Groundhog

February 20, 2025 | Third Thursday Thoughts
Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director

“So, it’s this small, cute, brown rodent that burrows underground and likes to sneak into people’s gardens and eat all the vegetables.” It was February 2, and I was struggling to describe a groundhog to Hedva, our visiting Israeli artist, and her partner Itay without the benefit of speaking Hebrew.

Hedva brightened. “Oh, we have those in Israel, too – they’re blind!”

“No,” I sighed, “That’s a mole.”

Once I had dredged up a photo of a groundhog thanks to Mr. Google, I ventured into weirder territory, detailing how this one groundhog named Phil had the power of prognostication and how up to 40,000 fans converge on an itty-bitty town in Pennsylvania every year to witness Phil predict the timing of Spring’s arrival. Let’s just say that even if I had a fluent command of Hebrew beyond the de rigueur tourist phrases and a smattering of memorized prayers, my explanation would still have been incomprehensible to Hedva and Itay. But because I am nothing if not determined, I went for broke and invited them over for a junk food and movie night featuring Bill Murray at his finest. Groundhog Day was a hit – with me, my husband, and the American friend who joined us for the evening, that is. As for Hedva and Itay… well, let’s just say they enjoyed the popcorn.

Our mission at the Maine Jewish Museum emphasizes building bridges of appreciation and understanding between people of all backgrounds. Sometimes, as with my abortive attempt to imbue Hedva and Itay with an appreciation and understanding of Punxsutawney Phil, our efforts don’t yield the desired result. And beyond the lightness and fun of sharing crazy American customs with friends from overseas, we are living in an increasingly polarized world, where each day seems to bring a fresh wave of grief and outrage and heartbreak, making bridge-building a daunting task. But the process is as important as the product, as the Mishnah reminds us: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”

Which is why I like to look at the unexpected ties that bind us. Back to Groundhog Day, Hedva and Itay may have been mystified by the holiday, but there is a Jewish connection there. Sam Light, a Jewish coal miner, became President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club in 1952 and decided he would give the day some added flair by wearing a top hat and tails when he pulled Phil the Groundhog from a tree stump shortly before 7:30 AM to determine if he could see his shadow. The costume caught on, and the top hat and tails tradition continues to this day (Sam Light passed on in 1983, and his own trademark top hat is now on display at the Punxsutawney Historical Society).

As we head into March, it is also worth noting that corned beef became a St. Patrick’s Day staple because in the early 20^th century, when Irish and Jewish immigrants lived in close proximity to one another in many U.S. cities, Irish immigrants realized that the corned beef their Jewish neighbors enjoyed was similar to bacon, but cheaper and more accessible. In fact, kosher butchers had almost as many Irish customers as Jewish customers back in the day! We will be celebrating this happy confluence of cultures at MJM on Sunday, March 9 with Shalom & Shamrocks: An Irish-Jewish Corned Beef Feast, our first-ever event in collaboration with the  Maine Irish Heritage Center. After all, why choose between an Irish corned beef dinner or Jewish corned beef on rye when you can have them both?! The corned beef will be kosher, there will be Guiness chocolate cupcakes and Dr. Brown’s mocktails, and the fun factor will be off the charts! Space is limited and FOMO is real, so don’t wait to purchase your tickets.

Since I still have Bill Murray on the brain, it bears mentioning that the great theologian and scholar Rabbi Niles Goldstein finds Jewish resonance in Murray’s Groundhog Day character, who is rewarded by being returned to earth to perform more mitzvot (good deeds) rather than gaining a place in Heaven. As Goldstein reflects, “The movie tells us, as Judaism does, that the work doesn’t end until the world has been perfected.” In this spirt, MJM established the Maine Jewish Hall of Fame in 2018 to bestow recognition on outstanding Jewish leaders who, in striving to perfect the world, have brought distinction and honor to the State of Maine and beyond. This year, we will be enshrining eight new inductees to the Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Sunday, June 8. These inductees – Leah Binder, Harris Gleckman, Charlie (z”l) and Ellie Miller, Bernard Bill Miller, Edith Pagelson (z”l), Judge Abraham Rudman (z”l), and Judge Louis Scolnik (z”l) – include leaders in education, business, law, government policy, community service, human rights, and medicine. By joining the Hall of Fame Host Committee or purchasing tickets to this meaningful event, you will help ensure we can continue to provide exhibitions and programming that shine a light on the rich history and diversity of Maine’s Jewish community.

Another person who embodies tikkun olam (world repair) is our own Steve Brinn, who stepped down as Board President last month after almost a decade of service. Steve was integral to the founding of MJM, helping nurture it through its precarious first few years, keeping it going during COVID, seeing it through a fire and a complete interior gut and rebuild, and growing it into the vibrant institution we all know and love today. There are only eight days left to honor Steve with a contribution to our Annual Appeal, which concludes on February 28. Let’s end our Appeal on as strong a note as Steve ended his Presidential tenure!

However you choose to engage with MJM, we welcome your friendship and support. Now more than ever, it is paramount to tap into our shared vision and common humanity to spread kindness and compassion.

Here’s to the bridge-builders, the hand-holders, the light-bringers, those extraordinary souls wrapped in ordinary lives who quietly weave threads of humanity into an inhumane world. They are the unsung heroes in a world at war with itself. They are the whisperers of hope that peace is possible. Look for them in the present darkness. Light your candle with their flame. And then go. Build bridges, Hold hands. Bring light to a dark and desperate world. Be the hero you are looking for. Peace is possible. It begins with us. (L.R. Knost)

Warmly,

Dawn