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July 2, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The hallmark of a person

Abe Novick: Up, up, and aliya

July 1, 2009

Rabbi Avi Shafran: The Road Taken

The Kosher Gourmet by Marialisa Calta: Get into the holiday spirit with these Star-Spangled desserts

June 30, 2009

Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg: What makes a great parent?

Caroline B. Glick: Ideologue-in-Chief

June 29, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Beware of 'Caveat Emptor'

Steven Emerson: ACLU pushing for more money for Hamas

June 26, 2009

Rabbi Yoni Posnick: Learn the secret to a healthy marriage from a scriptural villain

Caroline B. Glick: Barack Obama vs. International Law

June 25, 2009

Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf: The Absurd Power of Truth

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 24, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Advancement of technology is a wake-up call for humanity

The Kosher Gourmet by Andrea Weigl: Summer on a stick: Making frozen treats can be easy, creative and fun

June 23, 2009

Martin M. Bodek: 'On Surnames': And so, We Begin

Caroline B. Glick: The Obama Effect

June 22, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Working for a corrupt firm

N. Richard Greenfield : Where are American Jews?

June 19, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Emotion v. intellect

Caroline B. Glick: Israel's rare opportunity

June 18, 2009

Jonathan Rosenblum: Sometimes it is more essential to define the nature of evil than good

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 17, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Language of Confusion

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Nothing pleases Dad more than a thick, juicy onion-smothered steak. Add home-Baked Potato Chips and …

June 16, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Career v. Careersism

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's losing streak and Israel

Richard Z. Chesnoff: ‘Palestinians’: Never Missing an Opportunity …

June 15, 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: How Judea and Samaria can become 'Palestine'

Daniel Pipes: Where Netanyahu's speech failed

June 12, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Some big thoughts about not acting so big

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's High Commissioner

June 11, 2009

Victor Davis Hanson: Our historically challenged President

Mitch Albom: Beware the True Believers

Lewis Grossberger: What we learn from the new Hitler photos

June 10, 2009

Mort Zuckerman: What Obama and his advisors won't -- or refuse to -- grasp about Israel and the Muslim world

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky Lotsa pasta: Tips, techniques and (amazing) taste

June 9, 2009

Anne Bayefsky: Obama's stunning offense to Israel and the Jewish people

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: America's first Muslim president?

June 8, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Merchant must take responsibility for careless shopper?

Mark Steyn: A superpower that feeds on mediocrity cannot survive for long on leftovers from the past

Richard Z. Chesnoff: How do you say 'kumbaya' in Arabic?

June 5, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: In quest of spirituality

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's Arabian dreams

Charles Krauthammer: The Settlements Myth

June 4, 2009

Paul Greenberg: The War Comes to Little Rock

The Kosher Gourmet by Judy Hevrdejs: Splash it on! Tap your inner jazz musician and improvise when stirring up a vinaigrette

June 3, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. Should terrible teacher be exposed?

Jonathan Rosenblum: The Israel Lobby: Missing in Action

June 2, 2009

Dennis Prager: The Speech President Obama Won't Dare Give in Egypt

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Pressure on Israel raises war risk

Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review May 30, 2008 / 25 Iyar 5768

Old gym leaves pungent legacy

By Lori Borgman

Lori Borgman
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Ludwig, who mans the front desk and broke the news, wore a pale blue shirt and lavender tie. What you wear is important when you pay your last respects. The rest of us wore workout pants and old T-shirts. There's no accounting for taste at the neighborhood gym.


The gym with the leaky roof and faulty air conditioning was shutting its doors. Not exactly a shocker, but still, this was it, the last day.


Everyone had on a long face and spoke in a whispered hush — in the weight room, the spin room, on every elliptical trainer and treadmill. The gym had the feel of a funeral home. All that was missing was a big spray of gladiolus.


Even the magazines on the reading stand drooped their covers in mourning: Good Housekeeping, Elle, Ebony, Self, Running, Poker, Golf and Arthritis Today.


Closing the gym was like watching a chunk of community be chiseled away and drift toward the sea. The gym had been part of the landscape for more than 20 years.


It was a place where business deals were sealed on racquetball courts and white-haired men came early in the morning to exchange news, sit at a table and read the paper. It was a gym where everyone said hello.


It was a gym where, at one time, racquetball players could have a cold pitcher of beer and bowl of popcorn on the bench outside the court, waiting for them when the game was over.


It was a place where people shared their lives — separated shoulders, broken elbows, foot injuries, knee injuries and "I'll pass your daughter's resume along to a friend."


It was even a gym where you could be fat. One of the trainers might take a friendly swipe in the newsletter, writing, "I can't believe how long some of you have been coming to this gym and your body shape hasn't changed a bit," but never with malice.


You could be 20 pounds overweight, join a Zumba class and have a good time.


A slug of new franchise gyms with helium balloons and membership specials now ring the neighborhood. The one I visited had big television screens hanging from the ceiling, blasting music videos. Each cardio machine has an HDTV attached to it, the kind with the wide screen that makes everyone on "The Today Show" look like a pudgy little troll.


They dress up at the big box gyms — workout pants with colored stripes down the legs and matching spandex tops. The consultant says if I join there are 300 other gyms in the chain nationwide that I can go to. Why would I want to drive cross country to go to the gym? I liked going two blocks from home.


I can be a platinum, gold or silver member at the new gym. What kind of member did I want to be? Lethargic. That's the type of member I want to be. The type that comes and goes when she wants. The kind that can come with bed hair at 6 a.m., look like a slouch, and mix with others who slouch.


The old gym still has the sign up, but the parking lot is empty. As I was leaving that last day, one of the cardio rooms suddenly went dark. A woman on a treadmill yelled, "Hey, turn the lights back on!"


You said it, sister.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Lori Borgman is the author of , most recently, "Pass the Faith, Please" (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) and I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids To comment, please click here. To visit her website click here.

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© 2008, Lori Borgman

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