Me and Elly being super cool

Minnesota and BJ!

You may or may not know (depending on how closely you stalk me) I just returned from my far away journey to Minnesota. I know this may surprise you, because I'm sure you weren't aware that there was anything in Minnesota- there really isn't (except Mall of America!). But my dear friend (and the subject of this blog) Elly Kushner just reached womanhood. I know you're all very excited, I know I am which is why I took off on an airplane to celebrate. I sat next to a VERY inquisitive person on the plane ride there are she really wanted to know just about everything Jew related. I was staying with Abby Allen, who is one of the coolest people. I got to see my much missed Minnesota friends. And got to tie ribbons on centerpieces. I got to meet Elly's family ("I was raised as a poor black child.") I also got a fist bump from sharkie at Mall of America (which by the way is HUGE). It was so much fun! And my friends (as some of you know) had lots of fun with my phone... And after a long night or serious partying it was time to return back to ChiTown. So it was an amazing trip and I can't wait for Elly to come to Chicago (and visit Akiba...  so she can meet her new bestie). 

BJK is it in you?

Elly Kushner

In case you've been living under a rock for quite a while you may know about my dear friend Elly Kushner. She happens to lie in Minnesota, her Bat Mitzvah is this shabbos. So isn't it lucky that this shabbos I'm going to be in Minnesota! I'm leaving on Thursday and coming home Sunday. Please feel free to miss me, as I know you will. Also if you're friends with her on facebook *cough* DD *cough* you can write a lovely little message on her wall. I'll bring you all back something (well probably not, but we can pretend).
Also as a super exciting side note, Ortal is getting married tomorrow (Wednesday)!!!!!

Quote from Night

"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never."

Night SPOILER

So I'm just going to go ahead and spoil the whole book for you. I finished the book in about 45 minutes and really short, but very densely packed with hopelessness. It starts off with the story of this guy who he used to learn with when he was a little boy. That man comes back to town one day with a horrible story that the Nazis shot people into a mass grave. From the first page onward the book details the brutal life during the Holocaust. On his first night in camp, they are told to follow a guard the guard leads them straight to the ovens, they all begin to think their lives have come to an end, when right before the door into the ovens, the guard turns and they are spared for another day. The rest of the book talks about more deaths and murders, his father becomes very weak and dies. His mother and other siblings are killed in the very beginning of the book in the very first selection. At the very end of the book, the Red Army is closing in on the camp so they are taken on a death march through the snow. Few survive, however he makes it out alive and is eventually liberated. It's a very hard book and every page if full of sadness and death. It's not a light read, it's very intense and there is no happiness at all.

Night

When I initially looked at the book list Night by Elie Wiesel caught my eye. It was one of the few I'd heard of and I'd also heard about it from a friend. My friend told me that Night is what caused her to lose her faith, because if there was a God he wouldn't have let something like that happen. So with that ever so inspiring and highly uplifting recommendation I went and got the book. Right now I'm about 40 pages in and it's already very horrible, to think that this isn't just a book, not just a story written to have a deep moral. It's something that happened to real people, it's crazy, very hard to think about that happening.