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Blogging Jews

June 22, 2005 By pia

Don’t usually plug my own posts! Read my post under this “on my father…” It’s a tear jerker, or tears of enjoyment.

It was a pleasure to be my father’s daughter–even when we were driving each other crazy, which was often. But not many daughters are given a legacy such as this letter. It is the must treasured part of my parents legacy to me for my parents were almost as one. Very in love; even as a baby I knew and enjoyed their passion for each other (or my mother said that I enjoyed it!)

Then read the post below it “The sisterhood of the traveling picture.” Sometimes I’m clever; sometimes profound; sometimes witty, sometimes horrible. Here I think I’m…well draw your own conclusions. Yes more about that picture

Will probably have a new post up this weekend; though I might really try to hold out until Monday. Trying to become a less obsessive blogger. Not easy.

I’m Jewish. No! Shocking! Danny Bloom has a site devoted to blogging Jews. Scroll all the way down and there we are! And an update! Link to Danny’s Bubbe and Zaidie books included.

For every one Jew who blogs there are at least 20 stories about why said person blogs.

I’m going to try not to post for the rest of the week because I’m thrilled to be included in this; and there are two posts beneath it I love.

The second–the sisterhood of the traveling picture is about my discovering a picture of me in a large national national magazine. It wasn’t captioned, and it took me two days to believe that it was me! The picture was taken over a year ago at a magazine launch party–not this magazine. Remember the party very specifically for two reasons: people kept on taking my picture and they had the best crab balls I have ever tasted. Probably shouldn’t say that in this post, crabs are probably the least Kosher of all foods! So of course they are my favorite food.

The post under this one is not by me! It’s by my dad. It feels great to be able to share it with people at a time when adoption is less of a charged issue. (Probably the only thing that is now).

I was adopted from a Jewish agency so it fits in this. Always knew I was though many people refused to believe it because I fit in too well with my family. Like adoptees are supposed to have antennas on the top of their head or the horns many people once believed Jews had. (Guess I had a double dose.)

Didn’t have the birthmark on the back of my head; do have one on my neck. Didn’t have much hair until I was over a year old. When it grew in, it took over! That was the only thing that was slow about me. My parents claimed I walked, talked and almost read before my first birthday. Did read before kindergarten.

My parents were amazing people. I miss them every day. I had always felt uncomfortable in adoption groups because I never had a litany of complaints, and thought that being adopted by my parents was a miracle. Now I have to say this–I’m very strongly pro-choice.

My birth mother gave me up for adoption because my birth father wasn’t Jewish. Her family was Orthodox. As only the mother counts in the Jewish religion in determining if a baby’s Jewish–I’m one hundred percent certified Jew, and very proud to be a member of the religion that is also my culture and heritage. Since my family were never citizens of what they called Russia Poland their traditions defined them in ways that–well many books have been written about that.

For the first time in the two centuries my family has been living here, our rights are being trampled on. To most Jews, The First Amendment of The Constitution is another Bible. It guarantees our right to practice our religion, and for our government to be secular. That’s right; The First Amendment guarantees that, and if you wish to fight me on this, please go to Bring it On!

Right now I’m levelling in family pride; kvell means pride but something more. Asked Library Lady for help defining it.

Being adopted isn’t going to be front and center in my memoir but I did search for my birth mother at various periods in my life, and found her in 1988. She’s a very nice woman but she wasn’t my mom. I searched more out of curiosity than anything else–and a need to know about potential health problems. I strongly believe in open records. But people seem to have a need or want to rewrite history. I was adopted at a time when many people didn’t tell their kids, or told them that their birth parents died in a car crash.

My parents shared all the info they had with me. My dad made a tape recording of the events in the following post that my sister and I would have him play over and over again. There was one thing that wasn’t put in, and they didn’t tell me about until I was an adult. You’ll figure that one out

Filed Under: my parents Tagged With: Adoption, If I'm not Christian, am I still an American?, my parents, personal essays

« My dad’s story about my parents feelings upon adopting me.
Multi subject hot Saturday with a side of Karl Rove »

Comments

  1. PoliShifter says

    June 22, 2005 at 10:01 am

    I love the pin-up picture. The way a woman should look. None of this skin and bones bull crap.

  2. Trixie says

    June 22, 2005 at 2:10 pm

    I’d say that among most bloggers, there are at least 20 stories about why said person blogs, 30 changed layouts and 40 rearranged link lists for every single POST…

  3. Trine says

    June 22, 2005 at 3:03 pm

    oh i re-edit everything all the time. i am terrible for just letting something go as it is…

    btw –
    it’s my anniversary today, one year of blogging. wow.

  4. Alessandro Rosetti says

    June 22, 2005 at 8:58 pm

    which fack thing is happening here? nobody works around as chicken with the witness excluded if they do not have the some idea where head is to the hole in the basket has gone.

  5. Trixie says

    June 22, 2005 at 9:04 pm

    Alessandro’s comment may have been the most profound thing I have ever read.

  6. Pia says

    June 23, 2005 at 12:23 am

    Am not deleting Alessandro’s comment, because it’s just too profound! Wouldnt want to mess with genius or dementia–more likely the last!

    Doug thanks much. other girls turn into their mom–I turned into both my parents!

  7. dotbar says

    June 23, 2005 at 8:31 am

    Isn’t it the truth that our favorite foods are almost always the ones we shouldn’t have for some reason or another? Must be the ultimately contrary nature of human beings!

  8. Library Lady says

    June 23, 2005 at 9:36 am

    Kvell rhymes with “swell” and that’s a pretty good idea of what it means–to swell with pride. Particularly over one’s child, but it can be other things too!
    In fact, you’ve inspired a post, Pia. Perhaps tomorrow, if our next road trip spot has Internet access!

  9. frstlymil says

    June 24, 2005 at 12:59 am

    Okay, I think Allessandro is my new spiritual leader.

    Seriously, thanks to both you AND your Dad for a great post.

  10. Chandira says

    June 24, 2005 at 3:19 am

    I know more Jewish blogers than non-jewish, by a long way. wtf?

    Allessandro also left a random comment on my page, wondering why I’d said ‘Mmmm’, not ‘Hmmm’..

    The girl next door when I was growing up was adopted, and always made up the most atrocious lies about her real parents, who were supposedly some sort of super-hero famous rich people. Luckily I was always sensible enough to figure out why the lies.. Poor kid. I’m very glad you’re happier than she ever was! Good for you… 🙂

  11. frstlymil says

    June 24, 2005 at 3:59 am

    BTW – I think Alessandro might have been using the Italian to English translation tool on Babel Fish…that wacky program is always making pesky translations…I think “chicken with the witness excluded” might mean “chicken with its head cut off” and I suppose ya’ll can creatively determine what the rest of the sentence was supposed to mean…hee!

  12. Random Personae says

    June 24, 2005 at 8:02 am

    It’s too bad that freedom of religion does not equal freedom from religion, or so it would seem. Anyway, it’s refreshing to see your very pink blog. I was beginning to think that everyone in America was a right-wing Christian.

  13. joe says

    June 24, 2005 at 8:44 am

    dan bloom is very nice.

    you are all fellow jews!

    how cool, a whole new aspect to blogging i haven’t really considered too much.

    last year there was a panel at the SXSW (in austin, tx) i think titled “Blogging While Black” or something to that effect.

    i think the next bloggies should have something like “Bagel Bloggers” or “I’m Moishe, I’m Hertzel, I’m Shlomo and We’re Bloggers” or something to aim for.

    i’m on to something here….

    cheers! your site rocks!

    joe

  14. Pia says

    June 24, 2005 at 3:29 pm

    Love the whole Jewish blogger thing though I must admit my Jewish identity is one of a cultural Jew.

    Which meant that we kept the Yiddishkeit (Ashkenzie-Russian/Poslish)identity alive.

    When I was 14 we went to visit relatives in Mobile Alabama–have lots of them there, and that was the year “daddy got religion.”

    A bit late–but he tried, our seders had been lavish family dinners, now they were real seders, and some of the best family memories.

    Read the [ost below this one–it’s not by me but my dad!

  15. mrsmogul says

    June 24, 2005 at 7:21 pm

    A blogging Jew eh? Oy Vay. Have a great time today! I assume you’ll be in the Hamptons for the weekend? Likey the wine vineyard there.

  16. Jane says

    June 25, 2005 at 11:00 am

    Dear Pia,
    Just reread your entry & realized that I, like you, had a similar relationship with my father. We drove each other crazy. He died in 1993 & it wasn’t until years after he did that I’ve come to fully appreciate him & love every ounce of me that resembles his ways. The same things that drove me nuts, I now cherish. I wonder if the same is true for you.

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About Me

I live in the South, not South Florida, a few blocks from the ocean, and two blocks from the main street. It's called Main Street. Amazes me too.

I'm from New York. I mostly lived in the Mid-Upper East Side, and the heart of the Upper West Side. It amazes me when people talk about how scared they were of Times Square in the 1970's and 1980's.

As my mother said: "know the streets, look out and you'll be fine."

What was scary was the invasion of the crack dens into "good buildings in good 'hoods." And the greedy landlords who did everything they could to get good tenants out of buildings.

I'm a Long Island girl, and proud of it now.
Then I hated everything about the suburbs. Yet somehow I lived in a few great Long Island Sound towns after high school.

Go to archives "August 2004" if you want to begin with the first posts.

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