Being Jewish means a lot of things to a lot of people. There’s no right or wrong way to be Jewish and every one of us chooses an individual path. I mentioned in a previous piece that when making his selections, Eichmann didn’t care how observant each Jew was. To him, every Jew was the same and they were all to be eliminated at all costs.
In the decades since the end of The Holocaust, Jews have remained remarkably strong and incredibly successful as a people. But, as we know, our numbers have been steady decreasing – especially in relation to the general population as a whole. Reasons for this are obvious. The intermarriage rate has increased from around 5% in the 1950’s to over 50% today. Some statistics conclude that only 1/3 of the children of intermarried couples are raised with a Jewish identity. I could go on and on and on. To me, the numbers are a bit scary.
As aware as we are of what happened just a couple of generations ago, it’s becoming less and less important for some American Jews to continue being Jewish. And what was once an absolute shande is now something easily forgotten with the passing of time.
I know I’m not alone in feeling some sort of responsibility for maintaining our people, our heritage, and our traditions. I always think it’s the least I can do to honor the millions killed and the tens of millions more who would have been born in the subsequent years.
And that is why it’s my great pleasure to announce the birth of another Jewish child – one more Jewish child who would not be here if Hitler had his way. Even though so many of us have lost our identities or given up on our traditions, there are many more who march on. I know it’s a little corny, but I like to think that every time a Jewish child is born, somewhere in hell, Adolf lets out a scream.
By the way, her name is Lucy and she’s pretty damn cute.
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