Over the next 40 years many other babies have been named “Gil’ad or Gilad.   In some cases, one or more of the parents didn’t even know the original Gil’ad.

To us, April 22, 2015 is just another day.  But, if you’re Jewish or a supporter of Israel, I suggest you stop for a minute and reflect on those 23,000 soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for continued freedom.

Most likely, you have never heard of Tomi Reichental.  Who is he?  Why is he important in the context of history, and, more precisely, Jewish history?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  Read on.

Tomi Reichental is a Holocaust survivor, one of only two currently living in Ireland, but he is not your “run of the mill” Holocaust survivor, if there is such a thing.   Most Holocaust survivors, understandably, have sought to try to forget the horrors they experienced and just live their lives quietly.  They try to avoid talking about them, even to close family members.  To do so is to relive the horrors.  Sometimes, these family members only discover them when they go through the person’s effects after his or her death.  (This is not unlike military veterans who try to avoid discussing their combat experiences.  I am not saying the two are equivalent.  I don’t believe they are even remotely comparable, but many of us know combat veterans and can relate to that situation better.)

The significance of Tomi Reichental is that he has elected to talk about his experiences, often to children.  To add authenticity, he often appears wearing a sweater with a yellow Jewish star affixed. To most of these children the Holocaust was just something they learned about from a history book or, perhaps, a movie.  Books and movies, regardless of how authentic and descriptive they may be, do not begin to convey the extent of the horrors and degradations suffered by the victims, even those who survived.  On the other hand, a personal account, which Tomi can provide,… now, that is something else again.

Furthermore, as time passes and the few survivors pass away, it becomes increasingly imperative to keep the memories alive, to make sure succeeding generations are aware, especially with all the “Holocaust deniers” out there).  Tomi has said that the children are so overwhelmed by his story that they (and he) are often left in tears.

Tomi relates his story to the children, in detail, so vividly that they must see it as he did as a frightened nine-year old.  He was born in 1935 in Slovakia, now Czechoslovakia.   His earliest memories were of an idyllic childhood.   Then, Germany annexed Slovakia.  The maltreatment of Jews began soon after.  First, he was just subjected to harassment and bullying by the other children in school.   That was just a warm-up for what was to follow.  Next, the Nazis began transporting the Jews to the death camps.  For a while he and his family were able to evade capture, but one day, when he was nine, the Nazis arrested him along with 30 or so members of his extended family.  He describes a freezing day in November, the unheated cattle cars with cracks that let in the frigid air, the vicious dogs, scavenging for scraps of food, the sight and smell of the decaying dead, and, last but not least, the sight of his grandmother’s corpse being tossed into a cart filled with other corpses like so much trash.  No wonder, he leaves his audiences in tears.

After the War, Tomi was reunited with the few members of his family that had also survived.  He was no longer welcome in his home country, so in 1949 he emigrated to Israel.  In 1959 he emigrated to Ireland.  He started a small zipper factory, raised a family and lived his life for 60 years.  Then, one day his whole life changed.  His 12 year-old grandson mentioned in school that his grandfather was a Holocaust survivor.  His teacher invited him to relate his experiences to the class, and, as they say, the rest is history.   To date, he has spoken at nearly 600 schools before over 70,000 children.

He is fully booked into the forseeable future; his experiences have been made into a memoir – “I Was a Boy in Belsen,” a movie – “Close to Evil,” and he has been honored as “International Person of the Year.”  Furthermore, he has met the granddaughter of one of the Nazis who arrested and transported his family back in 1944. Tomi holds no ill will toward her, and she, in turn, is very supportive of Tomi and his activities.  For example, she was present at his award ceremony, which, if you’re interested, can be found on the internet.

This is not the case with respect to a former Bergen-Belsen prison guard, 93 year-old Hilde Michnia, who now lives in Hamburg.   When contacted by the producer of “Close to Evil” to be interviewed for the film Ms. Michnia declined, citing illness.  Fair enough, however, it should be denoted that in a 2004 interview she had expressed no remorse for her actions as a prison guard.  Furthermore, she denied that prisoners had been maltreated and could “not recall” any smells from rotting corpses.

CONCLUSION

I can personally vouch for how powerful a first-person account can be.  Years ago while my wife and I were in Denmark on vacation we heard a powerful and dramatic first-person account from a man in which he described how, during WWII, he witnessed people from his village, including his father, hide Jews from the Nazis and ferry them at night to safety in Sweden.  He was describing this through the frightened eyes of a nine-year old boy who, night after night, never knew if his father would return alive.  According to this man, the people knew it was extremely dangerous, but they did it anyway because it was the “right thing.”  That story moved us in ways that books and movies never have.

At the age of 80 when most people are content to live quietly with their spouses, children and grandchildren, Tomi spends his days travelling extensively around Ireland spreading the word to the young generation.  Why?  He has a story to tell, and he feels it is imperative that as many people as possible hear it, first-hand.

I heartily applaud his actions.  As we know, those who are unaware of history are doomed to repeat it.

April 19 will mark a very significant anniversary in Jewish history.   It was on that date in 1943 that the Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto commenced.  A small band of Jewish men, women, and boys fought a brave, but hopeless, life or death battle against a sizable Nazi force.  They fought to the death rather than submit.

In 1943 Warsaw, the capital of Poland, had a total population of about 1.3 million, of which approximately 375,000 were Jews.  Nazi persecution of Warsaw’s Jews began in September 1939 after Poland surrendered, mere weeks after the September 1 invasion. (For various reasons, Poland did not put up much of a fight.)  At first, such persecution consisted of the usual, such as harassment, beatings, economic sanctions and being forced to wear armbands for identification.  However, in October the Nazis went one step further.  They established a ghetto, and by November 16 virtually all Jews in the city plus some refugees from surrounding areas had been confined to it.  On that date, the Nazis sealed off the ghetto from the outside world with ten foot walls.  It was intended to be a prison from which there was no escape.  Any Jew found outside the walls was shot on sight.  At one point, the total population of the ghetto reached 450,000.

In addition to the daily threat of violence and random shootings with little or no provocation the living conditions in the ghetto were deplorable.

1.  It was extremely overcrowded. Even though it housed 1/3 of the city’s population it encompassed only 2.4% of its area. In many cases, as many as six or seven persons would be crowded into a single room

2. Finding enough food to eat was a constant challenge. Rations provided by the Nazis were below starvation level – perhaps as little as a single bowl of soup per person per day. Estimated calories provided were under 200 per day compared to 700 or so consumed by gentile Poles and 2,600 by the average German. Hundreds died every day from starvation. Obviously, people had to supplement those rations by smuggling in food, which they did quite ingeniously.

3.  People, often children as young as four years old, would sneak in and out of the ghetto to buy or steal food and other necessities. These people would make several “food runs” each day. Children would often transport back the equivalent of their body weight or more in food.

4.  Disease was rampant, particularly typhus. Estimates vary, but as many as 100,000 persons may have died from disease and starvation alone.

Jews kept up their spirits by trying to retain as many aspects of normalcy in their lives as possible.  For example:

1. They established schools for both secular and religious instruction.
2. They enjoyed cultural activities, such as libraries, the theatre, and a symphony orchestra.
3. They maintained hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens and refugee centers.

All of these activities were forbidden, but they managed to hide them from the Nazis.  Perhaps, more importantly, the Jews had managed to chronicle events and hide them in the form of photographs, writings and films, which were preserved in make-shift time capsules, and to smuggle information to the outside world.  This was crucial in order to refute Nazi propaganda claims.

On July 22, 1942 the Nazis began transporting Jews to “work camps” at the rate of 6,000 per day. They called it “resettlement,” but before long the Jews figured out that “resettlement” meant “extermination.”

By January 1943, only 60,000 Jews remained in the ghetto.  On January 18, 1943 the remaining Jews began to fight.  This surprised the Nazis, who were used to docile compliance.  But, the Jews had been smuggling in weapons and stockpiling them under the Nazis’ noses for months, and they gave a good account of themselves.

The ultimate battle commenced on April 19, 1943, Passover Eve.  By then, the remaining resistance consisted of only 500-600 men, boys and women.  Initially, they managed to hold off a force of several thousand Nazis, but the Nazis eventually prevailed by systematically burning and blowing up the ghetto block by block.  The battle culminated on May 16 when the Nazis blew up the Great Synagogue of Warsaw.  Polish sources estimated German casualties for the battle at 300 killed and 1,000 wounded.

The bravery and determination of the Jews is illustrated by this excerpt from the report filed by the Nazi Commandant to the German High Command: “The Jews stayed in the burning buildings until because of the fear of being burned alive they jumped down from the upper stories…. With their bones broken, they still tried to crawl across the street into buildings, which had not yet been set on fire… Despite the danger of being burned alive the Jews and bandits often preferred to return to the flames rather than risk being caught by us.”

CONCLUSION

The Nazis virtually destroyed the entire ghetto, except for a few streets, buildings and wall fragments.  The Nozyk Synagogue survived the war.  The Germans used it as a horse stable.  It has been restored, and today, it is an active synagogue.  Two Warsaw Ghetto Heroes Monuments have been built near where the Germans entered the ghetto on April 19, 1943.  They were unveiled in 1946 and 1948, respectively.  In 2008 and 2010 Warsaw Ghetto boundary markers were built along where the ghetto gates had stood.  Finally, there is a small monument at Mila 18 to commemorate the address of the headquarters of the Jewish underground.

For those of you who want to learn more about the Warsaw Ghetto and the final, decisive battle I would suggest reading “Mila 18” by Leon Uris.  “Mila 18” was a best seller published in 1965.  It chronicles this story in meticulous and fascinating detail.  It is a sad story, but, as a Jew, it will make you proud.

Opening Day. Mention those words to any sports fan, and, immediately, he knows what it means and to which sport it pertains. Not football, not basketball, not hockey. OD means that another season of Major League Baseball is beginning. Baseball fans look forward to OD every year. Local newspapers step up their coverage of the local team in anticipation. Many of them even print a daily countdown of the number of days remaining until OD. In addition, OD occurs in the Spring, a season that symbolizes a new beginning and one which most people anticipate every year.

This is not to say that baseball is still the most popular sport. In fact, according to TV ratings, betting interest and most fan polls, football has superseded baseball. However, baseball, which has been played in the US in some form since the 1840s, is part of the social fabric of America. Most men remember their first game of “catch” with their father or their first baseball game. In fact, I have a more detailed recall of a World Series game I saw with my father in 1956 than I do of ballgames I saw last year.

Every fan is optimistic on OD. Every team starts with the same 0-0 record. No one has lost a game yet. Every team still has a chance to make the playoffs. Many fans and even some reporters place undue emphasis on the opener forgetting or ignoring the fact that the season consists of 162 games. Over the course of a baseball season even the best teams will lose approximately 60-70 games. To many fans, a win OD means the season will be outstanding; a loss means the team “stinks.”

Traditionally, MLB has scheduled the very first game of the season in Cincinnati, usually on the first Monday in April. This is in recognition of the fact that the Reds were the first professional baseball team. The team was formed in 1869 as the Red Stockings. Incidentally, they went 65-0 that year, the only perfect season in baseball history. In recent years, however, ESPN has scheduled a Sunday night game in prime time the night before the “official” OD.

Down through the years, OD has produced some memorable events, such as:

1. In 1907, the NY Giants, forerunner of the San Francisco Giants, forfeited the opener after rowdy fans began throwing snowballs at the players and umpires. There were not enough police on hand to restore order, so the umpires forfeited the game to the visiting Phillies.
2. In 1910 President Taft became the first President to throw out the “first ball.” In 1950 President Truman threw out the “first pitch” twice, as a righty and a lefty. In total, twelve Presidents have thrown out the “first pitch.”
3. In 1940, Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians, known as “Rapid Robert” because of his high velocity, threw the only OD day no-hitter in baseball history. As an aside, there were no radar guns in Feller’s day, so one day some officials attempted to “time” his fastball by having him throw a pitch against a speeding motor cycle.
4. In 1947 Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on OD becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues since the 19th Century.
5. In 1975 Frank Robinson became the first African American to manage in the Major Leagues.
6. In 1996, John McSherry, an umpire, suffered a fatal heart attack near home plate.
7. Early in the 20th Century teams would, on occasion, open with a doubleheader. Doubleheaders used to be quite common, particularly on Sundays and holidays. Now, they are rare, and when they do occur it is usually the result of adding an extra game to make up game a rain-out.
8. Tom Seaver started the most openers – 16. Walter Johnson pitched the most OD shutouts – nine.

CONCLUSION

This year, OD was today, Monday, April 6. As that noted philosopher, Yogi Berra, is reputed to have said: “A home opener is always exciting, no matter if it’s home or on the road.”

PLAY BALL!