Laura and I were recently driving west on Beaverton Hillsdale Highway when we saw it. The old Pier One had relocated, and in its place was a Halloween store. It seemed so incongruous. The temperature was in the nineties and summer seemed reluctant to go. Or maybe I'm the one who is reluctant to let summer go. Regardless, in just a couple of months, kids will be trick or treating.

Tisha B'Av means the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. On that day, we commemorate and remember the destruction of the first and second Temples. Over the centuries, people hostile to the Jews maliciously chose that day to inflict further tragedies upon us. For example, the tradition records that we were expelled from Spain on the 9th of Av in 1492.

Sephardic Adventure Camp (SAC), which was founded in the 1940's, is one of the oldest Jewish camps in the Northwest. It was created by members of two Seattle congregations to preserve the unique culture of Sephardic Jews while offering their children a rich camp experience. Anyone who has attended a Jewish summer camp knows the power it has to build a life-long Jewish identity and happy memories.

As a boy, I was fascinated by the legend of Johnny Appleseed. Appleseed was more than just a mythological piece of Americana--he was a real person named John Chapman who helped ensure the availability of apples around the country. Chapman became renowned while still alive for his kindness and his commitment to conservation long before its popularization.

Many of us have celebrated important life cycles at this mikveh. Some of us have gone there before our marriages. Others have entered into the covenant here as the final phase of their conversion process. In addition to those purposes, I've been fortunate to use the mikveh as a holy space for those seeking healing from troubled episodes in their lives.