Sue!
Your article is so touching, so optimistic and inspiring!
I spent 2 hours struggling with my poor English to be able to express in short letter all my feeling triggered by your article.
I’m full of emotions – pain and happiness and pride all together. And the banal phrase which you probably heard many times – your kids, especially Net, – are so lucky having such a great parents like you and Ned!
Being Jewish myself, but always, due to the historical obstacles, and also due to my own laziness, outside Jewish religion, traditions, society, I always feel that I have to bring myself and more important my kids in. But every time I was approaching the border of Jewish circle – either checking couple of different synagogue events, or Hebrew school open-house, or attending simchat bat of our friends daughter, it looked so formal, not spiritual and not inspiring.
Konstantin and I were on the position of letting our kids decide later what they are – Jewish, Orthodox Christian or something else – when they are older and can make conscious decisions. But I don’t think it’s right position – it’s coward and lazy one. We must educate and grow them up being part of some religion community. I don’t blame myself very much since I still feel myself a bit as a stranger in a new culture. I’m afraid of looking funny or silly in society in front of my kids, not being able to participate in the normal community life – I believe it’s usual emigrant problem.
We have to find out the way to re-examine our lives, to bring ourselves and our kids to religion community, to become part of the American society.