William Penn Life, 2018 (53. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2018-12-01 / 12. szám
Tibor's Take As the news of armistice reaches the little Hungarian village, Moses Mandelbaum—the avuncular shop owner—rejoices as the newspaper brings reports of President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points. Heartbreakingly, Moses tearfully says that his sons had not died in vain, that "a new day is coming...no more wars...no more persecution, no more intolerance ever." As I sat in the dusty corner of our guest room, I realized for the first time The Singing Tree was published in 1939, on the eve of World War II. With that historical context, the words of this fictional Hungarian Jewish merchant leap off the page in gut-wrenching irony. I wonder what Kate Seredy thought about the horrors that followed in Hungary a few short years later. All is not lost, however. I like to think of another vignette in The Singing Tree that is especially relevant around the holidays. As the large, extended family is huddled around Christmas dinner, a soldier tells a story about a tree he saw on the Eastern Front. For miles and miles, all the trees, if there were any, were skeletal wooden forms stripped of leaves and bark by artillery and flame. But, the soldier came upon an apple tree which had remained miraculously untouched. To his ears, the soldier thought that the tree was singing. Upon further inspection, he realized that the singing was coming not from the tree, but from the hundreds of birds that had taken refuge in its solitary branches and leaves. He saw all sorts of birds, birds that were natural rivals in the wild, each one sharing in the safety of this remaining tree. In this day and age, I cannot help but feel that the fable of this singing tree has special relevance. We are all birds, and the singing tree is the world: it's the only one we have, so we might as well get along. Any other course leads to perdition. So, whether you are a cardinal or a bluejay, try to share the boughs of our own singing tree this holiday season. Sometimes, I think we too readily ignore children's books as simplistic or silly. Once in a while, however, I stumble upon a half-forgotten story that, on re-reading it, I am convinced was meant for adults. Kate Seredy's The Singing Tree is one of those books. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Holidays. Tibor II Tibor Check, Jr., is a member of Branch 28 and an attorney working in Washington, D.C. Enjoy even more tastes of Hungary An outstanding collection of Treasured Hungarian Recipes and family favorites WILLIAM PENJJ The Official WPA Cookbooks Buy one or both - Different recipes in each book A Taste of Hungarian Heaven - $20 per copy A spiral-bound book with 500-plus delicious recipes Treasured Hungarian Recipes - $7 per copy A collection of 160 classic Magyar recipes Prices include shipping and handling.-T TÄ-sie of tuncja.ruin WeWen Make your check payable to “WPFA Scholarship Foundation” and mail to: WPA Cookbook, William Penn Association,709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 All proceeds benefit the William Penn Fraternal Association Scholarship Foundation, Inc. WILLIAM PENN LIFE 0 December 2018 ° 7
