B"H
striking out a claim in my Jewish heritage. The journey strides
forthwith. There has to be reason to this madness, maybe the
potion of martyrdo m is an ego -identity, indicative of imbalance in
the mental health that we shall presume can be healed.
I indicated previously that I wrote these passages in the vein
of internal expansion uniquely in order to keep abreast of myself
during the identity crisis I was going through at the age of sixty.
Life's burdens had taught me that no matter how steadily one
seems to be progressing on his or her course through life, almost
anything could occur to knock the wheels fro m the rails . The
me mory cells lighting up my imagination here and now. I a m
readying to leave the home and family I had built upon the
inspiration I should go forth to make an exploratory trip to
America, the land of the brave : to start a new lifestyle ! This was
a test of whether the brain maintains soul essence over great
distances. The outco me of that research has indicated to the
contrary. I started packing the absolute minimum of what I need
to take with me by organizing everything into suitcases many
weeks preceding my departure.
The time I spent in Safrascity was built on the pre mise Ala n
would be pleased if we could return to the good feelings we sha red
back fro m when we used to strut about the ca mpus in East Lansing.
I had actually landed employment as a kashrut supervisor in a
popular restaurant patronized by the religious community. On the
New Year's Day celebrated by Chinese people living in their
suburban western coast of America, I was traipsing about the street
in the attire of the Funny Rabbi celebrating Purim. The spirit of
Mickey ignited within me, and I enacted the role of the Music Ma n
- raising and tossing a mock baton high, a one -man parade. Life
lures me to disguise and to deport myself without any
consideration other than how I chose to act. I miss the free
impulses to which I gave expression where then nobody, or socia l
constraints restrained my speech or behavior.
There were many empt y spaces in the world between my
wanting to feel at home, secure, in Israel near family and the
designations that Truly Blue Alan Braid had expected to be
proffered when he agreed to sponsor my being his guest in
Safrascity for three weeks. The author choo ses not to dwell o n
unpleasant me mories that no longer remain intact. I should wis h
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