I realized tonight how lucky I am to be a Jew!

 

 

Many moons ago, I was a chaplain in the boy-scouts serving on the international level in Chile – and sitting there with the conglomeration of boy-scouts from around the world – we were shmoozing about my Jewish heritage and another about his Irish – I don’t remember if he was a protestant or catholic Irish, but I certainly remember the vehement hatred he felt for the other side – and a third kid was sitting nearby and he said “you guys are lucky you have background, I am just a plain nobody.”

 

This is something I think as Jewish people we fail to appreciate, as all people fail to appreciate what they take for granted, as Freud said, the orphan fantasizes about a family.

 

It is truly a privilege and honor of the highest magnitude to be born to the ancestors who brought light, liberty, justice and love to the world – perhaps there can be no greater honor in fact!