Reflecting on Fanny and Rosa Sonnenschein (Yom Kippur 2021)

On this Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish faith, I am reflecting on my ancestors.

Having said this, I should mention that I was not brought up with any practices in Judaism. I knew nothing about my Jewish roots until I was in my thirties and living in New York City.

Getting back to my ancestors, Fanny 'Wink' Sonnenschein, my father's grandmother, and my great grandmother, had an eye afliction. One of her eyes performed so much less than the other that it caused it to turn completely inward; and she was ultimately nicknamed Wink, by her mother, Rosa Fassel Sonnenschein.

Images of both Fanny and Rosa Sonnenschein are featured in the collage atop this entry.

Fanny is at the left, Rosa is at the right. Rosa Sonnenschein was the "flamboyant editor and publisher of The American Jewess, the first (1895) independent American Jewish magazine, published by a woman" and dedicated to issues concerning women. 

I am not certain if Rosa had poor eye-sight and perhaps if she had an affliction, she hid it. However, from what I understand about Rosa Sonnenschein, she was not shy about who she was or what she stood for. This is evidenced in a description that is on the backside of the image I've included in the collage atop this entry.

I realize that text is hard to decipher so I've taken the liberty of posting a copy of it directly below:

Memorial Day 2020

A BRAMHALL CARTOON

As many know, Memorial Day (which is being celebrated today), was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers.

But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971.

According to Wikipedia, "The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress' change of date within a few years.

"Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the unofficial beginning of summer. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to the original date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:

"Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.

"Starting in 1987 Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, introduced a measure to return Memorial Day to its traditional date. Inouye continued introducing the resolution until his death in 2012."

This fact re switching the date of the holiday may be the reason that a number of Americans seem to have forgotten the true meaning of this solemn day; as poignantly illustrated in the cartoon by Bramhall, seen in the image atop this entry.

Identifying with Pigeons who are Marginalized

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

Thanks to the long lens of my DSLR, I was able to observe the eyelids of a pigeon who stopped by my rooftop garden and sat on a pole which supports my string lights. Yes, I said that this bird sat on a pole supporting my string lights.

Stanley Tate (in a column) proclaims,"Pigeons sit on top of something rather than grip a perch. Their feet are fatter and shorter and their toenails are less curved."

This seems to be the case with the pigeon who visited my place the other day as evidenced in the photograph directly above as well as in the one directly below.

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

However, I wouldn't say that my visitor didn't "grip," for he/she seemed to do some gripping as evidenced in the next series of photographs.

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

The way in which this pigeon alighted on my pole was not the only action that caused me to be curious re his/her behavior, as states in my introduction, I initially noticed his/her lids were nearly closed; as seen in the first picture included within this entry, and the one directly below, my first thought was that he/she was about to take a nap.

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

However, since I couldn't be certain this pigeon's eyelids indicated he/she was about to snooze, I did some research re the eyelids of pigeons and discovered some interesting facts. According to an unnamed general web-page in my Google search, "Pigeons, like humans, can see in colour, but unlike humans they can also see ultraviolet light, a part of the spectrum that humans cannot see. As a result, pigeons are often used in search and rescue missions at sea because of this unique sense combined with excellent all-round vision." 

It's hard for me (and it seems Stanley Tate feels the same way) to comprehend why pigeons are so marginalized. Tate proclaims, "Although there is no objective dividing line between the two, people tend to separate them in their thoughts and attitudes. Doves are seen as clean in feather and in heart, gentle, peaceful, calming; and they have pretty blue eyelids. Pigeons are viewed as grimy, poopy, pestilential, and they are utterly common. But the birds we call doves are no cleaner than the ones we call pigeons — even the most urban pigeon is scrupulously well groomed, iridescent, and tidy. Tar on its coralred feet, perhaps, but no dirtier than a country mourning dove."

Perhaps I identify with pigeons being marginalized because of the way I've been sidelined as a result of my physical appearance as a result of having been born with Neurofibromatosis as well as four eye ailments (Keratoconus, Monocular vision, Optic atrophy and Staphyloma).

"I have a dream..." (So do I, Dr. King)

Today is not part of my blog posting schedule for this week, but in honor of the 1963 anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech," I am making an exception.

In his speech, Dr. King states: "....I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character..."

Like Dr. King, I have a dream too. I have a dream that one day I will not be judged by the fact that my eye turns inward.

I have a dream that one day I will not be judged by the fact that I have thousands of bumps and lumps all over my body (as a result of having Neurofibromatosis).

I have a dream that my insights into the power of verbal bullying will be healing and helpful to others who have been marginalized for whatever reason.

I spoke about this in my introductory video for" Imperfect Strangers" posted on You Tube as well as on Vimeo.

I plan to create a follow up video in the coming days. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, if you'd like to read the text of MLK's speech in its entirety, dear reader, please click here. Rest in Peace, Dr. King.

ADDENDUM

Here are the links to the follow up video mentioned in this entry which is posted on You Tube and Vimeo (respectively).

Follow-Up Friday (Re 1-12-2018 APPT)

THIS IS FROM A STORY IN VOLUME ONE

THIS IS FROM A STORY IN VOLUME ONE

The photos of a male and female house finch (respectively) which are included in the images directly above were taken in 2012, a time that it looked as if this bird variety was being susceptible to a type of conjunctivitis that had nearly wiped out their entire population (on the Eastern Seaboard) in the 1990's.

This is something I've included in volume one of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

THANKFULLY these birds seem to no longer be affected by this eye disease and if they are, it can be treated easily.

More News Re 12/12/2018

Earlier today, I published an entry here on Blogger re the fact that today is Connie Francis's eightieth birthday and in it I discussed my association with one of her songs.

Now I'm "reporting" some other news re today's date. As many of followers of this blog might recall, I have four separate eye conditions: Keratoconus, Monocular vision, Optic atrophy, and Staphyloma.

This means I only have "counting fingers vision" in my left eye and only see out of my right with corrective eye glasses, adaptive computer equipment, and long camera lenses.

Today, 12/12/2018, I have an appointment (noted in the screen shot atop this post) to check on the status of my situation and am anticipating a good prognosis, but it's been a very hard year, enduring eye procedures from January-September.

Still, with Chris Deatherage's (CD) encouragement as well as his editing/formatting skills, I was able to complete and publish my book series, Words In Our Beak.

THE WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

In the first volume of the series, I reference the fact that the entire population of both male and female house finches (the bird type pictured below respectively) was nearly wiped out due to a type of eye trauma that impacted them.

THIS IS FROM A STORY IN VOLUME ONE

THIS IS FROM A STORY IN VOLUME ONE

These birds are also featured on a couple of my greeting cards...

Update (Follow Up to 5-8-2018's Posting)

Many thanks to those of you who have inquired re my upcoming second eye surgery of 2018. As you may have recalled, the first surgical procedure took place this past May.

The next operation on my eye is scheduled for tomorrow, June 8th, which is exactly one month since the aforementioned procedure. Info re this is posted on my FB Author (TLLG) Page.

This surgical procedure is just one of the many reasons for my reduced blog posting schedule.

ADDENDUM 6-9-2018: The surgery is behind me (details posted here). Once again, thanks for your concern, dear reader.

NF* is "N.F." (NO FUN): Tuesday's Truths WK 83 *Neurofibromatosis

The cartoon posted atop this blog entry was included within one of my Facebook postings this past Friday. In that entry I stated: "This morning, I had an appointment with the eye surgeon who removed a cataract from my right eye in 2014, which was a very dangerous procedure since I can only see out of that eye. In my left eye, I have what is known as "counting fingers only" vision and even that is very blurry. The surgeon removed the cataract from that eye in 2015, but a secondary cataract has developed, which she will remove next month, on June 8th. And, UNFORTUNATELY, I now have a lump growing on the eyelid of the left eye, which needs to be attended to ASAP. Through a referral from my eye surgeon, I've set up an appointment for next week to see what can be done about this. Very disconcerting news for me, especially given my precarious living situation! Obviously, I need to buy more than a VOWEL!"

The lump which I am referring to in that FB entry, may or may not be due to my medical condition of Neurofibromatosis, a condition which I discussed in yesterday's posting here on Blogger.

At my appointment with an eye specialist that is scheduled for the later this morning I will find out if the growth is related to NF.

Monday's Musings for May 7th 2018

The PEANUTS comic strip that I've posted atop this entry was published 39 years ago today, and upon my seeing it, I was reminded of my initial experience of hearing birds sing in my rooftop garden.

Sunday's Sequel Regarding Canadian Geese (The bird type featured in Friday's post.)

CANADIAN GEESE ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME 2

The photograph atop this entry features a prominent (and feisty) member of the Canadian Geese family. He/she is spending time in the lake within Central Park while a lone female Mallard duck (at the left) observes (with amusement) the silly goose.