Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

My past is catching up ...

Okay. This is a test. I will be able to tell how old you are by the fact that you remember this entertainer ... David Daniel Kaminsky. (You knew him as Danny Kaye, beloved comedian, singer, dancer, musician, actor, etc.)

I used to love him (and still do) and was reminded about him, although he is deceased many years, by a television program about Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary, as he was part of the EPCOT celebration.

Danny was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., (like me) and was of Ukrainian Jewish decent (like me). He attended P.S. 149, my rival school. I attended P.S. 233 but we lived in the same neighborhood (although he was MUCH OLDER!) He attended Thomas Jefferson H.S. and I went to Tilden H.S. (The schools were rival schools but again, I repeat, he was MUCH OLDER! He was one of a kind, never to be forgotten ... at least, never by me.

I promised never to get into politics discussions in this column. I do just want to mention that CHARLES ELLIS SCHUMER is currently serving as Senate majority leader.

Like me, he was born in Brooklyn, His ancestors also hail from Ukraine and, of course, he is Jewish! He also attended Brooklyn public schools and then Harvard!

Super-talented ADELE KIM DAZEEM (you would recognize her as IDINA MENZEL) Tony award winner and super singer, Broadway and movie celebrity, etc. is Jewish. She was born in Manhattan but grew up in neighboring New Jersey until about 3 years old and then she and her parents moved to Long Island, N.Y. Her ancestry is also Russia.

(Wow! We are a talented people!)

Enough to be proud about, we also have concerns ...

'It seems that lately Poland is taking a dangerous new direction, according to World Jewish Congress president, RONALD S. LAUDER.

He said "I am deeply concerned for Poland. Something is changing and I'm afraid a country I care about deeply is moving in a very dangerous direction."

'The recent decision by a Warsaw court in a defamation case brought against two prominent historians is yet another indication that Poland is choosing to go back to a much darker time in its relationship with the Jewish people.

Shockingly, the court ordered professors BARBARA ENGELKING and JAN GRABOWSKI to apologize for writing that the mayor of a Polish town gave up Jews to the Nazis during World War II. The court held that the historians were wrong to have relied on the testimony of a Holocaust survivor. We know that there were thousands of courageous and honorable Christian Poles who risked their lives to hide and help Jews during the Holocaust, but there were also Poles who betrayed their Jewish neighbors and were complicit in their deaths. These are not Polemics, they are undeniable facts.'

(The more I read about this, the sicker I feel inside.)

'It is absolutely unacceptable that historians should now be afraid to cite credible testimony from an eyewitness just because the eyewitness may be Jewish. This does not bode well for the future of historical research in Poland, and it sends a very dangerous message because it emboldens those who want to stifle the work of scholars. Actually, it is even worse.

The courts decision takes on more ominous overtones against the backdrop of a recent poll overseen by MAREK KUCIA, a professor of sociology at the Jagiellonian University. Kucia found that 19 percent of the respondents - practically 1/5th of all Poles - agreed with the statement that "war is a horrible thing, but it is good that it resulted in fewer Jews in Poland."

There have been other cases as well.

A Polish journalist, KATARZYNA MARKUSZ, was questioned at length by the police after asking in one of her articles when the Polish authorities would "admit that hostility toward Jews was widespread among Poles, and that Polish complicity in the Holocaust is a historical fact?"

But the more recent dangerous signs have left Poland's sincerest friends wondering what is going wrong.

This began in 2018. In a blatant attempt to control the historical narrative, the Polish government tried, in effect, to criminalize the questioning of Polish wartime actions in regard to the Holocaust. The decision in the case involving Professor's ENGELKING and GRABOWSKI may relate only to defamation, but it is another step to muzzle historians who dare to be honest. Instead of encouraging a frank confrontation of the past, we are watching a rewriting of history.

I love animals ...

I received this in the s-l-o-w mail recently and pass it along to you:

"Over 8 million dogs and cats will end up in U.S. shelters this year.

An estimated 2 million will meet a tragic end if they're not rescued in time.

Animal League America's National Rescue Teams save thousands of animals each year from overcrowded municipal shelters. Their Puppy Mill Team pulls animals out of inhumane and cruel conditions. Their Emergency and Disaster Rescue Teams are on call for rescue and pet relocation during hurricanes, tornados, floods, storms and fires.

Bless them for their work. It is a no-kill promise. And if you can donate or assist them in anyway, bless you.

If you are interested in helping, contact North Shore Animal League of America.

The Jewish Pavilion ...

Social and musical programs will be back for our seniors.

Idina Menzel

Residents of Brookdale Lake Orienta can look forward to a musicale performance featuring PENNY GOLDSTEIN D'AGOSTINO.

It takes place on Oct. 17. Everyone is invited.

For further information, phone 407-678-9363.

The Roth Family JCC ...

Do you play Mah Jongg? If not, why not? You can learn. There are new classes that will be taught through Nov. 9.

Learn how to play one of the most beloved games. Not only does this game work the brain, it also teaches strategy and it is one of the oldest Jewish traditions that brings social joy day in and day out!

(I used to play many, many years ago. I think I may have forgotten. But I remember how important it was to me then, when my kids were little.