School Pictures - A New process for RMBA

For the first time in many years all of the school pictures shot this year are NOT being pre-sold, or pre-ordered in any way. I am hearing from some parents that they like the new processand just as importantly they appreciate the fact that they are not pressured into buying something before they see it.

This is at the core of my photography business philosophy - I am only as good as the last shoot and only as good as my clients think I am. I am proud of my reputation and work, so the photography should speak for itself and it is up to my clients to decide what they like.

The hardest part has been getting the word and the link out to the parents. The school thought using the Beren Buzz was the most effective communication channel and indeed the link was in last week's Beren Buzz, but I am not sure how effective that is in communicating important information to parents. I asked for it to be included again, but not sure if it will.

What do you guys think of the school picture process and also the effectivenss of the Beren Buzz? I asked a couple of students about the Beren Buzz and they rolled their eyes at me - as if they never read it, or care about it. Are you guys hearing that from any kids?

Parents want Rabbi Nimchinsky back

Rabbi Dov Nimchinsky was one of my favorite teachers at Beren Academy. His dedication to students was exemplary.

I remember that I was invited once to their sukkah for lunch, and Rabbi's wife Rivkey explained their early agreement. He wanted to be a teacher, but they both knew that it would be a tough life. She asked only one question, “Will it make you happy?” He said, “Yes!” As long as he kept his part of the bargain, she kept hers, managing a large family. And for all 16 years that “Rabbi Nim” was at the Academy, he never wavered.

My son Yosef was one of his students, and a case of success brought through by perseverance, Rabbi Nim’s and his. Yosef had problems learning Gemarah, and it was hard for him year after year. I tried to help, but with not too much success either. The breakthrough came in the last grade! Finally the hard work of both of them paid up, and Yosef was not afraid of the Talmudic logic anymore. Then I noticed that he remembered all his lessons, and used to recall the ideas in our conversations. And then he was completely at ease, as if it never had been hard.

Hundred of students were brought up by Rabbi Nimchinsky, and I think that he, more than anybody else, represents the face and spirit of the Academy. I personally would like nothing better than to see him back. I hope it will happen.

The oldest Holocaust Survivor, pianist Alice Sommers will celebrate her 107th birthday in November

Mysticism Explained by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's knowledge was encyclopedic, he has written 111 books on all areas of Judaism, from popular booklets to Torah translation to Kabbalah. His photographic memory held thousands of pages, some from rare unpublished manuscripts from various libraries of the world. In his TV interview he gives an introductory overview of Jewish mysticism, and his every word is fresh.

Part 1

Part 2

Judaism and Justice

Judaism and Justice - A Conversation Between Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Professor Michael Sandel from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

Sad reality - Etrogs and pesticides.

....An etrog grower in Israel told me that with all the insecticides and herbicides he sprayed on his trees, he would have to be meshuggeh to eat the etrogs he cultivated. Another grower in Morocco assured me that an etrog was technically classified as a fruit, and beholden to the government-imposed parameters on pesticide use. Then, he confided in a quiet voice, because a single thrip (a small scaly insect that causes decolourisation on the peel) could lower the etrog's selling price by £10-15, he sprayed his etrogim more intensively than his other crops.

...Irony, in the fact that we devote hours examining every inch of our etrogs, yet never ask about the pesticides absorbed right under the skin? Have we become so focused on the external signs of beauty that we have forgotten that, in Judaism, beauty and responsibility, food appearance and food ethics, are one and the same? Full article