Leading a Jewish Life

Daniel Pekarsky is in Jerusalem this spring to teach at the Mandel Leadership Institute, so we had the opportunity to catch up over coffee on Emek Refaim. He is the son of Nell Pekarsky z’’l, first cousin to my father and a dear mentor to me on leading and living a Jewish life. I was blessed to spend many magical Shabbats and holidays at her apartment during my 7 years in Chicago. For some reason, when we first arrived in January, I thought Dan, his wife Stephanie and son Zach, might be in Israel. In another one of those uncanny connections, as I was about to write to Dan at his Wisconsin address, I received a broadcast message announcing that they were in Jerusalem. The world does seem to revolve around Jerusalem.

From Emek Refaim, Linda and I headed to the home of Esther and Carmi, who have recently returned to live in Jerusalem after 20 years as neighbors of the Frankels in Los Angeles. I am sure that Linda will have much to say about our warm and welcoming visit to the home of this Orthodox family. Just briefly, the boys, really young men, study in yeshiva. When asked what the next step was, they said that when they get married, they go to a different type of school, because there is so much to learn. It’s not clear if employment is in the picture, a seeming paradox, because Carmi, the father, is a very talented engineer who earned a comfortable income working on digital instruments in LA. Rivital, the only daughter, now nearly 30, did receive training as a teacher and indeed was employed as one, until the birth of her first and now second daughter, Miriam Sarah and Frady.