Shabbat Helper

This video was taken at FRS Kindergarten when Eli was Shabbat Helper, 12th Feb 2010.

Look out for the gatecrashing proto-chick, swan wannabee. Who am I kidding - you can hardly miss him!

Photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/langleben/1002ShabbatHelper#

New world record attempt

The record:
In a couple of weeks' time I am going to attempt to break a world record. That is, I am going to attempt to celebrate the same festival, in 2 synagogues, some 200 miles apart!

Yes, on 22nd Tishri, 5769 my plan is to attend erev Simchat Torah at Sinai Synagogue in Leeds, followed by shacharit at Etz Chaim, aka Finchley Reform


The problem:
The World Wide Web is brilliant. It is quite possibly the only concept whose abbreviation is an oxymoron. I can tell you're not with me at this point so I'll elucidate: look at your watch and say "World Wide Web". Just over one second to enunciate these three words? Now say "WWW". If this took you even twice as long then you should consider attempting your own world records

The World Wide Web is not, of itself, the problem. However it has enabled me to determine, in about the time it takes to say "WWW", that there is barely half an hour between the scheduled end of the service at Sinai, and the departure of the last direct train back to London.


How you can help:
Everyone knows the concept of 6 degrees of separation, and the challenge of using up half these degrees to connect to anyone else in the Jewish world. So please, use whatever influence you may have to help:

1. ensure the service starts and finishes promptly


2. persuade the minicab driver not to make a mess of the connection


3. the traffic between LS8 and LS1 to flow smoothly between between 8pm and 9pm


4. my spiritually inebriated corpus get into a minicab in an orderly fashion


5. me know I am not just talking to myself, by making a comment on this blog!

Chag sameach!

Warden wear

Returning home for a new year's extended family tea after my warden debut, my father-in-law asked me where my top hat was. And not in jest. In his United shul the warden does indeed wear a top hat, and with his shul dating from the 1920s (approximately the time of Moses) this particular minhag, in the eyes of my f-in-law at least, may as well be minhag b'shamayim. But dressing up can be fun, and I have been known to don my own fedora-esque "titfer" when going to daven with him on the west side. I wonder, what might the reaction be at my Reform shul if I black-hatted for my wardening duties?

(this short post was inspired by the notes of a fellow finchley warden - see https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=9069662855355213268&postID=3868983417494532883)

Addendum:
This morning, when a stranger said "excuse me" on the tube, I assumed it was to ask the destination of the train, the indicator board up to its usual trick of not accurately reflecting the train's itinerary (it is an indicator board, giving an indication of where the train might go, not an information board, showing where the train actually will go). But no.
"Excuse me, but do you know what time the fast comes in tonight?" She asked. How did she know I would know? Is it that obvious that I am a warden? Did my head-attire give it away?

Wishing you all well over the fast.