Oy, Ike!

Congress is in chaos; the Federal government broken! Dow Jones plunges into a deja vu Black Monday. Wall Street fears trickle down to Main Street. The automobile-addicted Southeast faces empty gas pumps. And Kruschev’s due at Idlewild (sorry, when panic ensues, an old TV theme song plays in my head). 

Who cares about run on banks when a post-Hurricane Ike Houston faces a more urgent crisis — a run on challahs for this evenings Rosh Hashanah festivities.

Seems that Hurricane Ike left several of Houston’s kosher bakeries in tsoriss. The family-run Three Brothers’ Bakery, a favorite source for the of the yellow, eggy braided bread sustained serious damage by Ike. The bakers planned to knead 3,000 of the challahs for those who need the special round Rosh Hashanah bread to dip into honey, symbolizing the circle of life and hopes of a sweet coming year. To be challah-less during the High Holidays equates to being without fruit cake at Christmas (well, in theory). And any matzo or similarly unleavened alternative will not cut it.

The Houston Chronicle reports that other Jewish food purveyors rush to take up the slack. [Note, I am constantly baffled that in a city the size of Houston — the fourth largest in the US — we have so few true Jewish delis, bakeries, and other food establishments. In my mid-sized Iowa hometown with a tiny Jewish population, we had four kosher Jewish delis and other food stores.]

People stood in line at Kenny & Ziggy’s deli praying to wrangle some challah. Other Jewish mothers (and daughters) resorted to baking their own. 

The Almighty did not smite Jews alone during this holiday season. Hurricane Ike hit during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims fast, pray and practice charity. The storm cut power to thousands of Muslims homes in Houston, making their nightly break-the-fast meal a vexation. 

But according to the Houston Chronicle, many Muslims believe the inconveniences of powerlessness gave new meaning to their Ramadan observances. Some said the hurricane tested their faith while others said it intensified their understanding of the needy and suffering.

The lack of bread, the lack of power. What has the Lord wrought? If a natural disaster can bring new empathy between often sworn enemies, perhaps some divine intervention with strategically pinpointed whirlwinds may be just what the world needs.