Nu?... What's New? VOS IZ NAYES?
This month's update comes from Mona & Stephen Klaber
Although my husband Stephen and I live in San Francisco, my roots to the Lower East Side are long and deep. I was raised in the Hillman co-ops and was so blessed to have all my grandparents living across the street in the East River co-ops. My paternal grandparents previously lived on Clinton Street where my dad grew up. They ran a shoe business on Avenue B and then Stein’s Realty, at the same location for 50+ years. My maternal grandparents owned a “yards-goods” (fabric) store on Allen Street.
Pre-Covid, when we’d come to NY to visit our son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Jackie, we always went with them to The Stanton Street Shul and the warmth of the congregation was palpable. And now, even 3,000 miles away, we continue to feel the haimishkeit of the shul. We are honored to be members of the Stanton community.
So…Vos Iz Nayes?…we’re still quite Covid-cautious. But since we’re both retired, we have time to take in as much of the beauty of Northern California as possible, especially hiking around Marin County, Pescadero, Sonoma, and Napa. After our exercise, we find places off the beaten path where I sit in the sun and Stephen sits in the shade (the key to a long and happy marriage). We bring our lunch and read, or catch up with friends on the phone. I study with a Partner in Torah in Far Rockaway, NY, and we’ve zoomed into some incredibly inspiring programs
sponsored by the Illinois Holocaust Museum, CAMERA, and Streicker Center Temple Emanuel-El NYC. On Shabbat, we love discussing the Parsha with each other and then, after Havdalah, taking the Chabad Parsha quiz and comparing our scores! We very much enjoy One Day University. It offers a wealth of outstanding 1-hour classes with topics ranging from literature to art to science to history, to movies, to Broadway show tunes, all taught by fabulous professors.
One of our favorites was, “A Jewish Founding Father? Alexander Hamilton’s Hidden Life.” But undoubtedly, the highlight of our days is babysitting for our two young grandsons, 3-year-old Nathan and one-year old Noah. And B’H, we very much look forward to doing the same very soon, for our beautiful 7-month-old granddaughter, Eliza Anne, in NYC.
G-d willing, we hope to see you all at SSS in the very near future.
Zei gezunt!
Please send all 'Voz Iz Nayes?' submissions to Mona Klaber
We look forward to including your news in an upcoming Stanton newsletter!