Like a Skyline Is Etched in His Head

Today, The New York Times published an article about Stephen Wiltshire. CBS featured him this morning as well. I can't believe I have never heard of this guy before today, but I am glad I have now. Stephen is currently drawing a panorama of New York City from memory in a gallery at the Pratt Institute's Juliana Curran Terian Design Center.

Stephen is from London and is autistic. Mute until the age of 3, he spoke his first words when he was 5 -- asking for paper and a pen. He has drawn panoramas of eight major cities, usually after brief flyovers. The New York panorama will be his ninth and, he says, his last.



When Stephen was young, his parents sent him to a special school in the UK. Before long his teachers got him speaking and then they discovered that Stephen has a truly remarkable ability. He can look at a city or a building just for a brief moment and then recreate everything about that building or city right down to the number of floors it has and the number of windows. He has traveled all over the world creating these cityscape's and right now he is completing his 8th and what he says final one - New York City.


Watch CBS News Videos Online





Below is a clip of him recreating the New York cityscape live. A truly incredible talent.



Webcam chat at Ustream

His website is a little overwhelmed right now, but I'm sure it will calm down in a few days.

Halloween Boos and Jewish Tattoos

I absolutely love autumn. I can't get enough of the crisp air and the changing colors of the trees. It makes me want to pour a tall glass of apple cider and carve a jack-o-lantern. I just love it. Even though Saturday was pretty grey and rainy outside, I still snapped a few quick photos of the trees near our condo. They are gorgeous...


our parking lot


the trees around our neighborhood

Because of the weather, pumpkin picking wasn't an option, so I popped into Michael's craft store for a few decorations and acrylic paints, picked up some pumpkins at Giant and went to Fara and Hunter’s place for my annual Halloween craft day with Marin and Riley. The girls painted pumpkins, we carved a pumpkin, Hunter made toasted pumpkin seeds and Marin, Fara and I decorated cupcakes. Fara made pink, purple, and green frosting, and we used stencils and sprinkles to decorate the cupcakes. I got so caught up in our fun, I forgot to take pictures until late in the afternoon.

Marin icing her cupcake


My EEK! cupcake


Eating a few errant sprinkles - yum!


That night, David and I went out to dinner with Becky and Aaron and their friends Rick and Shannon who were visiting from Chicago. As fans of Bravo’s reality-tv show, Top Chef, we wanted to go to stand-out contestant Bryan Voltaggio’s Volt, but they were booked solid (surprise surprise) so we went to Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak in Georgetown. Mina had previously been a guest judge on Fox' Hell's Kitchen, another one of our favorite shows and everything was delish!

On Sunday, I went to a coworker’s housewarming party in Arlington, and then met my friend Jenn downtown for a discussion at the historic 6th &I Synagogue. We were there to hear Ami James talk about Tattoos and Taboos, but the introduction and welcoming remarks gave a very interesting overview of the temple which I thought I'd share.


6th & I

Founded in 1852, Washington Hebrew Congregation was formed by twenty-one German Jewish families. Located in what is now DC's Chinatown, the Sixth & I building was dedicated on January 5, 1908. The congregation flourished, and in an effort to accommodate its growing membership, they acquired land uptown in Cleveland Park and built a new sanctuary.

The existing 6th & I structure was sold to Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church in 1951. Over time, many of the church’s congregants moved out of the city, so it relocated to Maryland and put the building up for sale.


exterior

But what do you do with a spacious, 95 year-old structure with exquisite stained glass windows, seating for over 800 and soaring cathedral ceilings, zoned for residential, retail, entertainment, or educational use? The realtor advertised the property as “suitable for a nightclub.” When plans to turn the religious site into a nightclub were discovered, several Jewish developers pooled funds to re-acquire the building for use by the Jewish community.


stained glass window

Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin, and local real estate developers Shelton Zuckerman and Douglas Jemal saved the building and pledged to turn it into a Jewish home for reform, conservative and orthodox communities. Washington-area architects donated their services for the renovation and restoration, and Sixth & I Historic Synagogue re-opened its doors in late Fall 2003 to offer cultural, educational, social, and spiritual programs.


the beautiful ceiling

As a non-denominational synagogue, Sixth & I does not have a rabbi on staff. Instead, it has a "dynamic group of rabbis representing all Jewish denominations who lead Shabbat services on a rotating schedule." Recognizing that being Jewish looks and feels different for many Jews, they honor this diversity by casting a wide net in their unique Jewish programming and religious services which I think is absolutely fantastic.


bimah

Today, Sixth & I is a functioning temple that strives to of cultural significance. It regularly hosts events with authors, politicians, artists, comedians, academics, filmmakers, actors, entrepreneurs, activists, and other thinkers and doers at the forefront of the cultural scene.

And this brings me back to the talk we attended with Ami James, an Israeli-born tattoo artist whose Miami shop was featured on the TLC reality show, Miami Ink. The dialogue was facilitated by Todd Weinberger, Creative Director of Inked magazine. Ami spent nearly 90 minutes talking about his family and upbringing, his experience in the Israeli army, his passion for art and how he became a professional tattoo artist.

Ami and Todd


Ami studied in Miami under the world famous tattoo artist, the late Lou Sciberras. During his apprenticeship he lived with Chris Garver and Chris Nunez with whom he opened Miami Ink.


Examples of some Jewish tattoos. The Hamsa is probably the most popular.

Ami talked about cultural assumptions and attitudes within the Jewish community regarding tattoos and the way they reconcile their tattooed bodies with their Jewish identities, heritage, and beliefs. He also talked about the rising acceptability of Jews with tattoos and which types of tattoos he agrees to do. (He will do a seder plate or a hamsa, but not a chai or a mezuzah)

The verse in the bible which most people draw their thoughts on tattoos comes from Leviticus which says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." Jewish tradition has interpreted this by forbidding any permanent changes to the body, except for the circumcision of boys. It is argued that the body is a gift from G-d and therefore sacred, and making permanent marks on the body shows disrespect. There are many commentaries on the issue, and arguments can be made for and against this line of thought. The most prominent criticism being, if you are to respect the body you have as-is, then why is it acceptable to pierce your ears, get a nose job or even cut your hair? It was a thought provoking and interesting discussion.

After the talk, there was a 'meet and great' portion of the program. I found out that Ami is actually from Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv where Dov grew up (fun fact: Israel's tallest building is in Ramat Gan). I'm looking more than a little 'deer in the headlights' in these pics, but there were no 'do-overs.'


Jenn, Ami and me


My Uma, Oprah moment... "Ali, meet Ami. Ami... Ali. "

My Hardcore Bro

On October 11th, my brother Brian competed in the PBR Urban Dirt Triathlon in Tempe, Arizona.



This was no ordinary triathlon, it was a sprint distance triathlon in the dirt and over hills. Athletes started in Tempe Town Lake for a 1/2 mile swim, then mountain biked through Papago Park for 12.4 miles, ran the trails throughout Papago for 3.1 miles before finishing the race on a giant Slip-N-Slide.

I am so proud of my baby bro for totally KICKING ASS (sorry for the cursing grandma, but he did!) at this event. Brian finished a very respectable 18th in his division and 130th overall. Don't believe me? Check out the results here.



This was my brother's first ever tri sprint, and he trained very hard for it. He competed with his friend Noah (finished 210th), Noah's friend Kevin (finished 158th) and Noah's dad Marc (finished 201st). Here is a group pic before the race. Congrats to all of you guys!

Ilan and Patricia get Married!!!

The weekend after we returned from Germany, we went to New Jersey for a very special weekend.



On September 12th, Ilan and Patricia tied the knot! After many years of dating, several months of planning and more than a few clicks on weather.com, they were married in a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony at Fran and Dov’s home in New Jersey.

Patricia’s mother Dimpna, and her sisters Adriana, Chiquis, Rocio and Maricruz all came in making it a very special day. It was great to meet her family!


Mother of the Groom, the Bride-to-Be and Mother of the Bride



They are all such fantastic women. I played a little of the ‘paparazzi game’ throughout the afternoon as we all got ready for the big day.








wedding pictures of both sets of parents

Patricia looked so beautiful and she and Ilan looked SO happy and in love. They wrote their own commitment vows and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. They really made an effort to thank everyone for coming, and for making their day so special.


vows


The new Mr. and Mrs.

It was a real family effort- all of Patricia’s sisters helped put the flowers together and help her get ready for the big day. Fran and Dov basically rearranged their whole house for the big day, they had rented chairs for the ceremony and arranged catering for lunch. David’s aunt Cathy made a beautiful cake and several pastries for dessert. Patricia had found this great band to play music, and it was a really festive and memorable afternoon. I got to meet so many friends I had only heard about!


family photo




thanking everyone for coming





See you all in Mexico in January!

The Deutchland Experience

For years my maternal grandparents have told me, "One day when you get married, we want to take you to Germany and show you where we came from." Well, after much coordinating and planning - Grandma Ruth, Grandpa Paul, Brian, David and I all settled on a week. Tickets were purchased, hotel reservations were made, tour books were acquired, passports were renewed and the trip was finally going to happen. After an admittedly way too long summer hiatus from blogging, I present to you: the much anticipated recap of our Germany trip:

Friday, August 28th

Our flight was at night, so we said goodbye to Jerry, worked a full day, left our car at the home of one of David’s colleagues (you are awesome, Bob!) who lives near the airport and headed to Dulles. The place was kind of a zoo, but everything went smoothly and in no time, we were ticketed with our luggage checked- and under the weight limit (woo!). I don’t have much to say about our flight to Germany because we were unconscious for most of it. There was probably a movie, and I’m sure there was a meal at some point as well. I’ve got to say that even though those U-shaped neck pillows look funny and take up a lot of room in a carry-on bag, but they are really helpful on transatlantic flights.

Saturday, August 29th

We arrived in Frankfurt on Saturday morning. Brian had landed an hour earlier, so once we cleared customs, we met up with him at a local watering hole and headed outside to find Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Paul who had arrived two days earlier.



We found them and picked up our enormous van (seriously, paint this thing brown and could have been a UPS delivery truck) and hit the road. The GPS was somewhat temperamental- it had a hard time fining a signal when we needed it most. This would prove consistent for the next 9 days; we quickly became familiar with how much room our giant van needed to make a u-turn.


loading up or enormous van

We drove south towards Rastatt, the place my grandmother lived in until she was 6 years old. The town is located on the Murg river, only about 4 miles from the Rhine river (the French border).

We had a quick lunch of pizza (so much for our first authentic German meal) and beer (now we’re talking!) and then we toured Schloss Rastatt (Rastatt Castle). Originally built between 1700 and 1707, it was restored after the war. Grandma said she remembered playing in the castle gardens as a girl- it was a reminder of why we were here and a great way to begin our trip. We toured the castle and the Wehrgeschichtliches Museum (Military History Museum) before going to the apartment building my grandma Ruth lived as a child.


Schloss Rastatt (Rastatt Castle)



Our first beer in Germany.. the first of many. (Still a little weary from the flight)

Now converted into a modern business building, it was locked and we could not go in. It was a little disappointing, but Grandma explained which window was hers and told us about the other people that lived there in the 1930s. We walked around a while longer and then checked into our hotel for a (much needed) shower before dinner.


Standing outside Grandma Ruth's old house

Dinner was fantastic! We found this authentic German-style restaurant and after a bit of fumbling through the menu we learned that if you just ask for an English language menu, many restaurants will be happy to provide one. We had schnitzel and dumplings, and sausage and sauerkraut and strudel (and of course more German beer) it was everything I had been looking forward to! Full, happy and tired, we went to a local bar for a quick drink and then went to bed.

Sunday, August 30th

We had a nice breakfast at the hotel- the Germans use this handy little bucket at each table for wrappers and trash- and drove to the lovely spa town of Baden Baden.

It is said that former President Bill Clinton was so taken by this little town that he stated “Baden-Baden is so nice they had to name it twice” and I can clearly see why. The place is beautiful and this was one of our favorite days in Germany. The German word ‘baden’ literally translates as “to bathe.” The waters at the baths are rich in sodium chloride, and come from artisan wells 5,900 feet under the Florentiner Mountain. They are said to have healing properties and Roman emperor Caracalla came here to ease his arthritic aches.



We drank the mineral waters, explored the chic town, had a delicious and picturesque lunch outdoors, listened to a concert, and toured the famous casino.


Grandma and Grandpa toasting to their continued good health


Enjoying our outdoor lunch in beautiful Baden Baden

The Spielbank casino is more than 200 years old and is absolutely beautiful. Men have to wear jackets and ties to get in- and if you do not have a tie, one can be rented for the low low price of 6 euro. Dostoyevsky is said to have written The Gambler after he lost his money and even his shirt here.


Then we drove through the foothills of the black forest to Munich and checked into the Hahn Hotel. What this place lacked in square footage, they more than made up for in pure hospitality. Need a taxi to take you to find a pharmacy open on a Sunday night? No problem. Want to buy a tram pass? We have them right here. Do you prefer you soft boiled egg without bacon? Sure thing. Want to park your ginormous van on the sidewalk in the middle of the rush hour? Come on up. Seriously- these people are the nicest, most helpful people and if you are staying in Munich- they are a 15-minute tram ride from downtown and 100% worth your patronage. (stepping off my soapbox now)

That evening, I stayed in and read a little while David and Brian took the tram downtown and had some fun.

Monday, August 31st

On Monday morning, Grandpa still wasn’t feeling well, so while he and grandma went to the doctor and spent the day resting, we took a walking tour of Munich. We met up with our guide Levi at Marienplatz (St. Mary’s Square). This has been the central square in the center of Munich since 1158. Named after the Mariensäule, a large column erected in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation during the Thirty Years' War. Today, the Marienplatz is dominated by the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) which houses the famous Glockenspiel with its 260-foot carillon tower.


Mariensäule and the famous Glockenspiel

We spent the afternoon touring around Munich, Germany’s third largest city. We saw its many beautiful churches and squares, the Munich Residenz Royal Palace and the Englischer Garten. Larger than Central Park in New York, the Englischer Garten is one of the world's largest urban public parks and is absolutely beautiful.


Enjoying the sunshine in the Englischer Garten

Then it was time for lunch. During our tour, we learned that a traditional Biergärten will 1) have chestnut trees and 2) let you bring your own food. We also learned about the weißwürste (white sausages) which are a Munich specialty. Traditionally eaten only before noon-a tradition dating to a time before refrigerators-they are often served with sweet mustard and freshly baked pretzels. So we found our way to a lovely Biergärten and figured, when in Rome….







That evening, grandpa was on the mend but still was not 100%. Since Munich is famous for its breweries, and with over 20 Biergärtens to choose from, we decided the best approach for the evening would be to embark upon a beer and brewery tour.

Munich is famous for its Weißbier (wheat beer), a specialty from Bavaria. Also popular are Pils and Helles. Munich’s Dark Beer (Dunkles) gets its dark color from burnt malt, and Starkbier is the strongest Munich beer, contains 6–9 % alcohol. It is dark amber and has a heavy malty taste.


Brian and David mid-beer tour

We spent the afternoon and night with our new friends from London and South Africa touring Augustiner-Bräu (Munich’s oldest existing brewery), the Paulaner Brewery (a very traditional brewery where we got to tour the brewery rooms, and the famous Hofbräuhaus. We spent the rest of the night at the Hofbräuhaus- we closed the place down. I was really bummed because I wanted a t-shirt from there but also kind of proud that we actually stayed out late enough to be told “you need to leave now, we are closed.” Haven’t heard that in years.


Enjoying beverages at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich

Tuesday, September 1st

We said farewell to Munich and took a tour of Dachau. This was a day I had both looked forward to and dreaded. I knew it was going to be an emotional day- but this was a place that had to be seen. Our trip to Germany would not be complete without a stop here.


work shall set you free? Bullshit.



Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp. Located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory about 10 miles northwest of Munich, Dachau served as a model for the other Nazi concentration camps that followed. Almost every community in Germany had members taken away to these camps.

In addition to religious prisoners, Dachau housed resistance fighters, journalists and political prisoners who opposed the Nazi regime. We learned about the camp as we toured the courtyard, crematoriums, prisoner barracks, and surrounding areas. The museum had well-presented exhibits and thought provoking accounts of prisoners’ own experiences from the setting up of the camp until their liberation by US-forces in 1945.


crematorium


bunks in the barracks

After a somber afternoon- and a hell of a time locating the grandparents, we left for Nürnberg. We checked into the Hotel Deutscher Kaiser in the middle of the city and were greeted by representatives from the Mayor’s office of tourism. We walked around the city and had dinner at an outdoor French restaurant. Grandpa was very excited to be back in the town he lived in for 11 years, and the mayor’s office made great efforts to make him feel welcomed back.



Since Nürnberg is a sister city of Krakow, Poland (and Atlanta, GA!) after dinner, we went to a polish/German Biergärten and an American-style bar below for drinks (and to wait for the rain to stop).

Wednesday, September 2nd

This was another one of my favorite days of the trip. We got to meet very nice people, discover some family history and see the more of the Germany countryside.

In the morning we drive to the town of Hirschaid where we were greeted by the Mayor, Mr. Andreas Schlund and his wife Christine, their son and several people from the town including museum curator Annette Schäfer and her husband Robert, as well as Rudolf Panzer, a now-retired teacher and author of ‘Judische Familien de Hirschaid’ a book about the Jews of Hirschaid. Much to the credit of the mayor and his wife, this is a city that does not hide what happened and has made great effort to commemorate and preserve what remained of Jewish life. Here is an excellent site about the Jewish History of the city as well as a great deal of information about the former synagogue.


Mayor Andreas Schlund, Christine Schlund, Grandpa and Grandma



We went to the former home of my grandfather’s grandparents and then we visited their graves. The Jewish cemetery is an easy 10-minute drive away from the town. Walled off between vast fields of crops, we were let into the locked gate and paid our respects to my Grandpa Paul’s paternal grandparents, Sigmund and Sophie Dingfelder. The graves occur in (a mostly) chronological order- the oldest ones were towards the back of the cemetery and the ‘newest’ ones at the front. It struck me that the most recent graves were actually my great great grandparents who passed away in the late 1930’s. Then, there are no more graves. It’s remarkable and heartbreaking to observe.


Outside the former Dingfelder residence


Grandpa visiting his grandparents


Hirschaid cemetary

After my grandfather had time to say goodbye to his family graves, we took a tour of the nearby Levy Strauss museum, had lunch at a wonderful local Biergärten and visited the site of the town’s former synagogue. The people of Hirschaid could not have been nicer to us all day and I hope to see them again sometime in the future.






Hirschaid former synagogue and memorial

After a very special afternoon, we went to Erlangen, where my grandpa’s maternal grandparents are buried. After a bit of luck finding someone who actually knew where the Jewish cemetery was located, we visited the graves of my great great grandparents, Abraham and Emma Meinhardt.



Then we returned to Nürnberg for a drive down memory lane. Grandpa pointed out the building he used to attend school in, the site of his old apartment, friends’ homes and businesses and other various places that were important to his childhood.

Growing up, whenever I would show my grandpa Paul a new technology or strange food, he would say, “They didn’t have that in Nürnberg.” Well, Grandpa left Nürnberg in 1938 and I can attest that today- they have everything. A mix of old and new, it is a modern and thriving city.


Nürnberg’s former synagogue

After a long day, we walked to the site of Nürnberg’s former synagogue and had dinner at a nearby restaurant before going to bed.

Thursday, September 3rd

We explored more of Nürnberg and found the place very charming. Because the Imperial Diets and courts met at Nuremberg Castle, it is sometimes referred to as having been the 'unofficial capital' of the Holy Roman Empire. The castle and its walls create an interesting layout of the city; there is an ‘old city’ within the walls and a very modern city beyond them.



We walked down to the Hauptmarkt, a vast open air market and the nearby Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain). Legend says that if you turning the ring to the right three times and make a wish, it will come true, so of course we all took turns climbing up and wishing for good luck. We toured the city for a while, saw the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and its glockenspiel and then went to the castle for a fantastic view of the city below.


Atop the castle wall



Then we visited the Nazi party rally grounds and documentation center. The vast Nazi party rally grounds included, the Zeppelin Field, Congress Hall, the March Field, the German stadium and the stadium of the Hitler Youth. Today, the whole site serves as a memorial.

That evening we met up with Rolf, a family friend of my grandparents for dinner. David and I had actually met Rolf when he was in DC last summer, so it was nice to see him again.



Now, my grandparents had been talking about getting this baked carp dish ever since they got to Nürnberg and we had been searching high and low for a restaurant that still made it. So when we found out that this restaurant made it, they were SO excited! (side note: it’s not at all baked, it is actually a whole fried fish but whatever- it made them very happy)


Baked carp and beer.. what more could Grandma want?


Enjoying a growler with our dinner

We said farewell to Rolf and had a few beers before going to bed.

Friday, September 4th

While grandma and grandpa slept in a little, David, Brian and I took a tour of Albrecht Dürer's house and bought some Nürnberger Lebkuchen (classic ginger cookies) and souvenirs. Then we loaded up the car, drove to see the Nurnberg Trials Courthouse and said farewell to Nürnberg.



The drive was long and rather rainy- it took forever but we finally made it to the Hotel Neuhöfer am Südpark in Bad Nauheim. We checked in and then and went to dinner with Karl, another good family friend.



Karl’s parents and my Grandma Ruth’s parents had been very good friends in the 1920’s and our families have remained in touch ever since. Karl even came to my Bat Mitzvah in New York in 1993.

After dinner, we went back to Karl’s home in Friedberg for delicious wine, and to catch up a little bit more. Karl is a very accomplished hunter and his home is adorned with trophies from over the years.



Saturday, September 5th

We went to temple in Bad Nauheim in the morning. It’s a nice, simple synagogue whose congregation is mostly Russian Jews. After all the Jews of Germany have been through, it was nice to go to temple on Shabbat.



That afternoon while Grandma and Grandpa napped, we took the train into Frankfurt and explored the city. With the largest financial district in Europe, it is an extremely modern city with several tall skyscrapers. We went to the Kleinmarkthalle (indoor market) and ate and shopped a little. We went to the Apfelwine (Apple Wine) Festival and took a bus tour of Frankfurt- saw the beautiful Römerberg building and City Hall.


The Kleinmarkthalle in Frankfurt


At the Apfelwine (Apple Wine) Festival


Brian enjoying his tour...


More Apfelwinemore... and sausages

Sunday, September 6th

We made the short drive to the town of Friedberg, met up with Karl and spent the afternoon exploring my grandmother’s family history in the town. We saw the house former home and bakery where grandma's parents lived. We visited the site of the town’s former synagogue as well as its 18th Century Mikve which somehow survived the destruction of the late 1930’s and early 40’s.


300 year-old mikve




Grandma Ruth's grandparents' home and bakery


Site of Friedberg's former synagogue

Then we visited grave of my Grandma Ruth's paternal grandmother, Betti Rosenthal and picked plums and apples in a nearby field.


Our great great grandmother



On our last evening in Germany, we had dinner at a Greek restaurant in Friedberg. Afterwards, it was difficult saying goodbye to Karl. He has been a dear friend to my grandparents, and while e-mail and international calls make it easy to stay in touch, this was likely the last time they would ever see each other in person.

Monday, September 7th

We headed to the Frankfurt airport early in the morning and returned the rental car. We said goodbye and THANK YOU to Grandma and Grandpa and headed to our gate. The flight home was uneventful, we picked up our car and went home. Jerry acknowledged our presence about 3 days later.

So that’s it. I could have elaborated further on several days but in order to get this all up on the blog I had to condense a little. It was an absolutely amazing trip. One that I am fortunate to have experienced. I had a few expectations for the trip- I was nervous about visiting a concentration camp. I was excited to see the towns that my grandparents came from. I looked forward to drinking a beer at the Hofbräuhaus. But now that I’ve had some time to really think about it, I just feel lucky. Lucky that my grandparents were strong enough to make this trip with us. Lucky that they could afford to treat us to this trip. Lucky that they escaped Germany in the first place. Lucky that I found someone as amazing as David to have this experience with. Lucky that David and Brian get along so well. Just lucky.

Thank you to Brooke and Brian as well as Becky and Aaron for watching Jerry and taking in our mail. And of course, thank you Grandpa Paul and Grandma Ruth for this trip. You provided for us, you accommodated us, you humored us, you shared with us and you taught us. I will never forget what I experienced here.