May 25, 2007, A toast to San Felipe Neri, By Atencion Staff, Science Fair encourages exploration, Tribute to Ruth Friedman (1915–2007), Joy of Mexican neighbors, By Barbara Hassell

This Saturday San Miguel celebrates the Festividad de San Felipe Neri and of course there will be music and dancing, feasting, fireworks, “locos” and castillos. The fiesta gets going at 5pm in the atrium of the eponymous Oratorio.

So, who was Felipe Neri, and why is his feast day celebrated here in San Miguel? Filippo de Neri was an Italian churchman born in Florence in 1515. High born and well brought up, he thwarted his family’s business ambitions for him by choosing to take holy orders. Neri went to Rome to pursue his studies and there began his labors among the sick and poor which in later life earned him the title Apostle of Rome. He even paid nightly visits to the city brothels in hopes of introducing them to the catacombs and the teachings of the church.

Neri’s fame began with his wanderings through the city; he talked to all who would listen, always seeking opportunities to encourage people to ponder the topics he would set before them. This 16th century Roman Socrates was said to possess a playful sense of humor and a shrewd wit. He was well educated, sophisticated, intensely interested in the world around him, scrupulously courteous and reportedly a very sharp dresser - this according to Frederick William Faber’s panegyric of Neri. “In a word, with all the ease, the gracefulness, the polish of a modern gentleman of good birth, considerable accomplishments, and a very various information.”

It was in 1556 that Neri tentatively began the project that eventually he would be most remembered for. Initially it was simply a series of evening meetings in a hall (the oratory) - they sang hymns, read scripture and said prayers, followed by a lecture and discussion of the religious question raised for consideration.

The musical form, called oratorios, developed out of these meetings. The compositions are based on scriptural text and many composers have used this form. Handel’s Messiah, for example, is an oratorio.

Gradually the members of this society took to preaching sermons in different churches every evening, a novel idea at the time. In 1575, Neri formally organized a community of secular priests called the Congregation of the Oratory. Quite unconventional, this congregation seemed more like a club than a monastery. Its rules, which Neri never wrote down, were lax by other standards. Members paid their own expenses, meals included, and everyone participated in all

chores. No vows were required and members were free to leave if they pleased. Neri was most interested in those teachings of Christ that emphasized freedom and equality. He brought an element of the intellectual to questions of religion; he encouraged the pursuit of knowledge, debate, a lively exchange of ideas, and joyful hearts.

It was Manuel Francisco Tomas de la Canal, one of San Miguel’s greatest benefactors, who brought the ideas of Felipe Neri to town by helping to finance the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri and its schools, the Colegio de San Francisco de Sales and the Beateria de Santa Ana. which still occupy the northern side of the Plaza Civica at Insurgentes and Pepe Llanos. Canal’s exposure to Neri had come through a Querétaro-born priest, Juan Antonio Perez de Espinosa, who was an avid follower of San Felipe. The deep concern Perez expressed for the sick and indigent so moved Canal and his fellow elites that they asked him to stay and administer his own church.

They wanted to buy the Ecce Homo church, built by the mulatto congregation 100 years before. There are several versions of how these “negotiations” went, but although these powerful families were never able to purchase the church, they did manage to rent it for 363 days out of the year. It was rebuilt and a more elegant facade added, though the mulatto entrance is still there. The blending of Indian and European themes is pervasive and there are over 30 oil paintings attributed to Zapotec painter Miguel Cabrera (1695-1768) who was recognized, during his lifetime, as the greatest painter in all of New Spain.

The Oratorio and its schools enhanced the intellectual and cultural elements of San Miguel. They attracted students, teachers and the more thoughtful men of the clergy, who encouraged a liberal spirit of education - ideas that would surely play a part in the insurrection of 1810.

Felipe Neri was canonized in 1622, he is the patron saint of Rome and of the US Army Special Forces. So, this Saturday´s festivities celebrate the life of a compassionate, egalitarian, broadminded man about town and the influence he has had all through the centuries.

Science Fair
Sat, June 2, 10am–2pm
Biblioteca Pública Courtyard
Insurgentes 25
Free Admission

Science Camp San Miguel invites you to attend their annual Science Fair for kids and adults in the courtyard of the Biblioteca next weekend. Created to increase public awareness about the importance of science education, Science Fair hopes to ignite curiosity and encourage everyone to explore the world around them.

Science Camp San Miguel is the creation of residents Rita DeBrito and Alicia Rivero Wilson, both progressive bilingual educators with a talent for inspiring kids to learn, discover, question and grow. “It’s not about obedience or conformity.” says Rita, “It’s about opening minds.”

At the Science Fair visitors can participate in projects and interactive experiments similar to those that will be offered at Science Camp San Miguel later this summer. Some of last year’s campers will be on hand to introduce many of the activities, including the opportunity to look at cells through a microscope. Other experiments involve magnetism and the use of force, air pressure, and realia—natural artifacts such as skulls, bones, rocks, shells, nests and more. There will also be a vivarium with animals in their natural environments.

Everyone is welcome!

Science Camp San Miguel will be held July 9–August 3. For more information, visit their website at www.sciencecampsanmiguel.com or call (415) 185-2142. Applications are available online.

The family of Ruth Friedman announces her passing in San Miguel de Allende at the age of 92. During the past 25 years Ruth was a vital member of the San Miguel community. Shortly after her arrival in 1982 she organized a group of hospital volunters to assist the staff at Union Medical Hospital, the medical facility then serving San Miguel.

Other related activities over the years included fundraising to build the successor Hospital de la Fe, energetic volunteering at the Biblioteca Pública and organizing of the popular Sunday House and Garden Tour and serving on the Board of the renowned Chamber Music Festival. She chaired the housing program that provided lodging for visiting artists and advanced music students from throughout Mexico. Ruth’s life has been dedicated to working for these and other causes and programs that benefit others. She will be greatly missed by all, including her son Michael and his partner Carol, her daughter-in-law Deborah and partner Martin, her granchildren Kathy and husband Lynn, Daniel and wife Mona, Alek and wife Sara and great grandchildren Isaac, Sammy, Maxwell, Jacob and Zachary. She leaves us proud of her accomplishments and legacies.

Michael Friedman

For those of you who knew Ruth Friedman, you know what a magnificent woman she was. Her life here in San Miguel was one of charity, infinite joy, good friends, good scotch and most of all peace. As her grandson, from her first child Michael, Ruth was to me a Bubbe from the Catskills, an abuelita from Mexico, and most of all, the measure of what it is to have lived a good life. In these past 20 years of coming to see Ruth in San Miguel, I have come to see the beauty that drew her here in the first place. The people I have had the good fortune of knowing here are the characters in a never-ending story, that you would have to see to believe. Both Mexican and American (and a few Canadians too) the genuine spirit, intellectual curiosity, and zest for life you all possess, have allowed me to grow into the man I am today. Ruth, the tour guide and story teller of this part of my life has sadly passed from this world into what comes next. For those of you who had the privilege of knowing Ruth Friedman will know what I mean when I say “I am better to have known you.” For those of you who did not know Ruth, I ask you to do one simple thing. When you are walking down the street (looking out for new holes in the ground), sitting in Tio Lucas waiting for a table, reading a book in the Jardín, or going to a concert, take a moment to introduce yourself to the person next to you. San Miguel is filled with wonderful souls like Ruth, kind and loving, silly and sometimes strange. Get to know them just because they are there. Ruth loved to sit and chat with new people all of the time. To Lyse and Jim, Olivia, Arthur, Carlos and Isaac, Dorothy, Barbara and especially Max at Tio Lucas, thank you for so many wonderful years of friendship, hospitality and most of all for sharing my love of Ruth Friedman.

Dan Friedman

I could talk about how much fun Ruth could be, but I’m sure many people have that covered. Right now, I’m remembering the poignant moments. My mother-in-law Ruth was truly my second mother. Soon after I married her son, Alan, I came down with chicken pox and it was Ruth who held my head while I hugged the john. After my son Alek was born, it was Ruth who came to help the helpless new parents. And when my husband—her son—was dying, it was Ruth who traveled with me to and from the hospital. Upon our return home each night, both of us physically and emotionally worn-out, it was Ruth who would make sure I had something to eat; nourishment for the body and the soul—everyone’s ideal Jewish mother, and a woman I love.

Deborah Friedman

My Grandma Ruth was always a real “Grandma” She was crazy about her grandchildren, smothering them in fleshy love hugs. When a tune played on the Victrola she danced until the last, and when a drink was poured or a bowl of ice cream set out, she found the bottom and ordered up another round. She sang to herself, she sang to us, she sang to you. She laughed and cursed and cried and pulled you close. She was beautiful, with a fantastically tantalizing past, encircled always by friends and family, and always reading, watching, and learning. She lost a husband, then another, then a son, but somehow kept on, the Ruth in her ever swirling forwards, dancing, dancing. I love her forever.

Alek Friedman

Ruth is gone...the long awaited phone call came today, May 14, 2007. She lived thru the unrest of the 30s and 40s and the second WW. Then losing her husband after the war, she was left widowed with two small children. Ruthie was a survivor and she was old fashioned and caring—and also progressive and adventuresome. Didn’t she send us a photo of herself on a camel somewhere—maybe Turkey—a trip she took when she was in her 80s. I was Ruth’s niece and she was always a favorite of mine because of her opinions and friendship. Ruth did what was expected of a daughter, mother, wife and grandmother. And when widowed for the second time, she said “that’s it, I am moving to Mexico”....and so she did. “My kids and grandkids have their own lives and when I am here they will come to visit and I will have them full-time during their visits.” So she moved and invited her friends and family to share her adventure in San Miguel. We came and then we liked it so much and she was so much fun, we came again—back for her 90th birt
hday celebration and what a fabulous bash it was. I can still see her all dressed in that long dress, dancing in the arms of her friends. “Keep me from falling on my ass,” I heard her whisper. She was a grand old dame, and all that word evokes. She will be missed by us all....

Barbara Pearlman Rosen

My memories of my Aunt Ruth go back to two apartments in the Bronx in the 1940s and 1950s where our large extended family gathered on weekends and holidays. At the center of a whirl of activity was my aunt Ruth. Even to my child’s eyes she was a glamorous figure—attractive, intelligent and entertaining. In later years, when I began to watch old movies, I saw her as our family’s incarnation of Bette Davis (or as Myrna Loy playing Nora Charles in The Thin Man, with my uncle Meyer, her older brother, personifying William Powell as Nick Charles). Even Ruth’s love of extremely dry martinis contributed to my image of her as the ultimate urban sophisticate. As I reached my teen years, Aunt Ruth had a considerable influence on my emerging political beliefs. I was inspired by her example of political and union activism, which included her work for the American Jewish Committee and a variety of progressive causes. Her example was before me when I became involved in the civil rights and anti-war movements. Later on, I admired the courage it took to pull up her roots in New York and create a new life for herself in Mexico. I was not at all surprised that Aunt Ruth was at the heart of a large and diverse social circle in San Miguel, and that she continued her involvement in cultural and charitable work in that lovely city. I know that anyone who knew my dear Aunt Ruth will miss her spirit, intelligence and good company.

Steve Levine

You have heard this story before: someone arrives in San Miguel to visit a friend for two weeks while the snow is piling in drifts in the northeast US. The following year it is a hotel stay for a month, which turns into a rental apartment for the winter months, that eventually becomes a permanent residence. That is exactly how Ruth Friedman came to SMA, and in doing so imprinted upon our city a devotion to so many people and institutions.

Ruth died here on May 14, 2007, which was her 92nd year. She was born in New York City to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland. If you wondered what shaped Ruth in her early years, you can imagine the struggles of poor people who had to earn a living in a world where workers had few rights and knew the agony of abuse. Ruth could never turn her back on injustice, and she led many ultra liberal and union causes. Her activism led her to the presidency of the American Jewish Congress in New York. As a young woman she studied at a commercial college. For most of her career she worked as Office Manager for Mica Products Corporation of America. Although she was not the owner of the company, the owners readily admitted that were it not for her they couldn’t run the business as profitably as it was.

Ruth met her soul mate in the late 1930s, Murray Sawitch. Falling in love was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill for both of them. It was the kind of union that is written about in poems and love songs. They married and bore two sons, Michael and Alan. But the couple wasn’t blessed with a long life together. It was war time, and Murray entered the army and went to Fort Dix, New Jersey for basic training. He was in a foxhole when a tank ran over it. The trauma was beyond anything describable. Murray couldn’t find his way through it. A year later he wasn’t feeling well and was trudging through a snow storm to reach a doctor. Unable to continue, he returned home where he died. Ruth came through this sadness knowing that she would do whatever she had to do to take care of her boys. At this challenging time she met Abe Friedman, a man of infinite kindness, who not only opened his arms to embrace Ruth, Michael and Alan, but also Ruth’s parents, who lived with them until they died. Sadness occurred once again after becoming a widow twice. Her son Alan was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. Upon his death she was imprinted with desolation which only comes from the loss of a child. Thankfully, she was in SMA where friends are like family, where friends are supporters, where friends know exactly what she needed to face the future with joyfulness. Now it is we who need friends to show us how to be joyful without Ruth. Knowing the community in SMA, I am ready to embrace such friendships that exist here as in no other place.

Eli and Miranda Nadel

(Editor’s Note: Ruth Friedman was obviously very well loved. We regret not having the space to publish all of the beautiful memories we have received from many friends.)

Shortly before Ruth died I sat with her and her cat on her terrace. The sun was very strong, and the cat followed our lead and found a comfortable spot in the shade, but not very far from Ruth’s side. I shared the following poem with her. It expresses more than anything I can think of what she had been thinking about as her life on earth was ending.

Today, after all my little chores were done
I saw outside, in the sun.
The leaves were dancing on the trees
There was a gentle breeze
Birds sang a song, flowers swayed
I prayed, I prayed
Today out in the sun
When all my little chores were done
Help me to find peace of mind
Help me to find peace of mind.

The sun was setting
And it seemed to me
I was beginning to see
With more clarity
That life is a gift
But there comes a day
When that special gift
Is taken away

Birds called out
As I saw there praying
I almost thought
I heard them saying
Life is living
Life is loving
Life is receiving
Life is leaving
Life is given
Life is riven
Life is joy
Life is sorrow.

Miranda Nadel

There will be a Memorial Service for Ruth Friedman at St. Paul’s Church, Cardo 6, on Sunday May, 2007 at 5pm.

Donations in the name of Ruth Friedman can be made to the Festival de Músicá de Cámara, Student Scholarship Program

Joy of Mexican neighbors
By Barbara Hassell

Almost nine years ago, when I moved onto our little privada, I was one of two gringas in a Mexican neighborhood. At first, I was a little nervous about being “one of a kind” since the other gringa was rarely in town. Was my apprehension ever unnecessary! The very large family across from me promptly started including me in their family events even though my Spanish was minimal. There were christenings and a renewal of wedding vows and everything else that could be turned into food and dancing. They’ve since moved away and their big house has been converted to two very beautiful houses. The neighborhood looks better, but I miss that family.

If I needed a plumber or an electrician or someone to change a light bulb I couldn’t reach, one of them jumped in to help. Once when I had been out of the country, I returned home to discover that the street from which the privada derived had been completely torn up by the city. A new road was being laid, and the work would require months. My car was in the privada with no way out! For two weeks these thoughtful Mexican friends helped me carry groceries and supplies from the nearest paved street to my house while other neighbors watched the process.

One day when I returned from an outing, several members of the family were standing outside their house. One asked, “Señora, donde está su coche?” I turned to look, and my car was gone. They looked as puzzled as I did. There was no way anyone could have stolen it because it couldn’t be moved. I panicked and one of them told me that he saw a car that looked like mine on the paved street. I hurried over to look at the car and it was mine! Later someone else in the neighborhood told me that the men from that family had carried the heavy Chevrolet Cavalier over there for me

Since I didn’t understand the culture, I had been a bit uneasy about my Mexican neighbors. I now know I was blessed to have them. With changing times, there are only two Mexican families left on our street now. What a pity.

Cross cultural bloopers

Here is a sampling of memorable English translations spotted in hotels, restaurants, shops and such around the world:

In a Tokyo hotel:

Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please.If you are not a person to do such a thing is please not to read notice

In a Yugoslavian hotel:

The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel

You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers:

Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:

Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.

On the menu of a Polish hotel:

Salad a firm’s own make, limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger, roasted duck let loose, beef rashers beaten up in the country people’s fashion.

In a Rhodes tailor shop:

Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation

In a Zurich hotel:

Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for that purpose.

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist:

Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists

In a Rome laundry:

Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time

In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency:

Take one of our horse-driven city tours. We guarantee no miscarriages

Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand:

Would you like to ride on your own ass?

In a Bangkok temple:

It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man

In a Copenhagen airline ticket office:

We take your bags and send them in all directions

On the door of a Moscow hotel room:

If this is your first visit to the USSR you are welcome to it

In a Norwegian cocktail lounge:

Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar

In a Budapest zoo:

Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

In an Acapulco hotel:

The manager has personally passed all the water served here

From a Japanese information booklet about the hotel air conditioner:

Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself.

From the brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo:

When a passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.