We’re baaack! And I am delighted to report that our trip to Mexico was a resounding success on every level. As I mentioned in my last message, we were staying with my cousin Linda who retired to Ajijic Mexico several years ago. We had not seen each other on over 27 years. Well, all I can say is that the moment we saw each other, all of those years simply melted away. It was as if we picked up our conversation from a week ago. She was the perfect host. Her two pups, Guapo and Chula also did their very best to make us feel at home as well.

I was intrigued by the closeness of the small but active Jewish community in Ajijic. A lovely lady by the name of Anne Lewis is responsible for getting everyone together for holiday and Sabbath services as well as a monthly Jewish history group. I had the pleasure of meeting most of the members of the Jewish Community and came away with the sense of having made some new and good friends. To all of you in Mexico who are reading this newsletter (you know who you are) Ola! And many thanks from Arnold, Jessica and myself for making us all feel so very much at home. And to you my dearest Cousin Linda, I cannot begin to explain how wonderful it was to finally get to see you again. If anything, you are even warmer and more beautiful than you were all those years ago. You made your home ours for the entire stay, and went out of your way each and every day to make sure we experienced as much of your new homeland as was possible in a weeks time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your hospitality and generosity. Don’t be surprised if you find us on your doorstep again at some time in the not too distant future. That’s how much we loved our visit with you.

Pesach is almost upon us. April 7th is the first Seder night. There is much to remind us of what Passover is all about. Our Jewish meshpochah in Israel are confronted with continued terrorist activity that is taking the lives of innocent citizens almost every day. So many of the victims of these attacks are children which is the greatest crime of all. When our children die, our future dies with them. This year when we express the annual sentiment of “Next year in Jerusalem” let us add one word to that sentence. Let’s say “Next year in peaceful Jerusalem.” This year as we sit at our seder tables, let’s not only remember the Jews of ancient times who were slaves under Pharaoh and freed by G-D thru his agent of the day Moses. Let us also remember all of our Jewish brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers who are enslaved in an atmosphere of hatred and violence. Let us pray for G-D to find a way to lead them out of this existence of warfare, and into a life of peace within our promised homeland where respect and compassion exists with their neighbours. Wouldn’t this be a marvelous year for Elijah to finally make his presence felt? I know my door will be left a jar a bit wider this year.

I would like to say a few words once again about the “Forum”. For the past couple of months I have been promising a new and more user friendly format. We are continuing to work on achieving this for you, but it is not as easy as we had hoped it would be. In all honesty, part of the problem has to do with money. There are a number of excellent software programs that would serve well as our forum interface, but unfortunately they are very expensive. As you know, we make no money from the newsletter or the glossary projects. These are entirely labours of love for which we foot the bill for all expenses. We have no plans or desires to change this policy and therefore we are continuing our search for software that will enable us to improve the forum format, without breaking the bank. I ask you to please be patient for a bit longer and continue using the Megillah forum in its present interface. I will send out a general notice when we are ready to establish the new format. At that time, all current posting will be erased, and we will be starting from the beginning with a totally clean slate. We are presently experimenting with a few alternative software programs, and I am certain we will find one that is satisfactory in the very near future.

Please accept our sincere wishes to all of you for a sweet, happy and healthy Pesach. “Next year in peaceful Jerusalem.”

Enjoy the Megillah! Much love to all of you,
Michael D. Fein
Editor