By Nessa Weinman (5-17-09)

Today is thirty-eight days, which is five weeks and three days of the Omer.

 

It is a tradition to count the days between Passover and Shavuot, as we mark our freedom from slavery and celebrate our freedom to accept Torah. This is called "counting the omer." This year we will observe the tradition of "counting the omer" by sharing stories about the many different ways that we have been turned on to Jewish learning, and through Jewish learning to Torah.

Why Jews Don't Sing Christmas Carols

One Friday night, Mike and I were at Shabbat Unplugged and we read a passage about leaving Egypt and not looking back.  So that's what we decided to do, and with the love and support of our community we were able to take that giant step forward.

Mike decided to proceed with deep brain stimulation surgery to improve his health and try to eliminate his worst symptoms from Parkinson's. Mike was very excited at the prospect of living without the debilitation that had been hanging like a monkey on his back for so long.  I was quite nervous about brain surgery, who wouldn't be?

With huge appreciation for medical science and his amazing doctors, we celebrated that his surgery was very successful.  He had little pain, and we saw improvement in his health immediately.  It was truly a miracle.  The next Friday we returned to Shabbat Unplugged where Mike was called upon to stand in front of the congregation and read a poem.  To see him up there looking so great, for everyone to see, made me so incredibly happy.  And for Mike to be able to be up there, comfortable and without his most troublesome symptoms, made him really know that we could move forward towards a better life.

Before Mike had his brain surgery, I asked my good friend if she could get together a few friends to make dinner for our family for 3-4 nights.  She got so many positive responses we had deliciously prepared dinners for about 8 nights.  Other friends sent us baked goods.  They offered to drive the kids, go to the market, whatever needed to be done. 

The love and support of our Temple Emanuel family helped us to keep going when we really needed support.  Phone calls, letters, emails and visits made us feel loved and cared for.  We got so many positive comments about Mike and the miraculous change.  It's truly amazing to feel the love of our community and our clergy the way we did. 

We've also received incredible fundraising support for the walk-a-thon that the American Parkinson Disease Association puts together for the past 3 years.  Our team, Hike With Mike, has been the biggest fundraising team on the walk.  Our congregants believe in repairing the world and are willing to take action to make it happen.

In addition to the tremendous emotional support, our friends created a trip fund for Mike and me to have a night alone together before his brain surgery.  Temple Emanuel incorporates Tzedakah as a part of life, and helps others in times of need.

The most remarkable Jewish experience was the feeling of floating gently this past year while being supported by our family and friends at Temple Emanuel.  Through tough economic times, some bad luck, and Mike's brain surgery, our Jewish community at Temple Emanuel made sure even if we had to fall; it would be a soft landing. 
Thank you all.

By Nessa Weinman

These stories are brought to you by the Temple Emanuel RE-IMAGINE project, an 18-month initiative sponsored by Hebrew Union College, devoted to re-thinking and re-structuring our religious school.