Remembering the Schlep
Such a nice tribute to Jewish Exponent Staff Writer Matt Silver’s very talented father, Ken Silver (“Playing in the Band,” Simchas, Oct. 24). I am proud to have been one of Kenny’s “schleppers,” beginning in my 11th-grade year (fall 1983) through my breaks from college, until I began law school. A weekend job for a high school/college student couldn’t get much better in the ’80s than a gig with one of the bands of the omnipresent Entertainment Group.
What could compare to celebrating love at a wedding, naches at a b’nai mitzvah or fandom at celebrity events while wearing a tuxedo, listening to live music and getting paid for it?
Such great memories I have working with Kenny. From the electric excitement at the beginning of the event with the grand entrance of the bride and groom to the quiet ride home in his hip Mercedes-Benz station wagon, falling into a sleepy trance listening to the rhythmic ticker on KYW’s News Radio, and then getting a second wind when we stopped by Sid Booker’s Famous Shrimp Corner on North Broad Street before being dropped off at my home to find that my buddies did nothing all day and night.
The job kept me out of trouble, kept money in my pocket and kept my belief in the contagiousness of happiness. As the leader of the band, Kenny Silver truly made memories that last a lifetime.
Jeffrey L. Dashevsky | Cherry Hill, New Jersey
All One Family
Regarding “Gunman Kills 2 in Attack Near German Synagogue, at Kebab Shop,” Oct. 10, 2019, on jewishexponent.com:
We share in your grief and loss as members of one united human family against all forms of hatred, discrimination and violence. When our Jewish brethren are attacked, it is impossible to remain silent and therefore express our outrage as Muslims who believe in the common bonds of our Abrahamic heritage.
May we all overcome the forces of hatred and violence and make this a better, more peaceful world for us all, Inshallah (God willing). Peace be upon you, my dear interfaith friends and family.
Aziz Nathoo | Limerick
Polarization in Israel
Regarding “Netanyahu Announces He Is Unable to Form a Government,” Oct. 21, 2019, on jewishexponent.com:
Let’s not forget that Bibi failed to form a government now and in the last election. Yes, he did have many positive achievements, but he and the Likud are also responsible for growing polarization in Israeli society as well as with the Jewish community abroad.
Hoping Gantz will be able to form a government although the Likud refuses to negotiate without their block so it doesn’t look good.
Jill Golub Daube | Mercaz Shapira, Israel
Was it really Likud and Bibi that caused the polarization or was it the left which always causes the problem and then blames the other when it fights back?