Book Review - Bad Faith

Bad Faith chronicles the life and times of Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, one of the most vile, base, and idiotic Nazi collaborators in Vichy, France. While Carmen Callil's connection to Darquier (who added "de Pellepoix" himself to make his name sound more regal) via his daughter should make the book more interesting, it instead smacks of a very long personal quest with little outside interest.

Callil, the Australian author and founder of Virago Press, began to see a psychiatrist in 1960 after a failed suicide attempt. She was referred to Dr. Anne Darquier in part because Dr. Darquier was part Australian, although born and raised in London. After a decade of three times a week sessions, Callil went to her appointment one day and the doctor was not in. Anne Darquier de Pellepoix (Calill saw her full name on her funeral program) had indeed committed suicide herself.

Needless to say, when Callil saw this name while watching a television documentary about Vichy, France (Marcel Ophuls' The Sorrow and the Pity: The Story of a French Town in the Occupation) and knew this surname to be connected to an official of the Vichy government, she was intrigued. When this man was shown in the film "respectfully" greeting Rienhard Heydrich, the Nazi head of France's Reich Central Security Office, Callil knew there was a story to tell.

Similar to Adolf Hitler, Louis Darquier was not the smartest or most motivated kid. While his bothers excelled in school and business, Louis spent a lot of time drinking, carousing, playing around, and then getting angry because his work wasn't getting done and his grades were bad or he wasn't making any money. As Callil shows, he married his Australian actress wife while she was still married to another man, and proceeded to physically and psychologically abuse her while they both stayed drunk most of the time and begged money from family. Like Hitler, who blamed the downfall of the German economy on the Jews, Louis Darquier blamed his own economic downfall on Jews who happened to do better business than he did.

Men like Darquier bloomed during the occupation of France, collaborating within the Vichy government and drinking in as much power, wealth, and alcohol as humanly possible. Suddenly, stupidity was actually the rule of the day, and men like Darquier had the means to exact revenge on anyone they felt had wronged them in the past, especially if they happened to be Jewish.

While Callil's research is impeccable and she approaches her subject with fervor, I could not share her excitement. Darquier is yet another stupid idiot who floated to the top of the heap when idiots ruled the world. Witness his treatment of his daughter Anne, raised by a nanny far away from home and never seen by her parents, who assumed that sending a teeny bit of money and asking for a photo once in a while constituted care. He apparently didn't even believe that Jews were being sent to die; he just wanted them out of his backyard and enjoyed the power conferred on him by the Nazis. It is even worse that he outlived his wife and daughter, moving to Spain where he died in 1980, denying the holocaust all the way.

originally written by me for BlogCritics Magazine

Tags: book review, review, bad faith, carmen callil, virago press, vichy france, world war II, military history, jews, nazi, lynda lippin

Book Review - Hours of Devotion

As an avid reader of Judaica, I have a special liking for women's prayer books. Poet Dinah Berland happened upon an unknown author's Hours of Devotion in a used book store in LA. Having just been estranged from her son, Berland connected to "A Mother's Prayer Whose Child Is Abroad" and bought the book. She loved the book, loved the prayers, and began to use it every day - morning and evening.

Miracles began occurring. Her son Adam reappeared in her life; she joined a wonderful new synagogue; and Berland just kept thinking about updating Hours Of Devotion. But first she needed to know the author. She turned to a colleague and bibliographer who uncovered the name of Fanny Neuda (1819-1894), wife of a Moravian rabbi, whose story is as interesting as the prayers.

Fanny Neuda was a brillaint rebbitzen who wrote an essay regarding the importance of religious education and the understanding of the Hebrew language to young women and published two volumes of short children's stories. She married a progressive rabbi and scholar, Abraham Neuda, who passed away in 1854, leaving Fanny a young widow and mother.

In 1855, with the support of Baroness Louise von Rothschild, Neuda published the first edition of Hours of Devotion. The book was immediately acclaimed, and the original version remained continuously in print through a 28th edition published around 1918.

This volume was considered "'the authoritative women's prayer book of its time.'" It was republished in a newly edited edition by Martha Wertheimer in 1936 Frankfurt and remained in print in Switzerland until 1968. This book survived concentration camps and great diaspora, passed hand to hand by Jewish women in hiding. Berland selected prayers from several editions of the book and restored them into verse, also reinstating the short biblical epigraphs that introduced each prayer.

The book is divided into daily prayers, sabbath prayers, holiday prayers, women's prayers, memorial prayers, healing prayers, and special prayers. Every life experience is addressed from working, poverty, prosperity, traveling, illness, death, success of children, recovery, childbirth, and the simple acts of awakening and sleeping. This is a beautiful book full of solace and understanding for Jewish women of all backgrounds and levels of faith.

Tags: Book Review, Blog, Jews, hours of devotion, dinah berland, fanny neuda, prayer, lynda lippin

Passover In Paradise

I have met many Jewish guests this week and our biggest discussion is about being Jewish and living on a small resort island in a small Caribbean Christian country. It is a very strange idea if you really think about it.

Anyway, this year the JCTC (Jewish Community of Turks and Caicos) held a community seder at Beaches resort. $100 per person, no clean up or cooking necessary, servers and drinks included. I could not go bit I hear it went well.

My story...
I went to IGA the Tuesday before Pesach and they still hadn't put the Passover food out. Luckily there was a lovely Italian jewish couple staying at the resort and taking my Pilates mat classes who gave me 1/2 a box of matzo (enough for me for 8 days). Then I went to IGA this week and the Passover food was out, so I got more stuff. Did you know you can make yummy breaded chicken using kosher for passover potato pancake mix?

The today I saw a guest who brought kosher for passover food in bulk, along with kosher meat. When they leave she will give me the leftovers so I will be set for a while.

Then I spoke with a friend who just came back from NY and brought back rye bread and a whole pastrami from Katz's Deli, so we will end passover with hot pastrami on rye--I am kvelling!

Tags: Living In Caribbean, Parrot Cay, Passover, Jews, Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, lynda lippin

Book Review - Yiddish for Dogs: Chutzpah, Feh!, Kibbitz, and More: Every Word Your Canine Needs to Know

And another of my BlogCritics book reviews...

I grew up in a New York Eastern European Jewish household where Yiddish was spoken interchangeably with English. We never ate chicken gizzards, and I would pale at the thought of eating stomach, but I loved the "pupick".

When something was bad a simple "Oy!" would do, but if you heard "Oy vay is mir" you knew things were really bad. Instead of glowing with joy we would "kvell". And people were never crazy, just "mishugeneh".

So much Yiddish has entered into typical American English vocabulary that it makes sense that our dogs, even strays from a "goy" background, would still understand the words.

I mean, what dog likes to "shlep" her owners around? And who wants only kibble when there is a "mishmash" of food in the trash? Why be on a diet when we can "fress"? And how can a dog not start barking or "plotzing" when lots of people come over the house?

This is a short picture book written from the viewpoint of dogs. So we have fat fireplug of a dog saying : "What can I say about FRESSING? Obviously my favorite activity. And believe me, I'll eat anything that you put in front of me." And we have a "shlemeil" cigarette smoking dachshund sitting in front of a "no smoking" sign.

If you are Jewish, a dog lover, or both you should buy this book. Short, hysterically funny, and the pictures are just too cute! Keep it out for company, show your friends, look at it when you're in a bad mood, and don't forget to keep speaking Yiddish to your dogs lest they lose the tradition!

Tags: Book Review, Jews, yiddish, yiddish for dogs, blogcritics, lynda lippin

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Rudolph's Jewish cousin, Shlomo!

Tags: Jews, Photographs, christmas, holidays, lynda lippin

Mini-Vacation

Tony took some of his vacation days this weekend and it's been great having him around more. I hate the fact that I don't get to see him a lot as I really do love to hang out with my husband!

Last night I had Shabbat with Rabbis from Chabad in Brooklyn. They are so young and sweet and sincere you could almost forget that they are religious zealots. But they are steeped in a tradition that is still so comfortable to me that it's almost disturbing. I ended up being th eonly woman there last night for services and I didn't care--it was lovely and Rabbi Mendel's voice was wonderful.

It was special enough that I was willing to take 3 hours off from my vacation with Tony to attend. As we say, "Shabbat Shalom!".

Tags: Jews, Chabad, Living In Caribbean, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Chabad Rabbis Visit Tomorrow

It's that time of year again where the Chabad-Lubavich Rabbinical students travel around the world to visit small Jewish Communities such as ours here in TCI. Last year Rabbis Mendy Lasker and Yossi Zaklos spent 10 days here and enabled us to receive a land grant from the Premier to build a Jewish Community Center.

They are coming from the Bahamas, and here is the story, Jewish students visiting local Jewish community in the Freeport News. We look forward to welcoming Rabbis Mendel Kalmenson and Chaim Zaklos tomorrow!

Related links--
JCTC Land

Tags: Jews, chabad, lubavich, bahamas, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Single Jewish Girl's Doin' Reiki

Leah at SheBrew started having some back pain on her 30th birthday. (So young! I barely remember mine :-))

"When the session was over, she told me that she had opened my chakras and worked to removed stagnant energy from my stress points. She invited me to return so she could work on my wrists and my back some more. I heeded her warning to drink a lot of water for the next 36 hours and left feeling refreshed.

I have been recommending this eastern form of healing to anyone who will listen to me. I think Reiki healing is important to add to my healing and wellness routine. In addition to nutrition, movement, prayer, and community, I’m now going to include a bit of energy work."

Once again, it's reiki to the rescue!

Tags: Jews, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

JCTC Land

You may recall that last July two young Chabad Rabbis visited TCI. During their visit we had a meeting with the Premier Michael Misick and he gave teh Jewish Community a land grant. Click here to read Jewish Community Granted Land In Providenciales

This morning I received a call from my friend Carla, the assistant to the Director of Land Planning, letting me know that the Premier called their office and directed them to identify a land parcel for us asap! Yes, soon we will have a Jewish Community Center here in Turks & Caicos.

Thanks God!

Tags: Jews, Jewish Community, Living in caribbean, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Autopsy Results

The Turks & Caicos islands requires that an autopsy be performed for any death, especially when there is no obvious cause, and while this generally goes against Jewish law there are exceptions in such circumstances. There is always a delay in that we do not have a resident pathologist, so one flies in every weekend to do whatever autopsies are needed. Today Gregory was autopsied and they found no cause of death. He was perfectly healthy--no heart attack or embolism, he just died quickly and peacefully. I hope to go that way myself!

Tags: Living In Caribbean, death, autopsy, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Rabbi On Provo

So we are bringing in a rabbi from Miami, Rabbi Kukierkorn, to counsel the widow and her son and perform a Jewish memorial service on the island next week. Until you are Jewish in a small Christian country you don't realize how difficult things like Jewish funeral arrangements can be. They have never heard of no autopsy, no embalming, no viewing. So instead of being just about done sitting Shiva Carla is still waiting...

Tags: Living In Caribbean, Jews, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Death in the Caribbean

When my cell phone rang today with a number that I didn't recognize I almost didn't answer. But I did answer and am very glad that I did.

Imagine waking up one morning as a 30 year old young wife and mother with a great husband whom you adore and 2 boys--8 years old and 6 weeks. Your husband goes into the other room and when you find him he is dead. Add to that being a black Jamaican jewish woman who now has to handle everything.

So I went to visit this afternoon and realized how grossly underserved we are here. We said kaddish & lit shabbat candles, but now we need to see if we can have people sit with his body as he must be autopsied here. And then we need to look into burying him in Israel--what it entails, costs, etc.

I guess I knew that dealing with death would be a possibility as the lay leader of this community, but when it actually happens it's just feels crazy!

Tags: Living In Caribbean, Jews, Death, Mourning, judaism, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Passover

This year will be our first ever Jewish Community of Turks & Caicos Seder. IGA brought in plenty of Kosher for Passover foods and I am just so excited! We are expecting around 40 people (we had around 40 for the Purim party!) for the first organized seder in this country. I'll keep you posted...

Tags: Jews, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, lynda lippin

Seeing Old Friends

Working on a resort island is interesting. Most of my clients are residents, both local Belongers and expats, but I also see quite few visitors and tourists, especially at this time of year.

This is my second season on Provo, so I am now seeing clients who I saw last year. Many people come with their entire families and rent a villa for 2-3 weeks, so I actually have the opportunity to get to know them and it's fun to see them again.

Of course, my life is very different from last year. I am doing Reiki and working with the energy does change your perspective on things. The Jewish Community is now very large and active, and that takes up some of my time. I have met so many people and now am a known woman (hey, aren't you the Reiki and Pilates Lady I saw on TV the other night?), and this place is so small that I can't get out of the IGA without seeing at least 20 people I know.

Life is so interesting!

Tags: jewish, community, provo, reiki, pilates, lynda, lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise, caicos, providenciales, energy, healing

Happy Hanukah!

Tonight begins the second day of Hanukah and it is very special for me and the other Jews here in TCI as we are having our first community Hanukah party! It has been very fulfilling for me to organize the JCTC and now that almost everybody is on the island it should be a very special night. Everyone is bringing menorahs and we have dreidels for the kids. Plus, I do miss Jewish cooking and plan to stuff myself full of latkes (potato pancakes), brisket, chicken, salads, sufganiyot (jelly donuts), brownies, and whatever else shows up.

And to make it extra special we have people observing yahrzeits who will be able to say kaddish in a minyan for the first time here!

Tags: hanukah, latkes, menorah, dreidel, kaddish, minyan, jewish, reiki, pilates, lynda, lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Tropical Latitudes

My client & friend Carol bought a furniture store in Turtle Cove called Tropical Latitudes. For anyone visiting Provo, her store is near Aqua Restaurant and Scooter Bob's rentals. The former owner carried a lot of very expensive furniture that didn't always hold together well, plus funky clothing and household artsy stuff.

Carol has great reasonably priced (for here--remember that we pay 33% duty plus international freight for everything that comes to this island--I mean a cantaloupe costs $5.99 at the IGA) furniture, objets d'art, jewelry, clothing, and is the first store owner EVER to bring in Hanukkah supplies!!! I just bought actual spiral menorah candles for only $10! Last year I was almost forced to use birthday candles until I taught Pilates to a Jewish family from NY that was in for the holiday and happened to bring extras.

Carol also has menorahs, dreidels (some beautiful crystal pieces), fabric for table covering, plug in yarzheit lights, and other assorted goods.

So kudos to Carol for having a great store and for thinking of the Jewish community! Thanks.

Tags: tropical latitudes, hanukkah, menorah, dreidel, turtle cove, aqua, scooter bob, reiki, pilates, lynda, lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Jews on Provo

The Turks & Caicos Islands is a Christian country (Anglican is the official bent, as this is a UK protectorate) and there are so many churches here for a tiny island--almost every brand you can think of including pentacostal, baptist, catholic, seventh day adventist, jehovah's witness, etc. So what could a nice Jewish girl from NY do but organize the Jewish Community?

I began by putting ads on the e-news, our community web news site, back in early April. I knew plenty of Jews as clients and figured there were more. Sure enough, we now have over 50 with families, kids, everything.

So Chabad Lubavich found us and sent a couple of young Rabbis here a few weeks ago. Mendy & Yossi were great--black hats, beards, peyas, kippot, tzittzit. They brought mezuzot, kosher food, siddurs, candles, tefillin, etc. We had a Friday night Shabbaton with over 30 people, including many Israelis.

But the coup de grace was the audience with the Chief Minister (now Premier as of Wednesday the 9th) Michael Misick. In front of all the island media we discussed Israel, G-d, morality, religion, and the islands. The rabbis gave him a kippah & a book about the Tanya. At the end Misick gave us an unasked for land grant to build a synagogue! This is a miracle; in fact almost unheard of.

So here I am, this little obnoxious and totally NOT orthodox (about as unfrum as they get; please, I am on my computer on Shabbos after lighting my candles and saying my bruchas) Jewish girl living in a strange land, getting ready to form a charitable trust, accept land, and build a Jewish Community Center and synagogue. I'm not quite sure how this happened...just that it did happen.

Tags: jews, rabbis, chabad, lubavich, community, reiki, pilates, lynda, lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise