Alef: The NEXT Conversation

Sitting Shiva in the Land of Oz

By Stephanie Spiegel

Back at the hotel, flipping through the cable channels, I stumbled upon a favorite movie from childhood – The Wizard of Oz. In spite of my grief, I watched the film and my thoughts become a bit more focused.

Sitting in my aunt and cousin’s home, where my uncle’s death had left my family with an overwhelming sense of loss, I realized that we seek the same things that Dorothy and her three friends did on their journey to Oz:

As a scarecrow without a brain, we try to comprehend, but cannot.

As a tin-man without a heart, our hearts are heavy and torn.

As a lion without courage, we are weakened and feel powerless.

As a traveler without a home, we feel loss but search for comfort.

As we seek to fill the spiritual void, we look to that ultimate wizard. He/She/It, whatever you may subscribe to, tells us to sit shiva, say Kaddish, and reflect on the good times, to once again emerge into light and normal life. At that moment, I felt “there was no place like this home,” to be here with my family and for my family during this time.

Dedicated to my uncle, Edward ‘Ezra’ Spiegel (my father’s brother and best friend); my cousins Beryl, Jason, and Jared’s father, and my aunt Elissa.

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Photo by Fabio Ikezaki, licensed under Creative Commons.

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