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The Scenic Route

JL;DR SUMMARY Cindy Scarr shares a nostalgic recount of a formative summer backpacking trip in the 90s with her friend Joel Pomerantz at the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

OhioTalmud StudyLife LessonsJewish ResilienceImprovisationSummer CampNatureBackpackingFrum Boy ScoutsCuyahoga Valley

Places mentioned

Cleveland, Ohio, United States
"IN the mid-90s, my close friend Joel Pomerantz and I were both in our early 20s and home visiting our parents in Cleveland, Ohio, during bein hazmanim."
Cleveland Heights, Ohio, United States
"We had both participated in the frum Boy Scout troop Taylor Road Synagogue in Cleveland Heights had hosted in the 80s  in fact, it was a huge part of our childhoods  and we were pretty seasoned outdoorsmen."
Ohio, United States
"That summer in the mid-90s, we planned for a three-day backpacking trip in the nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (now officially a national park), and because wed done this many times before, we were well-prepared."
Queens, New York, United States
"Luckily, I was prepared for this contingency. Every year, talmidim in my yeshivah  Chofetz Chaim in Queens, New York  were responsible for learning a certain number of dapim of Gemara during bekiyus seder."
Ramat Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem, Israel
"Within an hour or so, Joel (today Rabbi Joel Pomerantz, a practicing behavioral psychologist and EMDR therapist in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel) and I were once again in my fathers car, regaling him with our adventures as we made our way back to the world of sidewalks and civilization."
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
"Rabbi Akiva Males serves as the rabbi of Young Israel of Memphis and teaches Torah at the Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys in Memphis, Tennessee."

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Retrieved 2025-07-23 05:30:25 UTC
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