Robbie Sadow's Mid-States of the Order 79th Grand Aleph Godol. 03-04 February 14, 2004 Washington, DC He enters the maze. He tests the air, strains his nose, his whiskers, and picks out the scent. He confidently chooses the right path, steps forward, his mind a mask of determination and cold-decisiveness. Focus and accomplishment are all that he knows. He grows closer, now closer, the scent grows stronger; he is almost upon it. And then gone. He whirls around. The scent is weaker, coming from behind. Confusion paints his face. His instincts automatically turn him to the new scent, but his mind tells him that it cannot be. He takes an uncertain step in the opposite direction, his confidence shaken. The mouse grows frustrated; he starts forward again, his mask of determination unraveling at the seams to a slowly enveloping fear. His heart begins to pound harder. Something must be moving the target. The minutes pass. Fear closes in on him, freezing his thoughts, slowing his pace, shaking him to the barest fiber of muscle. He grows hungrier, beginning to starve, the desire to survive utmost in his thoughts. He moves to full speed. This is not working. This cannot continue. He panics as he sees his last moments flash before him, sees himself collapse out of purest exhaustion. One more stride. One last stride. He hurls himself forward with every last shred of his energy, his body hammers through the wall and in his last moment, he understands. My Brother Alephs, Sister B'nai B'rith Girls, and Distinguished Guests, Who are we? We are the remnants of a 25,000-member organization, founded upon the visions and principles of 15 Jewish men 80 years ago. Who are we? We are an Order dedicated to developing Jewish teenagers into self-confident, successful Jewish men, involved in and leading the world's communities. Who are we? We are an organization that fights for every member, but does not grow. We are an organization driven to develop leaders, yet SO many members are disinterested in holding office. We are a thing of the past, and an incomplete mission. Who are we? Gentlemen, we are (bang) not AZA; we are mice! I am tired of watching our members stumble on through this 80-year-old maze, hoping that the future for which we all dream will suddenly show itself from around the bend. We refuse to retrace our steps and find another way. We doggedly persist that our board members are not working hard enough, and that we must put in more effort. We 1