Walk (or Roll) A Mile in Their Shoes

Over the last several weeks I have been using crutches or a knee-scooter; I am not allowed to bear weight on my left leg until next week.

It has been a challenge, but thank goodness, only a temporary one. I must admit that while I am proud that the USA has the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I really did not understand what a difference it makes.

This is surprising since since my son, Rami Ungar, works on a US Defense Dept. Installation in the Equal Employment Opportunity office and part of his responsibilities is to ensure that workers on the base who need accommodations due to a disability receive what they need. The ADA is a big deal for those with disabilities–and for society in general.

In the short time that I have been “disabled,” I have been frustrated by the following: how difficult it is to navigate in many stores, how far disabled parking spaces are from entrances, how few parking spaces there actually are, and how ramps are sometimes so steep that it is difficult to ascend and dangerous to descend. I won’t even get into the poor shape of many sidewalks and parking lots, or the people who say that my scooter “looks like fun;” I have not been honest with them about where I’d like to put that scooter. (I must admit that I have thought about adding some modifications a la Wiley Coyote…that would be fun!)

I remember in High School doing experiential exercises where we were blindfolded or had to navigate in a wheelchair. For most of the participants in these experiments, it was fun. There was a lot of laughing. It didn’t really hit the mark in terms of showing us just how challenging a disability can be; it may be fun for a few minutes, but try doing it day after day for several weeks…or even for the rest of your life.

My point? Do not for one moment feel that those with disabilities get some kind of special treatment or perks. There is nothing fun about a disability–although it has the potential to “build character.” The accommodations put in place by the ADA do not give the differently-abled an advantage; all it does is help to level the playing field. I’m proud that the USA has this act and look forward to a day when those with disabilities will find that the barriers to their full participation in society no longer exist.

A new feature: my “Thought for Shabbat”

My weekly musings that I share each week with Beth El – The Heights Synagogue…and now with you too!

This Shabbat is the first of many that is not a “special” Shabbat. The last two weeks were Passover, before that Shabbat Hagadol, and before that Hachodesh, Parah, etc.

Nevertheless, this Shabbat is significant to us today because it falls between two important dates on the Hebrew calendar: Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance) and Yom Hazikaron/Ha’atzma’ut (Israel Memorial Day and Independence Day—that are observed one day after the other). Their proximity on the calendar is coincidental; it is just the way it worked out in modern times. The 27^th of Nissan was chosen by the Knesset in the early 1950s as the result of negotiations, putting it somewhere on the Jewish calendar between the day that the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began and the day that the Nazis declared that the Ghetto had been completely liquidated. Yom Ha’atzma’ut, of course, was set on the anniversary of the establishment of the state, with Yom Hazikaron set the day before.

It always seemed to me that it was more than a coincidence that these two observances are so close to each other. Just as Yom Ha’atzma’ut follows Yom Hashoah, the establishment of the State of Israel followed the Holocaust. This understanding is somewhat simplistic, though.

Modern Zionism had been working on creating a Jewish State beginning in the 19^th Century. Settlement and support of this venture began soon afterward and grew during the first part of the 20^th Century. Many historians believe that Israel would have come into being eventually, but that the Holocaust (and the resultant world sympathy for the Jews displaced as result) sped up the process.

Each of these observances stands independently; one is not a result of the other even though they are somewhat connected. This Shabbat as we stand between these two dates, let us reflect one of the worst episodes in our history…as well as one of the most glorious. The path we follow on the calendar remind us of Passover’s message of redemption—even when it seems most unlikely.

Shabbat Shalom!

Learning from our Challenges, and Applying it to the Work We Do

I am used to being very active–at the gym every day except for Shabbat training and working out. For the last 8 years or so I’ve been a runner: 3 half-marathons, more 5k races than I can count, several obstacle course races. So the thought of having to not WALK for four weeks is killing me!

I started having heel pain (most likely Plantar Fasciitis) back in late September when I was training for the Columbus 1/2 Marathon; it was a few weeks before the race so I couldn’t quit. Besides, it didn’t hurt when I ran…only afterwards. I finished the race (with my personal best time) but within a few days I knew I had a problem. I went to my podiatrist and we went through the usual conservative steps: new orthotics, stretching exercises, cutting down on the running. I even had a boot to wear at night that was supposed to flex my foot, but that was more annoying than the foot pain. Finally, I spent the last 5 weeks in a boot that went up to my knee. Unfortunately, while it improved at first, when I tried to walk for one hour without the boot, the pain was back.

Yesterday was surgery: stretching the Achilles Tendon was part 1, thinning out the plantar fascia was the part 2. Today I got my knee scooter so I can begin to get around again. Still, it is unclear how much or whether I’ll be able to train for the next month. I’ll need clearance from my doctor before I can go back to being on the Fitness Center Floor.

I am being forced to take a break–for a while at least. It makes me nervous. I rely on my workouts to ease stress, keep in shape, and for the social element as well. Training also helps to pay the mortgage. If I am unable to train, perhaps I will see if I can work at the Welcome Desk so I still feel a part of things.

Here is my real concern. All along I’ve told my doctor that I just want to be able to run again. We all have met people who tell us “I used to be a runner until….” I’ve also met folks who have said, “I was told I would never _____ again, but I did not give up.” I’d like to think I will be in the second category, but I hope I don’t have to make the choice.

When I am “fully recovered,” I hope I’ll understand what this all means. In the meantime, I now have a greater understanding and empathy for my clients who have had injuries or surgeries that have limited their ability to do the things they are accustomed to doing. When we talk about “Activities of Daily Living,” I now have a better sense of what that means.

When I am met with challenges, I always try to learn from them and then apply them to the work that I do–as a rabbi and as a personal trainer. This time will be no different. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Who am I?

My name is Michael Ungar. I am an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and an ordained Rabbi.

I was born in Detroit in 1963 and grew up in Southfield (a suburb). I graduate from Kalamazoo College with a double-major in Political Science and Spanish with a minor in Latin America Area Studies. I was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) in 1992, where I also received an MA in Jewish Education, specializing in Holocaust Education.

I served as a congregational Rabbi from 1992 through 2018. When I moved to Cleveland in the summer of 2018 I became the spiritual leader at Beth El- The Heights Synagogue in Cleveland Heights; it is a small, independent, traditional egalitarian congregation with about 70 families. I also began working as a Personal Trainer at the Mandel Jewish Community Center; my clients range in age from 16 to 77.

On a personal note, I have five kids (blended family) ranging from 18 – 25, an amazing wife who supports my hopes and dreams, and a bichpoo named Belle.

I love to travel and have been all over the USA, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Israel, Egypt and the Caribbean. I speak English, Spanish and Hebrew fluently; I can get by in French, and know just enough Yiddish to get in (and out of) trouble.

Growing up, there was not a real emphasis on fitness in my family. I was typically chosen last for every team in elementary and middle school. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at age 12 and spent much of the next three decades trying to keep that under control.

In my late 30s I was given a 5-pack of personal training as a birthday gift. At my first meeting, the trainer said, “I’ll meet with you once a week, but you’ve got to get in here at least two times a week on top of that.” I did not want to disappoint this guy; after all, he could crush me! That was the beginning of my beginning to take my fitness more seriously.

I made use of the services of trainers on and off over the years, but pretty consistently once I moved to Columbus in 2002. Two trainers in particular, Todd Johnson and Carlie Snyder, inspired me to set audacious goals and work to achieve them. I competed in my first triathlon in 2011. I have competed in more 5Ks than I can count (and even won two of them in my 50s!), have completed 3 half-marathons and several obstacle course races.

After 26 years as a congregational Rabbi, I decided to focus on helping people in a different way as a Personal Trainer. I attended classes at the Ohio State University to prep for the ACE exam and passed on my first sitting–such naches! I am thrilled to be the Rabbi at BE-THS; I love the people and I love the davening. I am also thrilled to be a Personal Trainer at the Mandel JCC.

I hope to make contributions in both of these careers through this blog. I look forward to getting to know you, my readers, and allowing you to get to know me too!