Exploring Jewish Heritage (Ashkenazi)

lostinrates

lavandergirl wrote: »

Thank you all once again. I am glad to have posted here as everybody was able to give a critical view of our situation. Google can sometimes give too much an introspective view of things.

We will probably let the children decide (once they get older and start asking questions) on what aspect of their heritage they want to know about. Although, I like the idea of celebrating the holidays, cooking and eating till our hearts content!

That's all you CAN do really.

I am a cultural and genetic mongrel, and I love it and am really proud of it. That I married to further the mix wasn't planned, but certainly wasn't a hindrance.

One of the things I likes about the portion of my childhood that was American is that a lot of people do manage both to be first and foremost American, but also proud of the heritage that makes their experience of America different to someone else's. I am proud to be here, in England living a British lifestyle, but I am also everything else that makes me me, and with the latter I appreciate the former fully IYSWIM.

Fwiw, I don't feel the same about respect for previous generations losses, and infact feel some of that actually is the cause of some rumblings of problems elsewhere in the world. For example, my husbands German family didn't do national service because they don't have to, and I feel strongly that as modern Germans, as well as modern Jews, and modern Europeans we would be better going forward on equal footing, not forgetting the past at all, but making a new and equal future. But I am aware this opinion is contentious. :)

margaretclare

It's interesting. I wonder if DH's children and grandchildren will want to take this approach in time? When we first met he described himself as an 'ex-Jew' and he's stuck to that. Because he 'married out' - his first wife - his children aren't Jewish. For some reason his son was circumcised by a mohel - I don't know the reason for that, he thinks it was 'her idea' and he went along with it. We are practising Christians - he was baptised and confirmed in his 70th year. Because of that 'marrying out' a whole raft of his cousins refuse to speak to him even to this day.

I've done quite a lot on family history in both my family and his. Was in contact with members of one of his cousins' families a while ago. They were quite friendly, wanted to fill in the family tree and asked for DH's descendants. The moment I said 'son was married in St Mary's Church....' that was it. No further contact.

DH's brother once said to me that he'd never been to any of his brother's 3 weddings, and couldn't have come to ours because we were married in church. But his first cousin - they grew up as lads together - was happy to be his best man.