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@Gadolhadorah
Please do not confuse purchased seats for use (life tenancy in our shul) with fundraising memorial placques on seats. I have no right to claim a seat that has a placque in memory of my late father. That just says money was given to the shul to honor his memory, just like a window, classroom, etc. My right is to a seat with my own name on it for which I purchased a life use plus pay annual dues. When my father Z”L was niftar, his name plate was removed from his seat and it was made for sale by the shul. My brother purchased it for his grandson.@Rebbetzin
You don’t seem to be willing to understand that there are no shortage of seats for kiddush at our shul. The only seat saving I condone is so that a family may sit together. I would prefer that Yankele save 6 seats so that when Ima and the babies come into the social hall the family sits together and both parents tend to the kids, than have three youngsters parked in single empty eats at otherwise adult tables.As for hoarding or grabbing quantities of food that is unacceptable. We are a bit more upscale than many shuls, if there is a kiddush with more than kichel, wine, juice there will be paid staff from the caterer serving the food, no one will be grabbing 6 pieces of kugel. Someone may have two plates in his hands, one for himself and one for an elderly or infirm relative who is already seated. The servers would place one piece on each plate……period.
I never said it is okay to hoard limited quantity items, getting a plate for an elderly or infirm person is not hoarding.
B”H neither food or seating is stretched to the limits in our shul.
To quote my deceaed OMA, it soundslike the people behaving that way in the shuls you frequent sound like ‘peasants from the east’
@Rebbetzin
Don’t try to argue law with an attorney, you have not read the contract for sale of the seat. Not only have I read it, I wrote it along with a property attorney and a Superior Court Judge.I purchased a life tenancy, so no I can’t take it home. Anyone using it without my permission is not a tenant as you suppose (erroneously) but a SQUATTER subject to immediate eviction.
Your suppositions that: “A shul extends an open invitation to all visitors to enter and use their facility. This implied invitation allows visitors to become “tenants” in “your” empty seat. As the “landlord” (with very limited property rights) you cannot merely evict the tenant because you showed up!
I am explaining this at length because this is a common misconception in shuls when people claim rights to “their” seats.” is FALSE. Our shul has signs in the lobby instructing visitors/guests to see an usher or gabbai for seating and that seats with nameplates are not to be used without permission,
I f I know I’ll not e in shul on a given day, I infirm the gabbai, and as my agent he may let someone use my seat.The $5,000 I paid for my seat 30 years ago doesn’t relieve me of paying annual dues.
The congregation is a private entity and as such may adopt its own rules, you can’t make blanket statements based on other synagogues’ practices.@Ubiquitin
No one has to stand while my paid for eat sits empty awaiting my arrival.
The nature of small town shuls is that they were built to accommodate the baby boom of the 50s and 60s (as well as white flight) and have far more seats than members to fill them.As I have posted before, there are signs in our shul’s lobby informing guests to ask an usher or gabbai for a place to sit and that seats with name plates are not to be used by guests.
I have also posted that if I know I will not be in attendance I inform the gabbai in advance and tell him he may let others use my seat@1
where did I write the board told a Rov what to do?
I’ll give 1000 dollars tzedaka if you can point that out
I wrote the board had a discussion about unacceptable behavior by his wifeThe Rav is an employee of the congregation and serves at their pleasure. When his contract was up it was not renewed for a number of reasons.
@Rebbitzen
I made no mention of taking food. It is only proper to take food not for yourself if it is to feed an elderly or infirm adult who is unable to do so, or a parent putting food onto the plate of a young child who should not be taking it him/herself.
These types of kiddushes with the heavy cooked food are not the norm in our OOT shuls.
In fact I had a run in years ago with the Rebbitzen of my shul in my previous town. She was heard announcing to her 8 children that they should eat plenty at the kiddush, because she was not serving Shabbos lunch when they got home.
The executive board had a discussion with the Rabbi after that about this unacceptable behavior.BTW>>>>unlike many shtieblach, our suburban synagogues do not have a shortage of seating space (or food). Attendees are generally members. Seats being saved at kiddush are so that a family may be seated together, not to get a seat while others have to stand.
It sounds like you attend a shul with ill-bred and ill-behaved people
If my seat has my nameplate on it showing that I have purchased it, NO ONE has richus to be seated, even if I don’t show up until Adon Olam.
I have no problem with a person holding seats at kiddush so that his wife/kids have time to join him and be seated as a family. That does NOT mean entering the kiddush hall in advance of the congregation to reserve the seats. Unless we are sponsoring the kiddush or attending a simcha such as a Bar Mitzvnch , we don’t stay for the food, we leave after the Rav makes kiddush. We eat lunch at home, not shul.I’m old fashioned, I think kiddush should be wine, kichel, grape juice and maybe some fresh fruit.
@Funnybone
I consider any member of a well regulated militia (government regulated that is) to be military and they would be allowed to have guns“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
So, if you bear arms for other reasons and the government says no, it is not an infringement of your rights.
IMHOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I actually agree 100% with Joseph about something.I know it’s Adar, but it’s NOT Purim yet!
The OP posed limits such as no cheerleaders/commercials………………….
I would not want my kids at professional sports venues where the crowds are out of hand, drinking beer, vulgar language, etc.That said, I take my grandchildren (as I did not children) to attend local college baseball games as treats during Chol HaMoed Pesach. There is no alcohol sold, the crowd is a family type. The players are scholar athletes who must maintain grades to play/stay on the teams (Note I did not include footballi or basketball which attract a lower strata of fans and players).
An afternoon in the fresh air and sunshine at the ballpark is worthwhile and healthy. Helps eliminate Vitamin D deficiency,
Sit ins are for the college crowd (showing my age)
Just a a point of information:
OOT is is not unusual for people to belong and pay dues to multiple shuls. Many people pay dues to the shul they grew up in so that they will be able to be buried in family plots on that shul’s cemetery.
Others pay dues for business reasons supporting all the torah institutions in town.@DY
“What would happen if the chiyuv of the non paying member was bigger (e.g. yahrtzeit vs. avel during 11 months)?”
The first time this happened the guest would be given the honor (provided the paying member was not sponsoring a kiddush/oneg on that date). The second time the Rav or Gabbai would explain to the guest that the honor belonged to dues paying members and suggest the guest join (if a local resident).I changed the verbiage in my answer from non-paying member to differentiate between guest and congregants who for some reason are unable to pay dues.
@JDBguest
Actually owning the seat with my nameplate on it does mean that my neighbor’s CANNOT sit there if I arrive late.
Our shul has signs in the lobby advising guests to check with an usher or the Gabbai for available seats. Also, a notice that seats with name plates are not available to be used at will.
I am seldom late, generally if caused by a true emergency. I expect my seat to be open when I arrive, The last time I was late was first Day R”H when my MIL was niftara the night before in our home. I took extra time to make sure my daughters had Mrs. CTL comforted and rounded up the grandchildren and arrived about 10. I found it comforting to have our family block of seats waiting for us.That said, if I know I’ll not be in shul for Shabbos or Yuntif I let the Gabbai know in advance and he is free to let others use my seat.
Dating…………..
I always told my boys: Pick a nice restaurant, even if there is nothing worth a pursuing, at least you had a good meal.@DY
If a paying member of the shul and a non-member both have yahrzeit on a given day, the paying member is accorded a place ahead of the non-member for honors. To quote the old American Express advertisements: “Membership has its privileges”@iacisrmma
Things are different OOT.
Large building fund pledge pledges and expensive dues are the norm. Shteiblach really don’t exist in any real numbers outside of big cities. Shuls tend to own their own cemeteries and burial is mostly restricted to dues paying members.
I own my seat, as do the other members of my immediate family, the seats have our names on engraved brass plates. That doesn’t mean I don’t pay yearly dues.
We have plot in a family cemetery in NY, but are also entitled to plots in the local synagogue cemetery.
Shul Rabbis OOT tend to be full-time employees of the congregation, quite a different position from the Rav in a shteibel.In many cases paid membership can get you:
1. Reduced price or free burial plots
2. High Holy Day Tickets (not necessarily reserved seats)
3. Reduced cost for simcha hall and kitchen
4. Sick visits by the shul Rav when you or other family member is in the hospital
5. Help arranging shiva minyan including loan of siddurim and folding chairs
6. Higher ranking in list for aliyos or davening for the amud.
7. In some shuls the Rav can not charge for officiating at a member’s wedding or funeral. The member may be expected to offer an honorarium, but it is not required.
8. Bar Mitzvah lessonsThey are 4 hours closer by air to NY than Hawaii
@Joseph
Why do you think I specified a time period of the 1880s to 1924?
This was after the economic collapse following the Civil War and Reconstruction and the first Red scare after the Russian Revolution.
Things did not open up for non-white immigration until the 1970s.Quite simply, American immigration policy prior to the 1970s assigned most of the quota to northern European countries…those likely to send white skinned emigrants.
The WASPs running the State Department were not interested in dark skinned, olive complected residents from the Med, North Africa or the Levant.
My maternal line had no problems getting visas to enter from Germany in 1868. My paternal line came in 1872 and 3 from what is now Belarus. They were forced to split the family as the quota for 1872 had filled and the mother and youngest two children followed using the 1873 quota.
The only Sephardim I know whose families came between 1880 and 1924 are Dutch. This is different from old time Spanish Portugese colonial family descendants@AviK
I have NO say on how you live in Israel, as long as I choose to live in galut it is not my business.
State Legislators work part-time and receive part-time pay. The legislative session is less than 5 months per year. Legislators are expected to earn their main living elsewhere.Participation in the public funding is voluntary so agreeing to the rules in order to accept the money does NOT violate Citizens United. Virtually every candidate for the state legislature in 2018 used the state funds unless banned for breaking the rules, unable to raise the minimum funds to qualify, or one rich dude oin Madison who thought he could buy his office and lost.
Neither candidate (multi-millionaires) for governor took public funds and they spent what they wanted. The winner is not taking a salary for being governor.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I see you avoided the questions I posed to you about integration in Israel……….@WTP
I can assure you that I am mortal. But no one who has met me or seen me would call me ‘mere’ (smallest or slightest).
It is now 11:05 am. I got up at 5 and let the dogs out. I took the carcass from Friday night’s turkey and put it in a pot with freshly chopped veg and spices and water and set it to boil for soup. I through a load of wash in. At 6:45 I turned the pot down to the lowest setting to simmer, moved the wash into the dryer and left for minyan. After minyan, I learned for 45 minutes and then came home. I turned off the soup, removed the carcass from the pot and placed the covered pot on my patio table to cool (so I could skim the fat off later and serve the soup for supper tonight).
I then made breakfast for Mrs. CTL and myself. At 10:45 I had a scheduled teleconference with a client and his accountant for 15 minutes. I’ll work on their request in the office tomorrow.I’m spending a little diversion time in the CR and at noon I’m taking my 12 year old grandson to the local middle school for open rec basketball
About 3PM I’ll feed the dogs.
I’ll put supper in the oven about 4:30pm, tonight it’s easy …Turkey pot pies made with leftover turkey from Friday Night.
While it bakes, I’ll go to mincha,
The grandchildren are coming for supper, after supper Mrs. CTL and I will enjoy the kids while their parents clean up, do the dishes, etc.
Around 9PM, when it quiets down, I’ll get on my treadmill and read while I walk for about 45 minutes.With planning I’ll get a lot in today. Yesterday was my day of rest
@Ben L
The citizen legislator is alive and well in Connecticut. No one could afford to live (they might exist) on the $28,000 salary we pay state reps and senators.
We have public financing of elections. A candidate for the state house needs to raise only $5,100 to qualify. It must come from at least 150 individuals who live in the district and the amounts of the contributions must be at least $5 and no more than $250. The candidate cannot give more than $1000 of personal money or loan the campaign more than $1000.
Thus the candidates run with equal campaign funding .@AviKand 2
For someone who doesn’t live in the USA you have a lot to say about how we live.
How integrated is your neighborhood in EY? How many non-Jews are ion the state run schools in your neighborhood?There are 14 houses on my immediate block. 8 are owned and occupied by American born whites (2 belong to me and my daughter and her family occupy one of them that had been my late MIL’s). There are 2 African-American families, 2 Indo-Pak and Hispanic families.
I’d call that integrated
I’ve been to Mississipi, Jackson, Biloxi and Pass Christian on legal business for one of my trust clients. The neighborhoods are not integrated, nor are most public schools. In the 60s and 70s whites fled to gated communities and private schools.As for the Federalist Society, they have only one adult chapter in CT and it is restricted to lawyers, I am not interested in joining.
@DY
Using saved tax dollars for other projects does not mean higher taxes, it doesn’t change the amount of tax paid, but reallocates expenditures.
Contrary to your opinion, I don’t want to keep it for the government, I want to spend it for the benefit of the populace.I am the first to admit that small town government and operations is quite different than big city ways. Maybe that’s why I like living here. Last year the kids’ plays-cape at one of our parks needed replacing. The bids came in at over 100K which was not in the Parks and Rec budget. So the local service organizations got together and made a proposal to the town. Buy the material and the citizens will do all the construction and landscaping at no cost to the town. In fact, Home Depot stepped up and donated the materials and in two weeks the project was complete. This wouldn’t work in NYC. The municipal unions would be apoplectic if free labor was used.
I’ve talked about supporting our EMS. We have a great one, mostly volunteer, as is our Fire service. Mrs. CTL has needed EMS as recently as last month. They arrived in less than 2 minutes. Because they were told the patient was a female they sent a female crew and paramedic. I may be in the vast minority being observant and Jewish in this town, but the community respects everyone’s values. Small town living is not for everyone, but it works for us. We are close enough to the big city when we want what it offers, but avoid the hassles and expense of living in the concrete jungle.
@Joseph
I attend local government meetings in my small town 2-3 nights per week this time of year, This is both budget formation time and prime time for P&Z applications, because builders/developers want to have shovels in the ground come May.
I enjoy the character of my small town and like being involved. Unlike NYC with its myriad of paid elected officials, our town has only two elected paid full time officials and two part-time. All other elected officials and board and commission members are citizen volunteers. That’s the New England way.I have a major investment in this town, homes, office, commercial property and like to protect my investments.
You haven’t seen me chime in on the vaccination threads as they are not an issue here. I could care less about the white shirt threads. Private schools get top set uniform requirement.
@Ben Levi
Supporting increased funding for schools, libraries and EMS services in my town does NOT have to mean supporting a tax increase.
It may call for reallocation of town spending.
I don’t feel the need for our town to own and operate 2 golf courses. Sell or lease them to private operators and use the money to benefit more citizens.
Not every department head should get a town car for 24/7 use. Drive to the office in your own car and use a town owned vehicle from the municipal fleet when you have to leave your office for official business.Last year I was on the Senior Citizens commission, The senior center request funding to add 2 more mini buses for free senior transportation to doctors, shopping, cultural events, etc. It would have cost about 400K per year. We investigated and found we senior center could provide on call service for senior center members using Uber and a town account. Scheduling of rides requested by seniors calling a clerk at the senior center who already was booking existing vans. Cost less than 200K per year.
For too long government look at budgets and said this is what we want to spend and we’ll raise taxes to gain the revenue. Out town now looks at revenue and decides how best to spend it.
It’s all about spending smarter, not more. One needs to apply a business head to government, not civil service mentality
Affordable for whom?
In some jurisdictions that means low income housing, in others it can be single family houses that are on half acre plots and cost 400K.Most suburbs fight developers whop want to build low income housing because each home generates less than average property tax revenue and the inhabitants tend to have more children attending public school placing a burden on the town.
Being anti-low income housing is often a smoke screen for being racist…not wanting minorities moving in who can’t afford the regular minimum acreage zoned homes.City politicians fight to force developers to build affordable housing units in their projects, suburban residents fight to keep them out. I was a a local Planning and Zoning hearing last night. A developer wanted a variance to build 14 cluster single family homes on a 9 acre plot. The P&Z regulations would have permitted 9. He threatened if not approved he’d build 4 story affordable housing walk up apartments (50 units). The state permits this when a town ha less than 30% affordable units.
The public doesn’t like developer using this law to change the character of the town, so he was granted a variance to build the 14 homes, but restricted to 2 bedroom no den models, and every home must have a two car garage underneath, no on street parking permitted, guests must park in driveways or a private lot he must construct at the rear of the property,@2scents
I send a separate check in a separate envelope made out to the municipality and state that this is a donation of additional tax dollars and to be used for xxxxxxxx.
BTW, this money is not deductible under the IRS Code. One may only deduct taxes for which you have a liability.There are people who give extra tax dollars to the US Government, but it can only be done to reduce the national debt, not fund items of interest.
“You can contribute online through a Treasury website (pay.gov). … Or you can write a check payable to the U.S. Treasury’s “Bureau of the Public Debt.” If you prefer to write a check, note in the memo section that your donation represents a “gift to reduce the debt held by the public.”@Joseph
I manage well on 4 hours per night. My parents had similar sleep patterns as do my brothers. My elder sister requires 7 hours.
The 4 hours is an every night thing. When I was younger I could skip a night’s sleep each week without it affecting me, but since about the age of 50, I need to sleep every night.I always found the hour of 5:15-6:15 to be ‘my time’ and very productive, no interruptions.
@klugeryid
I don’t have earnings above 600K, but that is where the maximum Federal tax rate kicks in.
I do send additional tax money to my my municipality to help support voluntary fire and ems services and our public libraries. One can designate where the money will go (as opposed to the Town’s general fund). If our state and the federal government allowed similar designated tax contributions I might send them money as well, But as long as Trump thinks he can spend on a wall without Congressional authorization I’ll not send an extra cent.@BenL
Which candidates running on a platform of raising taxes did explicitly support?
I know I voted against Trump.
Just because a tax increase is in a platform does NOT mean it is the reason I vote for a particular candidate. I’ve never read a party of candidate’s platform (outside of my own candidacy for local office) and found that I agreed with 100% of the words therein.
I don’t support school vouchers, I do support increased funding for libraries and schools, if this requires increased taxes, the increase is not the reason for my vote.
I voted in favor of a sewer tax in our town 25 years ago, as I believed sanitary sewers were better for public health than septic tanks, and cesspools.“That why you can say “Omg there was A MILLION people there” because you aren’t deceiving anyone, everyone knows that slang for “a lot of people” and no one ACTUALLY thinks there WAS a million people there.”
UNLESS you are the lying, delusional Donald Trump making claims of how many were at his inauguration……….
@Ben Levi
You are making false accusations
I have never voted to raise taxes on other people as you claim.
Saying I am willing to pay higher taxes is not the same thing.
I do not live in a town where tax rate is subject to a plebiscite (although that is the system less than 3 miles from my home),@AviK
Please show me where I am being generous with someone else’s money as you state.
I said I’d be willing to pay an income tax rate of 50%.
I don’t set tax rates or impose them, I have one vote at the ballot box. I am no longer an elected official and when I was I was not one who set tax rates.Someone has to pay for the roads we drive on, the military, schools, libraries, plowing the snow, etc and that takes money (tax revenue).
Please keep in mind that the top tax rate is not on every dollar, the rate rises as income rises. After a certain amount of income, needs are more than adequately met and more can be paid in tax for the greater good.
Believe me, I don’t need 73% of every dollar earned in excess of 600K (includes spouse). I could live just fine keeping 50% of earnings above 600K and think most would say the same.@anonymousjew
NY 2018 State income tax top rate 8.82%
PLUS there are city or county income tax in some places such as NYC and Yonkers, NYC is almost 4%CT State income tops out at under 7%, no state or county income tax.
Very few people leave CT because of the income tax rate, more because of the stagnant economy, and local property tax rates and northern weatherI have many clients who now have Florida residency for tax purposes and still own homes an businesses in CT. They moved, but are still here.
I have not done my 2018 taxes yet, but will be paying at least 30K more than 2017 tax year due to changes in the IRS code pushed through by Trump. B”H I can afford it, but many of my neighbors cannot. It doesn’t take much of a house and income to exceed the 10K deductible limit now in force.
Be careful with your accusations. I did not smear any class of people. Uncle Ben specifically asked me about those people with trusts/inherited wealth I’ve met. I gave my observations about them,
My largest Trust that I administer has a current value of more than $30 Million US. It is now paying out to the 5th generation. Under my management it has sustained a return in excess of 8% for more than 34 years. The great grandparents who established the family Trusts were landlords dating back to the early 1900s. They never sold a building and never raised rent once a tenant was in place. The current 40-50 year old generation has this same philosophy about holding onto assets and keeping tenants long term. For the past 30 years it has been money making money through financial instrument investments. 80% of the return is paid out to family members and 10 percent is given to charities, 10 percent is for overhead.
Trusts don’t pay income taxes, the beneficiaries do, This is why almost all the beneficiaries live in Florida (no state income tax).@2scents
Those who inherit their money are also subject to inheritance tax, as well as income tax. Your inventor is not.
I’d like to tax all estates starting at 5 million dollars. There was no reason it jumped to 11 million in 2018 to benefit trump’s cronies.
And yes my estate would have to pay taxes@UncleBen
#1 self made people of wealth are NOT the same socio-economic strata as old money. They are the noveau riche. The groups do not generally mix. The self made are often trying to show their wealth by aquisitions and trappings. Old money is understated.
#2 The 3rd and 4th generation beneficiaries of the family trusts have learned to be wary of gold diggers and learned to live according to the rules et forth or suffer the consequences of their actions.About 5 years a go I was holding a premarital conference with a 4th generation trust daughter and her fiancee. The young man asked how much money the girl would be ‘kicking’ in to buy and furnish their starter home. The man expected an equal contribution to the money he’d earned and would be spending. The girl replied, oh your type buys it, we inherit it. She then asked me what properties were in the family portfolio that would be suitable homes any tenant in place in the chosen home be given a notice of non-renewal of lease. She also suggested a tour of the storage building on grandfather’s estate to choose furniture, artwork, china, crystal and silver. No need to touch capital to outfit a home,
I have seen the trust fund babies go through their sense of entitlement in their teen years, but once they start receiving a regular trust income as an adult they fall in line. Many work hard to preserve the trust to insure the future of their offspring.
It is also my observation that the trust families are far more charitable than the self mades who are all about me@2scents
Your premise is faulty. Many of the rich did not figure out how to make money, their parents or grandparents did.I have trust clients who receive annual incomes in the millions because great grandfather made a fortune. The current recipient(s) have never worked and would have no way to amass a new fortune.
As my father Z”L used to say every April as he wrote a large check to the government: You have to make it to pay it, and thank G-d I made it.
I remember income tax rates of 70% and now believe 33% is too low on those with large incomes.
I would have no problem with 50% top Federal income tax rate…provided not one cent is spent on the useless southern border wall.DISCLOSURE: as a senior citizen, I have no deductions for children and my home’s mortgage was paid off years ago. The Trump changes already reduced my deduction for state taxes (property and income) to 10K which is less than 1/3 of what I pay. STILL, I am willing to pay more so those who truly need government help will get it.
I’m a child of the 1950s not the 80s.
Television went off the air at 11:30 after the newscast. There weren’t 24 hour video diversions and personal computers to distract you and keep you up late.
Since my teen years I go to sleep at 1am (meaning turn off the light after I may have been reading in bed) and I wake automatically at 5am. I don’t use an alarm clock, I have an internal clock.
There are no electric or electronic devices ion my bedroom to disturb sleep. This means nothing is plugged in which has colored lights showing it is charged, charging, synced to wifi, etc. My cell phone is on my desk in my home office, it does not come to the bedroom. The days of a baby monitor are gone. no noises to wake us during the night. I let the dogs out at midnight and again at 5:10.I also drink coffee top relax at night, the caffeine does not keep me up, Mrc. CTL cannot drink caffeine after 3PM if she wants a good night sleep.
When the grandchildren are here for the summer we have set sleep times. Under 5, 7:30pm, 5-8, 8:30 pm, 8-13, 9pm, Teenagers 10:30pm and everyone up by 7:30, 8am minyan in the house, 8:45 breakfast.
@Uncle Ben
Mrs. CTL is mostly retired (due to medical reasons) but was a realtor/designer/builder. Her office is in an outbuilding on our property. If she has a construction project going on the grandchildren (as our kids) love to be on the building site helping and learning. Last summer our eldest grandson learned to drive small excavators and pickup trucks at a senior housing development we were doing.
I own my law firm, my children and some spouses are associates and taking over much of the workload as I near retirement. I have an office in the home as well. Unless I have to be in court, I can work remotely and take off lots of time in the summer.
Not only are all our grandchildren here for the summer, but many of my siblings grandchildren are also in the compound for the summer. Mrs. CTL’s sisters live within a block distance and tend to be here most days.
It’s almost like having our own bungalow colony without having to drive to the country.Mrs. CTL and I made this decision many decades ago, to keep adding on to the house and amenities to keep the family together. We don’t go away on vacations, the kids and grandchildren are not shipped off to camp and we don’t pay dues to a swim or beach club. In all it has been much cheaper and we feel the children have been much safer than if in the care of strangers.
@Uncle Ben
In the morning the older boys/girls learn with the younger ones for a while. We have a built in swimming pool, tennis and basketball court and baseball/soccer layout for sports. We do arts and crafts, Mrs. CTL has taught most of them to play piano and I play and can teach clarinet and saxophone. We take them to area parks and attractions and sailing on Long Island Sound. The kids spend time learning to cook and I teach home repair skills.
They each are given a small patch in our vegetable gardens to plant and care for. They go for hikes and bike rides on our 4 town trail.
Mostly they use their imagination to keep busy with each other, they don’t need the over-programming of school and camp. Nothing wrong with hanging out under a tree and reading a book, jumping rope, playing with a toy or doll, shooting baskets, playing with the dogs and just being a kid.That was one incorrect comment. Henry Ford did not invent the automobile.
1886 is regarded as the birth year of the modern car when German inventor Karl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Cars became widely available in the early 20th century. One of the first cars that were accessible to the masses was the 1908 Model T, an American car manufactured by the Ford
Edited
It is not just Yeshivos who have added breaks and cut instructional time.
When I went to college, semesters were 15 weeks plus exams.
My oldest had 14 weeks including exams
Many college semesters are now 12 weeks.Cutting instructional time allows institutions to cut expenses while still raising tuition. Shutting down in winter also saves on heating costs.
If the cost of running the schools was not so high and income so low, we would not be seeing all these days off
Uncle Ben,
This thread is just a little Pre-Purim levity.
It is obvious that Joseph is not my son..My sons live and work in CT None of my children live in NYC.
BTW, love your rice
Uncle Ben
In the past 40+ years I’ve known more than a dozen Orthodox Jewish Lawyers who have held elected positions in suburban CT. This includes towns/cities such as West Hartford, Bloomfield, Stamford, Norwalk, Westport, Fairfield and others I shall not name.
Most of these elected positions are part time on Boards and Commissions or the town legislature. They are without pay, In addition I knew such people serving in cities such as New Haven, Waterbury, Norwich, New London, Bridgeport. Not all of these have an orthodox community anymore. Some such as Bridgeport are cities in their own right, but also commuting suburbs of New York@Joseph
Tatte is going to have to give you a potch in tuchkes.
How many times have I told you not to touch my business phone?
I have nothing to hide, but you could have violated atty/client privilege
It’s a good thing that I make all my clients sign a form allowing any of my employees at the CTL firm to see all info.
Why do you think I give you your allowance with a company check? and file taxes for you every year? and pay the taxes?
It’s not that I think a 40 year old shouldn’t be earning a living, but to protect myself from lawsuits, because you refuse to grow up