Our task this Shabbat was actually pretty well timed... my Dad's cousin has been transferring old home movies into digital form and then sending them to our family. The videos are old - old enough that my father was very young, but not so old that I couldn't recognize my grandmother and grandfather (although they were, of course, not as I remember them). The movies are silent; some in color, some not. I've only seen a couple before, so I decided to watch a silent movie that had a personal connection to me instead of one from youtube.
There used to be a family council that met once a year for many many years but hasn't been in existence since probably the 70s. It was a grand event (we have a picture of one such council where there had to have been at least 100 family members there - all from one side!) The video I watched was shot during one of these gatherings in the mid to late 60s. I never met my grandfather on my dad's side, and my grandmother was pretty sickly throughout my childhood. It was pretty exciting to see them alive and vibrant, dancing and singing (silently to me), hugging and kissing people I've never met but am related to. Unfortunately, no one can really tell me what exactly was said in this video, but the tone is pretty clear: love and family.
Lisa Friedman
Showing posts with label Find silence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Find silence. Show all posts
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Many Kinds of Silence
This weekend I decided to take advantage of my first three days off since the students have been back. It was a perfect time for me to seek out silence.
I set out to complete the task that Daniel put forth and really enjoyed watching R.E.M's "Man on the Moon" on mute (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hKSYgOGtos). The beginning of the video reminded me of an old western where a guy was aimlessly wandering through the desert, talking to himself while random images flashed on the screen. Of course, when you watch it back and listen to the lyrics, you realize the images weren't so random afterall.
Another interesting thing happened when I tried to find silence at various points throughout the weekend. No matter where I was or what I was doing, when the noise around me ceased, new melodies and lyrics came into my head. After writing all the new music down, I began to wonder. Many times I feel that I am forcing the creative process- trying to be inspired by new sights and sounds. Maybe I haven't had (song)writer's block. Maybe all I needed was a little silence.
I set out to complete the task that Daniel put forth and really enjoyed watching R.E.M's "Man on the Moon" on mute (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hKSYgOGtos). The beginning of the video reminded me of an old western where a guy was aimlessly wandering through the desert, talking to himself while random images flashed on the screen. Of course, when you watch it back and listen to the lyrics, you realize the images weren't so random afterall.
Another interesting thing happened when I tried to find silence at various points throughout the weekend. No matter where I was or what I was doing, when the noise around me ceased, new melodies and lyrics came into my head. After writing all the new music down, I began to wonder. Many times I feel that I am forcing the creative process- trying to be inspired by new sights and sounds. Maybe I haven't had (song)writer's block. Maybe all I needed was a little silence.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Task 4-Find Silence
Hello Group Aleph,
I want to preface this weeks "Task" with withing all of you a L'shana Tova! I hope this year brings each of you love, happiness, and good fortune. I am thrilled to be writing this weeks task, as it so clearly relates to Rosh Hashanah and what I feel is the most wonderful part about the holidays. So often we lose touch with family, friends and all the people we claim are so important to us, but during the holidays we all find a way to come together to share in our own individual holiday experience. To me that is what I find most exciting about the holidays, is knowing that I will be breaking bread with family that otherwise I am unable to see on a regular basis. There are however so many other people that we lose touch with.
Think back to your childhood, a time when you would go outside and know all of the children on your street, you parents knew all the parents of your friends, and when you were bored you just walked next door to ring the doorbell. Consider now that we have a Shabbat experiment to instruct us to avoid technology (because we rely on it to much), to get outside (because we spend to much time indoors and forget the beauty of the outdoors) and so many other things we will do over the next 7 weeks. Even in our jobs we have become used to using our technology to contact people, including people like our neighbors or even the person in the next office.
This Shabbat I challenge you to find silence, the silence you have let happen between you and another person and to break it! This weekend take the time to knock on your neighbors door, or to call and spend time with a person you have not spoken with in a long time. Call them, take the time to actually call them and see how they are doing, and make a plan to see them this weekend. Start this new year with an act of kindness, and when you see this person do something nice for them. Go to your neighbors house, knock on the door and hand them a bottle of wine to wish them a happy new year (it doesn't matter if they are Jewish), just do something that will break the silence that has formed between you and someone else.
Please when you have done this go online and write just a few words about what their facial expression said to you. Were they shocked, appreciative, or just freaked out. Take the time to write about the feeling you get from reconnecting and doing something nice for another person.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year!
-Benjamin Fogel
I want to preface this weeks "Task" with withing all of you a L'shana Tova! I hope this year brings each of you love, happiness, and good fortune. I am thrilled to be writing this weeks task, as it so clearly relates to Rosh Hashanah and what I feel is the most wonderful part about the holidays. So often we lose touch with family, friends and all the people we claim are so important to us, but during the holidays we all find a way to come together to share in our own individual holiday experience. To me that is what I find most exciting about the holidays, is knowing that I will be breaking bread with family that otherwise I am unable to see on a regular basis. There are however so many other people that we lose touch with.
Think back to your childhood, a time when you would go outside and know all of the children on your street, you parents knew all the parents of your friends, and when you were bored you just walked next door to ring the doorbell. Consider now that we have a Shabbat experiment to instruct us to avoid technology (because we rely on it to much), to get outside (because we spend to much time indoors and forget the beauty of the outdoors) and so many other things we will do over the next 7 weeks. Even in our jobs we have become used to using our technology to contact people, including people like our neighbors or even the person in the next office.
This Shabbat I challenge you to find silence, the silence you have let happen between you and another person and to break it! This weekend take the time to knock on your neighbors door, or to call and spend time with a person you have not spoken with in a long time. Call them, take the time to actually call them and see how they are doing, and make a plan to see them this weekend. Start this new year with an act of kindness, and when you see this person do something nice for them. Go to your neighbors house, knock on the door and hand them a bottle of wine to wish them a happy new year (it doesn't matter if they are Jewish), just do something that will break the silence that has formed between you and someone else.
Please when you have done this go online and write just a few words about what their facial expression said to you. Were they shocked, appreciative, or just freaked out. Take the time to write about the feeling you get from reconnecting and doing something nice for another person.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year!
-Benjamin Fogel
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Silent Films
Here is Group Gimmel's task for find silence:
Find silence. Find a YouTube video you've never seen before and watch it without volume. You might want to find a music video, or a friend's footage from her trip to Asia, or clips from a favorite TV show, or someone's old home videos. As you watch, narrate in your head what you think might be happening. Then watch the video with sound to see what you missed. Feel free to repeat until you discover something surprising, or awesome, or breathtaking, or hilarious. Share your favorites on the blog.
Find silence. Find a YouTube video you've never seen before and watch it without volume. You might want to find a music video, or a friend's footage from her trip to Asia, or clips from a favorite TV show, or someone's old home videos. As you watch, narrate in your head what you think might be happening. Then watch the video with sound to see what you missed. Feel free to repeat until you discover something surprising, or awesome, or breathtaking, or hilarious. Share your favorites on the blog.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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