A Soulful Journey

“It must be clear to everybody …that the new century does not open under very favorable auspices for Judaism… Our scriptures are the constant object of attack, our history is questioned, and its morality is declared to be an inferior sort. Worst of all is that attitude of the younger generation, who if not directly hostile, are by dint of mere ignorance sadly indifferent to everything Jewish, and in capable of taking the place of their parents in the synagogue… They are bound to end in that cold critical attitude toward Judaism in terminating and drifting away from it all together.”  - Solomon Schechter, Studies in Judaism , 1901 The more things change the more they remain the same.  And after all this time, we are still here.

“If a gentile has a boat he’s out on excursions.  There’s no bigger shnook in the world than a Jew with a boat.  All he wants to do is show it off to you.  I know 5,00 Jews with boats; I never  saw one move yet.   “Mine sleeps 7,” one will say.  “Mine sleeps 12,” says another.  A Jew doesn’t want a boat; he wants a dormitory .”   -Jackie Mason People would hear this and roar.  It was riotously funny.  We had tried to become accepted in society, provide a good foundation for our families and were pretty ignorant about how others lived. Question: Is this still funny or even true?   If not, where are we now?