Finally finding out my heritage
I’m going to be 33 on Wednesday, and it’s sad that I don’t truly know about my heritage. I know my mother is from South Korea, and my great-grandparents from Russia and Germany. That’s where it ends. Between my middle daughters school project (creating a family tree), receiving family trees from my grandmother (and not recognizing any of the last names on it) and the rabbi asking me, I decided to ask my grandmother what the heck our heritage is.
My grandmother gives me a somewhat quick run down on the Russian side, her father, and told me about them, how he ended up in America, how he changed his whole name-which is why her last name is totally different. Then she moves onto my grandpa's side, the German side. She says to me, “I think this is the part of your heritage you really need and want to know. You’re not Jewish, of course, because your mother isn’t, and none of the mothers before were, that I’m aware of, HOWEVER, blood wise, you do have a little bit of Jewish blood running through your veins, about 1/8…and here’s how. Your great-grandfather was Jewish, came from and long line of Jewish heritage. Unfortunately, he decided to marry a gentile and their child, your grandfather, as you know, was not Jewish because his mother wasn’t. I remember when your great-grandfather and your great great-grandmother used to rent a condo in South Beach every year, and then bought one and moved there. South Beach then was a huge Jewish community. Now your great grandmother, my mother in law, wasn’t your grandfather’s mother and was also a gentile, but yet she was his step-mother, and she was terrible! So, I couldn’t help but chuckle in the shadows as her mother in law, your great great-grandmother, moved to Miami, because she was Orthodox Jew and the home and everything in it had to be kosher or abide by Jewish law. She was very particular about it, very much refused anything but, and gave my mother in law and run for her money! But it was good. In fact, your great great-grandmother was a really good woman, very kind. I really liked her. Anyways, so now you know, you are not Jewish, obviously, but you do have Jewish blood in you.” Ok….that helped me out a whole lot. I don’t know why, but I felt much better knowing this. My father, who’s prejudice, changed his last name because he found out it was a 2nd generation Jewish last name….whatever that means. I’m guessing that he was left in the dark about his heritage as I was….but my grandmother said it’s not because she never wanted to share the family history, it’s just that no one cared. And then I wondered if maybe this was why I felt a pull to Judaism, or why it felt so right or why I had such comfort in hearing the rabbi sing/chant in Hebrew….I don’t know, I still don’t know, and I may never know, but I’m happy to know that I do have Jewish lineage and that this wasn’t something as random as I thought it was.