The Human Spirit: Mother’s day
We mark Motherās Day on the anniversary of Henrietta Szoldās death even though she was not a biological mother.
Iāve long had a Motherās Day problem. I think it started in fifth grade in Connecticut when my teacher made us copy a poem with beautiful penmanship (which I never had), glue it to construction paper (always a mess) and recite it to our mothers. I was okay on the reciting part. But the teacher had chosen the poem āSomebodyās Mother,ā by Mary Dow Brine.
I got off to a dramatic start: āThe woman was old and ragged and gray,ā when my mother ā a teacher herself, with strong principles about creativity ā would hear no more. She crumpled the paper and told me that if I wanted to recite poetry to her it should be my own and not poems about old, gray mothers, which she certainly wasnāt.
By most accounts, American Motherās Day was invented by Anna M. Jarvis, in honor of her own mother, who died in 1905. It was promulgated by John Wanamaker of the Philadelphia department store. Wanamaker is considered the father of marketing in the US. Jarvis was later horrified by the turn of the holiday into a commercial opportunity. She came to despise Motherās Day with its sale of cards, candy and flowers, and spent her last penny fighting it.
But my problem about Motherās Day, or Fatherās Day, for that matter, went beyond my childhood poetry trauma or doubtful contempt for superficiality. My favorite aunt and uncle were childless. My cousin had lost a child to illness. Those days with their glorification of motherhood and fatherhood must have been unbearable for them. I also realized that not all parents deserve idealization. A friendās mother ran away with her best friend’s husband. A father on my street often chased his son with a stick. Why did they rate automatic tribute on Motherās Day and Fatherās Day? All of this is relevant because this week in Israel we celebrated our Motherās Day, now renamed āFamily Day.ā The American Motherās Day takes place on the second Sunday in May (Jarvisās mother died in May), and Israelās is marked on Rosh Hodesh Adar.
Few realize the reason for the date. Itās the yahrzeit, the anniversary of the death, of modern Jewish heroine Henrietta Szold. (To clarify a few points often incorrectly repeated: the date is not Szoldās birthday, which is a less significant date in Judaism than day of death. Szold died on the evening of the first of Adar. I have visited her grave on the Mount of Olives. Rosh Hodesh Adar is always two days, and Motherās Day/Family Day is sometimes celebrated on the last day of Shvat.) Why connect Henrietta Szold to Motherās Day? I appreciate her many biographers who have eschewed hagiographies to show that the brilliant, persuasive Ms. Szold had faults as well as extraordinary merits. Born in the US in 1860, youāll find her honored among the likes of Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks in the American Womenās Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. She invented the night school system for immigrants in her native Baltimore, providing English and education for citizenship for Jewish and non-Jewish newcomers.
She edited important books for the fledgling Jewish Publication Society. One hundred years ago this weekend, in the vestry of Temple Emanu-El in New York, she started Hadassah, the Womenās Zionist Organization of America, which focused primarily on health in pre-state Israel. She created the plan to bring modern medicine to the Middle East even though she was neither a nurse nor a doctor. When she moved to prestate Israel she headed the social welfare department for the Jewish Agency. She was not a social worker. Szold also organized the program of child rescue called Youth Aliyah. She wasnāt a trained administrator.
But most significantly, we mark Motherās Day on the anniversary of her death even though she was not a biological mother.
I LOVE this concept. It requires a national leap in our understanding of the essence of parenting. It adds new meaning to those who argue that biology isnāt destiny. The rescued children whom Henrietta Szold met on the Mediterranean shore and to whom she provided personalized care called her āIma,ā Hebrew for āmother.ā Even as an octogenarian, she would sometimes be awakened at night to meet young immigrants.
They sought her advice and love.
If Henrietta Szold, a single, so-called childless woman, can be our role model for Motherās Day/Family Day, this means that the many women who arenāt biological parents are also included in the vision of the Jewish parent. Not having biological children doesnāt excuse anyone from responsibility for the next generation. It means that Motherās Day/Family Day is a celebration for everyone who invests in the next generation.
Like my aunt and uncle. Like the singles who are leaders in their communities.
The ultimate Torah commentator Rashi (1040 ā1105) says (Numbers 3:1) that helping to educate a child is also called parenting.
He was referring to Moses instilling values in his brother Aaronās children.
We are going through a time of enormous upheaval in family life. According to headlines in The New York Times this week, the number of American mothers under 30 who arenāt married now exceeds those who are. For these American women who, by choice or circumstance, bring up children as singles, marriage may be seen as a greater emotional and financial burden than being unmarried. In Israel the statistics are not as extreme, but single parenthood makes up one quarter of the families. The number of never-married single mothers has increased from 8,400 in 2000 to 15,100 in 2009 ā an increase of about 80 percent. Like them or not, these are the numbers. The statistics also say that children of single parents usually need even more support from those aunties and uncles and from their community than do those who are fortunate enough to have two loving parents.
Motherās Day/Family Day isnāt time to romanticize parenthood. Instead, we should seek means to welcome into the family fold all who want to lend a shoulder to the awesome task of contributing to the next generation.
Residents of Manila and Angeles City Pampanga are looking for a safe and convenient place to celebrate special occasions or take a shot vacation in the Philippines. Many travel north to Clark to swim at Clearwater Beach Resort which also has lake and picnic grounds to unwind and relax, a very good way to spend quality time with the family and children. Fine dining Yats Restaurant offers sumptuous cozy Christmas dinner, for wine lovers, Clark Wine Center provides exciting shopping options.
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Famous Restaurant in Pampanga, a place to dine with friends in Clark, cozy restaurant with a nice ambience, a nice function place for special occasions. Yats Restaurant is one of the good restaurants in Pampanga, a restaurant with good food, a place that is nice for celebration, ideal for business dinner meeting, a good place to enjoy family reunion, and an attractive restaurant that serves good wines for dinner.
Are you looking for an attractive restaurant or a nice place to eat with friends in Clark, Angeles City Pampanga? Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar is a restaurant with good food and good wines for dinner located at Clark Angeles City Pampanga. Perfect for exclusive dinner venues for groups, recommended for private dinner in Philippines. A Restaurant in Clark for business dinner meeting. Private dinner place or dinner restaurant in Clark Subic Near Manila Angeles City Pampanga. Yats Restaurant is one of the Good Restaurant in Pampanga Angeles City Clark near Manila.
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Clearwater Resort and Country Club is one of the ideal venues for birthday party because it is a risk free venue. Not only Birthday Parties but also a good place to enjoy family reunion. A good place to celebrate special occasions. Clearwater Resort and Country Club is one of the resorts in Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga or near Manila with activity amenities, place that are nice for celebration.
This web site contains articles and information that will be helpful to visitors, residents and tourists traveling out of town from Manila on a short getaway to Subic, Angeles City, Pampanga and Clark Philippines. There are several web sites that contain information that might also be pertinent to what is happening in North Luzon, Subic, Tarlac, Pampanga, Clark Freeport Philippines.
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Trouble free hotels and well recognized hotels in Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga
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For assistance with lodgings, accommodations, hotels and resorts near Manila in Subic, Pampanga, Angels City and Clark Philippines log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com
While in Clark, one might as well add to the itinerary a visit to the famous Clark Wine Center, the largest wine shop in Philippines which offers over 2000 selections of fine vintage wine from all wine regions, vintages spanning over 50 years covering all price ranges.
http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com
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