Page 8 - The Jewish Voice - February '25

Page 8, The Jewish Voice BW

Local Happenings from page 7 intimate interview to share his creative process, comedic The Pet Cottage
Temple Israel to Host journey, and personal insights. Love in Action: Thor’s Heartwarming
Temple Israel’s Simply Jewish program invites the

Award-Winning Comedian community to explore the beauty and challenges of being Journey to a New Home
Jewish today through art, culture, music, and food. The program
Alex Edelman highlights Jewish thought leaders and addresses pressing As February rolls in with its
questions of our time. This year’s events focus on exploring celebration of love, we at The
Prepare for a night various aspects of Israel and fostering a love for Jewish identity Pet Cottage are reminded of the
of laughter and thought- and culture, appealing to both Temple Israel members and the countless ways love shines in the
provoking conversation broader Jewish community, as well as those outside it. bonds between people and their
with comedian Alex The Simply Jewish Committee is led by Zelda Mason, pets. For us, love is the foundation
Edelman. Known for his Linda Solomon, and Rabbi Howard Shapiro. The chairs for of everything we do — the love
razor-sharp wit and unique the Alex Edelman event are Juliana Gendelman and Chris it takes to relinquish a cherished
perspective, Alex will Goldberg, with Bill Bone serving as the emcee. companion when life circumstances make it impossible to
perform an exclusive stand- Temple Israel’s Simply Jewish Featuring Alex Edelman, care for them, and the love that finds these pets a new family
up comedy set, exploring in partnership with The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach to cherish them.
life, culture, and what County, will be held Sunday, April 6, 7 p.m., at Eissey Take Jerry and Thor,
it means to be a Jewish Campus Theatre in Palm Beach Gardens. For tickets, got to for instance. Jerry, a
comedian in today’s world. https://bit.ly/simply-jewish-alex-edelman. cancer survivor, shared an
Following his performance, unbreakable bond with his
Alex will sit down for an Alex Edelman Men’s Club Axe Throwing 120-pound Dutch Shepherd,
Thor, for five wonderful
Event years. Thor was not just
education The Men’s Club a dog; he was Jerry’s best
friend, constant companion,
at Chabad of Palm and loyal confidant. But
Beach Gardens had when Jerry’s cancer returned
Central Park Is Jewish? a great fun with an unexpectedly, he faced a
axe throwing event heart-wrenching decision. Moving to Australia to live with
By Andy Greenberg that was brought to his daughter for treatment was the best choice for his health,
As we prepare for the celebration of Tu B’Shevat, the beautiful shul but the lengthy flight and mandatory quarantine would be too
the Birthday of Trees, it is important to remember that gardens. much for Thor.
one of the most renowned parks, Central Park in New The event began Jerry’s priority was
York — which is full of trees — has its roots firmly with biltong appetizers — cured, air-dried meat of South finding a loving new home
planted in Judaism! African origin — and an open bar, during which the men for Thor, where he could
Jewish law dictates: A city must have a greenbelt began to compete with the razor-sharp axe throwing. The guys thrive. He tried on his own
surrounding it, thus limiting urban sprawl. enjoyed the sunset as they smoked cigars and socialized in and through his vet, but no
In the world today there is a big movement to the serene setting. During the barbecue dinner, Rabbi Dovid match felt right. Then a friend,
save the trees. Another branch of Judaism declares a Vigler discussed the spiritual significance of the axe in Jewish Jane, told Jerry about The Pet
fruit tree cannot be destroyed when setting siege to a mysticism. He explained that one might think trees are chopped Cottage, and he reached out
city. King Solomon appointed a minister to limit the down by axes, but in reality the axe is nothing more than a tool to us in late November. With
harvesting of wood in the forests of Israel. in the hands of the woodchopper. In exactly the same way, the a flight booked for December
Is it a coincidence that there is a tradition of world seems to be operated by people in high places, when 23, the timeline was tight, but
presenting a bnai mitzvah graduate a certificate that in reality they are nothing more than axes in the hands of the our mission was clear: find
a tree is being planted in their name in the Jewish woodchopper — tools being manipulated by G-d. the perfect Forever Guardians for this intelligent, active, and
National Forest in Israel? The JNF was established affectionate dog.
in 1901 as the Keren Kayemeth, a fund to purchase At The Pet Cottage, we believe every pet deserves a
land for the Zionist movement. home that matches their unique personality. We arranged two
Jewish texts written thousands of years ago meet-and-greets with potential families, one even including a
are filled with environmental rules and regulations skilled dog trainer for introductions. However, despite their
that prohibit waste, wanton destruction of natural interest, neither was the right fit for Thor. Jerry began to worry
resources, as well as land management. Independent that Thor might need to be boarded while we continued the
scientists have concluded that if farmers follow the search. But I, Wendy, the founder and executive director of
Jewish law of resting the land once every seven years, The Pet Cottage, assured him that miracles do happen.
major sandstorms and soil erosion would not occur And happen they did. Just days before Jerry’s departure,
and the land would produce more crops. Marcia reached out to us. She and her husband, Michael, had
It is also interesting to remember that one of the
original trees was the tree of knowledge and that in Local Happenings on page 9
today’s prayer liturgy we refer to the Torah as the tree
of life!
And American society has adopted its “hug a tree”
philosophy by the creation of Arbor Day.
There is a very important life lesson about trees:
As we grow in height, success, and age, our roots to
our family and Jewish traditions continue to grow
underground.
As we embark on the Tu B’hevet seder, let’s
remember that it is our responsibility to take care
of God’s creations through tikun olam, repair of the
world.
Andy Greenberg is a 25-year Conservative Jewish
educator of grades 3-12 and a lecturer for adults of
all ages.

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