Aug. 1, 1969
From “Apollo Moon Trip Revives Ancient Prayer”
Thoughtful Jews have speculated about the impact on Judaism’s religious outlook that would be made by man’s successful exploration of space. In a small way the answer began to emerge within hours of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing and exploration by Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Col. Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.
The word came from Israel where Gen. Shlomo Goren, the Armed Forces’ Chief Chaplain, issued instructions about a change in the prayer for the blessing of the new moon, which is said each month. The old blessing was worded: “As I dance before you and cannot touch you, so my enemies will not be able to touch me.” It now reads: “As I dance against you and do not touch you, so others, if they dance against me to harm me, they will not touch me.” The new version of the prayer is actually found in the Talmud in Masechet Sofrim, chapter 20.
July 21, 2000
From “Jewish gunshop owner closing store; cites unfair taxes”
If anyone was wondering what a nice Jewish girl was doing in the gun business, the question is now moot.
After 57 years, Siegle’s Guns on West MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland is closing its doors at the end of the month. Siegle’s became Jewish-owned in 1993, when Mara Siegle’s husband died, leaving her in charge of running the family business.
Siegle’s is the second Jewish-owned gun store to close because of a new tax levied upon gun dealers. The San Francisco Gun Exchange, owned by brother and sister Bob and Beth Posner, closed in September 1999.
Although visibly harried, Siegle took a few moments before the store opened to talk about her experience as a Jewish woman in the gun business.
Her father-in-law, Robert Siegle, opened the shop in 1943, and her husband, James Siegle, ran it until he died of cancer in 1993.
Mara Siegle was a product of the ’60s and grew up “on the other side of the fence” of the gun issue, she said.
Although a number of Jewish groups are campaigning for gun control, Siegle said that over the years, several Jewish gun-owners have told her they believe Jews should own guns to defend themselves.
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