Teach your children well

When I was a little girl my mother always told me that I was Jewish.  In my head that word sounded like Joooish.  It was a word.  My mother told me that my father was Catholic.  I lived in a Catholic-Irish neighborhood in the Bronx.  There was a huge church called St. Nicholas of Talentine.  It was the only Gothic style church in the Bronx.

I went there a few times with friends that I had.  In the 70's it was still part of the service to blame the Jewish people for the death of their Savior.  This was confusing and no one in my life at that time, had any answers.

My grandparents fled Eastern Europe.  My grandmother came to America with all of her siblings and her parents.  This tells me that they had foresight and money for them all to have left Russia.  My grandfather came to New York with his family.  He stayed in New York.  Most of his family went to Canada.

My grandparents kept kosher.  I didn't know what this meant at the time but I was loved.  I was fed.  I was adored by them.  If that meant being Jewish, then how cool!

After their deaths, my mother's mental health slid into a very dark place.  I was soon taken out of her home.  Well, let me correct that.  I pleaded to be taken out of there.  I told on her.  According to her, I betrayed her.  According to me, I fought for my survival.

I took my father's last name back.  I was Laura Joy Bennett growing up.  It's on all my school records.  I went back to DeBenedetto because that is who I was born.  This wasn't out of any loyalty toward my father.  It was all about me.

I moved through the world not as a Jewish person.  No one knew unless I told them.  I have heard many hateful things about Jews.  In those moments I could say nothing.  I always spoke up.  Always said what I could.  Ignorant people never understand.  I soon realized that I wasn't convincing them of anything.

When I moved to Los Angeles my cousin Donna took me under her wing.  She educated me on the rich history of my people.  She connected all the historical dots.  She told me what all those songs I sang at summer camp meant.

I went further and took classes so that I could better understand this tradition.  I can clearly explain to anyone the "why's" of my people.  I feel as if I am a literate Jew.  I do not shrug and say, "Um oh I don't know, I don't practice".  That isn't what people are asking.

The one answer I can not answer is, "Why are the Jewish people so hated".

To me it is like hating left handed people.  I am left handed.  Other than in grade school, no one cares that I write with my left hand.  This puts me in a double minority,  left handed AND Jewish.

Do we hate green eyed people?  Yes, I have green eyes.  This puts me in yet another minority.  Left handed, Jewish, and green eyed.  Look how rare I am compared to the masses!

It seems that fighting for a world that is accepting of things not akin to everyone is necessary.  I do not think there will ever be a time that we can stop fighting.

It really has to start with what we teach our children.  Everyone is unique.  Everyone has a right to exist.  Everyone can contribute to a better world.

The Jewish people are the caretakers of the Earth.  Social work, social injustice, teachers are some of the vocations taken to help heal the world.  Not just a Jewish world.  The entire World.  We don't do it by converting those to what we believe.  Heal the world.

I am afraid the hate and evil has grown out of control.  Not just by one group either.  This isn't a Muslim problem.  This is a human problem.

I hope we all teach our children well.