Jan. 17, 2024

Preserving Jewish Identity: A Journey from Ellis Island to Today's American Mosaic

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Season 6

Embark on a historical odyssey with us as we trace the stubborn strands of Jewish identity in the American tapestry, from the shores of Ellis Island to the present day. Discover the hidden strengths safeguarding a culture against the winds of change, where traditional garb, language, and names became the armor against assimilation. As we unravel the past threads, we'll see how these elements were not just incidental but central to Jewish endurance, echoing the long-ago days of Egypt.

Join us for an intimate conversation that weaves personal stories with collective memory, examining the subtle transformations in our Jewish sense of self over 140 years. We'll reflect on our experiences – the names we choose, the greetings we exchange, and how we dress – and ponder their significance in maintaining a vibrant, distinctive Jewish community. This episode invites us to look within and recognize the pillars that have upheld our identity, preparing us for a future that honors our rich heritage.

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Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com



WEBVTT

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Seven score and a couple years ago, our grandparents came to Ellis Island seeking refuge from war torn Europe.

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It was back in 1880, 1880s James Garfield, the president, thomas Edison's doing his chill with his electricity and stuff.

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The Jewish people are setting up shop in America, the Golden Medina.

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This is all interesting to think about because it was only 140 years ago.

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That's how long the Jews have been in America.

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Isn't that great of a stint of time?

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And the grand scheme of things for sure is in fact even less the amount of time that Jewish people spent in Egypt, which was 210 years.

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And all of this, following this line of thinking, leads us to a new understanding of why the majorish points to the Zghus, that the special merits that the Jewish people had to be redeemed from Egypt.

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It was that they didn't change their clothing to dress like Egyptians.

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They kept their way of speech, hebrew, and they kept their Jewish names.

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They weren't going by paro and Cleopatra, of the like by Moishi and Yankee.

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Why are these the specials and why is this the golden ticket out, the golden ticket to freedom?

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Why isn't this Zghus?

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More Torah, more Davening, more Mitzvahs?

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It would seem that these three are the defense mechanisms against assimilation, and they're what define ourselves.

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It's how we identify, how we dress, how we talk and what we call each other, just 140 years since our grandparents have come to Ellis Island.

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It's kind of scary that I go by Michael, not Michal.

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Sometimes it's Michal.

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I hope it's Michal.

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Sometimes I'll say what's up instead of Shalom Aleichem.

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And maybe I don't always wear a hat black hat, white shirt, maybe I don't always dress like a Jew or I am trying to cop the newest Jordan's or God forbid, care about what some celebrity that doesn't follow the Torah in Los Angeles is wearing.

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These three things have already subtly started to have become eroded from the Jewish sense of self after only a short 140 years in America.

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It all speaks volumes about just how special it was that the Jews in Egypt.

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They separated themselves and they were able to maintain their Jewish definition.

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They would say good morning Shalom Aleichem.

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Zafra de Moretava Rebianchi.

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I love the new strimal that you're wearing today.

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It's important that we identify as Jews.

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We have a tzura, a form of a Jew.

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It gives us definition and helps us stick together, to be recognizable by Mashiach to say there are the Jewish people and they're ready for a gula.