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Faige Illanit (Hindes)

I like the fact that people actually responded to my writer's block with what they wanted to see and read here on the blog. Some said pictures, because they can't STAND when I voice state my opinions on issues of the day and previous days. Some want me to dig up dirt on whom they don't like, or verify old time rumors about this one and that one that they never could ascertain for sure. Like one question I was asked was "was Shulamit Aloni Reb Shimon Shkop's granddaughter?" the answer is NO! You're confusing her with another very left wing MP, Faige Illanit of MaPam, daughter of Reb Shrage Faivel Hindes, Reb Shimon's eidem. She was actually raised by her illustrious zeide after her mother, daughter of Reb Shimon passed away. It seems like her zeide kept in touch with her even after she made aliya and left the path. Which shows up a side of Reb Shimon which today's zealots wouldn't want you to see; ah tatte, ah zeide, ah yid mit ah yiddishe hartz. I would always dare say that she has an eydele geshtalt, despite her lifestyle... And if you think I "shep nachas" from these "expose's" you couldn't be more hopelessly wrong. Others wanted me to write about my childhood again; they said they liked the Stories from Spinka etc. All suggestions were duly noted and will be weighed heavily. Which reminds me; all the talk about the Schneerson gezha and the lack of religious descendants brought this irony to the surface:

There was a certain Rebbe who had a non-frum daughter. She too grew up in very difficult times in the Holy Land, and eventually joined a non-frum Kibbutz, living her life there till the end of her days. She passed away recently and her death was noted in some sort of publication, I don't remember if it was a Kibbutz publication or a national newspaper in Israel. She was some sort of leader in the Kibbutz movement till her dying day, which made it newsworthy, I guess. The woman had siblings who should have sat shiva for her. One of the siblings has a grandson, whom I met recently, and I asked him if his antecedent sat shiva recently, so he said "Yes, for his brother." The truth is he had a brother who passed away recently too, but that's not what I meant. I was asking about the sister. Yet, this bochur HAD NO IDEA THAT HIS ZEIDE HAD A SISTER, BICHLAL! Talk about revisionist history. So which is better: lying to your kids and not telling them that they have an irreligious aunt, or telling them that there was an uncle who nebach made life's choices that we do not agree with, but we still include him in our family?

Do tell.


Reb Shimon, zt"l