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The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
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Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
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Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds
Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
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Jewish World Review
April 24, 2014 / 24 Nissan, 5774
American Proud
By
Michael Reagan
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It was nice to be away from politics for a week.
It was even nicer to be in the great city of Boston for six days to celebrate the running of the 118th Boston Marathon.
Watching the race with a million people — and meeting so many wonderful Bostonians — was an incredible experience.
A year after two domestic terrorists killed three and maimed 260 others watching the famous race, 32,530 runners set out for the finish line on Monday.
Most of the runners were there this year for a special reason — to show up and show the world their resiliency and defiance.
As the race announcer told them at the start of the race, they were there to "take back the finish line" from those who would try to scare us or do us harm.
The world's most famous foot race is held on Patriots Day and the whole city is consumed by the event and its buildup.
The Red Sox always play an 11 a.m. game on Marathon Monday, so it's possible to see the ballgame at Fenway and still get to the finishing stretch on Boylston Street before the race ends.
My wife Colleen, daughter Ashley and Jerry, a friend from Utah, ran in the race while my son Cameron and I went to the Red Sox-Orioles game.
Between innings the big screen on the scoreboard put up the names of the marathon's top finishers.
When the crowd of 37,513 saw the winner was an American — Meb Keflezighi of San Diego by way of Eritrea — it jumped to its feet as one and started chanting "USA, USA, USA!"
It was an incredible moment.
When I went over to Boylston Street to watch my wife and daughter finish their race, it was so crowded I never made it to my grandstand seats.
But I saw some great moments from the sidewalk.
I saw a bare-chested man pass by who had shaved his amazingly hairy chest into the image of the American Flag.
I saw the employees of the Marathon Sports outlet on Boylston Street close up their store and come out to cheer on the owner as he ran by.
I watched and applauded as the beloved father-and-son running team, the Hoyts, came into view.
As the crowd cheered them on, Dick Hoyt, 73, pushed his son Rick Hoyt, 52, in his custom-racing wheelchair. It was their 32nd marathon as a duo, and their final one.
Last year was supposed to be the Hoyts' final race, but the bombing cut their run short. They decided to return this year for personal reasons and to honor last year's victims.
I watched and applauded one of those bombing victims — a young woman who'd lost part of her leg — run past wearing a prosthetic. Talk about spirit and resilience.
Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, independent, atheist — none of those labels mattered on Marathon Monday.
Everyone was an America — and proud to show it.
What the city of Boston and its great citizens showed me was that we're really not that different under our political labels. We can unite around our core values and make it back from adversity.
The marathon went off without a hitch. It was safe and secure and devoid of politics. And it was a celebration of the American spirit in a place where that spirit was born.
When I flew from Boston on Wednesday bound for Rome, where I'd attend the canonization of Pope John Paul II, I left with renewed hope for the USA and a better feeling about its people.
Boston made me proud to be an American. My week there reminded me that despite all the partisan politicking and bickering we do, we're still capable of joining together to show who were are and what we stand for.
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Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "The New Reagan Revolution" (St. Martin's Press). He is the founder of the email service reagan.com and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation.
© 2014, Michael Reagan
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