Re: Neighborhood Character

10/22/07 - posted by jb

Very moving story, Frank with quite a few surprises. Thanks for sharing it. I was touched especially by your line "we were related, as many of the Irish/Italian/Israeli families in the Western neighborhoods are, but we never knew it." Since my father was an Irish Catholic and my mother a Russian Jew, it's rather comforting to know that I was not the "lone ranger" when it came to interfaith progeny. Ironically, my Jewish maternal grandmother looked more Irish than any one in the entire family, having that Northern European fair and pale-blue eye complexion with a nose that could hide under a button. It used to iritate her to no end that folks thought my Dad was HER son. What she had against a hard-drinking Irish gadabout who swept her daughter out of the arms of a Jewish doctor to whom she was engaged, I'll never understand...he was a wonderful father and a faithful, loving husband. Your revelation above might explain the ecumenical comfort zone we kids shared in the 60's going to the dances, be they at St. Stephen's, St. Anne's or the Jewish Community Center. Then again, it may be that hormones have little conscience and even less faith. In any case, you reminded me of a story. I was once shooting pool at Top of the Hill in Daly City with my brother-in-law; a ringer for Sonny Corleone and who's grandfathers were both rabbis. He made an impossible bankshot and some guy blurts out "where'd ya learn that...the Jew-Italian School?" After we peeled ourselves off the floor from laughing, we guessed the guy was not sure of Joey's ethnic background and figured he'd cover all his bets with one insult. Personally, I deeply value having two cultures to connect with; yet no one ever takes me for being Jewish until they see my Irish rising, like red mercury, in response to their anti-Semitic joke or comments. And when they say "hey relax, some of my best friends are Jewish." I retort "hey, some of mine are bigoted racists" and then the fight goes 15 rounds. But to this day, when ever I get together with my brother-in-law, we laugh about our alma mater: The Jew-Italian School. Sounds like there may be more graduates than I ever imagined.