Mazel Tov Madeline Albright

Recently it was discoverd that the new Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright is Jewish. Albright has practiced the Episcopalian faith and her parents were Practicing Catholics. Three grand parents were killed in the nazi death camps as were many of her Jewish family members. From what has been reported, Madeleine claims to be taken by surprise. She is convinced that due to her education her outlook on world affairs will not change. She will remain as before, a woman highly educated in world affairs and politics. True she may feel that nothing has changed but her standing in the world has changed!

Some feel that her claims of not knowing about her Jewish background are blatant lies and that she is guilty of hiding her religion. These claims would make her look as if being Jewish in not such a good thing. Others are a bit kinder and state that she too  is considered a victim of Hitler. As she has been robbed of her heritage. They say that the fact that her  parents converted to Catholicism in order to save themselves and family members is a good thing and not a fault of hers. If anything, she should be considered like a Marrano - A Jew forced to renounce the Jewish religion for a Catholic one under the threat of death. This took place during the Spanish inquisition  in the late 15th century.

I find it strange that Albright is silent on these matters.

I know that she has many things to do.  As Secretary of State she has her new duties. She in now on a 11 day trip to 9 nations. This trip will take her around the world. She has meeting in Europe, then Asia and even China! Nothing stands in  her way. No task to hard to tackle. Albright has the tenure as a US ambassador to the UN. Yes, we have a Secretary of State making history. She is at home in making decisions for American policy. She is confident that she will  make the right choices for world peace. Her job is cut out.     

But it's about the religious principles that make wonder!

As a child I lived in a area populated by Jewish survivors of  World War ll. Many of these immigrants Jews had lost entire families and fortunes. Their only crime was being born to Jewish parents at the wrong time of the century, Just being Jewish in Europe put you in grave danger of being killed. You and your family would be erased from the face of the earth.

In my childhood neighborhood there  were two camps of Jews. One group was very religious and the other  completely irreligious. We called them free thinkers. Their non observance of Jewish ritual and identity was a direct result of their war experience with persecution. They would vindicate their behavior with the following statement.  "It doesn't mean anything to be Jewish, unless you want to be a victim." We stayed far from the irreligious camp. But one day a strange thing happened.

A family, from the other side of the tracks moved to our side. they became very religious and were accepted within the religious community.

They had two children. A stocky looking 12 year old boy and a little 7 year old girl. Both children knew nothing of their religion. They had been completely assimilated to the American way of life.

The parents were survivors of an infamous nazi concentration camp in Poland. After the war they lost their faith and changed their names to German sounding ones leaving  their religion. By doing  so they hoped to spare themselves the pain and horror of being victims again. Then they both did the unthinkable. They went back to Germany and attended the best university available and became engineers. In early 1950 they migrated to the USA and moved to Brooklyn NY, where they started  a family . Being totally fed  up with religion they brought up their children as atheists.           

Their son John had been blessed with tremendous gymnastic skills. He was the darling of his School. It was evident to many that he was born with remarkable leadership capabilities. The kids knew that he was their leader. John would lead the ball games excelling at sports. He soon was the leader of the pack. As boys will be boys he fell into the wrong crowd and joined a bad group of kids. He and his friends pulled off pranks, making themselves a name as a fearless group.

One sunny day John came home and told his parents of his recent tricks. He and his friends had been to Ebbets field for a ball game . On the way home they had a run in with a bunch of kids. "They were very different kind of kids, they were Kikes-Jewish oddballs" he said." The shocked parents were besides them self with anger. What had they done to themselves? They felt ruined!

It was soon after that when they told their children that they were really Jewish. That there needed to be some changes. Life changed and religion was back in. They dropped their German names for their old Polish Jewish sounding ones. Then they took that heroic leap of faith and  moved to the religious side of town. It took a while for the kids to make the adjustments. As hard as it was for John he nevertheless became known as Yakkov-Jacob and within a year he was as Jewish as any kid on the block.

With the above in mind I would like to extend a Mazal Tov - good luck to   Madeleine Albright. This customary Jewish salutation for good news is in place for a few reasons.

Mazal Tov for success on your new position as Secretary of State for the greatest country in the world. Mazal Tov on your newly found Jewish background. I extend a hearty welcome to you and your family.

I humbly ask that you not forget the new opportunity in learning your religious heritage.  Come and join us in discovering the religion of our forefathers. Learn the religion of grandparents that you never got to  meet. Yes now you can learn about the Jewish nation.

You are quoted as saying  "I do not believe that things happen accidentally, I believe that you earn them."  If that be true then you must learn what it means to live as a Jew... we have all learned what it means to die as Jews and now its time to learn how to live as Jews.