Nina Glick

Returning from two weeks of celebrating and enjoying the euphoria of a grandson's wedding, I returned to the commemoration, celebration, realization, or whatever it is called, of my Mordechai's yahrzeit one day later. Three years for some may seem like a long time. I can honestly say that for me, very few things have gotten easier. I come home every day to an empty house. I go to sleep, sometimes reaching over to the other side of the bed trying to feel what used to be his presence, and I practically never sit at my kitchen table because I cannot stand to be there by myself. I've learned to grab a yogurt on the run, make myself a coffee, and have yet to figure out the best way to make Havdalah alone. I've mastered holding the candle, as I now have one that stands on the table (thanks to my granddaughter), holding the cup, and no longer bother to get our beautiful silver besamim but now substitute cinnamon, which I always have on hand. Kiddush alone, which occurs rarely, is 1-2-3. Our home, which used to be a meeting place for all different types of people and which was always open to all, is now quiet and empty.

The absolute cutest picture/video arrived in my email the other week. I was entranced by what I was seeing and needed to immediately find out what it was about and who could come up with such a brilliant idea. Who would have thought that a 3-year-old would choose to have her birthday party at Cedar […]

I was so relieved when I heard the heartwarming news that President Biden had pardoned Peach and Blossom on the lawn of the White House in front of 2,500 people so they could be sent back to their turkey home where rumor has it turkeys enjoy classical music and soft lights. I am not actually sure this means the Biden family will not indulge in the typical fare of turkey with stuffing, etc, but it looks good for fans of PETA and other such groups. Apparently this ridiculousness began in the days of the Kennedy White House.

Yachad, the organization, and I go back many years together. It is true that I have always had a special place in my heart for any organization that devotes itself to bringing happiness and acceptance to the special needs community. What most people do not consciously think about is that the original main goal of Yachad, which is evident from the choice of its name, is to include and integrate mainstream high school and college kids into each program that takes place. For instance, in each program that I coordinated in Montreal for Yachad we had willing and able high school and college students participate in each activity. True, Yachad was to provide programming for a certain group of individuals but at the same time its goal was to incorporate others in all activities.

Yes, we are doing it again. After the moving and amazing experiences which were shared last year by the Link Solidarity Mission to Israel, Peter Abelow and I are creating another amazing trip. We will leave Jan. 12 for a week of heartfelt experiences, eye opening exposure to the breadth and depth of our homeland, and meetings with Israelis who have been impacted by life since October 7. We will do chesed (not getting down on the ground and picking potatoes), visit the Southern cities that were so devastated by the pogrom of October 7, and most meaningfully show Israelis that we care and love them.

Most of us, not all, are able to choose the circumstances in which we determine how we want to spend our lives. There are times when things just fall into our laps and we realize that maybe this is a path that we should be taking, even though it was not what we initially intended. Alternatively, some are determined to live a specific lifestyle and have no qualms in doing what they think is best for them. That makes a good deal of sense to me, yet I cannot get myself to just shrug off some choices that people make. It is a free world after all.

Amazingly a dream has come true in Teaneck. The first group of residents has moved into their new home at The Bayit. For those who are not aware, The Bayit Association provides safe, secure, supportive living arrangements for adults with developmental disabilities in Northern New Jersey. It is indeed a miracle as there has been no such facility in our community and local families no longer have to worry as to where they will find living arrangements for their special needs child that is relatively local, kosher and shomer Shabbat.

Several days ago I visited the Shuk to the Core event which took place at Yeshivat Frisch thanks to the hard work of Areyvut. Over the past while I have visited other such exhibits and twice coordinated vendor fairs in Montreal during the Intifada. I was excited to meet with several of the vendors whom I knew from the past and was happy that most were going back to their families the day after their Frisch stop. They were exhausted, lonely for their families and especially grateful to those who came out to support them. Several times in my discussions with them was the overwhelming feeling that those in

I know the chag is over by the time that The Link is distributed this week but I have had many nights to sit and watch the flames burn. Although one does not have to stay in the room for the entire duration the candles are lit, I did promise my children that I would not leave the room until I was sure that they were out. Admittedly it is weird for me to light the menorah, sing the brachot and then sit alone and watch them. I think that there should be an exemption for some mitzvot in consideration of the pain that they might evoke in reminding a person that no matter what, they are alone.

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