Xtra! Xtra! Comic relief. Parrot. Men holding hands. Incredible Passover Machine. Matzah w/ rice and beans?
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #43 APRIL 10, 2017
With the mainstream media going full bore on crises in Syria, Russia, South Africa, Sweden & Egypt, no need for me to pile on. Instead, this bonus issue of the Newsletter offers pre-holiday uplift and comic relief.
Real new or fake news? "During a lull between speeches at a recent White House ceremony, Melania Trump leaned over to chat with Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. 'You know Rex, I bought Donald a parrot for Christmas and the bird is so smart, Donald has already taught him 200 words!' 'Wow, that's pretty impressive,' said Tillerson, 'but, you do realize he just speaks the words; he doesn't really understand what they mean.' 'Oh, I know," Melania replied, 'Neither does the parrot.'"
LGBT ACTIVISM
Real men unite against hatred. In Amsterdam, men hold hands with men in solidarity with a gay couple who were savagely assaulted by a homophobic gang. (The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage. Hashtag: #allemannenhandinhand)
In Manhattan, men from the Dutch delegation at the UN hold hands crossing Third Avenue.
VIDEOS
Check out the incredible Passover Machine created by students at the Technion, the Israeli university of innovation and technology. When's the last time you laughed at the plagues?
Forgive a Jewish mother for qvelling: Abigail Pogrebin was interviewed this morning on the TODAY Show about her new book, My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew, which, by the way, is the perfect house gift to bring to your hosts at tonight's seder. Also, if you missed David Gregory's review of Abby's book in the NY Times Book Review, here it is.
The feminist band, "BETTY" (above), has always been on the cutting edge of change. Their terrific song, "Rise." delivers all the energy an activist needs to get-up-and-do-it
THE ECONOMY
Deadline for filing your 2017 tax returns is a week from tomorrow, Tuesday, April 18.
WOMEN & MEN
Mike Pence won't break bread with a woman not his wife. Jia Tolentino names Pence's problem -- and ours. Does this mean the VP would not negotiate one-on-one with Angela Merkel or Nancy Pelosi? How can working women get a fair shot at success in business or politics if men like Pence insist on eroticizing us regardless of context. "Certainly, this approach is likely to lead to more all-male meetings of the sort we have seen so frequently in the early days of the Trump Administration," writes Tolentino. "...Trump bragged about grabbing [women ]by the pussy. Pence merely prefers to eat alone."
JEWISH LIFE
Passover starts tonight with the first seder and the 4-Fs. Let's remember what the holiday is all about: not just food but family, friends, and above all, freedom. [Illustration courtesy of Arthur Magida]
Liberation from slavery in Egypt wasn't easy, so cooking for Passover shouldn't be either. In his Times Op-Ed, Jeffrey Yoskowitz -- co-author of “The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods” and co-owner of Gefilteria, a purveyor of Ashkenazi cuisine -- advises Jews to avoid canned or processed Passover foods because "embracing the holiday's tedious dietary restrictions, not working around them, is critical to appreciating this holiday on a deeper level. And to eating well. "
The cartoon below to the contrary, Orthodox Judaism forbids eating lamb at the seder.
Memo to observant Ashkenazi Jews: If during the next eight days you yearn for a plate of rice and beans, corn succotash, or a schmear of hummus on your matzah, go for it! These were prohibited Passover fare for the last 800 years but Conservative rabbinic authorities have lifted the ban.
HAIL TO A MEDICAL HERO
Abortion Doctor. Author of the new book, Life’s Work: A Moral Argument for Choice,, Dr. Willie Parker is both serious about his Christianity and unapologetic about his work helping women in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia to control their reproductive lives. After my friend & subscriber, Nancy Schwartz Sternoff, heard him interviewed by Gloria Steinem before a standing-room only crowd (many of them women’s health care providers), she wrote: "No matter your politics, no matter your life’s view, you will be struck by the depth of Dr. Parker’s humanity, resolve, humility and focus... I could not put [the book] down....For those of us who celebrate Passover, it is a timely message about liberation and the responsibilities that come with it."
Dr.Willie Parker and Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood.
Happy holidays to all who observe them.
[The above illustration was accompanied by this message: "Say both Happy Easter and Happy Passover with this humorous card depicting a cartoon illustration of factory workers making chocolate rabbis."]