Alphabet Soup Compiled by Martha Allen
Poems by Lagunitas Community School 3rd, 4th and 5th graders
Summer by Marcelo Balazs-Guendelman, grade 5
Rachel by Ella Krauss, grade 3
I always love summer best You can eat tomatoes fresh from the garden With basil and fresh mozzarella cheese Or stop for ice cream at the Scoop. On warm days you can swim in the pool Or play with your friends. You can go on camping trips in the mountains Or go to the beach to play in the waves. And lastly, you can go on trips to Spain and Panama. Summer is always the best!
I know Rachel very well And when I met her I could tell She loved horses, dogs, and cats And I love her just for that. She has three horses and a cow How does she manage anyhow? I love all her horses I have ridden one in the rink One’s name is Molly And Molly loves me, I think!!
Tanna, My Cat by Stephanie Stone, grade 3
Tanna the cat has big flames Like eating lizards and hunting fame Tanna climbs and shines And likes to hide inside all the time. Tanna was found in Hawaii Where he would steal people’s meat and eat fish in the ocean! Now he mews and growls in the moonlight Tanna the cat has big dreams Like sleeping in lavender Hoping he will find something extraordinary.
Bagels by Maya Michelson, grade 5
Ode to the Beach by Cami Michel, grade 4
I never knew why bagels Were always associated with Jews Maybe because they were yummy Maybe because they were cool. But for breakfast I would like Some bagels with schmear And maybe some latkes
Your clear water waves Crashing on the shore It sounds like shattered glass
Prayla’s Names by Viva Morse, grade 3
Melting onto soft sand. The pretty conch shells As bright as a sunny day Your sunsets are as pretty As a fresh blow-out at the hair salon. With the slight wind blowing through my hair, I love the cold misty air. Thank you, Earth, for the beaches we have today.
When I first saw Prayla, my mind turned into black It broke down in a snap. I didn’t know what to say nor what to do. When my mom got this kitten I never knew Soon after we would be finding the right name. My mom thought of Gracie
And don’t forget hamantaschen cookies Some apples and honey would be delicious And matza ball soup to make our bellies warm But after all, I still don’t know why Bagels are for Jews.
But my thoughts were not the same. I explained how it’s just too ordinary! How we couldn’t name a kitten Names for cats that are all the same. And then it hit me: Princess Prayla!
Ode to Earth by Mizuki Ortiz, grade 4
Remembering by Mel Fontenele, grade 5
Thanks, Earth, you are what makes us live You make new spring flowers grow You make the ocean flow – and you give
I remember the days when I used to think That if I ever died, I would come back And look over my mom and dad like a guardian angel. I thought they would be able to hear and see me. I thought I would be able to speak to them Like a choir blended together in a mixture Of voices and instruments. I thought I could come back as a cat That my grandpa and grandma would adopt. Now I think I’ll just be gone.
How to Climb a Rainbow by Koa Hutchison, grade 3
You give us food You give us trees You give us warmth You give us life!
Make sure you pack hay for the unicorn ride up In the middle stop for a rainbow soda and maybe a cloud pop. Make sure to pack rainbow bucks and a one cloud penny
To buy a waterslide that would please many. When you get to the end of the rainbow Ask the leprechaun for some gold But be very bold for he has tricks untold!
Reflections by Suzanne Sadowsky God Is a Verb
So what is it to be a Jew? or Jewish? Or a Jewess? – or whatever way I might want to describe my identity? Are the Jews a race? Or are we a religion? Or an ethnic- ity? Are we white or people of color? Are we a Nation or are we a Tribe, or a Clan like the Scots? Are we Middle Eastern or European? Or are we North African? Do we all speak the same language? Do we speak or pray in Hebrew, English, Yiddish or Ladino? Take your pick, all of these? Some of them? Well whatever, or wherever we are, we’re certainly not part of the majority, the dominant group, anywhere, except for Israel. Then comes the question: Are we Zionists? Or anti-Zionists? Are we pro-Palestinian, or not? Am I a Zionist? Am I religious or not? Am I a true believer or am I an agnostic? An Athieist? Or a Bhu-Jew? We Jews are all of those things. I am all of those things. But one thing I know for sure is that wherever I am, I’m Other -- not part of the majority. The only country in the world where Jews are not a minority is in Israel. And It is troubling and frightening that the political situation and the ongoing war in the Middle East has in my opinion contributed to the new resurgence of antisemitism here and abroad. To answer the question: “Am I a Zionist? “My answer is Yes and No. I’m not a Zionist in the same way that I am not a Nationalist. But in as much that Nationalism is the currency in which the world’s governing powers exercise their sovereignty in the global arena of power politics, and in order to be part of the world stage where wars are staged and battles are raged, then I suppose that the only country in which Jews are the majority, then the state of Israel has to have a place at the table. Do I support the policies of Netanyahu and the ruling coalition of governing parties in Israel. NO I DO NOT!! People often say to me “I’m not religious but I’m very spiritual.” That way of thinking seems to be more prevalent in new-age California where people have come to feel that there is an incompatibility with following religious dogma, doctrine, ritual and formal procedures that don’t fit in with their spirituality. For many, their sense of spirituality comes with a deep connection between their physical, substantive reality of the world and the intangible, ephemeral reality of existence. It feels inconsistent with the religion that they were taught as children growing up.
Several weeks ago, on Sunday, April 27th, I attended the afternoon memorial service that was held at Congregation Rodef Shalom in San Rafael. It was a service to honor the life and memory of Olive Koren who was 14 years old and was one of the four girls who died on Friday, April 18th as a result of a horrific car accident on San Geronimo Valley Drive in Woodacre. More than 700 people of all ages filled the sanctuary of the synagogue. Friends and family members from all parts of Olive’s life came up to the bimah and spoke with deep love and compassion of the beautiful, spirited young woman who had touched their lives in so many ways. Among the speakers was a group of five young men who were part of Olive’s B’nai Mitzvah class a year earlier when they were together preparing for the religious celebration marking their transition to young adulthood. One of them spoke sweetly on behalf of the others. He said that those boys and girls in the group all had different personalities, with different interests and backgrounds but the one thing that they all had in common was that they all were Jewish. May Olive’s memory and those of the other three children who died in that tragic accident be a blessing. They will not be forgotten. Last month one of the suggested assignments for my memoir writing group was to share our spiritual or religious path; well here goes -- I’ll give it a try. I am a Jew. Or, is it more proper to say or more descriptive to say that I am Jew-ish? Does that mean when you add an “ish” that you’re not fully a part of, but you identify with that group? That you are somehow a person of the Jewish persuasion - but not in a religious way - but kind of a Jew? A cultural Jew? Or a person who had a Jewish father but not a Jewish mother? Or someone who con- verted? Should I say that I am a Jewess? A female Jew. Sort of like when a Black woman was sometimes referred to as a Negress.
Reflections continued on page 19
Page 14 SGV Community Center Stone Soup
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