This past week marked the yahrzeit of my great-grandmother z”l, a valiant Holocaust survivor from Kovno, Lithuania, and an incredibly talented seamstress.
Here we are, admiring the latest in December 1970 fashion:
.יהי זכרה ברוך
May her memory be blessed, and may she be a meilitzat yosher for all her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, yblt”a.
!שבת שלום ומבורך
Greek soldier: {reading from a scroll} His Royal Highness King Antiochus has decreed that you may not observe Shabbat; you must wear ugly shirts emblazoned with a logo; and you may not perform a brit milah.
Assembled people: {shocked} What do you mean we have to wear ugly shirts with logos?!
(From a comedic scene used to great effect by many Israeli kids in their recent Chanukah plays)
Ask any teacher or principal across the country about the newly-mandated school uniform shirts, and they’ll inevitably start gushing about what a wonderful development it is.
You’ll no doubt hear how the shirts engender school spirit and how the staff spends less time dealing with inappropriately and/or immodestly dressed students.
And in spite of the requisite grumbling (see: the aforementioned skit), most students don’t really seem to mind the uniforms that much either.
After all, the shirts generally come in a wide range of colors – giving the students some room to express their individuality.
Yet, nevertheless, school uniforms aren’t immune from the Law of Unintended Consequences.
You see, no one could’ve predicted that the modern version of uniforms waste precious time every morning.
Here’s why: (Note that these issues mainly apply to girls’ schools.)
In other words, as the Hebraically-oriented among you would say, “zeh loh pashut…” (Literally, it’s not simple – i.e. it’s a real problem…)
Not too long ago, a mother of a teen told me that she wishes her daughter’s ulpanah had a uniform.
“It would save her so much time in the morning,” the mother said wistfully.
I had to laugh…
!צום קל ומועיל ושבת שלום ומבורך
In general, I prefer to shy away from controversial or political issues. But recent events have raised the ugly specter of discrimination, and I feel obligated to share my thoughts on the subject.
I’m talking about a very disturbing trend at weddings.
(Why? What did you THINK I was referring to? ;-))
You see, the period between Lag BaOmer and Shivah Asar B’Tamuz is high wedding season here in Israel.
<brief cultural digression>
Note that even without a calendar, one can easily figure out when wedding season has begun.
After all, this is the time of year when Israel’s highways and byways are plastered with those ubiquitous arrow-bearing signs informing you that this is the way to “Guy and Shir’s wedding” or “Liron and Tal’s henna”…
</digression>
Yet, the problem at many of these weddings (besides the square plates and the frequent lack of seating cards) is that the posts supporting the chupah are often swathed in bolts of heavy white cloth.
Moreover, giant view-obstructing drapery wings frequently fan out to the chupah’s sides.
Which means that the ONLY guests who can watch the entire proceedings are those who are sitting or standing directly in front of the chupah.
And THAT, my friends, is what we call discrimination.
Quick!
Somebody call the Supreme Court…
!שבת שלום ומבורך
They’re baaaack!
Or, rather, they WILL be back, come September 1st.
I’m talking, of course, about school uniforms.
You see, back in the early days of the State, virtually every Israeli school had a uniform.
But during the mid to late 1980’s, most schools began to phase them out, and by the 1990’s, school uniforms had become a thing of the past (except in the Bais Yaakov school system, where they never really disappeared).
However, over the past 5-10 years, uniforms have started to enjoy a bit of a mini-revival – as a number of mainly secular high schools across the country voluntarily adopted some sort of uniform (usually, just matching t-shirts).
And, then, several months ago, the Education Minister decided to take this grassroots initiative to the next level and decreed that uniforms would be mandatory for the 5771 (2010-2011) school year.
According to the official directive, each individual school has considerable leeway as to the precise nature of the uniform (i.e. tilboshet achidah – תלבושת אחידה - for the Hebraically-oriented among you), and here’s where it gets interesting.
Because while some schools immediately got to work and made all the necessary arrangements, others are only now beginning to weigh the implications and ramifications of the new edict.
How are your children’s schools handling this issue? What are your feelings about school uniforms?
!שבת שלום ומבורך
Does the following scenario sound familiar?
Mother: {sees that her son is about to leave} Hey, wait a minute! You can’t go to school in that shirt! Why don’t you wear one of those new shirts I got you?
Son: I’m saving them for when I outgrow this shirt.
Mother: You outgrew it a long time ago! And besides, it’s full of holes…
Son: {adopts a deceptively innocent tone} Holes? Where do you see holes?
Mother: {points} Um, there. And there. And also there, there, and there. Shall I continue?
Son: Ohhh! You mean THOSE holes! {shrugs} Don’t worry. No one will notice them.
Mother: {sarcastically} I noticed them.
Son: {brightly} Yeah, but you’re an imma, so you don’t count…
P.S. The mother in question would like her son’s teachers to know that it’s. not. her. fault…
!שבת שלום ומבורך
