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Well today, March 19th, happens to be the 40th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah. I remember it well. Every time I think about that event, the song,Yesterday by the Beatles, comes to mind. It was climbing the charts at the time.

The Sunday School teacher who helped me memorize my Torah Portion told me I'd never forget it, and he was right! I still remember it perfectly.

kumininexile wrote: Well today, March 19th, happens to be the 40th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah. I remember it well. Every time I think about that event, the song,Yesterday by the Beatles, comes to mind. It was climbing the charts at the time.

The Sunday School teacher who helped me memorize my Torah Portion told me I'd never forget it, and he was right! I still remember it perfectly.


Mazel Tov!

But MEMORIZE the Torah portion? READ it surely!

And SUNDAY school teacher? :-3

(for me it’s 47 years since!)

It must have been a very special day with some lovely memories....congratulations....and a belated 'hello'

Hello, Golem! It's good to hear from you. As far as I know, you may be the first FG member from Israel. I take it you're Israeli? I was in Israel in 1970 for the summer.

Sadly, I had to memorize my Torah Portion, rather than being able to read it verbatim. I was brought up as a Reform Jew and, to this day, I don't read Hebrew. As for what I said about, "Sunday School," these classes were actually held on Saturday mornings, right before the Saturday afternoon worship services at our synagogue. I remember those classes were my first introduction to Jewish history. I remember learning about the, "Gutenberg press," (presumably this guy, Gutenberg, was a Jew, I guess a German one?)

I've never kept kosher, either.

I'll tell you something that's funny; I probably feel the same way about those who refer to themselves as, "Reconstructionist," Jews, as you feel about the Reform ones like me. I've been to a few worship services at Reconstructionist congregations, and I'm not terribly impressed. Most of the people who show up for these worship services are very clearly not Jewish, at least racially speaking, though everyone of them will insist he/she is a Jew. I realize that you don't have to be Jewish racially in order to be a Jew, but most of the people who go to Reconstructionist synagogues just look like Gentile yuppies who are simply interested in Judaism and will lie about their affiliation. In other words, Reconstructionism is the yuppie denomination of Judaism, primarily for non-Jews. What do you think?

kumininexile wrote: Well today, March 19th, happens to be the 40th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah. I remember it well. Every time I think about that event, the song,Yesterday by the Beatles, comes to mind. It was climbing the charts at the time.

The Sunday School teacher who helped me memorize my Torah Portion told me I'd never forget it, and he was right! I still remember it perfectly.
Its wonderful that you remember, and hold the event in reverence. I held a candle for my friends son years ago... it was an honor to be asked. I remember it well.

kumininexile wrote: In other words, Reconstructionism is the yuppie denomination of Judaism, primarily for non-Jews. What do you think?
That's kind of the same impression I got. It's for people who think it's hip to observe the Jewish practices. I went to a Reconstructionist service once to see what it was like and the people there sat in a circle instead of facing Israel. It wasn't bad, though, but it was a little weird.