I spoke to my friend Herb H today. He recently retired from the United States Postal Service and is looking for a new position with a company such as UPS or FedEx. He has told me that his battle ax wife (his words not mine) will not let him have a computer. Not having a computer in 2008 is like not having a television set in 1970. He can not apply for a job since big companies now only accept online applications. I suggested that he go to his local public library. Believe me, I know that libraries have computers for public use. Dave, can you help him out applying to FedEx?
I don't have to worry about his reading this journal entry. I have known Herb since 1978 duing the Queens B'nai Brith Singles days. He said that Jewish girls rejected him because he had a blue collar job with the post office. He married Diane, a Catholic girl in 1990. They never had any children. I think Herb didn't want kids because hew wanted to avoid the issue of what religious training to give the child. That must be a difficult issue in an intermarriage.
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I was one of those who married right after college. Neither my first husband, Gary Wright, nor my current husband, Raymond Torge, are Jewish. I always thought I would marry a Jewish man...but the difference in faith was not an issue with us. Both my children (with Gary) were raised Jewish.
When I was a child growing up in Rego Park with my two Jewish parents, I was given virtually NO Jewish training other than that I received in the home about the holidays. I always had a very strong Jewish identity because I was surrounded by Jews in school and in the neighborhood. My children were not as lucky since we moved to Arizona when my daughter was a mere 10 months old and my son was born here. We had some family here, but they were definitely in the minority in the neighborhood and in school--having maybe 2 or 3 Jewish students in each class. So, we joined a reform Temple when Shana was 5 years old and both she and Matthew attended religious school on Sundays and Hebrew school on Wednesdays through 7th grade. Each had a Bat and Bar Mitzvah and continued on through "Hebrew High School"--Tuesday night classes which brought together all interested Jewish High School students all over the Phoenix metropolitan area and suburbs. They each completed Confirmation and both were active participants in the Temple Youth groups and summer camp experience.
Now, at 31 and 27, neither of them participates in or follows their religion in any way. Perhaps if either of them do ever have children of their own, they may, hopefully, see the benefit of returning to their heritage. It would be wonderful if that would occur. Neither of them is drawn in any way to other religions either...rather they shun any organized religion and do not even seem to have a real belief in God or a "higher power". This does make me sad...but, I raised them to think independently and that they do. They are wonderful human beings and I love them both with all my heart.
I, myself, am still proud of my Jewish heritage and identity, but I have no regrets about holding myself out to only marry someone of the Jewish faith.
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