A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 169 of Doviβs Digest.
My family often crops up in these little intros I write for the Digest. It can be something as basic as anecdotes about fishing, but specially in the earlier editions they were longer, more in depth, and very personal. One in particular stood out to me and touched many of you. In Digest Volume 48 (which you can read here) I wrote about my paternal grandfather, how he left his family in Lithuania at a young age and went to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to start a new life. He never saw his family again and he carried that heartache and burden with him until he died.
My grandfather wasnβt a religious man, but when he found out that no one in his small town in rural Zimbabwe was able to lead synagogue services, he took it upon himself to make sure every shabbat and festival was observed properly β then went and opened his small watchmaking store. For over forty years he led the services in that small community, holding them together and providing a place for the 100 strong Jewish population to gather. He died suddenly in 1982 at the age of 60, and once his cementing presence was gone, the community quickly dwindled and disappeared. The synagogue building was sold off, and the religious books divvied up and given away.
However, no one knew what happened to the Torah scrolls from which my grandfather had read weekly. They seemed to have disappeared into thin air. For years, my father tried to track the scrolls down, going from community to community, phoning people, sending letters, all to no avail. Until a few months ago someone forwarded him a story in the Jerusalem Post about one of those Torahs which had been missing for four decades. The story was picked up in the South African Jewish Report, one thing led to another, and last week I went to a small farming town south of Jerusalem and attended a re-dedication ceremony for this Torah, where I was privileged to read from the very same torah my grandfather read from nearly fifty years ago. It was an emotional day, the culmination of a story more than a generation in the making. You can read more about it (and even see a picture of me!) in this weekβs headline article.
In this weekβs added extras: high dive boards are pretty scary even at 3m, but how do normal people react to a 10m high one? The NYT video below will show you how. You can also have a look through these mesmerizingly beautiful tile designs from the 1800s (it may sound boring, itβs not. Theyβre gorgeous and the way they all fit together is almost hypnotic, plus thereβs some AI involved), and finally, have you ever wondered what the difference is between your phone and the latest version? Or how Energizer and Duracell batteries weigh up against each other? Well look no further as this website will let you compare absolutely anything against anything else.Β Β
I know only having one weekly digest can leave you wanting more. Luckily for you there are three separate platforms for you to get your fill, each with all new and exciting content. Check them out at the links below π
Do you enjoy the Digest? Would you like it to get better? Then please consider sharing it, as the more articles Iβm sent, the better it is. It only takes a few seconds, and all you need to do is click here π. Thank you!
There was ONE correct answer to last weekβs brainteaser. Well done Ariel Subotzky! The answer and this weekβs puzzle are below.
Aside from poignant personal stories, there is the usual dusting of articles. In a small tip of the hat to National Womenβs Day which was two days ago in South Africa, discover the worldβs first female stuntwoman who broke many boundaries and barriers, have a look at the doodles in sacred texts written nearly 1000 years ago, learn how to take solace in the fact that youβre not the best at something (and why thatβs a good thing), travel into the reason airplane food is so uniquely bad and good, read about the literacy programme in the UK that is empowering hundreds of adults to learn how to read no matter how old they are, and get sucked into the remarkable story of a former gang-banger who turned his life around and became a graduate of one of Americaβs best universities. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Lost and Found: Torahβs Journey Ends in Discovery
Naughty Nuns, Flatulent Monks, And Other Surprises of Sacred Medieval Manuscripts
Flipping through an illustrated manuscript from the 13th century, youβd be forgiven for thinking that Jesus loved a good fart joke.
Hollywoodβs First Professional Stuntwoman Jumped from Planes and Swung onto Trains
Dubbed βthe most daring actress in pictures,β Helen Gibson rose to fame in the 1910s.
The Pleasure of Being Mediocre
Laura Lippman was raised to excel, which meant dropping sports in favour of schoolwork. Decades later she returned to the tennis court to conquer her fears once and for all.
Whatβs The Deal with Airplane Food?
The science and secrets behind how in-flight meals are selected and prepared.
Read Easy: Literacy Scheme Gets Graham, 69, Reading for First Time
"It's like a flower opening up," says Graham, describing the elation at finally being able to decipher words.
The βUn-Becomingβ
A former L.A. gang member finds his resurrection tale at UC Berkeley.
Quotes of the Week:
βAny intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.β β Economist Ernst F Schumacher
Facts of the Week:
βThe Rockβ was told about the death of Osama bin Laden 45 minutes before the news media got hold of the story.
Nick Clegg announced the news of the 5p charge on plastic bags from a notorious Glasgow dogging site.
On 18 April 1930, the BBC announced there was no news that day, so listeners could enjoy some piano music.
George Gershwin learned to play the piano by copying the movement of the keys on a friend's pianola.
Anthony Trollope introduced the post box to Britain.
The UK's first post boxes were painted green to blend in with the landscape.
During the Second World War, the tops of British pillar boxes were coated with special yellow paint designed to detect poison gas.
Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, took mercury pills for immortality and died of mercury poisoning, aged 39.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
The year 2023 is special for the four members of the Smith family who are aged 11, 13, 41, and 47. What will be the next special year for the Smith family?
Last Weekβs Brainteaser and Answer:
What do the following songs have in common?
Β βAny Way You Want Itβ (Journey)
Β βBad Bloodβ (Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Β βCruiseβ (Florida Georgia Line)
Β βDancing Queenβ (ABBA)
Answer:
They all begin with the chorus.
Thanks for reading Doviβs Digest!Β