The Jewish Connection

What is the "Jewish Connection?" Do you know who I know? Probably.

Last Friday night, I went to Shabbat dinner at Y’s apartment- my second Shabbat in a month- and it was awesome. I met a couple new people, and saw some new jew friends from the Shabbat I had previously attended. Now that I’ve hung out with a couple of these people, I feel like I’m making some real friends and not just the kind on Facebook. And they’re not all guys! Chicks like me have a little trouble making decent girlfriends, but I met one girl who was very interested in my first blog post. She is a very kind person, and though she seems shy, she invited me to come to synagogue with her one Saturday.

(To be honest, I never went to synagogue on Saturdays when I was “growing up” Jewish) So I’d like to go and see if this tradition is something I’d be into. It’s people like this girl that make any community stronger. To embrace a fellow comrade and invite them to a regular happening purely because of your faith is not uncommon.; to me, however, it reminds me of other religions I may have mocked at one point previously. I see a future post in the works.

Anyway, this brings up my theory of the Jewish Connection. In St. Louis, growing up Jewish means that we all know the same 95 Jewish kids from our days in school- be it Hebrew school or k-12. I hardly knew anyone, even Y, when I showed up to that first Shabbat dinner, but it turns out, we all know (or are related to) the same group of people, the same community. Since we all know the same 95 kids, jumping into conversations like old friends isn’t hard to do.

Funny enough, “Jewish Connection” is what I would say to my friend Josh when I needed a favor. And he’d do the same. We were the only Jewish kids at our high school, but had known each other since we were six years old thanks to Sunday school. Thanks to that bond we shared growing up, I took pride in helping out a fellow Semite. Come to think of it, I still haven’t been able to find him a girlfriend and he called “jewish connection” on that a while ago.

Next time, I promise to blog about something more lighthearted. Something St. Louis. I do plan on going to synagogue to check it out, so I’ll keep you dutiful readers posted. Until then, back to work! I wish I could call “Jewish Connection” at work. It would make my corporate slavery position much easier…

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More Ish than Jewish

Yep, that's my line when people ask what religion I am. It goes over well at parties. And I think a lot of Jews can relate.


I should probably introduce myself… I'm a new contributor to The St. Lou Jew, which I have been following thanks to my friend, Y. My background: Native St. Louisan (though I've lived five years in London), United Hebrew attendee, Wash U grad, downtown inhabitant, corporate slave.

I feel very strongly about certain things in this world: politics, culture, women's rights, the role of religion in society, and Cardinals baseball. Lately, I've been reconsidering my faith and the role it should play in my personal life and future.

Like most STL Jews, I went to Sunday school and Hebrew school with mainly Parkway School District kids. I went to a Rockwood school, where I was one of three Jews, and religion did not play an integral role in my formative younger years. I never really felt like I was one of the "jewish kids" since I didn't hang out with a "jew crew" of my own that went to Parkway Central. Oddly enough, I went to Wash U for college and only attended one Shabbat dinner. Maybe my faith would be more important to me if I had gotten more involved and met the right people.

I do want to reconnect to my faith. Why did I forget about it in the first place? I would like to know more about who I am as a Jew, and what's it all about where I am in the world. After Shabbat at Y's a couple of weeks ago, I definitely feel like it's coming back. It's hard to forget the traditions, the prayers and blessings, the smell of some downright good food. So I'll start there and see what other great connections to my faith I rediscover.

You can expect to read my crazy takes on STL, Jewishness, post-college life, and many random things. I'd like to thank Y for the opportunity to contribute. He's doing great things in the world and asking great questions on the blog. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it may take a stronger sense of community to make me more Jewish than Ish.

Ok, back to slaving away…

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