Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech

    I rarely get a chance to submit an entry to our blog, let alone work on the computer when our grandsons are here, as I'm often tuckered out by the time we have tucked them into bed.  Tonight is a different matter, though.  I am so full of energy.  It's as if I'm on a caffeine high.  What is going on?

    This week, the Democratic National Convention has been taking place in Denver, Colorado.  Yesterday, roll call was taken as each state announced who they chose as their Presidential nominee.  When it was New Yourk's turn, Senator Hillary Roddam Clinton stood up and declared that roll call be suspended, and that a unanimous vote be taken.  Not only did an overwhelming majority of delegates unanimously vote for Senator Barack Obama, but if there was anybody who opposed, I certainly did not hear them voice their opposition.  Then, earlier this evening at about 9:00 PM Central time, Senator Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech.  Leading up to the moment that he gave his speech, though, the crowd of eighty-five to ninety thousand people at the convention in a football stadium that only fit about seventy thousand people rallied.  Various short speeches were given by other Senators as well as by Obama's chosen Vice-Presidential running mate, Joe Biden.  There were also performances by Stevie Wonder followed by Michael MacDonald.  I do not remember what song Stevie Wonder performed first, but the next song to follow, Stevie dedicated to Barack and his wife, Michelle.  The song was called "Signed Sealed Delivered".  As Micaiah ben Malachi was getting dinner ready for our grandsons, our nineteen-month-old and four-year-old grandsons, and I held hands as we danced to the song in the middle of our living room floor.  Of course, the children loved it because they could be wild for a little bit indoors.  In my case, the excitement was the historical moment, that being Barack Obama being the first African-American ever to be nominated by delegates of any party (Democratic in this case) to be on the Presidential ticket on Election Day.  As political analysts on CNN talked, I could hear people rallying in the background and music playing in between the speeches.  One of the songs I heard was Whitehead and McFadden's "Ain't NO Stoppin' Us Now", which came out in the 1970's and has been an ongoing theme song during and after the Civil Rights Movement for people of color.  I had already tucked our grandson's into bed, but I still could not help but dance in my easy chair to the song.  Not only were they playing the twelve-inch version, but they could not have picked a more fitting song for the occasion.  (Only those familiar with the old vinyl records would understand my reference to the twelve-inch version.)  I was so into the spirit that I wished that we were there or, at least, that our VCR worked for us to have recorded the whole program, including Obama's speech.  The rallying and high spirits I felt was like when I was watching the World Series in 1987 and 1991, and rooting for the Minnesota Twins.  Even then, I wished that I was at the games.  As Wolfe Blitzer and Anderson talked, they spoke about this historical moment and how people would be chatting about where they were the evening they listened to Barack Obama's acceptance speech.  Not only did I reflect on where I was and how I would relate this historical moment to the future generations of people, but I thought of our grandsons reading about this special evening and watching videos about it in history class.  If they came to Micaiah ben Malachi and I to tell us that they were reading about Barack Obama and this special evening, I would be telling them excitedly that they were in our house, dancing in the middle of our living room floor with me before Obama gave his speech.  My moment of excitement and chills running down my spine would be no different from those who were sitting in front of their TV's on August 28, 1963, listening to Martin Luther King Jr. give his "I Have A Dream" speech.  I am quite sure that those who have related that experience of 1963 to their children and grandchildren felt what I would feel tomorrow and the many years to come as I relate this evening's special occasion.

    As for Barack Obama's speech, itself.  His main focus was on the many promises that were broken to families in all walks of life.  Not only did he outline in clear detail what he wanted to do during his presidency, but he emphasized the fact that all of us citizens had to work together with the government to help each other and ourselves.  Neither the US government nor US citizens alone could do the work without the other's help.  I am excited to vote for him, and I hope that he wins the election.  My only concern, however, is that Congress could hold up many of the policies he wants to implement and laws he wants passed; thus, many things not being accomplished.  For now, though, let us keep the excitement alive and hope for the best.  If he wins the election, my excitement would be similar to when the Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991!!!

Makedah bat Leah

Website

Makedah has already told the group alot about us. Her story does highlight some of the difficulties we face. The public perception and expectations about people with disabilities,racism and elitism. She and I created our own website for Jews who are living insolated and or rural areas an unaffiliated Jews in the Diaspora.  We felt many Jews who live in rural areas do not have close ties with other Jews. In addition, we need the support of one another to continue feeling apart of the Jewish People. Makedah is correct in that we have never step inside a temple or synagogue.  We hope someday we can. The two of us are teaching ourselves Hebrew, so we can say the prayers and blessings in Hebrew. Our goal is to find someone or an agency to help us purchase a Braille Embosser. It cost $2,000.  It is a machine which works with your computer, takes text from a document and translate it into Braille and prints it out in Braille. So many books are not available in Braille and if they are, they are too costly.  So we could then write our own books. As for our website,

http://www.isolatedruralandunaffiliatedjewsofthediaspora.com

 

Micaiah b. Malachi

What Would I Do

    Micaiah ben Malachi and I started considering converting to Judaism back in 2000, but we didn't officially convert until 2005.  From 2000 to 2005, we studied what it meant to be a Jew as well as the history of Jews.  One of the inevitable topics was about the various Pogroms and the Holocaust.  Not only did we discuss what happened and how some people survived to tell their stories, but we discussed what we would do if there ever was a Pogrom in our lifetime.  Such discussions between us still continue to this day.

    The various stories I have read and movies I have watched about people who were able to hide from the Nazis or escape their grip altogether never cease to amaze me.  Yet, I cannot help but think about the many who didn't survive.  Many of those who didn't survive the Pogroms and the Holocaust were poor, elderly, disabled or were turned into the authorities by their own fellow Jewish relations and friends.  This is when I often start thinking, "Would we even survive?  If so, how would we survive?"  I have had nightmares of impending Pogroms in which Micaiah ben Malachi and I were commanded to leave our house immediately and rounded up among other Jews and/or people of color.  Once we were all rounded up, we were divided up by gender and then into categories of those who were able to work and those who weren't able to work.  Of course, I was terrified at the prospect of being separated from Micaiah ben Malachi.  I don't know what else happened or would've happened in my dreams because I always awoke in terror.  Micaiah ben Malachi and I are Jews of color, but we live in a town that is primarily White and Christian.  If there is ever a Pogrom against people of color and/or Jews, we fear that we would be among the first in our town to be sent to the authorities.  Taking this scenario into account, Micaiah ben Malachi and I started discussing what methods we could use to escape, if there were any.  Figuring that we, more than likely, couldn't trust anybody to lead us to safety by vehicle or on foot, our only other way would be to escape at nighttime on foot on our own.  However, we face two obstacles.  Micaiah ben Malachi and I are disabled.  He is a quadriplegic and uses a power wheelchair, and I am blind and have to use a cane to navigate.  Since the batteries in his wheelchair would have to be recharged at some point during our trek of escape, we would have to stop at some place where he could plug his wheelchair in.  Then, we would have to wait for six to eight hours before his chair was charged before we could continue.  In that amount of time, someone could easily find us and either provide us safety or turn us into the authorities.  We fear that whoever allowed us to plug his chair in would turn us into the authorities.  How many times were Jews led to so-called safety only to be sent to their death within minutes or days?  What happened in cases like that is that the people who reached out a helping hand made those Jews feel comfortable and less afraid.  Once that goal was achieved, then the "charitable" person turned people in without the refugee's knowledge.  So, our next question we posed to each other was, "What would you do?"

    Speaking for myself, I couldn't continue my trek of escape without him.  For one thing, I wouldn't know where to go.  Even if I found bushes for me to hide in, I would be terrified of being alone.  I also couldn't continue on traveling, knowing that Micaiah ben Malachi was still sitting on the roadside in his wheelchair for any passersby to see and turn into the authorities.  His fate of death, whether by his own hands or by someone else's hands, would stay in my mind for the rest of my life.  I couldn't continue living, knowing that he had died without me by his side.  So, I would refuse to leave him even if he insisted that I do so.  I couldn't do anything else but to resign to the fact that we could be found and killed.  At least, though, we would've been discovered together by the roadside instead of separately.

Makedah bat Leah

Finally its happening

Well today to my utter surprise, our website has been picked up by Yahoo Bots and is now listed.  I could not believe my eyes.  Something I worked months to put together is actually now on the Internet. I hope that other Jewish people and those perspective Jews, will take advantage of it, read it and submit their ideas and stories.  It would be the first and only website devoted to all branched of Judaism and targeted at those of us who do not have a congregation or even group to feel a sense of belonging and Peoplehood. I am hoping people from around the world join in this and the yahoo group.  It would be interesting and fulfilling to know other Jews who deal with the same problems and must motivate themselves to carry on their Jewishness even if there is no one to give them a sign of approval. Now I need to find someone or a group, agency whatever who can buy Makedah a Braille Embosser. Then, we can put the text I see onto paper using Braille. So far, we have not been lucky. So many foundations will not help individuals and civic groups cannot raise that kind of money. Some might think $2,500.00 is not alot of money but it is to us. We live and survive only by the grace of Adonai. Too bad we could not hit the Power Ball and get the entire prize! We could then afford and help others like us.

 

Micaiah b. Malachi