Time is a Puzzle

Dear G.U.C.I. Staff:

Time is weighing heavily on my mind these days.  We used to sing here, "Ha Yamim Cholfim, Shannah Overet..." In English it's, "Days pass and years go by, ever and ever."  Ain't that the truth!  It's not bad enough that Ha Yamim Cholfim (days pass), but rather, tempus fugit (time flies).  It seems to fly at an ever accelerating rate.  Hey, it's almost time for Seder; what happened to all the time since last year's recounting of our people's escape from bondage?  Well, Ha Zman Chalaf (that's past tense, man), the time has raced by.

But perhaps that's because so much has happened in the meantime.  Add these up in your mind's-eye view of time:  Mike Moskowitz engaged and about to be ordained; Steve Derringer engaged; Josh Bennett, now a rabbi in Detroit, engaged to Meg Waterman; Barry Snyder and Debra Lee parents of a beautiful new daughter, Jenna Lee; Sandford and Nancy Kopnick working on their second future program director (should make the scene in July); Dr. Lee Freedman and his wife Hillary expecting the arrival of a future songleader in August; Melinda Mersack and Frank (don't call him Hank) DeWoskin about to embark on rabbinic school careers; Adam Morris, rabbi-ing in Nashville, now a married man; Susan Malman visited the Chupah last spring; Barry Litwack, Gary Vigran, and Joe and Lisa Eiduson have joined the baby powder brigade; and others, lost in the recesses of my time-warped memory.  I "Kvell" at the thought of all of these monumental events.  But just think of the constant emotional high of receiving good news after good news, coupled with my own non-leaving of camp and a full schedule of travel around the region for camp, NFTY, and UAHC events.  Now, perhaps you can understand my dilemma; a year has flown the coop.

Time puzzles me in other ways as well. Two come to mind.  Last weekend almost the entire world went on Daylight Saving Time, but not Indiana.  Don't ask me why.  Indy is in the wrong time zone in the first place.  We should be on Central time and then go on Central Daylight in the summer. Instead we remain in Eastern Standard time all year.  This confuses everyone.  Are we on the same time as Chicago?  Yes, in the summer.  Or, are we on New York time?  Yes, in the winter.  Regardless of the hour, most people feel it's still 1955 here in Indiana anyway.  We really should try to catch up (Spring ahead, Fall back) with the rest of the world.  And lastly.  It troubles me greatly that my son, Jeremy, is studying in Israel where it is seven (now eight) hours later than it is here in Indy.  It's not just that I miss him and feel that he is far away.  But, each time I think of what he might be doing, I get the terrible feeling that he's already done it and is on to other things.  You know, it's already tomorrow over there.  Ha Zman Chalaf!  

In all fairness, I have to tell you that the last line of the song I quoted up above is, "Aval Ha Manginah, Tamid Nisheret," which helps us cope with the rapid passage of time because it tells us that although days pass and years go by, "The melody always remains."  The life cycle events of our alumni have left a beautiful melody, and Spring is almost here, and camp is right around the corner.  So, in the final analysis, the time is right.  If I haven't missed it, and it's not already Shavu'ot in Israel, let me wish you all a Chag Sameach, Happy Passover.

Ron   

P.S. It may be the '50's in Indy, but it's the '90's at camp.  Post comments below.  I'd love to hear from you.