"Workin' at the Car Wash..."

Last year my senior class went on the March of the Living, a program that takes people to Poland and Israel for Holocaust Memorial Day and Israeli Independence Day, respectively, but since our school went with the Bureau of Jewish Education of Los Angeles, a large chunk of each person's expenses was subsidized. This year, Shalhevet is going on its own program to Poland-Israel, and so without subsidy moneys, the seniors had to raise their own funds to help cover the costs of those who need financial aid. Last week there was a Chinese Auction, and I've been told that there are or were other fundraisers as well. Yesterday I participated in the last fundraiser before Pesach, a car wash.

Why was I participating? I'm not so sure. All I know is that my brother, a senior who was supposed to be in charge of organizing the event, planned on just "winging it." That meant advertising, supplies, volunteer schedules, and other essentials would sort of materialize on their own. When my father took charge Saturday night, my whole family got to volunteer as well! Or to be more exact, it was more of a Ma'aleh Gilboa sort of "volunteering." Since I was babysitting for my cousin for the morning, I did not go to the morning shift, but I was there from 12:30 to 3:15, washing cars. Towards the end, all the seniors with the exception of Tabak, fled the scene of their own fundraiser, turning the Seniors '06 Car Wash into The Bain Family and Josh Tabak Car Wash for the last two or three cars. I think the most disappointing aspect of the event was that we did not have that 70's disco tune "Car Wash" playing at full volume, for at least one of the cars.

After the car wash, we did some more volunteering by delivering Pesach supplies to families who need them. We worked for Tomchei Shabbat, a volunteer organization that gives these families food for shabbat on Thursdays, but made a special round yesterday to get food to people before Pesach starts Wednesday night.

That night, I went to see Shalhevet's fourth annual night of student one-acts, this year titled "Mayhem Shmayem." The five plays, written and directed by Shalhevet students, featured the same wacky energy that defined the one-acts in my three years writing (and producing and directing). The plays hit a range of themes-- from a detective discovering who literally is "killing time" to an identity struggle on a movie set. My brother wrote a fun play about cheating on tests, but the ending was altered severely by the powers that be, and the play finished on a... well, it didn't really finish at all, it just kinda stopped.

Two plays stood out to me, for different reasons. One was "Prophecy," an allegorical piece written by freshman Sofi Porter-Zasada. The play told of a family who interprets the nonsensical aphorisms of their grandma, and dispenses advice to the neighborhood based on what they think they are hearing. I think the play, on a deeper level, was about religion and understanding truth. Either that, or I construed that all on my own, and the play was just about a crazy old grandmother. Very pointed.

The second play, "Laundromat," was written by senior Eytan Zana, who also starred as the lead role. This play was a fast-paced, wacky comedy. From the tic-tac-toe battle death-match to the girl with the invisible puppies to the clothes-hanger hostage, the tempo kept building and the stakes kept escalating while remaining fresh and funny. Eytan, who also does improv, was uproariously funny, and senior Michael Klein also managed to steal some thunder with his opera-singing viking and pompous self-narrating businessman. Very funny and well done.

That night we ate at this Japanese restaurant, known in some circles as "the noodle place." I did not have any noodles, but I had what could be my last sushi before Pesach. Damn the kitniyot!

A word on kitniyot: while all Jews are forbidden from eating leavened products made from the five grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye, and spelt), Ashkenazi Jews took upon themselves the tradition of also not eating kitniyot. I've heard kitniyot translated as legumes, but more importantly, forbidden foods includes corn, rice, soy, and peanut, among others. I've never fully understood the reason behind this tradition, or more importantly, why we insist on keeping it other than Tevye's "Tradition!"

Birthday wishes: it seems like April is getting full of birthdays! Today is Yoni Kirby! Yeah.

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to Kirby,
Happy birthday to you.