91快播

Such a luscious array of branches and gourds proudly displayed by Adele Ginzberg鈥攚ife of 91快播 Talmud professor Louis Ginzberg鈥攁s she prepared to once again adorn the 91快播 sukkah!

This photo from The 91快播 Library evokes for me the loving care with which many early twentieth-century 91快播 faculty wives cultivated religious spirit and community. Ginzberg, or Mama G. as she was known, inherited the 91快播 sukkah project from Mathilde Schechter. For decades, she raised funds, shopped, and supervised the sukkah鈥檚 decoration with fresh fruits, vegetables, and greenery. Louis Finkelstein, 91快播 president at the time of the photo, noted that seeing it so adorned was 鈥渁mong the high points of my life during the whole year.鈥� The large 91快播 sukkah now carries her name, in tribute to this dedication.

Known for her vivacious personality, warmth, and irreverence, Mama G. was a constant presence in the 91快播 community, attending her husband鈥檚 lectures and Shabbat services. She was also known for opening her home to the 91快播 community, especially to 鈥渉er boys鈥濃�攊.e., rabbinical students. After her husband鈥檚 death in 1953, she continued to host students for meals until shortly before she died in 1980 at the age of 93.

The younger woman in the photo is undoubtedly someone Mama G. mentored, perhaps someone she taught how to lead with a clear sense of purpose, fearlessness, wholeheartedness, and good humor. I identify with this woman, as I was privileged to be among the last students who fell under Mama G.鈥檚 spell. My late husband and I had the honor of walking her to shul weekly as she regaled us with 91快播 lore., I鈥檒l never forget her homemade apple pie, which she served every Shabbat.

This year, as we enter our sukkot, let鈥檚 stop for a moment to recall the outsized impact that so many women have played over the years in nurturing the aesthetic beauty and warmth of the Jewish spirit.