 Good evening look forward here, and I'm talking with Monacum. Hi, hey, and Monacum you grew up in Los Angeles you grew up as an Orthodox Jew in Los Angeles What what do you like what you dislike about growing up as an Orthodox Jew in Los Angeles? So Los Angeles is like the wild wild West a lot of people have came here to kind of do their own thing because the system in the Basically in the United States was imported into the United into Los Angeles Where certain things Los Angeles is behind in? Barak Hashem we brought high lifeline to Los Angeles We shouldn't have to go outside of Los Angeles to get certain Resources within the Jewish community that I felt were behind in the times Barak Hashem Los Angeles is up to date with resources and certain resources We're not there one thing. I love about Los Angeles is in Los Angeles as it is kind of like Hollywood style Did Jews bring out the best and we could we have an opportunity to do Kirish Hashem So there's many times where I go out with the group Achilles as I'm blind now so Achilles and I ran into Jennifer Garner and We have an opportunity to do a Kirish Hashem Just because we meet somebody who may meet a Jew for the first time a Torah observant We all practice our orthodoxy differently, and we have a great opportunity to show Non-Jews how we are or Lagoim a light on to others and to bring out the best and to capitalize on our Practice of Judaism. We should not judge. We should not Jews do not define Judaism Right. I think we have an opportunity to grow and We all have our choices that we can make And there's a pretty rich community. I mean there are mikvahs. There are kosher restaurants. There are Yeshivas there are a variety of orthodox rabbis. There are many different parts You can take an orthodox Judaism So I guess one of the good things about orthodox Judaism in Los Angeles is that there are a lot of choices That is correct So logistically We have the gamut. There's a rabbi who says that modern orthodoxy is pretty much centrist orthodoxy, so on Pico There's a synagogue To the eye in the middle. There's a das Torah into the right of it There's been a David Judea, which is a merger used to be a Movie theater. So in LA we make it into a positive and turn it into a shul Makum Torah and it's to the right of a das Torah and to the left We have Merca's hatora, which is the center of Torah and it's a beautiful place where lots of Torah learning goes on in a das Torah is the gathering Yeah, and a das Torah. Is that is it like the most right-wing synagogue in Los Angeles in Pico, Robinson? I would say definitely not Recently at a das Torah banquet There's certain members of the community who We were honoring and a das Torah is one of the unique Shoals it has OU We have so it's OU is basically orthodox union And it's busy. I'll call a das Torah the uniting because United orthodox Jewish congregation I think it's the founding organization of The predecessors to the orthodox units we have a good a robot aims. That's like more I would say more to the right Judaism, but we also have orthodox union. We have speakers from where I go to a das Torah. There are religious Zionists We have all Walks come in there. I mean, I'm a jeans in the t-shirt fellow and I would say it's a very eclectic crowd and That's why I love it a das Torah is a gathering of Torah and it's not like you take a dot a Das Torah like a letter mm-hmm a rabbi. We bring it all full full circle and It's a beautiful congregation. It's very warm and welcoming I would say recently a 32 April 2017 I lost my eyesight to a to a rare genetic condition called leverage hereditary optic neuropathy and Did you know this was coming or did it just happen to you unexpectedly? It happened unexpectedly As far as I know the only person in the county of Los Angeles who has it wow I have a rear mutation. It's a 3460 a long pant size and It's it's it's very unique It's rare it's hard to explain it's basically like a snowy TV set back in the day, but we have a Torah value set and Kind of like so it's it's like a TV set and we all have Torah values So basically I have more peripheral than central And it's very rare. So I would say it's Usually more peripheral than central so central to you is peripheral to others Right to keep dying the prize right now Did the how long did it take for this to happen like when did you first notice something was going wrong? I? would say around February by April and it would be silly I Did in a one sitting at the Lab, there's only about a few labs that test for this condition Got the results after Pesach. I was in the hospital right before Pesach We did on April 10th did the blood draw around April 3rd. I Got my results shortly after Pesach. It's basically five weeks. We all know the symptoms And how old were you at this time 32 and what were you doing for work? Prior to coming blind. I was working as an order manager at Western Kosher hmm, and I can't imagine you're able to continue and that line of work after becoming blind I would say that is correct. However, or the Jewish community Was Very assisting and in every way that they can I'm gonna say while I am blind It's very difficult for someone who is not blind to understand What it's like to be blind recently found out my blood type is be positive It's not just a blood type is I like to say and some people When they lose a family member they grieve and I was given advice by someone who I was connected to and Really is helpful to a lot of people And I would say it's a very great person and influential that what they did is they created a Quote book and I have a lot of inspirational quotes and Mine is be positive. It's not just a blood type. So kind of I don't go looking for problems So kind of think about it if if the goal is to cross the street I could use a cane and I could Put air pods in so I'm tuning out the sound I'm feeling the street and I can cross the street with air pods in and just feel the street or I could do some other things Like you know just if the bat the goal is to hit the baseball and the bat hits the baseball And I could hit a baseball and all I have to do is swing the bat so I can hit a baseball if so, it's just don't go looking for the problems and So are you independent? Are you living on your own? I am living alone Barak Hashem with the great assistance of this community. There's a lot of Kind of looking at like this blind people is very difficult for us to find work Most of us live under the poverty line about 90% of us worldwide 70 to 90% of in America Basically are unemployed or don't have enough work So most of us are on social security SSI some people who Barak Hashem had the opportunity because of the Jewish community or the To have it work for over 10 years receive SSDI like myself social security disability insurance and it's very rewarding when we keep our you know commitments to each other and Deliver so yes, it is independent as I can be accept when it requires I Said I do do stuff differently and I try and be as perspicacious As I can which is a unique perception of facts and details Now how did your life change after getting this diagnosis and after becoming blind? drastically in the word blindness the great rabbinic sage the charsodic brother of Moshe Feinstein to find it as Isolating in his response of is a guy dog allowed into show It's isolating so imagine only seeing black like darkness And also there's a there's a dog from Egypt. It's doesn't bark a man's best friend is a dog when the Jews left me trying Egypt The dogs in bark and this dog that is native of Egypt is find a pure breed of it. I don't remember the name doesn't bark So it is isolating and I think it's very important to have support How did your friends react to you go on did they did they Stay with you or were they scared by it or how did they react? I would say they They don't know what to do. However, there's all these different forms of support some people are Try and use their what they can't do will call it their means which is money Some people have different resources, so they may know somebody who knows somebody Who is blind? or Somebody who may know something about technology or we get you to a very good doctor But we should if we express concern about others They will express and we should try to not criticize condemn or critique or not judge somebody who is not in Each other's time, so I do try and do a lot of tour learning So sometimes if we have time we should use it for the right practices And in vaikra leviticus you'd test Pusk your dollar 1914 do not mislead somebody so sometimes stuff happens At different things and you can trace it back like what does it mean to you? So we got to do what's best for you and I think the community came together and raised some money for you I think about hundred thousand dollars. So did that help your life? It did it, you know sometimes Difficult to know what's going on in somebody's life, and we got to do what protect so Barak Hashem Thank God the community made it possible for me to have a roof over my head and We should have to be paired with the right people And I would say some people are the best, you know Like if you get a little scared to wear a mask like and be a little creepy like you know Jason but we should not protect each other and Sometimes you get a little influential and you say I need that And we don't could all be taken away in a heartbeat just like I lost my eyesight in about five weeks so like a lot can go missing and Did you get the money or the money that was raised for you? That's a difficult question to answer. I would say Maybe I mean Barak Hashem the community made it possible for me to have a roof over my head but you know stuff got a little browned out and And So some people have taken advantage some people have taken advantage of your blind status to To put their hands on money, which was raised for you Definitely yes unequivocal I mean if you're influential and come from a family that your last name may be like I don't know like Trump or Biden all of a sudden okay, so we got to protect you and And circling back, you know your past. Oh, that's in the past. I'm like however If we have a problem and the problem was never addressed Just like we need help so If there's a problem in Minakham needs to see something sometimes we make it possible This is a community that we will make it possible from an often to see an actress From the Jennifer Jennifer Garner to Sarah Marie Hutchinson Or like there's legend of Right, right and did you receive at least half of the funds that were raised for you? No Did you receive 80% of the funds that were raised for you? I don't think so. I would say they were it was going to be administered by an accountant and or a lawyer or I don't know where the money went Definitely didn't go to me as it was supposed to benefit me directly and I did not receive Direct benefit. I did it Barak Hashem get a roof over my head. Thank God with the great help of an influential members of our community and family of the Jews and I'm sure there's some other people I did all they could help we have all these different forms of support and Sometimes the more in Sanhedrin says to go down. We just be quiet But that doesn't make problems go away So I was trying to circle back to this that like if you how do you take corrective measures? By acknowledging drum bum said if we don't have a oh moment. Oh, I didn't realize I said that when I was really blind I got a lot of insensitive comments like these men are from Jewish And I'm like well you talk lost as I say to smoke. Yes, there are other she does opinions But that was your question someone was asked of Me in front of my parents and we're like well LH one so the best thing all questions are coming from a good place So we have to just answer your questions and no means no Hmm So I mean for most of us becoming blind is just an unfathomable or deal to go through What are the what are the greatest sources of joy in your life today because I know for many of us just Becoming blind. We just we can't imagine where you would find joy after that Spending time with friends is one Sometimes we just dial in like a pipe or what I'm going to be smote they'll a social beast If we listen and we'll learn what the issues are we can actually best address it So I like to learn my favorite app is or way to learn is on why you Torah? I like to go on long walks, which is like I recently did a lay half marathon Beginning at Dodger Stadium where Frank McCourt? We love the parking lot still will utilize those I did a half marathon long walks on the beach is a fun one I like to hit baseball sometimes, you know There's a little lime and go on a ride and we can do a bird and all confet the sharia or we can do all confet firehawks because the Kishah that sends chassad girls and boys and we go out and spend quality time so hitting baseballs doing a little driving Let them do the stabilization and also Barhashan. There's a high school called the sheavey University of Los Angeles So recently got united with the boys and girls go back together And I like to call them the God God gods because they have Panthers How on earth do you drive when you're blind? What's central to you is peripheral to others So if you just don't think that there's gonna be something in front of you looking for the positive of the goals across the street and I do stuff differently just think about it and sometimes you need a little guidance. So if you tune stuff out You just focus on the pavement So if you just put an air pods and you just think ooh, I'm gonna be so smithing You know across the street just think about it the goals across the street like why didn't I come across the street? To get showered with with with love and stuff like that. There's a lot of uh, you know There's stuff called sugar salt and pepper. So when you blend them together That's all that you just got to think of the positive it goes across the street and I learned how to do this I went to school to Do everything from change a diaper to cross the street to read Braille to You name what I learned to do again Where does your eyesight go? Hmm to your memory Okay, let's just leave it there for right now