I'll be at work Thursday. Just like I was last Tuesday and Wednesday. The charade is over for me. I have always struggled over whether to work on the "High Holy" days. Growing up, I went to Hebrew school three times a week so if I took those days off from regular school it was no big deal although more often than not I opted to show up.
Although I was raised Jewish, I never have felt embraced nor have I embraced the faith. This probably comes from a lackluster (that's an understatement) effort by my father to instill a love of the religion in me. My Dad didn't lead by example. He never went to temple but we had to go to Hebrew school. That breeds resentment.
My mom isn't Jewish. We were all converted. We are, my brother says, Sammy Davis Jews. At Hebrew school, I felt different from the other kids and also felt I was treated differently by the teachers who knew that I wasn't 100% Hebrew National.
My father always calls and asks if I've taken the day off. `You're a Jew, you shouldn't be working,' he'll say. I want to respond, `yeah, how was temple today anyway?,' but I hold my tongue.
My attitude is that since I don't go to temple and haven't been in one for years (except for the occasional funeral)it would be hypocritical of me to take those days. If I marry someone Jewish who does all those things, I will too.
None of this means I bear ill will towards the chosen peeps. My experience and issues have little to do with Judaism and a lot to do with my own family baggage. It took me a long time to realize that but there you go.
If you're looking for me Thursday, I'll be doing what I always do and probably eating as well. Fortunately, I only have to atone for half of what I eat.
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Rambler,
You brougt me back to my "religious" days when my parents, who like yours never went to Temple, forced me to go to Hebrew School AND Sunday School. I didn't mind the Hebrew part because I got out of school early on those days, but the bible stories on Sundays, burning bush notwithstanding, drove me up the wall. The big reason was that the Community Center's basketball league had most of their games on Sunday. Because I was pissed off, I got into so much trouble on Sunday's that I was often out in the hall instead of in the classroom. Blasphemy was my specialty...still is. Yet my parents didn't get it. Their priorities were, to my early mind, all screwed up. I always blamed them for the fact that in high school and in college, I was the #6man on the round ball team and although I had my moments, I never started (as if I needed something else to make me hate them....my mother wasn't even a decent cook!) All was not lost however. I was the starting running back for our college football team and the best squash player on the 1965-66 team till I got thrown off the squad for refusing to lose weight. I told coach Brown that "if someone....anyone beats me, including you you fat fuck, I'll go on a diet." I won all my matches that year but even though I was undefeated, out I went with the bath water after he mumbled something about my bad attitude. That could only happen at a State Uninversity where academics came first. What a Putz.
Howard
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