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| OHCC LIVING | AUGUST 2025 | 33 Yiddish Club "Hide me! Hide me! Hide me, Stevie! Don't let him see me!" I was in the schoolyard of P.S. 213 on New Jersey Avenue in Brooklyn where I was playing baseball with my friend, Stevie Tommaru. It was Friday, late afternoon, at about 5:30 and Shabbat was about to begin. The door of the synagogue across the street opened, and I knew that in a moment an elderly man would appear, looking across the street at the schoolyard. The elderly man was my "zayde" (grandfather) who was looking for me to be the tenth man who would constitute a minyan (quorum). Among orthodox Jews, it is required to have ten males above bar mitzvah age (13 years old) be present in order to conduct a religious service. I was the candidate, a boy of bar mitzvah age who would complete the quorum of ten. My grandfather called me from the door of the tiny shul (synagogue) across the street. "Donny mir dafen dir far a minyan, cum ahern." (Donny, we need you for a minyan, come here.) How could I refuse? I entered the tiny shul very reluctantly. The synagogue was actually located in the lower level of a small house. The living room, dining room, and front porch were crowded with long wooden benches and simple wooden lecterns. The upper level of the house was occupied by the "shamus" (caretaker) and his family, who maintained the synagogue. The women sat in the rear of the synagogue, behind a translucent cotton curtain, so that they could observe, but not participate in the service. I remember, that at the conclusion of my bar mitzvah service, in this very same synagogue, which I conducted in Hebrew, and Yiddish, the women threw bags of candy at me to commemorate the completion of the service and wish me a "sweet" life. I always gave up my baseball game in order to be the tenth "man" in a minyan. In actuality, I was proud to be part of this service, standing next to my grandfather, who glanced at me with love and pride. The scene with my zayde calling to me from the doorway of the shul was repeated many times. It almost became a ritual which we both enjoyed. I went through the pantomime of resisting the call to become a member of the "minyan," but really enjoyed being considered a man at the age of thirteen. My grandfather "kvelled" (loved) having me sit next to him at the service. Dozens of years have gone by… The shul was reclaimed as a home years ago. My friend Stevie, all the congregants, and my loving grandparents, have passed away but the schoolyard where I played baseball with Stevie still exists. The building is more than 80 years old and ready to be retired. I no longer live in Brooklyn, but I wanted my adult children to see where I became a "mensch" (a good man). So, we drove past P.S. 213 on New Jersey Avenue one spring afternoon. Children were playing in the schoolyard, but there was no elderly man standing in the doorway of a house across the street inviting any of the boys to join a Sabbath service. I wish I could relive those moments again… The next Yiddish Club meeting is on Mon., Aug. 25 at 7 pm at Abravenal Hall. More information will be e-mailed to our members. We are planning a fun evening that everyone will enjoy. Please contact Carole Silverman, President for any questions or if you are not receiving Yiddish Club emails at (760) 295-0606 or csilver4@aol.com. Written by Donald Kent, Board member and past vice-president Don Kent, Bar Mitzvah, 1946

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