And we have learned nothing from history

[sovay]

I get that Beth Hamedrash Hagodol had ceased to exist as a congregation a full ten years ago and I am disappointed that the historic building was left to fall into increasing disrepair rather than being preserved as a landmark, but that doesn't make me feel any better about the fact that the oldest Eastern European synagogue in the United States was just burnt down.

(I especially don't appreciate finding out while attempting to write about a piece of astonishing Holocaust literature. Which is almost certainly not going to happen this afternoon because I am still running a fever and sneezing my head off and I fell over after walking to the library to return a book, but the timing was just unnecessary.)

Comments

[kore]

....the 21st century is really terrible so far and I want a refund.

[sovay]

....the 21st century is really terrible so far and I want a refund.

It's had some points in its favor! I am just done with this thing where we remix the greatest non-hits of the twentieth century, especially since I wrote a poem about that right after the election and I'm not down with prophetic irony.

[gwynnega]

It's really upsetting news.

[sovay]

It's really upsetting news.

The article has been updated since I posted it, so that it now reflects more information about the kid who set the fire (I'm really not used to news changing once you've linked it), but even if it was general firebug-ness rather than specific targeting, dude, it's a synagogue! Not cool!

[batdina]

I cried when I saw the pictures this morning. otherwise I have nothing, no words are coming.

looking forward to hearing about that Holocaust book.

[sovay]

looking forward to hearing about that Holocaust book.

It's written up here.

If helpful or desired: *hugs*

[julian]

I say "Ffffft" a lot, angrily, in part because this is the first I've heard about this.

[sovay]

I say "Ffffft" a lot, angrily, in part because this is the first I've heard about this.

To be fair, there is a lot going on in the news right now. I just hit the headline "Newsweek is reporting that Trump has canceled a speech he was scheduled to give at a historic site in Israel because he won't be able to land a helicopter on top of it."

[tree_and_leaf]

That is dreadful.

[sovay]

That is dreadful.

I think a lot lately of a line from Jane Yolen's O Jerusalem (1996): "History is a yahrzeit candle. / One terrible wind could blow it out."

[choco_frosh]

Both these things - the arson and you being sick - suck mightily. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help with the latter. Sadly, I don't have a time machine.

[sovay]

Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help with the latter. Sadly, I don't have a time machine.

Thank you. (That's okay. If you did, I would probably pester you all the time about going back for landmark theater productions and, you know, classical Greek.)

[choco_frosh]

Or the first performance of Lysistrata an' stuff! Landmark theatre performances in Classical Greek!

[sovay]

Landmark theatre performances in Classical Greek!

WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A TIME MACHINE.