My father, Henry Hausdorff, z”l, had a very heavy and cumbersome menorah. Made of solid brass and estimated to be 200 to 250 years old, based on some research, it might be a museum piece. Over 35 years ago, I saw a display of similar ones in in Tel Aviv at the ANU – Museum of the Jewish People (formerly the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora.) Back then, those menorahs were valued between $800 to $1,200! Current values begin at $3,000, with more intricate ones valued much more.

According to that display, the menorahs were made in Poland. This makes me chuckle since Dad’s paternal family was very proud of their German ancestry. (Actually, the family roots can be traced to Posen, which was the Prussian name of the Polish town of Poznan, when it was part of East Prussia – from about 1815 until after World War I.)

Back to Dad’s menorah: Following his petira, I put the menorah on top of a tall bookcase in our house. We never used it. Dad’s menorah stayed on the bookcase, slowly accumulating a thick layer of dust.

A few months ago, the Where What When published an informative article by Howard Shiman, an avid local bicyclist, with some “rules of the road.” A subsequent issue included a letter to the editor about driving, citing violations of Maryland law as well as basic driving etiquette. I’d like to expand on that writer’s letter, as I, too, am frequently amazed and stunned by some of the illegal as well as dangerous driving habits in our neighborhood.

There are too many near accidents in Northwest Baltimore. For example, I was stopped at the red light at Park Heights and Fords Lane. The driver idling next to me in the left lane made a right turn onto Fords Lane, right in front of me. Lucky for me, the light was still red, and I was not moving.