Mar 29: Passover Pride

As I write this blog, Passover begins in a matter of hours. It's an important period on the Jewish calendar, of course, and in South Florida. Only this morning I was reading about the large number of Jewish visitors who celebrate Passover here. There's even a Passover cruise out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades. Jews come from all over the country and from around the world to remember their past and enjoy their present, from New York and San Francisco, from England and Israel. Any time of the year, though, South Florida benefits from a strong Jewish presence. We're very lucky that way. This is reflected perhaps most obviously in our culture, but also in other aspects of South Florida society. It's hard to imagine Greater Fort Lauderdale without our vital Jewish influence.

That is apparent in the variety of theater and music available to us, for instance, where Jewish support for the arts helps to keep organizations alive that couldn't make it otherwise. The same is true for our charities and nonprofit groups, where the great Jewish tradition of helping others is powerfully evident.

In many other areas of our lives too, South Florida is vastly improved by the high number of Jews who visit or live here. Increasingly as each year passes, Jewish cultural and social enrichment is a topic of personal interest to me. This is because I've become convinced that I have a genuine Jewish ancestry. I know about my Irish, English and Canadian roots for sure. But my mother was adopted long ago in Canada and her background remains very hazy. The full story behind my belief in a Jewish heritage is too long for any blog. Let's just say that a growing body of circumstantial evidence suggests this likelihood to me. Not least among that evidence is my mother's personality and behavior throughout my life. For a supposed Gentile, she always has been a classic Jewish mother in many ways -- a comment I make with affection. This awareness of my likely Jewish past has progressed to the point where one Jewish friend jokingly gave me a yarmulke for being an official "half Jew." Whatever the percentage of Jewish blood I may really possess, I take true pride in it. Not just at Passover but all year long. The Jewish tradition is one of accomplishment and intellect, giving us a line of human beings that includes the likes of Einstein and Freud and Mahler. If any part of that flows through my veins, I'm very grateful. Just as I feel gratitude for the rich contributions my Jewish neighbors have made to life all around South Florida.